Examine Harris’ rise to political power in state

Vice President Kamala Harris, having secured the Democratic nomination to lock horns with Trump in November, will now enjoy a political honeymoon in the press. However, a look back on her rise to the highest echelons of political power is troubling — in particular an affair with the powerful ex-San Francisco mayor Willie Brown in California for example, landing her important jobs soon after her graduation from law school. In her job as California attorney general she succeeded in shutting down all Corinthian Colleges where students learned health care, business, criminal justice, etc.

Is this what we need for the future, a federal nanny to help us all make decisions in our own lives? If she becomes president, what other choices would she take from the American people? Look for her to trash the former president versus talking about the important issues that concern Americans today.

— Beth Ahrens-Kley, Santa Cruz

‘Knives are out,’ wielded by GOP to attack Harris

The knives are out. The Republicans have launched their standard attack mode against Kamala Harris. The name calling begins. “Laffin Kamala” for starts. The diatribes are on full display. “Bad candidate, extreme” they claim. Funny how some Congress members even accuse her (gasp) of being a DEI candidate. Just a little cloaked racism.

Many of these critics come from such heavily gerrymandered districts that a dead horse would be elected if it had an R after its name. Marjorie Taylor Greene of QAnon fame, Lauren Boebert Boebert, famous for groping her boyfriend in public, Hageman the once Never Trumper who flipped to an ever Trumper who ousted Liz Cheney.

Maybe there needs to be a name for the many gerrymandered candidates who most often are an embarrassment to their party. GERM maybe? Gerrymandered Elected Republican Member? Kamala is going to be tough enough to withstand what ever they toss.

— Christine DeLapp, Aptos

Tall buildings: Consider emergency, rescue issues

Height limits: Are the handling of emergency and rescue issues front and center in approvals of proposed development projects?

Local firefighting equipment: In new building projects proposed for 12-25 stories can local equipment handle emergency rescues in these tall buildings? Do the city’s and the unincorporated area’s fire stations have specialized equipment and ladder trucks?

If their truck ladders are “standard” they are capable of a 75 to 105-foot height range (seven or eight stories). Specialized ladder trucks can extend up to 125 feet (approximately 10 stories). Do our stations have these types of ladder trucks? If not how, in emergencies, will they get to people above 12 stories? Going into a building in full “dress” to carry victims down a ladder — conscious, in panic or maybe unconscious and in need of urgent medical help — takes valor.

When they approve permits for building heights not reachable by our city and/or county’s emergency equipment should planners and developers be required to assume some new liability in case of injury or death of building occupants?

— Patti Brady, Santa Cruz

Support legislation to plug idle oil and gas wells

California’s 40,000 idle oil and gas wells, and 60,000 active wells, leak toxic chemicals like cancer-causing benzene and climate-heating methane, a greenhouse gas containing 80 times the climate-warming power of carbon dioxide.

Current law allows oil companies to pay a small fee to avoid plugging idle wells, but the oil industry has still failed to clean them up, potentially leaving taxpayers on the hook for the multibillion-dollar bill.

California Assembly Bill 1866 would require oil companies to plug up to 20% of their idle wells per year. The law would also eliminate the option to pay an idle well fee, to avoid plugging requirements.

With this bill, Californians will benefit from better health and safety, reduced air pollution, create thousands of jobs and the state will take a major step in addressing the human-caused climate crisis.

Please call and/or write state Assemblymember Gail Pellerin and state Sen. John Laird and ask them to support AB 1866. Your efforts could greatly benefit our world.

— Ron Sadler, Santa Cruz