A Letter To The Editor And Some Comments

I have written to the editor of The Palos Verdes Peninsula News in response to a letter written in the edition I received this morning apparently written by someone who has little true knowledge about the The Marymount College Facilities Expansion Project and The Marymount Plan and what the City Council could have done, yet chose not to do.

To the Editor,

Even though previous Rancho Palos Verdes City Council members voted to approve student residential housing at Marymount College, that is not enough of a reason for the current membership to approve dorms.

However, it was legal and proper for the current membership of the Rancho Palos Verdes City Council to include on campus residential housing at Marymount no matter what the Planning Commission's recommendation was.

A Council member could have, at any time during their discussion, public hearing, and debate periods, brought forth a motion to have on campus residential housing included in The Marymount College Facilities Expansion Project, which they approved by unanimous vote.

In fact, no representative of Marymount College, during a public hearing, asked any member of the Rancho Palos Verdes City Council to include a motion allowing for dorms to be built.

Over the last ten years there have been many changes within the city of Rancho Palos Verdes or just across the street from it. Trump National, Terranea, Ponte Vista, the increasing problems with San Ramon Canyon and the Tarapaca landslide, storm drain issues, and an increase in population may be just some of the reasons the City Council membership finds the situations different from previous members who approved dorms, even though Marymount chose not to go forward with them.

I feel all voters should learn the reasons why the City Council approved The Marymount College Facilities Expansion Project, which I support and why the members oppose The Marymount Plan and its initiative.

Mark Wells
Rancho Palos Verdes
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Whether my letter gets published or not doesn't matter as much as the realization that it seems far too many Rancho Palos Verdes residents still are unaware of the similarities and differences between The Project and The Plan.

It also points out to me, that Marymount's marketing of its initiative is going along better than the attempts by many to have the measure voted down.

Everytime we see letters to the editor or some other comment from folks seemingly ill informed about the problems with The Marymount Plan, it should give us pause to reflect that those in opposition to The Marymount Plan or its initiative are behind the education curve and it is time to put forth all reasoning why the initiative must fail and why The Marymount College Facilities Expansion Project should be supported over The Marymount Plan.

The next Rancho Palos Verdes City Council meeting will fall just less than three months before the November 2 vote and Marymount has had plenty of time and money to get their points passed around the city.

It is much harder to re-educate people than it is to educate them, I feel and the opposition has the tasks of re-education, for too many and education for all. That is why I have been calling for those in opposition to The Marymount Plan and/or its initiative to now come forward with good, truthful, and appropriate information.

Marymount has had months and months to spill out their 'oil' and it is time we cap their well using the whole truth, reason, responsibility, and respect for our residents; something Marymount representatives have been unable to do themselves, in my opinion.