Mailbag: Please treat Newport Heights’ charm carefully

Re “Renewed effort to underground utilities in Newport Heights is underway”
The underground movement in Newport Heights haunted the early years of my retirement. My focus was suddenly changed from Anaheim Hills, where I worked for 30 years, to Newport Heights, where I was soon thrown into the throes of the city’s politics. Unlike Anaheim Hills, in Newport Heights the majority of homes are over 50 years old despite the construction of many new beautiful homes in recent years.

How does one reconcile the new changes with the old? Slowly, if you want to maintain the character and the rapport of a neighborhood. Newport Heights happens to be a charming place to live because of that mixture of the old with the new.

How do we keep the rapport of a neighborhood intact when those who want to underground utilities are not necessarily in the majority? There will undoubtedly be ill feelings on both sides of the issue.

The utility undergrounding process itself is divisive especially when one group feels like the rules are not being carefully followed. And that is the situation that needs further clarity in Newport Beach.

So far, with few exceptions, those who have spoken at recent city council meetings are opposed to the undergrounding of power in what is being called section 118-2.

Serious questions were raised as to how that information was distributed to residents, the nature of the information, the role that city officials have played or not played in the process, the costs for the general work and the potential costs given inflation. The number has skyrocketed to approximately $50,000 although most expect more, especially for older homes — the ones most likely to be inhabited by senior citizens.

Lynn Lorenz
Newport Beach

CTE leads to local prosperity

Since receiving my master’s degree in career and technical education from CSU San Bernardino and a certificate in college counseling from UCLA Extension, I have vigorously encouraged local investment in the high school-community college-work pipeline. While some local political campaigns, including past school board races, have focused more on sensational issues than on career education programs that receive far less public attention, coastal Orange County residents could benefit immensely from making CTE a serious local priority.

Coastal Orange County already has excellent schools, community colleges and employers. What we lack is a stronger bridge connecting them to tangible work pipelines. Indeed, many political candidates have not demonstrated a clear path from secondary school to university and a well-paying career in their own lives.

Recent Orange County labor-market data show substantial gaps between projected job openings and the number of people completing relevant education and training, particularly in healthcare, energy, construction, and utilities. At the same time, local high schools already offer impressive programs in engineering, patient care, computer science, media, and construction.

The answer is not to treat CTE as an alternative for students who supposedly are “not college material.” Instead, students should always have a clear trajectory upward. A Corona del Mar or Newport Harbor High student studying building systems could continue at Orange Coast College and prepare for an apprenticeship.

A healthcare student might begin with patient care in high school and go to community college to become a technician or nurse. Jobs in high-demand fields often offer tuition reimbursement to help students get further education, such as becoming an engineer or doctor.

Orange Coast College, Golden West College, and Coastline College offer strong career programs. Education, classroom training, job recruitment, and mentorship often make a winning combination for a local candidate.

Deeper, a workable system exists to raise additional resources. The Corona del Mar High School Best Foundation is an example of a 501 (c) (3) non-profit corporation that shows how private giving can enrich public education without reducing public funding.

Joseph Klunder
Beijing, China
(Klunder, a teacher and counselor in China, is a Corona del Mar High graduate who continues to take community college courses.)