More About The FAA's Plan For Our Beaches and Surf

There is no word yet from the city of RPV officials as to what they plan to do about the FAA's proposal to shove hundreds of student pilots up the coast from Long Beach to our strip of coastline in Rancho Palos Verdes to practice turns, banks, stalls, ascents and descents over our sand and surf.

The FAA says it is doing this to cut down on near-accidents at Long Beach airport. But what the organization apparently does not realize is that its proposed solution simply shoves the problem a few miles up the coast into a residential/recreational area half the size of the existing industrial area. (see yesterday's blog for details.)

No word from the PBCA board either.

However, RPV Mayor Wolowicz suggested that senators and congressmen may have more clout than the RPV City Council. He recommends that interested citizens write to our elected officials in Washington about this problem. You can do it via email. Here's how:

Email Senator Diane Feinstein here: 

http://feinstein.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=ContactUs.Emailme

Email Senator Barbara Boxer here: 

https://boxer.senate.gov/en/contact/policycomments.cfm 

Email Congressman Dana Rohrbacher here:

http://rohrabacher.house.gov/Contact/Zip.htm

His web form asks for your nine digit zip code. If you are in RPV, it's 90275-5914.

You might try writing to Supervisor Don Knabe, here:
http://www.knabe.com/askdon/index.html

Remember: the FAA wants all comments on this yucky plan in hand by Saturday, July 31, 2010. In case you missed it yesterday, the reference number is FR Doc. 2010-7652 

Send your comments, in triplicate to:

Clark Desing, Operations Support Group, AJV-W2
Western Service Area, Air Traffic Organization
Federal Aviation Administration
1601 Lind Avenue, SW
Renton, WA 98057

Write NOW!

Our Health and Safety Are At Risk Thanks to Jet Blue; Write To The FAA And RPV City Officials ASAP

Image via Wikipedia

Jet Blue's latest lobbying efforts in Washington, D.C. could have a major impact on our health and safety in Portuguese Bend. 

It's all like a bad game of dominos. If we don't act quickly, the residents of Portuguese Bend lose, bigtime.

Jet Blue has lobbied successfully to change the Long Beach Airport airspace from Class Delta to Class Charlie. One of the results of this change is that general aviation planes (read: private aircraft), will not be able to enter this airspace. 

The first problem that this creates for our area is safety. Here's why: According to RPV resident and private pilot Don Stewart, for the past 30 years, "the main designated student pilot practice area has been over the Los Angeles and Long Beach outer harbor area. The boundaries of this flight training and practice area are Point Fermin to the west, Terminal Island and Long Beach coastlines to the north, Huntington Beach to the east and about mile or so south of the Long Beach breakwater ."

Flight schools based at the Hawthorne, Torrance, Compton, Long Beach, Fullerton and John Wayne airports all use this flight training area on a daily basis, according to Stewart. He says that because this area is situated mainly over industrial facilities and the outer Long Beach and L.A. harbors, there have been very few complaints from the general public. 

However, the new FAA airspace proposal will reduce most of this flight training area, forcing  "flight instructors and student pilots to relocate to the lightly used flight training airspace over the Rancho Palos Verdes coastline," said Stewart. The approximate boundaries of the Palos Verdes practice area are Point Vicente to the west, Palos Verdes Drive South to the north, Point Fermin to the east, and two to three miles off the coast for the Eastern boundary. Stewart notes that this area is approximately half the size of Long Beach- L.A. Harbor training area.  (The map above shows the old training area and the proposed new area.)

"This will cause heavy aircraft congestion in a very small area, or what aviators and air traffic controllers call airspace compression and will raise the possibility of mid air collisions over the RPV coastline," said Stewart.  

To put it into words of one syllable: the same number of student pilots as always will be practicing turns, descents, ascents, stalls and other beginning pilot skills, in a much smaller area, right off our coast. Because these pilots will be shoved into a much smaller area than they are used to, the risk of problems is greatly increased. 

The old training area provided many possible locations for emergency landings, according to Stewart, while the only place for emergency landings in the new area is Trump National Golf Course and "that's not particularly good."

In addition to issues of safety, the second problem for RPV residents is air pollution from the high amount of lead particles that will foul the air in RPV as a result of the increased number of aircraft flying overhead. "Unlike modern automobile engines, piston powered aircraft engines are required to use 100 high octane fuel with lead additives," Stewart explained.  

"A single gallon of aviation fuel contains two cubic centimeters of lead. A typical training aircraft engine burns 10 gallons of fuel per hour. This equates to approximately 20 cubic centimeters of lead particles falling from the sky for every flight hour flown. Every week, many hundreds of flight hours are currently flown by the dozens of flight schools over the existing Long Beach-LA Harbor practice area. A high percentage of these flights will now be forced to operate over the Rancho Palos Verdes coastline," he said, adding that the normal prevailing wind flow between Point Fermin and Point Vicente will blow the lead onshore and on to RPV neighborhoods. 

