Submit your letter to the editor via this form. Read more Letters to the Editor.
State can lead climate
fight with green homes
Re. “California must accelerate leadership on climate change,” Page A6, April 22:
It’s no secret that without accelerating California’s climate leadership, serious environmental disasters like wildfires will continue to plague us. One crucial step in addressing our state’s greenhouse gas emissions is transitioning buildings away from fossil fuels, instead employing our state’s solar and wind power.
A recent report from CALPIRG and Environment California found that if California electrifies most of our buildings by 2050, resulting greenhouse gas emissions reductions will be equal to taking 5.9 million cars off of the road.
Electric technologies like heat pumps and water heaters are more accessible than ever. We have the ability to make our buildings fossil fuel-free, a key step in eliminating pollution and reducing wildfires.
Luckily, state Sen. Dave Cortese’s SB 32, the Building Decarbonization Act, will mandate the transition toward electric power in state buildings. It’s imperative that Californian legislators support this bill and make crucial first steps towards a greener future.
Ruby Strickland
Berkeley
Voters shouldn’t fall
for recall effort
Re. “Recall effort moves forward,” Page A1, April 27:
Just because there’s an effort to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom later this year, doesn’t mean we need to fall for it. Governing a large, diverse and populous state like California during a pandemic is no job for rookies.
We voted over three years ago for the most qualified candidate; many of the same candidates Newsom ran against that election will be on the recall ballot. Why replace Newsom just because 13% of the disgruntled voters from the last gubernatorial election signed a recall petition?
The petition was only successful because a Schwarzenegger-appointed GOP judge nearly doubled the normal time provided to gather signatures. Remember, Gov. Newsom can’t run again in the recall himself, and the Democrats will not be promoting an alternative candidate.
Democrats, please be sure to get out the “no” vote during the recall election this fall. You can bet the Republicans won’t be staying home this time.
Andrew Wise
Fremont
Column’s partisan
slant is appalling
Though Victor Davis Hanson is no intellectual slouch, his recent article accusing Democrats of undermining democracy (“American resiliency, strength are in doubt,” Page A7, April 23) was appalling.
In the name of states’ rights, he exalts the Republican defense of the filibuster so they can resurrect Jim Crow suppression of voting rights. He fumes against possible elimination of the filibuster which once blocked even antilynching laws. He denigrates college admission policies that give minority students a better chance. He worries more about national debt than contemporary economists but excludes concern about income inequality. Global warming is omitted altogether. The Trump-inspired Jan. 6 attempt to overturn Joe Biden’s election, a true assault on democracy, is never addressed.
How partisan can you get?
Arnold Gilbert
Walnut Creek
Examples of GOP
diversity are numerous
A letter claims the GOP is going up in smoke because it only appeals to whites (“Narrow appeal will doom Republican Party,” Page A6, April 22). This belief is not supported by the facts.
In Southern California, Young Kim and Michelle Steel, Republican Korean-American women, flipped Democratic districts. becoming two of the first three Korean-American women elected to Congress.
In Oklahoma City, Stephanie Bice flipped a Democratic seat becoming the first Iranian-American ever elected to Congress. In New Mexico, Yvette Herrell flipped a Democratic district, becoming the first Cherokee woman ever elected to Congress.
In Salt Lake City, Burgess Owens, an African American, became a congressman. Tony Gonzales won in Texas. In Florida, Cuban-Americans Maria Elvira Salazar and Carlos Gimenez ousted Democrats.
In New York, Nicole Malliotakis, daughter of Greek and Cuban immigrants, won. In California’s 21st district, David Valadao, son of Portuguese immigrants, won, and Mike Garcia was elected in California’s 25th district.
The GOP is diverse.
Douglas Abbott
Union City
After Chauvin verdict,
time for self-reflection
Vocabulary.com defines a chauvinist as “a person with a prejudiced belief in the superiority of his or her own kind.” The word is named for Nicholas Chauvin, a French soldier and extreme devotee of Napoleon.
Two hundred years later, the world has seen another Chauvin exhibit his own brand of prejudiced superiority with the callous murder of George Floyd. With the verdict now in, America is called to examine what this violent episode can tell us about our own society.
We each need to take measure of our own human tendencies to prioritize and value ourselves — and those we view as like us — above those we see as different from us. As we casually go about our daily business with our hands in our pockets, I wonder how often we ignore the struggles of those who can’t breathe under the weight of our disregard.
Mitch Levinson
Pleasanton
Credit: Source link
