Connolly wrong on housing and Highway 37 widening

I think Assemblymember Damon Connolly has it backward when he stated in a recent IJ article that he has concerns about state legislation for more housing while also calling for commuter congestion relief and advocating for more lanes on Highway 37 (“Connolly reflects on housing, Highway 37, signed bills,” Oct. 28).

From my view, adding lanes won’t bring long-term relief, but adding affordable housing closer to jobs and transit in Marin will. Yet Assemblymember Connolly opposed Senate Bill 79 even though, to quote the article, amendments to the bill “exempted Marin because the county has fewer than 15 passenger rail stations.” SB 79 is intended to encourage infill housing, which I think could keep Marin workers from having to live far away and commute.

Connolly supported Assembly Bill 697, which appears to greenlight destruction of sensitive marshland to make way for new lanes on 37. I worry that Connolly and Caltrans appear to want California taxpayers to foot the bill for a $500 million highway-widening boondoggle that could be underwater by 2040 due to rising sea levels.

Californians need real solutions to traffic congestion. That means creating housing closer to jobs and better public transit. The $500 million needed to widen Highway 37 is better spent on affordable housing in Marin and Sonoma counties while advancing a long-term, multimodal plan that makes the corridor resilient to climate change.

— Zack Deutsch-Gross, San Francisco

Too many drivers neglect to use their turning signals

These newfangled cars sure are something. Some of the latest models have left a few things behind: no gas tank, no CD player, no gear shift, no radio antenna and no keys. With apologies for my sarcasm, I’m wondering if turn signals have also been removed. We’ve come a long way from the days of yore when you had to roll down the window and stick out your arm to show your next move. I wish automotive engineers would come up with internal systems to alert us to the intentions of these automatons who drive our local roads.

— Mary Jane Baird, San Anselmo

Report’s focus on MCE should be wakeup call for all

I am writing in support of the in-depth reporting by the IJ during the four-day series titled “Friction at MCE” published Oct. 26-30. It focused on Marin’s public alternative energy provider. I found it very eye-opening and somewhat distressing.

The coverage is something all Marin residents should pay close attention to. As a former nonprofit management consultant and manager, I am concerned with what I think are red flags in the way that CEO Dawn Weisz is behaving with the Board of Directors. She appears to show resistance to needed change within the organization.

It is distressing to think that there is a faction of board members who are willing to let this behavior slide, while there is a smaller group who want to see more scrutiny paid to finances and good governance. It is the board’s duty to hold an organization in trust for the public good.

I commend the members who are pushing for stronger financial and governance oversight of MCE; it’s not easy to stand up to the type of resistance they are facing, but I think the entire board is duty-bound to do so.

— Deborah Urban, Fairfax

Mill Valley needs new market for food donations

The news reported Sept. 24 (“Whole Foods closes original Mill Valley market”) before being discussed in Katy Butler’s recent Marin Voice commentary (“Feathers ruffled: Mill Valley’s original Whole Foods is closed,” Oct. 28) left my wife and I shocked and saddened.

I suspect the closure of that store is sad for many others of us too. I go back more than 30 years, when I started showing up on Saturday mornings at Whole Foods on Miller Avenue to receive boxes of food, which was distributed that morning to people in the community.

I am pastor at Miller Avenue Baptist Church and we have been part of the “Respecting our Elders” and “Extra Food” programs to help provide food for those in need. Our crew picks up lots of great food from the Safeway in Strawberry, as well as from the Safeway across the street from Tamalpais High School every Saturday morning. We take the food to our church building, into what we call our “Fellowship Hall.”

Quite often I am asked about when Whole Foods will come back as part of the program. I worry it may be too late. Can’t this unhappy circumstance be reversed? In any case, to compensate, we are looking around for another market to make up for the loss. At least we can say that we so appreciate our contributing Safeway stores, and hope to see Whole Foods back, by some miracle now.

— Kent Philpott, Mill Valley

San Rafael should open a hotel to homeless right now

I am writing in response to the article published Oct. 16 with the headline “San Rafael, Marin County to provide small dwellings for homeless.” I think city officials should look into the feasibility of contracting with a local hotel in the Northgate area to house homeless people. City officials should then proceed to find a nonprofit builder for the permanent buildings on the 350 Merrydale Road property.

The money earmarked for the purchase of the 64 temporary tiny homes and the estimated $2 million annual maintenance thereof could be better used for sheltering people in rooms that have private bathrooms, coffee makers and mini fridges for food storage. Additionally, something located within walking or biking distance of the Northgate mall could provide services and a variety of work possibilities.

— Roxanna Atkins, San Rafael

Everyone needs to be familiar with provisional licenses

It was disturbing to see the article published Oct. 23 with the headline “Teen driver in fatal Woodacre crash charged with manslaughter” regarding the tragic accident that left four high school students dead and injured two in West Marin on April 18.

Although I didn’t know these young women personally, many friends, neighbors and family members did. I find it cruel and unbelievable that, on top of her injuries and long road to recovery, she is now being charged with a crime and that her family faces legal bills on top of many years of medical bills.

Instead of the “blame game,” this should be a teaching moment to prevent others from suffering the same fate. More people should become familiar with California’s provisional license rules. Doing so would benefit the parents of new teenage drivers as well as the parents of their friends.

The law states that California drivers under the age of 18 can drive with certain restrictions. The restrictions include no passengers under the age of 20, unless accompanied by a qualified adult. It also prohibits driving between the hours of 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. without supervision, though that wasn’t a concern in the Woodacre crash.

The provisional license is effective for the first 12 months after obtaining it. All restrictions and exceptions should be reviewed by new drivers and their parents.

— Judi Stess, San Anselmo

Trying to understand sense of connection at protests

I think some people find their sense of community belonging to a church or synagogue, some join a service lodge, a sewing circle or get involved in some sort of community organization. Others appear to do so by joining together to protest at a “No Kings” rally.

I believe many are reliving their youthful days from 1960s and ’70s protests, not to mention their elementary school time singing songs and dressing in costumes. When asked, I’ve heard some unable to explain what it is they are protesting against. In my opinion, they are not really accomplishing anything. But they do have a feeling of community, which I think we all have a craving for.

Now that I think about it, maybe it worked after all. We woke up the morning after the last big protest and America did not have a king.

— Henry Burgin, San Rafael

People should not be allowed to abuse ICE agents

As a retired officer serving 32 years in the San Francisco Police Department, I’m not only mystified but outraged at how some are treating federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents whose job is to protect our borders. I consider that job to not only include stopping people from illegally entering our country, but also to arrest those who have entered illegally.

I think people who attack federal buildings, destroy federal vehicles and assault federal agents that prevent them from performing their duties should be charged with federal felony crimes.

I think it is outrageous to allow people to abuse law enforcement.

— Richard Cairns, Kentfield