Finally, all this additional air traffic will dramatically increase noise in our area. 

This change was proposed at a public FAA hearing in Long Beach on June 21 and 22. It appears that the city of RPV was not notified about the meeting, even though the change would have a major impact on this area. Note also that the FAA is exempt from CEQA (California Evironmental Quality Act) review and other governmental review.

Stewart has written to the RPV Mayor, City Council and City Manager about his concerns. The city has referred the matter to Dennis McLean, who was out of town this week but will be back Monday. McLean is the RPV Director of Finance and Information Technology and serves as staff liaison to the LAX Roundtable. E-mail addresses and telephone numbers for city council members and McLean are here.

A copy of Stewart's letter has been forwarded to Tim Kelly, to alert the PBCA Board, which, unfortunately, does not meet again until August 2.

Here's the big problem: Anyone who wants to have any input on this matter needs to contact the FAA on or BEFORE July 31, 2010.  Any comments must be submitted in TRIPLICATE to:

Reference FR Doc. 2010-7652

Glark Desing, Operations Support Group, AJV-W2
Western Service Area, Air Traffic Organization
Federal Aviation Administration
1601 Lind Avenue, SW
Renton, WA 98057

Stewart believes that once the FAA makes the decision to change the airspace, there will be no opportunity for any changes to the ruling, but it probably will be 18 months to three years before it takes effect.


If you care about our safety and health in Portuguese Bend, let your public officials know NOW! 

The Story of Bell, CA: What Happens When No One Pays Attention

There has been much in the news in the last few days about the city of Bell, CA regarding the salaries of some of its officials and its status as a charter city. Bell is different than Rancho Palos Verdes in many ways, but similar in the number of residents and one other local issue, and for that reason, I think it's worth a closer look at what happened there.

Bell's population in July 2008 was 36,657. At the same time, the RPV population was 41,106.

On November 29, 2005, during a special election with just one item on the ballot, Bell passed a measure to convert its status to a charter city. Prior to the election, all five city council members signed a ballot measure in favor of the move, as did the city manager, saying that it would give the city more local control. No one filed an argument against the measure.

According to a story in the Los Angeles Times, hardly any Bell residents voted in that election. To be exact, only 400 people cast ballots, 239 of which were absentee. Of the total votes,  336 were in favor of the proposition, and 54 were opposed. That means that fewer than one per cent of the voters made a very costly decision for the other 36,159 residents of Bell.

It was costly because that measure enabled the council to by-pass state rules that set limits on salaries of council members and the city manager. That change allowed some of those officials to take home far more than their counterparts in other cities. The city manager, who has resigned following the flap, was earning almost twice as much as the president of the United States. And, the Times estimates that he will get the highest pension in the state.

The residents of Bell were outraged when they found out just how much money was going into the pockets of city officials. And by the way, they found it out thanks to investigative work by reporters from the  Los Angeles Times.

Political philosopher Alexis de Tocqueville said, years ago, that in a democracy, we get the government we deserve. Did the citizens of Bell get what they deserve? They weren't paying attention to what their elected officials were up to, so maybe they did.

Can we in Rancho Palos Verdes learn anything from all this, particularly now that RPV is considering a move to convert its status to a charter city? Reasons given for the suggested change are that it will give our city more local control. Perhaps it's time to ask our council members: "Local control over exactly WHAT?" I'm not suggesting that our council has any ulterior motives for the status change. I'm merely saying that I think that no matter what issue is on what ballot, voters everywhere, at every level, need to ask more questions and get more answers and stay informed about the activities of their local officials.

If we don't, we can wind up like Bell.

These days, when it sometimes seems as if everything is so huge and so complicated, it's easy to feel that your one vote doesn't make any difference...but it's worth noting that in Bell, 336 votes made a huge difference. It's clear that your one vote CAN make a difference at the local level, in your city, or your community.

As an added note: It's also easy to take pot shots at journalists for asking lots of questions, sometimes unfriendly questions,  and nosing around where some people don't want them to look. It's worth remembering that in this case, none of us would be aware of what was going on in Bell if it were not for some nosy reporters at the Los Angeles Times.

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• High Salaries Came via Legal Loophole, but Bell Officials with High Salaries will Still Resign (laist.com)

FREE Stuff! What A Nice Idea!

