Submit your letter to the editor via this form. Read more Letters to the Editor.
Gas appliance ban will
cost customers dearly
Unless I’ve missed it, why haven’t you reported anything about the March 15 decision by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) to only allow the sale/installation of electric water heaters (starting in 2027), and electric furnaces (2029).
This will have huge implications and costs to existing homeowners who are now mandated to (eventually) retrofit their homes. You can’t just plug these appliances into regular wall outlets. You might need to upgrade an electrical panel and have in-home wiring work done to support these appliances. Then there’s the issue of whether you even have enough electricity coming into your house to support this additional load.
And if you have to replace a gas water heater come 2027, you can’t wait until that happens to decide whether you need to retrofit your house. You will have to do this retrofit work in advance of these deadlines.
Randy Breunling
San Jose
County leaders should
pay for book miscue
A million here, a million there — pretty soon you’re talking real money. Apparently, Santa Clara County doesn’t see it that way inasmuch as it simply decided to walk away from seeking recovery of a $1 million fee paid to Jean McCorquodale for an ill-fated effort to produce a highly plagiarized history book that has since been relegated to the recycle bin.
From start to finish, this whole episode reeks of corruption and fraud — beginning with a highly questionable, no-bid awarding of the contract to an individual with no book publishing experience, the poorly drafted contract’s lack of clawback provisions and county Counsel James Williams’ and County Executive Jeff Smith’s refusal to pursue recovery.
It is no wonder that hardly no one has any faith and trust in our elected officials anymore. I suggest voting them all out of office at the earliest opportunity starting with county’s feckless board of supervisors.
Nick Cochran
San Jose
Have homeless trade
labor for shelter
Re: “Stricter stance on homeless camps?” (Page A1, March 22).
The article describes the possibility of reducing the number of homeless encampments in San Jose. The mayor aims to push for a stricter approach in dealing with the mass amount of encampments below the city’s underpasses.
For years now, they have been saying that they will do something about the homelessness situation but from my perspective, encampments have been increasing everywhere I go. With encampments come trash and pollution to the city. I say that we enforce the proposal of housing the homeless but also make them work for it, if they want to live under a roof. As we start housing these residents, we can make them pick up trash and do better for the community.
We can start with tackling the situation with encampments, thus helping reduce the amount of trash that is left on the streets. Let’s help make San Jose a beautiful city again.
Victoria Tran
San Jose
United States owes Iraq
an apology, reparations
Re: “The U.S. invasion brought daily devastation to Iraq” (Page A7, March 22).
At the 20th anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, Iraqi writer Mortada Gzar wrote: “The magnitude of what Iraqis lost — and continue to lose…. as we must deal with the repercussions in our daily lives, whereas the war has become a blurry image for Americans.”
How can the American people forget the U.S. invasion based on lies? Contrary to the Bush administration’s assertions, Iraq was not involved in the 9/11 terrorist attacks, had no weapons of mass destruction, nor had connections to Al-Qaeda. One wonders why the silence about these proven lies is so deafening.
The U.S. invasion of Iraq was catastrophic: 1 million deaths of Iraqis, 4 million orphans and 8 million displaced. This was a war against humanity, and all those responsible should be held accountable. The U.S. owes the Iraqi people a formal apology and reparations.
Nancy Tsou
San Jose
We should be aiding
those already born
Re: “Long-used US abortion pill under threat in federal court in Texas” (Page A4, March 16).
The current legal battle in Texas against a form of abortion is the latest example of hypocrisy from those who oppose it out of concern for human lives.
They seem to care about saving lives when it comes to imposing some type of control over women’s bodies. Where is that concern when these kids grow up in environments of neglect, poverty and injustice?
It’s simple to stand on a moral high ground when the consequences of forcing births do not directly affect those making these demands or regulations. U.S. states already struggle to provide the bare minimum a human life needs such as housing, food, clothing and adequate health care.
In a country that holds itself in such high regard, we continue to have an abundance of unaddressed issues in terms of human rights.
Instead of forcing new life to come, we need to take care of the life that already exists.
Yara Becerra
San Jose
Source: www.mercurynews.com