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Bar Contra Costa
sheriff from notifying ICE
As a resident of Contra Costa County, I am concerned about the Sheriff’s Department’s continued cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
In 2017, the California Legislature passed the California Values Act (SB 54), which restricts local law enforcement from using their resources for immigration enforcement, except in limited cases. The law was designed to build trust between law enforcement and immigrant communities so that all residents feel safe reporting crimes and seeking protection.
Yet in 2024, the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Department notified ICE 132 times. In 2025, it has already made 55 such notifications. These actions have had a chilling effect on the immigrant community.
I urge the board to require the Sheriff’s Department to adopt a zero-cooperation policy with ICE.
Sandy Steiner
Moraga
Bring maternity care
back to Concord
When John Muir Health took over Mt. Diablo Medical Center in Concord, it promised to serve the community. Today, Concord has no labor and delivery unit. Expectant mothers must travel to Walnut Creek, which has two hospitals providing maternity care. Concord has nearly double the population of Walnut Creek and is far more diverse and less affluent.
This forces families to face long travel times during labor, increasing risks for both mothers and babies. Studies show that travel delays over 20 minutes can raise the chances of complications and neonatal death.
Concord is growing rapidly with the redevelopment of the Naval Weapons Station, adding thousands of homes and families. It is critical that John Muir Health restores maternity services in Concord to meet this demand and fulfill its promise to the community.
Roya Brake
Concord
Let voters decide
redistricting issue
Re: “Mapping gambit proves Newsom’s lust for power” (Page A6, Aug. 19).
Where to begin?
Redistricting congressional seats traditionally means redrawing the boundaries of electoral districts every 10 years, after the census. Texas, at the request of President Trump, is redistricting now, creating five more guaranteed Republican seats in Congress before the 2026 elections. Trump fears a Democratic victory, giving Democrats control of the House.
Ray Winther’s letter seems more upset by California’s attempt to balance out the open Republican theft of Democratic congressional seats than by the original Republican actions.
California will hold a special election this fall, asking we the people if we agree to this early redistricting. Let’s let the people decide, not some partisan state legislature.
Michael Steinberg
Berkeley
Is Newsom the
Democrats’ iconoclast?
I watched the Bob Dylan biopic, “A Complete Unknown,” and was struck by the similarity between the final scene in the movie and what’s happening to the Democratic Party.
In the movie, Dylan picks up the electric guitar at the Newport Folk Festival to the angry screams of those who believe in the purity of folk music. He plays “Like a Rolling Stone,” and the younger, less traditional members of the audience begin to cheer.
It struck me how this is so much like what’s happening today in the Democratic Party. Yes, the times they are a-changing. Maybe the Democratic Party should, too. Go get them, Gavin Newsom.
Arlene DeLeon
Castro Valley
Trump’s takeover in
D.C. has legal support
Re: “Trump deploys military to fight culture wars” (Page A7, Aug. 20).
The writer likens Donald Trump’s takeover of the local police force in D.C., and sending in the National Guard, as a hint of Putinism in America.
The writer provides sweeping speculations about the possible risks to military cohesion and morale, pushing the military beyond its training and endangering national security. However, they require a belief in the writer’s underlying message that Trump is simply involved in a “vengeful, partisan deployment” that will spread throughout all the cities in this country.
But Washington, D.C., is different. By law, the president has a unique power over the running of law enforcement in that city, subject to periodic review by the U.S. Congress. (I will leave any comparison to Vladimir Putin to Ukrainians — although I suspect they’d prefer D.C. to Kyiv.)
Daniel Mauthe
Livermore
GOP should stand up
to Smithsonian assault
Recently, Donald Trump railed on about how the Smithsonian Museum only presents negative (woke) aspects of American history, such as slavery, in its exhibits. I am reminded of the saying: “Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it.”
One wonders if Trump would view such things as the Auschwitz Memorial in Poland as “woke,” especially as he has allegedly claimed, “Hitler did some good things.”
Trump’s attempt to rewrite American history to his own liking is a dangerous move toward authoritarianism. Republicans need to take note of this and, instead of being his sycophants, move to stop it in Congress.
Robert Thomas
Castro Valley