Letters to the Editor 06.06.24

Off the Bus

How many people are going to park their car in Marina and get on a bus that travels just five miles to Seaside? (“Monterey-Salinas Transit’s proposed SURF! busway is hitting bumps in the road,” May 30-June 5.) The proposed MST SURF! busway cost is now $91.5 million and the current route plows right through Fort Ord Dunes State Park.

Goodbye to 92 trees and some very special coastal habitat. What a huge waste, in more ways than one. Christie Greenwall | Marina

Governance 101

Perhaps it’s best that these people remain thoroughly engrossed in their mutual hostility (“The MPC board finally elects officers on split votes, reflecting deep divisions,” posted May 31). It would be a shame if they somehow got involved in running the college. Or anything else, really. What a parliament of clowns. Arnold Seibel | Pacific Grove

To the Top

Spoken like a true liberal!! (“A conviction for a former president proves that no one is above the law,” posted May 30.) Carolyn Sames | Carmel

Great editorial: civil, carefully worded, but crystal clear in its message, a message for all Americans. Thanks. Christina Lund | Pacific Grove

You would benefit from toning down your political bias especially when you don’t have a very good grasp of the facts. Susan Gleason | Pebble Beach

Despite the guilty verdict, Donald Trump is still very much running for president. If he is elected to a second term, our democracy would be in serious peril. Don’t just take my word for it: Trump has pledged to weaponize the Department of Justice to seek revenge against his political opponents, pardon himself and his allies for crimes they commit, and deploy the military against demonstrators exercising their First Amendment rights – all while purging the federal government of anyone who doesn’t agree with him.

There’s too much at stake to let Trump return to the Oval Office. It’s up to us to make sure we hold Trump accountable at the ballot box in November. Tony Paredes | Salinas

~ ~ ~

The guilty [verdict] of a former president was a political stunt. Judge Juan Merchan was picked to destroy the Trump family and his campaign. District Attorney Alvin Bragg destroys New York every day with his lawlessness on the streets over and over while he appears in a kangaroo court.

Trump will appeal and yes, we will vote for Trump just for the voters around the nation and the Central Coast who think they can gain Democrat votes on a felony charge.

We know who saved our country with no inflation and low unemployment rates. We know who kept us safe from terrorism and no wars. We had low gas prices around the nation but not in California because of our wonderful gas tax thanks to Democrats.

All the bad bills passed are authored by Democrats, not Republicans and we will not stop to save our nation or our state. Marilyn Galli | Carmel

~ ~ ~

This isn’t just about hush money payments. It’s about breaking the law to hide the truth from the American people 11 days before a presidential election.

Trump has a clear pattern of lying to the American people and trying to undermine our elections in order to cling to power. He still faces three additional indictments and 54 criminal charges, including federal charges for inciting an insurrection to overturn the 2020 election. In spite of all of this, he’s still running for president.

Donald Trump is a convicted fraudster and criminal who still poses a massive threat to our fundamental freedoms. We can’t let him hold the highest office in our land in 2025. It’s up to all of us to hold him accountable and defeat him at the ballot box in November. Kelly Daggett | Seaside

Tyranny of the Majority

I’m so disappointed in the Pacific Grove City Council (“Squid Fry: Code Breakers,” May 30-June 5). They want employees and citizens to be held accountable but heaven forbid they are.

One particular council member is costing the city hundreds of thousands of dollars. It’s truly unbelievable. There is no transparency. It’s just lip service.

Thanks for continuing to report on this. RJ Viray | Pacific Grove

School Day

California’s draft Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum was written by a committee co-chaired by Allyson Tintiangco-Cubales, the consultant who was later hired by Pajaro Valley Unified School District (“Ethnic studies contract causes a rift in PVUSD – and a community group,” May 30-June 5).

Tintiangco-Cubales’s 600-page draft contained just two references to the Holocaust. This was one of many reasons that Gov. Gavin Newsom referred to this draft as biased, bigoted and discriminatory and assured Jewish leaders that “It will never see the light of day.”

The state’s Instructional Quality Commission scrapped her draft, replacing it with a more inclusive, less biased model curriculum that included lessons about antisemitism. Not incidentally, Tintiangco-Cubales was furious about the changes and demanded that her name be removed from the final adopted model curriculum. Doug Kaplan | Aptos

Note: Kaplan is a former PVUSD trustee.

Deep Roots

Great guy, great place (“A unique Castroville nursery is trying to stay in business by buying the property it leases,” May 23-29). My banana trees are 20-plus years old. Cathy Kunkel | via social media

This place is like a succulent museum! Carmen Oropesa-Siordia | via social media

Love this place. I got some of my best cactus collection here. Elizabeth Gonzalez-Jaskulak | via social media