Disappointed
I am writing to you to tell you of my disgust in the way the article about Doug Bombard and family was given in your edition dated March 2, 2018.
I am a good friend of Doug Bombard and his family and have been for many years.
I am also a former Islander and still visit several times a year just too see old friends like Doug and Audrey Bombard.
There were discrepancies in the article that were so bold and brash that it tells me one thing, the person that wrote this article is not and Islander.
I would think that you would have a genuine Islander reporting your stories instead of someone on the mainland doing the stories.
The biggest mistake was a big picture of John Wayne (whom I knew very well) and Duke Fishman (who I also knew very well), not Doug Bombard as the caption listed.
If you don’t have anyone on the Island to report the news to you then I suggest you hire some people with knowledge of the Island and it’s residents.
This is embarrassing to say the least especially when you are writing an article about and man and his family that are life long residents.
I knew Ernest Windle and I worked with his son Johnny Windle and they would be very disappointed in your reporting skills.
John Flaiz
Appalling comments
I would like to thank the Catalina Progressive Action Coalition for hosting the Candidates Forum on March 12; it was very enlightening to hear the candidates’ views. There were many positive ideas put forth, though I found one set of comments appalling enough that I feel that it cannot be ignored.
On the question of how to make the island more sustainable, Ralph Morrow jokingly (?) suggested getting rid of fifty percent of the population, and then in the same comment says that the Hispanic population “has a hard time understanding these words, ‘avoidance of depletion of natural resources’ “, as if being unable to read an English dictionary definition of sustainability makes them unable to comprehend the need to save water.
In this era of mass deportation and resurgence of racism, such casual white supremacy from those seeking leadership roles in our community should not be ignored.
This Island was conquered by the genocide of the Tongva, obtained by a land grab from Mexico, and built and maintained by a largely Hispanic workforce. As a person with an embarrassing lack of proficiency in Spanish, I recognize the privilege of a democratic community made up of an estimated majority of Spanish speakers allowing the business of our community to be conducted in English, and condemn any attempt to denigrate the Hispanic community.
Micah Phillips
Avalon
Against proposed hospital tax
We all can agree that a medical facility in Avalon is absolutely necessary for the health of our residents and visitors. However, statements declaring that if we don’t vote yes on this measure, we won’t have a hospital are false and based on misinformation and fear. This tax can be voted down with a no vote and sent back to the drawing board to address the major flaws and risks and then brought back to the voters in the November election. Why not make it more agreeable, affordable and equitable to all the parties concerned?
The Hospital tax, as written, is asking us to support a never-ending $2.00 per round trip fee for a $6o million, four story, 60,000 square foot medical facility in an unspecified location. This tax is asking to support the unsubstantiated need for “medical tourism” and asking us to assume people will want to come to Avalon for elective procedures, such as plastic surgery.
The hospital plan is also assuming that local residents will want to switch to the local medical providers rather than continue to go to the mainland, and that the medical facility will capture “local medical dollars.” These are huge risks with unpredictable outcomes and volatile financial security. I argue that many local residents prefer to continue their medical care on the mainland with their specialists or physicians that they have long standing relationships with because it is more affordable, more private and the mainland trip is also used to accomplish other tasks. Also consider the fact that many local residents must go to the mainland because the Avalon hospital does not take their insurance.
This never-ending hospital tax limits the possibility of the City of Avalon to capture transit dollars in the future to help us repair our crumbling infrastructure. This hospital tax is also banking on the cruise ships continuing to choose Avalon as a destination. If the tax measure passes, it is my understanding that Catalina will be more costly as a port-of-call than Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco and Seattle. Avalon would be the most expensive because of the cost of tendering and the extra hospital tax. How do we know the cruise lines will continue to visit Avalon?
I encourage you to vote no on this hospital tax and demand that this project be transparent with it’s location, in alignment with the realistic needs of our community, include a time limit on it’s term and levy the same tax on the passengers in private boats that moor in Avalon Bay. This measure must be sent back to the discussion table!
Leslie Warner
Avalon
