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Trump ushers in return
of good-old-boy network
If you’re curious what the country will look like after the dismantling of DEI, look no further than Donald Trump’s Cabinet.
Of Trump’s 30 or so nominations only one is a Black American and he is tabbed to manage HUD, the one post that every Republican president cedes to a Black person. Trump has chosen just two Hispanics and one, Lori Chavez-DeRemer for Labor, is a nomination that Rand Paul says is already dead on arrival.
Without DEI most bosses like Trump will again revert to staffing their leadership positions with members of their family, long-time friends and other White people who, despite a lack of experience or expertise, will be chosen because of their pledge of absolute fealty.
With the return of the good-old-boy network, I can hardly wait to hear how the GOP will try to convince us that this system is actually fairer or more productive.
Bob Parker
San Jose
Reform Prop. 13 to
boost first-responders
Re: “Fire departments lament low staffing” (Page A1, Jan. 27).
California is woefully underprepared for the growing threat of fires throughout the state. The fires ravaging Southern California prove this, and data surrounding firefighter staffing and fire department funding shows that the Bay Area is underprepared as well. Despite this, there are proposals to close fire stations in Oakland, which would further hinder fire preparedness. So, in areas facing budget deficits like Oakland, where can we get the money to properly fund fire preparedness efforts? The answer is reforming Proposition 13.
Prop. 13 has robbed our local governments and communities of billions of dollars over the past 46 years. If corporations simply paid their fair share in property taxes, we would have the money to fund our fire departments and be prepared for further climate disasters. California’s public services and public schools have been underfunded for decades, but it’s never too late to invest in our future.
Rhys Hedges
San Francisco
Supervisors should look
again at artificial turf ban
Re: “Artificial turf ban fails to take root” (Page B1, Jan. 30).
On Tuesday, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors considered an ordinance to prohibit new artificial turf installations. Although the ordinance was limited to county-owned property and despite strong evidence that people are now at risk from plastic contamination, only two supervisors voted in favor of the ordinance.
The evidence shows that most of us already have traces of plastic residue in our bodies and that includes the heart, brain and blood of newborns. The artificial turf industry has refused to fully disclose the chemical composition of its product and is relentlessly promoting artificial turf and lawns.
We should thank Otto Lee, the sponsor of the ordinance, and Margaret Abe-Koga, the other yes vote, for putting the health of the residents first. Hopefully, as more evidence comes out proving the health risks of plastic grass, the other three supervisors will be open to looking at this issue again.
Brian Carr
San Jose
Save firehouse and
save town’s charm
On Jan. 21 the Los Gatos Town Council voted for disposal of the historic fire station property (built in 1926) at 4 Tait Ave., removing it from the Broadway Historical District. We are already seeing about a dozen SB 330 high-rise building proposals throughout town and this could be another such site. Revenue from such a sale is not worth the damage in the neighborhood. If they keep it, preserving not just this site but the character of this neighborhood, then this community resource could serve several local volunteer service organizations as a site for meetings and storage and as a display area for historical items in town.
While the building needs some upgrades and maintenance, local groups — such as Los Gatos Veterans Memorial and Support Foundation, Kiwanis, Rotary and the American Legion — with other local townsfolk could be volunteer workers for these tasks. Let’s preserve our heritage and town charm.
Lee Fagot
Los Gatos
Move toward theocracy
is move toward disaster
Freedom of religion is a wonderful gift protected by the Constitution. That means we can believe whatever we want as long as we don’t try to force-feed our beliefs to anyone else.
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Of course, freedom of religion also can mean freedom from religion. Lately, though, there has been some chatter about a “Christian nation.” Now we are not a Christian nation, our founders did not intend for us to be a Christian nation, and I’m not sure it is even possible to have a true Christian nation. We would certainly have to treat people differently than we do now. Check out the New Testament and see what Christ has to say about immigrants or the poor.
Now here’s the scary part: Look at those political systems around the world where theology and autocracy have become entangled. They are among the worst on Earth. I’ll take the Constitution any day.
Ray Jones
San Jose
