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Could houseboats be
homelessness solution?
I was walking near Horatio’s restaurant at the marina in San Leandro and saw the work being done to clear the structures in the water. I thought, “What a great place to have houseboats.” Then I thought what a great place to have houseboats for the homeless. There are dozens of berths that are basically unusable for sailboats and other boats because of shallow water, but perfect for houseboats.
So how about it Alameda County? Houseboats for the homeless?
K. Tester
San Leandro
Burden of groundwater
cost should be shared
Re: “Fears rise as farmland values sink” (Page A1, Jan. 28).
The Jan. 28 article raises the issue of the cost of groundwater for farmers due to “California’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act.” Groundwater has become very expensive.
Groundwater has been mined like there’s no tomorrow. The major fault is climate change. This is the underlying reason for the problem. The state has tried to mitigate the damage to the aquifers with the Sustainable Groundwater Act. This should have been made clear in the article from the start, not buried many paragraphs later.
It is good to raise the issue, however. Farmers need financial help. The costs should be shared across the state. We all need the food the farmers produce.
Louise Neal
Albany
Authoritarian drift
animates opponents
To Trump supporters who wonder why his opposition is so upset, an explanation:
The president of the United States has one job as stated in the oath he took: “to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.” The Constitution says that it is Congress’s job to make the laws and provide a budget. It is the president’s job to see that laws are carried out — all of them, not just the ones he likes. So when a president decides not to abide by some laws, it goes against the Constitution he swore to protect. It is the job of the judiciary to decide which laws and actions are illegal. Several federal judges have said that some of the president’s actions are illegal.
Plainly put, if a president doesn’t follow the law, then he is a dictator. We don’t want a dictator, and that’s why we’re upset.
Judy Hammon
Orinda
Vote for leaders who
prioritize equality
Before working at NUMMI, the only time as a woman my pay was truly on par with my male peers was when I worked in a union job for General Motors. This disparity underscores a larger issue — women and minorities still face systemic barriers to financial equality in the workplace.
When Toyota applied for and received Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE) status, it transformed the hiring and promotion landscape for all races and genders. Suddenly, there was a noticeable shift — opportunities were opening up for those who had previously been overlooked. However, now that Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives are being unjustly scapegoated, what will happen to the progress that was made?
Vote for policies and leaders who prioritize equal opportunity for all.
Karen Moore
Hayward
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Democrats make
most of limited hand
Re: “When will Democrat voters wake up?” (Page A6, Feb. 7).
With Republican majorities in Congress and the Supreme Court, Democrats have limited options to oppose the hostile takeover by Elon Musk and his youthful cyber mob at the behest of Donald Trump. They can turn to the courts and stage protests. I laud the efforts of California Attorney General Rob Bonta suing to prevent DOGE from illegally accessing and disseminating our private information.
Gwenlyn Gibson
El Cerrito
