On September 5, 2023, during the Seal Beach Planning Commission Meeting, fifteen neighbors approached the podium to voice their concerns and opposition regarding an applicant’s proposal to use a residential lot for a new convenience store as part of their gas station tank upgrade project.
The applicant has convinced the city staff and the Planning Commission that this project is ALL or NOTHING, as if the tanks can only be removed with the merger of the residential lot and a new retail store being built. We have repeatedly asked to keep the gas station on its current site but NOT add the mini-mart and use the residential lot at 328 13th for a new home.
The Planning Commission and city staff (not Seal Beach residents) have given in to every demand from the applicant with no regard for the affected neighbors. Why was there no pushback from city staff? Why didn’t anyone consider the gas station tank upgrade alone? Why were the residents’ concerns completely disregarded? Public hearings are a fundamental component of democracy, ensuring transparency, accountability, and public participation in decision-making – I guess not in Seal Beach.
Theresa Miller
Seal Beach
OC surveying seniors
Orange County and Advance OC are conducting a countywide, older adults need, assessment to guide the development of programs and services for older adults.
Survey results are to help guide the development of a Master Plan for Aging that is to focus on the needs of the county’s older adults. The survey doesn’t ask identifying information, such as name, address, email, etc., but asks questions and seeks opinions on services already offered and others that might still be needed.
To access the survey use www.olderadultssurvey.com or by calling (949) 415-6898. In addition, use the phone number for more information.
Orange County is home to 450,00 adults aged 65 and older. The number of older adults is expected to increase, even as all other age group populations are expected to decrease.
Mariann Klinger
Seal Beach
OC Senior Citizens
Advisory Council
Giving credit
I am a local here in Seal Beach and have had multiple interactions with Mr. Charles M. Kelly through the years. I believe that he deserves more credit than he seems to be given. While I do not always agree with what he states, I do know that Mr. Kelly carefully writes his pieces so that he is factual in the events that occurred and in the statements that were made. I particularly appreciated Mr. Kelly’s article about Seal Beach Pride, Inc. I started the first two Pride Marches with the desire to lift up the LGBTQ+ youth in our area. I reached out to the city to see what type of permitting I needed and found that I was too late the first year and the second year that it would be too expensive. I reached out to the former Chief and he connected me with his officers and we worked together with the city to ensure that the Pride March would be within regulations of the city. Our March was not down Main Street, did not have booths or stages and had a loose number of gatherers. Both years were a success. The second year we marched on the sidewalk due to the number of officers available on that day. The Seal Beach Police led both Marches—this was an important bridge that I wanted to create between the Seal Beach PD and our LGBTQ+ youth and families due to the history of Police with LGTBTQ+ pride events and the violence that stemmed from them. I believe in giving the opportunity for doing the right thing, for healing and for evolving. Thanks to the support of the community members and Seal Beach Police Department, both Pride events were reported to me to be love-filled and beautiful and both events raised hundreds of dollars for our local lgbtq+ youth—the first year was six hundred dollars and the second year was $1,500.
I had nothing to do with the creation of last year’s event and I was at the beginning stages of a third year of the Pride March when I learned about a nonprofit that had been newly created called Seal Beach Pride, Inc. It was a successful event and I’m sure it will be for years to come. Mr. Kelly wrote articles about the new Pride Event. I was grateful to read that Mr. Kelly made mention in those articles of the two previous Pride events that had occurred here in Seal Beach. Mr. Kelly did this because it was a fact that was necessary to complete the story. Mr. Kelly is literal and to the point and I appreciate that style. He is that way in person as well. He works very hard and knowing all of what he is responsible for, it surprises me to see that he gets little credit for that. I want to reach out to you to request that he be given more recognition for all of the work that he has done over the years here in Seal Beach, in Long Beach and on Catalina. He works hard, keeps his head down (literally—I often see him walking down the street and when I do, I can see his head down and that he is thinking deeply about something—this man is always thinking deeply about something!). Mr. Kelly has always been professional and kind to me and my children, while staying true to himself and being direct in his speech, as he is with his writing. Thank you for taking the time to read this. I hope that this note finds you well.
Chase McCants Farrell
