To the Seal Beach City Council
Editor’s note: The author of this letter CC’d the Sun.
We are all horrified by the fires consuming vast swaths of our neighbor, Los Angeles. Surprisingly, the devastation was not in the back country, but within tightly packed neighborhoods. This is the new normal for fire risk in CA. Occasional seasons of heavy rain resulting in grass and shrub growth which then dries out over the following prolonged drought seasons. Santa Ana winds are becoming more extreme as we witnessed this last week. This combination sets the stage for what happened in LA and it can happen anywhere in CA – including Seal Beach. We are not immune.
My husband, dog and I walk Gum Grove park almost daily. It has the potential to be a gem, but it is full of dried-up branches and other desiccated plant matter that is stacked in huge piles that resemble kindling wood. There are dead branches of trees skirting the ground. It has been this way for many months if not longer. The city staff takes care of annual weed clearance – which is great – but the hazardous dead tree branches in piles throughout remain unattended to.
This is a fire waiting to happen. All it will take is one of the transformers on top of the poles that line the park to spark or blow, a homeless person lighting a fire, a careless cigarette smoker tossing a butt, a spark from a car or truck, machinery in the back of a home or—of course—an arsonist who sees an opportunity. Given what we have all witnessed this last week, it is time for our city to take this risk seriously.
A fire there driven by northeast winds will quickly spread to the hill and then embers will fly throughout old town. I don’t think we can afford to count on continued good luck to avoid this scenario.
I have attached photos, but they do not fully convey the urgency. I invite all council members to take a walk in Gum Grove and see for yourselves what I am talking about.
Please agendize this important issue on a council meeting soon. Action needs to be taken in the near future as this will be a big job mitigating the risk. I look forward to hearing what your plans are to address this.
Sincerely,
Cathy Goldberg
Seal Beach
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