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Alcoholism affects
every family member
Re: “It’s time to talk about America’s alcoholism” (Page A9, Dec. 22).
Alcoholism is a disease, like diabetes. I advocate for increased awareness and research.
I am an adult child of an alcoholic, with many alcoholics in my life. In my early adulthood, I moved away, obtained an education, entered therapy and started a family. But one never really escapes the effects of alcoholism. What I found in my 50s was Al-Anon, a program for family and friends of alcoholics. After being in Al-Anon for 10 years, I have found a profound sense of serenity, peace and community. It’s the best gift I’ve ever given myself. Whether or not my loved ones choose recovery, I have found peace.
I believe AA and Al-Anon are the most profound social movements of the century. However, you have to want recovery for yourself. It’s a disease, and denial is a killer.
Patricia Bartz
San Jose
City must make
homeless units safe
Re: “Homeless providers under scrutiny” (Page B1, Dec. 19).
My church partnered with Mid Pen Housing to build an apartment complex for the homeless. It was partially funded with state, county and city money.
Since day one, it has had serious security problems.
There have been hundreds of police calls for service at the apartment complex. A rear fire exit door has been vandalized, repeatedly, and continues to be used by nonresidents to gain access to the building. Assaults, arson, drugs, gangs, threats of violence — the list goes on.
My Christian faith calls me to advocate for the poor and downtrodden, and I want to see more housing for the homeless built in San Jose.
The city of San Jose should look at all the permanent and transitional housing for the homeless. The apartments should be safe havens for people who are most in need.
Erik Larsen
Vice president,
Immanuel Lutheran Church
San Jose
Fix housing crisis to
spur population recovery
Re: “Population jumps in California comeback” (Page A1, Dec. 20).
I was pleased to read Harriet Blair Rowan’s article about California’s population increase in 2024, marking the largest annual growth since COVID, though it still lags behind Florida and Texas.
While this population recovery is encouraging, California must confront the challenges of high housing costs and aging infrastructure. Without meaningful improvements in these areas, retaining residents in the long term will remain a struggle. Dan Walters’ article “Housing crisis has only gotten worse over last three decades” (Page A6, Dec. 13) demonstrates the urgency of addressing this critical issue.
California’s population recovery is an opportunity to embrace proactive policies that prioritize affordability and infrastructure development. If policymakers, industry leaders and the public collaborate effectively, we can build a state where opportunity and quality of life thrive for all residents.
Christopher Xu
San Jose
America must commit
to supporting Ukraine
Re: “Does Trump want Putin to get Ukraine’s wealth?” (Page A8, Dec. 22).
The Ukrainian people have demonstrated tremendous resolve in protecting both their democracy and mineral rights for three years and counting.
I believe that Ukraine’s interests reflect America’s interests. We can help protect Ukraine’s rights from being compromised by other world powers.
Support of 5% of our military budget, guaranteed for as long as it takes to end this war, could help bring an end to this needless loss of life and suffering.
Robert Heinrich
San Jose
Trump’s bullying talk
brings shame to U.S.
Re: “Trump again calls to buy Greenland after eyeing Canada, Panama Canal” (Page A4, Dec. 24).
It is bad enough that Donald Trump stated that he would be a dictator on Day 1 of his administration, now he is threatening to follow Vladimir Putin’s example of seizing land that does not belong to the United States.
Against International law, Putin seized Crimea, and now Trump wants to seize Greenland and the Panama Canal. We have elected a bully as our next president. What an embarrassment.
Kent Littlehale
Saratoga
GOP chaos in House
could delay certification
Re: “What Trump’s decision to wade into spending fight tells us about next 4 years” (Page A4, Dec. 22).
Will President-elect Trump’s election be certified on Jan. 6?
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I ask after reading Sunday’s article from the Associated Press. My concern, though, is what lies ahead in the next two weeks.
While Speaker Mike Johnson and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries were able to reach an agreement that will keep our government operating that passed with more than a two-thirds vote without lifting the budget limit as President Trump and sidekick Elon Musk demanded, it appears to have left Johnson wounded politically, which brings up my concern about the election certification.
The 119th Congress convenes on Jan. 3, and their first order of business is to elect a speaker. If we see a repeat of what happened after the midterm election, it could take four or more days to accomplish that task, potentially delaying the Jan. 6 certification of the presidential election.
Irvin Dawid
Burlingame