Marin IJ Readers’ Forum for Oct. 14, 2023

Expensive SMART far from most convenient

Recent coverage in the IJ of the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit District discussed rail for moving commuters, with prospects of extending rail service northward.

I think this round of stories left out the most critical information: The cost per passenger mile is far too expensive.

I agree that we must subsidize public transportation. But any new plans need to have regard for cost and for which transportation is preferred by the public (as well as why it’s preferred).

Our buses run through residential areas, picking up commuters, depositing them close to where they work. Later, buses pick them up and return them close to where they live. They’re convenient and cost-effective. It has a devoted following as a trusted service.

Before we agree to spend more taxpayer money, let’s focus on the basics of commuting and cost per passenger mile.

— Brian Stompe, Novato

MMWD is not kicking can down the road anymore

I find it interesting that the Marin Municipal Water Department faces similar problems of supply and infrastructure as the San Francisco Water Department did when the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein took over as San Francisco’s mayor in 1978.

To her credit, Feinstein did not kick the problems “down the road.” She made sure the city sucked it up and attacked each issue one at a time. Feinstein used an auditing process for each department. She got her managers together to form a game plan (without consultants, as far as I know).

By instituting a new fee structure, the newly minted MMWD Board of Directors is following Feinstein’s method of not kicking the can down the road.

For me, one question remains. In 2014, a state water initiative called Proposition 1 was passed. Antioch used funds provided by it to help build a desalination plant. Why didn’t MMWD do the same?

I hope MMWD has someone on staff who can do more to troll state funds for water projects. That person should also take a look at how the latest state housing mandate (totaling more than 14,000 units for Marin County) will impact MMWD’s infrastructure.

If MMWD finds that adding 14,000 living units creates a financial strain on the agency, it should file a claim to create a tiered impact fee (kind of like the water fees). The top tier of the impact fee would involve any project using the state “builder’s remedy” law.

— Rick Johnson, Novato

European housing models make no sense in America

I am writing in response to a recent letter by Michael Smith, who tried to tell us how wonderful European socialism can be for public housing.

Smith should consider this: In Italy, many homes have no window screens, only ancient shutters.

A large amount of European housing was built centuries ago. In America, some enterprising person would set up a window screen factory. It seems impossible in Italy.

Think about those European castles. Obviously, no building permits were issued before perching those stone edifices on top of cliffs. Yet those castles and other ancient homes have outlasted most structures, even ones here.

My point is that this is America, not Europe. Smith should stop trying to blend the world’s housing challenges into one big mishmash. What is appropriate in one place makes a mess somewhere else.

What would really help would be to get a bunch of smart people to go to other countries to figure out how the people born there can be happy there and stay there. If unhappy Americans are displeased by housing plans here, perhaps they can find happiness in Austria.

— Sandy White, Woodacre

Mistreatment of elk in Pt. Reyes must end

The fence restricting the tule elk in Point Reyes National Seashore needs to come down. It is sad enough to see wild animals fenced in a zoo, but it is incomprehensible to have wild animals fenced in a national park.

When the recent drought left the elk without water, many died. The situation pushed activists to bring water in troughs. But then employees of the park removed them. The argument that the troughs “may have been” set on native plants rings hollow for me.

Finally, after the actions of the activists were publicized, the park service brought the elk water. What took so long?

What happened to the elk is inhumane, therefore the fence must come down. Ranchers who say the elk interfere with the cattle will just have to find a way.

Meanwhile, as a swimmer in Tomales Bay, it was very disconcerting to me to learn last year that one ranch was operating without a septic system. The fecal-matter cesspool was leaking into streams and waterways. It shouldn’t have taken government action to force a cleanup.

If ranchers want to remain in the national park, they need to learn how to live with the elk, not the other way around. Point Reyes is a national park not “national ranchland.”

— Spirit L. Wiseman, Fairfax

Book adds understanding to why atomic bomb fell

Jim Wood’s Marin Voice commentary (“‘Oppenheimer’ film missed opportunities to delve deep into history,” Oct. 2) raises some good questions.

Among other issues, Wood wrote that he wanted to learn more about the decision by U.S. officials to drop the atomic bomb on Japan. It’s a fair question. I felt the same way.

I found a book that answered the question brilliantly. It’s called “Road to Surrender” by Evan Thomas and it’s a page-turner. It details, with key players, the negotiations within the U.S. and Japanese governments surrounding the ending of World War II.

After reading the book, I’m now convinced the decisions, though tragic, were necessary. If you are interested to learn more about the ending of the war with Japan, I highly recommend it.

— Steve Isaacs, Greenbrae

Democrats need to stick together to beat Trump

I’m writing in reference to the New York Times article reprinted in the IJ on Oct. 9 with the headline, “Biden allies aim to quell threat of election spoilers.”

While I’m in sympathy with the general sentiment that keeping Donald Trump out of the White House is the paramount political goal of our time, a couple disturbing things emerge from the article.

The first is the rapidity of Democrats’ move to Republican-like efforts to disenfranchise voters who might choose their disfavored alternative. The second is the complete absence of any recognition that the Democratic Party is bleeding from the middle based on policy (immigration and crime leap immediately to mind). The idea that some sort of course correction might be considered before resorting to manipulation of election law is disturbing.

The progressive wing of the Democratic Party is plenty vocal. I don’t mind the middle making party leadership listen by threatening to defect, as long as they ultimately vote against Trump.

— Stewart Johnson, San Anselmo

Encampment situation must be addressed

As a lifelong (and heavily taxed) resident of Marin County, I would like to know why a faraway court decision is preventing our leaders from cleaning up the homeless encampments across the county, particularly along Andersen Drive in San Rafael.

Allowing people in need to live that way is an assault on decency. It hurts our community pride.

I have already seen an act of public defecation on an early morning drive. I do not want Marin to become like San Francisco. My last minor parking violation in San Rafael was $93. I was only a few feet into a red zone but I was forced to pay it. Yet these folks get away with squatting (in several senses) on acres of city property. It must be addressed.

The longer the encampments are allowed to stay, the higher the cost of cleaning it up.

The only upside to the mess in San Rafael is, possibly, the object lesson for nearby school children. I suspect they are learning about making good life choices as they walk past the garbage and filth on their way home from school.

— Hil Hawken, San Anselmo