Letters: Parasitic YIMBYism | Dark money | Rights affirmed | Common denominator | Plea for pardon | Contempt for Musk

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YIMBYism is easywith no skin in game

I cringe when I read commentary such as that by Devin Foley of Fremont when, on Feb. 3, he demeans Steph and Ayesha Curry for not wanting condos and apartments springing up near their Atherton estate (“Housing stance shows Curry’s true character,” Page A6).

YIMBYs such as Foley self-righteously claim they are trying to solve the housing crisis and create affordable housing for the masses. Housing activism is one thing, and arguably a noble effort. YIMBYism is hypocritical parasitism, aimed at developers taking advantage of the good things that others have created, without paying a red cent for the benefits.

More condos and apartments could be built in centrally-located downtown Oakland to better solve homelessness and provide affordable housing. But there is more profit to be made by building next to the Currys and charging prices that only the rich can afford.

Again, YIMBYism is hypocritical parasitism.

William GilbertLafayette

Dark money, liestarget good policy

Re. “Disinformation is a problem in local races, too,” Page A7, Dec. 29:

As presented in the minutes of their Dec. 15 workshop, the San Ramon Valley Unified School District deserves commendation for using Thought Exchange, a method used to gather thousands of opinions, and turn that data into information in a remarkably short time.

That information was presented in a three-area Venn diagram, one categorizing the programs opposed by the political right, different ones opposed by the political left, and one of overlap (eg: improve lunches).

The presenter stated that many of the program descriptions had taken on inaccurate political meanings and that when he explained the actual actions and behaviors involved, every single person he talked to had agreed they were correct and appropriate. A mother extolled the benefit of these programs, explaining how her teenage daughter had directly benefited.

These beneficial but misunderstood programs are exactly those that dark money elected a board member to eliminate. If they prevail, dark money will reverse this vital, beneficial work.

Antonio InserniAlamo

SB 2 goes after rightsrecently OK’d by court

The recent Bruen decision by the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed the right of citizens to carry firearms in public under the Second Amendment.

California Democrats’ Senate Bill 2 completely eliminates the practical exercise of the rights afforded under Bruen. This shows their abject disdain for the rule of law. Only a fool or a liar would profess that SB 2 is constitutional or is not total prohibition.

Democrats believe the law-abiding deserve to be victimized by criminals, and they deny us the use of the best tools available for self-defense, because of historic oppression and racism, and inadequate egalitarianism. Those things are the root cause of crime.

Steve MinkWalnut Creek

Common denominatorin worst violence: Guns

Killings. So many every day, there should be a daily tally on the front page, like sports scores.

More than 45,000 in the United States in 2020, more than 15 times the number of deaths than in the 9/11 attacks. More than 45,000 lives lost yearly, and ever so many more survivors left without reasons for living.

In the so-called land of freedom, we aren’t free of this danger anywhere — at a supermarket, a church or park, on a highway. The killers are of various races and of all ages — even a 6-year-old.

We spend hours and dollars on searching for motives and exploring measures like background checks and red flag warnings that will help only a little. Yet there is one thing these killings have in common: guns. One wonders if we will ever learn.

Karen Lee CohenWalnut Creek

Pardon womantabbed for deportation

I urge Gov. Gavin Newsom to grant a pardon for Marisela Andrade.

Marisela is currently in immigration detention in Aurora, Colo. She was sent away from her family in California to an ICE detention facility where we know the conditions for detainees are dreadful. The governor allowed the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to give ICE access to detain her even though she had been granted parole, and had served her time. She is now facing deportation to Mexico, a country she left 27 years ago. Andrade faces possible torture and death at the hands of her former human trafficker’s family and network if returned to Mexico.

Continuing to incarcerate and punish Andrade with deportation and separation from her family does not make us any safer as a state. I urge the governor to grant Andrade, a survivor of human trafficking, a pardon to prevent her unjust deportation.

Caroline LehmanAlbany

Naming car showscontempt for Musk

If someone drove a Ford off a cliff, would the East Bay Times write, “Driver charged in Ford cliff plunge?” Of course they wouldn’t. They would write “Driver charged in car cliff plunge.” The same holds true if it were a Honda or a Chevrolet.

So why would they write “Driver charged in Tesla cliff plunge“? (Page A1, Jan. 31) Perhaps it is because the writers couldn’t pass up the opportunity to display their dislike of Elon Musk.

Bill McGregorBerkeley