View Ordinance

* Re “Can’t See Ocean for the Trees? Down They Come,” June 12:

My heart goes out to those unfortunate people who lost their beloved trees for the mere purpose of protecting residents’ sight lines. Why in the world didn’t the residents whose trees were cut down receive any compensation for their loss? These residents’ property values were decreased, and they also lost something precious to them. There is no justice in slaughtering trees on someone else’s property for the sake of view and money.

No one person owns the atmosphere around a property, and cutting down trees affects everyone. We all need to work together to ensure that our environment stays clean and beautiful. There is no quick fix to make up for the loss of essential trees that give us oxygen and make our air cleaner. I strongly advise the people of Rancho Palos Verdes to rethink this View Restoration and Preservation Ordinance.

JEANETTE M. ENGLE

El Cajon

*

As long as all homeowners are being treated equally, and in Rancho Palos Verdes it appears they are, their view restoration ordinance seems to be fair. The problem some hillside owners have here in West Hollywood is that our City Council members get wined and dined by developers who make large contributions to their political campaigns, which taints any possibility of fair or equal treatment to homeowners. Then these developer/contributor “friends” of the politicians can get building-permit variance after variance, which allows them to sometimes build up to three times the height that lots were originally zoned for and illegally block hundreds of homeowners’ views.

JAMES FUHRMAN

West Hollywood

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Let’s leave the trees and start tearing down all the homes on the Pacific Coast Highway that block the ocean view for the thousands of taxpaying motorists.

WARREN SHUMWAY

Santa Monica