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San Francisco Chronicle
19 hours ago
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
Want to go behind the scenes of the Chronicle Opinion section? Check out our new newsletter
Wait, don't hit delete! Yes, this is still the Opinion Central newsletter. We're just rolling out a new format to offer readers more than a collection of links. I'm Harry Mok, and starting this week on Thursdays, I'll be your guide for content from the Chronicle's Opinion section. First, a little about me. I'm the Opinion section's assistant editor and a columnist. I help edit all the stories that appear in the section, and I'm the editor who receives all of the Letters to the Editor submissions from readers. I grew up in the Sacramento area on a farm that my parents, immigrants from China, started as the family business. I didn't appreciate much of my family's history until I got off the farm and went to college at San Jose State, where I majored in journalism. I knew that having a family farm that grew Chinese vegetables was unusual. At San Jose State, I took classes in Asian American history and literature, which gave me a better understanding of how my family fit, or didn't fit, into the American story. I'm glad I've been able to document and honor that history by writing about it. My career has taken me from California to New York and back, and to the Chronicle twice. I was a copy editor at the Chronicle from 1997 to 2002, and I returned in 2016. I've been with the Opinion section as assistant editor since 2021. I've lived in San Francisco since 1996 and in the Sunset District since 2004. Some readers might be familiar with my columns about the Sunset, including the recent debate over the closure of the Upper Great Highway to cars. With the new Thursday newsletter format, I want to give you insights into what you're reading and how it came to be. Sometimes, that could be going behind-the-scenes with staff columnists or contributors to talk about their pieces or an analysis of issues of the day. Other times, I might give newsletter readers the space to weigh in. The goal is to have a deeper discourse that gets people thinking. Then, maybe you'll want to send a letter to the editor. Or you'll be motivated to research a subject to bolster an opinion or offer your personal experience for an Open Forum submission. The Chronicle's Opinion section welcomes viewpoints from all perspectives about the challenges we face and the triumphs we celebrate, hit me up. Our submissions inbox is open, and I can be reached at hmok@
San Francisco Chronicle
7 days ago
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
Letters: California's top environmental safety law does what it's supposed to do
Regarding 'California environmental law nearly killed a childcare facility in our community. Enough is enough' (Open Forum, May 27): Napa County Supervisors Anne Cottrell and Liz Alessio say in their op-ed that they want to make it easier to build projects like affordable housing and childcare centers, but bulldozing our state's most important environmental and public health law is not the solution. Drastically weakening the California Environmental Quality Act, as state Sen. Scott Wiener's SB607 proposes, would include allowing polluting projects in neighborhoods with minimal to no environmental review. That's bad for children and families. Deregulation of projects like freeways, power plants and railyards will increase air pollution and lead to public health problems. CEQA is one of the primary tools California communities have to protect their residents' health and safety. The Senate Appropriations Committee rightly saw that SB607 was too extreme and, on May 23, refused to pass it as drafted. S.F. recall is overkill Regarding 'Engardio recall to make S.F. ballot with enough signatures verified, organizers say' (San Francisco, May 24): The story says that San Francisco District 4 Supervisor Joel Engardio 'came to prominence by ousting officials through recall campaigns.' This diminishes Engardio's years of work before any recalls. As the story acknowledged, Engardio 'campaigned on a platform of public safety and transparency.' Engardio has also worked to engage residents in the city's political process and holds town halls and meetings, not to make speeches, but to listen. He thoughtfully considers everyone's opinions — agree or not — and consistently advocates for our kids, seniors and small businesses. Recalls have been reserved for egregious, unethical behavior, misconduct or corruption, not for disagreeing with a proposition -- in Engardio's case, his advocacy for Proposition K, which closed the Upper Great Highway to cars. I did not support Prop K, but I don't support short-sighted, knee-jerk reactions to a single issue that doesn't go my way. With many people running for office to be something, we need more people like Engardio running to do something. That's why I will vote no on the recall. Amy Bacharach, San Francisco Parrots are endangered Whether flying free in the wild or locked in cages at pet stores, private homes or rescues, parrots are in urgent need of our help. The picture is bleak as we recognize World Parrot Day on Saturday. The escalating demand for pet parrots has resulted in overcrowded rescues and sanctuaries worldwide. Pet stores and online breeders have made it all too easy for anyone to purchase these complex animals. An estimated 3 million to 5 million birds are bred in the U.S. per year. However, captive parrots are among the most frequently abandoned pets. Their wild nature and inclination for loud and frequent vocalizations, flying and destructive tendencies are often too much for guardians. Meanwhile, the demand for parrots as pets drives the capture of parrots in the wild; 28% of all parrot species are endangered or threatened and 58% are in decline. In many areas, the poaching rate is 100% — no chicks escape the illegal wildlife trade; 90% of trapped birds die after capture, and it is estimated that for every bird smuggled across a border, up to 90% die within the first year. To end this global parrot crisis, we must collectively advocate for an end to the sale and breeding of these majestic wild animals. Lucy Pax, Walnut Creek
