MAILBAG - June 28, 2007

EDITOR’S NOTE: The following letters are in response to an advertisement that ran in the Huntington Beach Independent on June 21.Shea’s ad was a blatant manipulation

I can’t believe the paper would allow an advertisement with such blatant manipulation of the truth. While it is not up to you to determine who is right and wrong on any matter, surely you do have some standards that advertisers must meet.

This article is so manipulative and misleading even the most junior ad editor should have had some concern. There has been plenty of print in both the Wave and Independent on this issue to know what you allowed in that Shea homes ad was not accurate. Shame on you for accepting their ad dollars. I think you both have stepped to a new low.

For the record, it is not the Bolsa Chica Land Trust or the Amigos that stand in their way. It is the California Coastal Commission and the Costal Act that is preventing them from building this development on California wetlands. Both Shea, their attorneys and the public were allowed to comment at the last meeting so everyone had a chance to persuade the commission to vote for their side. Shea was not capable of doing this. So instead they will try to rally support from a whole area based on some very vague and misleading information.

Am I to believe you will take the ad dollars of anyone stating anything?

Then they resort to scare tactics that again are not true:

“H.B. levees are in bad shape, like New Orleans’ were before Katrina. Rebuilding the levees to bring greater flood safety could begin soon — but the Bolsa Chica Land Trust is standing in the way.”

Why are we not mad at the county as they are the ones responsible for the levees, not the Land Trust? Now the city and county are sitting on their hands hoping they will not have to pay for the levee improvements if Shea does. Well, what if something were to happen today and the levees failed? That is the local government’s failure to maintain its public works and has nothing to do with Shea or anyone else.

Does it ever enter the mind of who approves your ad work just who is placing this info and is it accurate? Can I run an ad stating that this would be a better country if the Secret Service would stop protecting the president? That I think this would be a better place with someone else in charge? And the next president will do all these things that are better than the current president?

Just think about how crazy that sounds but it’s similar to what Shea proposes. As far as I know, the Land Trust’s “interests” are acquisition, preservation, restoration and education. The Trust has educated the Coastal Commission as to what is out on your property, what has historically occurred on your property — work that Shea and their consulting team should have done themselves. Because they did not (relying too heavily on what was in the EIR), it was up to individual citizens and the Bolsa Chica Land Trust to bring the information forward.

BRIAN SHELL

Shea seems to be seeking a scapegoat

I was surprised to see Shea/Parkside’s full-page offensive ad giving so much credit to the Bolsa Chica Land Trust for holding up Shea’s development plans.

The Bolsa Chica Land Trust, a local group of residents working to preserve the Bolsa Chica wetlands, should indeed be credited with gathering evidence to educate the California Coastal Commission and the H.B. community that Shea wants to build on a wetlands.

But, I was dismayed by the tactical use of fear, demonizing a citizen group that is working to save critical wetlands. The interests of the Bolsa Chica Land Trust are the interests of the citizens of Huntington Beach. Planning to build on wetlands is not smart and it appears Shea/Parkside is looking for a scapegoat for its difficulties with the California Coastal Commission.

Whose pocketbook is Shea/Parkside really concerned about?

LORRAINE PRINSKY

Audacity of Shea is mind-boggling

Just when you think you’ve seen it all!

An ad taking the Bolsa Chica Land Trust to task for “special interests” for taking on Shea Homes to stop their development of some of the last remaining land on the Bolsa Chica wetlands for more houses.

The audacity of Shea is absolutely mind-boggling.

The Land Trust’s “special interests” are fortunately my own and for future generations. Shea, on the other hand, would pick the gold teeth of their grandmothers for a buck.

To BCLT I say, “Thank you.” To Shea I say “Shame, on you!”

MERLE MOSHIRI