Mailbag: Jetpacks have no place flying in Newport Harbor

I support the City Council’s vote against the continued operation of jetpacks in Newport Harbor.

The objective of jetpack customers is to fly as high and fast as possible, to the edge of control and beyond.

While jetpacks might be a popular novelty, the safety issues in this crowed harbor cannot be denied. This dangerous activity was taking place in the midst of boats, kayaks, stand-up paddleboards, sailboat lessons and races, crew races, children’s summer camp activities and swimmers.

It may be fine for jetpack fliers to assume the risk of injury or death, but it’s not right to impose those risks on other harbor users. If jetpack companies want to operate in Newport, there is plenty of room in the ocean.

Pamela Whitesides

Newport Beach

*

Why is an out-of-towner on city committee?

Given the past four tumultuous years, one could be forgiven for thinking that an aggrieved Costa Mesan might have said this:

“And most important, we felt the full humiliation of the authorities’ utter disregard for our opinion, and a sense of personal dignity began to well up, a desire to affirm our right to be heard and to have an impact.”

These words were uttered, however, by Alexander Vinnikov, a Leningrad physicist turned activist. He was describing the people’s reaction in March 1987 to having been continually humiliated by their leaders. It was only then — in the early, heady days of perestroika (restructuring) and glasnost (openness), when the Communist reign of terror in the USSR began to lift — that they could safely vent their feelings.

In Costa Mesa, our three councilmen have regularly disregarded and humiliated residents. The councilmen have bragged about the glasnost they’ve brought to Costa Mesa. They point with pride to more openness: the improved city website, their new rules for openness in employee negotiations and the Coffee with the Mayor events.

Yet, it’s a selective glasnost. They’ve gone out of their way to stick a thumb in the eye of the body politic.

Most recently, to the surprise and dismay of council watchers, the councilmen appointed a resident of Santa Monica to a Costa Mesa citizens committee. Some wonder how someone from Santa Monica even heard about the obscure committee.

It’s not that there were no well-qualified Costa Mesans. From a technical viewpoint, it’s not clear why the Bikeway and Walkability Committee would need an out-of-towner serving on it. From a political viewpoint, though, this appointment appears to be a continuation into a fifth year of the arrogant, apparently autocratic rule of the three councilmen.

Tom Egan

Costa Mesa