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With apartments empty,
‘housing crisis’ a sham
Re: “Apartments still sit vacant” (Page A1, May 18).
This Bay Area News Group article should prove that the constant cries of a “housing crisis” are a fraud. We are told that there is an acute shortage, yet each year we hear that hundreds of thousands are leaving this state. This is due to a variety of issues, from high costs and high taxes to crime. Obviously, housing is left behind, so how can there be a shortage?
The huge vacancy problems of the mentioned project should prove that government controls and mandates are counterproductive.
If one goes to an apartment-locating site (like hotpads.com, apartments.com or apartmentfinder.com) one will find many hundreds of empty, waiting Bay Area apartments. Why then is the state forcing huge apartment complexes into single-family residential neighborhoods?
Mark Fernwood
Danville
We must revive bills
to make polluters pay
Re: “Consumers will pay if we punish Big Oil” (Page A8, May 11).
The Polluters Pay Climate Superfund Act of 2025 is currently stalled in the California Legislature. The chief concerns are gas availability and price increases, loss of industry jobs and economic impacts to communities.
While very real, these short-term challenges must be addressed as part of the now unstoppable transition to renewable energy. Climate change is accelerating. Every delay increases its catastrophic impacts. We must move boldly ahead with this transition now while doing our best to meet its inevitable challenges.
Large fossil fuel companies have known for decades the damage they were causing, but chose to invest in deceiving the public while continuing to rake in huge profits. With California facing a large budget deficit, escalating climate costs, and the likely loss of federal assistance through FEMA, these companies must bear at least some responsibility for their harms. Urge your state legislators to support SB 684 and AB 1243.
Susan Harris
Walnut Creek
Democrats, media have
to regain voters’ trust
Re: “How did Democrats miss Joe Biden’s infirmity?” (Page A9, May 18).
One of the biggest political scandals in our country’s history was the Democratic Party getting caught red-handed covering up President Biden’s dementia and the legacy media looking the other way for five years, and it gets Page 9 treatment in Sunday’s East Bay Times. And we wonder why many of us don’t trust politicians or the media.
Both the Democratic Party and the media, including this paper, have some work to do to gain the trust of the 10% of voters who will decide who wins the presidency in 2028. Simply calling the person with an R next to their name a threat to our democracy is boring and defies common sense when trying to determine who is the best person for the job. Maybe including news outlets other than the New York Times and Associated Press will give us 10%ers a reason to continue buying this paper.
Bill Behan
Brentwood
Free preventive health
care a boon for U.S.
I am here to express strong support for policies that ensure comprehensive preventive health care coverage for all Americans. Preventive care is not just a medical issue — it is a public health and economic issue as well.
Getting the medical help you need shouldn’t be an issue, especially since having a lack of resources or medical care can literally be the death of you.
When individuals have access to services like cancer screenings, immunizations, blood pressure checks and mental health assessments with no out-of-pocket cost, they are more likely to use them. This leads to earlier detection of disease, reduced health disparities and, ultimately, lower long-term health care costs.
Preventive health care is one of the smartest investments we can make. It keeps people healthy and reduces strain on emergency services.
Ariana Rubio
Stockton
Trump is not the cause
of state budget deficit
Re: “Newsom budget outlook is grim” (Page A1, May 15).
So I see that California’s budget deficit is growing ever larger because millions of immigrants without documentation were added to Medi-Cal; and because of Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Somehow, I knew that last one would find its way in there, even though the tariffs have not yet taken effect, and no one can reasonably say what effect they will have on the budget.
Our huge, growing deficit is caused by overspending, kowtowing to unions (both public and private) and failing to cut waste. Of course, we will not hear that from politicians. I wonder who the scapegoat will be when Trump is out of office?
Michael Schwerner
Alameda