Letters: Haubert keeps word | Positive light | Immediate action | Defending free speech | Kids’ health
East Bay Times Letters to the Editor for March 21, 2021
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Haubert keeps word
on project, solar policy
Re. “Supervisor must keep promise on solar policy,” (Page A6, March 18):
The Sierra Club supported the Aramis Renewable Energy Project and is grateful to the Alameda County Board of Supervisors for its leadership on climate action.
Supervisor David Haubert’s position on the project has been inaccurately represented. The supervisor was clear during his campaign, and after his election to represent District 1, that he did not oppose the Aramis project, but rather wanted an opportunity to review the EIR before drawing a conclusion. He also publicly stated support for a solar policy. These two goals are being achieved in tandem.
Aramis will prevent more than 210,000 metric tons per year of greenhouse gas emissions that are normally emitted by a gas-fired power plant, which is the equivalent of taking more than 45,000 cars off the road annually.
We called upon Haubert and the rest of the board to demonstrate their leadership on climate change and they should be applauded for doing just that.
Igor Tregub
Co-Chair, Energy and Climate Committee, Sierra Club San Francisco Bay Chapter
Berkeley
Shining a positive light
on vaccine program
In these turbulent, uncertain times, let’s celebrate the positive. If you can obtain your shot in Solano County at the fairgrounds, unless you’re having a dreadful day it will be almost impossible not to find joy in the experience.
The level of organization and coordination is epic. The volunteers — from those directing traffic in and out of the parking lot, to those administering the precious vaccines, to those who sanitize chairs in the waiting area — everyone was gracious, patient and positive.
Too many news stories are focused on what isn’t going well. I wanted to shine a light on the incredible people who plan and carry out this vaccination mission. I wish all those who fear vaccination could at least experience how it is being delivered. Otherwise, you miss out on an uplifting experience, to say nothing of the protection that comes almost as a bonus.
Lyn Campbell
Benicia
Quick action needed
to curb climate disaster
If the past year has shown us anything, it’s that we can’t let bureaucracy get in the way of the public good. Every year now is record-setting when it comes to natural disasters, and that is a trend that we’ll continue to see and will only get worse if we don’t act quickly to curb the worst effects of climate change.
We need to transition to a nation completely powered by clean, renewable energy. Here in California, we’ve made great progress. California is on track to phase out the sale of electric vehicles by 2035 and allocate 30% of land for conservation. But California can and needs to do so much better to avoid the worst effects of climate change, especially given its influence on other states as a progressive leader. State legislators need to urge Gov. Newsom to commit California to transition to 100% renewable energy by 2030.
Alfredo Angulo
Richmond
Columnist too quick
to ditch free speech
In “Now is the time for some suppression of politicians” (Other Views, Page A7, March 18), writer Leonard Pitts, Jr. finds it horrific that a Republican politician could have the temerity to express the opinion that some security measures were appropriate in the voting process because “everybody shouldn’t be voting.” Pitts responded: “It’s time for some politician suppression … everybody should have the right to vote, period.”
However, what I find more concerning, is his apparent disregard of the importance of freedom of speech. I would think that a person in his line of work would be particularly sensitive to the possibility of a politician suppressing a writer like him.
Daniel Mauthe
Livermore
For kids’ well-being,
enact public health plan
Currently, many children in the United States have poor health because they lack sufficient access to health care. According to Physicians for a National Health Program, “Children’s Health Fund estimates that, at minimum, 20.3 million children in the United States (28% of all children) face barriers to accessing essential health care.” These obstacles cause children’s health to be left to luck and chance. Some of these barriers can be cost, no insurance or a lack of availability in the area.
If a public health initiative that benefited children was implemented, these children could lead a much better life and they wouldn’t have to worry as much about their health. Plus, they wouldn’t be bullied; some people bully others with health problems in order to feel better about themselves.
Anay Agrawal
Fremont