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User fees are key
for transit support
Re: “Bay Area residents already paying enough” (Page A6, Oct. 5).
In his letter published Oct. 5, “Bay Area residents already paying enough,” William Hough listed the many sales tax and transportation ballot measures supported by Santa Clara County voters.
My letter, “We have the means to support transit,” published August 25, encouraged the Metropolitan Transportation Commission to enact 1997 legislation enabling a region-wide vote to hike gas taxes, though I asked that it be amended to add an appropriate EV annual registration fee to ensure that all drivers pay for transit.
I was pleased to see in the Bay Area News Group and Joint Venture Silicon Valley poll (Oct. 3) that voters were more supportive of gas taxes than sales taxes, though less than bridge tolls.
It’s important that a transportation tax be a user fee, which rules out sales taxes. All motorists, not just those crossing toll bridges, need to help make Bay Area public transit sustainable.
Irvin Dawid
Burlingame
Meals on Wheels great
way to honor chef
Re: “Cause of famed chef’s fatal allergic reaction unknown” (Page B3, Oct. 11).
We thank the family of the late chef Michael Chiarello for requesting memorial donations to Meals on Wheels.
For more than 25 years, The Health Trust (a local nonprofit) has provided home-delivered meals to homebound older adults and people with disabilities in Santa Clara County. Sometimes, our drivers are the only persons our clients see that day or week. Demand for Meals on Wheels remains much higher than before the pandemic, and donations and volunteers are essential.
For more information on how to help, visit healthtrust.org.
Michele Lew
San Jose
U.S. aid furthers
tragedy in Mideast
The news about the recent massacre in Israel fails to balance the ongoing massacre of Palestinians since the formation of the state of Israel.
The United Nations calculates that, between 2008 and August 2023, some 6,407 Palestinians died while 308 Israelis died because of the conflict. Hamas is not to be forgiven for this latest outrage, but we should be aware that there is a history of such outrages.
The United States is supplying Israel with nearly $4 billion in aid annually. We should be aware of what purpose our funds are being used.
Patrick Omeara
San Jose
Source: www.mercurynews.com