Letters to the Editor, Sept. 8, 2022

Roll On

Your coverage of the whereabouts of the proposed skatepark in Pacific Grove is so biased it isn’t funny (“A skatepark dream takes shape in change-averse Pacific Grove,” Sept. 1-7). First, we are not change averse. We are averse to stupid ideas. George Washington Park is a forested, peaceful greenbelt where people go to get away from noise. It is for little kids to run around freely. It is where we go and listen to the birds and the ocean. The skatepark will disrupt all of this. Public Works are off their rockers to recommend this area as the number-one choice!

If one person would have walked over there and actually looked at the space they would have realized how inappropriate it is. The media and the skateboarders have run away with this ridiculous idea without considering the hundreds of people who live right there! Jane Flury | Pacific Grove

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I’m happy to hear we are getting another much-needed skatepark in our area. Skateboarding is a healthy, creative, individual, outdoor sport that needs to be supported, instead of being treated like a crime.

My son and his friends skate every day in South Salinas. Many business owners don’t like skateboarders on their property and make them leave or install “skate stoppers.” They are great kids and at times get treated like criminals for participating in the sport they love. It would be wonderful if they had somewhere to go. A skatepark near Oldtown would be fantastic.

Kids, especially older kids and teenagers, really need something active, healthy, and fun to do. Paige Hufford | Salinas

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This is so rad! We need safe spaces for kids to skate and connect. Lauren White | via social media

Let’s gooooo. Been a long time coming since the year 2000 when people first brought awareness that Pacific Grove needed a place for kids to skate! James Ryan | via social media

Tragic Loss

This is heartbreaking. Life on the street was hard enough (“Four unhoused men from Salinas are killed in a truck crash, leaving friends at a loss,” Sept. 1-8). Paula Cushman | Elkhorn

May God rest their souls. Vanessa Gonzalez | Salinas

Lights Up

Thank you for reporting on the draft EIR for the Carmel High School stadium project (“Carmel Unified School District releases a new plan for Carmel High’s stadium project,” Sept. 1-7). Though the superintendent appears confident in the project moving forward, it will likely suffer the same fate as the improvements planned for Dan Albert Stadium at Monterey High. MPUSD made similar concessions outlined in the article, such as limiting the use of lights to only five nights a year past 8pm and prohibiting use of the lights by outside organizations.

The district even forbid the use of the lights on the weekends, but none of that mattered. A group of neighbors still put their own self-interest in front of the needs of thousands of students and sued the district. Look for a lawsuit on behalf of Carmel High neighbors who want to “preserve the peace.” Good luck, Carmel High. Ethan Ritcher | Monterey

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I frankly don’t understand the vitriol and hate directed against a high school for wanting to provide better facilities and a safer environment for school sports at night. As a graduate of Carmel High (class of 1990) who lives in the vicinity of the school along Hatton Canyon, I have zero opposition to the lights being added with proper mitigation.

What are the alternatives? No school sports at night? Not remotely realistic.

We live in a very privileged community that gets up in an uproar over the little things that frankly don’t matter in the bigger picture. Carmel High has the right to expand, modernize and change. Art Fernandez | Carmel

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A good friend of mine lives in upscale Walnut Creek. His backyard is within 300 yards of two lighted high school football stadiums. I can personally attest that light on game nights has had zero impact on our enjoyment of his backyard. Gerald Kergan | Seaside

Whose School?

A better idea: Remove and deport all the illegal alien students and their families (“MPUSD will move a school out of federal jurisdiction, calming immigration fears,” Aug. 25-31). They have no right to be here. Remember in November, remember in 2024, and read the Epoch Times. Otis Needleman | Seaside

Road Hazard

There should be consequences for the judge. He misjudged (“Marina PD’s request of no bail was denied for Daniel John Wetle. Then he killed someone,” Aug. 25-31). Douglas Brown | via social media

Big Tech

This article offers insights into the efforts and issues to provide infrastructure to various communities in our region (“There’s a lot of interest in bridging the digital divide. Here’s what expanding access to the internet in Monterey County actually looks like,” Aug. 25-31). It overlooks, however, other significant dimensions of the digital divide. These are access to computing devices and the skills required to use these effectively and safely.

Loaves, Fishes & Computers, a nonprofit founded in 2009, offers these services throughout Monterey County. It has provided over 11,000 computers and over 650 digital fluency classes to parents, migrant youth, farmworkers, veterans, people with disabilities and most recently, through its Connecting Seniors to Technology initiative, to our county’s elders.

The digital divide is more than a technological divide. It’s a geographic divide, a racial divide, an economic, age and a social justice divide. Without access, equipment and skills, people are excluded from participating in our increasingly digital culture. Arlene Krebs | Monterey

Note: Krebs is chair emerita of Loaves, Fishes & Computers.