San Francisco’s scooter obsession
The front-page news story “Sidewalk scooter war hits new high” (April 20) made me wonder: Shouldn’t all the time and resources being used to quickly get these electric scooters off city sidewalks instead be used to quickly help the homeless people living on our city streets?
Priscilla Massey, San Francisco
What about bikes?
I am glad the city is cracking down on the scooters running roughshod over pedestrians on our sidewalks. When is the city going to do the same with all the bicycles zipping around on our sidewalks? Marc Norton, San Francisco
Ryan’s retreat
Concerning “Paul Ryan’s exit turns GOP title over to Trump” (April 20): Unlike columnist Andrew Malcolm, I don’t buy House Speaker Paul Ryan’s justification for leaving Congress as “wanting to spend more time with family.” Rather, this architect of GOP tax cuts for the rich and entitlement cuts for the poor would have faced a difficult re-election and didn’t want to have to explain his shameful actions to his angry constituents.
Ryan, like so many of his fellow Republicans who are not running again this November, is a morally bankrupt coward who has simply chosen (by retiring at age 48 with full benefits) to “take the money and run.”
Jennifer Erickson-James, San Francisco
Edged in fear
If I am Donald Trump and innocent of collusion with Russia about the election of 2016, and I have a confrontational personality, I am going to invite investigation into the allegations. In fact, I will taunt my accusers with words like “Go ahead and knock yourselves out investigating. You’ll find nothing.” Instead, Trump can only say “there was no collusion” with his words edged in fear. All the back-channel secret meetings with Russians, from the Seychelles meeting to Trump Tower and even the White House, paint a picture that smells bad from here. More power to you, Robert Mueller. Bob Benson, Lafayette
Costly planting
I love San Francisco’s plan to plant 2,000 trees to curtail net carbon emissions. It’s wonderful to see the city taking a leadership role on the global warming issue. But how can it cost $2,000 per tree? It seems like they should be able to do much more (e.g., plant many more trees) with a budget of $4 million. Matt Buchwitz, Palo Alto
Deserved to die
Your editorial (“A crisis of courage,” April 19) lamenting the state Senate’s transportation and housing committee’s refusal to support a bill (SB827) that would empower big developers to build high-rise condos and apartments near every frequent bus stop in the state (and with no parking spots to boot) defies reason. New housing should be built adjacent to new jobs — not in every established residential neighborhood in urban and sururban California. Gary Wesley, Mountain View
Smoke hazard
Regarding the editorial “Legally bombed,” April 20: Describing marijuana products as “fully legal” and leaving it at that does no service to those of us trying to avoid marijuana smoke, a state-affirmed carcinogen. Your paper manages to avoid mentioning that it is illegal to smoke marijuana in public on the day when it is most important to know so that others are not exposed.
Carol Denney, Berkeley
Beyond 4/20
Here are some suggested names for the annual 4/20 smoke fest in Golden Gate Park”: Roachella (for roach clips used to hold small joints), Outside of Your Mind Lands, or Bongapalooza. And a good slogan for this 4/20 event can be borrowed from the 1989 movie “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure”: “Party on dudes!”
Dylan Seeger, San Francisco
Curious news judgment
I’m curious about the editorial reason for putting “The origin of the code 420” on the front page of the paper, and relegating the report of “Teens get a lesson from a civil rights icon” to the Bay Area section. A story about five stoner white dudes merits the front page of the main news section, while a story about Minnijean Brown-Trickey, one of the Little Rock Nine, is considered insufficiently interesting and important for such inclusion.
Anastasia Haysler, Alameda
Sorry about that, chief
It occurs to me that there are many similarities between the Trump administration and the old TV show “Get Smart.” Doesn’t EPA chief Scott Pruitt’s $45,000 private phone booth sound eerily similar to the Cone of Silence? Donald Trump himself can easily be described as the evil organization KAOS, with his unending turmoil in the White House. And his tweets sometimes sound like they start with the tagline “Would you believe ...”
I can even see the title of the show being “Get, like really, Smart”!
Tom Rudolph, Brisbane