Submit your letter to the editor via this form. Read more Letters to the Editor.
Drop in PG&E billsdoesn’t dent increases
Re: “PG&E monthly bills begin to fall” (Page B1, Sept. 3).
California electricity ratepayers are relieved to hear that electricity rates are finally coming down. However, a modest reduction of 2% is hardly enough to make up for recent rate increases of 41% over the past three years. The CPUC-sanctioned rate increases are largely due to overspending on grid transmission lines, which is the most profitable part of the investor-owned utility business.
We must electrify our homes and businesses to reduce carbon emissions, and we must continue to add renewable energy to our grid. California must continue the cap-and-trade program. Furthermore, some of the funds generated from the program must be returned to ratepayers to help support electrification efforts in California.
Please write your state senator and ask them to pass AB 1207, which renews the cap-and-trade bill. In addition, ask them to add a ratepayer dividend from the cap-and-trade revenues.
Rob HogueMenlo Park
Trump’s policies takingjoy out of our nation
Re: “Trump’s priorities are not our America” (Page A6, Sept. 4).
A reader recently wrote that they are mourning the loss of the America they love. So am I. Our greatness has come from our enthusiasm and optimism — not the negativism and division of Donald Trump’s MAGA movement.
Growing up, I felt the USSR was dreary and depressing, painted in shades of black and gray. Josef Stalin and his successors were ruthless dictators; the communist economy was a disaster. Party loyalty was prized over merit; individual liberty was crushed. So were joy and hope.
Today, we are governed by Trump’s egomaniacal quest for power and revenge. His Cabinet of Clowns shows that loyalty means more than competence. His hourly assault on American values, norms and the rule of law is crushing individual joy and optimism.
It’s hard not to see a bleak future for America. The “shining city upon a hill” is looking more black and gray. This has got to stop.
Dave RiggsAptos
Increasing populationgrowth isn’t sustainable
Re: “Look to cultural norms for way to fix baby bust” (Page A6, Sept. 4).
In an op-ed, Daniel Moss summarizes the economic impact of declining fertility rates and populations. Although countries with the lowest fertility rates are among the healthiest and most advanced, it is certainly prudent to anticipate future trends. However, Moss completely ignores the impact of growing populations on the environment, human health and societal stability.
Moss cites a projected population of around 10.3 billion in the 2080s. The 2025 world population is about 8.2 billion. This means an increase equal to that of the world’s most populous country, India, the United Statesand an additional 600 million. We already have a world drowning in plastic pollution, facing a rapidly warming climate, and with the fastest rate of species extinction in recorded history. In many regions, scarce resources are chronic causes of war and migration. The conclusion Moss ignores: A growing population is a major danger to humanity.
Brian CarrSan Jose
Time to give womenreins of the country
The divisive, illogical and regressive politics in today’s America are caused by men.
It is time for women to step forward, seize the day and straighten out this mess. A good place to start will be vaccines. Demand that legislators and administrators only use solid medical science in determining how our government will implement a sound vaccine program. All the while, publicize those who are obstructing your program.
From vaccines, move on to other politicized programs that need reform — governance (end gerrymandering), the Epstein affair and tariffs. Demand fairness and rationality throughout our government. Where appropriate, take names and pledge to vote against any candidate who stands in your way.
John CormodeMountain View
GOP wants to addto voter suppression
Re: “Trump already working to tilt 2026 election” (Page A6, Sept. 3).
It’s not only Donald Trump working at rigging the 2026 elections. Desperate to win at any cost, the anti-democracy GOP has been unlawfully rigging elections for decades.
Based on data gathered by the U.S. Civil Rights Commission and the U.S. Elections Assistance Commission — and analyzed by the Brennan Center for Justice and MIT — the GOP rigged the 2024 election with massive voter suppression in 30 GOP-led states.
Trump “won” by only 2.3 million votes (1.5%); obviously, Kamala Harris would have won handily if those millions of votes hadn’t been illegally suppressed.
And the GOP is plotting more illegal voter suppression for the 2026 midterms.
Bill CharlestonCampbell