Take the lead in global climate change
Regarding “State’s tough climate effort” (Editorial, May 2): Thank you for your editorial on SB775, Sen. Bob Wieckowski’s legislation to overhaul the state’s cap-and-trade program.
This legislation has several components that reinforce California’s global leadership in combatting climate change: A steadily rising price on carbon emissions provides the predictability consumers, businesses and investors need to accelerate the shift to a clean energy. It protects low- and middle-income households by returning some revenue from the program directly to households. There are no offsets and eliminates the ability for polluters to buy off their emissions somewhere else.
Cleaner air motivates greater emissions reductions in all communities and reduces the chances of toxic hot spots in low-income neighborhoods. Thank you to Wieckowski for propelling California again into national and global climate leadership.
Mary Selkirk, Kensington
Lead the nation
On this unusually warm day around the bay, it reminds me of the urgency to act on controlling climate disruption. We Californians have new reason to be proud of our global leadership on climate issues; Sen. Bob Weiskowski with support of Senate President Pro-Tem Kevin DeLeón are leading the way in correcting and strengthening our cap-andtrade policies through SB755. The bill will impose a steadily rising predictable price on emissions; provide protections to low- and middle-income people by returning some of the revenue to Californians; eliminate some of the problems of offsets and free allowances in the old policy, which contributed to polluted air in low-income communities. All of this while accelerating the rate of emission reductions, the ultimate goal in protecting our environment.
Robin Cooper, San Francisco
Power of military
I was astonished to hear House Speaker Paul Ryan defend the temporary budget plan by telling reporters, “No longer will our military be held hostage for domestic spending.”
I thought the military existed to defend, not to defund American citizens. What do you call it when plutocrats and autocrats conspire to place the power of the military over the needs of the people? Pentagonomics? Corporate militocracy? Or just plain “fascism?”
Gar Smith, Berkeley
Tone-deaf hubris
Regarding “Following audit, UC’s Napolitano to face questions from lawmakers” (May 2): Excellent reporting by Nanette Asimov on UC’s malfeasance in The Chronicle. Another disgraceful result of UC leadership’s tone-deaf hubris: the recent outsourcing of dozens of University of California at San Francisco technology jobs to a company in India. Should UC be allowed to outsource American technology jobs to save money while simultaneously hiding $175 million at the Office of the President, raising the salaries of top administrators and raising student tuition? Give me a break! UC regents: show some backbone. Send Napolitano packing. And that’s without a $30 million severance package, please. Tom Cummings, San Rafael
Don’t be ageist
Regarding “Wise to retire” (Letters, May 3): The writer’s sole reason for suggesting Sen. Dianne Feinstein retire, as often seems to be the case, is her age. Feinstein is 83 years old. It has only been in the last couple of years that I have seen advocacy for her retirement based only on her age.
I guess when she was 70 years old, like President Trump, age was not a factor in calling for the senator’s retirement. Even a better candidate for ageist is House Speaker Paul Ryan, who at 47 years old is 36 years younger than Feinstein. It seems the letter writer believes, based only on their age that Trump and Ryan would make better senators than Feinstein. Ageism, like all bigotries, is the bailiwick of small minds, and has no basis in fact, real facts, like the sun rises in the east, as opposed to alternative facts, such as the sun rises in the west. Stephanie Travis, Albany
Pot advertisements
Regarding “Medical cannabis comes of age” (May 3): If California is going to have a “single regulatory scheme for both medical and recreational marijuana,” how will it control advertising?
It’s one thing for medical marijuana dispensaries to have print or online ads, but will local recreational sellers be allowed to advertise, too? And how will content be regulated without violating free speech protections? The last thing we need are billboards with Joe Cool characters targeting young adults to buy weed.
Carolyn Crawford, San Francisco
‘McWrong’ move
Regarding “Daily Briefing” (Business, May 3): McDonald’s introduction of a “superfluous utensil” to hold its french fries, called the “frork,” is ridiculous. What’s wrong with using another weird utensil, the “spork,” or good old-fashioned fingers? This utensil, which simply wastes plastic, strikes this reader as “McWrong.”
Vincent McCullers, San Jose
Same health plan
End the double standard! Members of Congress should only be eligible to participate in the same health plan they offer to the American public. What is good enough for us should be good enough for them. Kathleen Pearson, Belvedere
FBI interference
So it makes FBI Director James Comey “mildly nauseous” (according to his testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee) to think that his very public reopening of the email investigation less than two weeks before last year’s presidential election might have influenced the outcome?
Well it made millions of Americans sick to their stomach that Comey didn’t feel the same urgency to disclose his investigation of President Trump’s campaign team’s illicit contacts with Russia. It’s a disgrace that Comey has been allowed to continue to lead the FBI and not been subject to prosecution for his interference in the 2016 election.