Will Santa Cruz have water storage in case of fire?

As we all watch in horror as Los Angeles County burns, there is a lesson we need to learn and take seriously.

When the firefighters turned on their hoses to try to contain the flames and save lives and homes and schools and businesses, there was no water.

The water capacity for Pacific Palisades had not been upgraded in years despite massive population growth. The city’s stored water was depleted within hours of the fire starting.

In Santa Cruz, city and county, building permits are handed out like they’re candy on Halloween.

We have been in a water deficit for years. We have pumped from the ground to the point of having saltwater intrusion in to our fresh water. We have not increased water storage.

What we’re seeing in Los Angeles very possibly could be us.

We need to call a halt to any increase in development until we can demonstrate that we have the infrastructure to support and save our communities in worst case scenarios.

This is an emergency situation that can no longer be ignored.

— Michele & Joe D’Amico, Soquel

Coast is not clear — oil drilling could restart

“Is the coast finally clear?” in regard to offshore drilling, asked Save Our Shores advocates in their Guest Commentary on Jan. 8.

Unfortunately, no.

The authors rightfully celebrated President Biden’s decision to block new offshore oil and gas leases in most federal waters. But an immediate and major threat to the Pacific remains, unaffected by Biden’s act.

Three offshore drilling platforms are dangerously close to restarting near Santa Barbara. They have been shuttered since a pipeline ruptured in 2015 and 450,000 gallons of oil flooded the coastline, killing hundreds of marine mammals and birds.

The entire operation — and the risk of more spills — could come back to life in the next few months. Cal Fire just granted a waiver of pipeline safety requirements, paving the way for a restart. Infuriatingly, this was done behind closed doors with no environmental review and without a meeting the agency had promised the public.

The coast won’t really be clear until Gov. Newsom steps up to stop this drilling déjà vu before it’s too late.

— Brady Bradshaw, Santa Cruz, senior oceans campaigner, Center for Biological Diversity

Primack’s odd comment on local building design

I was amazed to read local architect Mark Primack state the following in his Sunday Jan. 5 column:

“We waste a lot of time bellyaching about the design of buildings, as if aesthetics ever had an actual impact on the character and nature of a community. I’ve studied the subject to death and I can assure you it does not.”

This seems to me strange comment from a professional architect and former City Council member.

— Alison Reason, Santa Cruz

Road conditions not only issue affecting safe travel

Dear Santa Cruz County supervisors:

In a Letter to the Editor from Jan. 9, the author asks that “I’d like to invite the five of you to join me on a bicycle ride around our beautiful county on our paved roads.”

The author then decries, “By riding in the five districts on a bicycle you’ll get an idea what a typical bicycle ride is on our county roads. You’ll get to discover and experience potholes, trash, poor patch work, broken sidewalks, indented holes poorly patched and other obstacles that a typical bicycle rider experiences.”

Why bother riding a bicycle? If you simply ride around the five districts in a car, you will surely see the same issues. Plus, you will get to observe bicyclists who ride outside of their bicycle lane into traffic lanes, as well as bicyclists who do not stop or slow down at posted yield or stop signs.

I think that you would agree with me that the conditions of the roadways are not the only problem affecting safe travel in this county.

— Peter Gibson, Soquel

Trump’s invasion plans could lead to dire future

Trump is going to show Putin that he can invade countries, too. Only he is going to invade two: Greenland and Panama. Those who voted this power-hungry fool into office are going to see their military sons and daughters help launch World War III. And you thought he was just going to lower prices?

— Martha Dolciamore, Soquel