Letters to the Editor 07.26.18

Center Stage

Please don’t (“Congressman Jimmy Panetta is reaching across the aisle,” July 19-25). Frederick Jack Nelson | via Facebook

Stay on your side of the tracks. Kathy D. Matthews

Centrist garbage. Sad I voted for this clown. Jaimeson Webster | via Facebook

Water Level

Thanks for your common-sense article on this ongoing issue (“Squid takes a shallow dive into Lake Nacimiento – and a weird effort to ‘save’ it,” posted July 23). Many of the folks who are speaking out the loudest either don’t know about or don’t care about the primary reason for Lake Nacimiento’s existence. Thanks for clearly outlining this information in the hope that people can spend their hard-earned dollars on a more relevant cause, of which there are many.Paula Getzelman | Lockwood

Joint effort

Who sets up a million-dollar facility with no fire sprinkler system in an area that hits 90 degrees on daily basis? (“Fire in Greenfield cannabis greenhouse is under control after doing major damage,” posted July 23). If you’re local to this area, you would have noticed there are no greenhouses like that anywhere over there. Most are closer to the coast, i.e. Gonzales to Watsonville. Leonard Salinas | via Facebook

The entire neighborhood is suffering through uncontrollable bouts of the munchies. George Leavell | via Facebook

Governance Structure

The mayor or chair of any board or council has more power than others, because typically they are responsible for setting the agenda (“Two Monterey Peninsula cities may change how they’re governed,” July 19-25). Anyone who knows anything about a meeting understands the importance of this power. Kathy Wylie | via web

“Acrimony,” rotation of the mayor and “politics” are distractions from the more significant issue of a city council which does not recognize the right of the public to public records and instead embraces a “trust us” attitude as stated in the case of Royal Calkins v. City of Carmel-By-The-Sea (“Carmel fights back against records request lawsuit and makes it personal,” posted July 12). Specifically, as quoted, “Indeed, the rationale behind the [California Public Records] Act is that it is for the public to make that determination, based on information to which it is entitled under the law. Open access to government records is essential to verify that government officials are acting responsibly and held accountable to the public they serve. Such access permits checks against the arbitrary exercise of official power and secrecy in the political process. The whole purpose of CPRA is to ensure transparency in government activities.” L.A.Paterson | Carmel

Taking a Swing

This is an interesting tournament recap (“Noh captures U.S. Girls’ Junior title after long week at fog-bound Poppy Hills,” posted July 23). The final point about the girl backing out of a college scholarship offer from UCLA to turn pro, presumably following high school graduation, presents an interesting profile opportunity down the line of both the girl and her family.

I’m guessing she will one day smack her forehead and say, “What were my parents and I thinking in limiting my education?” George Lentz | Seaside

Courting Disaster

Don’t kid yourself, the Supreme Court has always been a political body and even though we don’t vote for them directly they are subject to the will of the people (“The Supreme Court was never supposed to be a political body – but now it is, for years to come,” July 12-18). Over history when they have done the right thing it has been met with approval. When they failed to observe the will of the people it has been met with opposition up to and including civil war. We may be in for an era of discontent and at this time it is up to us to make our will known, see what they decide, and react to their decisions.We are living in interesting times. Ron Chesshire | Monterey

Mr. Zirin needs to fact check his statements more closely. If you Google “Judicial Procedures Reform Bill of 1937” you find, “JPRB (frequently called the court packing plan) was a legislative proposed by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt to add more justices to the U.S. Supreme Court. Roosevelt’s purpose was to obtain favorable rulings regarding New Deal legislation that the court had ruled unconstitutional.”

He added four liberal judges to the court and was able to pass his agenda, forever changing the court and politicizing the court itself. Frank Williams | Carmel

MMMM Bacon

Yum! I love Sur (“Taste: Bread and Bacon at Billy Quon’s Sur,” July 19-25). Valentina Rosendeau | via Facebook

Running Wild

Our public lands and the wildlife that lives upon them are being threatened by the intrusive and illegal use by coal, natural gas and livestock grazing. Wild horses are in particular danger. I have written to U.S. Rep. Jimmy Panetta asking him to initiate an investigation into BLMs possible slaughter of 49,000 wild horses in holding. He co-sponsored the Safeguard American Food Export Act which would stop horse slaughter in the U.S., but he needs to protect the wild ones in holding. The holding program costs the BLM nearly $50 million a year. Our wild horses are being removed so welfare ranchers can have their lands. Lorna Moffat | Monterey