COUNTYWIDE : What Do You Think About the Oil Spill?

Shoppers at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa were asked at random Friday for their thoughts on the disaster involving the tanker, the American Trader, and the spill of 300,000 gallons of crude oil into the ocean off Huntington Beach. GAIL L. NICORA

37, of Santa Ana, a collection coordinator for a pharmaceutical company, says:

“We’d like to know why they had to unload that tanker when the swells were high. . . . “

JANE C. SCHATTKE

29, of Laguna Nigel, a chemist:

“It’s careless. . . . It’s the consumers who pay in the end, and the environment as well.”

MARIO J. CASSAR

20, a diamond consultant and model from Huntington Beach:

“There’s a lot of wildlife gone already. And that’s not fair. I think we should keep the ocean clean.”

CHARLES V. HICKEN

54, a professional fund-raiser from Sacramento:

“I think they ought to assess the heaviest fines they can. . . . (But) how do you levy a fine against such enormous wealth? It means nothing. I don’t know what they can do. But they ought to do something.”

PHILIP CHAMPLIN

50, a Superior Court judge in Napa:

“I think they’re probably going to have to start double-hulling ships. It just points out the vulnerability of the fleet. The potential of devastating the shoreline of a tourist area like this points out the need for greater precaution.”

SUSAN J. MIRSHAHZADEH

37, a mother who lives in Anaheim:

“It’s disgusting. . . . I think it’s disgusting in general with what they’re doing with the ecological system of this planet. It’s just another example. We’re making the world uninhabitable.”

BOB W. NICORA

50, of Santa Ana, who works in research in a pharmaceutical company:

“It seems as if the oil companies haven’t developed the contingency plans to make sure these spills don’t happen. . . . And I think the government hasn’t stepped in.”

JEFF B. THOMPSON

25, of Huntington Beach, an account representative for a Seal Beach printing company he said has sent 25 employees to help with the cleanup:

“It’s pretty horrible. But I think it’s neat to see all the support the community is giving.”