Letters: Less Than Strong | Sales pitch
Submit your letter to the editor via this form. Read more Letters to the Editor.
Khamis less than strong
on open space issues
Your Johnny Khamis endorsement for county supervisor claims he has a strong record on open space issues. It’s wrong.
Khamis refused to approve Measure Q, the source of funding for the purchase of land in the Santa Teresa foothills and hundreds of acres in the Coyote Valley. The Q measure has been approved by more than two thirds voters because we all understood the benefit of preserving open space in the Santa Clara Valley.
If it were up to Khamis, Measure Q would never have made it to the polls. It’s not a solid case of support.
Catherine Sutherland
Open Space Authority Citizen Advisory Committee
San Jose
Chancellor’s Sales Pitch
ignore the problems
Chancellor Bradley Davis’ salesmanship for the California Community College system is persuasive (“A Guaranteed Way to Keep Students’ UC Dreams Alive,” page A6, April 14).
But like a used-car salesman, he “guarantees” students to be in the driver’s seat for admission to the UC system. It doesn’t mention the hard work, discipline, and countless hours in the library, labs, or even coffee shops required for an associate’s degree.
Additionally, he states that most community college courses are taught by full-time faculty members; he should know better. Part-time (aka “assistant” instructors) carry the teaching load to a fraction of the higher paid full-time faculty.
That said, I am pre-registered at West Valley College for the fall. Go Vikings.
Jerry Sheahan
San Jose
Enough words; time to
act on the lack of water
Year after year, we hear the same story: drought and water shortage. And we hear the solution: reducing urban water use and heavy financial penalties for increased use.
Meanwhile, we are witnessing an increase in population and massive housing programs aided by legislation, both of which encourage water scarcity. The governor, as usual, issues some toothless proclamations at the start and closes the book on that. Each district in the state issues different mandates, some against the grain.
There have been many suggestions from your readers to seriously consider desalination, given that we have one of the longest coastlines. But alas, no one from the administration, including the governor, said a word about it.
It’s high time the Governor addressed this serious crisis with a solution and not keep suggesting belt-tightening.
Rama Chandramouli
Saratoga
Kapler making fans
although his character
Regarding. “Giants’ Richardson, Padres Shildt resolve misunderstanding with a hug”, Page C1, April 14:
I will never, ever be a Giants fan, but I do become a fan of Giants manager Gabe Kapler.
His attitude and handling of issues in the world outside of baseball made me notice this former baseball player turned coach.
His response supporting his black coach, Antoan Richardson, following an unfortunate exchange with a Padres coach, is the latest in a series of issues that Kapler has addressed publicly in a sensitive way that demonstrates a character we can all be proud. of.
Congratulations to Gabe Kapler. In Steve Kerr, the Bay Area has two truly humanitarian coaches/managers leading the youngsters in their care.
Bruce Hale
San Jose
Our polarized policy
hinder progress
I wholeheartedly agree with Patrick Mahoney’s statement, “How sad for our nation that there is no compromise on anything” (“Progress Impossible with McConnell in charge”, Letters to the Editor, Page A6, April 13) or almost nothing. And I, too, am disappointed that Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson was not confirmed by a wider margin.
As for Senator Mitch McConnell being the roadblock – I did not see Senator Chuck Schumer being the model of compromise when he was Minority Leader. Nor Senator Harry Reid – even when he is Majority Leader.
It’s not about individuals – but rather highly polarized partisan politics.
And it is truly sad that our government representatives are unable or unwilling to do the job they were elected to do – to govern effectively – which involves an ability to compromise for the good of the country.
While I have no objection to getting rid of the filibuster, I consider the requirement of a two-thirds majority vote to be inviolable – which necessarily requires compromise.
Gary Miller
Saratoga
The media should promote
good economic news
This newspaper, like most other media, frequently publishes feature stories on rising inflation rates. This practice of highlighting negative news gives readers the impression that the economy is in bad shape, which has negative psychological, political and economic ramifications.
Although I have read a lot of news, I was surprised to read in this paper’s sister paper, the Santa Cruz Sentinel, that the national unemployment rate “is now only 3.6%, barely above the lowest point for 50 years. And there are a record 1.7 job openings for every unemployed American.”
If the media made headlines about this extraordinarily positive labor market, readers may well change their perception of the economy, with positive ramifications all around.
Pierre Gelblum
Boulder Creek