Apr 10, 2008

Letters

More on a billion

Dear Editor: Peter Stauffer [Letters, Tuesday] suggests imagining a billion dollars by dividing this sum by your annual compensation. An alternative, useful when considering government spending, is to remember that $1 billion (a.k.a. one gigabuck) is about $3 per head of the U.S. population. So if your household consists of you and a total of three spouses and children (roughly the "typical family") that's $12 in taxes.

Peter Bradshaw,

Menlo Park



Assembly race

Dear Editor: While I was not a member of the local Sierra Club team that interviewed the candidates to replace Assemblyman Gene Mullin, I was asked to provide a statement as a local activist who now co-chairs the Sierra Club California Air Quality Committee.

I am familiar with Supervisor Jerry Hill's work on both the regional air district and the state Air Resources Board. In fact, the state club issued a letter of high recommendation for his nomination to the country's foremost body on air quality, and now also global warming as ARB is charged with implementing the global warming law known as AB 32.

To date, Hill has been one of the strongest votes for the toughest air quality and global warming regulations on the 10-person board.

As for his role on Bay Area Air Quality Management District, the same kudos apply. However, I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't use this opportunity to ask San Mateo County residents to remind Hill to support the district's precedent-setting fee on greenhouse gas emissions at its April 16 meeting, and the strengthened wood-smoke regulation that will go to the board this summer.

As for the charges made against Hill in terms of smart growth, I recall that the supervisor made an outstanding presentation on the need to better integrate transportation and land use planning at our smart growth forum at the King Community Center in San Mateo when I was vice-chair of the chapter's sustainable land use committee two years ago.

Irvin Dawid,

Palo Alto



Hill kills the electric car

Dear Editor: Members of the California Air Resources Board voted March 27 to reduce the number of zero emissions vehicles (ZEVs) - electric vehicles - that are required to be sold in California by six major auto manufacturers.

The controversial decision was a modification of a program established by the board in 1990 to increase the number of ZEVs in California to reduce pollution. Under the new changes, automakers including General Motors, Toyota, Chrysler, Honda and Nissan must now produce 7,500 electric and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles for sale, lease or loan in California from 2012 to 2014 - down from 25,000 required in the previous regulations and a reduction of nearly 70 percent.

The 11-member panel includes San Mateo County Supervisor Jerry Hill, appointed by Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger last year.

Hill, in voting with the board in a unanimous decision, raised the ire of ZEV advocates including the Sierra Club, The Union of Concerned Scientists and the American Lung Association. Representatives from those and other organizations support the higher mandate to compel automakers to invest in ZEV technology and spur growth in the clean technology industry. Many environmental advocates described the vote as another in a series of compromises in favor of automakers.

When the ZEV mandate was established in California in 1990 it required 10 percent of vehicles sold in California to be air pollution free by 2003, but that goal was never met and auto manufacturers have fought this program since its inception.

Hill's vote to kill the electric car is yet another indicator of what he may do if he is successful in his current bid for state Assembly. Hill's cave-in to automakers should be cause for alarm for any voter who cares for the environment.

Pam Rianda,

former mayor of Belmont



Iraqi security

Dear Editor: The Iraqis seem to have quite inadequate control of their border with Iran. It seems to be very porous. If border security were very good, Iranian Quds personnel could not come in and train and "Lebanize" the Shiite militias in the south. Border security would also stop or minimize the flow of arms and explosives to Iraq. No one seems to mention, ask or consider that aspect of Iraqi and U.S. forces' security.

Gunther Steinberg,

Portola Valley