Address root causes of homelessness
The article “Oakland stunned by 47% rise in homeless count” (Page 1, July 23) is shocking, or should be. However, the claimed causes of the problem — drug addiction, mental illness and lack of housing — is just as sad, as these are not the causes as Sarah Ravani states as though it were fact.
Rather than blame the victims due to the first two causes she lists, drug addiction and mental illness, which are obvious problems, perhaps we can begin to look at deeper structural economic issues, which are far more pervasive and powerful, even if they are harder to see. All one need do is compare the change in wages over the past 30 years with the rise in the cost of housing.
One is almost zero, while the latter is enormous. A very recent study found that a person working two fulltime, minimumwage jobs (i.e., 80 hours a week!) cannot afford the rent for a onebedroom apartment in Oakland (let alone other luxuries like food and clothing).
With glaring structural inequality like this, when are we going to stop blaming ourselves for what are structural economic problems? There is a reason that water and electricity are distributed through quasipublic agencies called utilities. Those items are considered essential to life. And now, what of housing?
Philip Rapier, Oakland
Forget about Trump
Can we please forget President Trump? However corrupt, impeachable and, alas, seemingly durable he is, he is not the nation’s major problem, but a distraction from it.
Any thoughtful person has by now read enough about climate change to recognize that it is far and away the No. 1 problem in the world and that, furthermore, it can and must be dealt with either through a carbon tax or a capandtrade policy or both. However, to implement such solutions will require all our political energy, since the forces of ignorance and selfish resistance are formidable.
If we cannot do this and do it now, all the rest of our activity will pale by comparison to what we might have accomplished.
Joseph Illick, San Francisco
Violated policies
Regarding “Big Tech’s trial” (Editorial, July 26): I have two comments about this editorial. Since Facebook had revenue of over $55 billion in 2018, will a $5 billion fine from the Federal Trade Commission for its failure to protect consumer privacy truly force it to change its corporate governance?
It’s laughable that conservatives like President Trump complain about perceived censorship of their views on social media, considering his daily unfiltered tirades and namecalling on Twitter, where he has over 50 million followers. According to the Pew Research Center, nearly onefifth of all users of this social media giant follow Trump’s account.
Big Tech may, indeed, be violating antitrust laws, but some social media posters (like Trump) are also violating user policies.
Raneesh Patel, Redwood City
Construction debacle
In a city long known for construction boondoggles, it’s not surprising to read “No completion date yet for S.F. subway” (July 26): Muni’s $1.6 billion Central Subway project, scheduled to open more than a year after its original projection due to contractor and infrastructure issues, is yet another example of this problem.
Might this oftdelayed project, which still has halffinished escalators and unlaid tracks, soon become known as The Subway to Nowhere?
Claire Rosenthal, San Francisco
Focus on climate change
I’ve always been appalled at the scale and severity of the homelessness crisis in the Bay Area, despite my home region’s pride in its progressive policies and cultural standards. Because no one can enjoy a progressive lifestyle with no safe place to sleep and no economic mobility. Unless it’s immediately remedied, the crisis will get exponentially worse due to another issue that Bay Area residents proudly claim to be locally addressing: climate change. Without access to protection from extremeheat events, which are hitting even the temperate bay with recordbreaking temperatures and event frequencies, the unhoused will die.
According to a report by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the weather fatalities for heat outweigh fatality numbers for any other weather events by a notable margin. Similarly, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported that homeless communities bear much higher risk of heatrelated health problems and deaths than virtually any other community in a given population. And yet, our communities and politicians still argue over what the best solution is to the Bay Area housing shortage, and the much bigger issue, the humanitarian crisis, which will likely kill thousands of people from simply a lack of shelter, water and heat protection.
Danielle Platt, Berkeley
Rise up and protest
Regarding “Time for impeachment” (Letters, July 26): The author reflects my beliefs, spot on. However, now that we have seen both Hong Kong and Puerto Rico stand up and protest, how much more do we need to do to inspire our own people to rise up? This is the time.
Alma DunstanMcDaniel, Petaluma