Bard street
Dear ER:
There are growing concerns about the efforts Hermosa Beach Mayor Justin Massey is making to stifle public comment on council business. This comes at a time when Massey and City Manager Suja Lowenthal are warning council members not to talk to the press unless they follow officially approved city talking points. Not content with removing the right of residents to make public comments via Zoom call-ins, Massey now makes a habit of cutting off public comment at two minutes (recently reduced from 3 minutes). That is, of course unless you are on Team Massey, in which case you are allowed to cheerlead for as long as he desires. At last week’s council meeting, a friend of the Mayor was allowed to speak for over twice his permitted time on the subject of ’Shakespeare-by-the-Sea. Enthusiastic and illuminating as the speaker was, it’s a clear case of double standards.
Shakespeare himself had a lot to say about ambition and how the singular pursuit of power and influence can corrupt our behavior. As written in Macbeth: “I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition, which o’erleaps itself and falls on th’ other.” In other words, those characters who place personal ambition and power ahead of their duty to others almost always meet an unfortunate end. Massey and Lowenthal might do well to study the fates of Cassius and Brutus in Julius Caesar, of Claudius in Hamlet, and of Macbeth and his wife in the Scottish play. Maybe then they will realize that their ambition has indeed o’erleaps itself and that it might be time for both of them to exit, possibly pursued by a bear.
Kent Allen
Hermosa Beach
Lifeguard Olympian
Dear ER
Congratulations Lelei Fonoimoana upon your retirement from the Los Angeles County Lifeguards after four decades of service (“MCHS: Olympian Lelei Fonoimoana,” ER July 11, 2024). In your well earned retirement I am sure you will continue coaching and mentoring young swimmers for years to come.
Shannon Davey
Hermosa Beach
Register the illegals
Dear ER
The worst of these offenders are riding electric motorcycles, not e-bikes (“Escalating e-biker confrontations trigger escalating e-bike restrictions,” ER May 13, 2024). Those are motorcycles in every sense of the word and should require registration (with a displayed license plate), as well as insurance, and a motorcycle license. That would help in identifying their riders for prosecution.
Victor Cooper
ER Comment
Old 20% 80% split
Dear ER
Only 5% to 20% of BCHD’s Healthy Living Campus services are targeted at District residents. The other 80% to 95% services are designed for non-residents from outside the District, outside the County, and outside the State. Yet BCHD believes district residents should pay all the bills, provide all the land, and suffer all the environmental damages of a high density, non-resident development. BCHD is pushing its bond measure and a change in the City of Redondo Beach’s proposed General Plan. Both the bond and their desired high density development are primarily for the benefit of non-taxpayers of the District (Hermosa, Redondo, Manhattan Beach).
$10 million of the bond is for allcove, an LA County SPA8 program that spans from Long Beach to Catalina Island to LAX. Of that 1.4 million population, 91% are non-residents of the District and pay no taxes to support BCHD.
The other $20 million of the bond is to prepare the site for the private developer who will own and operate 100% of the assisted living facility. That facility will have 80% non-resident tenants according to BCHD’s consultant’s zip code level assessment. Why is BCHD taking $20 million of taxpayer funds to subsidize a private developer?
Mark Nelson
Redondo Beach
Principal mentor
Dear ER
Anthony Bridi built up a lot of trust at RUHS when he was an assistant principal (“RUHS Principal Bridi bows out, “ ER July 11, 2024). He wasn’t that much older than the kids and he was willing to listen.
Evan Roscoe
Redondo Beach
Led by example
Dear ER:
Thanks to Anthony Bridi for all his hard work (“RUHS Principal Bridi bows out,” ER July 11, 2024). He really helped make RBHS a wonderful school.
Marie Puterbaugh
Redondo Beach
Vestiges of Mr. Hughes
Dear ER
I had Mr. Hughes in 6th and 7th grade (1981, 1982) at Begg School (“Mr. Hughes’ Secret Gift,” ER July 4, 2024). I still have some of the stuff I made in his classroom (leather tags we pounded metal letters into, and then painted with toothpicks). Also, I still have stuff I made in Mr. Woodall’s wood and metal shop class. They were my favorite classes at Begg.
Amy Werner
ERNews comment