Marin IJ Readers’ Forum for Dec. 17, 2023

It’s vital Marin be part of transit transformation

I am writing in response to IJ political columnist Dick Spotswood’s commentary published Dec. 10 with the headline “Marin should be removed from Bay Area transportation tax proposal.”

I don’t think Spotswood did his homework before suggesting that the North Bay not participate in the planned transportation tax plan. As a member of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission’s Policy Advisory Council, which is made up of 27 Bay Area residents, I had a front row seat as the “transit transformation action plan” was crafted.

The goal is to create a seamless system that actually provides reliable, frequent and connected transit for the whole Bay Area. With 27 different agencies, each one a silo, the customer experience is untenable.

Marin Transit does better than most, yet still, it takes too long to get from Point A to Point B, which is why only the transit dependent are willing to brave the system. If you have to transfer to another system, the wait is long and the price keeps climbing. That is why Bay Area transit activists are pressuring MTC to develop a plan combining fare integration, easy transfers and, ultimately, coordinated schedules.

The COVID-19 pandemic upended transit systems around the country; but it is also an opportunity. It forced various agencies to work together and coordinate services. Agencies are now realizing that squeezing most of the services into the commute hours made for a transit system that only worked for one segment of the community.

The upcoming tax will not be “business as usual.” It is part of the development of a new transportation experience. There is an organized effort by a strong coalition of activists to make sure that MTC continues on the right course. Instead of walking away, the North Bay needs to be actively engaged to be able to achieve this vision.

— Wendi Kallins, Forest Knolls

Inconsistencies in rules about banning books

In a recent California Voice commentary, Todd Maddison defends concerned parent groups like his that are seeking to remove books from public schools (“Why questioning certain material in schools isn’t about banning books or hate,” Dec. 10).

He asserts that he just wants to ban obscene books, but, tellingly, doesn’t define obscenity and names only one specific book, a textbook. Maddison appears to defend the Temecula Valley School Board’s attempt to remove a textbook that mentions former San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk, but denies it had anything to do with Milk being gay. Maddison writes that it was only concerned about Milk’s personal life.

However, the school board did not ban books about former President Donald Trump and Founding Father Thomas Jefferson. They are both known adulterers, the latter with a woman he enslaved.

The school district’s attempt to use a 2006 textbook for its social studies curriculum, instead of the newer textbook, would have been a disservice to its students. The idea was criticized by district teachers and many parents. It was ultimately disallowed by the state.

While Maddison didn’t name any books, Moms for Liberty, a right-wing group, has told us what books should be banned — namely those that discuss sexual identity, gender and race. That category would include books by Judy Blume, Kurt Vonnegut and Toni Morrison.

Maddison writes that so-called “borderline obscene” materials should be removed from California school libraries. He should have the courage to name them.

— Ruth Dell, Tiburon

Hard to compare Danish school system to the U.S.

Mark Phillips’ Marin Voice commentary (“Parents, teachers can learn from how it’s done in Denmark ,” Dec. 11) points out that parental involvement in a child’s education is essential to their success. That’s true, but I don’t think holding Denmark as an example is useful.

The problem is that Denmark is a very small country. It is less than 16,700 square miles, has a population of about 6 million and is, historically, homogeneous. The United States, by contrast, is 3.8 million square miles and has a population of 334 million with a mix of ethnic backgrounds.

Of course, it would be great if all parents were as involved with their child’s education as the Danes appear to be. However, I think observations about the Danish school system do not provide solutions for a country (or even a state like California) that is much larger, with a much more mixed population.

— Nick Clark, San Rafael