Letters to the Editor: Gina Nick is the better choice in Newport-Mesa Area 4

A recent letter supported the reelection of Newport-Mesa Unified School District trustee Karen Yelsey (“Trustee Karen Yelsey brings experience, deep familiarity to the race,” Sept. 24). Here is why I am supporting her opponent, Dr. Gina Nick. In 2006, Yelsey was quoted in the Daily Pilot as advocating 12-year terms for trustees but now she wants to be elected to serve 16 years. The Daily Pilot also reported that Yelsey argued that the school board needed to be more than a “rubber stamp” for the administration.

Yelsey has little credibility based on her failure to keep her word about 12-year term limits or rubber-stamping. Her track record of bringing innovation and inspiration to the district is dismal at best: In her own backyard, the new stadium at Corona del Mar High has been stalled for over five years.

Eight months after the school shooting in Parkland, Fla., and 13 years after the passage of Measure F, which gave the district $282 in bond funds, Yelsey has not pushed hard enough for fences around all schools, metal detectors and cameras, which are the three minimum requirements for a comprehensive school safety program.

Yelsey has had 12 years to fix the problems she saw in 2006 but she hasn’t. There is still a tremendous waste of precious resources, rubber-stamping is still rampant, and few in the administration are held accountable for their many mistakes.

Nick is an entrepreneur and a district parent who understands the fundamentals of accountability, transparency and fiscal responsibility. I urge the voters in Area 4 to vote for Nick to help provide, as Yelsey also said in 2006, a “new voice, new ideas, new leadership.”

Steve Smith

Costa Mesa

Rouda prioritizes fighting climate change

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Costa Mesa) is a disappointment in so many ways, but what may convince voters to reject him this November is his terrible record on environmental concerns. Because the 48th District includes some of our nation’s most beautiful beaches and harbor islands, protecting this coastline is a top priority for residents. Citing man-made global warming, Newport Beach is preparing for as much as 5 ½ feet of sea level rise by 2100.

Unless averted, seas this high would wipe out our world famous beaches and decimate harbor islands, like Balboa Island. We need Congress to act. Ironically,Rohrabacher sits on the House Science, Space and Technology Committee, yet he boldly and ignorantly denies climate science.

Rohrabacher’s opponent, Harley Rouda, called climate change “the No. 1 issue facing humankind.” He realizes how much our area has to lose if we don’t quickly transition away from fossil fuels to clean energy. He understands that we can achieve this transition, protecting our environment while also providing incentives for economic growth. Rouda has a vision of Southern California becoming the world’s tech capital for clean energy.

Bob Taylor

Newport Beach

Whatever happened to due process?

What has happened in our country today? What has happened to the presumption of innocence until proven guilty? What happen to the basic fundamentals of law? What was witnessed during the Supreme Court confirmation hearing was disgusting.

We had two senators walk out, just to prove how angry they were (I was looking for their pacifiers and blankets). We had law students from Yale walk in protest of Judge Brett Kavanaugh (Let that sink in).

Let’s not forget the woman who accused the Duke Lacrosse Boys or the young woman who ruined the life and football career of the Long Beach Poly High School student, who actually spent time in prison, and who were all guilty until they were actually proven innocent.

Completely false allegations continue today. To all the husbands, sons, fathers, uncles, brothers: remember a simple accusation can turn your life into a living nightmare. God help us, and God help true victims of these horrific crimes.

Juli Hayden

Newport Beach

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