The Best of Letters to the Editor (10-7-2009)

This week we have a tie for the "Best of Letters to the Editor" published in our local newspaper. Congratulations to the winners. -- Editor

Letter to City Council and Mayor

Editor:
I'm so happy that you want to publicly thank city of Pacfica employees. I agree they are hard working and provide needed services and assistance. I also work for a city and they addressed their budget shortfall months ago. I'm currently taking furloughs which we voted for to avoid people being laid off. My question is what took you so long to recognize something needed to be done? None of the reasons for this "structural deficit" should have been a surprise. The fire assessment had an expiration date (you even laid off three firefighters even though this wasn't supposed to happen; thankfully they were picked up by other agencies), the state has been saying they're going to take city and county money for months and the economy is in the toilet. Too bad the money spent on the now defunct biodiesel plant ($150,000 +), the money spent on studies and other unnecessary spending isn't now available or you probably wouldn't have this problem. I've lived in this community most of my life and know one thing, this city and especially our current "leaders" are reactive not proactive. Except for pet projects, planning ahead does not happen.

Cindy Connolly
Vallemar


Habitat irony

Editor:
I have heard unconfirmed reports of the California red-legged frog and the San Francisco garter snake (America's most beautiful serpent) being spotted at the Little League fields adjacent to the upper canyon holes of Sharp Park Golf Course. If true, I believe I may have a compromise that should satisfy both the young ballplayers and those responsible, enlightened adults who recognize their legal and moral obligations to biological diversity. The solution is simplicity itself! Merely eliminate third base on each of the three playing fields, reconfiguring the traditional baseball "diamond" into a baseball "triangle." The children would only be losing a third of their playing area, which would be walled off for the exclusive use of the red-legged frog and the San Francisco garter snake (America's most beautiful serpent).

I'm sure some selfish, short-sighted 12 year olds will object, but I would point out to them that eliminating third base should greatly increase scoring (which everybody loves) and, what's more, third base (the hot corner) is an essentially dangerous position anyway. There would naturally need to be some adjustments to the rules, but reasonable people could work that out — in court, if necessary.

What's important is that we, the citizens of Pacifica, stand up and show the world that we would gladly sacrifice our children's narrow interest (really, it's only a game) for the greater glory of global biological diversity, in particular the red-legged frog and the San Francisco garter snake (A.M.B.S.) Space prohibits me from getting into the disastrous effects that Global Warming will have on Little League baseball in 50 years but, believe me, it's not pretty.

Paul Slavin
Sharp Park