Sausalito evictions show need for renter protections

The plight of Marin renters was brought to light once again with the announced eviction of all tenants in the Portofino Riviera apartments (“Sausalito renters in 39-unit complex face eviction,” Sept. 7).

Many long-term residents of the complex, including many seniors who have lived there for years, were recently given notice that they must vacate their homes forever by Oct. 31 because the owners intend to “substantially remodel the units” in order to put them back on the open rental market.

The only compensation will be one month’s rent in the form of a rent waiver or relocation assistance.

While this mass eviction may represent a profitable economic move for the owners, allowing them to charge a new rent of $3,750 for a one-bedroom apartment after the renovations are finished, it represents a clear illustration of why Marin cities and towns need local rent control and tenant protections.

Without ordinances like these — which protect seniors and other at-risk categories against unfair evictions for no-fault terminations — Marin renters are protected only by the current weak rent control instituted by the state in 2019. It places a maximum rental increase cap at 10%, and offers no recourse whatsoever to renters whose landlords decide to permanently evict them in order to upgrade the apartment and up the rent for new tenants.

Those who speak out against so-called “extra rent control” may consider the flimsy protections of the current state law to be sufficient, but without such extra protection we will continue to see mass evictions such as those faced by the Portofino Riviera apartments.

Marin cities and towns must take up the cause for real, local rent control to keep our neighbors and friends in their homes.

— Peter Goetz, San Rafael

Looking for consistency in reaction to accusations

The evidence gathered against former President Donald Trump in four separate investigations includes hundreds of hours of video and audio recordings, tens of thousands of documents, emails and text messages, as well as sworn testimony from dozens of Republicans who worked with the former president.

Since this evidence has yet to be presented to a jury, politically conservative people who support him are correct in proclaiming that, in the eyes of the law, Trump is innocent until proven guilty.

However, some of those people are the same ones who chanted “lock her up” about Hillary Clinton, the former secretary of state whose emails were exhaustively investigated. She was never charged with a crime.

— Charles Kelly, Fairfax

Not buying arguments against nuclear energy

I am writing in response to Jasper Thelin’s recent Marin Voice commentary (“Nuclear power plants aren’t a long-term solution for energy,” Aug. 30).

I found this emotionally overwrought opinion piece very misleading on several fronts. Thelin begins by conflating nuclear war with nuclear energy, before arguing that we should get rid of the capitalist system in which we are controlled by our “corporate masters.”

The technologies for nuclear bombs and nuclear plants are rather different. Also, we should keep in mind that the U.S. already derives 20% of its energy from nuclear power (the total is 70% in France).

Yes, nuclear waste is a problem, but many people are working on that. As for concerns about another incident like the meltdown in Chernobyl, remember that it was built many decades ago. Modern nuclear facilities are much smaller, with better technology. I’m not saying they are perfect, but they are much safer.

Thelin raises concerns about uranium mining. For the record, uranium is very abundant in the earth’s crust. Yes, mining is destructive, but that holds true for copper, iron and other mined products.

In implying that the U.S. government is unwilling to reduce its nuclear arsenal, Thelin ignores the START 1 (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty) program initiated by the U.S. in 1991. By 2001, 80% of strategic nuclear weapons were dismantled.

I find Thelin’s comparison of our nuclear future with the gold, art and culture of Egypt to be odd. Ancient Egypt was marvelous, but without hundreds of thousands of slaves, its monuments would not have been possible.

As for Thelin’s problems with capitalism, I myself have not been able to find a better system. Having visited Russia, Romania and China in the 1980s, I met a lot of poor, frustrated people longing for a system like ours.

— James Bogin, Larkspur