Mailbag: After a near miss, a plea to drivers

I am writing this letter to ask Huntington Beach residents to be better drivers and better people.

Last Sunday, I dropped my teenage son’s friend off on Sher Lane, next to the stop sign, where pedestrians are supposed to cross. We waited in the car to watch him cross the street to go home. There were no cars close by, so he began to cross.

As he approached the middle of the street, a woman in a large SUV rolled up to the stop sign. She was two feet past the stop sign when her car slowed. My son’s friend hesitated; then, thinking, as we all did, that she would complete her stop, he proceeded. To our horror, the woman hit the gas and lurched forward as he was in front of her. She would have struck him had he not been just far enough in front of her, and had he not been so quick to leap to safety.

The woman finally saw him as he flew past her windshield and immediately honked angrily at him and yelled something, adding insult to the near injury.

As for me, thinking that if I dropped the boy off at the proper place, by a stop sign, waited till no cars were around and watched to see him cross the street to get home, he would be safe — that was dumb.

As for the woman, not stopping at a stop sign and not looking carefully at night — that was bad driving.

Honking and cursing at a young man who did nothing wrong — unforgivable. This woman obviously had children. I have no reason that such a person will realize the error of her actions. I can only ask others: Please, everyone, remember that the person sharing the road with you is someone’s son, brother or family member. They could just as well be yours.

Please drive safely and courteously.

Robyn Boydston

Huntington Beach

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Skate park means safe city

Regarding “Developer challenges skate plans,” Jan. 27:

It’s about time! As a mom of two boys who love to skate, I think H.B. kids deserve a safe spot to skateboard. These kids are not “allowed to skate” at most places in the city, and are issued tickets if they do. I want a Vans skate park, and so do all the parents who have kids that skate. If you provide a safe place for them to do something they love, it’s all good. It keeps them in one spot, wearing helmets and off the streets, which is good for parents, kids and the city.

Betty Flynn

Huntington Beach

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Move panels for community’s sake

Why on Earth is the Huntington Beach City School District board disregarding the community’s opposition to the placement of the solar panels on Dwyer Middle School’s campus? They need to check their egos at the door and do what is best for the students of Dwyer, the community and the city of Huntington Beach as a whole.

First, the community was never informed of these plans and had no input whatsoever during the negotiation period with Chevron. I have to wonder: Why the secrecy?

Second, shortly before construction started, we were “posthumously” informed that the solar panels would be placed on the children’s playing field, lunch area, gathering spot and the location of graduation ceremonies since 1933. Really? Without community input? I thought we lived in the United States of America. Again, why the secrecy?

Perhaps our news media needs to dig deeper into this apparent deception and secrecy to find out why, exactly, the board is so adamant on disregarding community input. Could kickbacks be involved? Dig deep, and dig hard, until you get to the bottom of this blasphemy!

Placing the solar panels in front of the school, blocking our view of this beautiful historic building and the luscious green grass spanning that view, is “idiocracy” at its finest. The community has offered an alternative placement, and yet the school board keeps turning a deaf ear to our input, opining the cost of moving the panels. Need I remind the board that had they better included the community in the planning process, there would be no need to move them now, as we would have ensured a better placement from the get-go?

Please, listen to your students and to your constituents! If that means checking your egos at the door, then please do so, for the greater good.

Pam Beard

Huntington Beach

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In defense of the Land Trust

Lou Murray’s article “Getting to bottom of drained wetland” (Natural Perspectives, Feb. 3) voices indignation that water from the recent heavy rains that had formed a pool was drained into the salt water slough of the Bolsa Chica. Her voiced concern was for the fairy shrimp she discovered in the remaining pool.

She then went on to express her disapproval of the way the Bolsa Chica Land Trust notified other groups of the restoration plan, even though the notification was done as required by the California Environmental Quality Act.

One has to wonder if Murray would ever acknowledge any of the many wonderful works that the Bolsa Chica Land Trust has done to restore this wonder of nature, the Bolsa Chica.

John Scott

Huntington Beach