Letters to the editor Dire warnings in climate report merit attention

High-speed rail project is making real progress

Re: “California bullet train built on foundation of deceit” (Mercurynews.com, Nov. 21):

When voters passed the proposition for the California high-speed rail project, the price tag was uncertain because little was known about the route, environmental analysis or project plans as a whole.

Since that day, work has progressed, 119 miles are under construction and analysis continues to prepare the project for full environmental clearance through Southern California. The price tag has been refined, and this year the California High-Speed Rail Authority board of directors adopted a revised program baseline cost estimate. This is not deceit — as your editorial board suggests — this is fact.

These facts are what continue to drive the project forward. Is there full funding? No. But there never has been. What we do have is a plan for completing the first phase of the project — getting trains on the ground and people using the system. This is real and this is progress.

— Mike Rossi and Tom Richards, co-chairs of the finance and audit committee, California High-Speed Rail

Authority, Sacramento

Kudos for calling out state’s fiscal elephant

Re: “Newsom should pay down state’s huge pension debt” (Editorial, Nov. 25):

In response to your editorial, I just want to say thank you for pointing out the fiscal elephant in the room.

Please continue doing what you can to raise public awareness of this critical issue.

— Bruce Bowers, Los Altos

U.S. must stop violating asylum-seekers’ rights

Under international law and U.S. law, asylum-seekers have the right to present themselves at the U.S. border and request an asylum hearing.

It is vicious and dishonest to prevent asylum-seekers from so presenting themselves, as the United States is doing now on the border with Mexico.

Further, the asylum-seekers are fleeing life-threatening violence and economic hardship, conditions that are due at least partially, but probably largely, to the present and past policies of the United States.

The situation at the border, brought about principally by President Trump’s policies and actions, is such that deadly violence might erupt at any moment. Our congressional representatives and U.S. senators should make public statements immediately condemning the Trump administration’s illegal, immoral and dangerous actions and pursue legislation authorizing more judges to hear the petitions for asylum and more immigration agents to process the asylum-seekers’ petitions in good faith and as rapidly as possible.

Re: “Climate change ‘intensifying’ ” (Page A1, Nov. 24):

I applaud The Mercury News for its front page coverage of the federal government’s newly released report on climate change.

In a blatant attempt to bury the story, President Trump decided to release the report on Black Friday. But the dire warnings in the report warrant attention.

Hundreds of scientists who spent months working on the detailed document have concluded “the evidence of humancaused climate change is overwhelming and continues to strengthen, that the impacts of climate change are intensifying across the country, and that climate-related threats to Americans’ physical, social, and economic well-being are rising.”

How many more climate catastrophes will it take for Trump to acknowledge that climate change is human-caused and that federal action must be taken?

Hopefully members of the new Congress will recognize the severity of this issue and will work across the aisle to find common ground on a solution.

Recent fires mostly in scrub, oak, not redwood

Re: “California summit on wildfires top priority” (Letters to the editor, Nov. 20):

Letter writer Mr. Miller needs to look at the environments where California’s wildfires are taking place. Oldgrowth redwood forests are not at risk for fires.

Old-growth redwoods are fire-resistant and clear-cutting them increases the risk of catastrophic fires by creating young even-aged tree plantations that have too many trees too close together.

The recent fires have been mostly scrub and oak, not redwood. Of course the only way timber companies make money is by cutting the large fire-resistant trees, so they would love for people to think that those trees are the problem.