Pool of trouble
Dear ER:
Public-private partnerships are nothing new. Usually, this is because the private entity is so enormously wealthy (billions) that the risk to public funds, where taxpayers are the investors, is minimal given the potential return on investment. However, this is not the case with Manhattan Beach’s proposed, $40 million pool project, backed by one of the most volatile and bankruptcy-prone industries in the nation: health clubs.
The idea that city council members are proposing to commingle tax dollars with Bay Club (Manhattan Beach Country Club) a health club, which may never be able to guarantee ownership for the life of the pool, presents enormous administrative and financial responsibilities that are impossible to determine fully. Additionally, expecting city staff to manage this responsibility with the same business acumen as a private entity — whose sole purpose is to make a profit — is misguided. The opportunity for a health club to leverage taxpayer money, a guaranteed revenue source, speaks for itself.
This is not how a city should be run. Asking a private entity that does not share the public welfare responsibilities of elected officials, to prioritize the public interest is wrong on many levels. If you don’t have the funds to build a pool, public officials have two choices: don’t build it, or follow the tried-and-true method used for centuries — create a bond so that all citizens can benefit and legal requests for proposals are provided. Assigning a reverse dept for decades to taxpayers so a health club can make a profit works well for whom?
Stewart Fournier
Manhattan Beach
Luxury launch
Dear ER:
Is there an estimated budget for this luxury harbor amenity (“Redondo chooses contractor for potential boat launch,” ER August 29, 2024)? Is there any money in Redondo’s City budget for this luxury harbor amenity? Will Redondo taxpayers foot the bill the bill for this luxury harbor amenity?
Paul Moses
Redondo Beach
Highly ranked choice voting
Dear ER:
This article does not tell the whole story (“Redondo Council discusses instant run-off voting,” ER August 22. 2024). It focuses on the first reactions to false information presented by a group trying to overturn the will of Redondo Beach voters. This group, Equal Vote Coalition, sides with elections deniers trying to make it harder for people to vote in other states. After the false alarms were addressed at the council meeting, councilmembers voted 4 to 1 to move forward with Ranked Choice Voting, because it is the only form of instant-runoff voting certified for use. After the meeting the Mayor Jim Light voiced his support for moving forward with Ranked Choice Voting (RCV).
Ranked Choice Voting has been successfully used in over 700 elections, and exit polls show that voters overwhelmingly find the RCV easy to use and trust that they have a greater voice in an RCV election. RCV is used in 47 cities, three counties, and the states of Maine and Alaska. Six states depend on it for giving troops overseas the ability to vote. When Redondo Beach voters voted for Instant-runoff elections, that ballot statement clearly described Ranked Choice Voting as the system they were voting for. The council at that time wanted to give the city a choice when or if other instant-runoff systems become available. We still have that choice, but there are no other systems available at this time. We should move forward with Ranked Choice Voting because it saves our city money, gives voters more choices, increases voter participation, and has been proven to reduce negative campaigning. Ranked Choice Voting will improve our voting system in Redondo Beach.
Tony Hale
Redondo Beach
Crime free charter
Dear ER:
Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon has a policy that prohibits the filing and prosecution of most misdemeanor crimes, including retail theft. This policy undermines law and order in our community, not to mention police officer morale. But not all communities in LA County are impacted by DA Gascon’s reckless policy. In cities like Redondo Beach, Beverly Hills, Culver City, Inglewood, and Los Angeles misdemeanors continue to be filed and prosecuted despite DA Gascon’s policy. Why? Because these cities have City Charters, a city constitution, that empowers them to hire their own City Prosecutor. In every Manhattan Beach City Council election, candidates state their top priority is public safety. It is axiomatic that the number one public safety issue is exploring the adoption of a City Charter so our community can have its own City Prosecutor to file and prosecute misdemeanors crimes. To date, “Hometown” Joe Marcy, who was born, raised and lives in Manhattan Beach, is the only candidate to commit to exploring adoption of a City Charter. That merely means having a public discussion at City Council and inviting input from the residents of our community.
Mark Burton
Manhattan Beach
HERmosa and HISmosa
Dear ER
I want to offer a heartfelt “thank you” to all the neighbors and friends supporting my campaign for Hermosa Beach City Council. A special thanks to those of you who answered the door when I knocked and took the time to share your thoughts about the city’s future. It’s been such a happy surprise to learn so many of you share my resident-focused vision for Hermosa Beach. I grew up here and raised my daughter here. My mom still lives here. I want to protect and preserve the things that make Hermosa special. I’m the only woman on the ballot. If elected, I would be the only woman on city council. It’s vital we have a city council that more accurately represents the residents of Hermosa Beach. We’re in this together. And together, we can do great things.
Elka Worner
Hermosa Beach
Show me the raw data
Dear ER:
Update on BCHD’s consultant Gallup’s press release that claims that there are massive reduced medical costs in the three Beach Cities. When the Gallup email came out, it was very thin on basic facts, such as research citations and methodologies. Gallup used a variety of fluffy phrases like “credible and published secondary sources,” and that the findings were “likely, in part, the result of efforts of ”BCHD.” We promptly sent data requests to BCHD asking for the details that Gallup and BCHD withheld from the taxpayers who paid the $400,000 Gallup price tag. BCHD responded that it didn’t require Gallup to provide study details to the District. Apparently, BCHD only received the advertising materials from Gallup. If that happened in the real world, heads would have rolled, up to and including the Director or CEO who signed the contract. Tom Bakaly, BCHD’s CEO, has long maligned the private sector’s rigorous methods and attention to detail. Yes, taxpayers would like to know that every penny BCHD spends is cost-effective and yields more benefits than costs for the health of the residents of the District. That’s a taxpayer mentality. Without the ability get the published research sources or statistical methods that we paid $400,000 for in taxpayer funding, we are going to recreate and publish a fully documented study using the expert skills of community members of our taxpayer groups in the Beach Cities and Torrance. More to follow before early voting starts on October 7. Both StopBCHD and TRAO (Torrance Redondo Against Overdevelopment) are still diligently working to protect the surrounding neighborhoods and District taxpayers from BCHD’s proposed, nearly 800,000 square foot tripling of the current campus buildings.
Mark Nelson
Redondo Beach
Thanks and praise
Dear ER
I want to thank our cast of players who have contributed their time and their energies to this project (“Thoughts and Prayers at Manhattan Theater,”). I want to thank our tech people under the leadership of Randy Santiago-Perez, who is brilliant. Mostly I want to thank the brave families of the survivors who have had to put up with so much grief and frustration for our nation’s inability to deal with any of this. God bless you all.
Jack Messenger
Manhattan Beach
