Taking Sun to Stonehenge
I thoroughly enjoy your presentations of my fellow Seal Beach/Rossmoor neighbors on their varied travel experiences, and this recent two page spread was delightful. However, several issues ago there was a photo of the Pincek family in England that impressed me most. I have to send high praise to them for their “human Stonehenge” portrait — and especially to Ashley Pincek for being able to keep more than a straight upper lip! Impressive! Cheers for the whole family!
Joyce Kucera
Seal Beach
Mayor responds to e-Cigarettes column
As a resident and Mayor of the City of Seal Beach, I feel compelled to respond to an opinion about e-Cigarettes in The Sun on August 29, 2013 written by Seth Eaker. Mr. Eaker, as a paid lobbyist representing an e-Cigarette business, urged the City Council to brush aside its due diligence and not adopt an urgency ordinance prohibiting, on a temporary basis, the issuance of new permits or licenses to any new retailers whose primary business is dedicated to selling e-Cigarettes.
By adoption of an urgency ordinance, the Council is not banning the use of e-Cigarette technology in our community, nor will it by default force code enforcement of existing businesses who currently sell e-Cigarettes as a secondary retail product. It is merely taking the time to study the issue prior to issuing permits or business licenses to any new retailers whose primary business is dedicated to selling e-Cigarettes.
The Council is doing its required due diligence to study such retailers. These lounges have already begun to proliferate in several nearby communities. Before making a final determination that will impact new and future business uses in our community, the Council is allowing adequate time and opportunity to review existing state legislation and regulations applicable to businesses who are primary retailers of e-Cigarette technology and other smoke-related uses. It is the responsibility of the Council, who has been entrusted by our residents, to do its due diligence to ensure that the City is legally approving business licenses and issuing building permits based upon approved uses within our own municipal code. Proactively studying a new business trend and product use is not a “draconian measure,” nor is it a “knee jerk reaction.”
As the mayor of Seal Beach, I can assure our residents that they can depend upon this City Council to do the work that it has been entrusted to do. We will not be bullied by lobbyists from doing our due diligence as elected officials that our residents expect and deserve.
Mayor Gary A. Miller
Seal Beach
St. Isidore membership
The Membership Drive for St. Isidore Historical Plaza has been launched! This is an urgent call to the community to help us in this effort to save the oldest building in Los Alamitos. The purpose is to awaken the interest of our city and neighboring communities in keeping alive the history of Orange County. This non-profit organization aims to purchase, preserve and protect this historical gem for present and future generations.
Our goal is to collect enough funds to purchase this treasure and allow us to apply for historical landmark status. Every dollar contributed will help us meet the purchase deadline of May 31, 2014. If we are successful, the Chapel will become non-denominational, a museum, and a community venue for concerts and lectures and its plaza will be the center and pride of our community. We will be able to continue to offer our site for services; including food and clothing distribution for the poor, providing a place for celebrations of all kinds; a chapel for Los Alamitos Medical Center; after school programs, a meeting place for AA, the Knights of Columbus, Boy Scouts, ballroom dance classes, and much more.
We need your help now. Being indifferent to this call will bring the demise of this wonderful site whose beginnings were glorious and its history is significant. Time is of the essence. This is a great opportunity to contribute and become an Isidorian benefactor. Will you join us and become a member?
To support this mission you can contact us by on Facebook, at our website stisidorehistoricalplaza.org, by calling our offices at (562) 596-9918 or visiting us at the corner of Katella and Reagan.
Maria Theresa Diaz
Los Alamitos
Principal’s Message
Our great start to the 2013-14 school year received a tremendous boost on Thursday afternoon when the California Department of Education released the Academic Performance Index scores. McGaugh’s 20-point increase, from 906 to 926, is a tremendous accomplishment in a year when scores around Orange County and the State of California did not sustain the upward trend of the past few years.
A component of our data this year that is of particular note is the fact that the API for our Students with Special Needs increased by a staggering 88 points – surpassing the 800 point level which is an important target for schools across the State of California. This is truly an exceptional accomplishment! I want to congratulate all of our staff, parents, and students for this great accomplishment that is the byproduct of the entire community working together to support high levels of student achievement.
Dr. Jerry Gargus,
Principal
McGuah Elementary School
The opinions expressed in Letters to the Editor are not necessarily those of the Sun. The Sun welcomes Letters to the Editor. Letters should be 300 words maximum. Letters should be e-mailed, signed by the author and include the author’s address and phone number (the latter two are for verification, not publication). The Sun reserves the right to accept, edit, or reject letters for any reason. Unless otherwise indicated, all letters sent to the Sun are understood to be intended for publication. E-mail letters to: dennis@sunnews.org.
