Letters: Livermore Council | Union City mayor | AUHSD board | A’s exit | Costly Bay Area | ‘Blood money’

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Elect Wang, Dunbar
for Livermore’s future

Livermore has a bright future. Green tourism can flourish thanks to agrivoltaics, solar-shaded walkways, and Lawrence Livermore Lab’s renown as the site of the world’s first successful fusion ignition. Visitors can stay at a new hotel downtown, and they can arrive on The Valley Link or other trains, continuing our proud heritage as a train town. Increased use of public transit will reduce congestion on Interstate 580 and pollution.

Within the city, better safety pathways combined with more e-bikes and other transit options ranging from buses to golf carts will alleviate parking woes downtown and decrease car collisions. Though we will need to build more housing, creating walkable communities near hubs of public and active transportation will allow Livermore to grow in a responsible and healthy way.

If you want my opinion on who would best serve as councilmembers to help our city adapt to the 21st century, they are Kristie Wang and Steven Dunbar.

Alan Marling
Livermore

As mayor, Singh would
fix Union City finances

I have lived in Union City for 20 years. The city’s finances are in very bad shape. Parks are deteriorating. The library is open only five days a week. New businesses are not coming in. We need someone more experienced in bringing in newer revenues and who can manage the city’s finances like that of a profitable business.

Gary Singh is that kind of a person and a leader. He went from door to door through the entire city introducing himself and talking and listening to voters. He has his own successful small business in Union City. As our mayor, Gary will prioritize attracting high-revenue businesses to our city, which will not only increase public funds and create local jobs but also cater to the community’s desire for more local dining and recreational choices.

Let us elect Councilmember Gary Singh as our next mayor of Union City.

Subru Bhat
Union City

Schweppe will fight
for Acalanes students

Stacey Schweppe is the most well-qualified candidate to join the Acalanes Union High School District governing board. Please vote for Stacey.

Stacey has been working on behalf of the students in our local public schools for over 20 years. She has been actively involved on school campuses as a parent leader and through multiple district sponsored committees, including the AUHSD parcel tax oversight committee.

As the parent of two AUHSD graduates, she has valuable perspective on what the district already does well for its students and what it can do better.

I worked alongside Stacey for eight years as a PTA volunteer. I know her to be thoughtful, practical and deeply engaged in the work of meeting the needs of our community’s kids.

I trust Stacey. I urge you to join me in voting for Stacey Schweppe for AUHSD governing board.

Aimee Moss
Walnut Creek

Plenty of blame to go
around for A’s exit

As I watched the final home game of the Oakland A’s on Thursday, I couldn’t help but reflect on the people who are responsible for this travesty.

First, the owner, John Fisher, who for years has been the worst owner in baseball. His greed and careless attitude regarding the team and the fans is the number one reason that the team is leaving Oakland. In addition, the two incompetent mayors of Oakland, Libby Schaaf and Sheng Thao, and their staffs and City Councils deserve a lot of the blame for not being able to find a solution to keep the A’s in Oakland. The Alameda County Board of Supervisors played a negative role in this debacle, and finally, the two worthless commissioners of MLB, Rob Manfred and Bud Selig, failed the fans.

The Oakland A’s players and their loyal fans deserve so much more.

David Ott
Pleasanton

Exiting costly Bay Area
is simply too expensive

Re: “The Bay Area housing affordability crisis doesn’t exist in much of the US — so why aren’t people moving?” (Sept. 29).

The reason why people aren’t migrating out of California is due to the expense of moving.

It’s incredibly expensive to pick up and move elsewhere. Plus most people aren’t willing to uproot their lives and start brand new. They’d also likely be leaving behind family and friends, which is difficult to do as well.

That’s in addition to the article’s stated point about the job market not being located in the Midwest the way it is in the bigger cities.

Alex Furtado
Benicia

Rodeos can’t buy their
way to respectability

Reportedly, the California Rodeo/Salinas recently donated some $800,000 to local charities. It’s called “blood money,” folks.

Nearly every animal welfare organization condemns rodeos due to their inherent cruelty. I was at the 1995 California Rodeo when five animals suffered and died. A roping calf with a broken back was not euthanized, but simply trucked off to slaughter, terrified and in agony. “Painkillers administered?” I asked the attending veterinarian. “No,” he responded, “that would ruin the meat.” That is unacceptable.

Only in the aftermath of the mayhem did the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association begin requiring on-site veterinarians at all their more than 600 annual rodeos. The majority of the estimated 2,000 U.S. rodeos don’t provide even this basic care, shamefully.

The United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales) outlawed all of rodeo back in 1934 due to the cruelty involved. Can the United States be far behind?

Eric Mills
Oakland