I drove through the Narcissa gate this overcast afternoon around 2 p.m. on my way home, and right after the first turn, I slowed down, stopped and then backed up to get a better look at what was going on right side of the road beside the hillside lot that has been cleared, gently landscaped and turned into something of a quiet retreat in the last couple of years.

What caught my eye first was a lovely bassinet, just sitting there, along with a giant hassock, some wicker furniture, an upright vacuum cleaner and a bunch of boxes that appeared to be full of unknown goodies.

The next thing I saw was Ronnie Schnel, carrying another box and she said no, they weren't moving. They're just "moving some stuff," and they decided that they would offer it free to anyone who wanted it.  "I did this once before" she said. "I put up a sign and went up to the house for lunch and when I came back, it was all gone."

She says that she hopes that will happen again but if it doesn't, she'll give what's left over to Goodwill. "But I'd rather have Portuguese Bend residents have it if they want it." she said.

 I told her I might write about it in this blog and she warned that "it might all be gone by the time you do."  That's a possibility. But I still think that it's worth writing about. Good neighbors make good stories.

News Doesn't Always Make You Feel Good. Is That Bad?

It has never been my intent to offend anyone in this community, board members or residents, by cramming unwelcome information into their eyes and ears. As a journalist by education and experience, it has always been my intent to get and give accurate information about anything with which I’ve ever been concerned.

I think that this is important because I believe that knowledge of facts results in an informed citizenry, and hopefully, informed voters; additionally, knowledge of facts reduces rumors and gossip. Reports of fact do not always make everyone “feel good” but it is the only way that I know to be honest. I do not feel very good after I read the daily newspapers, either, but that’s not the fault of the newspapers. That’s life.

If I want to feel good, I read fiction.

Another approach to “feel good reporting” is called public relations or advertising. A current example of that is BP’s $50 million ad campaign in which we learn about all the nice BP employees who have moved to the Gulf coast to help with the cleanup of one of the worst man-made environmental disasters of all time. The ads neglect to mention that BP created the disaster in the first place. And that’s a fact.

Getting back to local issues, these are the facts about Monday’s Board Meeting:

1. Board President Casey Porter said that there is nothing in the PBCA Articles of Incorporation, by-laws or CC&Rs that state that a board member must be a property owner.
2. Porter said he would like to stay on the Board until projects that he has worked on for four years are completed. Specifically, he is concerned about passage of the revised CC&Rs.
3. Tim Kelly moved to delay any decision on Porter’s status for a month. The motion passed unanimously.
4. The Board agreed to continue discussion of the revised CC&Rs at next month’s meeting.
5. Board members said that the revised CC&Rs do set up ownership requirements for board members.
6. Casey Porter said he was upset by rumors and insinuations about his position on the board. He said that anyone who wants to know what is going on with board members should ask the board members directly. Confronted with the fact that he had not responded to my pre-meeting email asking about his status in the community and on the board, he stated publicly that he would not answer any emails from me.
7. The Board voted unanimously to raise the assessment five per cent for next year.
8. Marianne Hunter circulated a petition asking the city to withdraw its grant application to build a 5900 square foot building to house educational exhibits and other facilities at Abalone Cove Shoreline Park. She also issued a plea for more understanding and friendliness in our community.
9. Board members agreed to develop a list of guidelines for the community bulletin boards for the next Board meeting. This action followed an extended discussion about who could post what on the boards. The discussion started with Betty Strauss’ comment that she did not think that the removal of a local teenager’s flyer advertising her babysitting service was a friendly thing to do. Casey Porter said that no one in the community is in charge of the bulletin boards.
10. Architectural Committee Member Kim Nelson said she would like to see formation of an equestrian sub-committee to explore the possibility of additional horse trails in the community, because owners of the lots under development have agreed to allow a two and a half foot easement adjacent to their properties for horse and hiking trails.
11. Jeremy Davies reminded residents that July 13 is the deadline for comments on the building silhouettes that are appearing around the community. You can see building plans and leave comments at the RPV Planning Department. This followed queries and comments about the impact of compacting dirt on these sites and its effects on existing residents.
12. Mike Cooper said that the piles of asphalt and road materials around the community are for the work that is being done on the roads, including the widening of Sweetbay opposite the bean field, and the remaining part of Tangerine. He expects that all work, including a final seal coat, will be completed by the end of summer.

This is my opinion about the Monday Board meeting:

1. In view of the fact that Board members emphasized at the meeting that the revised CC&Rs do set up a residency requirement for Board members, it is clear that they are aware of a loophole in the existing CC&Rs and have elected to take advantage of it to keep Porter, who has sold his Portuguese Bend property and no longer lives here, on the Board for what is being characterized as a “brief period of time.”
2. More people need to attend Board meetings and get involved in the activities of the community.

