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Vote for candidates
who reject the NRA
Thoughts and prayers, moments of silence and collective grief are not enough. Children and teachers will continue conducting intruder drills until the next mass school shooting occurs, and then after, because too many of our politicians continue to submit to the NRA.
Mental illness issue? Societal problem? Go ahead and try to fix those. The Uvalde shooter had no known mental problems, but he was able to buy two military-style assault weapons and 375 rounds of ammo within four days of his 18th birthday.
The problem will continue until there is substantive gun reform legislation, and that won’t happen with the current cast of characters.
Vote for Republican and Democratic candidates who won’t accept NRA money, and who will commit to passing gun-control legislation, both state and federal. Gun-control legislation can co-exist with the Second Amendment.
Without change, massacres of children will continue.
Barry Brynjulson
San Ramon
We must take a first
step on gun control
As a parent, your best memories are picking up your little ones from school. They’re happy to see you and tell you about their day. These times are etched in your brain until someone knocks on the door or a phone call rubs it out like sandpaper. All you can see are their last minutes. Were they afraid? Did they feel pain? Should you have been there? The terror that replays over and over. You believe it will never stop.
Is waiting a couple weeks after purchasing my gun more devastating than this? Is waiting until I’m 21 to buy an assault rifle more painful than that knock or phone call? I’ve not had the phone call due to murder but I’ve had the call.
There is no measure that gets us to a place where mass murder never happens, but a journey of a thousand miles begins with a step.
Randall Walker
Vacaville
Balanced housing policy
will be tough in Oakland
After the Oakland City Council unanimously voted themselves a Consumer Price Index-based 6.3% salary increase this year, Councilperson Caroll Fife wants to scrap the current formula for housing provider rent increases which is an atypical 6.7% allowable max this year.
The formula was a result of hard-fought concessions from housing providers and the Tenant’s Union in 2004. From 2004 to 2021, the average allowable annual rent increase was 2.4%. Not all providers raise rent each year but with inflation close to 8% operating expenses have skyrocketed. Despite the state lifting the COVID eviction moratorium, Oakland is an outlier, and the moratorium remains indefinitely. This means even nonpaying tenants cannot be evicted.
With almost half of the City Council members running for mayor in a tenant-majority city, and with some council members openly hostile toward housing providers, the fight for balanced and sustainable housing policies will be a challenge.
Michael Gabriel
Oakland
Party of Jan. 6 has
found the bottom
In response to “Supreme Court leak is unprecedented betrayal” (Letters to the Editor, Page A6): I’m surprised Cathy Ledbetter’s letter from May 19 didn’t appear in the comics section because it had me laughing out loud.
She lambastes the Democrats for protesting the Supreme Court’s leaked decision about abortion rights and says, “I’ve never heard of Republicans stooping this low.” I’ve got two words for you Cathy: “January 6.” Unbelievable.
Don Wallace
Castro Valley
Problems at home take
backseat to Ukraine war
Apple did itself proud by helping the homeless with a nine-month motel reprieve, spending millions in the effort. But this has to be put in perspective.
Our government has agreed to spend $40 billion on Ukraine. Most of this will be spent on weapons. This will assure the war continues and as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said, “Until victory is won.” I’m not sure what that means.
The problems of our own people have to take a back seat to people thousands of miles away. This is an outrage of herculean proportions.
Robert Sinuhe
Oakland
Source: www.mercurynews.com