Fan of Trucks

Since we do not have a seaport, river port, train depot, pipeline or an airport here in Crescenta Valley, the saying “If you got it – a truck brought it” is pretty true and appropriate.

Think about it folks – if not for trucks and truck drivers we would be in pretty poor shape.

Joe Kroening

Glendale

Truck Facts

In response to Mr. Tom Suter’s comments on truck traffic [Viewpoints, March 3], he misses the point. He apparently does not understand the increasingly negative impacts trucks have on our daily lives. On the other hand, if it would force the decision makers to look at alternatives to trucks for hauling goods, then trucks and whatever they contain should be boycotted. Among other things, trucks create air pollution, health risks and impacts and increased traffic. Our valley is particularly affected because it is a valley and pollutants become trapped.

Here are a few facts which directly relate to an increase in truck traffic in Los Angeles County: the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are responsible for 40% of all import shipments to the US; 70% of those shipments are transported on Los Angeles County streets and highways to locations outside of Los Angeles, mainly by truck (only 30% remain in the county); by 2030, it is expected that daily cargo container shipments will increase to 92,000, triple that from 2005 figures.

If the proposed 710 tunnel is built, a ton of trucks from the ports and elsewhere will be dumped on our 210 freeway going both east and west. We have already seen a tremendous increase in traffic on the 210 since it was extended eastward.

This is the 21st Century. There are alternatives to the “noisy smelly beasts” which must be implemented (such as cargo rail) to preserve our air quality and thus reduce health risks and impacts and reduce truck traffic everywhere in Los Angeles County.

Sherry Stubbs

La Crescenta

Dislikes the Garbage Men

I watched the Glendale City Council meeting on March 8 as I do most weeks. During Oral Communications two men got up to speak and as always my stomach tightened when their names were announced. I knew that I wouldn’t hear anything positive about our City or her leaders. I knew, instead, that I would hear garbage. And of course they delivered just that –GARBAGE.

Barry Allen was the first of these two men to speak and his latest target is Councilman Drayman. I was disgusted last week when he actually showed pictures of the inside of Councilman Drayman’s condo. I thought that he should be sued for either trespassing or invasion of privacy and if I were Councilman Drayman, I would hire a lawyer and do just that – sue Barry Allen.

Why should anyone in Glendale believe a word this man says? He chooses his targets each year and these men and women who are serving Glendale and her citizens have to sit there and take his garbage.

Then Mike Mohill spoke. He is, as he tells us each and every week, running for City Council this year. A dirtier campaign I have never witnessed. The man has never said a positive thing about our City, her employees or the sitting Council. Instead he spews his venom. He must think we are all stupid. He approached me at the Farmer’s Market in Montrose [on a recent] Sunday. I was sitting with my 40-year-old son. He said to me that he thought he knew me and I said I had been at Council meetings and a candidates’ forum. He then tried to hand me one of his horrendous flyers. I told him that I didn’t want that trash and I also told him that I couldn’t stand dirty and dishonest political campaigns. I told him that I felt his was the dirtiest. He started on Councilman Drayman’s condo and I cut him off. I told him he would be well advised to get his information from someplace other than the rag Vanguardian. He brought up the L.A. Times and I pointed out to him that it was obvious that this was a “non story” since the L.A. Times had dropped it like a hot rock. My son and I got up to leave and he followed us to the light where we were waiting to cross the street.

Mr. Mohill started up again and my son turned to him and said, “You are done – do you understand?” He finally walked away.

Mr. Mohill keeps talking about transparency and he is always directing this at Councilman Drayman. Councilman Drayman has sat on that dais week after week listening to these lies against his character. Just because he is an elected official in no way means that he or any member of a sitting council should be made to just sit back and have slanderous remarks hurled at them. I personally feel that Councilman Drayman had no other option than to point out issues concerning Mike Mohill. Mr. Mohill wanted transparency and he got what he wanted.

Councilman Drayman himself stated that he loathed dirty politics. He is a man of ethics and character, two qualities that are sorely lacking from Barry Allen and Mike Mohill.

Lindsay Soderlund

Glendale

Any Dog Park News?

I have heard that there is going to be a new dog park in La Crescenta. I think it is good to have somewhere to walk and play with our dogs. I can’t wait to go to the dog park when it opens!

Freddie Ireland, Age 7

La Crescenta

Get Out The Vote

Voting has always been important in the United States. The Constitution has been amended 27 times. The Bill of Rights was added in 1791 and 47% of the remaining amendments address voting issues. With citywide elections coming up April 5, it is time to mark your calendar and plan to vote.

Who: All registered voters

What: 2011 Glendale Municipal Elections

Why: Choose two City Councilmen, two School Board members, two Community College Trustees and decide Measure “S”

When: Tuesday, April 5, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Where: At your neighborhood polling place. To locate your polling place, (818) 548-4000 or GlendaleVotes.org

Wisdom: Candidate information is available in the CV Weekly, in sample ballot statements, at candidate forums, on candidate web sites and GTV6.

Voting is the most powerful thing you can do to preserve liberty. Please vote April 5.

Lynn McGinnis

Glendale

Contrails, Not Conspirancy

In the past 40 years I have done a lot of traveling by air for business, pleasure and my volunteer activities. In all those years I have seen a hose connected to the aircraft to fill the potable water tank, the fuel tanks and service the lavatory.  I have never seen a hose connected to the pesticide/hazardous waste tank. I have seen our own contrails at 30,000-plus feet. I suggest that Ms. Badger [Viewpoints, March 10] review a lot of the old WW-II airplane footage.  Those are contrails and they are vapor. The only thing that the B-17 and B-24 bombers dropped were iron explosive bombs with maybe some incendiaries mixed in.

Our commercial airliners are not crop dusters.  The Internet spreads too many conspiracy theories.

Tom Suter

La Crescenta

Shares Concerns

Thank you so much for printing [Trissie Badger’s] letter on chemtrails and bringing this to the attention of the community. I thought I was the only one that was concerned. What a relief!

Over the last year, I have sent multiple emails and left many calls to the mayor of Glendale Ara Najarian, Adam Schiff, Barbara Boxer, and State Senator Carol Liu, each time simply asking what they were doing about testing chemtrails but have received no response from any of them. I guess they could not care whether or not the people they are representing are being poisoned by the high altitude spraying of chemtrails. On the other hand, at least the office of state assemblyman Mike Gatto did respond and showed real concern.

Keep in mind that whatever chemicals are actually in the chemtrails do fall down on all of us, do get into our water supply, and do get on our plants and children. Given the potential harm this could cause all of us, it would seem to me to be important enough to take seriously and to take real action to find out the truth. Maybe next time we need to elect officials who do care enough to do something about it.

As you may know the Internet is filled with controversy on whether or not this is all a hoax. But the one thing you will not find on the Internet anywhere is an official local or state government agency taking action to actually test the chemtrails directly and find out the truth one way or the other. Frankly, the citizens have a right to know.

My suggestion is that all citizens should be concerned and take action to contact their local and state officials and demand that real testing be done to establish the truth.

Robert Kretz

Glendale

  letters to the editor