MAILBAG - March 16, 2007

Homeless need jobs

I would like to suggest that last week’s letter, “Feeding the needy may not be helping them,” [Coastline Pilot, March 9] be forwarded to human resource professionals, while nutrition be made available until such a time as their opportunities are available to us homeless.

WALTER GAREY

Laguna Beach

Ideas to restore historic cottages

Regarding the cottages and their future, I have some questions, and their answers may point to a solution that is acceptable to our community.

1. Is the Crystal Cove State Park Historic Zone an option for our Third Street cottage inventory? Any restrictions to taking our cottages?

2. Could the removal and restoration of the Third Street cottages to Crystal Cove be accomplished from an engineering perspective, as opposed to the legal perspective in question 1?

3. Could the removal and restoration activities be licensed to media sponsors, such as “This Old House,” “The History Channel.” California Gold,” or, heaven help us, “MTV,” perhaps also in sponsorship with Cox Cable, to show the world an alternative reality of Laguna Beach?

4. Could some of the labor for the restoration and site preparation go to Laguna’s high school and college age students, to also show an alternative identity to our MTV audience?

5. Could all of this be worked to a zero-sum financial outcome, or even a net profit, with the proceeds going to a “habitat for Laguna” type fund?

There is a bunch of media money chasing Laguna. Why not take some for our projects and needs?

I’m sorry if this offends anyone. I have only lived in Laguna Beach for nine years, and I respectfully submit this as a proposal because I love this place and it’s history.

If I have this wrong, please speak up. I have no stake in these suggestions, except as a resident of a place that is worth saving.

DAVID A. POWERS

Laguna Beach

Schneider should stay on City Council

Regarding the Question of the Week: “Should Elizabeth Pearson step down from the City Council because of her new position with the hospital?,” Coastline Pilot, March 9.

Schneider is very capable of handling her new job, and being on the City Council. I do not think that she should step down, unless she feels that she is not able to do justice to city council.

Schneider helped all of the landslide victims, and spent endless hours devoted to the city and its citizens, while ignoring her own business.

I think she should continue on the City Council until the end of her term.

JAMES MOORE

Laguna Beach

City Council needs Schneider

As far as I’m concerned, the more informed and involved our Council members are on local facilities and issues the better it is for our community as a whole. Having her step down would be a tremendous loss for Laguna Beach citizens. She has done a yeoman’s job and has a lot to offer in the years ahead. Last and certainly not least, I feel better about the future of our hospital with her on board. Stay put, Elizabeth!

KRISTINE THALMAN

Laguna Beach

Speed bumps would slow Bluebird traffic

Up from Glenneyre Street, even with the stop sign at Carmelita Street, Bluebird Canyon Road is a dangerous speedway up past Santa Cruz — badly in need of slowing down. The speed bumps seem to be the solution as used on south Glenneyre.

The speed limit on Bluebird should be 20-30 mph instead of revving up to 50+ mph which many drivers are getting away with.

This applies to both directions, and it is impossible for the police to monitor this at all times. This is a narrow residential road, and with more and more traffic, even one speed bump would address this dangerous situation.

MG NELSON

Laguna Beach

Hypocrisy in global warming issue

The Green Lagoony Beach City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, pursuant to the U.S. Conference of Mayors Global Warming Agreement.

Now, if reducing our “reliance on fossil fuels” is such a good and important thing to do, then why did mayors from all over America fly in to Chicago for the June 10-14, 2005 conference? Anyone?

They all could have videoconferenced online, but no, better to burn fuel in jets, and cabs, and rental cars, to later lecture others, as Al Gore does so sanctimoniously, on how they should live. Meanwhile, Al Gore’s mansion burns enough electricity for 20 average American homes.

Like Dianne Feinstein, Al Gore flies around in private jets, and then rides in limousines, but don’t any of you readers do those things, that is unless you’re a Hollywood Big Wig. Then it’s okay, too.

Leftists who pretend to be environmentally pure are the first ones to object to drilling for offshore oil, or Alaskan oil, both of which would indeed “reduce the United States’ dependence on fossil fuels,” to quote the mayors who flew to Chicago instead of reducing our reliance and cutting back on greenhouse gas emissions by staying at home and videoconferencing. www.usmayors.org/uscm/ resolutions/73rd_conference/ env_04.asp

“Indeed, according to the National Center for Atmospheric Research, even if all of the signatories to the more stringent Kyoto protocol met their greenhouse gas reduction targets, the earth would be only .07 to 0.19 degrees Celsius cooler than it would be absent Kyoto.” www.ncpa.org/pub/ba/ba494/

The cost for this miniscule decrease in earth temperature would be enormous.

Gross domestic production could decline as much as $525 billion, and 600,000 jobs might be lost, all for some radical environmental extremists to feel good about themselves, and nothing more.

So which of you in Laguna Beach needing to work for a living will agree to be laid off in hopes of conserving fossil fuel? Stand up and be counted.

JOHN JAEGER

Irvine

Unhappy with animal shelter, city fees

Some people look at April 15 — tax day — as the worst day of the year. I look at the end of February as the worst time, because I have to deal with the Laguna Beach Animal Shelter.

I went in to buy a dog license. I didn’t buy one last year because I think having to pay a $15 late fee is criminal. Well, they got me this year. They charged me $102. What do I get for my money? Zilch, nada, nothing.

I believe in volunteering for animals and giving donations to animal causes, but you won’t find me doing one iota for Laguna Beach. Why is that, you ask? Because I don’t see them doing anything for the citizens and animals of Laguna Beach.

The people that spay and neuter their dogs are milked for money, while the people that don’t aren’t even touched. No wonder people have their rabies shots done at out-of-the-way places so the shelter doesn’t know about it.

The shelter personnel waste gas and man power leaving notes on peoples’ doors. In fact, they go to other shelters and “cherry pick” the small dogs they are interested in such as Schipperkes and Chihuahuas. They then spend the city’s money in boarding them, and collect money when they adopt them out.

Every breed has a rescue group; if shelter workers like a certain breed, maybe they should foster them in their own homes. If they are interested in finding homes for animals at other shelters, why not run pictures on a nice website or publicize them in the local paper?

The Laguna Beach Animal Shelter should be spending the city’s money on helping the cat population. Years ago I found some kittens at a neighbor’s house who were being allowed to play on Coast Highway, putting their lives in danger. The neighbors didn’t want the kittens.

The shelter wouldn’t do anything about it so I took the kittens to the Irvine shelter. They took them, but said they might have to notify the Laguna Beach shelter. Well, I called the Laguna Beach shelter and asked if they knew about the kittens. They said they didn’t, but came to my house and wanted to issue me a ticket for abandoning kittens — which didn’t even happen! They saw it as making money from a citizen.

That’s the last time I purposely dealt with the Laguna Beach Animal Shelter, until today. I was charged for two years in which I never got a license (the first year my dog was 10 weeks old and never went out of the house), late fees and who knows what else.

We need an animal shelter for the people and animals of Laguna Beach. My previous dog died over a year ago, but I still got a notice that said I needed to pay for a license last year.

To the elderly man who was behind me in line at the animal shelter and became hostile and antagonistic towards me for verbalizing my displeasure, I have some thing to say. This is America and freedom of speech is my privilege. You were the one using profanity.

BETH GOLDSTEIN

Laguna Beach