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Despite guardrails,school tax a blank check
Re: “School district plan has ambitious goals” (Page B1, April 11).
Supporters of the Acalanes Union High School District parcel tax measure (Measure T) have not pointed to any cost-saving efforts by the district. The proposed guardrails are illusory. Although the measure states that proceeds may not be used for “District office administrators’ salaries or benefits,” money is fungible, and use of the funds for the measure’s stated purposes frees up money in the general fund that could be used for such administrators’ compensation, or administrators could be moved to other office locations within the district.
With declining enrollment, administration jobs should be consolidated, and the number of administrators should be reduced. The oversight committee is a toothless tiger with no powers. Furthermore, the district is wasting about $800,000 to hold a special election instead of just putting it on the ballot last November, when it would have been considered along with the Lafayette sales tax increase.
Nick WaranoffOrinda
Earth Day’s importancegrows every year
Californians are experiencing the effects of climate change at every turn.
For years, we have been constantly swinging between periods of extreme drought and flooding. Fossil fuel and factory farm corporate giants are spewing pollution into our communities. Factory farms in particular are harming Californians by contaminating our precious water resources, releasing greenhouse gases like methane into our atmosphere at alarming rates, and pushing family farms out of business through corporate consolidation.
That’s why Earth Day, April 22, for me is not just a celebration of our beautiful planet, but a reminder of how much is still needed to protect it for generations to come.
Isabel PenmanSan Francisco
Article makes strongcase against coal
Re: “Trump misrepresents coal safety on executive orders to boost use” (Page A8, April 10).
Thanks for the clear, concise, impartial article refuting Donald Trump’s wildly inaccurate praise of “beautiful, clean coal.” With nonpartisan facts, you exposed his lies and exaggerations about this dirty, expensive and inefficient fossil fuel.
“Untapped coal worth 100 times more than all the gold at Fort Knox”: There is $598 billion of untapped coal (only 43% of it mineable). Fort Knox has $440 billion. So it’s worth approximately 25% more. Compare that to “100 times” more.
“Cheap, incredibly efficient”: Coal is one of the most expensive sources there is — $90 per megawatt-hour. The cheapest? Solar is at $23 per megawatt-hour. Natural gas: $43.
“Incredibly efficient”: Coal power plants operate under 42%. Nobody is building new ones.
“Clean”: While cleaner than 30 years ago (think acid rain, smog), it releases massive amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, contributing to accelerating climate chaos.
You should run a story like this every day — there’s certainly enough source material.
Rosalie HowarthWalnut Creek
Support making polluterspay for climate damage
As a grandmother, I am alarmed by the environmental and economic burden we are leaving our children. There’s no better example of this than the devastation left by the Los Angeles fires, in which taxpayers are expected to pay billions to clean up the toxic mess.
For 50 years Exxon Mobil has known and covered up the fact that burning fossil fuels creates the conditions for such events. It’s past time for the industry to take responsibility for what their policies have caused.
Pending now in our state Legislature are SB 684 and AB 1243, the Polluters Pay Climate Superfund Act requiring major fossil fuel companies to pay their share of climate-related costs. This act establishes a comprehensive program to assess damages and collect funds from major polluters and distribute these funds to impacted communities.
Please support this bill and join with other states that have successfully passed similar legislation.
Deborah AbrahamBerkeley
Government was nevermeant to be business
Here’s a quick review of what many of us seem to have either forgotten or never learned.
Government is not business. A business exists to make a profit. Its source of income is selling a product or service. A government’s only source of income is taxes.
Businesses provide things like automobiles, sewing machines and appliances. Governments provide things like roads, schools and regulations over what businesses produce.
Government regulations came into being to ensure the health and safety of the governed. Citizens can choose to buy a product from either company A or B, but cannot choose from competing police or fire departments.
To those who think that government should be run like a business, I would suggest reading up on civics and economics.
Richard AckermanCastro Valley