Letters: Escape Bay Area | CASA program | Feinstein replacement | Faulty comparison | Not conservatives

East Bay Times Letters to the Editor for Aug. 16, 2023

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Bay Area residents
can escape to paradise

Re: “Texas? Florida? Nope. Bay Area refugees are fleeing to Seattle” (Page A1, Aug. 13).

My wife and I are Bay Area natives. Last year we sold our Alameda bungalow and moved to an area known as Hawaiian Paradise Park, on the east side of the island of Hawaii, just south of Hilo.

There you can get a new 1,600-square-foot home, on an acre of land, less than a mile from the ocean, for about $500,000. And we’re not in a zone that is high risk for lava flow or wildfire.

And remember that Hawaii is a blue state.

Russ Button
Keaau, Hawaii

CASA puts college
in foster youths’ reach

Re: “College dream is coming true” (Page A1, Aug. 3).

The above East Bay Times story was heartening. However, the high school graduation rate for foster youth in California was only 61% last year versus 87% among non-foster care youths. Why? Instability in the lives of foster youth, including frequent school relocations and a higher rate of suspension

Ninety-three percent of foster youth dream of college; sadly, only 4% get there. But there’s a solution — targeted support like Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASAs). In Contra Costa County, high school graduation rates among foster youth with CASAs reached 100%, with 67% continuing to higher education.

College funding is positive, but we must address the education crisis earlier. Support, stability and mentorship in the form of a CASA ensure high school graduation.

Ann Wrixon
Concord

Newsom shouldn’t give
Lee a leg up in election

Re: “Newsom says Sen. Feinstein shouldn’t leave position early” (Page B1, Aug. 12).

I do not support Gov. Gavin Newsom replacing Sen. Dianne Feinstein, even though it is clear to me that she is unable to do her job. Gov. Newsom has stated that he would appoint a black woman, which would probably be Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland. Lee has represented me in the House for her entire political career, and I fully support her. Lee truly does speak for me. However, I do not want the democratic process to be influenced. Lee’s elevation to the Senate would give her the advantage of being an incumbent. It would influence the election.

I have always been impressed by Lee’s integrity, and I hope that she also would not want an unfair advantage over her opponents.

Elizabeth Preston
Oakland

Column promotes faulty
Biden-Jan. 6 comparison

Re: “Trump and his enemies take bad faith for granted” (Page A9, Aug. 6).

I am disturbed by the op-ed by Clive Crook, who claims to be concerned about the political polarization in our country.

He says that he believes Donald Trump is not mentally stable enough to believe that his actions to overturn the 2020 presidential election were illegal. If Crook actually believes this I would expect him to be most concerned that Trump never holds a position of power again.

Instead, he compares Hunter Biden to the Jan. 6 rioters, something that is now a Republican talking point. Hunter Biden did not try to overthrow our government.

I am disappointed that the East Bay Times and so many in the news media are promoting this falsehood and putting our democracy at risk.

Mary Schreiber
Concord

Don’t call them
conservatives

Since their inception, the Republican and Democrat parties have differed mainly along the lines of more/less government and more/less taxation. One was considered conservative, the other, liberal. They pretty much stayed in those lanes, and even managed to get along and occasionally compromise.

Since about the time of Newt Gingrich’s tenure as House speaker from 1995-99, the Republicans have become less willing to find common ground and more willing to foment division. Now, under the sway of Donald Trump, they can no longer claim to be conservative but should be called out for what they really are: autocratic terrorists. They don’t want to lead, they want to rule. They “otherize” anyone who is not a White, heterosexual Christian, and make them the enemy of those who are.

These same tactics were used first by Mussolini, then Hitler. They succeeded for a while, but both met horrible ends. Read your history.

Richard Ackerman
Castro Valley