Despite facing rising pension payouts for retired public workers, a school district struggling to stay solvent, a wild party-city nightlife which disturbs law, order, and tranquility, not to mention the sudden settlement over a multi-million dollar lawsuit with a determined oil company, the Hermosa Beach City Council has taken on smoking in public places, and now has its sight fixed on banning Styrofoam.
Since when did a driven cabal of environmental have the right usurp authority to dictate to their civic leaders what may or may not happen in a city? Instead of focusing on the fallout of litter and unrecycable trash, why not toss out the councilmembers who are littering the city council's monthly hearings with such inane and inappropriate initiatives?
City government exists to protect the rights of the citizens, to ensure the minimal amount of regulation and oversight to preserve law, order, and commerce. Beyond that, private businesses and private citizens do a far better job of regulating the purchases and protection of their community than politicians who seek to aggrandize their status in the state at the expense of the peace and freedom of everyone else.