Historic photos show West Marin ag workers

Through July, there is an exhibition on view in Point Reyes Station of professional quality photographs taken of agriculture in Marin County since 1920. It is an opportunity to see a group of photographs comparable to those taken by Dorthea Lange and Maynard Dixon for the Farm Security Administration, which were commissioned to make the public aware of the condition of rural folks impacted by the Great Depression and Dust Bowl and to see a collection of more contemporary photographs by Art Rogers.

Because of their purpose, the Lange and Dixon photographs were publicized and have a place in art history. In contrast, the photos by M.B. Boissevain were taken for the University of California Cooperative Extension Service to document developing agricultural practices. There is the same sense of humanity in the Boissevain photos, but their purpose was narrow, and they were found in a dumpster a few years ago.

Art Rogers’ photographs are found in the permanent collection of such venues as the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the Center for Creative Photography at the University of Arizona. He may be best known among art historians as the plaintiff in a copyright infringement suit against sculptor Jeff Koons, who “borrowed” what the judge described as an “expression of a typical American scene — a smiling husband and wife holding a litter of charming puppies.”

I would like the broader Bay Area community to see this exhibition and to experience what a volunteer gallery attendant described as a “rare opportunity to reflect on a way of life that is so stripped to the bones, ... one that I’m glad we have the honor to share.” The exhibition is open from noon to 4 p.m. every Friday, Saturday and Sunday in July.

— Judy Teichman, Point Reyes Station

Too many officials use CEQA to derail housing

I am writing in regard to the article published July 1 with the headline “California approves most significant environmental law rollback in decades.”

The California Environmental Quality Act states that government officials, must order an impact report when “there is substantial evidence that a project may have a significant effect on the environment.” That sounds good to me.

Many housing proposals do not have a significant impact on the environment. Considering that, officials should not use CEQA to deny a project. I think the dominant governmental practice is that substantial evidence of significant impact exists, merely when a group of constituents says it does. They are the only evidence; their very opposition defines “significance.”

The article cited some of the environmental opposition to CEQA reform because of a jeopardized ecosystem and destruction of coastal habitat. If a housing project causes those threats then, of course, environmental assessment and project denial are justified. Most lands suitable for housing do not.

History shows that CEQA is one of the many tools local government uses to delay and stop projects. The housing supply problem is primarily the result of constituent objections and policy-makers agreeing. A council candidate will rarely be elected.

I think misused CEQA has been instrumental in housing shortage. Reform legislation is essential.

— Angelo Siracusa, Larkspur

Legislature should reject sex worker bill

Sitting in the state Legislature right now is a disastrous repeal of Senate Bill 357, passed just two years ago to prevent the arrest of individuals suspected of loitering in an area where law enforcement feels sex workers ply their trade.

Assembly Bill 379 is based on the misconception that sex workers on the street are all coerced. But academic research consistently demonstrates that almost all sex work practitioners are on their own.

AB 379’s wording is vague — one violation is stopping your car to ask a pedestrian for directions. Because all human interactions can easily be misperceived, the law would remove any hint of privacy. Innocent incidents could be traumatic. As the American Civil Liberties Union says it will add to marginalized communities by placing them at risk — it could become a deportation law.

Forced or coerced labor is very difficult to ascertain. It’s fraught with nuance. With few cases in Marin dragging on for months and years, the law would add great cost in terms of dollars and time because prosecution involves so many moving parts.

— Jonathan Frieman, San Rafael