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Mitigating climate change
effects isn’t enough
Kudos to Paul Rogers for his excellent front-page story on the launch of the San Francisco Bay flood control project (“$545 million flood control project launches,” Page A1, April 15). As Rogers states, the Bay is “an increasingly serious threat to millions of residents and hundreds of billions of dollars of bayfront property … as seas continue their slow but relentless rise.”
The expense of fighting sea-level rise is going to be enormous. While adaptive measures such as levees are important, it also makes economic sense to avert what damage we can with broader measures.
Earth Day marks the one-year anniversary of Biden’s pledge to cut greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030. Time is running out to avoid the worst consequences of climate change. We cannot squander the best opportunity to pass climate legislation in more than a decade. Congress must pass meaningful climate policy that lives up to Biden’s pledge, and a price on carbon is an essential component.
Paula Danz
Los Altos
Chavez shouldn’t take
cash from outside S.J.
It’s been reported in the press that the San Francisco 49ers have contributed $300,000 to an independent expenditure called “Citizens for Cindy Chavez, Mayor 2022. As everyone knows, the 49ers are based in the city of Santa Clara, not San Jose. One wonders why the 49ers are so interested in the Chavez campaign. Why have they given her campaign so much money?
The next mayor of San Jose should always make the interests of San Jose their top priority. San Jose needs a mayor who will not be beholden to political donors on day one. Perhaps Cindy Chavez is running for office in the wrong city. Maybe she should run for mayor of Santa Clara instead.
Pete Campbell
San Jose
Vote for Ramona Snyder
for S.J. council District 1
Re. “Kamei is the best choice for S.J. City Council District 1,” Page A6, April 15:
I am writing to express my deep support for Ramona Snyder for San Jose City Council District 1.
During my whole time as the Hamann Park Neighborhood Association president, I have worked with Ramona through our neighborhood association’s efforts and activities. She has always attended, supported and worked very hard for our neighborhood. She grew up here and has been active in the community. She has supported Clean Cities and our much-needed park resources. Crime and safety are big concerns for Ramona, and she has developed relationships with law enforcement. Homeless solutions and assistance are also important and new housing goals, job growth and fiscal responsibility are top of list.
Apart from all this Ramona is a caring, easy-going people person. She is pleasant to deal and communicate with. She is always there to participate and lend a helping hand. She is a great person, a good friend and a real asset for San Jose. I’m with her 100%.
Vince Navarra
President, Hamann Park Neighborhood Association
San Jose
Improving Caltrain better
than high-speed rail
The Mercury News reports a poll in which a slim majority of Californians support completing California’s high-speed rail project. This shows it all depends on how the question is couched.
Once you know that the high-speed rail passenger capacity between the Bay Area and the Los Angeles/San Diego area will never be more than 10% of the passengers that fly these routes, it’s obvious this part of HSR will not reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
What would have a far more significant effect on greenhouse gas emissions and traffic would be to use the money to elevate and electrify Caltrain from Gilroy to San Francisco on one side of the Bay and Richmond on the other as an express route and BART as the local. Eventually, extend beside the Amtrak line from Richmond to Sacramento. And do similar between Los Angeles and San Diego. Let’s invest where we get the most benefit, not the least.
Tahir J. Naim
Santa Clara
Source: www.mercurynews.com