Final Goodbye to Kona Lanes~Costa Mesa, CA - General Tiki

S So_Cal_Native_in_Texas Member Orange County/Houston/NYC Joined: May 22, 2003 Posts: 18	S So_Cal_Native_in_Texas Posted posted on Thu, May 29, 2003 5:10 PM On 2003-05-29 00:34, Luckydesigns wrote: Daily Pilot/ May 28th, 2003 from, 'Not a Gutter Ball Yet': If something isn't done quickly, Kona will fall forever. Futura, what is your advice from the ModComers? Well, here's what I posted on this topic over at Lotta Living.com's board -- Sounds like we need to get our local OC folks on the ball here drumming up support for the Costa Mesa City Council to declare Kona Lanes a historical landmark, and then encourage all the other developers and bowling center operators to besiege the Segerstroms with a virtual glut of proposals to renovate the site, and PUSH THOSE LONG TERM LEASES! The Segerstroms are turning their back on their family heritage. They were a successful lima bean farming family, and they just happened to own a lot of the land that's become so valued over the past several decades, mostly due to South Coast Plaza's success. But they keep wanting to deny their humble beginnings and become some sort of upper class clan, and they're all about power-power-power. The simple fact is, if it wasn't for Walt Disney, it's likely nobody would have wanted their farmland as much as they do. They got lucky, really. I never even knew that Mesa Verde Center was a Segerstrom property until I started seeing the South Coast Plaza security guards driving around there. The Segerstroms have, for many years, come across as being all about wealth and appealing to the upper classes. I think they look at bowling and other middle-class and blue collar entertainments as beneath them. They'd like to be Donald Bren. They come off as very selfish and anti-community, and tend to think of their own short-term financial interests rather than the good of the city and the needs of Orange County residents. They need to be upbraided about this, and reminded that they put their pants on the same way as everyone else does. But, in the meantime, let's work to get the Costa Mesa City Council to declare Kona Lanes historic! There are some sympathetic council members! It's worth it to try! Don't give up, everyone! Heck, if I was there with y'all, I'd be blocking the bulldozers or chaining myself to one of those palm trees just to get some press.

On 2003-05-29 00:34, Luckydesigns wrote:
Daily Pilot/ May 28th, 2003

from, 'Not a Gutter Ball Yet':

If something isn't done quickly, Kona will fall forever. Futura, what is your advice from the ModComers?

Well, here's what I posted on this topic over at Lotta Living.com's board --

Sounds like we need to get our local OC folks on the ball here drumming up support for the Costa Mesa City Council to declare Kona Lanes a historical landmark, and then encourage all the other developers and bowling center operators to besiege the Segerstroms with a virtual glut of proposals to renovate the site, and PUSH THOSE LONG TERM LEASES!

The Segerstroms are turning their back on their family heritage. They were a successful lima bean farming family, and they just happened to own a lot of the land that's become so valued over the past several decades, mostly due to South Coast Plaza's success. But they keep wanting to deny their humble beginnings and become some sort of upper class clan, and they're all about power-power-power. The simple fact is, if it wasn't for Walt Disney, it's likely nobody would have wanted their farmland as much as they do. They got lucky, really. I never even knew that Mesa Verde Center was a Segerstrom property until I started seeing the South Coast Plaza security guards driving around there. The Segerstroms have, for many years, come across as being all about wealth and appealing to the upper classes. I think they look at bowling and other middle-class and blue collar entertainments as beneath them. They'd like to be Donald Bren. They come off as very selfish and anti-community, and tend to think of their own short-term financial interests rather than the good of the city and the needs of Orange County residents. They need to be upbraided about this, and reminded that they put their pants on the same way as everyone else does.

But, in the meantime, let's work to get the Costa Mesa City Council to declare Kona Lanes historic! There are some sympathetic council members! It's worth it to try! Don't give up, everyone!

Heck, if I was there with y'all, I'd be blocking the bulldozers or chaining myself to one of those palm trees just to get some press.

Post #36480 by So_Cal_Native_in_Texas on Thu, May 29, 2003 5:10 PM