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Pay pendulum swings
too far toward workers
Re: “Union contract will hurt ability to offer services” (Page A12, Sept. 10).
There is constant tension between the need to pay San Jose’s city employees fairly and providing the core services that our residents deserve. The newest deal, however, wrongly assumes that the Federal Reserve’s efforts to cool the inflation caused by profligate federal pandemic spending will fail. Yet we are already seeing prices moderate.
The pendulum has now swung too far toward the employees, and we residents will suffer the consequences. Cuts to the Parks and Recreation budget are proposed to mitigate the agreement’s deleterious effects on current and future budgets. As in prior fiscal crises, any cuts will first come from the core services that we residents deserve but often fail to lobby for. Special interest groups, on the other hand, will no doubt pressure the Council to keep the spigots open on their pet funding streams, as evidenced by the Measure E battle over funding for quick-build transitional housing.
Pat Waite
San Jose
Support vote on lower
threshold for revenue
I write to express my support for affordable housing and to urge the California Legislature to pass ACA 1. ACA 1 will empower local voters to make critical affordable housing investments and address their local homelessness challenges by lowering the voter approval threshold to 55% for revenue measures.
The dual housing affordability and homelessness crises we are experiencing are vast and devastating. ACA 1 will improve local voters’ ability to tackle these concerns in their communities by restoring our democratic process, ending the ability of 34% of voters to prevent progress on increasing affordable homes.
ACA 1 is a highly impactful step toward addressing the housing crisis. Residents know what is best for their communities and families, and for creating a place where everyone can have stable and affordable homes. We ask that lawmakers give us this opportunity by passing ACA 1 and referring it to voters’ ballots.
Regina Celestin Williams
Executive director, Silicon Valley at Home
San Jose
Insurers are stuck
in a no-win game
Re: “Nix last-minute wildfire insurance scheme” (Page A6, Sept. 8).
I was struck by the juxtaposition of two headlines on the op-ed page today.
The flagship editorial suggests insurance companies be tied to their current cost models, which are based on historical data, rather than be allowed to use forward-looking models that factor in the increased risk from climate change such as wildfire, as well as the rapidly escalating cost of labor and materials here in California.
And yet, an adjacent editorial trumpets that “California needs companies to fully disclose climate risks.” (Page A6, Sept. 8) Excellent idea. In fact, every large company has a fiduciary duty to disclose risks to the business and these insurance companies are doing exactly that. They have no choice but to engage with the soulless actuaries of the re-insurance marketplace, and it is simply naive to think the California Insurance Commissioner can somehow wave a magic wand and make them participate in a losing game.
Keith Meehan
Los Gatos
Republican moderates
need to take control
The Republican Party never ceases to amaze me. This latest hijinks would be laughable if it wasn’t so pathetic.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has been blackmailed by the likes of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green and posse into seeking an impeachment inquiry of President Biden in order to maintain his speaker status and curry votes against the debt ceiling. Instead of governing, they want to shut down the government to the detriment of the entire country. In his news conference, he charged Biden with profiting while in office and obstructing the investigation of his son. And he says this with a straight face, not recognizing the irony concerning former President Donald Trump’s abuse of power while in office and his continued obstruction of justice.
Are there no moderate, reasonable Republicans who will speak up and reclaim the Grand Old Party and return to constructive governing? Apparently not.
Claudia Parker
San Jose
Source: www.mercurynews.com