The Future That Will, or Might, Be

Re “Great Diversity in Expectations,” (“Beyond 2000,” Sept. 28):

I think your poll was highly accurate regarding the attitudes of whites and minorities toward the changing ethnic makeup of Orange County.

As a white, 34-year-old Orange Countian who grew up in Los Angeles, I too have observed, with mixed feelings, the increasing influx of minorities. Though tolerant of others, I also feel compelled to stick with my own, with whom I feel most comfortable.

I recall during the ‘70s my mother selling our home in Huntington Park to move to Downey, due to the rapidly changing character of Huntington Park from white to Latino. It was part of the “white flight” from city to suburb.

And though Huntington Park remains a working-class neighborhood, its racial makeup has forever changed the community I grew up in. All the old neighbors are gone, and not a trace of the past remains. More of the residents speak Spanish than English. I’m glad we left when we did.

With such feelings, I can’t help but feel a sense of deterioration and loss with the increasing influx of minorities into Orange County. I live in a “sheltered” coastal area of Costa Mesa that is predominately white. Whenever I venture past, say, the San Diego Freeway, I immediately sense the change from my own neighborhood: The landscape becomes uglier and more dirty; the homes are less well-maintained; booming car stereos shatter the quiet, and there are more minorities. When I arrive home, I’m thankful for where I live and hope it never changes, because if my neighbors were all replaced by minority faces, I would feel a great sense of loss and alienation.

Stability and continuity are important elements for developing a culture and are not to be snubbed in the name of “diversity” or “inclusion,” which increasingly appear as little more than code words for minority power.

I will not be an apologist for the dominant white, European-based culture of the United States of which I am a part. I will always defend and preserve white culture in the face of its current dilution, not because I believe it is superior, but because it is mine and identifies who I am.

MARTIN MULVIHILL

Costa Mesa

*

The article verifies what even the most casual observer already realizes about the explosive population growth of Third World immigrants within Orange County.

Assuming the projected population growth statistics are accurate, the future looks dismal indeed for host American citizens.

[Author Dale Maharidge said] “California is a First World state with a Third World subculture.” With the growing number of Latino and Asian immigrants obtaining key positions in city, county, state and national government offices, one can wonder if they will be as charitable and hospitable to the coming white minority as they experienced on their rapid rise to positions of power and control--never available to them while in the Third World countries they abandoned.

If the credentials of any Third World government is to be the future for California and America, when the new “majority” takes over the future is dismal indeed.

MAX ST. YVES

Newport Beach

*

Your Sept. 21 article and accompanying poll results regarding Orange County residents’ desire to avoid further urbanization should be a wake-up call to El Toro airport friends and foes alike.

Both sides have gotten lost in the legality and procedural motions of the issue and have forgotten what is most important--why we live in Orange County and not in Los Angeles.

The New Millennium plan and other airport plans on the table have some basic and disturbing similarities. None address the lack of cultural and educational resources in the county. None consider the impact further growth and urbanization have on quality of life. And, ironically, none have thought of more logical solutions for the airport and transit dilemma.

I say build a high-speed rail line from Orange County to Ontario and give the Inland Empire what it has been waiting decades to see--a new and improved Ontario International Airport, where planes take off and land over the cows.

This is a solution that will keep the fine residents of the Inland Empire off the Riverside and Costa Mesa freeways and will help preserve the tranquillity that remains in Orange County.

GREG STOLROW

Irvine

*

Thank you for your series “Beyond Growth” and specifically for the Sept. 27 editorial, “Forging a Bright Future.”

Bolsa Chica Land Trust, now with approximately 4,000 members, agrees with The Times that enlightened planning will assist us in the future. Specifically, we believe it is time to reexamine the concept of “community development.” The Bolsa Chica provides a prime example.

While some believe the Bolsa Chica mesa should be developed through massive grading and the construction of 1,235 housing units, development of Bolsa Chica for the Land Trust means the restoration of both the wetlands and upland habitat so that future generations may enjoy a nature/history park that would be a national attraction. Acquisition of the mesa for the benefit of the public will take a concerted effort and a considerable amount of money, but it must occur if the Bolsa Chica ecosystem is to thrive.

The Land Trust hopes that The Times will support the trust in our acquisition efforts and will otherwise assist in making the kind of long-range decisions that will benefit our children.

PAUL HORGAN

President

Bolsa Chica Land Trust