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California Conference
would keep teams close
Re: “Cal, Stanford should create the California Conference” (Page A9, Aug. 20).
I couldn’t agree more with Mr. Matthews’ description and reasons for creating the California Conference.
As a Cal fan who has enjoyed Jackie Jensen, Joe Kapp, Craig Morton and many others over the years, I’ve looked forward to seeing my Bears play and even struggle in Berkeley or somewhere else on the West Coast. None of this would be easy if we have to include a plane ticket for the East Coast or Midwest if Cal or Stanford were scheduled for away games in one of the other proposed conferences.
Hopefully, Mr. Matthews’ thoughts will sink in well in the minds of other West Coast college and university administrators and athletic directors. This is the perfect solution for what is happening to the Pac-12.
Gary Fong
San Ramon
To find criminals,
look at Safeway
Re: “Safeway’s concern is safety, not happiness” (Page A6, Aug. 22).
In his Aug. 22 letter, Mr. McGregor responded to an earlier op-ed from a woman lamenting her shopping experience at Safeway. He called her letter an “attempt to convince us that criminals are not the ones responsible for crime.” He added that “Safeway has no social responsibility that goes beyond maximizing earnings to shareholders.”
He is right. A few examples: In 2014, Safeway was fined $9.87 million for violating hazardous waste regulations. In 2018, Safeway paid $42 million for illegal price markups. In 2023, Safeway agreed to pay $107 million for bogus deals and false advertising. Last month, a class-action lawsuit was filed in San Francisco federal court claiming deceptive practices.
This pattern seems to point to a simple truth: Safeway shows no social or moral responsibility to customers and the public.
Michael Poe
San Leandro
Rate hike would let
PG&E off the hook
Re: “PG&E bills could rise with burying of power lines” (Page A1, Aug. 22).
Does everyone remember the devastation in San Bruno and what the cause was? Do you remember Paradise and the cause of the devastation there? PG&E.
Now PG&E is proposing a rate hike to cover the expense of putting the electrical lines underground.
Why doesn’t PG&E stop paying dividends to the shareholders instead of raising the rates, which are extremely high to begin with, and cover the expense as the offending agency?
Maryann Sheridan
Walnut Creek
Newsom’s gun crusade
broadens conversation
Re: “Newsom gun control crusade smacks of prior political stunt” (Page A7, Aug. 22).
Columnist Dan Walters isn’t a liberal or a conservative, he’s just a cynic. About Gov. Newsom’s “crusade” for more gun regulation, Walters says it’s a political stunt to get media attention: “He has zero chance of getting his gun control amendment introduced, much less adopted, and he knows it.”
The unspoken subtext is: therefore he shouldn’t be doing it.
I disagree. Newsom wants to move the Overton Window, the range of things that can be considered reasonable, and widely discussed. A constitutional amendment? Not now, maybe never, but if we can get conversations started, things that now seem impossible might come to pass, like universal background checks and red flag laws. That’s a good enough reason to propose this gun regulation “stunt.”
Merlin Dorfman
Livermore
Source: www.mercurynews.com