Mailbag: Smart-growth initiative would give Costa Mesans more control

The smart-growth initiative that is expected to be on the November ballot gives the people of Costa Mesa a choice between two competing visions of our city and its future.

Many Costa Mesans are conservative in their approach to change. They are wary of dramatic, rapid change that affects their way of life. They like the small-town feel of Costa Mesa, with mostly one-story and two-story buildings, and residential streets where children can play outdoors.

They like shopping at small businesses whose owners and workers they know by name. They like neighborhood parks and schools. They enjoy clean air and mild weather moderated by breezes from the ocean.

Others take a more go-go approach. They want to see economic growth in the form of high-rise condominium and apartment buildings. Costa Mesa’s general plans have long defined “high-rise” as more than two stories. They welcome national chain stores and high-density residential complexes to our major arterial streets, even if they displace small businesses and worsen already-failing intersections.

They are willing to tolerate increases in traffic congestion, noise and air pollution in order to accommodate higher-intensity development. They see Costa Mesa’s future as becoming more like larger Orange County cities, such as Santa Ana and Anaheim.

Most conservative Costa Mesans acknowledge that change and growth are a fundamental part of life. But they want to exercise control over their pace and direction. They want to preserve the quality of life they have enjoyed for themselves and their children and grandchildren. The initiative is an effort to give them that control.

Eleanor Egan

Costa Mesa

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The secret charisma of Jim Nantz and Al Michaels

If you watch sports, you know announcers Jim Nantz and Al Michaels.

These guys are everywhere. Especially in big games.

Where would championships be without them? The voiceovers of our lives. They seem like old friends.

They have the uncanny knack of seeming, not like they are speaking to us from the television set, but rather, in slacks and sweater, like they have shown up in our family room and are chatting with us one on one — about the game, about sports heroes, about courage and dedication, about victory and loss, about life. It’s quite wonderful.

It’s easy to forget that Jim and Al are themselves all-American heroes — self-made, home-grown guys who have made millions of dollars the old-fashioned way.

Both have autobiographies out (“Always by My Side,” by Nantz; and “You Can’t Make This Up,” by Michaels). Consequently, it is possible to put together a tentative profile of what they are like. Both have surprisingly similar things to say.

Here are 10 qualities their books suggest they share, as they are: 1.) Nice guys; 2.) take their careers seriously; 3.) intelligently ambitious, hard-working and make it look easy; 4.) smart and studious; 5.) perfectionists who simply don’t make mistakes; 6.) emotionally tough and adaptable; 7.) respectful and cooperative, but firm and confident; 8.) professionals who prize their audience and try to do the best they can for them; 9.) men who love what they do; 10.) guys who like to relax, joke and have fun. Life is good.

If you admire Nantz and Michaels, this might not be a bad “learning list!”

Steve Davidson

Newport Beach