Letters: Representation lesson | Khanna’s help | Protect food vendors | More violence? | The right choice

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Los Gatos should take
lesson from San Jose

In 2019 while I was a San Jose Planning Commissioner, I wrote a piece published in San Jose Spotlight titled, “Step aside white men. It’s time for women of color to lead.”

This, in response to the San Jose City Council’s appointment of another privileged white man to the Planning Commission, changing the composition of the commission to be six of seven white and mostly from District 6.

This resulted in the City Council recognizing that it is not a good idea to let your planning decisions be dominated by one demographic, especially one that tends to already wield a disproportionate amount of power.

The City Council subsequently changed the Planning Commission appointment process to avoid this outcome in the future.

In Los Gatos, the Town Council responded to a similar situation by censuring the planning commissioner for their “divisive language.”

Kudos to the city of San Jose.

Shiloh Ballard
San Jose

Santa Clara’s downtown
needs Khanna’s help

Rep. Ro Khanna, there has been no downtown in America that was completely destroyed during the scourge of urban renewal except for one in your district: downtown Santa Clara.

I see with my best practice research multiple federal grants being issued monthly by the federal government for infrastructure, housing and transit. All of this is needed now to rebuild and restore downtown Santa Clara, including our historic street grid.

You should be getting some of this money to return downtown Santa Clara to the heart of Silicon Valley. We should be able to count on your office for assistance on this important issue.

Donna West
Santa Clara

San Jose must act
to protect food vendors

Is having a food stand such a crime and enough to justify violence?

In the last few days, there have been multiple news articles about street vendors being discriminated against, physically attacked, and having their belongings destroyed, especially here in San Jose.

Street vendors are attempting to make an honest living by providing a service, such as selling food. There needs to be more legal protection when it comes to street vendors.

Many state food retail codes prevent the majority of street vendors from being able to get a permit to sell their food legally. As a result, many vendors are targeted, and they deal with violence, discrimination and racism.

All states need to update their food codes to include street vendors and make it easier for them to obtain their permits, reducing violence against vendors and eliminating the targets on their backs completely.

Yahaira Chavez
San Jose

Would Trump indictment
spur further violence?

Donald Trump will soon be indicted for his crimes. I really hope that that is going to happen, and I do think that it will.

However, I am also worried about what will happen when he is indicted. Does he still have enough militant followers (i.e. Proud Boys and Oath Keepers) to direct in a violent attack to protect him from imprisonment? Since his public declaration that our Constitution should be abolished, his goal may be to incite a civil war so that he can be reinstated as the totalitarian president.

I am still hopeful that our military will protect our civil liberties since that is how our Constitution was designed.

Wilhelmus Vuist
Campbell

Trust women to make
the right choice

Joanne Fahey’s letter (“Abortion takes potential of the great away,” Page A6, Feb. 15) says that “potentially great people” are “snuffed out” by abortion. Perhaps this is true. Human beings are proficient in so many positive contributions to humankind, all around the globe, generation after generation.

We are also very capable of terrible violence and abuse toward others. Hitler and his followers are extreme examples. There are also the ordinary people, all around the world, in our homes and communities who rape, beat, torment and kill those around them.

There is a lot of potential for greatness in life, but as we see time and again, no guarantees.

I say trust a woman to make her own choice whether or not to continue a pregnancy. There are always many factors contributing to a woman’s decision to terminate or continue. It is her own choice and nobody else’s business.

Lisa Scott-Ponce
Cupertino