Thursday, April 27, 2017 7
Coastal View News • Tel: (805) 684-4428
Can that inn
I think it’s a slippery slope when a city favors the tourist dollar over its own citizens’ concerns. Carpinteria is in the black, has a low crime and unemployment rate and a great small town feel. I hope this isn’t the start of turning our city into a Disney-esque tourist trap by building a new hotel in the public parking area by Linden Field. Do we really need a hotel on lower Linden in the heart of an already busy and crowded residential area, taking up the only close public parking lot? How many nearby residents will directly benefit, versus those adversely affected by this hotel? I hope our city council members will consider quality of life over quantity of extra tourist dollars and ask themselves: Do we really need this hotel on Linden? Isn’t there enough traffic and successful businesses down by the beach?
Juanita Leman Carpinteria
Joni said it best
Suggesting that a 30- to 40-room boutique hotel would only need four parking spots is unrealistic. Hotel manager, assistant manager, concierge, maids, maintenance person; add to that a restaurant manager, assistant manager, wait staff and busboys; add retail space with manager and clerks, and you’re realistically looking at a large number of necessary parking. Some 47 years ago, Joni Mitchell said it best: They paved paradise/And put up a parking lot/With a pink hotel, a boutique/And a swinging hot spot/ Don’t it always seem to go/That you don’t know what you’ve got/’Till it’s gone/They paved paradise/And put up a parking lot! An asphalt parking lot is not an appropriate use of land currently zoned for open space and recreation. Carpinteria can do better.
Kirk Connally Carpinteria
Boutique inn equals win-win
A small, elegant hotel (just 30 rooms) next to the railroad station will define our beach area and downtown. It will be a destination in itself, a quiet, peaceful place where one might stay for a couple of days. Visitors arriving by train could walk to it, settle in and then go over to the nearby beach or head to the shops and restaurants on Linden. Bicycles (and the shuttle) will be available for those who want to explore farther. These visitors could mean the difference between success and failure for many of our shops and restaurants. In the last few years, several businesses have closed or are suffering from lack of sales.
Happy |3th Birthday Natalia Perez!
Love, Mom, Mekaya, Marcus, Roderick & Grandma
CVN
ICE custody. It is unclear whether she will even get a hearing. There are hundreds more like Daniela. Carolyn would have us believe that law enforcement does not pursue criminals in Santuary cities. That’s absurd. We don’t buy your altfacts. Good try.
Letters
Leland Walmsley Carpinteria
“When I talk about the needs of English learners, students in poverty, parents working day and night to get by, I speak with firsthand knowledge”
Don’t mess with the U.S.
I was walking through a hotel lobby recently and the TV was tuned to one of the far-left cable news channels. The crawler at the bottom of the screen said, “North Korea warns that nuclear war could break out at any moment.” All I could do is smile and be thankful that there is a new sheriff in town. After eight years of Obama pandering to weak dictators and apologizing for America’s greatness, we finally have a president who will send a clear message of strength to the world. Kim Jong-un is a despot and a thug, but he is not stupid. Even though he does not yet have the capability of delivering a nuclear weapon to the U.S., he knows that any such attack upon other nations in his region would result in the complete annihilation of his country. Donald Trump has sent a strong message to the world that the United States will defend its allies, and will stand up to those who would do us harm. For the past eight years, our military has been severely hampered in doing its job because of Obama’s insane rules of engagement. Sadly, American lives were lost because too often our soldiers had their hands tied behind their backs. When somebody fires a Howitzer, you should not be limited to the use of a BB gun in response. You should also not be required to wait hours for permission from Washington to defend yourself. Under Obama, our once proud military was neither feared or respected. Nobody despises war more than a member of the military. The best way to prevent war is to be so strong that an adversary would be a fool to challenge you. Thankfully, we now have a president who believes that.
––Jaclyn Phuong Fabre
We need tourists. Here’s an opportunity to have them in manageable doses yearround. Our city faces increased costs annually. Our infrastructure—roads, sidewalks, trees, etc.—steadily wear down and out. The tax revenue from the hotel would be a new source of income for the city. We welcome it.
Patty and Harry Manuras Carpinteria
Another bark for a dog park
This is to suggest that we have a small dog park near the community garden and train station. I was recently in New York’s Washington Square where a small piece of the park is set aside as a dog park. Not only is it great for dogs, it’s also a wonderful opportunity for people of all ages and backgrounds to meet and chat, share their canine interests as well as those of the world. A very small parcel could go a long way toward facilitating human and canine understanding.
Larry Nimmer Carpinteria
The power of words
The Coastal View News article from April 20 (“School board talks racial disparity”) claiming that I said Summerland School would not adequately support a more diverse student population does not reflect my words. I was addressing barriers preventing some students from accessing schools like Summerland or CFS. Diversity is not interchangeable with low-income, English learners, or other identifiers used to classify students. I’m a parent at Summerland; I’m not white. I often add a bit of color to any situation I’m in. I celebrate diversity, along with our Summerland School community. Integrated Asian Americans are
sometimes considered honorary white folks. Some privileges go with that perception. Thus, what I say may be interpreted as a hidden agenda to support the privileged—white or otherwise. Let me be clear, I proudly, boldly self-identify as a woman of color, an immigrant, a Vietnamese refugee. Forty years ago, my family of five came to the U.S. from a refugee camp, all our possessions in one suitcase. Within a week, I was enrolled in fourth grade so that my parents could look for work. I went to school, unable to communicate with anyone. That scared, wordless little girl is still within me. When I talk about the needs of English learners, students in poverty, parents working day and night to get by, I speak with firsthand knowledge. Race is an integral part of U.S. society and should be addressed. But please, be mindful of the words you use. They can hurt. They can be divisive.
Jaclyn Phuong Fabre Summerland
ICE, not so nice
In response to Carolyn Edward’s letter published in Coastal View News on April 20, there are many non-criminals being held by ICE. For example, Daniela Vargas is a 22-year-old woman who was brought from Argentina to the U.S. at age 7. Her family had a temporary visa that they overstayed. She aspires to be a math teacher, has no criminal record and has applied to preserve her legal status under the DACA program. Currently she is in
Langdon Nevens Carpinteria
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