Mailbag: Library project will support all of Newport Beach

The Newport Beach City Council approved the construction of Witte Hall on Tuesday, and as time has passed the cost has risen. We shouldn’t delay the construction any longer. It will be the completion of our beautiful civic center and a source of pride for the city’s citizens.

There is a fundamental misunderstanding concerning Witte Hall. Bill Witte and Keiko Sakamoto very generously gave a substantial commitment of $4 million toward the building of the hall and were given naming rights. It’s because of their gift — and not because of one of the Foundation’s many programs, the Witte Lecture Series, that it is called Witte Hall. They gave their donation in support of a community hall that will service many performances given by the Newport Beach Public Library Foundation and by various other groups who wish to make use of the hall’s facilities.

That is key — the hall isn’t being built to service one of the Foundation’s lecture series, nor only Foundation programs, but will be used by civic and arts organizations as well as private businesses in Newport Beach.

The people of Newport Beach deserve a gathering place where they may share group experiences in business, the arts and sciences.

Lisa Edwards
Newport Beach

Why leashing dogs is important

I am writing this letter in support of the letter by Kasey Konkel of Laguna Beach concerning the importance of leashing our dogs (Mailbag: Let’s educate the public on dog behavior, Daily Pilot, Jan. 7). This letter couldn’t have come at a more sensitive time for us, as our precious 3-year old Havanese dog, Teddy, was savagely attacked by two small dogs off leash at a nearby community park in Huntington Beach on Jan. 2. Teddy suffered dog bites that required emergency surgery as the punctures went into his abdominal wall. It was touch and go for a while, but he is recuperating now, and his doctors feel he will make a good recovery.

The owner of the two dogs admitted that one of them , a year-old mix, was “aggressive.” When I asked why she knew this and yet still brought him to a park where there are many dog walkers and children also present and did not take measures to be certain he was leashed, she did not have a good answer. She also is not answering/responding to my phone calls, but a report has been made to O.C. Animal Control, and I have also discussed this matter with the Huntington Beach Police Department.

Of course, signs are clearly posted at the park about the requirement for leashing dogs at all times.

My husband also received small cuts to his right arm when he tried to separate the dogs, but these are minor compared to Teddy’s injuries.

If more people were vigilant about leashing their dogs as this letter recommends, this terrible incident with Teddy could have been avoided. We feel like we have been through hell and back, and just leashing her dogs would have avoided all of this trauma.

Kathleen Bunge
Huntington Beach

Suggestions for the hall of fame

The inaugural class of Orange County Hall of Fame members is a stellar group for sure. What I don’t understand is how Max Von Strobel, Donald Bren, Richard Nixon and Richard O’Neill were not included. Von Strobel wasn’t just Anaheim’s first mayor. He was the first person to ask the Legislature to carve out O.C. from Los Angeles County. Bren isn’t just he the largest landowner in the county, his charitable donations dot much of the O.C. landscape. Nixon of course was born in Yorba Linda and lived in San Clemente after leaving the White House. And O’Neill? If you live anywhere in or near Mission Viejo, then you have “Uncle Dick” to thank. I’m thrilled there is an O.C. Hall of Fame now. My hope is the next round of inductees will include Von Strobel, Bren, Nixon and O’Neill.

Denny Freidenrich
Laguna Beach

Dismayed about H.B.’s future

It is a new year, a time to feel hopeful about the future. But I don’t. As a nearly 40-year resident of Huntington Beach, all I feel is despair. Our city coffers are draining. Taxpayer money is being diverted to fund a foolish crusade by our right-wing extremist council majority in the way of three charter amendments. The amendments would force our city to conduct its own municipal elections with outrageous costs they have not even assessed. With so many city services and infrastructure projects threatened by severe cuts, this is irresponsible and frankly, stupid public policy. Vote no to save our city from insolvency.

Topping off the farcical proposed charter amendments, this council majority has a plan to replace competent professional librarians with untrained ideologues to decide how our public libraries will serve our community. The four have usurped the freedom of parents and readers to make their own choices. An Orwellian New Year is upon us in Huntington Beach.

Nora Pedersen
Huntington Beach

Kudos to Daily Pilot reporter Matt Szabo for writing about the grand opening of Robyne’s Nest, a transitional living house for abandoned and severely neglected students. There is definitely a place for this type of housing and for the nonprofit that established it.

What was outstanding about the article is that this is an anathema to what the conservative four City Council members usually support.

While liberal Councilwoman Natalie Moser was also present, none of the other City Council members were . The Con Four have previously represented themselves as being in favor of book banning, anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-liberal policies and have proposed charter amendments to make it more difficult to vote, in effect depriving voters of their voice. It appears from her story in the article that the Mayor Gracey Van Der Mark may have had a troubled childhood, and that may explain her present philosophy.

Richard C. Armendariz
Huntington Beach