Avoid emoji at work
Concerning “Emoji could spell trouble at the office, attorneys say” ( July 31): In an office setting, communication between employees is often monitored and should be clear in its intent. The problem with emoji is that they can be subject to misinterpretation, and indeed (over time) be seen as a form of harassment or intimidation.
Many of us about-to-retire Baby Boomers remember (and long for) a time before instant messaging and social media where words mattered and were used carefully in the workplace. Millennials and others starting to enter the workforce ought to follow the advice of Michelle Lee Flores on using emoji as a form of communication: “Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.”
Herman Rivera, San Jose
Set up a single-payer system
Regarding “Future of health care in state unclear” (July 29): I have to take issue with the description of President Trump administration’s “apparent determination to allow the ACA to fail.” That is far too passive and neutral sounding, when the truth is that they are actively doing everything they can to push it over the cliff.
But California is not weak and helpless. We can and should do everything we can to secure health care — and that includes setting up a single-payer system that could be a model for the nation. I hope our state legislators will work together to shape the Healthy California bill into a system that works for everyone. Katherine Falk, Oakland
Sen. McCain is a hero
Sen. John McCain is my hero. Finally, we have a senator that can stand up and support the population and not the party. He stated that it’s time to return to regular order and get input from all parties on health care, not just his own. Why don’t we have more senators like this man? Robert Nice, Redwood City
Rep. Barbara Lee’s outreach
Regarding “Time to let Rep. Lee know she doesn’t speak for me” (Open Forum, July 24): When reading the critique of Rep. Barbara Lee’s peace leadership, I waited in vain for the author to provide compelling evidence of fault. After reminding us of Lee’s brave, lonely opposition to a blank check for war just three days after Sept. 11, the scant evidence is offered: a tweet! Lee tweeted about President Trump’s undisclosed meeting with Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the G20 summit, so we are to believe she’s not supportive enough of diplomacy? Huh? The critics of this meeting were not opposing thoughtful, deliberate diplomacy with Russia, only Trump’s careless breach of diplomatic protocol.
What the author, so focused on this tweet, fails to mention, is that Lee has long supported diplomatic outreach to countries like Cuba, Russia and Iran. She has maintained her steadfast leadership on peace issues throughout the last 15 years. Lee too has persisted. Lee is still speaking for me — and for all of us who want a world of peace and justice.
Jon Rainwater, Oakland
Prevailing wage is essential
Regarding “Can lawmakers muster courage to fix housing?” (Editorial, July 16): It shouldn’t be too hard to remember the time when building trades workers owned their own homes in neighborhoods like San Francisco’s Sunset District.
These days, it might be hard to find many blue-collar middle-class workers living in the Avenues. They’ve been priced out of the homes of their parents and grandparents and forced out of the city — unable to afford modern-day San Francisco housing prices, and not eligible for subsidies.
That’s why state Sen. Scott Wiener included a prevailing wage provision in his forward-looking Senate Bill 35. He knows that denying construction workers a livable wage should not be part of any arrangement to build more housing in California.
In its editorial, The Chronicle mistakenly concluded that the prevailing wage would “hamper” SB35’s streamlining of the approval process on low-income housing construction. Paying construction workers a livable wage does nothing of the sort.
The prevailing wage is more than what The Chronicle described in its editorial as a “worthy goal.” It is a necessity for the 400,000 blue-collar workers and their families that we represent, if we care about them staying in the middle class. Robbie Hunter, president, State Building and Construction Trades Council of California,
Sacramento
Corporate money influence
The Democratic Party’s new marketing slogan, “A better deal,” is so cute. However, a more effective slogan, albeit not cute, would be “We will stop taking money from Wall Street and cease pretending corporate money has no effect on our policies.”
Dan Friedman, Santa Cruz
Enhanced skyline for city
Regarding “Ruined skyline” (Letters, July 31): Cities evolve, and skylines change. The author wrote that she feels assaulted by the changes in San Francisco’s skyline with the building of the Salesforce Tower. I happen to think that the tower brings an enhanced and modern presence to our city. People are entitled to their points of view, and architecture, much like art, is in the eye of the beholder. From my perspective, the Salesforce Tower brings a contemporary perspective to a leading-edge city’s skyline. Rich Walker, San Francisco