Mailbag: Readers weigh in on the elections
The hatemongers have stolen our political discourse
A few months ago, a dear friend of mine passed away. From his humble beginnings in rural India (a disciple of Mahatma Gandhi) he graduated in engineering from Stanford University and had a long, successful professional career in the aerospace industry in Southern California.
However, I really began to lose him some 15 years ago, when, little by little, he was radicalized to the point that he became a total stranger to me. No, he was not radicalized by any Islamic Jihadists, but by the venal universe of “Birtherism and Conspiracy Theories.”
A well-educated family man with a sound moral compass turned into a willing tool of the hatemongers who are now being welcomed with open arms into the mainstream of our political discourse.
Day and night, he would listen to the garbage being spewed by Fox News, Breitbart, Drudge, Alex Jones and other hate-peddlers. This well-educated man, this man of reason, this devout family man, was radicalized into a believing that our current president was not born in the United States, is secretly a Muslim, is an enemy of the nation and in fact is the devil incarnate.
And he was not alone. There are now tens of millions of gullible Americans who have been radicalized, fed with lies and poisoned with hate, to the point that they pose a clear and imminent danger to our very form of government. Their current leader is the all-time king of liars, a consummate con-man.
No, we do not need to take back our country from anyone. The few remaining patriotic Republicans need to take back their party, the party of Abraham Lincoln, that has gradually putrefied into the party of Jefferson Davis -- who would once again choose to tear asunder our union if they cannot have their way in their warped notion of what this country stands for.
I mourn not the recent death of my radicalized stranger but I cry at the utter lack of decency, honor or courage in our political discourse and how this despicable movement stole my dear friend.
Jamshed Dastur
Balboa Island
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Voters are left with 2 bad choices
Why would anyone want to run for office? Politics has become so dirty (on both sides) that a person truly interested in serving and in giving back will find better things to do. A fool’s errand, indeed. And, while we are dissuading good folks from running who are thoughtful, honest and committed, instead we offer candidates who are truly unqualified to serve, as in the case with Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. Sad, isn’t it?
Paul Watkins
Newport Beach
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Yes on Newport Measure MM
Thanks to the support of newer Newport Beach Councilmen Scott Peotter, Kevin Muldoon and Duffy Duffield, and Mayor Diane Dixon, the Taxpayer Protection Act, Measure MM, will be on the November ballot in Newport Beach.
Measure MM would require a vote of five out of seven council members to place future tax increases on the ballot, where voters could decide whether or not to raise their own taxes.
At a council meeting, Councilman Keith Curry claimed that the pro-taxpayer council members known as Team Newport “hijacked” the Taxpayer Protection Act, which Curry claimed he authored. Later, Curry called Measure MM “my proposal.”
Unfortunately, Curry failed to disclose that measures like Newport Beach’s Taxpayer Protection Act were introduced in numerous other Orange County cities before it was introduced in Newport Beach.
Yet like some politicians Curry aggrandizes his role. Even though Curry still has several weeks left on the council, he already cemented his failed legacy in Newport Beach as a tax-and-spend liberal. . Voters should support Measure MM to make it harder for the Newport Beach council to raise taxes in the future.
Kurt English
Newport Beach
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Yes on Costa Mesa Measure AA, no on BB
I am a Costa Mesa resident who loves Fairview Park and wants it to be kept a natural open-space for everyone to enjoy in perpetuity.
That is why I support Measure AA, the citizens measure to keep Fairview Park undeveloped. I say citizens measure because residents from Costa Mesa as well as other cities helped gather over 7,100 signatures to put it on the November ballot.
Measure AA will require any significant changes to go before a vote of the people. Significant changes include laying of foundations, building of permanent structures, expansion of parking lots or footprints, but it does have exceptions to the significant changes that are reasonable. These exceptions are for safety, maintenance, ADA compliance, restoration and preservation.
So the city can put in a new picnic table and lay a concrete foundation, but it can’t put in a parking lot, sports complex or roads, and this is exactly what most residents want. The city knows this, so that is why the three men on our City Council voted to put a direct measure against the citizens and title it, “A Measure Prohibiting Athletic Fields at Fairview Park” without voter approval.
The council majority, with just a vote, used our taxpaying dollars to directly compete with Measure AA. Titling their measure BB — prohibiting athletic fields — is misleading. So, they have used our taxpaying dollars for their attorney fees, mailer fees, contractor fees, to put a direct measure against what the residents want. Ironic, isn’t it?
I never realized how the dirt is in the details because if I had received their Measure BB mailer, I would have thought I was saving Fairview Park, not destroying it. Very sneaky that they know what we want and appear to say it but really are saying the opposite. That’s why Costa Mesans who love Fairview Park as a natural open space should vote yes on AA and no on BB.
Most important, residents want Fairview Park to be kept open and natural for all to enjoy. We don’t want a lot of concrete and structures. We’d like the grasslands restored and it to be kept undeveloped It’s as simple as that.
Kim Hendricks
Costa Mesa
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Yes on Laguna Measure LL, no on KK
The Laguna Beach Police and Fire Management Assn. strongly urges you to vote yes on Vital Services Measure LL and vote no on Measure KK to help our police and firefighters better protect you, your family and your neighbors.
