Submit your letter to the editor via this form. Read more Letters to the Editor.

SJSU change can’t
stop with resignation

I’m very troubled after reading about the resignation of San Jose State University President Mary Papazian. (“Amid turmoil, Papazian resigns,” Page A1, Oct. 8)

Oftentimes, when the powerful are held accountable, we only see the resignation of that person, and seldom do we see a restructuring of the system that helped perpetuate the problem. What should happen during this ongoing investigation is a complete restructure of the safety net that allowed multiple sexual assault cases to slip through the cracks and only get attention years later. Hopefully, we’re able to see the university as a whole and restructure the power imbalance so that the victims of sexual assault get priority over the assailant.

However, I understand that this is an ongoing uphill battle, since we’ve seen similar cases across the nation and even with our own Olympic gymnastics program that had its own Senate hearing a month ago.

John Perez
San Jose

Now is the time
for high-speed rail

Re. “State must stop wasting billions on bullet train,” Page A6, Oct. 15:

California should seize the opportunity to be first with high-speed rail.

The recent editorial against this heads at high speed in the wrong direction, because transportation accounts for more carbon emissions than any other sector of the U.S. economy. Creating sustainable alternatives becomes more urgent every day. California’s investments in public transit systems and high-speed rail over the past three decades have made it the U.S. leader in that transition.

The HSR network’s zero-emissions trains will run on 100% renewable energy at 200+ mph — making it possible to travel from San Francisco to Los Angeles in under three hours. And the HSR line is driving investments in other projects that create affordable, sustainable travel options.

With once-in-a-generation opportunities now emerging in Congress to invest in world-class transportation systems — and with the climate crisis forcing our hand — this is the moment to double down on, not abandon, California’s HSR project.

Rick Harnish
Executive Director, High Speed Rail Alliance
Chicago

New law creates path
to easier donations

Kudos to California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who signed into law Assembly Bill 1374, a critical step in the effort to increase the number of registered organ donors in California. The new law creates a pathway to improve the language of the DMV donor registration program.

Since 2005, the DMV has accounted for more than 95% of the 17.5 million registrations to the Donate Life California organ and tissue registry. Last year, these donors saved more than 4,500 lives and improved the quality of life for hundreds of thousands more. Still, California has the longest transplant waiting list in the country, at more than 20,000 patients.

This new law strengthens the partnership between the DMV and Donate Life California and makes it easier for people to register as a donor and leave a life-saving legacy.

Tom Mone
Chair of Donate Life California’s Board of Directors
Los Angeles

Development outpacing
state’s water supply

What our elected and appointed officials do not seem to realize is that we cannot continue to develop this area when there is no water.  And we’re already rationing water and this is not the first time we’ve had to conserve.” Droughts are a way of life here, and we must learn to live within that limit.

Conservation is a must, but there is only so much water available to us. We cannot produce more water on demand; we rely on Mother Nature.

So, the powers that be must change their mindset and decide that it’s time to place a moratorium on development until our water supply significantly increases.  We simply cannot continue to add more demand when the supply isn’t there.

Marcia Fariss
Saratoga

GOP’s actions demonstrate
a disavowal of democracy

The unified opposition to even debating voting rights protection legislation in the Senate, by all Republican senators, has led me to one, simple conclusion: The Republican Party is against free and fair elections in these United States.

That is the only thing all voters need to know when heading into the next several upcoming elections. All other issues are meaningless if one party has chosen the path of fascism, of not providing governance for the people, by the people, and of the people, but to instead allow minority rule to be a permanent reality in America, that is willing to be guilty of killing democracy itself, and getting away with it.

Steve Wright
Dublin

Source: www.mercurynews.com