.Letters For the Week of Sep. 5-11


The Fault Line and the Dams,
Feature, Aug. 21

You Can See Our
Namesake Fault Creep
in Hayward

In downtown Hayward you used to be able to see the evidence of fault creep on the sidewalks. A few years ago they repaved almost all of that area, so it will be a few more years before the creep is evident there again. However, up on the ridge formed by the fault scarp, along Hotel Street (where the Haywards Hotel once stood — that was its name), fault creep is evident in fences and garden walls. There was a building between C and D Streets, originally built as the City Hall. The fault tore that building apart. It was evacuated and eventually was torn down. San Lorenzo Creek runs into downtown Hayward until it encounters the fault, turns right for a mile or two, and then goes west again. That kind of stream offset is typical of an active transform (“strike-slip”) fault. They really picked the worst possible location to build Hayward’s downtown area, but it grew naturally around the old Haywards Hotel in the decades before earthquake building codes.

James Castro


More money for dams, less money for high speed rail to valley farm towns.

CalMustang


The Next Generation of Cell Towers
Has a Next Generation of Deregulation,
News, July 10

Shouldn’t Kids Get
the Same Protections
as Firefighters?

We love our kids and everyone esteems firefighters. So why are firefighters exempt from the 1995 Telecommunications Act but our kids are not? Because firefighters have better lobbyists than kids have.

Years ago, municipalities were happy to rent space on government rooftops to Telecom for cell towers (churches and schools also like the income). But often a few firefighters at each station experienced muscle weakness, confusion, and other symptoms, which interfered with their job, so they successfully lobbied to be exempt from the FCC rule that health effects are not an acceptable reason for banning cell antennas. Firefighters were human-sized guinea pigs because their 48-hour shifts could clearly be identified as the origin of their health problems. Symptoms receded on their days off and when guys were transferred to a station that had no tower, they got better. Despite the greenwashing of 5G, there is a large and reliable trove of research showing the serious hazards from exposure to the radio portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, which includes broadcasting frequencies and also microwaves.

If 5G is so safe, then why are firefighters protected? Shouldn’t our kids be safe-guarded too?

Lauren Ayers


Slurping Snail Soup at R’ Noodles,
Dining Review, July 31

Stop Slurping

Please retire the word “slurp”! It was never all that cute, but by now its presence in food reviews is so stale and predictable that it’s become more annoying than the sound of slurping itself.

Mitchell Halberstadt


Lieutenant on Leave After Use of Restraints Leads to Death in Santa Rita Jail, News,
Aug. 7

Justice for My Husband

Santa Rita killed my Husband Raymond Reyes Jr and ruled it a sucide. In my heart I know he would not do that to himself he loved his son and me too much and was waiting to come home with us . They neglected my Husband and did not report his death 3 other men died that same week . Every time I try to contact Santa Rita since the day I found out my husband died they will not give me answers they are not returning my calls I need Justice for my Husband and our baby boy we need answers.

Nesz Reyes

So, Cedergren is on “leave.” Sounds right — August is a great month for vacations. One month ought to be enough time for the D. A. to find reasons not to charge him.

Allene Warren

My son Raymond C. Reyes Jr. was killed in Santa Rita jail and labeled a suicide. He was murdered by cowards that hide behind walls and badges. I will fight til I breathe my last breath to get justice for my son. I Love you Pops!

Raymond C. Reyes Sr.

This is a disgrace, gross mismanagement, incompetent leadership, torture and meanness. Why does Sheriff Ahern still have a job?

Ann Nomura


Grand Jury Report on SWAT Training Exercise Got It Wrong, Your Words Here, July 24

Sheriff Has Passed
His Sell-By Date

The only one of 12!? Time to get rid of this sheriff. The Hayward Fault is overdue. So is the removal of this sheriff who is too busy militarizing the county to work on protecting us.

Adrianne Aron


The Trouble With Cannabis Vapes,
Chronic Town, Sep. 4

We Wouldn’t Let
Big Pharma Act This Way

Just maybe state and local governments should have gone slower legalizing marijuana. No one reads the warning signs at the dispensaries that say the products have not been tested for safety or effectiveness any more than tobacco users read the warnings on tobacco packages.

