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S.J. still isn’t engaging
on animal welfare
Even after a scathing 133-page city audit was released in November that highlighted that the San Jose Animal Care Center wasn’t in compliance with basic Association of Shelter Veterinarian guidelines, public works director Matt Loesch has failed to engage the community that the animal shelter serves.
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In the city audit, Loesch himself recommends that a community action committee be created to assist shelter staff in developing solutions for four specific audit recommendations, mainly involving increased spay/neuter services, growing access to low-cost vet services and expanding rescue partnerships.
Although this committee was to meet on a monthly basis in 2025, not only has it yet to meet, but Loesch has failed to contact community stakeholders who have expressed interest in participating.
Also, $100,000 earmarked to seed a nonprofit “foundation” for SJACC has been sitting in reserve for two years with no plan of action, given a lack of engagement with community stakeholders.
Mike Wagner
Morgan Hill
Trump policies endanger
lives of LGBTQ+ people
Re: “State to bolster LGBTQ+ support” (Page B1, July 17).
As a mental health professional for more than 47 years, with substantial experience and knowledge of the profound challenges facing the LGBTQIA+ community, I read of the Trump administration’s decision to no longer provide national suicide and crisis services to LGBTQ+ youth with horror. Their additional mean-spirited decision to omit the “T” for transgender is equally abhorrent. Make no mistake, young people will die on Donald Trump’s watch.
To the 77 million Americans who put this abomination in the White House, you too are co-conspirators in letting millions of very vulnerable Americans know that they don’t count. And don’t say you voted MAGA for other reasons, but disagree with this stance on the gay community.
Barry Goldman-Hall
San Jose
Keeping nine justices
protects high court
To protect the independence of the Supreme Court of the United States is to protect our democracy.
Recent Supreme Court decisions have angered enough people to call for the expansion of the number of justices. But expansion leaves an open door to abuse of power and tit-for-tat politics. To paraphrase Bernie Sanders: If Democrats expand the Court, Republicans will do the same when they are in power. Term limits do not address court expansion.
To truly protect the Supreme Court, we must pass the Keep 9 Amendment. It is an amendment backed by over 200 members of Congress, and simply says, “The Supreme Court of the United States shall be composed of nine justices.”
Eugene Greg Zulueta
San Jose
CEQA ‘reform’ threatens
regional butterfly habitat
Re: “Deciphering new CEQA laws” (Page A1, July 6).
Your July 6 article about the Legislature upending California’s environmental and public health protections by pushing through CEQA “reforms” mentions one of SB 131’s most dangerous features: its environmental review exemption for projects in a poorly-defined category called “advanced manufacturing.” This category could include semiconductors and biotech, but also battery manufacturing, mining and other highly polluting facilities.
SB 131’s harmful effects are already apparent. The night SB 131 passed, developers of a massive industrial project that would destroy endangered butterfly habitat on San Bruno Mountain announced that they’d changed their plans: The project will now be an “advanced manufacturing” facility, meaning that it could potentially escape environmental review.
My organization, Green Foothills, is working with a broad coalition of nonprofit organizations to close this enormous loophole in California’s most important environmental law. We urge lawmakers to act quickly to fix SB 131.
Alice Kaufman
Policy and advocacy director, Green Foothills
Palo Alto
It’s our duty to keep
finding good trouble
The late U.S. Rep. John Lewis urged us to make good trouble and actively support pro-democracy causes.
Armed, masked ICE agents are sweeping down, not on dangerous criminals, but on field and day workers, on churches, neighborhood grocery stores and elementary schools.
The new tax law will take from the poorest of us to benefit the richest and will add $3.4 trillion to our national debt.
Under the new Health Secretary, measles is thriving, while science and public health are less important than his pet pseudoscience theories.
Does this dangerous craziness support democracy? Donald Trump’s Congress is of no help; but we have the right and power to dissent. Join a rally, write letters, volunteer, donate to good candidates running for state and local office (or run for something, yourself); vote. Persist. History shows that, over time, good results come from making good trouble.
Virginia Carpio
Los Gatos