Stop wasting money on rail and use it on buses
Regarding “Preferences change in how to get around” (Bay Area, Jan 2): BART and Caltrain serve suburban white collar workers with cars at their disposal, but bus systems enable real inner-city mobility for those without other options. We spend billions on large-scale rail projects for commuters, but bus service languishes in the Bay Area. Why?
Who benefits from rail service? Who benefits from bus service? Instead of building a new Transbay Tube in 20 years, get bus lanes on the Bay Bridge today. Instead of SMART from Marin to Sonoma counties, make the bus pads on U.S. 101 top notch. San Francisco Muni’s T-line has been a boon for real estate development, but a failure for many transit riders, as evidenced by the introduction of the 15 bus to supplement rail service.
It is time to stop this nonsense. Bus transit is cheaper, more flexible, scalable, less disruptive and integrated into our communities. Let’s put our rail money into buses and have a lot more to show for it.
Daniel Levy, Oakland
GOP is becoming facist
Regarding “Political extremism is rising from both sides” (Letters, Jan. 4): Marianne Haas rather misses the point about rising fascism in our country.
The Democrats may hold the Senate, House and White House (for the moment; I personally hope after the November elections as well), but they are not using that power to suppress voting by opposition groups. Maybe they would if they could, but they aren’t.
Nor are they empowering apparatchiks to overturn voters’ will in certifying elections.
The Republican Party is.
And the Democratic Party is not making personal loyalty to one individual the test of party membership. The Republican Party is. Just ask Representative Liz Cheney of Wyoming.
The Democratic Party does not have armed groups swearing loyalty to President Biden. Mr. Trump does. What do we call that?
Bruce Colman, San Francisco
Dog mauling is abuse
Regarding “Mauled driver sues San Ramon police” (Front Page, Jan. 3): The dog mauling incident is one of the most egregious cases of police misconduct I have ever heard of, and I hope Ali Badr receives millions in restitution.
It is telling that the San Ramon Police Department recommended to the district attorney that, in addition to felony auto theft, Badr be charge with resisting arrest. The department knew full-well it had overstepped its bounds and tried to cover it up. This is abuse of police power to the max.
Thomas Wood, Nicasio
Editorial is off kilter
Regarding “American Fascism on the Rise” (Insight, Jan. 2): After a promising start, The Chronicle’s editorial soon descended into a realm somewhere between platitudes and incoherence. Denouncing “leftist fashion” in the same breath with bemoaning the effort to recall the governor made zero sense.
Nor was there any logic to strongly implying that the left should be blamed for “debating whether to turn the clock back on recent social justice reforms that have barely had time to launch.”
Norman Solomon, Point Reyes Station
Don’t help Texas
Regarding “State requests federal help” (World-Nation, Jan. 2): Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, anti-vaxxer, anti-mask mandator, anti-social-distancing advocator, has the temerity to ask the federal government for help. The dire situation in Texas occurred because of his propaganda. Let Texas reap what it has sowed.
Adele Grunberg, Oakland
Immigration nightmare
Regarding “Asylum seeker’s 9-year wait for day in court” (Front Page, Jan. 3): I wish to commend Deepa Fernandes for yet another outstanding article. That someone would have to wait another three years for a court date just because the judge was sick on the original date is unimaginable. Donna Vaughn, Alameda