Mailbag: A vote for boards over beers

I was surfing the web and saw the article on the proposed skate park Vans is willing to build for the city on Center Avenue near Gothard Street (“Council approves report for proposed skate park,” April 21).

As a bona fide “old guy” living in the downtown area of HB, I am in total favor of this proposal. As a kid, I used to skateboard at my high school back East. Talk about a crazy, fun, mostly harmless sport — this is it. The fact that the park at Huntington Beach High School was torn down amazed me. How this city can refer to itself as Surf City and support a giant skate competition during the U.S. Open and not support a place for kids to go and safely have fun and learn a skill they will always enjoy is just beyond me.

I, like many people, don’t particularly enjoy the clatter many skateboarders make, but they need to have someplace that is safe and well-maintained. It seems to me that if anyone can do this right, it would be Vans. My kids have all moved on to college, etc., and they all knew how to skateboard. Maybe we could bulldoze one of the alcohol-supplying places we seem to have growing up around us like weeds and let the kids have a break. I doubt there are too many DUIs coming out of a skateboard park.

Daniel Norko

Huntington Beach

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Welfare part of tax problem

Assemblyman Jim Silva gives some useful information about the tax burden borne by California residents (“California asks for too much in taxes,” Community Commentary, April 14). However, with the unusually large budget deficit faced by the state, we need to keep an open mind and look for a proper balance of spending cuts and taxes to minimize it.

One area that politicians seem to neglect for various politically correct reasons is the fraudulent use of our generous welfare system, including Medi-Cal, free emergency-room healthcare and free or subsidized education. Illegal immigrants from all over the world are one potential source of fraud.

Another source consists of the senior legal immigrants sponsored by green card holders and U.S. citizens, who receive welfare benefits and Supplemental Security monthly checks of hundreds of dollars even though they have not worked a single day in the U.S. Instead of the sponsors being responsible for their expenses, U.S. taxpayers carry their burden.

We are no longer a prosperous country, and we have trillions of dollars of debt to repay, so we cannot afford to neglect this fraud. Our legislators must cut off this bleeding of resources before burdening honest hard-working U.S. citizens and legal residents with more taxes.

Maneck Bhujwala

Huntington Beach

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Commission made the right call

Kudos to the Huntington Beach Planning Commission for unanimously denying Pacific Mobile Home Park’s conversion attempt to subdivide the park and dump the consequences on the city and the park residents (“Commission denies mobile home park’s request,” April 14). Kudos also to senior city planner Jennifer Villasenor for accurately representing the case. City Attorney Jennifer McGrath was correct to bring action to protect the best interests of the city.

It has been clear that the only winners in this subdivision scheme would be the mobile home park owners and their cronies, and the losers would be the park residents and the interests of the public. It is exactly the best interests of the public that should be reflected in any appeal to the City Council.

This is not a matter of private property rights being exercised by the park owners. It is a matter of greed and arrogance on their part that is being visited upon the park residents.

It is time that our local government puts people over profits in representing our citizenry. This Planning Commission decision is the first step in accomplishing this goal.

Tim Geddes

Huntington Beach

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Garden column is bloomin’ awesome

For some time now, I’ve been meaning to write and compliment the Independent for the addition of Ron Vanderhoff’s “The Coastal Gardener” columns. They are universally excellent and educate as well as entertain. I always save them, since Ron’s love of gardens and their inhabitants is infectious, and his instructions are clear and concise.

Long may his work appear in the Independent!

Pat Matzke

Huntington Beach