Letters: CEQA’s utility | Shared guilt | Safe schools | ‘Free’ health care | Gun safety
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People’s Park showsutility of CEQA
Re: “Newsom blasts CEQA. What is it and why does it matter?” (Page A1, March 6).
As Ethan Varian describes in his March 6 article about CEQA and student housing, the California Environmental Quality Act has a long, nuanced history. This statute has been successfully revised to streamline affordable housing and transit projects. CEQA has also survived repeated attempts by big business to gut its essential protections. The Act remains a target precisely because it is so effective at forcing developers to analyze the environmental impacts of their projects and mitigate that harm.
In the UC Berkeley case, CEQA highlighted the university’s grave mistake in allowing its student enrollment to explode without any adequate plan to house the new students. The recent court ruling requires UC to analyze the impacts of its plans on the community and to explore all options before building on a historic public park. In other words, the university must comply with state environmental laws just like any other public agency.
Mike FerreiraMoss Beach
County executive bearsguilt with McCorquodale
Re: “Writer to keep $1M in spite of plagiarism” (Page B1, March 14).
The idea that Santa Clara County Executive Jeff Smith chose not to pursue recovery of the money paid to Jean McCorquodale is nauseating. Most criminals would never be prosecuted if the actual costs of operating the courts and the jails were part of the consideration.
This woman engaged in unprofessional, unethical and probably illegal behavior, but she is allowed to profit from this contract? I think not, this matter should be pursued civilly, and criminally as well if possible; even if it takes a million dollars to recover a million dollars.
Please continue to follow this case and shine a light on this reprehensible behavior on the part of Jean McCoquodale as well as Jeff Smith.
Steven RhodesMartinez
Gun control neededto keep schools safe
Re: “Replica gun prompts West Valley College lockdown” (Page B2, March 14).
Gun violence has become so common for today’s generation that they have become numb to hearing about a shooting. We are always taught how dangerous a gun can be but continue to have no control over who is allowed to own one.
We are three months into the year and the active gun lockdown at West Valley College is once again adding to the number of school firearm incidents, including shootings, in 2023. At what point do all the deaths and injuries become too much and we declare a stop to gun violence?
Gun control is heavily needed if we hope to keep a community where we can let children go to school without bulletproof backpacks and the fear of losing what little lives they have lived. Starting small is the first step we need to make the change we want to see.
Destiny ChauSan Jose
High-earners on hookfor ‘free’ health care
The Mercury News sometimes displays a rather subtle sense of irony, as evidenced by the juxtaposition of today’s front-page story about Medicare and Melissa Mendoza Lucena’s letter to the editor regarding health care (“Let’s take steps toward free health care” Page A6, March 8).
On the front page, in bold type, your paper announces “Biden: Tax hike to fund Medicare,” (Page A1, March 8) and informs the reader that the “plan would help to extend the insurance program’s solvency by 25 years,” and that our president is “essentially asking those who’ve fared the best in the economy to subsidize the rest of the population.”
In the letter to the editor, the writer notes that “America needs to at least start stepping towards free health care, even if it’s small.”
One wonders why, if we should be moving toward “free” health care, does the government need ever-increasing taxes from us to fund it.
Pat WaiteSan Jose
Gun safety shouldbe everyone’s goal
Re: “Let’s talk about guns and basic safety precautions” (Page A6, March 14).
I was encouraged to see the words “first educate, then encourage” about gun safety.
As a certified range safety officer I instruct gun safety. I am also a licensed flight instructor.
I have been around firearms my entire life of 81 years and never pointed a firearm at any person, even in the military Coast Guard while boarding other vessels for law enforcement inspection.
Training is essential to safety in everything we take for granted.
Learning to fly isn’t difficult. Learning to be safe is the other 90% of training. Firearms fall into that realm of endeavors.
Be aware of all safety issues, and maintain proficiency, maintenance and liabilities of gun ownership. The safety of others — family, friends, the public and yourself — is the ultimate goal.
Lawrence TownsendSan Jose