Residents Pay for Overdevelopment

Michael Ellick is “right on” in his Jan. 7 commentary. The only thing I disagree with is the headline. It should have read: “When will the supervisors be mature enough to declare a moratorium on building?”

Nothing that we in Orange County value is addressed by these people: quality of life now, and something left for future generations. Ellick isn’t predicting gridlock, it’s here! We said we did not want the toll roads and we were second-guessed on that one. They are here and we are going to pay for them. The supervisors saw bankruptcy as a way to welsh on their debts and while laying off personnel, they handed over millions to complete the San Joaquin toll road.

The destruction of Laguna Canyon was one more nail in the coffin where we will bury our credibility.

Perhaps these shortsighted supervisors are reluctant to back off from prior commitments. Would they have to pay back the perks? Give back the campaign funds? Lose their undeserved retirement benefits? These idiots have OKd tract after tract with no thought to water supply, clean air, libraries (we can close some of those), public transportation (let the kids hang out at the mall, until they get a car). If your house is devalued, so be it.

I have an orange tree. Since it will soon be an endangered species here, could I have it declared a state monument and have the tour buses drive by to see it?

MARY LOU RIPLEY

Laguna Beach

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Michael Ellick’s op-ed article suggesting Orange County already had population enough and to spare without adding further housing developments was a welcome breeze. Those who already face the daily traffic grind and the air pollution and growing urban problems are well aware of this. But his solution to the problem, to disallow further housing, gets the cart before the horse.

Who are we to tell people they can’t live near their jobs? Must they all move further out to San Diego County, with all of the freeway crowding that would imply? And San Diego has problems of its own. Perhaps they should all go on to Mexico?

People will continue to move into Orange County as more and more jobs are available. It is the industrial and commercial development that is the nub of the problem. As long as these increase, our population and urban problems will increase. It is time for our county, cities and chambers of commerce to stop enticing new businesses and industries to our once-pristine area. These are the culprits. Stop job growth and the population growth will largely take care of itself.

THOMAS ROY PENDELL

Newport Beach

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Michael Ellick is among millions who have moved to lightly populated suburbs only to have the “lightly” removed in a short time. His article reminds me of a conversation my father and I had with someone who was lamenting that he wished Orange County was like it was back in the ‘70s. I pointed out that you really needed to go back to the ‘50s to see it at its best, whereas my father waded in that the county was probably at its peak sometime before the war. My father then chuckled that had his father been present, my grandfather would have opted to return to before the turn of the century.

While Ellick questions “Big Brother” antics in transportation, he seems to endorse such an institution when he praises Marin County. Marin severely retarded growth through such heavy-handed tactics as restrictive zoning ordinances and not issuing water permits by intentionally not seeking outside sources of water. The former borders on unconstitutional taking of property while the latter backfired when, during the drought residents were forced to do such things as shower at friends or employers outside of their county.

Another way Marin County was kept relatively undeveloped was by the federal government having or purchasing large tracks of land that were eventually consolidated into the Golden Gate Recreational Park. While we don’t have a Muir Woods or Point Reyes Seashore, I’m sure that Washington would be quite receptive to spending a few billion dollars for a nice little gnatcatcher preserve in the South County.

MARK FINLEY

Santa Ana