LETTERS to the EDITOR 11.09.17

Dropped Call

And that’s why the cell service is terrible… it’ll continue to be terrible for as long as communities don’t want to look at them (“Monterey residents rise up against proposed cell facilities in their neighborhood,” Nov. 2-11). Don’t whine when you can’t connect and don’t whine if you’re in a dead zone and an emergency alert is sent out and you don’t get it! Josie Borisow | via Facebook

How do you expect to make calls on your phone? Oh somewhere else but not your backyard. Richard Finetto | via Facebook

You can’t accept science that supports human-induced global warming and deny that which shows electromagnetic radiation from cell towers is harmless. Likewise, you can’t own a cell phone and oppose cell towers for health reasons. Doing either makes you look foolish. Brian Thomas Rozema | via Facebook

With the fires and mudslides, I’d want a cell tower. You bet. Sometimes I just don’t get the Peninsula. Always arguing. Julie Law | via Facebook

There is a gap in coverage, as I am a Verizon customer and live in the Monte Vista neighborhood. I don’t think we need that many towers. But, it would be nice to get better reception. Anne Marie Olson | via Facebook

Feeling Cornered

Nobody calls it anything anyway. It’s just an intersection (“A Salinas native takes up the cause of renaming Confederate Corners,” Nov. 2-8). Devin Podeszwa | Salinas

Another useless issue to pursue. Eliot Davis | via Facebook

You go, AJ [Alvero]. Always stand up for what you believe in!!! Lynnette Smick | via Facebook

So few people understand why these “confederates” made their way into the western states in the 1840-50s. They had flown out of their homes in the South. They couldn’t make it there! They were not coming for gold. They just ran. When they got together here, they had some kind of common background or identity; it doesn’t mean they were planning to enslave somebody.

When I got to Monterey County and learned many of the settlers of Salinas were the brothers and cousins of my great-granddad’s, I was thrilled. John Steinbeck was just one of them. It’s true that many people have lived, farmed and had businesses in Blanco over the decades. Get to hear a different side of the story. To have spent time in Blanco changes you, usually for the better. Kit Durrett Read | Jolon

Saturation Point

Always interested in the welfare of “the little guy,” I read this story with great interest (“After a confrontation with Cal Water, a Prunedale homeowner looks to go home,” Nov. 2-8). The thought of an 88-year-old woman’s property being so badly damaged by California Water Services seven months ago without being immediately repaired amazes me. CWS recently posted its third-quarter net income as $33.8 million. They can afford to restore the Buonocores’ home.Kathleen Ryan | Monterey

Top Cop

Nice interview. Looks like Marina has done well for itself! (“Marina’s first woman police chief talks about her new job – and her passion for karaoke,” Nov. 2-8.)Lars Klassen | via Facebook

Great to see the growing numbers of female police chiefs locally! Esther Malkin | via Facebook

Her gender is irrelevant. Let’s see how she performs. Steve Elwood | via Facebook

The FORA Show

Seems about right. (“Squid watches FORA’s slick promo video as FORA oozes toward an ambiguous future,” posted Oct. 30). Marina is treated like the evil stepchild, and most of the board follows [FORA Executive Director Michael] Houlemard and [Seaside Mayor/FORA board chair Ralph] Rubio, and seems immune to discourse. The staff has an inherent conflict – if they figure out how to sunset, they work themselves out of a job. It’s bureaucracy at its bureacraciest.Michael Baer | Monterey

Once again, Squid misses the point. What we need are FORA meetings televised with dramatic drone videography. Maybe a Vangelis score. I’ll bring this up at Admin… Craig Malin | Seaside

Editor’s note: Malin is the Seaside city manager.

In the Dark

[I have seen them] two times in the wine cellar of Nepenthe (“Big Sur is home to shadowy figures – or at least people who see them,” Oct. 26-Nov. 1). Have never been able to wrap my head around what I saw. Emily Ewins | via Facebook

Current residents of Big Sur report that “watchers” only inhabit public land. They do not hang out on private property and would like to spread the word. Lynda Mason Oswald | via Facebook

Get in Line

If a parent is deported, they should take their American-born children with them (“Applications for passports are spiking alongside fears of deportation,” Nov. 2-8). The children will learn a new culture, a new language and they can continue learning English. Second languages open doors. Returning is their choice.Shirley Graham | via Facebook

This office is so great. It makes applying for a passport convenient and less stressful. Maury Treleven | via Facebook