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Alum Rock parcel tax
will fleece homeowners
Given the governor’s $4 billion taxpayer-provided windfall increase for California schools, why do property taxpayers need to be fleeced for another seven years with the Alum Rock Union School District Measure I?
I hope voters read between the creative lines and understand the trough will never be deep enough.
David Frizzell
San Jose
Tech could help us
track water savings
It’s frustrating reading articles about our failure to conserve water in response to the drought, especially when none of the proposed responses address the fundamental barrier to effectively controlling household water consumption.
Homeowners need real-time feedback to monitor and manage water use and give visibility to leaks, high-usage activities and total usage relative to goals. This should be as easy as looking at an app on a smartphone. Water providers should be using smart meters that do this, but that’s not in the interest of those operating for profit. Fortunately, there are solutions that provide this information as an add-on to existing meters.
Why isn’t the water district promoting these devices through awareness campaigns and installation help? Money spent on that would cost less and be more effective than hiring “water cops.” Give us the goal and means to achieve it, and together we can make progress.
Robert Burns
Saratoga
Transit agencies lack
juice to get BART done
Re. “VTA approves $235 million San Jose BART extension contract,” Page A1, May 7:
Two bore, one bore, no bore: If the people of the Bay Area want to be able to ride around the Bay on BART there needs to be an acceptance of the cost and political entanglements that may keep this from ever happening.
BART could easily be brought into downtown San Jose on an elevated platform. This would not in any way compare to the “L” in New York. Seattle built a monorail years ago that is still functional and appealing. Rod Diridon Sr., the voice of public transit, proposed unifying BART, Caltrain and VTA under one committee so that these projects could be done without the territorial roadblocks that we have to abide with under the present system.
The super train remains a fantasy and is emblematic of a vision without a means.
Rich Caudill
Campbell
We must do more
to help out families
I am writing to stress the importance of giving women the freedom to make their own decisions regarding their bodies and having the support they need to end their pregnancy.
The government should provide support for families as they expand, including freedom during pregnancy and support for raising children. The demand for paid paternal and medical leave for working mothers is a necessity. In order to raise children and be employed, many families must secure the financial support they require.
Because of this, there should be programs that allow individuals and families to be with their children and have the support necessary to make a life.
I, therefore, request you to highlight the issue in your newspaper to generate public interest in the matter. Numerous individuals and families require support when it comes to making the right decision for them.
Elsa Villegas
San Jose
Support for vocational
teachers is no joke
“And we all laughed when he majored in woodworking” (Page A6, May 17): What a slam toward the teachers who earn a teaching credential and teach vocational courses.
We need more teachers who are able to teach woodworking, metalworking, electronics and auto mechanics. Many of their students learn the vocational skills needed in order to become cabinet makers, carpenters, auto mechanics, electricians, sheet metal workers, etc. The trades are lacking because many educators believe every student must go on to college.
I personally know a gentleman who went to trade school and college so he could become a woodshop teacher. He also went on to earn a master’s degree and a doctorate. He became a high school principal and was able to ensure that the students at his school could take technical-vocational courses that allowed them to obtain good-paying jobs.
Not every student needs or wants a college degree.
John Sellarole
San Jose
Source: www.mercurynews.com