Marin IJ Readers’ Forum for Jan. 12, 2025

We need bold, equitable climate policies right now

Accelerating climate action can help California address the rising costs of food, electricity and insurance. To meet this challenge, state leaders must hold “Big Oil” and corporate utilities accountable, support clean energy solutions and responsibly reduce past carbon pollution.

Right now, oil and gas companies enjoy enormous subsidies and profits, while Californians bear the costs of their toxic pollution. Eliminating these subsidies could recover billions annually, while a “climate superfund” could ensure polluters pay for disaster recovery, climate adaptation and the clean energy transition.

State leaders should also embrace technologies like rooftop solar, energy storage and vehicle-to-grid systems to create a more affordable and reliable electricity grid. The Climate Center, a California-based nonprofit, published a recent report called “Envisioning the California Grid for the Future.” It highlights how local clean energy can reduce costs while building resilience.

Additionally, California must address rising food prices driven by climate extremes like heat waves and flooding. Prioritizing investments in climate-resilient agriculture and partnering with local resource conservation districts can help farmers and ranchers adapt to these challenges.

Now is the time to advance bold, equitable climate policies that will secure a healthier, more affordable future for all of California.

— Max Arquilevich, San Anselmo

Rodoni needs to come clean about his support

In a recent story about the resignation of Chris Desser from the Marin County Planning Commission (“Outspoken Marin County planning commissioner resigns,” Dec. 31), Desser told the IJ that Marin Supervisor Dennis Rodoni said he was opening the position up to other community members (in effect, firing her). She said Rodoni told her it was because “we just don’t agree on things.”

We who live in the communities over whom the Planning Commission holds great sway deserve to know what those things were.

Most likely, Rodoni disagrees with Desser’s strong position against the county preempting community influence over land-use decisions. All should remember that many communities spent years painstakingly developing detailed community plans to balance the need for tourism and housing with the need to protect natural resources and local economies. The community plans should be honored.

As the elected representative of coastal Marin, Rodoni needs to help West Marin understand the critical thinking that guides his representation.

— David Morris, Point Reyes Station

For Jimmy Carter, virtue was always its own reward

Former President Jimmy Carter, who died Dec. 29, surely fit the definition of a “stranger in a strange land” when he went to Washington, D.C. in 1976.

He was a man of honor and duty amid a world increasingly run by grifters and opportunists. His epitaph should be, “virtue is its own reward,” because that is what he pursued. Too bad his country did not.

— Niccolo Caldararo, Fairfax

Commentary in support of Trump’s pick missed mark

I found the recently published Another View commentary by Erika Donalds (“Trump’s pick for education shows he gets assignment,” Dec. 28) both horrifying and unconscionable.

The fact that Donalds is a “visiting fellow” at the Heritage Foundation, which created the “Project 2025” extreme-right playbook is a big problem. Many consider that report to be filled with bigotry and the systemic stripping away of basic rights for anyone who doesn’t tow the conservative line. I’m worried the administration of President-elect Donald Trump will follow Project 2025’s guidelines.

Donalds’ assessment of Linda McMahon, Trump’s pick to lead the U.S. Department of Education, was ludicrous. We do not need a conservative businesswoman in that role. I suspect McMahon may push to build more charter schools while defunding public education and ignoring teachers’ unions.

Don’t forget, McMahon was head of the Small Business Administration during Trump’s first term. She really left Puerto Rico hanging with her “retooling” of disaster relief after it was hit by a hurricane.

I don’t understand Donalds’ complaint about K-12 “serving as a fundraising conduit” for low-income students with disabilities. Public education should be about serving all children and helping all of them become their best selves.

— Leigh Ann Townsend, San Rafael