MAILBAG:

This is in response to Merle Moshiri’s Jan. 15 Sounding Off, “Actions aren’t matching words.” I, too, am a resident of Southeast Huntington Beach. Living here gives us the chance to enjoy the ocean air, a sense of community, and myriad other benefits (for instance, although I don’t have children of my own, I hear our schools are great.)

Living with construction by businesses, the government and our neighbors is part of living in a civilized society.

I understand that the Sanitation District’s construction of the huge, gravity-feed trunk line along Bushard Street was an inconvenience, especially for those who live immediately adjacent. But the proposed pipeline construction for the Huntington Beach desalination facility is a different matter entirely. Picture this: The Sanitation District trunk line was large enough to drive a semi through it. The desal water pipeline reaches about knee height to an average man.

Impacts from the construction of the desal plant’s pipeline were fully studied as part of the Environmental Impact Report, which concluded that there would be no significant impacts. The construction along Hamilton will last only two weeks. It’s been several years since this point was settled by sound science and responsible public policy makers; there’s no sense in reopening the debate on it.

The pipeline will bring clean, abundant and drought-proof water to Orange County. I am excited to see this dream realized; making the ocean’s bounty into a reliable water supply has been part of our water suppliers’ plans for years. The facility will use the most advanced, state-of-the-art technology available today.

I choose to live in Southeast Huntington Beach. If you feel victimized because you live here, you always have the choice to move somewhere else.

Rich Kolander

Boeing Engineer, Retired

Huntington Beach

Safety outweighs slight noise inconvenience

Here we go again with the police helicopter issue! I’m sorry I missed the letters on Jan. 8 and 15, but I did read the ones on Jan. 22 regarding those “noisy helicopters flying all day and all night.” I must say I am satisfied and grateful for the quality of life I enjoy here in Huntington Beach because of them.

I don’t mind minutes of my life being interrupted if it means my house won’t be burglarized, a business not robbed — with people being victimized — or if a citizen who needs help in an emergency will get it quickly from as the helicopter response.

If you don’t want the “noise,” go live in Los Angeles County, where a few city Police Department’s Aero Unit(s) are limited in flight time due to [in part] citizen’s complaints.

You might just get that valuable sleep time you talk of, but you should also make sure you save your hard-earned money so you can invest in a guard dog, car/home alarm system or gun for the protection you’re going to have to create because there is no helicopter there to arrive, spot the bad guys in seconds and coordinate those extra black and white Crown Victorias you all want so badly.

I just hope the ex-pilots who are now driving those patrol cars won’t get stuck in traffic while trying to get to your location.

Jason Smith

Huntington Beach

Reps. need to do their job, balance the budget

Our two representatives, the honorable Tom Harman and Jim Silva, each get a salary of $116,208, plus about $34,000 apiece for expenses. Is it time for them to go unpaid?

If there is no state budget, is it fair to say no salary nor expense money for our reps?

OK, after that, what then? Close all K-12 schools and thereby save $39.7 billion, a sum close the $40 billion state deficit.

Seriously, it’s time for our reps to stop acting like children and get down to the adult business of passing a balanced budget as required by the laws they swear to uphold.

Paul Cross