“NOT ME,” SAID THE LBC
I was a little shocked to read Steve Lowery's eulogy of Long Beach's East Village Arts District! [“Looking Back At the Year Ahead,” Jan. 5] Dead? I didn't even know I was sick. Oh wait, I did, but when a brother is on the floor, twitching in pain, shouldn't you help him out before pronouncing him dead and going out for boba with Chris and Rebecca? Yes, we've got our issues, and yes, this city slits its throat every chance it gets, but it's a bit insensitive to call the place dead, when the hands and feet of the community are still grasping and kicking. Oh yeah, you might also want to get your facts straight too: Acres of Books is most likely staying, being granted a new building by the developers who rebuilt Powell's City of Books in Portland. Koo's Art Center is voraciously struggling to survive. Dennis Lluy, Koo's founder, has been paying the rent out-of-pocket for his nonprofit for nearly 6 months while the details of a $50,000 forgivable loan from the Long Beach Redevelopment Agency get hashed out. Open Bookstore isn't closing up for good; they're just moving a mile down the road! So return the coffin to Costco, put the cold cuts back on ice and the stacking chairs back in the garage, and for goodness sake, throw us a line instead of putting the rope around our neck.
East Village Arts District
Via e-mail
CAR [CHIO] IN THE RED
[Regarding Dave Wielenga's Jan. 12 story “Sleaze City,” exploring the questionable starting point of Huntington Beach City Councilman Joe Carchio]: Thanks for keeping the pressure on Carchio and [former Huntington Beach mayor Dave] Garofalo. I sat and watched Carchio park in the red across from my house for the last two years. It was apparent that he believes he's part of the monarchy here and it's saddened me that my city turned a blind eye and elected a poor choice such as him. As he is not a really smart man, Carchio will make mistakes like Garofalo did; I hope you are there to report on them.
Mike Hoskinson
Huntington Beach
I LOVE HIM BECAUSE YOU HATE HIM
What a lousy piece of crap [Dave Wielenga's “Sleaze City,” Jan. 12]. You don't even wait for a person to do something wrong before you launch your attacks. The Weekly just keeps moving further and further away from legitimate journalism and more and more towards a high school slam book. I didn't vote for Mr. Carchio in the last election, but not because of anything you wrote or his friendships with anyone in particular. I only voted for two candidates. However, now that I know the Weekly is after him, I'll be certain to give him my vote next time around.
Kevin J.
Huntington Beach
MY HUSBAND IS NO FAG
“Repressed fags buy SUVs and drive out to the woods so they can shoot holes in Bambi and Thumper.” [Greg Stacy's “Ecce Homo,” Jan. 5] Really? I kind of take exception to that (not the SUV part). Hunting is not necessarily yeehaw redneck good ol' boy crap as you seem to assume it is, at least not when the hunters respect nature and the art of the sport; and when they use what they kill. My husband used to go with bow and arrow in hand, not a beer and a rifle. We both adore animals more than I could begin to tell you. The decline of hunting in the last 150 years has actually hurt both animals (overpopulation and starvation) and farmers (destruction of grazing lands and crops). Please don't lump hunting in with your other “signs of repressed faggotry” because that's utterly ridiculous and offensive. Love you guys!
Melissa Ortiz
Via e-mail
EYE RITE N SPEL BETR THEN U
Vicki [sic] Chang has got to be one of your worst writers with the worst taste. I abhor her Trendzilla column. It has the most contrived style blurbberings [sic] I've ever read. None of them celebrate true style. Maybe that is why it's called “Trendzilla” and not “Stylezilla.” These sad entries just show how little she really understands about fashion and style. Sorry, but we already have a Joan and Melissa Rivers! Also, although she brought valid topics into discussion in her “Yellow Fever” article, it was poorly written. The snide anecdote in the end should have been left out, it had to [sic] many scenester name dropping [sic] (just like her trite Trendzilla columns) and did not sympathize with the other side of the story. Overall, Vicki [sic] needs to go back to school and take a writing course if she wants to be a journalist. Kudos for trying, but her writing and musings are just horrific!
Lisa Nguyen
Via e-mail
THAT'S ONE FOR OUR SIDE!
[Regarding Gustavo Arellano's Jan. 5 “Ask a Lawsuit,” about an Oregon man who received a five-day suspension without pay for bringing a copy of “Ask of Mexican!” to work]: You wrote that Robert Diefenbach's attorney advised him that “she didn't think any arbitrator in the state of Oregon would agree [that the column in question was funny] and advised him to drop the case.” I am one of a handful of full-time labor arbitrators in Oregon. I also am a regular, avid and appreciative reader of your column, as well as a Mexico-loving gabacha. In fact, I am writing this as my retired husband and I are driving, with our two wussy dogs (but “perros peligrosos” according to the sign on our camper) towards Mexico for our annual exploration to various parts. Although, being a good arbitrator, I cannot comment on Mr. Diefenbach's case, I assure you that there is at least one arbitrator in Oregon who finds your informative columns at least a little amusing, and often hysterically funny.
Jane Wilkinson a.k.a. Gringodog
Labor Arbitrator
Via e-mail
