The experience that changed a Modesto student's perspective on homelessness
'Riverbank council declines more funds for homeless project. Backers address fears,' (modbee.com, April 23)
At the start of my sophomore year of high school, I joined the cross country team. During practices, my teammates and I jogged through neighborhoods toward the local park, crossing through open roads full of life and struggle. I vividly remember the homeless population stuffed into cars on a 94 degree afternoon. These cars, parked without power, were homes for those trapped in a harsh reality.
This wasn't a typical sighting of homelessness: There were children in these cars — my age and younger — growing up without opportunities, caught in a relentless cycle of poverty.
I realized then how much we as a society take for granted. My education, warm meals and safe and clean living conditions were not just everyday parts of my life, they were privileges. I urge all of us to put ourselves in the shoes of those we overlook. Only by feeling their sense of disconnection and isolation can we truly foster compassion and inclusion.
Rudra Patel
Modesto
Opinion
'California forestry policies: A marriage of priorities?' (sacbee.com, April 24)
In the name of wildfire prevention, both President Donald Trump and Gov. Gavin Newsom are pushing for more logging through mechanisms that skirt environmental oversight, further degrading our forest ecosystems.
But thinning usually does more harm than good: It can accelerate fire spread by exposing the forest floor's fuels to sun drying and wind penetration; it significantly lowers carbon sequestration, putting more emissions into the atmosphere; and even the supposed benefits are less impactful in areas where vegetation can grow back quickly and there's a lack of old-growth trees.
Most importantly, thinning is often used as a pretext for commercial logging, targeting valuable trees instead of the more fire-prone vegetation. In this case, Trump wants to feed the timber lobby with more lumber, and Newsom has pushed an agenda of building a 'woody products' industry in California.
Neither has the environment's best interests at heart.
Jeff Zhou
Glendale
'Why fossil fuel companies must pay for climate damages,' (sacbee.com, April 18)
The fossil fuel industry has made a fortune making me sick: My days in elementary school were spent in an environment full of lead from fossil fuel additives and smog — the pollution was so bad, outdoor physical exercise classes would be cancelled.
As a student at UC Santa Barbara, I saw the 1969 oil spill cover our pristine beaches. The fossil fuel industry told us that oil was a 'natural' component of the shoreline.
Years later, my father-in-law's home was lost in one of the Malibu fires, and my parents' home was destroyed in the 2018 Camp Fire.
It is time for the fossil fuel industry to be held accountable for its deceptions. Call your state representatives and demand they pass the Polluters Pay Climate Superfund Act of 2025.
Charles Williams
Cupertino
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