San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
No room for official’s LGBTQ bigotry
Regarding “Trump trickle-down in Solano County” (Page One, Sept. 10): So Dixon Vice Mayor Ted Hickman proposes having a Straight Pride American Month, to counter the “fairies” that march in LGBTQ pride parades?
As a proud gay man — part of the estimated 2 to 3 percent of the population that identifies this way — let me remind Hickman that every day is essentially “straight pride” and that further marginalizing the queer community with stereotypical comments isn’t “tongue-in-cheek” humor — it’s bigotry.
Terrence Williams, Berkeley
Domestic deforestation
Regarding “Mobilize climate action locally” (Insight, Sept. 9): Gov. Jerry Brown’s article on the Global Action Climate Summit points out “greenhouse gas levels are still rising” and that “delegates are demanding action now.” In such an emergency, why does California still allow timber harvest by the inexcusable practice of clear-cutting, which removes large tracts of mature healthy trees that have been absorbing tons of that carbon dioxide gas from the atmosphere, and guarding our state water supplies in the forest earth?
Industrial forestry corporations could easily stop this domestic deforestation, a component of developing their tree farms.
Those companies have received generous profits from our forests in the past by using selective, sustainable harvests and could resume that limited method. That would help save our global climate and serve the common good. Brown, please do not sign the misguided SB901 (now encompassing AB425), which would cause unregulated logging, impact our water supplies, and offer no real fire protection. Adding insult to injury is no solution!
Bob Moncrieff, Monte Sereno
The Musk-Zuck Times
Regarding “PR advice for Zuckerberg, Musk: Acquire a newspaper” (Insight, Sept. 9): Columnist Joe Mathews is offering the wrong advice. Rather than buying an existing newspaper like The Chronicle to burnish their self-wounded reputations, these tech titans should team up and print a new President Trump-era daily tabloid called the Musk-Zuck Times. Such a publication would not only provide some much-needed competition to this newspaper, it would also offer Bay Area readers the chance to read compelling articles like “The do’s and dont’s of hacking users of social media,” “Elon vs. Donald: a toxic tweet tally,” and “Billionaire CEOs: They’re not just like everyone else.”
Cecilia Ventigmilia, San Francisco
Safeguards in play
Regarding “It’s on us” (Editorial, Sept. 10): In the editorial, the author drew attention to the inaction of the U.S. government and the ill effect it is having on the entire nation regarding climate change.
The author highlights the local government in San Francisco, including Mayor London Breed and Gov. Jerry Brown, and their combined efforts to minimize global warming despite Washington’s obstruction. The irony of the story is that it appears to be blaming the federal government and current president for not making positive changes in the energy crisis.
This nation is a democratic republic, so the local level efforts and support of the local leaders, like Brown and Breed, is exactly what should be happening in a representative democracy.
This means that, even though the majority is ruling, safeguards are in play to protect rights that the minority believe in. It is at the lower level of government that the underrepresented and minority can make their voice be heard.
So, blaming the federal government should not be our first response but it should instead be action to make change.
Julianna Tamayo, San Jose
Keep children fed
California’s child poverty rate is the worst in the nation. Consequently, across our state and right here in San Francisco, children do not always have access to nutritious food. School meals can play a critical role in protecting children from the harmful effects of poverty and hunger.
These school meals are guaranteed for low-income students in most public schools. But more than 80,000 students in California’s public charter schools go without access to free and reducedpriced school meals or, in the worst cases, any school meals at all. If signed by Gov. Jerry Brown, AB1871 will give low-income students in charter schools equitable access to free and reducedprice meals.
Ample research proves what we already know: Well-nourished children are happier, healthier and better prepared to learn.
Hilary Seligman, San Francisco