San Francisco Chronicle
20-05-2025
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
Letters: Scapegoating cities won't solve California's housing crisis
Regarding 'This rich beachfront city is trying to launch an anti-housing insurgency in California' (Opinion, May 17): Sara Libby's portrayal of Encinitas as a wealthy, heartless enclave waging an 'anti-housing insurgency' is false, inflammatory and intellectually lazy. Encinitas is not some gilded fortress. It's a community of working families, retirees, renters, duplexes, mobile homes and apartments — hardly the caricature Libby paints. Property values have risen, but like everywhere along the California coast, that's an economic trend, not a municipal conspiracy. To mock the city's support for a ballot measure restoring local planning authority as a 'tantrum' is insulting. Questioning Sacramento's increasingly coercive mandates isn't selfish, it's a defense of democratic governance and local context. Encinitas has followed the law, updated its housing element and approved projects. That doesn't fit Libby's narrative, so she ignores it. The state's housing failures won't be solved by scapegoating thoughtful communities or silencing dissent. Encinitas isn't the villain here — ideologues and lazy journalism are. Mike Lewis, Encinitas, San Diego County Ethnic studies is worthy Regarding 'California's ethnic studies mandate is dead. It was never really alive to begin with' (Open Forum, May 15): Justin Ray's op-ed about the failure of California's ethnic studies mandate felt like a eulogy for a course that never had a chance. But I don't think it's the mandate itself that failed. I think we failed to defend it. California lawmakers passed a requirement with no teeth. School districts were told to teach 'ethnic studies,' but not what that meant or how to do it well. Educators were given no mandatory training. No protected funding. No guardrails. That isn't just poor planning. It's sabotage dressed up like reform. This approach lets everyone feel like something good happened while ensuring nothing actually changes. It's political performance art. A real ethnic studies course doesn't just show students different skin tones in textbooks. It teaches them how power works, how history is written and how stories are erased. And how people resist. It teaches students that the world was built by someone — and that they have a right to remake it. Ethnic studies is not about shame. It's about accuracy. It doesn't make white students feel guilty. It makes all students feel informed. Which is kind of the point of school. Jesse MacKinnon, Pleasant Hill Build affordable housing Regarding 'Controversial S.F. housing project in the Mission gets green light despite resistance' (San Francisco, May 16): Why should a landlord be rewarded for his intransigence and failure to abide by the public interest? Less than 20 of the 181 units proposed for the 22nd and Mission streets site would be below market rate, despite San Francisco's desperate need for more. The city should show some guts and use eminent domain to take the property over. David Fairley, San Francisco Don't tax Big Tech Regarding 'Big Tech harms kids and local news. California needs to hit it with an impact tax' (Open Forum, May 18): No, California does not need to hit anything with a 'tiny tax' that will ultimately drive away more businesses from our state. While I agree that tech can lead to mental health problems in children, I disagree that taxing tech companies is how we solve this. If anything, tax the user — that's what we do with cigarettes and sugary drinks. The authors claim that data collection by Big Tech is driving away advertising dollars and killing local news outlets. My husband was a staff photographer for the now-defunct San Mateo County Times, and I can say with authority that the economic recession of 2008 killed many local newspapers — that was caused by predatory mortgage lending, not tech companies taking away advertising dollars. Cassandra Palo, San Francisco
San Francisco Chronicle
16-05-2025
- Business
- San Francisco Chronicle
Letters: How reforming California rooftop solar policies will benefit all the state's residents
Regarding 'California wants to kill rooftop solar — all because officials were duped by this flawed theory' (Open Forum, May 11): The op-ed downplaying the rooftop solar cost shift is misleading and ignores overwhelming evidence. The California Public Advocates Office found that nonsolar customers paid $8.5 billion in 2024 alone to subsidize rooftop solar users — making up as much as 27% of their electricity bills. That's not theory; it's math. The author leans on a study by his firm, that's been debunked. UC Berkeley energy economist Severin Borenstein called it out for 'fundamental conceptual errors' and 'misunderstanding how customers contribute to fixed grid costs.' Even California Public Utilities Commission-approved modeling shows that net-energy-metering customers cover as little as 9% to 18% of the actual cost to serve them. Fixing the cost shift doesn't mean abandoning solar — it means creating a system that is fair to everyone, not just the 1.6 million households with panels. Working-class Californians shouldn't pay billions so wealthier homeowners can enjoy near-zero electric bills. Environment can't be rebuilt Regarding 'California blocking new housing in this posh Silicon Valley town over wildflowers' (Bay Area, May 10): The Peninsula's rare serpentine meadows and wildflower-rich grasslands are more than just scenic — they're essential lifelines in a time of climate change and biodiversity collapse. The story frames the issue as wildflowers versus housing, but this is a dangerous oversimplification. These ecosystems support a rich tapestry of