Los Angeles daily herald., 1886-01-16
Buena vista street.

EDITOR HERALD:--In your issue of
the 14th inst. you unwittingly did a
very great injustice to the property
owners along Buena Vista street, whom
you characterized as highway robbers
because they wished to reduce the
width of that street frem Rock street
to Bellevue avenue.
l desire, therefore, to state some facts
In explanation Of the situation which l
trust you will publish, for | am sure
you have been misled in this matter by
some one, less lover of justice than
yourself. Allow me to say in this con-
nection, that in the article upon the
possible improvements soon to take
place in Los Angeles, you conveyed the
impression that Buena Vista street is of
uniform width from Temple street
north, whereas, in fact such is not the
case, il being but sixty feet wide from
Temple street to Rock street.-The top
of the hill. At the north line of Rock
street an unsightiy jog of twenty feet
into the steep hill side occurs, necessi-
tating should the street ever be i'm
proved) cut Of thirty or forty feet,
and the removal Of thousands of cubic
yards Of earth at an enormous expense
to the property holders, to say nothing
Of the vast retaining walls which will be
required to sustain the bank.
North Of Bellevue avenue the street
is very properly improved width of
eighty feet, for in addition to the fact
that it is upon the level where traffic of
all kinds is greater, there is also a street
car track occupying the center Of the
street. Bellevue avenue at the top OF
the hill is therefore the point where the
increased width should occur, and not
Rock street. at the top of the hill, as at
present plated.
II the public good or the symmetry of
the street demanded such an expendi-
ture, for one, should willingly con-
tribute my proportion, but il street
sixty feet wide. from Temple up the hill
to Rock, is sufficient to accommodate
the public, or to satisfy the aesthetic
longings Of the limbs of the law, or the
county officers as they gaze pensively to
the north out Of the windows Of the
new court house, ! confess my inability
to understand why the same width is
not sufficient from Rock street down
the hill to Bellevue avenue, to meet the
wants Of the same dear public or to sat-
isfy the demands Of the inhabitants Of
the old pueblo Of Sonora town as they
wistfully gaze south in the direction of
the aforesaid future legal Mecca.
The fact that information accompa
MED the petition that the adjoining
property owners were willing to pay
the city fair price for the additional
twenty feet which would have been
added to their lands, and that all own
ers ON both sides Of the street, with pos
sibly one exception, Joined in the petit
tion, ought to be sufficient refutation
of the criminal charge which you so
unjustly and unwarrantabiy make.
NAV say in conclusion that it seems
passing strange, Mr.. Editor, that GER
tain members Of the Council, including
our worthy Mayor, should have been so
grievously shocked at our glaring exhi-
bition Of depravity in attempting
to save ourselves the un-
called for expense above referred to, by
reducing the width Of the street at one
place from eighty to sixty feet, while
they meekly submit to reduction Of the
width of the same street at another
point from sixty to about forty feet, by
taking no steps whatever to purchase or
condemn the land Of Mr.. Beaudry, just
south Of Rock street. One would think
that their sensitive feelings would be so
larcerated by such an infringment Of the
peoples rights that they could take no
rest until something had been done to
remove the nuisance
Verify, it seemeth to be case where
in it maketh q difference whose OK ia
gored. r. N. b.