Mailbag: Trash bin diversity preferred over ‘uniformity’

Given Newport Coast Homeowners Assn. President Dan Wampole’s background as having, presumably, served with Newport’s elected officials on about three different committees, I have to admit I was more than slightly amused by his waxing on how “it is more eye-pleasing to look down the streets on trash day and see the uniformity of the cans.”

I looked down my own street this morning and was impressed by the diversity of trash cans in our neighborhood. It was a beautiful sight.

Joe Nedza

Newport Beach

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Cutting food stamps is wrong

Trying to eliminate food stamps is the most inhumane and intolerable act of the Tea Party Republicans

People, including children, will literally die without them. It is incomprehensible that these politicians think so little of the poor that they would slash billions from such an essential program.

I remember the McCarthy hearings, and this sentiment rings true today: “Have you no sense of decency, sir? At long last, have you left no sense of decency?”

Martin Litke

Newport Beach

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Police staffing hampered by policy

Costa Mesa Mayor Jim Righeimer, i

n defending the decreasing numbers of police officers in the city, said the money has been budgeted for the past two years to hire the full complement of officers.

What he neglected to say was that the Police Department had been prohibited from hiring until a few months ago. As a result, as 15 or more officers retired or left for jobs elsewhere, the department was unable to use that budgeted money to hire replacements.

Because it can take up to a year to vet an officer candidate and train that person, it will be a long time before we have the number of officers the budget authorizes. Add to that the expectation that an additional 20 or so officers will leave the department by the middle of next year, and we have the makings of a real public-safety crisis in Costa Mesa.

Perry Valantine

Costa Mesa