Apr 29, 2008

Letters

Sheriff Munks

Dear Editor: I recently took an informal poll of the Menlo Park Peet's Coffee early-morning patrons regarding your April 18 article on our most respected Sheriff Greg Munks. The comments I received included "old news, ... already settled," "an insult to readers ... like the National Enquirer," and "A tempest in a teapot." I deplore your "tar and feather" mentality. We are in 21st century Palo Alto, not 17th century Salem.

We cannot rely on gainsaying the truth. Nor can we rely on letters so emotionally based as those you have printed. I venture a guess the political fervor of the day has taken hold of your editors. Have none of you simply crossed a threshold and found you needed to retreat, for any multitude of reasons? If you have not before, you have now.

As I suggested in my phone call to your executive editor the day this disgusting rehash appeared, read the cover story of The New York Times the same day. Could you not serve more people, more nobly, by encouraging readers to help the starving in Haiti?

Floyd E. Shaw III,

East Palo Alto



Jerry Hill

Dear Editor: One of the top issues facing our next state Assembly member will be the issue of health care. Providing access to those uninsured, keeping costs contained and making sure we and our parents can afford prescription drugs are some of the many issues to be fixed in Sacramento.

Only one candidate running to replace current Assemblyman Gene Mullin has a proven track record of solving health care issues in San Mateo County: Supervisor Jerry Hill. That is one of the many reasons so many leading Democrats in this county are supporting him.

Several years ago, Supervisor Hill and I helped create the San Mateo County Children's Health Initiative. That program provides health insurance to any child in San Mateo County who has none. And that program was created without raising anyone's taxes. Successes of the program are numerous, and voters can learn more by going to www.smcchi.org.

Supervisor Hill is now working with a coalition of health providers, businesses and advocates to establish a similar system to protect San Mateo County adults who face financial ruin if they contract a serious illness because they lack health insurance.

As voters make up their minds about the best and most experienced person to take Gene Mullin's place in Sacramento, I urge San Mateo County voters to join me, U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo and other leading Democrats in electing Jerry Hill to the state Assembly.

Mike Nevin,

former San Mateo County

Supervisor,

Daly City



Litigation settlement

Dear Editor: I am writing in response to your article on the city of Half Moon Bay's settlement agreement regarding the Beachwood litigation ["City spins controversial development," April 16].

The story's headline falsely and unfairly characterized factual statements made about Assembly Bill 1991 - a one-of-a-kind bill that would allow Half Moon Bay to avoid paying a developer $18 million by allowing development on a property preapproved for development in 1990 - as "spin." To the contrary, the city's statements regarding AB 1991 are undisputed facts about the bill's scope and impact.

Opponents of the bill have been unable to dispute these facts or show them to be inaccurate. Ironically, however, the headline's characterization misled readers into thinking that opponents of AB 1991 had such facts, when in reality they offered none, including through their statements in the very same story.

Furthermore, the story reported that Beachwood is a wetland "habitat." It is not and has never been designated as such. In addition, the California Coastal Commission's approval of a plan to build 19 houses on Beachwood was overturned by the Court of Appeal of California, which found that the commission did not have jurisdiction to approve a plan for 19 houses and invalidated the approval.

Bonnie McClung, mayor,

Half Moon Bay



Clinton and Obama

Dear Editor: Robert Herbert ("A beleaguered front-runner," Sunday) writes that Hillary Clinton is now viewed as the tougher candidate, the one who will "fight harder and longer and, yes, more unscrupulously to achieve her desired ends."

But remembering back to her husband's administration, was that such a good thing? Yes, Bill Clinton won the White House, but those years also brought us Newt Gingrich's "Contract with America," and the Democrats losing control of Congress. The bitter partisanship of that era probably contributed, along with his own foolishness, to Bill's impeachment.

I am not so naive as to believe that if we elect Barack Obama, everyone will suddenly "hold hands and sing Kumbaya" in Washington, but a more civil tone will be our best chance for actually getting things done.

Janice Hough,

Palo Alto



Rare Bible mishandled

Dear Editor: I was appalled at seeing a "rare centuries-old Bible" in the hands of a so-called librarian in Ann Arbor, Mich., handling the book without any gloves ["Turning a page in book scanning," Saturday]. Doesn't she know that oils from her hands will permanently damage that "rare centuries-old Bible"?

Catherine Boicelli,

Menlo Park