There must be pathway to equitable state PUC

I am puzzled (and angered) why the California Public Utilities Commission is so bad; why it seems to collude with, rather than regulate, PG&E in so many ways. It is an extreme hardship for ratepayers.

I thought that after the ouster of Michael Peevey new people were appointed and decisions seemed more balanced. Then things changed back. There must be a pathway to more fundamental fairness.

— Barbara Morita El Cerrito

Subsidizing Bay Area public transit pays off

Re: “BART benefits riders, non-riders alike” (Page A6, Dec. 17).

Writer Peter Nicoll correctly observes that people who don’t ride BART benefit from it through less congested roads.

It’s also worth noting that air pollution is reduced because of cars not being driven and that BART and other forms of public transportation enable people who can’t afford a car to hold a job and thus to be taxpayers rather than being homeless or on unemploymentor welfare.

There are many good reasons that non-riders pay taxes to support public transportation.

— Merlin Dorfman, Livermore

Education, not athletics, deserve Oakland’s funds

Re: “Oakland should invest in young athletes’ dreams” (Page A8, Dec. 15).

James Kimball wants to see the prioritization of funding and support for sports in Oakland, a city so far underwater financially that it will have to cut significant spending just to survive.

I feel for student athletes, but despite their love for the game and their talent, few will make it to the major leagues, and some of those few will retire early due to injury.

The priority for all students is a great education, which provides them the options they most need for a great future. This is sadly where Oakland fails those student athletes the most.

— Denise Kalm, Walnut Creek

Canada steps up to protect housing

Have you ever wondered why the media seems fixated on Canada? It’s because wealthy foreign investors — primarily Americans — who have previously used real estate as a speculative investment, crashing the global economy in the process, are now facing restrictions in Canada. Unlike the United States, Canada has laws preventing real estate from being exploited as a mere financial asset.

Canadians have already witnessed how housing becomes unaffordable when greed takes the wheel. The wealthy are emboldened by their leadership, and their ambitions don’t stop at borders. We cannot allow this expansion to go unchecked. Protecting housing markets isn’t a radical idea; it’s a global effort.

— Karl Moore, Hayward