Letters to the editor
After ugly S.J. display, protests at crossroads
Last Friday, in the dark of night, three human characteristics converged at the home of San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo and his wife, Jessica.
After a reportedly peaceful protest for Black Lives Matter near City Hall, a group decided to once again protest at the home of Mayor Liccardo and his wife. Under cover of darkness, more than 100 people converged on their neighborhood home, with nearly a half-dozen painting, spraying and egging their home, scrawling obscenities on their front door, walls and windows. Dozens of others stood there, many cheering them on. Afterward, caring neighbors, who — like the mayor — proudly display Black Lives Matter posters in their windows, invested hours in helping the mayor clean up his home.
Friends, our country is at a crossroads in which our character can come out: Will we be the caring neighbors who took positive action, the cowardly criminals who attacked someone else’s home, or the complicit crowd, who egged them on or stood there silently and allowed it to happen? Let’s make the right choice in which we lift up others for racial justice and equity, rather than tearing others down.
— Carl Guardino, Monte Sereno
Pelosi’s demand holding up COVID-19 relief bill
The latest impasse in Congress to pass COVID-19 relief is due to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s trillion-dollar state bailout demand. Part of that bill repeals the $10,000 deduction limitation for state and local taxes (SALT).
By repealing SALT, the wealthy end of society will receive a huge federal tax cut. Whatever happened to Democrats
fighting for the unfortunate by demanding the wealthy pay their fair share?
— Joel Greenia, Santa Clara
Prop. 15 fails to solve state’s real problem
As with most of California’s knee-jerk legislation, be careful what you wish for.
As you correctly point out (“Prop. 15 won’t fix biggest California property tax issue,” Aug. 28 ), in most cases when commercial property taxes are raised, it is the tenant/business who will pay the tax (including the increases).
The business will in turn have little choice but to pass this increase on to their customers, thus increasing costs to the consumer (us). To the already struggling retail and restaurant businesses, this is akin to pouring gas on a fire.
Proposition 15 is a terrible idea and does little or nothing to solve the real problem: California can’t properly manage itself.
— James Rees, Los Gatos
Skinner’s bill best way to stem foreclosures
In the article “Single-family housing linked to segregation” (Aug. 24), it refers to a report that states single-family homes exclude lower-income people of color. San Jose is 84% singlefamily homes, while only 26% of the population is non-Hispanic white. This implies that at least 60% of the single-family homes are occupied by other ethnicities.
In reality, suburbs have become much more ethnically diverse, according to these articles, and African Americans have been moving to the suburbs.
With a looming pandemic foreclosure crisis, the best solution to the affordability problem is state Sen. Nancy Skinner’s Senate Bill 1079, not a measure that would incentivize the production of more marketrate rental housing.
— Donald Thomas, Saratoga
Too late for Republicans to remake President Trump
As I viewed the four evenings of the Republican National Convention, I was amazed, but not surprised, at the many speakers who attempted to remake President Trump.
Viewers heard many times how caring the president is, how he elevates females, how empathetic he is, and what a wonderful family man he is.
On this last point, I find it disturbing and regretful that since election night 2016, I never once — never — have seen the president speak to his son Barron, place an arm around his shoulder, or even acknowledge his young teen son. In addition, Barron is generally referred to as “her son.”
A loving family man? I have my sincere doubts.
— Bob Lowry, San Jose
Trump’s efforts construct ‘a house divided’ in U.S.
I understand President Trump likes to compare himself to Abraham Lincoln, and my question is how does he reconcile “A house divided against itself, cannot stand,” when it seems to me he does nothing but try and divide us?
— Craig Anderson
Menlo Park