Opinion // Letters to the Editor

Letters to the Editor: City must meet housing goals

Regarding “Office space limits sought” (Page One, July 18): I am very pleased to read in The Chronicle concerning restricting future office development in San Francisco if the city fails to meet its affordable housing goals under a proposed ballot measure. I fully support this concept. The city keeps approving more office buildings for more and more new employees to come to our city when there’s no place for them to live in an affordable apartment, not to mention the residents already here who can’t afford to buy a house or rent an apartment.

This proposal would finally address this problem by insisting that there are no new office buildings until San Francisco meets its affordable housing goals. Thank you to John Elberling of Todco for advancing this idea.

Rob Kellar, San Francisco

Stunning hypocrisy

Regarding “Natural gas, fur coats latest targets of bans” (Page One, July 18): As a person who didn’t eat meat for a 40-year period, and a non-wearer of fur, I was stunned to read that California may outlaw selling fur. A very small percentage of the population wears fur, so it is an easy target. And the furriers are a really tiny group. And just to point out, leather is fur with the fur shaved off.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals says that every year, 9 billion chickens in the U.S. are being raised for their flesh. They’re certainly being tortured. But there can’t be any legislation to stop that torture because a majority of the people in California are eating those chickens. Then all those people would have to look at their own actions. The hypocrisy is stunning.

What is worse for all foxes? Killing one fox and wearing it around your neck or drinking a to-go cup of coffee with a plastic lid every day for five years? As human beings, we destroy habitat for all life on Earth. We’re all responsible in a big way. People are no longer interested in buying and wearing fur, so there is really no need for any ban. So now the people pushing this legislation can pat themselves on the back and say, “We saved foxes,” except they didn’t.

Kathy Doyle, Oakland

Supports fur ban

This reader wishes to thank Dustin Gardiner for the front-page headline. It’s good news that natural gas and fur coats are proposed to being banned in our beautiful progressive state! I am a dedicated animal advocate who considers the exploitation of wild animals for their skins to be beyond appalling since so many excellent fabric alternatives now exist in such abundance! To cage these wild beautiful creatures is unforgivable in such a time as we find ourselves, and I will do all I can to support this measure.

Elaine Livesey-Fassel, Los Angeles

Seeing America’s faults

Regarding “Missing the point” (Letters, July 19): President Trump is clearly at odds with all who seem to only see America for its faults. It isn’t a matter of skin color or racism, says the letter writer. Trump has been listing America’s faults since even before he announced his candidacy. His “Make America Great Again” mantra is based on the premise that America has serious problems, and his supporters seem to agree with him. I don’t necessarily fault him for this strategy. All politicians run on the promise that they will make something better: education, health care, the economy and safety, with foreign relations usually topping their list.

In 2016, Trump labeled African American and Hispanic neighborhoods as war zones he would straighten out. Identifying the faults they will fix is every politician’s raison d’être. That Trump has singled out and demeaned four women of color who are doing what politicians, including himself, do raises the question of why he has chosen these congresswomen to rail against.

Susan Berg, Lafayette

GOP’s hateful messages

Democrats agonize over understanding President Trump’s supporters, whom they see as the working-class folks who were once their core constituency. But it is essential to understand that there are two types of Trump supporters. There are the shills, and there are the marks. The shills of course are the Republican elites (the politicians, their wealthy clients, the Kochs, the Murdochs, the Mercers), who have been working this con for 30-plus years, pitching lies that tax cuts for the rich will trickle down, and that the reason you’re struggling is not because your boss doesn’t pay you a living wage, but because dark-skinned immigrants are taking your jobs. Trump is their messiah, their stable genius flimflam man who lies so fluently, so shamelessly — and who is leading the GOP to oblivion.

The hope for Democrats is to appeal to the victims of this con, with compassion most of all. No one wants to admit they have been conned. Calling them racists will only help Trump get re-elected. There is a very high correlation between opium addiction and Trump supporters. These are mostly decent folk who have been pitched a hateful message from the GOP machine for 30 years.

James Heron, San Francisco

Make them take Muni

I had a novel idea for trying to solve the dreadful San Francisco Muni system. What if all elected public officials were obligated to commute and travel within the city via public transportation only? Not sure how this would be enforced, but I believe it would force real action and allow them to interact with their fellow citizens every day.

Kyle Anderson, San Francisco