HomeMy WebLinkAboutSupplemental Questions from Gusti Lowenberg1
Gloria Harper
From:Robert Goldberg <rgoldberg@live.com>
Sent:Monday, June 08, 2020 4:24 PM
To:Mike Varipapa; Sandra Massa-Lavitt; Schelly Sustarsic; Thomas Moore
Cc:Jill Ingram; Gloria Harper; Les Johnson; Charles M. Kelly; Jeannette Andruss; Gusti
Lowenberg
Subject:External Email : Comments on Item A for Tonight's Open Council Meeting
Forwarded at the direction of Seal Beach resident, Gusti Lowenberg. See below.
From: Gusti Lowenberg <gustilowenberg@gmail.com>
Sent: Monday, June 8, 2020 2:36 PM
To: mikevaripapa@mac.com <mikevaripapa@mac.com>; jkalmick@sealbeachca.gov <jkalmick@sealbeachca.gov>
Subject: Outdoor seating proposal ‐ my thoughts
Dear City Council Members,
I am opposed to the recommendation to establish shared dining areas on Main Street, Seal Beach for the
following reasons:
Tax dollars would be used to subsidize private businesses:
Money would provide benefits to a small number of restaurants situated on Main St. What about other
restaurants struggling to survive?
Other retailers in Seal Beach could use a subsidy. How unfair to jewelers, clothiers, etc.
Seal Beach would be liable for injuries and accidents on public property:
Main St. sidewalks are uneven. Tables and chairs would not sit properly on them.
Tables and chairs on grass areas would be unstable.
Would increasing seating increase the number of customers?
Many people are not ready to return to restaurants regardless of distancing and new sanitizing
procedures.
Significantly reducing parking might well limit the number of people to those that can walk to Main St. The city
benefits greatly from residents from inland seeking a beach community but by limiting parking they may well
choose another beach town.
In addition, granting temporary outdoor seating 30 days after the state lifts indoor seating restrictions is
problematic given the lifting of current regulations may depend on vaccine availability which could be a very
long time from now. Certainly, no one at this time can say how long restrictions will be in place.
I trust you will take my opinion into consideration and thank you for your attention.
Gusti Lowenberg
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