Bits and Pieces 29

Hopefully, (I need to repeat) hopefully, the rainy season has ended.

It appears that the runoff of water and debris along San Ramon Canyon was not too bad and that there was fewer road closures during March than during other months where a large amount of rain fell.

The repair of the canyon's walls and the construction of a permanent fix is still tops on my list of things that need to remain most important in our city.

Terri recently viewed someone sitting in a chair outside Marie Calender's, apparently conducting a traffic count.

Since the traffic counts for Ponte Vista at San Pedro were completed some months ago, I continue to wonder whether this latest counting of vehicles has something to do with cars exiting the Western Plaza strip mall, using the two driveways on Trudie Drive and attempting to immediately turn left onto Western Avenue, from Trudie Drive.

Since Amalfitano Bakery is so wonderful and successful, more folks going to that unit and other units of the strip mall are creating a larger problem of exiting that mall's parking lot and then using Trudie Drive to turn onto northbound Western Avenue.

This problems gets far worse during the mid to late afternoon hours when there are many more drivers attempting to use Trudie Drive to access Western Avenue or Capitol Drive.

In too many cases, drivers attempting to turn left onto Western Avenue after just leaving the easternmost driveway of the strip mall, proceed to block off the right portion of Trudie Drive at its intersection with Western Avenue.

I have suggested a solution to the problem being one that would have the easternmost driveway to the strip mall, on Trudie, closed off while still marking the other driveway as an in-only access point. I would have the strip mall's owner provide signs that provide that drivers attempting to access northbound Western Avenue do so by using the signalized intersection of the southernmost driveway of the strip mall, Western Avenue, and Park Western Drive.

There are three driveways for the strip mall along Western Avenue, with two of them having right turn only (southbound) egress to Western Avenue.

Leonard Aube, the Executive Director of The Annenberg Foundation wrote a letter to the Editor of The Daily Breeze and it appears in today's edition.

I believe Mr. Aube's letter and I think The Annenberg Foundation has been a beneficial member of our communities for years.

I do not applaud or particularly approve the current plans for "Discovery Park" and I have written repeatedly that I have some disdain for the repeated full page advertisements in at least two local newspapers regarding The Annenberg Foundation's "Discovery Park".

I have a most uncommon set of considerations for "Discovery Park" and what The Annenberg Foundation could and should consider. I feel that there should be a very limited number of buildings constructed on the lower portion of the Point Vicente Reservation of Fort MacArthur and only a small enlargement of parking spaces near PVIC and the "Discovery Park" site.

I continue to believe that a compromise could be reached in which the public would be provided a wonderful city of Rancho Palos Verdes owned park and nature area and that buildings and sites for animal study, education, and participation should be constructed on the upper portion of that Reservation, with some emphasis on construction of elements working well with a new City Hall and city government services.

I feel there is enough space in the area currently housing the City Hall site that can effectively include a new City Hall, new city services structures, an enlarged parking lot, and facilities for animals currently planned at "Discovery Park" being located in the upper portion with a pedestrian trail and bridge between the upper and lower parts of the Point Vicente Reservation of Fort MacArthur.

I also think The Annenberg Foundation could help restore some of the former military site locations on the upper portion of the Reservation and that would allow the public greater access and education dealing with this historical element of the Fort MacArthur complex.

There doesn't appear to be any historical military elements at the Lower Fort MacArthur Reservation, but there are plenty of elements and much evidence dealing with the four other Reservations of Fort MacArthur which are the Middle Reservation, (current Air Force Personnel housing and parade grounds), Upper Reservation, (Angles Gate Cultural Center, military museum, Battery Osgood and Battery Farley, and other facilities including a new San Pedro High School annex and the Point Fermin Outdoor Education Center) White Point Reservation, (Nature center, Nike missile complex, two gun batteries, White Point Nature Preserve).

I do not wish to have candidates for three City Council seats elected or not elected because of their stand on "Discovery Park" or The Annenberg Foundation.

Sadly, too many neighborhoods in our city have at least one defendant in a pending criminal case associated with it.

Sometimes we find neighbors confronting fear and great concern for their own safety and the safety of others if they find that they feel they have been negatively impacted by whatever they are dealing with, concerning the criminal defendant.

My neighborhood is one of them, at this time. One of my neighbors was arrested and is charged with at least one felony count dealing with charges the person may be eventually found guilty of assault with a deadly weapon and that the assault was conducted against another neighbor.

We now have too many neighbors living with too much fear and that is never a good thing in any neighborhood.

Most regular readers of this blog know that my wife and I welcomed someone into our home for a period of three months, who was later convicted of First Degree Murder with Special Circumstances.

This individual came to stay with us from a few days after she murdered her husband until she attempted to live permanently in Chicago. The murderess was always considered a suspect in her husband's murder but the Sheriff's Department told us we were in no danger and we never felt in danger. My wife contended for those months that her friend could not have possibly killed her husband, but I had my doubts early on, but used the information I learned from detectives to allay any fears about our safety.

Although I now have experiences that most others do not, I am still not well settled on the activities of the current criminal defendant or the family of that defendant.

It is more than strongly believed that the charged neighbor visits the home that is shared with the defendant's parents, which is in violation of a Protective Order In Criminal Proceeding (CLETS).

I do not wish to play 'policeman' and use resources to 'catch' the defendant violating the Order, but I also will not continue to allow fear becoming greater in my neighbors who are in fear for their safety and well being.

I also know and appreciate that criminal defendants have rights and that I need to continue to support our Constitution and the rights granted to everyone by that document. I have been somewhat in the background when dealing with events and proceedings associated with the defendant and how fear continues to grow in our neighborhood.

However, I do not like being 'flipped the bird' by anyone riding in any vehicle associated with the defendant's family's address and I do believe I saw the defendant violating the Protective Order.

I think it was pretty darned stupid of that passenger to 'flip the bird' while the driver of a vehicle waited until Terri and I left our front yard before she proceeded past our residence.

Did the 'idiot' in the passenger seat think I wouldn't watch the vehicle pass by from inside my home after I notices the female driver staring at Terri and I while we were outside our home?

I have been flipped off before. I have been called a 'thug' in print and by other means. I will not tolerate any longer my neighbors that have young children becoming more fearful because of anything related to the criminal defendant or that defendant's family.

The defendant has elected to have the trial's opening delayed several times. Whether you believe the justice system is fair or not, I feel neighbors have a right to not live in fear, especially when those neighbors are parents of young children.