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Santa Clara County
should make parks free
Re: “Marin County makes parks free to support equity” (Page B5, July 7).
The article “Marin County makes parks free to support equity” in the July 7 Local section touched a sore spot.
My wife and I are frequent visitors to Santa Clara County parks. Thanks to buying a lifetime parking pass for seniors (which are no longer available), we drive in and park freely. I often comment on how underused the parks seem, sometimes even on beautiful weekend days. I also notice folks and families cruising for parking on surrounding streets to avoid the fee.
We all fund the county through our property assessments, rents and state taxes. Santa Clara County should follow Marin’s lead and make our parks truly open public places for everyone.
Kris Sowolla
Los Gatos
Homelessness solutions
abound in region
Re: “50 homeless students will get stipend” (Page B1, July 8).
Homelessness will not be solved by my complaining about it. I would prefer that homelessness be invisible, not to see the man who sleeps in the parking lot where I work, or the woman with the cart and potty mouth, or the camps along the roadway. Why can’t someone do something about this mess?
We can. First, accept that homelessness is an unavoidable part of the way our society is structured. Societies that have eliminated homelessness are those where citizens have a deeply ingrained belief that they are responsible for their family members, no matter what. We must also be smart about homelessness and focus on what it is really about: alcoholism, drug addiction, mental illness, poverty and abuse.
We have many ways to deal with those underlying causes. And every person can help, whether through charity, volunteerism, political action, education; there is an endless list of possible solutions available to us.
Gail Jessen
Campell
Don’t despair on climate;
take action with group
Re: “Bay Area expected to sizzle this week” (Page A1, July 11).
I appreciate Paul Rogers’ astute climate coverage. Thank you for his front-page alert in addition to the usual Page A3 round-up of worldwide climate disasters (July 11: “Extreme Weather” in China, “Climate Change” deadly flooding in several countries and “Global Warming” temps soared in Europe).
Rather than feeling flattened by ever-worsening climate news, let’s follow Joan Baez’s advice: “Action is the antidote to despair.”
Joining a group amplifies individual efforts. I like non-partisan Citizens’ Climate Lobby (“building political will for a livable world”) — also Friends Committee on National Legislation (“We seek an earth restored”), Acterra (“action for a healthy planet”) and Mothers Out Front (“mobilizing for a livable climate”).
These and other organizations can turn climate angst into hope and positive results. Join one today for a better future.
Anna Koster
San Jose
Santa Clara County
is letting the fair fail
Once again all the surrounding counties love to boast about their successful fairs, except Santa Clara County.
Once a highly popular fair to attend with excellent popular entertainment, it seems no longer and our Board of Supervisors should hide in disgrace. Shame on all of you. We were rated in the top three for county fairs to include car races, destruction derby, 4-H animals, entertainment and the best food.
Our current county fair and Board of Supervisors need to get checked. Our residents are traveling to other counties for their fairs, costing us money. If you can’t put on a county fair, you can’t manage our county, and it shows.
Diane Lang
San Jose
Government, social
media must talk
Social media contains plenty of misinformation, disinformation, fake news and deepfakes.
Misinformation is spread innocently without any intent to mislead. Disinformation is spread intentionally by people with manipulated facts or propaganda. (Trump won in 2020.) Fake news is purposely fabricated with false information to make it emotionally charged to mimic mainstream news. Deepfake is a type of audio, video or image disinformation, generally used in malicious ways.
The government has an obligation to maintain order in socially sensitive domains such as a natural disaster, health issues and institutions and protect its citizens with correct and timely information. It should be allowed to engage with social media firms to minimize harmful content. Making the rules of engagement public and transparent is great.
Mohan Raj
San Jose
State should not
regulate ingredients
Re: “Unsafe Skittles? State should ban toxic chemicals in candy” (Page A6, July 13).
The California Legislature is well-intentioned, but this isn’t the right way to evaluate the safety of ingredients in our food system.
We should be relying on the science-based rigor of the federal regulatory process — and avoiding a state-by-state patchwork approach related to food additives and ingredients. The ingredients that would be banned under the California proposal have all been approved by the FDA. And U.S. consumers are overwhelmingly confident in the FDA’s ability to determine the safety of food and ingredients.
While science tells us what is safe in foods, we also hear what some consumers are saying about these ingredients. Consumers want to be able to enjoy their favorite foods, and we are working diligently to meet those demands.
Food safety is the number one priority for U.S. confectionery companies, and we do not use any ingredients in our products that do not comply with FDA’s safety standards.
John Downs
National Confectioners Association
Washington, D.C.
Source: www.mercurynews.com