Floodlight Use Called Wasteful

The letter from Dr. C. W. Traughber on Oct. 20 warrants my expansion on the topic of Councilwoman Flores’ stupid and insensitive belief that we residents of this area should put up with the high-intensity floodlighting of the American President Lines container terminal. We are 2 1/2 miles west of the terminal at 800 feet elevation, and must draw heavy drapes across the bedroom windows to be able to sleep because of the glare from the lights.

What is worse, from my businessman’s viewpoint, is that these floodlights are often turned on an hour or more before sunset, wasting thousands of watts of costly electric power. Yesterday, for example, the entire area was lit up at 4:30 in the afternoon. Frequently in the morning they are still on for an hour or two in broad daylight.

A couple of years ago I wrote Mayor Bradley about this gross waste of electric power to light up the area where nothing but 40-ton cargo containers are stored. His reply was that the Harbor Department felt this was necessary for “security” reasons.

Apparently his infrequent visits to San Pedro did not include the fenced area of the APL terminal, nor the guarded gates through which trucks must pass to gain entry or exit from the area. If he thinks that some longshoremen are going to walk off with these massive containers on their backs, his intelligence is at about the same level as Councilwoman Flores’ or members of the Harbor Department.

Apparently all of them are more concerned with making happy the management of American President Lines and the owners of cargo ships than they are with us natives.

--JACK WEST

Rancho Palos Verdes