Len Raphael

Wow!!! Acute lethal lung disease sounds, well, kind of bad. We won’t know for 20 years what the long-term chronic problems will be. These are hugely popular products with teens, who want a no-smell high at home or school. Maybe we should put down the pot a minute; instead of inventing new ingestion routes and waiting for new diseases and disorders. This industry is experimenting on teens; we wouldn’t let big pharma act this way.

Ann Nomura

Can you distinguish any differences between vaping cannabis oil, cannabis extract “shatter” and cannabis plant matter? There are many different kinds of vapes on the market.

Sylvio


California Pot Researchers’ Hands Tied
By Feds, Chronic Town, Aug. 7

Shouldn’t Research Have Preceded Legalization?

It really is insight/reminder into how dysfunctional marijuana research is. It could be a valuable plant with important medicinal qualities and obviously with this dysfunction scientific researchers are reluctant to start projects. Also, though it is almost if not criminal and irresponsible to put a product out in dispensaries and now for retail sale that is so potent and not researched. What are we thinking?

Jeff Dive


Champion of Richmond Education,
The People Issue, Aug. 14

Thanks for the Education

I remember Mr. Peritz from the tenth grade; he was an innovator who taught with excitement. He knew how to keep the classroom bourgeoning with energy that kept us wanting to put out more, to learn more. As a matter of fact, his class was the most energetic (that’s not meant negatively) because he knew how to captivate his audience into learning. He was the one who introduced us to Shakespeare, Oedipus Rex, Don Quixote, Hamlet. One thing we knew for sure, his desire was for each of his students to grasp the art of learning. Thanks Mr. Peritz for the education; you were a great educator.

Jennifer Cable


Clearing Out the File Cabinets,
But Not Necessarily the Air, News, Aug. 14

Whistleblowers are Heroes

Michael Bachmann and Sarah Steele are Bay Area heroes. BAAQMD Air Pollution Control Officer Jack Broadbent and Chief Counsel Brian Bunger ought to be terminated forthwith by the Board of Directors. Unfortunately, the Board members believe all of the B.S coming from their staff. Ask Eric Stevenson how he feels about this case and the record-keeping process of BAAQMD, or its records of notice of violations and all of the less than $10K fines, thus unreported in public meetings? Very cozy, Jack and Brian.

Andrés Soto, Communities for
a Better Environment

Sometimes being a good citizen means not being able to have food or having threatened shelter for a while, or few Christmas gifts. It can be hard on your children, and it must sting day after day when everyone tells you to “back down, it’s not worth it.” You might drive Uber despite having several degrees. I look forward to that moment when Michael can feel that he has made a difference that will change the relationship between regulators and polluters forever. People have to know the whistleblower laws are real … not just for movies. And we are protected as employees to do and say the right thing to protect the wellbeing of the people the organization serves (i.e., fellow soldiers, taxpayers, patients, people who breathe).

ing wit


State’s Deadliest Big Jail System Last Year
Was Contra Costa County’s, News, Aug. 21

We Do Our Best to
Eliminate Jail Suicides

I would like to add a few points that were not in the article. In 2017, there were no in-custody deaths in Contra Costa County detention facilities; in 2016, there were two. The article mentioned the high rate of in-custody deaths. Yet, it is not clear what that is, how the rate was derived and how it compares to other counties. The reality is the number of in-custody deaths fluctuate year to year. The causes of death are health-related, drug overdose and suicide. We will always strive for zero, but that is a challenge given the environment and population; many of those who enter jail often have significant health issues and mental health conditions. Contra Costa Health Services provides all medical care to inmates. We are taking steps to try to eliminate suicides. For example, we have introduced ligature-proof bedding in the behavioral health module at the Martinez Detention Facility.

Jimmy Lee, Public Information Officer,
Contra Costa Sheriffs Office


Alameda Considers New Post
to Protect Tenants’ Rights and
Prosecute Property Crimes, News, Aug. 28

I’m Tired of Alameda’s
Front-Porch Thefts

As someone who had Christmas presents stolen off of our porch and more, I am down with being able to at least get back the money from everything that’s been stolen off of our porch. It should get way better than this, but for now I’ll deal with this bullshit.

