Examiner Letters to the Editor RSS

Make bored Newsom get back to his job

Examiner readers — Thu, 31 May 2012 16:34:48 +0000

Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposal to shorten state employee workweeks should start with the Office of the lieutenant governor. Apparently, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom dislikes “boring” Sacramento so much, he only shows up to work there one day a week. Newsom dismisses his $160,000 government job as...

Bringing back Bonds would be giant error

Examiner readers — Wed, 30 May 2012 01:53:52 +0000

I hope Barry Bonds does not rejoin the Giants (“Bonds a coach? It’s possible,” May 29). As Bonds stated, he is a felon. Then he went on to gloat that he was “never convicted of steroids,” but did not deny using them. Remember, Bonds testified before a grand jury that he used a clear substance and...

$1.7M gift shows S.F. does have park funds

Examiner readers — Tue, 29 May 2012 16:14:51 +0000

Letter writer Ann Grogan forgets the original question behind the debate regarding whether or not the Recreation and Park Department should be allowed to abandon another park responsibility by throwing Coit Tower into private hands: Will privatizing public park facilities keep other parks free? The...

Fake turf, lights will hurt Golden Gate Park

Examiner readers — Sun, 27 May 2012 11:00:24 +0000

The San Francisco Examiner article on the 7-acre artificial turf fiasco planned for Golden Gate Park was breathtakingly one-sided (“Beach Chalet fields grass clash,” May 22). Photos of a child locked out of a field, and gopher holes? Really? Where are the photos of glorious raptor birds, of...

State Senate hopeful fights for clean future

Examiner readers — Wed, 23 May 2012 01:58:58 +0000

Without clean air and water and natural beauty, California wouldn’t be a desirable place to live or do business. But it’s not easy to take on the special interests who would despoil California. State Senate candidate and former Assemblywoman Sally Lieber showed uncommon courage in taking on tough...

Legislators ignoring gas-price increases

Examiner readers — Tue, 22 May 2012 03:29:58 +0000

It’s astounding that our congressional representatives are so quiet and unaccounted for during the current gas pricing crisis. California is going through the sixth month of unprecedented high gas prices versus oil company costs while our voted representatives have been missing in action....

Diverse groups agree Prop. A is a bad idea

Examiner readers — Wed, 16 May 2012 02:26:10 +0000

There are several good reasons why diverse groups including the San Francisco Republican, Democratic and Green parties; good government groups San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association and Plan C; business leaders and organizations; and labor leaders and organizations all urge San...

Commision’s registry won’t halt club chaos

Examiner readers — Tue, 15 May 2012 03:01:21 +0000

Sunday’s cover story (“S.F. keeps eye on dark side of nightlife,” May 13) mistakenly praised the Entertainment Commission’s new online registry for promoters. The registration system is worthless because third-party promoters can be “registered” with completely false information entered by the...

Don't let Capitol give rail plan fancy breaks

Examiner readers — Sun, 13 May 2012 11:00:59 +0000

The California Labor Federation is demanding a project labor agreement from Sacramento Democrats for the high-speed rail boondoggle. A project labor agreement would exponentially raise construction costs, require unsustainably expensive union perks and require unfunded multibillion-dollar...

Clearing up record on teacher salaries

Examiner readers — Mon, 07 May 2012 03:39:47 +0000

Your story contained a few factual errors regarding the San Francisco Unified School District proposal for necessary deficit reduction measures (“Teachers gearing up for a strike,” Friday). Reporter Amy Crawford wrote “with a proposed increase in class sizes in elementary school, from 22 to 25...

Milk wasn’t the first gay politician in U.S.

Examiner readers — Fri, 04 May 2012 05:47:52 +0000

The San Francisco Examiner speaks erroneously (Newsmakers, Wednesday) when it calls Harvey Milk the first openly gay elected official in the United States. In fact, Milk was not the first — he was the sixth. He was, however, the first openly gay elected official in California. More importantly,...

Sunday parking fees needed, official says

Examiner readers — Wed, 02 May 2012 06:01:57 +0000

Sunday parking fees needed, official says I applaud Dr. Amy Bacharach’s devotion to our city, but her premise is wrong (“S.F. transportation agency looking in wrong direction with meter extension,” Opinion, Sunday). Effective management of parking on Sundays is not strictly about generating...

Public transportation plans need resolution

Examiner readers — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 02:56:23 +0000

Your editorial correctly notes that paying lip service to environment improvement won’t solve the problems that are becoming more serious — and more obvious — with each passing year (“Tough choices about air quality lie down the road,” Opinion, April 22). Motorists will be affected. They will...

SF district attorney should take lesson from Dutch pot rules

Examiner readers — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 01:28:54 +0000

After District Attorney George Gascón meets with representatives of medical marijuana groups (“DA and pot clubs set to team up, hash out rules,” April 23) to find “workable solutions so patients can have safe, legal access to medical marijuana,” he should schedule a meeting with parents and...

Wells Fargo should be helping homeowners

Examiner readers — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 22:55:40 +0000

Next week, Wells Fargo is holding its shareholder meeting here in the Bay Area — and I will be there to represent the 99 percent. Wells Fargo makes billions in profits every year, but pays a single-digit tax rate and receives more than $21 billion in tax subsidies. You’d think with all that money...

Clean air, gas usage and ability to drive 55

Examiner readers — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 00:19:35 +0000

I can still remember the days of leaded gasoline — and before the catalytic converter — where the sky was gray and if you opened the car window to cool down, your eyes stung and tears ran, as the cars in front of you emitted smoke from tailpipes. I also remember the days of the 55 mph speed...

Churches should use parklets for faithful

Examiner readers — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 03:14:05 +0000

The Rev. Amos Brown thinks that Sunday parking meter enforcement is “sexist” because some 60 percent to 70 percent of his congregation is female (“Faithful give S.F. hell over meters,” Wednesday). I suggest he call up an old friend, former Mayor Willie Brown, and ask him for a referral to a...

Making kids feel safe keeps them in school

Examiner readers — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 00:22:34 +0000

Kudos to the San Francisco Unified School District for taking a new, restorative approach to school discipline (“Making misbehavior a teachable moment,” April 10). Providing safe learning environments is just as important as keeping our streets safe. In fact, the two may go hand in hand. Students...