Island Grissom
Long Beach
March 28, 2010
One of the things I like about Long Beach is that it's the polar opposite of NIMBYism. Power plants, oil derricks, industrial ports, naval munitions bases -- it's all right here and the city still manages to deliver a superior quality of life.
The Oil Islands are a case in point and a brilliant example of how to sell a tough proposition. Need to build an oil derrick 100 yards offshore? No problem: dress it up to look like the entrance to a grand golf hotel, complete with waterfalls and colorfully lit towers. And if that still doesn't do the trick, produce your ace in the hole: "These islands, ladies and gentleman, shall be named in honor of our fallen Apollo astronauts." [Pause for effect while men in the audience remove their caps and hold them over their hearts.] Project approved!
