Mailbag: Peotter’s history sheds some light
Despite Newport Beach Councilman Scott Peotter’s claims that he is not homophobic, his public record betrays his actual beliefs and efforts in anti-LGBT activities.
According to a story in the Los Angeles Times, “Irvine: Don’t flaunt, gays warned by N victors (Nov. 14, 1989), as president of the Irvine Values Coalition, Peotter led a successful effort to pass Measure N, which revoked legal protections for gay people in the community under an Irvine civil rights ordinance.
At the time, Peotter said the effort showed that “the majority of people in Irvine feel homosexuality isn’t right.” Owing to his leadership in this effort, it is reasonable to assume that he included himself in that majority.
Given Peotter’s recent comments, particularly in the context of his long-held beliefs and public efforts against LGBT rights, an official censure of him was the least our City Council could do to ensure equality for all in Newport Beach, but it decided to take another path.
Richard Flory
Newport Beach
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Cattle Drive is welcome tradition
Thank you for your coverage and pictures about the cattle drive to the OC Fair.
Both of us were standing at the corner where they turned into the fairgrounds and, as in 2008, we waved and cheered for the cattle, horsemen, dogs and covered wagons.
Great tradition, American style.
Brent and Peggy Ogden
Newport Beach
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Proposed lighted message board should be rejected
Clear Channel Outdoor is petitioning the city of Fountain Valley to approve a final environmental impact report to install a mammoth, brightly lit advertising board at the 405 Freeway and Euclid offramp next to the city water tank.
What a tragedy this would be.
The notice of this week’s Planning Commission public hearing was sent only to Fountain Valley property owners who live within, get this, 500 feet of the physical location of the proposed reader boards.
The reality of the situation is that these boards will be seen from a mile away or farther.
Not only will this drastically change the quality of life for the nearby Costa Mesa residents, it probably will increase traffic accidents since these back-to-back billboards of brightly lit LED advertising will bathe drivers in intrusive light to catch their attention.
The city plans to allow Clear Channel to install this intrusive LED board on Fountain Valley city-owned property. Does the city have to abide by the codes and regulations it has put in place for property owners, residents and businesses?
What I also find interesting is a tagline at the bottom of the notice of the public hearing: “If the proposed action is challenged in court, there may be a limitation to raising only those issues raised at the public hearing described in this notice or in written correspondence delivered to the Planning Commission at or prior to the public hearing.”
What are they saying, “You snooze, you lose”?
Leston Trueblood
Fountain Valley
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Boats’ nail boards are cruel to sea lions
While cruising through beautiful Newport Harbor, I was shocked and saddened to see numerous moored boats with 3- to 6-inch nail boards attached to their swim steps.
There are many other ways to discourage sea lions from resting on the swim steps. Talk about animal cruelty!
If there is not a law against this, there should be. The owners of these boats should be ashamed and fined for this barbaric cruelty.
How can this be stopped?
John Jackson
Corona del Mar