Mailbag: Planned Parenthood’s services are vital

I was very upset to read the letter from Peggy Normandin, “Mailbag: Clergy wrong about Planned Parenthood” (April 5). There are serious inaccuracies in this letter about Planned Parenthood that I would like to correct.

First, Planned Parenthood is not-for-profit. Any surplus funds go directly back into the vital services they provide, like breast and cervical cancer screenings. Like all not-for-profits, their financial disclosure reports are open to the public. I encourage anyone who is interested to review them.

Second, more than 90% of Planned Parenthood’s services are preventive, including well-woman exams, STD testing and cancer screenings. In fact, the majority of their services help prevent abortion by providing men and women with comprehensive contraception services.

Millions of women, men and teens rely on Planned Parenthood. That includes more than 70,000 men and women who received services last year from our local Planned Parenthood of Orange and San Bernardino counties. Inflammatory language hurts those men and women, each of whom deserve quality health care — and receive it from Planned Parenthood.

Jan Lansing

Newport Beach

Editor’s Note: The writer serves on the Board of Directors for Planned Parenthood Orange and San Bernardino County.

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Frog House a part of city’s history, culture

As a long time Newport Beach resident, I am shocked that the city is considering closing down one of its oldest and most colorful businesses in town. I am speaking of the Frog House, and it would be a great loss to our city if it were forced to close. I bought my first new board at the Frog House in 1974 and have been a customer ever since. I still purchase wetsuits, wax and body boards from the Frog House and they are tremendous part of our city’s history, culture and our community.

I urge you to reconsider the zoning laws currently in place and find a way to allow them to continue to provide service, jobs and tax revenue to our city. Be it an addendum or declaring the property an historical landmark, listen to the thousands of voices who ask that the Frog House be allowed to stay in business at their current location.

Burt Sirota

Newport Beach

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Partisanship favors Reagan statue

A Public Records Act request has revealed the names of the donors to the Ronald Reagan statue in Newport Beach. There are 45 donors, including the former chairman of the Orange County Republican Party and the former chief-of-staff of a past Republican chairman of the Orange County Board of Supervisors, but what is most striking is that four of the donors are on the Newport Beach City Council.

With four of the seven members on the council also members of the donor group, they have had control of this situation long before the citizens of Newport Beach even knew it was coming. Former columnist William Lobdell, in his excellent article outlining the reasons why the statue doesn’t belong in the Castaways Park, said that he got the feeling “… that Councilman Keith Curry, the force behind the Reagan statue, already had the needed votes in his pocket…” Well, now we know.

Another recent article on the Daily Pilot Forum page said, “The manner of approval of the privately funded Reagan statue in Castaways Park is just another example of abuse of power.” It seems that author knew what he was talking about. Normally, in a situation like this, you would expect people with a conflict of interest to recuse themselves from voting on the matter. In this case? The motion was made by one of the donors and seconded by another of the donors. And four of the five who voted in favor? Donors.

The City Council is supposed to be a non-partisan position. Is this how non-partisanship works?

Dudley Johnson

Newport Beach