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On trail, Newsom willhave to defend record
Re: “Newsom critics make up stuff, but there is room for criticism” (Page A6, Dec. 16).
In this piece, the writer says that Gov. Newsom isn’t perfect, but has received some unfair criticism. Both things are probably true, but we shouldn’t lose sight of the forest while counting its trees.
While California has been under Newsom’s stewardship, the state has developed a remarkably poor record in almost every category. For instance, the cost of living and homelessness have skyrocketed; K-12 public education is in ruins. The list goes on and on.
Newsom certainly is a gifted speaker, but if and when he runs for president, he will have to defend an abysmal record as the governor of a state in which his party had complete control of the Legislature.
Daniel MautheLivermore
Menopause careis long overdue
Re: “Is RFK better on women’s health than Newsom?” (Page A9, Dec. 14).
As founder of a digital health and wellness content provider, I have a window into total health and well-being that I am able to access for my personal health. One of those areas is menopause care.
Given what I know about menopause, for the last nine years I paid out-of-pocket for care that the “unwatered-down version” of the Menopause Care Equity Act would cover. Menopause care is not only treatment for current symptoms, but it’s also preventive care for osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease (CVD), cognitive decline and other health conditions. Perhaps health insurance companies want to pass the cost along for CVD and bone fractures to Medicare when women will experience these health outcomes, thus saving them money by not paying for menopause care.
It is prime time for women to receive the health care needed to prevent the continuation of “population-level missed opportunities for life improvements.”
Andrea BloomPleasanton
US likely to repeatregime change errors
“Those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” as well as, “It has been said that history repeats itself. This is perhaps not quite correct; it merely rhymes,” are quotes often used to describe events in human history that mirror past mistakes.
In 1953, after a multiyear effort, the CIA successfully orchestrated the overthrow of a Western-friendly democratic government in Iran, which led to the installation of the shah and decades of turmoil, in order to maintain control over Iranian oil. Fast forward to the war in Iraq in 2003, when Iraq’s oil industry was fully nationalized, to a decade later in 2013, when it was largely privatized and under the control of foreign interests.
Which leads the U.S. to the current imminent conflict with Venezuela, where the fallacy of fighting drug production in a country that doesn’t produce cocaine or fentanyl, but has the world’s third-largest proven oil reserve, is being used to justify regime change. The rhyme continues.
Barry GardinHayward
Trump again showshis innate hypocrisy
Donald Trump, the president who claims he wants to eliminate drug trafficking to America, recently pardoned Juan O. Hernandez, a Honduran politician who was convicted of drug trafficking by an American jury in 2024 and sentenced to 45 years in prison. Trump’s reason: Hernandez “has been, according to many people that I greatly respect, treated very harshly and unfairly.”
So, according to Trump, anyone who is found guilty by a jury is treated unfairly? And just who are those “respected people”? Contributors to one of Trump’s enterprises, maybe even his ballroom or crypto scam? From letting off Jan. 6 rioters to freeing crypto scammers and possibly commuting the sentence of a sex trafficker in the future, Trump has shown just what an immoral hypocrite and liar he is to the American people.
I urge people to vote wisely at midterms and replace the current Trump sycophants with Democrats who will rein in the corrupt dictator.
Robert ThomasCastro Valley
VA must expandaccess to lung care
Over the past years, lung cancer has continued to impact veterans across the East Bay. A 2022 analysis estimated over 8,000 former service members experiencing a disproportionate burden because of prolonged contact with asbestos on naval vessels and other military facilities. Locally, this occupational hazard has left a lasting mark — contributing to nearly 2,250 fatalities in Alameda and Contra Costa counties, most of which were attributed to lung cancer.
Amid this, the Lung Precision Oncology Program (LPOP) was established to provide no-cost annual screenings, advanced diagnostics and personalized treatment plans. Yet while this initiative is a significant step, sustaining and expanding it is critical to ensure that more East Bay veterans can access these life-saving services close to home — particularly since only three VA medical centers in California currently offer them.
Cristina JohnsonSan Marcos