Bits and Pieces 35

Candidates for the November election to select three new members of our City Council got to formally file today, to seek a seat.

The four candidates I have previously mentioned MAY be welcoming others into the race and I hope to learn those names, formally, as soon as possible.

I have heard rumors about a member of the Palos Verdes Peninsula School Board running for a seat. I have also hear rumors from more than one source about a person who may not have lived in our city for very long at all and MAY be being supported by those who supported Marymount College's attempting to get approval for on-campus housing.

Until I know who is really running, I think it best to have those I don't have confirmation on, left unnamed on this blog.

With the previous election for seats on our Council, I was not shy about stating my opinions, both positive and negative about the candidates.

Naturally, I will continue to do that sort of thing with this election, but I would like to offer this blog and also via this blog, a possible new way to consider the candidates.

I don't agree with all the politics of every candidate and neither should you, I hope. But what I have seen with the four candidates I know about is that all four of them COULD and SHOULD run a very clean campaign and one that would make our city proud.

But as with just about every election, there are negative comments and even some very 'smarmy' thing said and written about candidates.

Since I am guilty of saying and writing negative things about candidates on this blog, why don't we try and have ALL of the negatives about candidates left on this blog through comments and posts submitted by others?

I think we could really show other cities how a good clean election is run if there is just one place to go to get all the negatives out in the open about candidates. I think this blog could be that forum to fight it out, without having it spill other places in print.

I also would be thrilled to have every positive thing about the candidate(s) you favor mentioned on this blog.

All I ask is that if you choose to submit your own post, I will accept it and publish it AFTER I contact you to make sure of what you are writing AND I will censor very offensive language.

If you want to charge a candidate with some sort of discretion, you may do that with EVERY ONE'S understanding that it is YOUR charge and not necessarily mine or anyone else's.

You have always be welcome to leave comments about any and all posts on all my blogs. If I find any comment overly offensive to me or someone else, that does not mean I won't publish it. What is could mean is that I publish that comment on a 'special' blog I have that I hope nobody ever reads but is one I have had for years and is incredibly offensive to me and others. But since I abhor censorship in one's writing, I do publish some very to extremely foul comments, but you'd be hard pressed to find them.

I'm still thinking about a new post concerning Marymount College. Since the Council has put off their review, I can put off my post for a bit longer.

What I can write is that Marymount College and its administration and students have a fantastic opportunity staring them right in the face and it is an opportunity that would truly be a win-win for the College and residents and businesses in downtown San Pedro and elsewhere.

I fear Marymount's administration is still putting too many eggs in a basket that surely will not hold more that just a few eggs and it really is a shame they are not looking at a bigger and brighter picture that could benefit so many people.

I don't know the zoning of the land the family is selling along our coast, but I hope it is agricultural.

Wouldn't it be great if the land was zoned for agricultural use only, with a small portion for residential dwellings and perhaps a retail stand?

Our community has had so many acres under agricultural uses and I bet we could have a group or family grow some truly award-winning strawberries or other food items.

We also have a legacy that should be protected with our area's history of land under till. We have recreational areas, residential areas, business areas, and open space that is so much more than other cities in the greater L.A. basin. I feel it is important to remember our heritage as an area that welcomed farmers and provided food for communities and I think keeping a good portion of the land now ready for sale as agricultural land only, is important.

Now I do know and appreciate that the notion of keeping such land that would be so very valuable for residential development continuing to have only agricultural uses, but maybe in a time when mcmansions are flourishing, time shares abound and our views and spaces of all kinds are so important to our residents, it really should benefit our community to keep some land agricultural rather than just having another upscale housing tract developed there.

Now that the election for the 36Th CD is over, we know who our House member will be when we fold into the 36Th.

It is my opinion that Rep. Hahn will help us get Federal funding for part of the San Ramon Canyon repair. I think because she will learn so many residents of The Hill would rather have a Republican as their House Member, perhaps she will garner some support for her reelection from some in R.P.V. who might not vote for her, if she comes up with dollars to help fund this most important repair.

I also think and feel that there may be several months when Ms. Hahn might be able to work with our Rep. Dana Rohrabacher to secure some funding because perhaps we could 'help' Mr. Rohrabacher learn that he would be able to leave a lasting good legacy of helping this portion of his district he will soon not represent.

I continue to be amazed with the talents of the young people and their parents and helpers in regards to all the theatre productions going on in our city and on The Hill.

During this summer, both Miraleste I.S. and Peni H.S. have work going on so the campus of Palos Verdes High School in P.V.E. is witnessing an overflow of great talent with show after show after show.

We see productions going on at the Norris Theatre and in other nearby venues that illustrate how fantastic our young players and 'techers' are and the drive to produce very entertaining fare for everyone.

Phil and I may become more involved with set design and help with carpentry for some of the production companies for young people and I am delighted to have opportunities to help, when we can.

Of course there are more adult productions on and around The Hill that also showcase local talent, too.

But for Terri and I, this is our summer of discovery into theatre pieces by younger performers. Terri is one of the Library aides at Miraleste and I volunteer there, year after year. We both enjoy watching performances where Terri remembers cast and crew members in productions at Miraleste or after they left that school.

I also work at Chadwick School of various productions, from time to time. I will not say that any one school has more talented students than any other school.

While the Drama Department of Penhi is truly first and foremost, probably in the greater L.A. Basin, there are students attending Palos Verdes H.S. all the intermediate schools, Chadwick, Rolling Hills Prep AND Marymount College who are all first-rate and should be members of Actors Equity, if they aren't already.