California fires hit migrant workers hard

News coverage of the L.A. fires can capture only some of the massive impacts of this catastrophe.

While reporting appropriately focuses on those families displaced and those who lost their lives, there has been little focus on the plight of immigrant workers who are now without jobs and without pay to support their families. Gardeners, home cleaners, nannies, elder care and disabled care workers are some of those whose jobs were linked to homes that are now gone.

Many of these workers are not covered as employees so they will have no access to unemployment insurance benefits. Perhaps the Trump administration can adapt its immigration policies to create a jobs program for debris removal and rebuilding that can employ some of those who have lost their livelihoods.

— Bill Monning, state senator retired, Carmel

Utility costs demand changing of the guard

Re: “Soaring electric bills could thwart green energy push” (Page A1, Jan. 9).

We all know we pay way above the rest of the nation for gas for our cars. Now, the Mercury News confirms the worst-kept secret today: We pay rates almost double for utilities.

What is going on, and where does all that money go? How long will we tolerate this? While California is a beautiful place to live, its policies are driving us out of the state.

We must vote for change, as we all know this will not end well for us, as increased costs will most certainly continue.

— Keith Lyall, San Jose

Tech bros complete their political sellout

Re: “Meta loosens hate speech rules” (Page C7, Jan. 10).

Well Silicon Valley Big Tech, the honeymoon is over.

Your image as liberal, entrepreneurial, creative risk-takers and supporters of real free speech is now officially gone.

Mark Zuckerburg’s announcement that he was loosening hate speech rules on his social media behemoth Facebook on the heels of his announcement that Meta was no longer going to engage in fact-checking, shows that Silicon Valley billionaires are just like any other money-grubbing billionaires: money first, values second.

They’re getting in line to be the Russian-style oligarchs of the Donald Trump era. They are selling out democracy for their own pocketbooks and those of their investors.

The number one item in Timothy Snyder’s “On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons From the Twentieth Century” is “Don’t obey in advance.”

That is exactly what Zuckerburg, Elon Musk and Peter Thiel have done. The heroes of tech are now disgraceful sycophants to the forces of power and wealth.

— Bruce Halen San Jose

Musk’s federal position precludes X censorship

Re: “Musk, critics are both wrong on free speech” (Page A6, Jan. 14).

In his otherwise helpful opinion explaining what actions do or do not implicate the First Amendment, Noah Feldman should have explored whether Elon Musk’s role in the Trump administration affects his freedom to manage — to censor or not censor — opinion on his platform, X.

Based on what we understand Musk’s role to be, he is able to, and charged with, acting under the color of governmental authority. As such, he can no more decide who is entitled to say what on his platform, or to try to censor speech on any other platform, than President Trump could.

— William Adler Mountain View