Letters: Meeting needs of mothers helps care for children

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Meeting moms’ needs helps care for children

When Mayor Lee championed the Alameda County Diaper Drive last week, the message was clear: No family should choose between buying food and keeping their baby clean.

But as we celebrate this push for childhood support, we must acknowledge a parallel underemphasized crisis. If diapers are a basic human right, that same logic applies to menstrual products. For many low-income mothers in the East Bay, the “period poverty” they experience is directly tied to the “diaper gap” their children face. Both are non-negotiable biological needs. Yet, neither diapers nor pads can be purchased with SNAP/WIC.

A mother cannot support her child’s learning or maintain her own life if she is sidelined by a lack of her own basic sanitary supplies. We must advocate for policies that provide free menstrual products in all public restrooms, schools and shelters; and we must push for permanent, publicly funded diaper banks.

Neha Pondicherry
San Francisco

Plate reader mistakes have dangerous results

While driving from Oakland to work at a skilled nursing facility in Hayward, I was pulled over by deputies from the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office. Within minutes, several patrol vehicles surrounded my car, and I was ordered to exit with my hands up.

An automated license plate reader made by Flock Safety had flagged my vehicle as being connected to a crime.

The problem was simple: my rear license plate had been stolen and placed on another vehicle. Because that plate triggered the alert, my car became the target of a high-risk stop.

Deputies removed the plate and told me to replace both plates through the California Department of Motor Vehicles.

Technology can help solve crimes, but cities must also protect innocent drivers from the consequences of mistakes.

Ann Nomura
Oakland

Noem’s firing reaffirms Trump’s revolving door

Re: “Noem out as leader of DHS” (Page A1, March 6).

The president fired Kristi Noem for doing everything he does. Other cabinet members are also on the hot seat, and we expect to see more folks emptying their desks and turning in their executive washroom keys.

The MAGA vetting process goes like this: Do you swear ultimate loyalty to Donald Trump and only Trump? Competence and experience are not considered at all. And when they fail in their jobs, as expected, the boss blames them. So, nothing new to see here.

This president’s first term was the same revolving door. And we’ve always known how unintelligent he is. It’s not a secret. Remember, he threatened any schools that would dare show his grades. Must be a doozy.

Stuart Shicoff
Martinez