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Appliance rule is too
expensive, impractical
In 2023, the Bay Area Air District and California Air Resources Board quietly passed regulations for 2031. These regulations forbid the sale or installation of “non-zero-NOx” (gas) water heaters or furnaces when those aging devices die. This applies to all homes, not just new construction and remodels.
I live in a Fremont home with a 100-amp buried electrical service. Upgrading to all-electric appliances would easily cost $20,000-$50,000, far more than the cost of just the electrical appliances. That’s only after PG&E has upgraded the buried electrical service.
For many homeowners, the upgrades will happen after they discover that a failed appliance means weeks or more of money, contractors, permits, construction and inspections, with an uninhabitable home without heat or hot water. The slow phase-in of phasing out gas appliances was ingenious — boards and politicians will only hear from a minority of screaming homeowners at a time.
I’m writing to voice my opposition to these regulations, which are impractical and too expensive.
Andrew West
Fremont
State should create
an account for taxes
Re: “‘Donor states’ must have federal relief” (Page A6, Sept. 2).
In years past, California has paid nearly $88 billion more to the federal government than we get back. Threatened and effective cuts will increase that deficit.
How about a legislatively drafted escrow account into which taxpayers could choose to submit their federal taxes? We could legally state we had paid the taxes owed. For those who are content subsidizing a federal government that relies on California dollars but disrespects California values, that option will still be available. California could reallocate funds from the account specifically for entities that have lost legislatively approved funding, and, bonus, the federal government is proudly tracking those dollars for us.
Second bonus, entities like our UC system would not need to “comply” to ensure continued funding.
Diana Mead
Concord
State should lead charge
on ‘steer tailing’ ban
Back in 1994, California outlawed the Mexican charreada’s “horse tripping” event; a dozen other states soon followed suit. Accordingly, the U.S. Charro Federation changed its rules for the entire country. That’s progress. Hundreds of these events are held throughout California annually.
Charreadas feature an even worse event, “steer tailing” (aka “colas” or “coleaderos”), wherein a mounted charro grabs a running steer by the tail, wraps the tail around his leg, then rides off at an angle, slamming the hapless animal to the ground. Tails are routinely broken, stripped to the bone (“degloved”) or even torn off. “Steer tailing” is not a standard ranching practice anywhere in the U.S.
Passage of a California ban would likely result in a U.S. Charro Federation rule change banning “steer tailing” nationwide. Even Cesar Chavez was an outspoken critic.
Let your representatives hear from you.
Eric Mills
Oakland
We must act to protect
the Bay from plastics
I am writing about plastic pollution in the San Francisco Bay. This is important because it hurts animals, pollutes water and can harm people, too.
To fix the problem, we need laws to cut single-use plastics and better recycling. In a 2017 University of Miami study, microplastics were measured at higher rates in San Francisco Bay than in any other North American body of water. The microplastics are eaten by fish and birds, and later, they can even end up in our food and water.
I care because the Bay is our home. We need leaders to ban wasteful plastics, companies to use safer packaging, and people to use less plastic and help clean up. Please support action to keep plastic out of the Bay.
David Hester
Hayward
Honesty, integrity could
make America great
Make America Great Again — what a wonderful and great idea. It shows that Donald Trump does have some good ideas, but for some reason, we seem to be going backwards.
How do we become great by attacking and trying to weaken cities and states that the president doesn’t like? Once upon a time, I know it sounds like a fairytale, we tried to do better to gain respect and support. Today, some don’t care; by any means necessary is their motto to get their agenda out. If there are no longer any experts to provide us with information, you can tell the people anything. Who’s to dispute it?
Let’s truly make America great again using honesty and integrity.
Tim Brown
Hayward
Effects of Trump’s
polices yet to come
Thank you to all of you who voted for Donald Trump, who stayed home and didn’t vote at all, and to those still on the couch, completely oblivious to what he’s doing. Thank you for helping him destroy our democracy since Inauguration Day. It’s working.
The results of his reelection policies may not have affected you personally yet, but they eventually will. When you or a loved one gets COVID and is extremely ill or dies because of no vaccine availability, when you lose your immigrant housekeeper and/or gardener, when you pay skyrocketing high prices for groceries, when you lose your health insurance and suffer an illness for which you can’t afford to pay the medical bills out of pocket, when you won’t be allowed to vote anymore, etc., just send Donald a thank you card and tell him what a great job he’s doing. I’m sure he’ll appreciate it.
Ramona Krausnick
Dublin