Comments of the Week: Shoes, Shared Services

A Patch columnist and readers discuss the feeling of running barefoot, and city officials discuss in a local summit the benefits of consolidating municipal services.

Here are some of the reader comments Hermosa Beach Patch received this week.

Running Barefoot

Our Wave Rider columnist on Monday reflected on . Readers shared their experiences wearing the gear, and seeing its benefits:

• A friend of mine has a pair... he loves them. They have healed his knee, ankle and back pain. Just to let you know, running on the sand or the Strand rate No. 9 and No. 10 on the scale of the worst injury causing places. Best are No. 1 grass and No. 2 wood chips. — wrote .
• I love my VFF. I have only run in them a few times, but I actually wear them around everywhere. I actually really like doing yard work in them because I feel more connected to the earth, but don't have to worry about stepping on sticks or rough mulch. — wrote .
• I tried to buy the VFF awhile ago but couldn't because my toes are too long. Any other recommendations? — asked .
  

Shared Services Summit

Former Hermosa Beach City Councilman George Barks for South Bay officials to discuss and explore merging some of their municipal services. One Patch reader advised that the idea should be studied very carefully:

• The larger the entity the more bureaucracy controls and the less either elected officials or local voters impact policies. Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach or Redondo Beach and Hermosa Beach would still be small enough for local people to actually keep tabs and some measure of control, but much more than that and you would lose the 'close' effect of a small town. Especially in education, local control is vital. Look at the total mess of L.A. Unified. It isn't cost efficient and it doesn't provide nearly the quality education that our three local Beach Cities school districts provide. I say proceed, but with caution and open public forums every step of the way. — wrote .

Coming up: Check Patch on Sundays for our weekly roundup of the latest Hermosa Beach headlines in the Week in Review.