Letters: Enjoy California's beaches? You can thank the state Coastal Commission
To my fellow Californians, the California Coastal Commission plays a vital role in protecting the West Coast fishing industry and the state's coastal communities from displacement caused by nonwater-dependent development — think T-shirt shops, waterfront condos and extravagant shoreside McMansions.
Attacking the California Coastal Commission because you erected a 70-foot flagpole on a spectacular section of coast, all without a permit, like Donald Trump once did, or if you're SpaceX, and you decided to violate the terms of your permit by exceeding the number of rockets you agreed to launch, it is not the commission's fault. Its role is to enforce the rules, not to permit violations.
Is the Coastal Commission process perfect? No. Could it be improved? Absolutely, and with thoughtful consideration, it can be done.
If you are a commercial fisherman coming into a California port and still have a place to tie up your boat, sell your fish or buy supplies, thank the Coastal Commission for preserving working waterfronts.
Ken Bates, Eureka
Research cuts shortsighted
Regarding 'California researchers stunned by Trump's $312 million in grant cuts: 'No warning' ' (California, SFChronicle.com, April 25): As a scientist and citizen, I was enraged to read about the cuts to research in California.
Rubbing salt in the wound, I am a 44-year-old who just recovered from a case of shingles; fortunately, it was mild and treatable. There is a shingles vaccine, but it is currently only available for people 50 or over.
I see that a recently terminated research project was a UCSF study investigating the ability of a shingles vaccine to prevent blindness.
Now we'll never know if the benefits of the shingles vaccine are greater than anticipated and whether its use should be expanded.
Zack Subin, San Francisco
Fund foster care advocates
Foster Care Awareness Month is in May, and I want to share the importance of the work of San Francisco CASA and the critical nature of the state funding our Legislature is considering.
Court Appointed Special Advocates are dedicated, trained volunteers who advocate for children in San Francisco's foster care system. These young people have been removed from their homes, and they become our community's responsibility.
CASAs provide consistency and facilitate the services young people need to thrive during a time fraught with uncertainty. San Francisco CASA provides vital support to our state, court and social workers, even though our federal support has been cut to zero, and most of our funding is private.
As an example, we helped the state reach an additional 127 youth with its foster youth tax credit this year by providing free tax assistance. That is why it is critical that we also receive state general fund support to recruit, train and supervise more CASAs to serve our youth.
CASAs set San Francisco's children up for success so that they have every opportunity to live healthy and fulfilling lives.
Kate Durham, executive director, San Francisco CASA
Add car safety tools
There have been two horrific car accidents during the past few months in Marin County and Alameda County that claimed the lives of seven teenagers and injured several others.
In both crashes, courageous bystanders who tried to extricate the victims were held back by fire, locked doors and windows they could not break.
It is heart-wrenching to think that the victims — some of whom succumbed to the fire — could have lived or suffered fewer injuries if rescuers were able to remove them from the burning vehicles faster.
Commercial vehicles in California are required to be equipped with a fire extinguisher. The same should be required for private vehicles, and drivers should also add a flashlight and a certified window breaker/seatbelt cutter tool (and not the cheap kind).
It is a small investment that can and will save lives.
Jahan Byrne, Richmond
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