Fascinating NIMBYism
I find it fascinating that Councilman Gary Miller from College Park East has now advanced himself as the city’s new environmental scientist who knows all about asbestos contamination.
Is he a retired scientist from the Environmental Protection Agency?
Apparently he has been digging in the dirt at the old Water and Power property and found asbestos that the professional company the city hired couldn’t find, or claims to have found.
Or is he just another anti-development gadfly who thinks it appropriate for city councilmen to demand property owners to pay their property taxes, but to develop their property they must give away half of their property to the city or some non-profit organization?
I understand that the asbestos found on the old W&P property is about the same found at the site where the Ralph’s and Target stores were built, and certainly not anymore than what there was on in the highlands of Bolsa Chica State Park before they built any homes there. When are the NINBYs going to let the property owners of the old unimproved dirty and ratty looking piece of abandoned W&P property improve the land, and bring in some much needed property taxes, and improve the looks of the neighborhood?
Fred Zuckerman
Seal Beach
Picture Show Gallery’s Adler
What a dude! That was my first take of the fantastic person known as Mike Adler, owner of the Picture Show Gallery on Main Street in Seal Beach.
His agenda was always to be smiling. I never saw a cross look in his eye.
I am sorrowed and saddened that I could not attend his charity ball/celebration. I wish an outpouring of soul and love for the man and his family.
My first impression of him is from when we met via a piece of surf art by Ken Austin. He liked framing his art and Ken’s because Ken has a unique sense in showing a “stoke” through his art. “Stoke” was his subject, Mike Adler has it. Some of us were born with it. Thanks Mike, I will never forget you Bro.
Bill Fury
Seal Beach
Coastal Cleanup
On behalf of Save Our Beach, I would like to thank everyone who participated in our California Coastal Cleanup in Seal Beach, where over 1,400 people came to help.
It was a wonderful thing to see all age groups helping keep our beach beautiful and I truly appreciate everyone who helped.
On Saturday I was especially proud of the fact so many large groups such as UPS, Boeing, Cypress Boy Scouts Seal Beach Lions along with many others support our cause and filled up two large dumpsters as well as the city of Garden Grove filled two of their own trucks with trash.
I would also like to thank over 400 people that participated in our 2nd Annual Walk For The Beach and helped us raise money and awareness of what we do.
A huge thank to our sponsors: Sun Newspaper, Barefoot Wine & Bubbly, UPS, Clif Bars, Anytime Fitness and Volunteer Big.
Kim Masoner,
founder
Save Our Beach
Leisure World budget
The Golden Rain Foundation Board of Directors met and passed the 2012 Operating Budget on Tuesday, Sept. 20.
The GRF Board adopted a 2012 Budget that yields exactly the same assessment to shareholders as last year’s Assessment of $134.80 per unit, per month.
The vote was 9 for adoption, 7 against adoption, and one director was absent.
The seven GRF directors who voted against adoption of this proposed 2012 Budget did so because there were additional assessment savings to be had and the seven against adoption, wanted to reduce GRF Assessments by a further $2.93 per month, per unit.
If the proposed 2012 budget, as presented, had been adopted in its entirety, the 2012 GRF assessment to Mutual shareholders would have been reduced to $131.87 per month, per unit.
The portions of the proposed 2012 budget that were not adopted consisted of two critical items that had been recommended by the GRF Finance Committee.
The first of the Finance Committee recommendations to be rejected by the full GRF Board was the implementation of a six-day furlough for the year 2012 for all full-time employees.
This recommendation was the result of a compromise solution to an alternative proposal that four full-time employee positions and two part-time positions be eliminated that would have saved approximately $170,000 in payroll expense. The second rejection by the GRF Board of a Finance Committee recommendation was a proposal to drop the provision of a 1.6 percent Cost of Living Adjustment to GRF Employee wages for 2012.
A “Headcount” study of GRF employees, dated Aug. 16, 2011 based on GRF Human Resources data for the years 2004-2010 showed the Full-Time Employee headcount over the seven-year period had increased by 12.1 percent.
Data for the same time period showed that the Part-Time Employee headcount had increased by 15.6 percent.
Despite the evidence that GRF employment has grown very substantially, a majority of GRF Directors (the nine who voted not to approve the furlough recommendation for the proposed 2012 Budget) would not make the kind of hard decisions which are necessary to protect Leisure World shareholders during this time of nationwide financial crisis and hardship, which has effected all of us.
If the proposed 2012 Budget had been adopted as recommended by the Finance Committee, the resulting reduction to the monthly GRF assessment of $2.93 ($134.80 less $131.87), could have been made available to every Mutual.
The Mutuals would then have had the option of applying the reduction in the GRF portion of the monthly assessments to bring the Reserves of the Mutuals into a more financially healthy condition.
This was truly an opportunity lost.
David Lyon
Seal Beach
Leisure World
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E-mail letters to: dennis@sunnews.org. Mail letters to 216 Main St., Seal Beach, CA 90740.