If you have questions or comments about any of the above, feel free to post them below. No anonymous posts, please.

Casey Porter Will Be At Tonight's Board Meeting! Come And Hear What He Has To Say

PBCA Board President Casey Porter will be at tonight's PBCA Board Meeting, which begins at 7 p.m. at Ladera Linda. According to an email from Tim Kelly,received this afternoon, "He will explain his situation and settle any rumours that are floating around."

Porter listed his home at 8 Roseapple for sale soon after the February election, in which he was re-elected to the board for another two year term. The house sold and escrow closed June 21, which means he is no longer a legal resident of Portuguese Bend. 

Residents who are interested in the future membership of the PBCA Board should be sure to attend tonight's meeting.

The board also is slated to review and approve the budget for the upcoming fiscal year, (which means they're going to explain how they plan to spend your assessment dollars.)

Turn off your TV!

Get up off the couch!

Hire a sitter!

Pat the dog/cat bye-bye and tell them you aren't going far and you'll be back soon...

 AND COME TO TONIGHT'S BOARD MEETING!

Where Is PBCA President Casey Porter? Will We Find Out at Monday's Board Meeting?

Board President Casey Porter listed his house for sale a month or so ago. It sold and escrow closed June 21. His telephone is not working. It appears that he has moved out of Portuguese Bend. Because Porter is no longer a property owner in Portuguese Bend, he can no longer vote in our elections. So, what is his status?

It would seem logical that a person who cannot vote for an office, cannot hold that office either, although our official documents are somewhat vague on that point. When queried about this via email, three board members said they had not seen Porter since the last board meeting, knew nothing about the status of his real estate and they said he had not resigned his post. A fourth member did not respond to my query, and neither did Porter. 

It is interesting to recall that  Porter ran for re-election to the Board in February, and was elected to another two-year term. Of course, it's possible that at that time, he did not know that he was going to put his house on the market a few months later. You can be the judge of that. He's not around to ask.

So, what happens now? Will someone new fill his post? How will that person be chosen? Has someone already been chosen? Has anyone been asked? No one is talking, although rumors are flying. But I don't print rumors. Just the facts, ma'am.

The only things on Monday's agenda for the monthly board meeting are an email from a local resident, approval of the budget for the new fiscal year and approval of policies and procedures for the new fiscal year. 

There is nothing on the agenda about resignation or replacement of the Board president...but one cannot help but assume that it will be a subject for discussion. If you care, be there! 7 p.m. Ladera Linda.

I will continue to look for more factual information about this issue until the Board meeting Monday and will post a report about the meeting afterward. 

Please feel free to post any comments, corrections or additional information about this topic to this blog.  Note: If you list yourself as "anonymous," your post will not be printed.

We Didn't Stop Posting. We Were On A Trip! What Did We Miss?

We're back from six days in Arizona. First, Flagstaff, where we helped a cousin celebrate an 80th birthday, then sightseeing in two of the most spectacular places in the country...Sedona and the Grand Canyon. 

Birthdays for kids are fun, but birthdays for older folks have an added dimension: history. 

In this case, the history came as George's cousin Hal remembered his days as a newsboy in Eugene, Oregon. He recalled one extra special day when he delivered a memorable "Extra."  Explanatory note for younger readers: there was a time when newsboys did more than deliver the daily paper. When a particularly big news event occurred, newsboys stood on street corners and hollered "EXTRA! EXTRA!" and sold copies of a special edition of the newspaper, printed because of a particularly important story. 

In this case, the phone call at Hal's home, asking him to come down and pick up "extra" editions to hawk, came on a  December day in 1941. When the newsboys gathered for their assignments, they learned about the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the start of World War II. Hal recalled that he earned $3.50 selling "extras" that day.  Economic background note: He bought the newspapers for a penny and sold them for two cents. But, most people paid with a nickle and said, "keep the change."

If you're thinking  that $3.50 isn't very much, remember that those were the days when a kid paid 10 cents to get into the movies...and that included a double feature, coming attractions, a newsreel and sometimes a cartoon or comedy short. A dime bought a full Saturday afternoon at the movies.

An awful lot has changed since 1941.

Anyway, we're back with tons of photos to sort through, and a great deal of backed up email. Some of the emails contain rumors and speculation about events in The Bend. We don't like to print rumors, so we're trying to establish facts for our readers.

However, please mark your calendars for Monday's board meeting at Ladera Linda. It promises to be especially interesting, even though there is no agenda posted.

By the way: If you're planning a vacation and wondering what to do with your pets, call Susie Eastman, (310) 377-1317. She is the most fantastic house and pet sitter in the world. Our dogs and cat love her and our house is always neat and tidy when we get home.  We never worry when she's in charge.