Special education pros bring attention, effort

We read the recently published article about the Marin County Civil Grand Jury’s report on the county’s special education system (“Marin report faults districts on special education outreach,” June 12) with great personal interest, as our son has been in it for 16 years. We moved here from San Francisco in 2008, in part because Marin was better than SF’s complicated and underfunded system.

Our son attended Marindale’s preschool program, then Venetia Valley for kindergarten and first grade. In 2011, he was even on the front page of the IJ for being in a special technology class for kids with limited language who were using special devices to communicate (“iPad helps give a voice to Marin’s special ed students,” Nov. 3, 2011).

For the last 10 years, he has attended Cypress School in Petaluma, where half of the students are from Marin because that’s the best program for them, and there is nothing comparable in Marin.

Special-needs students, including ours, present special challenges and require extraordinary effort and resources. While our path has had its bumps and detours, we have been impressed and heartened by the attention and effort made by the county and district staff.

Our experience with Marin County Office of Education and San Rafael City Schools has been one of deep collaboration, respect and support. No system is perfect and I don’t doubt some families have struggled to get services, but your readers should know that there are success stories too.

Lastly, if the grand jury really wants to uncover an injustice, they should look at the system serving our special needs adults — there is a real dearth of services and opportunities for those with various disabilities in Marin once they leave the school system.

— Kyri McClellan and Aaron McClellan, San Rafael

Elected officials need to focus on local issues

I would like to thank IJ political columnist Dick Spotswood for his commentary published June 12 with the headline “Fairfax peace resolution merely caused town division.”

I agree with Spotswood. Our local elected officials should stay away from controversy involving national and international political issues.

My vote for my council members reflects my desires for my town, not the world at large. I want all their energies spent on balancing the budget, keeping the town in working repair and finding the right balance of police, fire and administrative staffing. Spending hours to mediate arguments from people of varying ideologies to come up with symbolic resolutions that do not accomplish anything beyond a newspaper story seems fruitless.

Spotswood correctly states that these issues are best handled by our federal lawmakers in the House and Senate, where foreign policy issues are actually decided. A city council should not be trying to fix or offer statements on international issues. It should be making decisions to help fix potholes and pension liabilities — that is what they were elected for.

— Mark Silowitz, Novato

Fairfax Town Council should be congratulated

I’d like to congratulate the members of the Fairfax Town Council, especially Stephanie Hellman and Chase Cutrano, for the compassion they displayed in passing a proclamation for peace in the Middle East (“Fairfax peace proclamation prompts public debate,” June 7).

Acting (despite political risk) rather than simply avoiding it, the council demonstrated fortitude that is all too rare at all levels of government. It is not to be admonished.

As the saying goes, the only thing necessary for evil to triumph in the world is that good people do nothing.

— Ken Bouley, Inverness

Create basic building codes to help unhoused

I am writing in response to the recently published letter by T.J. Jacobberger calling on San Rafael to apply building codes to encampments for unhoused residents. As a home designer and construction professional for the last 48 years, I think Jacobberger misses the point of housing the homeless.

Building codes, while put into place to “protect” the public, have in fact caused an increase in the cost of construction. It’s to the point that, between fees for permits, the need to hire several “experts” to meet the requirements put forth by cities and the building codes, they have caused the building of a new home to not only take an inordinate amount of time, but also a considerable amount of money.

Basically, the people the codes were designed to protect have been priced out of the housing market, leaving it to the rich.

With the cost of new construction in Marin hovering close to $1,000 per square foot, the possibility of making homeless shelters code compliant seems like an impossibility.

What needs to happen is there should be a new code. It should be written with just the basics of fire safety and health conditions. That way people who can’t afford new housing could still allow cities and towns to provide housing for the homeless at a lower cost, while still allowing basic safety and sanitation needs.

This new code would take away liability from cities and allow the people that live in these units to accept the fact that having a roof over their heads is better than no roof at all.

It is possible to build low-cost housing, but not under the current code and permit requirements.

— Paul Bartolini, Santa Rosa

Chick Hearn knew how to describe West’s heroics

Growing up a sports-captivated boy living in Los Angeles throughout the 1960s, I took for granted that the sound of baseball on the radio could be none other than the echoing, resonating, euphoric voice of Vin Scully. He was the voice of baseball to me.

When baseball season was about to end and basketball season was about to start, there could be no other voice describing the fast-moving, thrilling excitement of the game than that of the Lakers’ Chick Hearn. Was I spoiled ? Oh yes. Did I know it? Not at all.

I’ll never forget Scully announcing the final inning of Sandy Koufax’ perfect game on Sept. 9, 1965. As Koufax went to the mound for the ninth inning, Scully told us that he thought the mound at Dodger’s Stadium must be “the loneliest place in the world.”

Hearn’s calls were also the stuff of legend. Before I turned 11 years old, I thought the “popcorn machines” Hearn spoke about were really next to the baskets for customers. He spoke to our imaginations when he described a player as being faked out so badly that he was “faked into the popcorn machine.”

On June 12, Hall-of-Famer Jerry West died. I listened to Hearn describe West’s play all through the ’60s. West was sensational, unbelievable and so humble. It always seemed as though he was playing hurt (even with a broken nose) while continuing to average nearly 30 points a game. Depending on the moment, Hearn called West “Mr. Clutch” or “Zeke from Cabin Creek,” in honor of his roots as a West Virginia country kid.

I loved Jerry West, and a piece of my youth has gone missing since hearing of his passing.

— Bruce Farrell Rosen, San Francisco

No political party should be pro cryptocurrency

I was disappointed to read Laura Washington’s recently published commentary on the IJ Opinion page (“President Biden’s campaign needs to lean in on cryptocurrency,” June 11).

Washington appeared to be pressing the Democratic Party to support policies in favor of cryptocurrency, while noting that Republicans are already doing it in order to appeal to younger demographics. I worry that crypto is a safe haven for grifters and con men only interested in money laundering or dangerous, manic financial speculation.

I think some Republicans only support this innovation because it can be used to evade the state, allows the rich to hide their money and helps people prey on the gullible. Democrats should instead focus on regulating crypto, preventing its use by crime syndicates and rogue states, its abuse of gullible investors and its wasteful use of electrical power.

— Burk Braun, San Rafael