Chamber Car Show costs Main Street merchants
As a Main Street merchant for 17 years, I have suffered the Car Show for that many years.
At one time I requested they move the parking to Electric Avenue to reduce the crowding on Main Street.
It is impossible to get from one side of town to the other in less than an hour with all the streets blocked.
I would hate to try and get an emergency vehicle to the corner of Main and Central, when the show is in progress.
In addition, most of the Merchants suffer the loss of foot traffic for the day. A dead Saturday is a big loss to a small retailer but—the food, alcohol and smoke sellers do well. Also the toy stores do very well as some of the family accompanying the cars need a break from sitting there for eight hours, so they shop local.
Finally, where on Earth do they get the estimates of attendance? 28,000 people? Really?
The entire population of Seal Beach is 24,000-plus; so where do all the extras come from? And can you really fit 28K people in a 24K town? I think they count the tires on the cars and multiply by the same number to estimate attendance. I do appreciate what the Seal Beach Chamber thinks they are doing for the town but, sadly, they are filling their coffers at the expense of most Main Street retailers.
Dave Dunton
Seal Beach
Right to information
As a 10-year Leisure World resident, and an active shareholder of the Golden Rain Foundation Mutual 14, I feel compelled to share my experience with my fellow residents and friends, as board elections draw near.
We’re very happy here, and we hoped that by being active members of the GRF Mutual 14 association, we could strengthen our sense of community support.
As shareholders, we value transparency and believe we have the right to basic information as mandated by the California Davis-Sterling Act.
About two years ago, we contacted the board hoping to correct our carport assignment to ensure alignment in accordance with the original carport plan for Building #24, which also happens to be a more reasonable distance from our home.
An Engineering Department representative concurred that our current assignment was “not logical,” so we pursued the original carport assignment blueprints to rectify the situation. For over a year, the current board ignored our request, despite the numerous calls and at least half a dozen letters. Recently, the board agreed to meet with us only to direct us to City Hall, who told us they could not help. When we returned to the board, they turned us away with no further consideration.
The greatest disappointment was the board’s lack of response to its own members. Why did it take two years to answer a very simple question? It is deeply discouraging that within a community made up of individuals who don’t always have a voice, that our needs were not deemed important enough to be acknowledged. My neighbors shared a similar experience. I truly hope that the board will strive to improve upon its relationship to its members and will share the value of working to promote a positive community environment.
Joseph Estanislao
Seal Beach LeisureWorld
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