Letter to the Editor, About the Editorial

This letter to the editor appeared in the Monday November 12 edition of The Daily Breeze, following the editorial I posted in an earlier post.
________________________________________________

RPV endorsement wrong

The Daily Breeze editorial ("Election results yield Ponte Vista concerns," Editorial page, Friday) is but another attempt for the Breeze to cover up its lack of journalistic integrity when it endorsed RPV incumbents Tom Long, Doug Stern and Steve Wolowicz, as well as opposing Measure D. In looking at www.pontevista.blogspot.com, it seems remarks are being made by an "M. Richards" with few other comments. Hardly a voice of the community.

Who knows what basis the Breeze used for making its endorsement of Long, Stern and Wolowicz, as it was not facts as the Breeze did not contact Don Reeves prior to its initial endorsement (Megan Bagdonas' biased article was after the fact.)

RPV residents in Eastview are obviously concerned about Ponte Vista and the impact it will have on Western Avenue traffic. However, those knowledgeable seem to recognize that the idea of maintaining an R-1 development is not going to happen. Too much money has been invested as well as the fact that the city of Los Angeles will be making the decision, not RPV. That the three now re-elected RPV councilmen endorsed the Ponte Vista R-1 concept merely solidifies the reality that some will say whatever others might want to hear.

I guess that is politics.

- KEN DELONG
Rancho Palos Verdes
______________________________________________

Thank you Ken Delong for caring enough about the editorial to write your letter to the editor.

It should be noted, that Mr. Delong may not read this blog on a regular basis. That is perfectly alright with me, because I never thought this blog would have ever been identified in an editorial, in the first place.

Of course, had Mr. Delong been a regular reader of this blog, he would know exactly who I really am, and that I did not concede the reality that R1 must remain at Ponte Vista, until last May 29, 2007, less than six months ago.

Mr. Delong may know that I was a member of Councilwoman Janice Hahn's Community Advisory Committee for the Ponte Vista at San Pedro project from its beginning until I accepted a position as a Traffic Safety Commissioner for the City of Rancho Palos Verdes, which is very important to me.

Perhaps Mr. Delong also did not know that this blog has not had "few other comments" as he wrote, but I think if one looks back to September 2006, one would see many, many, many comments form many, many, many individuals, although mostly anonymous.

Could it be that Mr. Delong has not read in this blog all the compromise proposals that I and others have floated in a discussion-type mode?

I have always stated that I am a nobody. I don't really know Mr. Delong and I have no idea of how much of a somebody he feels he is. But it is us "nobodies" who have come together to form groups of caring folks who oppose Bob Bisno's weapons of mass development, as John Stinson coined the saying. It is us nobodies, along with help from Bob Bisno and his supporters who challenged L.A.U.S.D. and make it look very great that no senior high school will be built within the Ponte Vista site.

It is us nobodies who have challenged the bureaucrats and elected officials within the City of Los Angeles to take another look at how traffic is engineered at developments and throughout the City. It is the nobodies who have worked hard to be able to view no building of any new condos on the Ponte Vista site this year, which is not something that Bob Bisno planned on happening.

Ken Delong, I am very proud to be a nobody. There are thousands of us in OUR community fighting and trying to keep the environment we all live in, the best possible.

And about what others may not want to hear, I still wish for some type of Senior Housing at Ponte Vista. I find that defending a developer who speculated on the price of land, getting burned because he gambled, is the wrong feeling for anyone. We should not honor the gambler, who risks our future because of want of profit, we should admonish everyone defending Bob Bisno to understand that Bob is gambling with this land, his finances, and our future.

My opinion is my own. I supported the re-election of the three incumbents in the Rancho Palos Verdes City Council election, but I also voted "YES" on Measure D, to repeal the Storm Drain User Fee. I am an odd duck in many ways and I don't expect anyone to necessarily agree with me on anything.

I am glad, though, that at least one letter to the editor appeared. Perhaps there will be more in the very near future.