Letters to the Editor: Critic of letter writer is the one who is uninformed about healthcare act

Letter writer Juli Hayden criticizes the well-reasoned May 4 commentary by a UC Irvine medical student concerning the implications of the American Health Care Act for the health of Americans and the political futures of our local U.S. representatives (“Opponents to House healthcare bill are uninformed, should wait for Senate to weigh in,” May 8). Ms. Hayden suggests that student is both “ill-informed” and engaging in “hysterics,” yet she is unable to identify a single error in the student’s commentary.

I know that student. She is my daughter. She is not ill-informed. She has a master’s degree in public health from Harvard University and is about to commence her fourth year of medical school. She has dedicated her life to providing primary healthcare to the underserved of this country as well as advocating for change to improve the delivery of such care. In furtherance of those efforts, she will continue to point out the devastating consequences that Republicans’ zeal to carve a notch on their president’s political belt will have for the health of millions at the lower end of the economic spectrum.

She is not engaging in “hysterics.” She is merely telling the truth (something President Trump seems incapable of doing). And if enough constituents of Reps. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Costa Mesa) and Mimi Waters (R-Irvine) learn that truth, perhaps in 2018 they will choose new representatives who will vote for sound public policy that helps those in need, not just the moneyed interests whose bidding the Republicans have done for so many years.

James R. Percival

Newport Coast

Laguna historic regulations are too restrictive

Johanna Felder’s plea to keep Laguna’s historic rating system perpetuates our unpopular “command and control” system where City Hall dictates what homeowners can do with their homes (“The importance of Laguna Beach’s historic rating system,” May 8). Cities with far more successful historic preservation programs do not use this “CKE” system with contracts that forever encumber their property.

The time has long passed for Laguna Beach to move into the 21st century and adopt a historical preservation policy that relies upon voluntary actions motivated by a love of city history and architecture. Other cities — such as Fullerton, Orange, Anaheim, Pasadena and Palm Springs — put Laguna Beach to shame when it comes to preserving historical structures.

Unlike Laguna Beach, these cities have active, tax-deductible, private preservation charities that raise millions from residents who love their history and culture. They encourage preservation through private investment and recognition. They assist the city in gaining national and state recognition.

Village Laguna Inc. is not a preservation society. It is a political advocacy group with a political action committee (PAC) that funds local candidates for office.

These cities also have local ordinances that exempt their programs from California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) control. A revised historical preservation ordinance is now being developed in Laguna. It perpetuates the unpopular, bureaucratic, taxpayer-funded, outdated system, which relies on government dictates instead of the volunteer spirit. We can get there by starting with a clean sheet of paper.

Doug Cortez

Laguna Beach

Desalination will harm H.B. life

The only people who will benefit from the proposed desalination plant in Huntington Beach are the politicians using the open checkbook of Poseidon.

Southeast Huntington Beach will be stuck with the noise and loss of suburban life. The ratepayers may end up paying for water we do not need. Then the Orange County Water District (OCWD) will pump it out of the ground and distribute the desalinated water to water districts that do not want it, let alone have to pay extra for it.

Meanwhile, the Carson water plant will be sending its excess capacity to the OCWD at a cheaper rate than Poseidon desalinated water. Possibly former Sen. Barbara Boxer should have done due diligence that she prides herself on instead of reading Poseidon handouts.

Milt Dardis

Huntington Beach

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