California's rental market is so very tight for tenants

Re “Tenants struggle as rents soar” (May 22):

California has a housing crisis. Tenants’ rents are soaring. Prices have skyrocketed. Building costs are spiraling. Availability has collapsed. California state and local politicians control the policies that are the cause. The same political party has had that control for the past 40 years. Yet, I would bet come June 7, those struggling tenants will vote for the same political party and politicians but expect different results.

— Steve Hawes, Sunland

Biden bashing

Every portion of Sunday’s (May 22) paper spotlights the incompetence and dastardly intentions of the Biden administration. From the front page, which shows the rising hate crimes, to the Local section, which dissects the mass shootings in our area, to the COVID mandate fallout, to Avenatti’s fall, to $34 chicken wings in the Today’s Economy section, to the bumbling of the baby formula supply, to the housing crunch, to the ads that proclaim profound inflation, to the Opinion section which seemingly longs for a return of President Trump and the Cartoonist’s Take, which pokes fun at the idea of taking out a loan for a tank of gas. The horrific rise in drug deaths was addressed in a special section, but the blame was not properly placed on Biden’s policy of an open border. I dare say that if I could peruse a late May edition of the newspaper from 2019, there would be precious few examples of President Trump’s policies making the lives of Americans poorer, less safe or more miserable.

— Robert Snyder,

Laguna Hills

HR 7688

Re “House approves bill on gas price gouging” (May 20):

On May 8, U.S. Rep. Jay Obernolte wrote an op-ed piece for newspaper where he bemoaned the rising price of gas and he promised “to fight for policies that will lower the gas prices we are paying here in California’s 8th District.”

On May 19, Obernolte had an actual opportunity to make good on that promise when the House put HR 7688 to the vote, but instead of keeping his promise, Obernolte voted against the bill and gave his permission for oil companies to raise the price of a gallon of gas however high they wish. What a hypocrite. But then again, he is consistent with the Republican ideal of giving every advantage to wealthy corporations at the expense of working-class Americans.

— Jeff Mays, Redlands