TEFLON AND HATCHETS

Your cover article, “America’s Lost Hometown” [Jan. 24-30] appears to be more of an apologia for the current leadership than an in-depth analysis of the challenges facing a living city.  In particular, you label the current mayor as “progressive” Dan Cort.  How is he a progressive?  When he assumed power, the city’s shortfall was on the order of $500,000.  Today, it is $2.5 million.  Although City Manager [Jim] Colangelo is the hatchet man, he answers to the mayor and the City Council. Cort has done a marvelous job of casting himself as the “Teflon” mayor where responsibility does not stick. No man who is “progressive” would treat loyal, long-term employees in the insensitive, cavalier fashion that he has. The payroll has not declined during his tenure, yet the employee count has declined. This is not progressive. —Xavier K. Maruyama | Carmel

take some responsibility

As a Seaside resident for the past 12 years I have become frustrated with the city leadership.

Now the leaders want to increase our sales tax by 13.79 percent (that’s the correct math) by adding a penny per dollar to the tax rate. Sales tax is the most oppressive of taxes and hurts the common people the most.

I am not opposed to adding more police and fire workers, but I think the city needs to do it by eliminating some overhead.

The City Council over the last two dozen years has effectively given away the city to developers without getting adequate compensation. I do not necessarily support recall of the council. I just want the council to be responsive to the residents of Seaside, not businesses.

I encourage the voters of Seaside to REJECT this oppressive sales tax increase and force our leaders to eliminate the excess baggage in City Hall. —Bob Coble | Seaside

KEEP US FORTUNATE

Here on the Monterey Bay, we are fortunate. We live on the doorstep of one of the most remarkable and diverse ocean ecosystems in the world, and we have had two consecutive Assembly members who have been extraordinary ocean champions: Fred Keeley and John Laird.

We lost Keeley after six years, because of California’s term limits, and now we could lose Laird.

Keeley introduced the Marine Life Protection Act to create a network of underwater parks along the California coastline. Keeley was not in office to see it implemented, because of term limits. The first underwater parks were not completed on the Central Coast until last summer, eight years after the legislation was passed.

Among Laird’s accomplishments was creation of new protections for California sea otters. Last year, he had four bills signed into law that will help protect our oceans and coasts from invasive species, oil spills and destructive fishing practices. But like Keeley, he won’t be able to monitor the state agencies now tasked with implementation beyond this year, unless Prop. 93 is passed.

Unless we change term limits on Feb. 5, the experienced green team of legislators won’t be around during the critical, early years of implementation.

Prop. 93 shortens the maximum time a legislator can serve from 14 years to 12, but allows time to be spent all in the Assembly or Senate, or any combination. We need experienced legislators capable of solving the complex threats our oceans face. —Santi Roberts | Monterey California Project Manager, Oceana

ISN’T IT IRONIC?

I found it quite ironic that Jane Parker would write a pro-abortion article [“Local Spin,” Jan. 24-30] and then, in her bio, state she works on child abuse initiatives. Everyone knows that babies can live outside the womb at younger and younger ages each year, so is it not child abuse to kill those babies via abortion – or is that type of child abuse (i.e., stopping a beating heart) OK because it takes place where you can’t see the effects with your own eyes? —Julie Pierce | Monterey

CLARIFICATION

Marie Favaloro, owner of the former Cafe Ariana and Scotch Bakery, says those establishments did not close for financial reasons, as implied by the Jan. 24-30 cover story [“America’s Lost Hometown”]. Cafe Ariana closed because of a lack of washroom facilities, Favaloro says, and she decided to close Scotch Bakery to reopen Favaloro’s restaurant.