LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Downtown residents frustrated by Port plans

Re “After pushback, 30-year vision for San Diego’s bayfront now includes fewer hotel rooms” (Oct. 20): Next year’s environmental review process of the Port Master Plan Update Revised Draft better find a remedy to the Port dumping most of Harbor Drive’s traffic onto the quiet residential neighborhoods of Little Italy, Columbia and Marina Districts.

For 20 years the Port planned to shrink Harbor Drive to two traffic lanes for a slow, touristy drive. The rationale was Pacific Highway had six traffic lanes with excess capacity. That idea is obsolete.

Pacific Highway is becoming four traffic lanes with bicycle lanes and no excess capacity.

Add the traffic from a proposed 1,550-room hotel south of the County Administration Building and an updated Seaport Village, and the mess gets even bigger.

Stop the Port plowing ahead with its environmentally abusive plan of inflicting the congestion, pollution and noise on city residents. Phil Pressel Downtown

DUI drivers who kill must serve sentences

Re “Driver who killed 4 in Chicano Park crash set for early prison release; DA calls the move ‘unconscionable’” (Nov. 4): I do not understand why the courts continue to treat vehicular homicide with less seriousness than murder by other means.

Richard Sepolio’s victims are just as dead and their relatives are no less grief-stricken than they would have been had he shot the victims with a firearm.

That the young man might catch the coronavirus in prison should be of no concern of the parole board whatsoever.

Sepolio needs to be made to serve his entire sentence.

Driving drunk and exceeding the speed limit by 40 miles per hour was like pointing a gun at his victims. Under the circumstances, tragedy was the only possible outcome. I hope this pending miscarriage of justice gets the governor’s attention, and soon.

I also trust that the Navy awarded him with a Bad Conduct Discharge. He deserved nothing less. Eric M. Nelson Downtown

Culling shines light on an outdated practice

Re “Denmark to kill 15 million minks to stem surge

of coronavirus” (Nov. 6): Last summer, I was fortunate to spend time near Lake Michigan, where I watched a healthy, active family of minks in their daily interactions with each other and their environment: running, playing and searching for food. They were acting freely in ways natural for their species.

While I’m heartsick over the intended “culling” of the confined Denmark farm minks, who were destined to be slaughtered for “fashion,” I’m hopeful that renewed awareness of these horrendous practices may serve to further the cause of elimination of fur farms worldwide. Mary Lee Moser Del Mar

Scolding those who disagree solves nothing

Re “Looking out for No. 1” (Nov. 6): I read Helaine Olen’s commentary hoping to gain insight regarding the outcomes of Propositions 16 and 22.

The two propositions’ outcomes, it seems, largely establish that when push comes to shove, working-tomake-a-living Californians are no different than any other states’ (or countries’) working people.

Olen scolded more than 7 million California voters, chiding them they are (only) “looking out for No. 1” — whatever that’s supposed to mean.

My take on Olen’s words bring renewed meaning to the phrase, “When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.”

Her notional column did little to help promote or elucidate a better understanding of the fates of Propositions 16 and 22. In fact, by repeatedly stating conjecture as conclusions, one has to wonder if she’s accomplishing anything other than being churlish since her “side” in these propositions lost — and lost markedly. James Berg San Diego

Trump has earned all the criticism he gets

Re “Breen should tone down pokes at Trump” (Nov. 6): The letter writer suggests that because almost half of American voters support Republican policies, those policies cannot be viewed as “wrong,” and that it is thus unfair of Steve Breen to depict Trump and his supporters in ways that offend their delicate sensibilities.

The obvious logical flaw in that plaint is that the rightness or wrongness of a policy does not depend on

its popularity.

Politics and morality both rest on the assumption that a higher standard of value exists than mere popularity, and that as voters and people we have the responsibility to make proper choices — ones displaying wisdom, altruism and mercy — and to reject policies based on racism, cruelty and selfishness.

We aren’t required to show respect for people who support such immoral policies.

Respect needs to be earned, or at least not forfeited by supporting the inanity, cruelty and immorality of the Republican Party under Trump. Bill Hassler Clairemont

We all have to help heal this nation’s wounds

Re “Trump’s talk of ‘election stealing’ is nonsense. Condemn it and keep counting votes, America.” (Nov. 5): The four-year national nightmare is almost over, at least for those

who think, read, analyze, observe and do more than worship an incompetent “leader.”

The disrepair left behind by this atrocious president will take years to rectify. Our reputation as a democracy, both at home and elsewhere, has taken a huge hit and I have confidence that Joe Biden will do his best to “bind up the nation’s wounds.”

Unfortunately, it will take a true sense of patriotism by all of us to make this possible and that includes the sycophants who have said nothing for four years and allowed the damage to happen.

The vilification of our democracy by the 45th president has put us on a precipice and we either dig in our heels to do the work needed to save it or knowingly participate in the downfall of life as we once knew it. Kathy Cappos Hardy Chula Vista

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