Must reinstate state hospitals
Regarding “No easy answers for mentally ill homeless” (Oct. 9), Dr. Paul Linde has brought forth a very important issue on this matter. In the 1970s, during Ronald Reagan’s reign as governor, the state hospitals for mentally and physically ill patients were closed.
During Jerry Brown’s first time as governor, he instituted a program for one-on-one relationships with residents in these locations. I volunteered at Agnew State Hospital and had a wonderful relationship with a young girl who was mentally and physically handicapped. We both benefited from this encounter. All of this is gone, and we should again, as Linde pointed out, reinstate state hospitals to care for these people. The state of California should be ashamed of the current situation.
Marie Boyd, Sunnyvale
Endorse Newsom
Concerning “Cox’s radio daze” (Editorial, Oct. 9): After listening to the KQED debate between California gubernatorial candidates Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and John Cox, I realized that voters have a clear choice: Endorse Newsom, whose progressive stand on social issues and climate change are rooted in today’s realities, or choose Cox, whose antiabortion, anti-gun-control and nativist agenda makes him better suited to be an adviser in the Trump White House than the next governor of California.
Alejandro Maldonado, Hercules
Delicious irony
Let it be known that on Oct. 8, 2018 — Indigenous Peoples Day — the Cleveland Indians, the Atlanta Braves and the Washington Redskins all lost their respective games. Oh, the delicious irony of it all. Mike Dela Cruz, Daly City
Invite Sarah Palin
I’m excited to learn, after reading “Ferry Building changes hands for $291 million” (Page One, Oct. 9) that the tower of this iconic downtown structure may soon be reopened to the public.
And as a gesture to show that our city welcomes people from all backgrounds, I’d like to propose inviting former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to attend a ferry tower reopening ceremony. If there’s no fog, she might even be able to see Russia from this new vantage point. Xavier Betancourt, San Francisco
Filthy conditions
The Board of Supervisors and all the other clowns running this city need to wake up. It is not just visitors who are disgusted with the filthy condition of San Francisco. It is well known that the downtown areas of the Mission District, Union Square and the theater district are wretched. The quieter areas like the Marina district are also filthy.
I cannot walk my little beagle on Chestnut Street without dodging human waste, garbage and people passed out on the sidewalk.
I left the Marina Theatre at 7:30 p.m. after viewing a 5 p.m. movie. The three nice police officers posted outside the Apple store next to the theater due to a ridiculous smash-andgrab crime were being spit on and yelled at by a street person. Deborah McMicking, San Francisco
Credible outcomes
Amid the constant haze of turmoil in our governmental agencies, one nagging question remains for me. In light of the evidence of election meddling in 2016, I want to know what has been done to assure the legitimacy of the upcoming November election?
How can citizens be content to accept the results if nothing has been put forward by our governmental agencies to reassure voters that this very important issue of election interference has been dealt with effectively?
I, for one, want to know that the election results will be a true reflection of the public will in each and every state. Our leaders should make clear to their constituents exactly what they have done to safeguard our election processes and thus help to assure a credible outcome. Barbara Lelich, Mill Valley