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Hold sheriff accountable
for deaths in his jails
There have been at least 58 deaths linked to the Santa Rita Jail since 2014, the highest death rate of any Bay Area jail. At least 21 of those deaths have been suicides. One man died serving weekends only. Another was allegedly killed by his cellmate before he was fully booked.
Sheriff Ahern refuses to publicly report in-custody deaths. Every member of the county Board of Supervisors is notified but also keeps them secret. We demand the public be notified when these deaths occur.
The sheriff is also the coroner, so oversees all forensic examinations. We demand the coroner be independent of the sheriff. We demand independent sheriff oversight consistent with the new law, AB 1185.
Bob Britton
Castro Valley
Vote for Devin Murphy
as a voice of change
There are times in history locally and nationally where change is on the horizon, and it takes those change agents to rise up. These are the times when the people push for progress. From the vice president, our new Supreme Court justice, to our former first black president, this nation is starting to “understand the assignment.” It is time for public offices to represent the people they serve.
Devin Murphy is the change that the people have requested. Why am I supporting him for Contra Costa County clerk-recorder? Because I support change and progression. I support representation, and I support the most qualified being in the position. Devin is the most qualified. He is the change requested. He is the representation required. He will be the bullhorn that everyone deserves.
Jamela Smith
Hercules
There are myriad options
to spend state surplus
I believe that the state government should use the budget surplus to pay off debt, save money for pensions, and build and fix roads.
As with most places, debt is a huge problem here. The state is spending more than it is earning and has a debt of $363 billion. This is over $9,000 of debt per person.
Pensions for retired employees are severely underfunded. I think we should lower the gap between estimated obligations and the current value of assets. The government should pursue moving funds into paying what was ensured.
California has the roughest roads of any state, yet also has the second-highest gas taxes. Why is the government taking high gas taxes but failing to maintain its roads? Streets, highways and freeways are in terrible condition because of neglected maintenance.
Blake Smith
Concord
Column’s bad news
is actually good news
Dan Walters spins the good news that electric vehicles now comprise 16% of new car sales in California into gloom and doom.
Claiming the electric grid can’t handle EVs is simply false — 80% of EV charging is done at home and at night when there is plenty of extra capacity on the grid. We can add more low-cost wind and solar power to the grid to stay ahead of demand for all the EVs and appliances that are needed to fight climate chaos.
Yes, there are growing pains – we need more EV charging stations. And we need to make sure the charging stations work. That is the message of the study that Walters cites. The study was conducted by EV supporters to urge lawmakers to act. In reality, the state needs to phase out gas cars sooner than the current date of 2035 to address the climate crisis.
Jack Fleck
Oakland
Protest overtaxation
using your vote
A front-page headline shows that California has a $97.5 billion surplus (“Newsom: Surplus soars to $97.5B,” May 14). The article goes on, stating that the surplus is the largest state surplus in the history of the United States. Newsom is in a quandary as to how he, and his friends in Sacramento, might spend the money.
I have an idea. Give it back to those of us who were clearly overcharged. California has a population of approximately 39 million people. Do the math. That surplus roughly translates to an overcharge of $2,500 per person. That comes out to about $208 per month for every single person in this state. Extrapolating out, a family of four in California is paying approximately $832 per month, every month, in excessive taxes.
You have the option to show your displeasure this June 7. Vote.
Michael Oppido
Danville
Source: www.mercurynews.com