Time to vaccinate college students on campus
I am in favor of opening up schools faster among colleges in California. My proposition would be to administrate the COVID19 vaccines among college students first to allow us to continue furthering our education. Essential workers have already been given the opportunity to receive their shots, which is tremendous in the effort to flatten the curve.
With our essential workers being taken care of, now it is the student’s turn to be compensated during such a stressful time. Students often find attending inperson classes therapeutic or beneficial for their mental health; it provides structure, and an outlet to get out of their room and socialize with human beings. While California is trying its best to make sure students are healthy, as a student, I propose to provide the vaccine on all college campuses to allow for students to take care of their mental health after a yearlong pandemic. Opening up schools will not only bring back productivity in students, it will also encourage them to be cautious and take their health seriously.
Junior Zuniga, Union City
Equal access to vote
Action SF, a local grassroots organization that I am a member of, would like to thank The Chronicle for calling attention to the landmark voting rights bill, S.1, the For the People Act, in your recent article, “Dems pushing Feinstein to pick side on filibuster” (March 14). What our democracy requires to survive are privileges we as Californians take for granted: Noexcuse mailin ballots, early voting, sameday registration and independent redistricting commissions.
However, 253 new voter suppression measures are being considered across 43 states. For decades, the GOP has relied on the myth of voter fraud to justify the restrictions they implement to suppress and discourage voters. This is based on absurdly small numbers of proven fraud. The Heritage Foundation’s own database cites just 1,302 cases of fraud since 1982. This is an average of just 34 cases of fraud per year. We at Action SF thank Sen. Dianne Feinstein for agreeing to cosponsor S.1, but passage of this bill will likely require filibuster reform. We cannot let the opportunity pass to enact this critical legislation. Therefore, we ask all Californians to join us in contacting our senators to support filibuster reform and S.1, to ensure equal access to vote.
Elyse Weakley, San Francisco
Pay back the relief bill
In “The payments and the politics” (Editorial, March 15), the writer points out that polls indicate strong popular support for the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan. Actually, I find it rather startling that any significant number would be opposed to a plan that would probably give them money. Historically, the strengths of democracy have been stressed, but with the caveat that uncontrolled voters can squander the treasury of a country in which democracy reigns. Politicians have a responsibility to explain to their constituents that this government largesse isn’t free, and that they, and their progeny, will eventually have to pay it back.
Daniel Mauthe, Livermore
Minimum wage math
Many congresspeople, including most Republicans, oppose raising the federal minimum wage to $15 because it is more than twice the present rate and there would be mixed overall economic effects. But are they considering what it means to earn $15 an hour? Say you work at that rate 40 hours a week, 50 weeks a year. Your gross income is $30,000, before taxes, social security, health care payments and so on. If you could only work 30 hours a week, you’d gross $22,500. Where in America is this a secure foundational income? Could a family be supported on this wage? Often both parents can work, but child care consumes most of the second salary. This is a cycle of poverty, diseases and early death, not of uplift. Maybe our people in Washington, D.C., who are opposed to raising the minimum wage should be compelled to live on it. And while were at it, they can forego their extensive health care benefits that we pay for, that are out of reach of people who make the minimum wage, which is now $7.25 per hour, or $14,500 per year for full employment.
Kevin Padian, Kensington
Dangerous to bike
Regarding Peter Hartlaub’s “Biking with Dad, 86, bolsters Slow Streets” (March 14): San Francisco has a long way before it is acceptable, let alone safe, for anyone ages 8 to 80 to bike routinely around the city. Generally, bike lanes are neither protected from cars nor part of a larger network facilitating everyday use. As both an active transportation advocate and Lyft driver, I drive around the city every day. I must negotiate streets with dangerously placed green bike paths laced between fastmoving vehicles and turn lanes, such as those in South of Market. The wellintentioned bike lane portion of busy Masonic Avenue is essentially unused because it lacks a barrier protecting it from traffic. Unfortunately, the city is stuck in the automobile paradigm of the 1950s as it begrudgingly designates piecemeal bike lanes with little more than signage and paint. Any cursory visit or virtual viewing of effective bike infrastructure in other rich cities like Stockholm, or in notsorich Buenos Aires, fleshes out the inadequacies of bike transportation here. Although it was heartwarming to read this story of father and son cycling across San Francisco, perhaps the dad summed it up best when he said he wouldn’t want to do it “all the time.”
Chase Berggren, San Francisco
Forgive Gov. Newsom
The signatories of Californians who signed the recall initiative are presumably partisan Republicans and independents, and my guess, voters of former President Donald Trump. Some voters even today prefer a corrupt Trump in, and all dutiful Democrats governors out (New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Gov. Gavin Newsom). What do you do when nobody is watching? These partisans are enraged over an alleged grope by Cuomo and Newsom attending one private dinner.
Yet, partisans barely register a pulse over Trump’s protection of Russia over national interests, his attempt to invalidate an honest election that defeated him, and the five casualties resulting from his calls to protesters to stop the vote count in Congress. Gavin blundered, doing what all of us have done once during “shelterinplace.” Worse, he broke his rule. We know what this group is against, but what are they for? What is the end game? Who could you imagine would best Newsom in the job? Anyone? Newsom went from parks and recreation, an appointment as supervisor, elected supervisor and twiceelected mayor, created equity in marriage and went on to Lt. Governor and Governor. During these 20 years, he has vacationed three times. When he asked Californians to forgive him, I did.