Prance of the wooden horses
Dear ER:
The Easy Reader article of Oct. 23 (Shade Hotel proposal accepted for harbor), about development in the Redondo Beach Harbor, mentioned the carousel on the International Boardwalk. It did not mention the support given by the mayor and City Council in directing staff to meet with me and advance the concept and settle other issues.
The public support for a carousel was both good and evil. While most supported the dream, some people apparently attacked the City Council members, which was unfortunate and unplanned. I am sorry that anyone has been the focus of inappropriate conduct. In asking for public input, I had no idea of the emotions I would elicit, or the incredible amount of support I would receive. There has been tremendous enthusiasm for the carousel concept. Almost 4,000 signatures on a petition and hundreds of e-mails have been submitted and sent to the mayor and City Council in support of the project. Support from all over the United States and some foreign countries was received, not from people who know Redondo Beach, but people who believe that a carousel is good family entertainment and enhances any community.
Some other suggestions for the site have been a restaurant, brewery, banquet facility, or a meeting center. Most agree that a carousel would be the more family oriented, visitor friendly use for that location. For those who have not yet signed the petition or sent an e-mail, please voice your opinion. Contact the mayor and City Council and share your ideas positive or negative, but please non-threatening. You can do this with the link Redondo.com website.
Overall, I am looking forward to working with staff and the community to design and develop the carousel in the long vacant octagonal building at the crossroad of the International Boardwalk and Redondo Beach Pier.
Stephen P. Shoemaker Jr.
Redondo Beach

Localism takes to the streets
Dear ER:
There is a little addressed problem currently plaguing Hermosa Beach residents. Owners of older homes with one-car garages, like those on Springfield and 21st Street, feel a sense of entitlement to the parking spaces directly in front of their homes on the public street. So much so, in fact, that they routinely write letters of harassment to those unfortunate enough to have to park in these spots. These residents have even gone so far as to lean their gardening tools against the cars parked in front of their yards. These actions further pit renters against self-entitled homeowners in this city.
Erin Wills
Hermosa Beach

Inspect the inspectors
Dear ER:
What a surprise (City public works inspector is investigated and put on leave, ER Oct. 30)! I have seen houses built in this town that have fallen apart in couple of years. I have outstanding permits I’m never gonna bother attempting to clear because my inspections are based on my inspectors’ attitude or emotional state… it is pathetic. Give a little power to someone and they wield it like sword. I have had people tell me I need to suck up to them… sad
Jason Greenwald
Hermosa Beach

Pier Ave. plan a rotten egg
Dear ER:
Hermosa councils spent $500 million of city revenue during the last 14 years, with large amounts still having to be wasted annually policing Hermosa’s downtown liquor-dispensing district to prevent riot, death, injury and even street urination by the incredible hordes of bar patrons and their cabs.
Every two years there’s a new council. The last seven councils’ obsession with promoting downtown liquor commerce continues stronger than ever, while residential street repair continue to be neglected. Council’s thoughtless focus on Hermosa’s tiny downtown is, and will continue to be, a net loser to the city treasury and they know it. Meanwhile the council totally neglects the huge Pacific Coast Highway stretch where most commercial city revenue emanates, and with few of the downtown’s negative impacts.
The council still has absolutely no coherent plan for repair and repaving of the over 50 percent of residential streets now in the South Bay’s worst condition. City Manager Stephen Burrell is well aware that paving decrepit streets is a prime concern of residents and knows well that council candidates routinely make false promises of paving the streets to resident voters during campaigns. Some streets have been paved after strong demands by residents. During Burrell’s 14 years, he and the councils he’s controlled have hand-picked mostly streets used by commuters and visitors to the downtown, rather than residential streets in the other 97 percent of town where people reside and also contribute the vast majority of revenue to the city and thus Burrell’s excessive compensation.
Once elected, council members have given residents lip-service of paving streets while knowingly accumulating revenues in Burrell’s infamous smoke and mirrors funds for his raises and retirement pension, and various pet re-election project giveaways. A current example is the illegal $4.9 million gift-of-public-funds Pier Avenue boondoggle to benefit absentee Pier Avenue landlords with free widened sidewalks and an all new free streetscape to facilitate increased visitors and rents for their properties, while diverting significant amounts of Pier Avenue traffic back onto Valley/Ardmore, 8th Street, 2nd Street, Monterey Boulevard, 16th Street, and Gould Avenue with the planned, traffic-choking Pier Avenue median. The people’s taxes are being used to outright destroy the city’s historically important, open, central avenue that’s needed first and foremost to serve the city’s traffic circulation and ensure free, uncongested, rapid emergency vehicle response. Council is laying a lopsided Pier Avenue Easter egg that has a bitter poison pill inside and they need to revise this before it’s too late.
Folks, wake up and understand that the council is blatantly expanding the Plaza up Pier Avenue, and don’t believe any councilmember who says otherwise. Converting Upper Pier Avenue’s diagonal parking to parallel parking on its south side is a deceitful trick to then have restaurant/bar valet parking stands and cab-queuing stations. The businesses renting there now will be losing most of their front parking as the council intensifies the area to justify building their stated highest priority: parking structures for 800 to 1,400 cars starting first with a gargantuan parking structure under the Community Center tennis courts. Facilitation of larger crowds of liquor-consuming visitors to what was formerly a wonderful daytime beach community, already having plenty of beach visitors, continues to be council’s incredibly ignorant obsession.
Howard Longacre
Hermosa Beach

Big hearts breed big arts
Dear ER:
The Redondo Beach Art Group would like to express its gratitude to everyone who made it possible for us to continue to present the Power of Art, free of charge, a gift to the community, Oct. 17-19 at the AES Power Plant.
We are extremely grateful to the AES Power Plant Redondo Beach for the use of their facility. Their hospitality and graciousness was key in helping us produce an event of this magnitude, masking our weekend was a spectacular success.
Thank you to all our sponsors for your generous support.
Thank you, Mayor Gin, Councilmen and the City of Redondo Beach for continuing to support art in our community.
Thank you, community organizations for your many contributions: Redondo Beach Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau, Redondo Union High School, Hands on Art, SeaLab, Women’s Club and Friends of Redondo Beach Arts.
And, especially, thank you RBAG volunteers for your creative energy and inspiration, boundless enthusiasm and friendships.
Over 5,300 people attended the Power of Art 2008, surpassing prior events. Echoing this year’s theme, it appears that our community is truly Switched On.
Georgette Gantner
President Redondo Beach Art Group 2008
Nina Zak Laddon
Power of Art Chair 2006-2008

All is vanity
Dear ER:
On behalf of the band Cubensis, please accept our sincere condolences on the passing of reviewer Ryan Beachkofski (Beachkofski’s death shocks neighborhood, ER Oct. 30).
Craig Marshall
Redondo Beach

Deadhead humor
Dear ER:
Ah Beach, funny article. (Cubensis at the Lighthouse, ER June 6, 2008). You will be missed.
Deadhead Dave
Los Angeles