Betty Cooper


Kaplan Calls for Audit of Schaaf’s
Education Initiative, Seven Days, Sep. 4

The Politics of Bitterness

Kaplan really seems like she’s still bitter about losing the mayoral election and is trying to sabotage her rival however she can. Reminds me a bit of the way Trump is blindly trying to undo everything Obama did!

Max Chanowitz

Kaplan is more about helping herself than helping Oakland. She reminds me of another ego-driven councilman, De La Fuente, whos incompetence left Oakland with lots of debt with nothing to show for it.

Paul Merr

How can a news item on Oakland Promise be written without mentioning the parcel tax that Schaaf pushed to give O.P. public funds, one of the biggest and longest-run parcel taxes in Oakland history? It is no excuse that Kaplan, with an amazing ability to think small, ducks this issue while making a fuss about some office space. The tax is also tied up in litigation over the city council’s decision to declare the measure approved despite its failure to get the required number of votes to pass.

Charlie Pine


Nepalese Sanctuary Seekers Fighting to
Stay in the U.S., News, Sep. 4

Nepal is Fine

While I do not support Trump and am a Nepali, nothing about this article is true. Nepal is fine; there is no need for TPS anymore. Yes it sucks that you will go back to Nepal, but please stop advertising Nepal as a hellhole where you will be hounded by communist party or that is is “ravaged” by earthquake. Nepal is fine.

Bill 1


Politics Played No Role in Film Festival,
Letters, Aug, 7

This Sure Sounds
Like Muzzling to Me

In her letter, Lexi Leban, Director of the Jewish Film Institute (JFI), responds to my guest editorial about how the Jewish Federation muzzles grantees like JFI by prohibiting them from partnering with any group that the Federation deems to “undermine the legitimacy” of Israel or that supports Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS). Ms. Leban states that JFI “does not engage in community partnerships with political organizations working directly on the Israel/Palestine conflict. This policy applies to organizations on both ends of the spectrum on this issue.” It is this practice, she says, that was the basis for rescinding an “inadvertent” invitation to Jewish Voice for Peace to be a Community Partner this year.

This policy of neutrality must have been very recently adopted. While JVP, which supports equal rights for Palestinians and BDS, has been blacklisted as a Film Festival partner since the Federation prohibition went into effect in 2010, the Festival has since that time continued to partner with the most staunch Israel-aligned groups in the Bay Area. Last year, for example, JFI’s Community Partners included Birthright (providing free trips for young Jews to Israel in order to forge emotional ties with that country), StandWithUs (“inspired by our love of Israel to Stand Up for Israel”), Hillel Stanford (which is required under Hillel national rules to ban BDS supporters from speaking at its venue), Onward Israel (a Hillel International Program), the Jewish Community Relations Council (which enforces the Jewish Federation blacklist), and the Israeli consulate itself.

Many of these groups listed as Community Partners not only defend Israel’s policies, but work to suppress Palestinian voices, particularly on campus, and promote legislation that punishes those who are critical of Israel or support BDS.

As my editorial noted, the Film Festival still features movies about Israel-Palestine, including some that portray Palestinian suffering under Israeli rule. But they are far fewer in number than before the Federation prohibition was imposed, and their content must not cross the lines set by the Federation. At the time the Federation rules were first being put in place, the then-director of the SF Jewish Film Festival decried “fear-based boundary making,” and the former director described them as “putting a chill on programming decisions. It’s very frightening.” The rules that caused these two former directors such alarm are the same ones that the current director must work under.

Carol Sanders, member,
Jewish Voice for Peace


Go Big. Be Bold. Go Home. Eric Swalwell
Ends Quixotic Campaign, Seven Days, July 10

Empty Suit

Swalwell’s big mistake was opening his mouth & demonstrating to the entire country that he is nothing but an empty suit. Good riddance!

Jim Mellander

#LaneyBuilt, Feature, Sep. 4

Glory Over Health

Congrats to the coach for risking the future health of his players for a meaningless trophy. “Hacking up gunk” is a small part of the possible consequences, most much more dire.

Ernest Montague


Best Old-World Bookshop, Goods & Services, July 31

Credit Where Credit is Due

Fact check: He didn’t “create” Owl & Company I did, built it from scratch, everything you see I built, and then I operated the shop for a year.

Todd Pratum

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