Measure LL would increase the tax on hotel guests by 2% to raise about $2 million per year for important public-safety improvements and other vital services. Residents won’t pay this “transient occupancy tax” unless they stay at a local hotel but would benefit greatly from the public services Measure LL could help fund.
In placing Measure LL on the ballot, council said that it intended to use those added funds principally to provide much-needed additional resources for public safety — fire protection, emergency medical response, law enforcement, marine safety, disaster preparedness and accelerated utility undergrounding — an essential step to reduce the chance of another devastating wildfire like the one that destroyed a good part of the city in 1993.
We support council’s desire to enhance public safety through Measure LL. You should too.
Moving on to Measure KK, that initiative would do harm to our community, and we strongly urge a no vote, regardless of how you might feel about medical or recreational marijuana use. KK has nothing to do with helping residents obtain marijuana for legitimate medical needs. They can get medical marijuana delivered right to their door, right now.
Measure KK was cleverly crafted to allow drug dealers — even convicted felons — to replace existing city ordinances and set up shop at multiple locations in Laguna Beach. These facilities could well be close by residential neighborhoods, in virtually any commercial or industrial location more than 1,000 feet from a school.
Measure KK would permit virtually no ownership vetting, public input or operational oversight by the city and would generate little, if any, local tax revenue to offset the costs these drug sales facilities would impose on local taxpayers.
Darin Lenyi
Laguna Beach
The writer is president of the Laguna Beach Police and Fire Management Assn.
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Monahan, Fitzpatrick for CMSD
Costa Mesa Sanitary District candidates Gary Monahan and Jim Fitzpatrick have a simple platform: save the ratepayers money while modernizing the aging system. Monahan and Fitzpatrick know the intricacies of government and business. They have heard the frustrations expressed by customers of CMSD.
They support consolidation with Mesa Water, which could bring $15 million immediate savings and several millions more each year, according to a consultant’s estimate; expanding the sewer lateral program Monahan created, saving ratepayers meaningful money; expanding and improving the organics program, replacing aging pump stations with more efficient systems; and replacing an aging sewer system. For trash, they have a goal to reduce the cost of trash while increasing service.
Monahan has served several terms on Costa Mesa’s City Council, three times as mayor, and one term on CMSD. Fitzpatrick has served as the chairman of the Planning Commission was also previously elected to CMSD.
Monahan is a fiscal conservative who will not sign off any project he deems costly or excessive. Furthermore, Monahan’s time on council demonstrates his talent in finding solutions to complex issues, such orchestrating the joint-use agreement with the Newport-Mesa Unified School District so that our youth can use sports fields, and the acquisition of the Jack Hammett Sports Complex.
Fitzpatrick has expressed concern over wasteful spending at the CMSD, such as the recent decision to spend $5 million for a new and unnecessary headquarters. While elected, Fitzpatrick successfully increased transparency by having board meetings recorded and archived.
More impressive is that Monahan and Fitzpatrick were quick to criticize the 33% pay raise that CMSD board members voted to give themselves. Monahan and Fitzpatrick want to modernize an antiquated system and way of doing business. Reform is what the CMSD board needs.
Christopher Bunyan
Costa Mesa
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Article didn’t include websites
In the recent Daily Pilot article, “Election 2016: Mesa Water District candidates’ backgrounds vary,” (Oct. 7), the reporter failed to include candidate websites.
Mine is reich4mesawater.com. Additionally, a comprehensive and interactive comparison of the candidates and issues may be found via Voter’s Edge, available here: votersedge.org/ca/en/ballot/election/42-d70950/address/null/zip/92626/contests/contest/13804.
Alex Reich
Costa Mesa
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Rohrabacher shouldn’t back Trump
While in the second grade I campaigned for 1940 Republican presidential nominee Wendell Willkie against a second term for Franklin Roosevelt. I’ve never voted for a Democrat.
This time it’s different. It’s appalling when a candidate mindlessly chooses party over principle: That’s the totalitarian mindset. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher’s denunciation of House Speaker Paul Ryan for distancing himself from Donald Trump is a disgrace.
Dick Taylor
Newport Beach
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Campaign mailer unfairly attacks fire association
Why is Mayor Steve Mensinger campaigning against and disparaging our Costa Mesa firefighters? Look closely at his campaign mailer. He wants you to believe firefighters have a sweet deal and a nice gig. He compares their workdays to the average worker.
Let us look at obvious problems with his comparison and mailer. The average worker commits to an eight-hour shift and a minimum of 160 work-hours per month (20 days at eight hours per shift). The average firefighter commits to 24-hour shifts and a minimum of 242.4 work-hours per month (10.1 days at 24 hours per shift). Based on an average eight-hour workday, the average firefighter works 30.3 days per month (242.4 divided by eight hours per day).
Let us compare workplace conditions. When was the last time the average worker wore breathing gear, carried hoses up stairs or dealt with fire in a corridor? As an average worker, when was the last time your work environment was filled with toxic gases and falling building materials? Have you ever carried out an injured person or have someone die in your arms? There is no comparison.
Brian West
Costa Mesa