Mailbag: Newsom is wrong about the residents behind his recall effort

I would like to set the record straight for Gov. Newsom (Newport Beach organizers of Newsom recall say enough signatures have been collected, March 18). As he has continually referred to the recall effort as being run by white extremists, but that statement could not be further from the truth. I would like to personally inform our governor that I, who happen to be Hispanic, along with my Black, Asian, white, Middle Eastern and other counterparts are certainly not white supremacists, so his false narrative is ridiculous.

We are all in this for one reason, and that is the complete incompetence exhibited by Newsom when it came to his distribution of billions of stimulus dollars to convicted felons who are currently in prison, his complete ineptness in handling the coronavirus pandemic, his complete lack of self-awareness while dining out indoors without a mask, while we would be fined for the exact same behavior, the millions of business owners who lost their livelihoods, the millions of people who lost their jobs, our kids who have lost a year of school, our daughters who now have to compete with men for athletic scholarships — the list is extensive.

The fact that our politicians and some academics would love nothing more than to continue pushing this as a race issue, while keeping the masses from recognizing their failures, is more transparent than they realize. The constant racial division our so-called leaders continue to use as an excuse for their inexcusable behavior has become not only racist in itself but boring and quite exhausting.

Juli Hayden
Newport Beach

Representation varies

Now that the dust has settled in our recent elections (2020 and 2021), it’s time to take stock of who is representing our area and what they are up to. In my neck of the woods (southeast Huntington Beach), Cottie Petrie-Norris won reelection handily for state Assembly and is not only continuing to do the great job she did in her first term but is reaching across the aisle to co-sponsor legislation which will benefit everyone in our district. Dave Min, who defeated lackluster Republican John Moorlach for state Senate, is off to a great start and has made it his mission to accomplish things for those he serves. Democrat Katrina Foley, who defeated a trio of Republican officials in the 2nd O.C. Supervisorial District special election will bring needed balance to the Board of Supervisors and is poised to assume her new office with energy and action. All three officials will represent the best interests of their constituents fairly and honestly without partisan bias.

The same cannot be said of our new Congress member, U.S. Rep. Michelle Steel, who has been partisan and obstructionist in all of her decision-making affecting the residents of our district. This is especially true in votes against recovery from the coronavirus and helping to get folks and small businesses back on their feet. Republican loyalists may need to acknowledge they made a big mistake, one that will surely be rectified in 2022. In the meantime, while we may be in better shape here in Orange County and in Sacramento, we are being ill-served in Washington, D.C.. In all cases, we must press to make sure our needs and concerns are being addressed.

Tim Geddes
Huntington Beach

Persuading reluctant Republicans

A variety of media sources, from CNN to Forbes, recently have begun reporting a disturbing trend: Despite the current surge in the number of people coast to coast being vaccinated, as many as 40 percent of Republicans nationwide report they are either reluctant or unwilling to get a COVID shot now.

If true, I wonder what it will take to convince skeptical Republicans in Orange County to join the war on the deadly coronavirus?

One solution is to ask the Republican National Committee to air public service ads debunking myths about the Pfizer, Moderna or Johnson & Johnson shots. A version of this message could easily be tweaked and delivered by county GOP officials to rank and file supporters from Fullerton to San Clemente.

Another solution would be to offer Republicans a $500 credit when they file their tax returns next year. Some say that would not be enough to change people’s minds. Others say it’s too much. Either way, I’m happy to leave it up to the IRS or California Franchise Tax Board to decide.

Other solutions include municipal water districts giving GOP customers 90-day discounts on their monthly bills or banks doing something similar vis-à-vis their monthly charges. I also could imagine fast food giants like Taco Bell, Del Taco and Carl’s Jr. offering Republican customers discounts on their purchases. Maybe my cousin Shari, the county treasurer-tax collector, could figure out a way to offer Republicans limited discounts on their property taxes next year.

The list of possibilities is endless, but not so when it comes to time. It is the finite factor in the race to inoculate 300 million Americans by summer.

The clock is ticking, so I urge the Republican faithful to listen to former Presidents George W. Bush and Donald Trump. They both say it’s time to roll up your sleeves and get vaccinated.

Denny Freidenrich
Laguna Beach

Estimates on the price tag

Re: Costa Mesa, Newport Beach city officials celebrate completion of $11.5M-homeless shelter, Daily Pilot, March 24: One of my friends just told me last week that his son had just bought a home in Idaho for $130,000, thus I was very surprised at the nearly $160,000 per-bed price tag on this project considering that the outer structure and the land are not even included in the price. Given that there are an estimated 19,000 homeless people in Orange County alone, the math tells me that, based on this model, it will take about $30 billion just to set up enough beds not to mention the even higher cost for land acquisition. In addition, there will be huge cost for staffing and maintenance as well. Although this is a bit of welcome news, it is clear that this is not an affordable solution to our homeless crisis.

John T Chiu
Newport Beach

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