Score another win for the ‘hill...

Score another win for the ‘hill tribes’

I want to congratulate the rich “hill tribes” of northern Glendale

for forcing us to pay $25 million of public money for the

beautification of their neighborhood. (I’ve decided to use the term

“hill tribes” instead of “hillbilly” as a sign of respect for the

southeastern hillbillies).

Isn’t it interesting that the supposed deterioration of northern

Glendale takes priority over the blight of southern Glendale? The

former becomes a community issue, while the latter becomes an

individual issue. All Glendalians should pay for northern

neighborhoods, while individual southerners should have more

neighborhood pride and pay for the blight of their neighborhoods.

I can only conclude that government interference (social spending,

environmental spending, socialism) is OK if the beneficiaries are

wealthy “hill tribesmen.” On the other hand, if the beneficiaries are

poor southerns, it is called “welfarism,” and the “damn foreigners”

are told to go back to their dirty, failed countries.

Poverty sure sucks.

ARAM BARSOUMIAN

Glendale

Oakmont analysis, coverage applauded

Though I do not necessarily agree with the sentiments, and future

forecasts, of Mr. Tanabe regarding Glendale’s purchase of the Oakmont

property, I do appreciate his analysis of the final resolution of the

contentious Oakmont debate.

Furthermore, I believe that the News-Press has done an outstanding

job these past few years by both detailing the various positions on

developing the Verdugo Mountains and by allowing all views, including

those of Mr. Tanabe, to be aired for the benefit of the entire

community.

ARAM ORDUBEGIAN

Glendale

He’d be happy to show him a real tumbleweed

If Bob Tanabe cannot recognize an invasive tumbleweed from the

native live-oak forest that is Oakmont, I will gladly -- since he’s a

resident of La Canada Flintridge -- accompany him on an interpretive

hike under the beautiful oak canopy of Descanso Gardens, or up the

trail through Cherry Canyon.

I’ll point out to him that where native plant communities are

allowed to thrive, tumbleweed, also known a Russian Thistle, cannot

gain a foothold. There might have been an opportunity for tumbleweed

to take hold in Oakmont if the bulldozers had been allowed to do

their dirty work over the estimated 12-year build-out period of the

proposed development, although tumbleweeds prefer a more level

terrain over which to tumble in their seed dispersal phase.

Years hence, after the unsustainable boom and bust of capitalism

leaves the lowlands of Glendale a ghost town, tumbleweeds will have

plenty of opportunity to blow across empty shopping mall parking

lots, in and out of doorways where consumers used to hunt, looking

for numerous cracks in the asphalt landscape in which to plant

themselves.

As Glendalians attempt a more sustainable use of land, whether for

housing, industry or trade, the native plant communities saved from

oblivion through the foresight and intelligence of those who can

distinguish between a tumbleweed and an oak will have remained

largely unchanged.

And so, will have remained the truly conservative community with

which all forms of life must learn to adapt ... capitalist,

socialist, or tumbleweed.

JON SHERMAN

Glendale

Analysis is excellent, but it’s a little too late

Bob Tanabe’s excellent analysis of the Oakmont decision in

Saturday’s Community Commentary is too late. The NIMBY crowd

apparently convinced bureaucrats and politicians to make the stupid

decision not to allow single-family housing on the Oakmont property.

However, one has to wonder why such an analysis was not available

and considered when it was decided to harness taxpayers with the huge

sums needed to protect the Oakmont property as “open space.”

It would have been much better to allow the property to be

developed for single-family homes, as is most of Glendale now, and

try to restrain the conversion of existing single-family units to

multi-unit apartments. It’s the only way to reduce traffic, noise,

pollution and the overloading of school facilities. More

single-family units and fewer multi-unit structures would help

alleviate these problems.

GENE GUSTAVSON

Glendale

Diatribe wildly wrong, council finally right

Mr. Tanabe’s lengthy diatribe concerning Gregg’s Oakmont

development totally misses the mark. One only has to look at the

existing Oakmont to know that Gregg’s new development would have been

a similar blight, but nearly five times larger.

The Glendale City Council finally did something right. For once.

TRENT D. SANDERS

La Canada Flintridge