Jackie Speier

I urge Governor Newsom to appoint Jackie Speier to serve as U.S. Senator on an interim basis to complete Dianne Feinstein’s term. Jackie is uniquely qualified and would “hit the ground running.” She was on the staff of Congressman Ryan, shot and left for dead in Guyana and went on to serve as a county commissioner, in both houses of the state Legislature and as Congresswoman. Her passion and her work ethic were always beyond compare. The most logical, most qualified person for this important appointment — Jackie Speier.

— Bruce Hamilton, Pacific Grove

PG school district

I attended the Sept. 21 press conference at Robert Down School about PGUSD’s lack of appropriate response to the three children who were subjected to racial trauma for more than two years. I had been completely ignorant of this problem, and now my eyes have been opened.

I was appalled that the school board made a point of saying that “the investigation did not find any violation of board policy, regulation, or law.” Does board policy take precedence over simple decent moral behavior toward our fellow human beings?

Equally appalling is the claim that the district has “taken steps in the past few years” (what does that mean?) and now this problem is being addressed by scheduling future professional development workshops whose titles have such vague jargon that no one can tell what the substance would actually be. Meanwhile, the family has already fled the district, so future workshops are no help to them.

I hope that from now on, the district will leave the word salad behind and be more concise and direct with apologies and immediate action.

— Christie Monson, Pacific Grove

I was quite taken aback to come across a letter to the editor (last month) excoriating public school teachers in the harshest of terms.

I gather the letter writer has deemed all public school teachers worthless based on the rejection of his suggested reading material “by the wife of one of our local big-time school officials.” (No mention of this individual being an educator or not).

Never in my life have I been met with such contempt for people who are the backbone of our community in Pacific Grove. Individuals whose jobs require advanced degrees which their salaries do not measure up to.

I am confident the letter writer might in turn be taken aback to know about my neighbor, a hard-working teacher employed by PGUSD. They are not only a Peace Corps veteran, but also fluent in three languages (that I know of), and have traveled on four continents (that I know of). This dedicated educator leaves early in the morning and often returns from school barely in time for dinner with their family in the home they own with their spouse.

— Mari Adams, Pacific Grove

Herald Hero

I was delighted to read the wonderful Herald Hero profile of Chris Shake by Lisa Crawford Wilson. His kindness and generosity are legendary. Here at Community Human Services we were honored to receive several generous donations from him to help support Shuman HeartHouse, Monterey’s first shelter for homeless women and families with children, which is opening this November. Even better, he dedicated his donations to cherished women in his family.

We are so lucky to have generous community members like Chris in our midst.

— Robin McCrae, CEO, Community Human Services

Monterey rent

The City Council of Monterey is poised to impose rent registry/control on a population who, for the most part, remain unsuspecting of the damage to result.

New York Times progressive columnist and Princeton University economist Paul Krugman published a frequently cited column on rent control in 2000. He wrote, “The analysis of rent control is among the best-understood issues in all of economics, and — among economists anyway — one of the least controversial. In 1992, a poll of the American Economic Association found 93 percent of its members agreeing that a ceiling on rents reduces the quality and quantity of housing.”

Nothing much has changed since. Based on bitter experience, 37 states now either prohibit or preempt rent control. If rent control passes, many Monterey landlords and even many Monterey tenants and potential tenants will lose.

— Thomas F. Lee, Monterey