Educators back affordable housing measure

On March 20, the Santa Cruz County Board of Education voted unanimously to support placing the Santa Cruz Workforce Housing Affordability Act on the ballot in November.

This balanced yet progressive measure is sponsored by Housing Santa Cruz County and has been developed over the past two years by nonprofit, educational, political, labor and business leaders, all working together.

If approved by the voters, only this measure will provide the local funding required to leverage state and nonprofit resources for the affordable housing needed by teachers, school counselors, educational staff members, and all of our partner agencies and organizations.

If you see a volunteer signature gatherer in your neighborhood or at a farmers market, please join us in helping to put this needed workforce housing measure on the city of Santa Cruz ballot in November.

— Greg Larson, Trustee, Santa Cruz County Board of Education, Santa Cruz

Responding to ‘racist’ label over DEI stance

My opinions about the defects of DEI are widely held and not to be slandered with the racist label although I will admit to getting a chuckle when DEI believers blow their stack. Of course DEI produces mediocrity because admissions, or hiring, or general assignments of privileges (racial discriminations) are all based on race, or race quotas, and not superior merit in ability or skill (anti-racist racism).

The Rutgers November study of DEI training showed those preconditioned with DEI narratives are far more likely to accuse others of unwarranted bias (bias that the Sentinel prints, free speech, I guess).

While I’ll concede DEI isn’t openly and solely based on the notion “all whites are racist,” splitting hairs between being overtly anti-white prejudiced and racist isn’t much of a difference.

— Garrett Philipp, Santa Cruz

Will attend poetry reading despite unstable times

Re: “Library to host Latino poetry reading” – Sentinel, March 22.

Considering our current environment, this could be a bigger event than just a poetry reading. Is this an activity to do with my kids? Normally, yes. But now, with our government gone haywire, probably not. Bizarre times? No. Countries under unstable dictators have always lived this way. So I’ll be there.

— Susan McLean, Soquel

There is no mandate for Trump and GOP

There is no mandate from the people as this administration claims. I have four reasons for thinking this:

This administration outpolled their opposition by a mere 1.5%, less than the 2% Hillary Clinton out polled the current president (put in office by the Electoral College), and significantly less than the 7% difference in the 2020 election.

More than 50% of the voters did not vote for this administration. (The current president has never received 50% of the vote.)

This administration’s party in power has very slim majorities in both houses of Congress.

In town hall meetings, representatives of the party in power have been questioned and chastised by constituents who put them in power so much that the speaker of the House has asked them to have no more town hall meetings.

Did this divided electorate mandate that this country turn its back on its friends and allies to befriend its enemies? I think not.

— Mike Melville, Santa Cruz

Under Trump, ‘We are in a constitutional crisis’

We are in a constitutional crisis. The Constitution, Article 2, Section 3 states the president’s duty: “he shall take care that the laws be faithfully executed.” To do this “faithfully,” he must to the best of his ability act with “care” to insure that the laws enacted by Congress are implemented fully and continuously, every day during his term of office. He must dedicate his actions with an unswerving intent to fulfill that goal.

President Trump has deliberately violated his duty since Jan. 20. He and his people are doing all they can to dismantle the government. They recklessly fire masses of employees. They refuse to spend money Congress has authorized. Without employees and money, the government cannot do the president’s duty to implement the law. When courts tell them they can’t do what they want to do in one case, they ignore the court in that case and commit more violations after that. They have nothing but contempt for the president’s duty, the laws enacted by Congress, and the well-being of the people.

— William K. Rentz, Santa Cruz