Latest news with #EllenM.Morrison

Yahoo

In letters: Cal Poly president owes us an explanation

President Jeffrey Armstrong, why did you refuse to sign onto the public statement signed by 523 of your fellow presidents of universities and colleges across the country condemning 'unprecedented government overreach and political interference now endangering American higher education'? Opinion Worried about retribution? You have already had a taste of that, in the form of a $5 million dollar hit in federal grant funding and getting hauled in front of a congressional committee. Do you actually believe that your lack of participation in this effort will protect Cal Poly from future reprisals? Oh, come on. No institution or individual is safe from the wild child in the White House. You state that the university has no role in determining public policy. The jackboot attempting to squash academic freedom is not public policy. Public policy is set by lawmakers, not one aspiring dictator. At a time when many of us struggle to find ways to be heard, you could have strengthened a voice for freedom and you have chosen to be silent. I, for one, want an explanation. Ellen M. Morrison San Luis Obispo Jeffrey Armstrong, the president of Cal Poly, just lost my respect by refusing to sign the statement against Trump's 'overreach.' Giving in to this administration's pressure to give up independence is a huge mistake and Cal Poly deserves more. Is it time to find new president for Cal Poly? Ed Cox Nipomo As an astute observer on Nextdoor noted, how many on The Tribune Editorial Board drive through the Morro Bay Highway 41 and Main Street intersection daily? How many have a child attending Morro Bay High? The Tribune and Caltrans, which was originally was against this project, may want to maximize vehicular capacity at this intersection; I want to ensure the life of each high school student at this intersection. The City Council majority who voted for the roundabout two years ago did not have to use this intersection daily. The present City Council majority does. Kudos to our current leadership for putting lives over money. Betty Winholt Morro Bay I am so disappointed in the Morro Bay City Council majority (Mayor Carla Wixom, Jeff Eckles, Zara Landrum) for directing city staff to stop work on the Highway 41/Main Street project, for which all of the funding would come from CalTrans and SLOCOG. Every study over 20 years has concluded that a roundabout is the only way to fix this intersection, the most dangerous in Morro Bay (10 vehicle accidents and one pedestrian in the past year alone). Traffic signals have been rejected over and over. Every traffic engineer concluded that signals would back up the traffic onto Highways 1 and 41. The assertion that a roundabout is unsafe for pedestrians is debunked by experts who study intersection safety all day, every day. What do council members know that dozens of engineers do not? And, the council cut off the work before the design phase of the project, which is required by law to address pedestrian safety. There is one more step to formalize pulling out of the project, set for May 27, 2025. Contact the council (council@ and attend the meeting to show the council that the constituency they serve wants this project to proceed. Jane Heath Morro Bay In regard to the article about putting in a roundabout at the intersection of Main and Highway 41: The Morro Bay City Council decided not to build one because they had concerns about pedestrian safety. Due to the high school being right there and the number of students needing to cross, I totally agree with them. This may be too simplistic, but can't they just build a pedestrian bridge? Frances Smith San Luis Obispo A few years ago, I attended a Shen Yun performance at our Performing Arts Center and regretted it. What was marketed as traditional Chinese dance turned out to be a politically charged production. More troubling are recent revelations about Shen Yun performers' working conditions. The New York Times reported in August 2024 that dancers in their mid-20s were paid $12,000 or less per year despite performing hundreds of shows. When injured, performers were allegedly discouraged from seeking proper medical care and instead told their 'spiritual state' might be the problem. These young artists appear to face exploitation within the very organization claiming to champion their freedom. While Shen Yun representatives have denied these allegations, I believe our community should consider whether we want to support performances with such serious ethical concerns. I'm disappointed that our PAC, supported by Cal Poly, the city of San Luis Obispo and community donations, continues to host these performances without addressing these issues. Attending left me uncomfortable with the political messaging woven throughout and learning about the reported treatment of performers has only deepened my concerns. Debbie Appelbaum San Luis Obispo I just read an article that reported that Gov. Gavin Newsom and the liberal politicians in California are upset that Trump's administration hasn't released $40 billion dollars in funds for LA fire relief. Seriously? These are the leaders who thumb their noses at conservatives and vow to 'Trump proof' California, then expect money from the same people they denigrate. They vote to give free health care (among other handouts) to illegal immigrants, something us hardworking, law-abiding citizens have to pay through the nose for. They advocate not requiring students to pay back their loans. They spend billions on a train that will serve communities that can't afford to ride it. They have the state in a financial freefall, and then beg from the federal government! What is the money for? How about people insuring and paying for their own losses like rest of us would be required to? The federal government should help when the fires are active to prevent loss of property and life. In the aftermath, California should be on its own. In other words, these arrogant, irresponsible Democratic politicians enact and support policies that run counter to any form of common sense and when it doesn't work out they blame others. Very childish and embarrassing behavior. Jody Langford Templeton Water problems? Not surprised. At the March, 2025, town hall meeting organized by Supervisor Jimmy Paulding in Oceano, I expressed my concerns about water quality problems in South County after Peter Brown, general manager of the Oceano Community Services District, began the meeting by extolling the quality of our tap water. A few months earlier, a friend from Williamstown, Massachusetts, had alerted me to reports from the Environmental Working Group ( The comparison between my community, Oceano, and his in Massachusetts was disturbing. Comparing zip codes, our Oceano tap water (93445) had 11 contaminants in very serious quantities and his similar sized community, zip, 01267, had none. The most alarming was arsenic. I urge more attention to this serious issue. Bonnie Ernst Oceano Regarding the debate about Assemblymember Dawn Addis' ethnic studies bill, AB 1468: Since the 2023 start of the Israel - Palestine war, our country has been engulfed in an intense and divisive debate about antisemitism. Accusations are being flung around indiscriminately, from Congress, to universities, K-12 schools and elsewhere. Passions must not be allowed to interfere with rational debate. One fundamental issue missed in most reporting and discussion is an accurate definition of antisemitism. One, used in the House of Representatives' 'Antisemitism Awareness Act,' by the ADL (Anti-Defamation League) and others is the IHRA (International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance) definition. It's been used to equate criticism of the Israeli government's policies and actions with antisemitism. Another definition is by the JDA (Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism). It states that antisemitism is prejudice against Jews because they're Jews or are directing a covert conspiracy to undermine society. Antisemitism is not: criticism of Zionism or Israeli government policies or actions, nonviolent protest against them, or treating them differently than those of other countries. The JDA makes clear that the misuse of accusations of antisemitism is a dangerous attack on free speech. Criticism of U.S. policy and action isn't un-American. Neither is that directed at Israel's antisemitism. David Broadwater Atascadero