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