Reader Reactions

Re: “A law intended to create more transparency misleads voters. This bill will fix it,” Sept. 5, 2019: Sen. Scott Wiener and Assemblyman Mark Stone claim their bill will increase transparency for local bonds and parcel taxes. But the opposite is true. Their bill would relegate important taxpayer information to being buried deep in the […]

Re: “What happens to Uber and Lyft drivers once AB 5 passes?” Sept. 5, 2019 Unions don’t need collective bargaining to negotiate with employers of independent contractors. They can negotiate agreements that are very much like the ones employers have signed with social justice nonprofits in which employers agree to certain behavior. The agreement establishes […]

Re: “California’s other fiscal crisis,” Dan Walters, July 29. Dan Walters does what he does best and makes a complicated and seemingly sleep-inducing issue insight concern. It seems you can’t spell California state government without federal money these days. Walters reminds us that California’s place as the fifth-largest economy in the world is a fine […]

RE: “Hedge funds’ proposal to ‘rescue’ PG&E is probably too good to be true,” July 5, 2019. Former Assemblyman Mike Gatto made inaccurate and misleading claims about the proposal outlined in a recent court filing made by the Ad Hoc Committee of Pacific Gas and Electric Company Bondholders. Here are the facts: The committee is comprised of a diverse […]

RE: “A million independent voters risk being irrelevant in California’s presidential primary,” June 19, 2019. CALmatters’ Ben Christophe reports that Chad Peace wants a presidential primary ballot that lists all the presidential candidates.   Ironically, California had a presidential primary like that in 2000. There was one presidential primary ballot that listed all the candidates of all six […]

Michelle Doty Cabrera, executive director of County Behavioral Health Directors Association of California, Sacramento California’s public mental health system is unique in that counties serve Medi-Cal, uninsured, and commercially insured individuals. However, we had concerns with how our responsibilities and the availability in certain services was represented in your piece. County mental health plans do […]

Mark Herbert, California director for Small Business Majority, Concord Although California leads the nation in expanding healthcare coverage, too many middle income entrepreneurs and small business employees are struggling to afford health insurance. Something is being done about this problem, but it isn’t quite enough just yet. As part of the next state budget, California […]

Robert David, Sacramento Yes, the Russian people suffered greatly and fought bravely in WWII.  But to equate the forces of freedom on the Normandy beaches with the Stalinist forces of totalitarianism is offensive and just plain wrong. Ask the people of Eastern Europe how they enjoyed Soviet “lebensraum” after the war.

Michael J. Scippa, Alcohol Justice, Tiburon It would be more objective if all publications would include the public health perspective when covering the issue of extending last call at bars. Senate Bill 58 is Sen. Scott Wiener’s relentlessly dangerous 4 a.m. bar bill. It marks the third consecutive year in which he has attempted to […]