A "Point of View" Contribution

Here below is a point of view from Valerie Smith-Griffin.

"Back in the day", as a youth attending Dana Jr. High, I vividly recall the "wars" that routinely simmered between the "Slavs" and the "Croatians" and how one afternoon, while opening my Yellow Submarine lunchbox to Twinkies and Tab, fellow "scrubs" and I wondered if the Croatians REALLY bombed Slav Hall. A few years into the future, there was the mystery and ongoing debate of "urban myth or reality" of the downright eerie "Tin Can Man", who was allegedly a tormented teen that wore tin cans on his feet and roamed the fields of Friendship Park - and only the most foolish would venture into the park at night. Even more enlightening to me and entertaining as hell was the "Paul is Dead" fiasco, and not to be outdone, the Warren Commission Kennedy Assassination debates. In recent years, I have reached the conclusion that while the unsubstantiated "Pedro myths" and the news that universally panicked Beatles fans and roused politicos caused ample commotion, all are as significant as a tinker's dam compared to the topics that seem to be as controversial to San Pedro as the Iraq War is to the world, the Ponte Vista project, and it's second cousin, Eastview Little League.

Because the Ponte Vista project does not include housing for the homeless and poverty/low income (housing), I've decided it to be just another greedy vulture venture. I'm certain that if an 80-year old hotel were on the property, we'd see plans for conversion to $800,000 1-bedroom lofts. I'm uncertain as to where our homeless will go when Pacific Avenue becomes a swift-moving river but I'm certain it won't be Ponte Vista. Hey, maybe they can pitch tents across the street - at Green Hills.

And call me a demented Pedro whore but not all of us feel children should have a priority when it comes to open space. Our dogs? absolutely, but children? No. Not all of us living in San Pedro are parents or, if we are parents, our children have interests other than a mitt and a bat. The BOD ( Board of Directors) needs to stop whining like horny alley cats and find a location outside of Pedro. I don't know about the rest of you but to me, the price of gas ALONE, dictates the urgent need for a Target. I'm not sure where the rest of you buy your softer than a baby's rump toilet paper and ooh-la-la underwear, but I'm not willing to pay $4.00 per gallon en route to Torrance Target as I whiz by DiCarlo's ghostly fields. The delightful screams of children playing are not necessarily music to my ears, thank you. Given the choice, I'd much rather hear the sound of Satellite radio on aisle nine.

Valerie Smith-Griffin
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Well, this is certainly a different contribution than I have seen. I think Ms. Smith-Griffin can imagine how hard she may have punched into the bellies of the former players-now parents of Eastview Little League.

I for one, being a former player at Eastview, am not going to touch this argument with a ten-foot pole. I do find her opinion concerning Ponte Vista to be refreshing and different than many of the opinions I have heard before.

Valerie Smith-Griffin worked on the decade of the 1970's room at the San Pedro High School's Centennial Celebration. She created a panel that was very reflective of her senior class from the high school, and it was by far, the most artistic panel of the decade.

Valerie also took the best photograph of our beloved Cookie that has ever been taken and both Terri and I have that photo deep in our hearts. Cookie, of course, loved being petted by Valerie and everyone else during the construction of the panels in our back yard.

Thank you Valerie, for your contribution. I think it may spur even more debate.
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Editor's note: Ms. Smith-Griffin chose to include her point of view concerning Eastview Little League in a post that also included a point of view concerning Ponte Vista.

Normally this blog does not deal with the very heavy issues surrounding Eastview Little League, but the editor was a former player, has opinions about the issue, but considers this blog is better suited dealing with all things Ponte Vista. Unless and until Bob blinks and allows Eastview Little League land he originally offered to them, I feel Eastview Little League is better suited working with their own Web sites and blogs. For the record, I did sign the Save Eastview Little League petition.

This blog called for Bob to immediately open the gates to the area where the current baseball field now sits on the south side of Ponte Vista. I believe that Bob should step up to the plate and give the league the land as a demonstration that greed is not his only reasoning for keeping them off of that land. Eastview Little League would have ball fields ready for next season, Bob might look less hated in the community, and it would show some folks that MAYBE Bob does understand the words, "community benefit."

I have also called for off-leash dog parks at Ponte Vista.