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Measure C must
be implemented
I was pregnant in 2020 when Measure C — a voter-approved sales tax initiative to support health and education for children in Alameda County — passed. My son is now 4 years old, and I’ve watched his development stall alongside Measure C delays.
The cruelest irony: the resources it promised should have been available to him from his first week of life. Despite the measure collecting about $650 million earmarked for families like ours, not a single dollar has reached anyone. The Alameda Taxpayers Association blocked the funds with a baseless lawsuit threat.
I recently made the difficult decision to leave my job to care for my son at home because I couldn’t find adequate child care. Alameda County residents, please contact your supervisor and tell them to approve the Measure C Implementation Plan on Tuesday to help build a better future.
Bry’Ana Wallace
Oakland
State should push
for solar production
California public policy should strongly support rooftop solar. Millions of roofs are being degraded by sunlight while overheating buildings; they could produce electricity for everyone.
Utility companies would no doubt rather control — and profit from — industrial solar generation, but that is not best for Californians. We must not let them degrade California’s ecosystem with big solar plants; instead, we should enable Californians to reduce impacts on their homes and businesses while generating needed power.
The state should require utilities to focus on storage and better management of it, to avoid disastrous toxic fires, and on solar over aqueducts. There will be problems to solve. The PUC must push the utilities to create solutions.
The utilities are here to meet the needs of Californians at a reasonable profit. The PUC’s job is to ensure that utilities maximize value for citizens by moving all those rooftops from solar degradation to solar generation.
Forest Weld
Oakland
Sprinter’s celebration
broke with CIF values
Re: “CIF overreacts to athlete’s celebration” (Page A6, June 6).
In the response to the letter writer’s comments about the CIF disqualifying a high school track runner over her winning celebratory act (she took a fire extinguisher to her shoes), he asks, “What is wrong with that?”
For some people, sportsmanship encompasses a range of qualities, including fairness, respect, humility and graciousness, both in victory and defeat. When we lose sight of this, we have lost sight of what is good in sports and in ourselves.
I
Michael Poe
San Leandro
Area leaders should
support CIF rules
Re: “Local leaders support runner” (Page C1, June 6).
Clara Adams, who was disqualified after winning the CIF Championship 400 meter, is a victim indeed, though not of CIF officials, but rather of her attention-seeking father.
For decades, laudable CIF rules against inappropriate grandstanding have been enforced. Those rules expect dignified behavior, surely one of the highest lessons to be taught by interscholastic competition. Further, CIF Championship meets are tightly scheduled. Podium athletes are rewarded almost immediately, but with no extra time for distracting celebrations from those seeking more than their share of glory.
For anyone watching, Clara’s impressive victory spoke for itself. Sadly, Clara’s father wanted more. His daughter, not he, has paid a heavy price.
Clara’s local supporters should find fault where it lies, not with CIF officials simply doing their job.
Ramsay Thomas
Lafayette
Donald Trump’s
hate is his lifeblood
Re: “Trump hatred is not good for the country” (Page A6, June 4).
I don’t normally reply to a letter to the editor, but Doug Abbott’s letter forced me to reply.
Mr. Abbott, with all due respect, you should flip the script of your letter. It is not citizens’ hatred of Donald Trump that is not good, it is Trump’s hatred of our constitutional republic that is truly bad for our country.
Here is a short list: Trump hates our Constitution, hates our laws, hates judges, hates the FBI, hates poor people, hates people of color, hates our allies, hates (and assaults) women, hates Democrats, hates Republicans that defy him, hates Mike Pence, hates Palestinians, and, finally, Trump also hates you Mr. Abbott, because you are a Californian. And there are a huge number of people who were Trump’s friends who are now under the bus where he threw them.
Rocky Fort
San Lorenzo
Trump too comfortable
with those who hate us
Re: “Trump hatred is not good for the country” (Page A6, June 4).
It’s ironic that someone would claim Democrats hate the president.
Sadly, most insecure people are bullies. They’re incapable of doing anything but belittle others and seek revenge. If revenge alone isn’t an act of hate, what is?
Our president, in charge of these United States, made of millions of refugees, feels the need to mete out revenge on anyone who says or does anything against him. He’s vindictive and embarrassing.
It would be wonderful to have an adult running the country rather than a person only interested in working for his brand. Isn’t a president supposed to stand up for “we the people” and not make deals for himself? Dealing with countries promoting evil in the U.S. is unacceptable. Remember, 15 of the 19 9/11 hijackers were from Saudi Arabia.
The president and family are overly comfortable but naïve with the House of Saud. They’re not friends of ours.
Betsy Sargent
Alamo