EL SEGUNDO HERALD June 1, 2017 Page 7 Politically Speaking Another Man’s Opinion Political Penguin, Round Two By Duane Plank Back! Those of you who have been reading Herald Publications papers for a while may remember that I was scribbling political thoughts for the paper back in the day. I believe that day ended about four or five years ago. I was ruminating about the machinations of the failed Mitt “The Glove” Romney campaign for the presidency. Laughed about the gazillion-dollar waste of money that Meg Whitman foisted out there as she was trounced when she ran for Governor in the great state of California, boat-raced by the three-time failed presidential candidate Moonbeam Brown. Who has, in my estimation, done a pretty good job of governing Cali after taking over for the overmatched actor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who is now back to over-utilizing hair care products and selling violent movies to teenagers. Of course the politically astute Brown just shammed all Californians, agreeing to apparent backdoor deals (bribes) to collect enough votes from legislators so that he could ram through the recent gas tax hike to allegedly fix roads. Except the Dems will probably appropriate the money, as they always do, and throw it into some social help plan. Maybe we can bankroll the criminal illegal immigrants and pay for their legal defense with the monies? Or bankroll the ever-growing tab for Brown’s beloved Bullet Train boondoggle? Glad I can comment on the political scene again. I guess Bill O’Reilly turned down the Herald gig? Or maybe with the $25-million golden parachute he was handed when Fox showed him the door, he decided he didn’t need the Benjamins? In what seems a time warp, I was writing about the very flawed New Yorker Anthony Weiner years ago. Shockingly, the disgraced Dem politico has again made the headlines, with a mea culpa about his self-admittedly salacious texting of a 15-year-old girl. He was also somehow embroiled in the incredible downward spiral of the Hillary Clinton campaign and flameout. Nice to see Hillary on the tube recently, taking full responsibility One Man’s Opinion Best Time to Act Local With Regards To Environment ACCESSORY DWELLING UNITS (ADUS) (Allowing a second unit on R-1 zoned lots) On June 6, 2017, the City Council will hold a public hearing on the new state law changes related to accessory dwelling units. Come learn what the new law says and what options the City has. This will be a significant change to current limitations on accessory dwelling units (formerly known as granny flats or second units). Based on the changes to state laws, a draft ordinance prepared for the City Council’s consideration addresses: • accessory dwelling units on all R-1 and small R-2 lots • parking requirements for accessory dwelling units • conversions of garages into accessory dwelling units For additional information regarding the draft ordinance and state regulations regarding ADUs, you can: • Review the draft ordinance and related material in the June 6, 2017 City Council meeting agenda at the following link: http://www.elsegundo.org/depts/elected/agendas.asp • Contact Principal Planner, Paul Samaras at psamaras@elsegundo.org • Attend the City Council meeting on June 6, 2017 at 7:00 p.m. in the City Council Chambers at 350 Main Street By Cristian Vasquez It has been at the top of President Trump’s to-do list: slash the Environmental Protection Agency’s budget. The estimated $3 billion cut, added to the appointment of former Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt, makes the future of environmental protection in this country uncertain. While Congress still has to approve the president’s budget and in essence approve that 31 percent cut of the agency’s budget, there are factors that paint a bleak picture for environmental protection. The agency has now been filled with climate change skeptics, a fossil fuel lobbyist has been tapped to work alongside Pruitt, and Congress had no problem repealing hunting restrictions that protected wildlife refuges in Alaska. In short, the administration and Congress have little interest in protecting the environment. So if there was ever a time to act local, that time is now. Losing federal funds dedicated to, and the will to protect, the environment is a challenge we haven’t seen since the 1970s. So what are our options? Aside from the most obvious, which is to vote in the midterms to replace members of Congress that voted along party lines instead of what’s good for the environment, we must join our local environmental groups and have an immediate impact. It is crucial that now, and for the next four years, we act to protect every aspect of our environment. Join Heal the Bay, work with Grades of Green, help the Ballona Creek Renaissance collect trash, plant trees, and make donations to environmental organizations. Working with such groups will not only help contribute to environmental wellbeing, but it will continue to push forward our ongoing efforts to educate and create a more environmentally-conscious generation. Furthermore, knowing that the current administration has little to no interest in protecting the environment, we should expect an uptick in pollution of all sorts. Waiting until the midterms, or 2020, to vote out Trump and a complicit Congress will make the clean-up efforts even more daunting. We can always hope for the best but must prepare for the worst simply because if we occasionally have environmental disasters such as oil spills and the destruction of wildlife with an agency enforcing rules to prevent these catastrophes, how bad can it get without it? Instead of waiting for Trump to be voted out of office and hope that a new administration return to more environment-friendly legislation, we have to be active in our own backyard. We have miles and miles of coastline that needs cleaning and national parks that need to be preserved and we can help by volunteering, donation, or both. We need to keep educating ourselves and our youth on the resources available that will help keep our planet green. We are going to have to clean up the pollution as we go and lead by example. We had eight years with an ecofriendly administration and it was good times. Things have changed and we must now bite the bullet and help ourselves. • Visit us online: www.heraldpublications.com DEADLINES OBITUARIES: Monday at noon. CALENDAR ITEMS: Monday at noon. PEOPLE ITEMS: Monday at noon. CLASSIFIEDS: Tuesday at noon. LEGAL NOTICES: Wednesday at 11:00 am. REAL ESTATE ADS: Monday at noon. AD CANCELLATIONS: Prior Thursday. LATE CANCELLATIONS WILL BE CHARGED 50% OF AD See Another Man’s, page 17
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