endemic and endangered species that exist nowhere else. Destroying them for short-term development is not just shortsighted — it's irreversible. We urgently need affordable housing, but not at the expense of irreplaceable biodiversity. Nature-based climate solutions rely on protecting intact ecosystems like these meadows, which store carbon, support pollinators and build resilience against climate shocks. Let's prioritize smart development rather than paving over the last fragments of ecological heritage. Preserving biodiversity isn't a luxury — it's a necessity for a livable future. Bob Hall, San Francisco Limit coyote killing As the saying goes, crazy is doing the same thing over and over but expecting different results. By this measure, coyote management in California and nationwide has been crazy for decades, with constant, indiscriminate killing and taxpayer-funded extermination programs — all while coyotes survive and move into new areas. Fortunately, California is poised for change. The California Fish and Game Commission's Wildlife Resources Committee will consider new rules to limit coyote killing. Science demonstrates that intense persecution of coyotes increases conflicts by encouraging more reproduction and opening territories to inexperienced, juvenile dispersers prone to seek food like garbage and small pets. Nonlethal methods: hazing, livestock fencing, keeping pets on leash and garbage secured have proven more effective in reducing human-coyote conflicts. Wildlife Resources Committee's recommendation must be adopted so that the state can advance new approaches to coyote management and coexistence, which in these changing times are both very necessary and very sane. Camilla Fox, executive director, Project Coyote, Larkspur Doesn't seem right Is anyone else worried about this extravagant gift to President Donald Trump from Qatar? Isn't Air Force One considered the Oval Office when the president travels? To quote Han Solo: 'I have a bad feeling about this.' Arlene DeLeon, Castro Valley
San Francisco Chronicle
14-05-2025
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
Letters: Who loses when California lets PG&E's profit motive dictate energy policy?
Regarding 'California wants to kill rooftop solar — all because officials were duped by this flawed theory' (Open Forum, May 11): Thanks to Richard McCann for shining light on PG&E's strategy to blame rooftop solar instead of its profit-driven incentives for its skyrocketing rates. The state Legislature, California Public Utilities Commission and Gov. Gavin Newsom are complicit when they base energy policy on PG&E's desire to build costly, and often unnecessary, projects just so its 10.3% state-guaranteed return for investors kicks in. Our leaders must stop acting like hostages when PG&E threatens grid reliability or underinvestment if rate hikes aren't approved. You know who invests in the energy grid at no cost to the state and without a 10.3% profit? Rooftop solar customers — the group PG&E is so desperately trying to villainize. It's ungainly for PG&E to rake in record-breaking profits while simultaneously jacking up rates, so it punches down on solar customers rather than expose its board of directors or Patti Poppe, its multimillion-dollar-salaried CEO. Energy policy should focus on ratepayers and the state's goal to cut fossil fuel use. All ratepayers win when there are cost savings, public land preservation, more grid capacity through renewable energy and renewed trust in the leaders we elect. Yvette DiCarlo, Sacramento Prevent child trauma The focus on 'adverse childhood events' (ACES) has become popular and is supported by state funding. But ACES relates to trauma that has already occurred and preventing further damage is known as secondary prevention. It is important, but the main focus should be on primary prevention — what can be done by doctors with parents, social service programs, early intervention programs and others to prevent the 'toxic stress' in the first place. Society must prevent the environmental, structural, health and other negative challenges that children and families face before they become adverse for the child, the family and society. Dr. Peter Michael Miller, San Rafael Disgraceful U.S. history Regarding 'How to stop Trump? Listen to the American president who defeated fascism' (Open Forum, May 8): I was at first amused and then appalled to read the author's opinion of the United States' 'leadership of the 'free world,' which he views as an unalloyed force for good, bringing a 'global order of security, peace and prosperity.' ' Ask the people of Guatemala and Iran whether the U.S. brought them 'peace and prosperity' by overthrowing their elected governments in the 1950s. Ask the people of Vietnam, who lost millions of lives to their struggle against colonialism. Or the people of South Africa, who suffered under apartheid, supported by our government until the weight of world opinion made it too difficult to justify. There are many more examples. The author professes opposition to President Donald Trump, but his blatant whitewashing of history — canceling the voices that U.S. hegemony has harmed — is completely in line with Trump's policies. Avilee Goodwin, Richmond Stop the steal President Donald Trump wants to accept Qatar's gift of a plane to serve as his Air Force One, which would then be given to his presidential museum. Boeing is under contract to provide two 747s to replace the pair that serve as Air Force One. Boeing is well behind schedule, but these planes are supposed to be ready by 2027. No one has suggested that the current fleet is inadequate except for Trump. At best, the plane from Qatar would be usable after a year or more extensive retrofitting, surely costing hundreds of millions of dollars. The impact of all this? Trump would get to fly in a marginally more commodious plane for about two years, costing taxpayers hundreds of millions — for a prop at the Trump museum. Art of the deal indeed. Albert Sukoff, Berkeley
