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Dems’ best weapon
is better candidates
Re: “Dems voice concern on plan” (Page A1, Aug. 13).
It seems likely that the Texas House of Representatives will sooner or later gerrymander their state even more. And it has been suggested that California might take a similar approach.
I would counsel otherwise.
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We have a nonpartisan committee operating within reasonable rules. The resulting districts are compact and adhere to fair guidelines.
This is a good system. It is the one that Californians already voted for. We should not mess with it to maybe get a couple more Democratic-leaning districts. To do so will only entice other red states to do the same.
Rather, Democrats should invest their energy and dollars into finding and supporting great candidates for districts with vulnerable GOP incumbents, especially those who are particularly craven in the face of Donald Trump’s pressure.
Such efforts need not only be in California. A Democratic representative in Eire, Pennsylvania, is as good as one in Hanford, California.
Ed Green
Oakland
Alameda County must
end Wellpath contract
The Stop Deaths and Harm group, an offshoot of the Interfaith Coalition for Justice in our Jails (ICJJ), is advocating for a change in the health care provider at Alameda County Jail. Wellpath, a for-profit company owned by a global investment firm, has over 1,500 nationwide lawsuits pending against it. Wellpath declared bankruptcy last year and stopped action on lawsuits involving deaths and egregious medical care in jails across the country.
Wellpath’s contract with Alameda County expires in 2027 and community groups are calling on the sheriff to not renew the contract. Sheriff Sanchez ran on a platform of improving conditions at the jail. Internal evaluations have shown that Wellpath is not adequately complying with basic standards of medical care and cell monitoring at the jail.
Alameda County can do better than this.
Micky Duxbury
Chair, Stop Deaths and Harm in Alameda Jail
Berkeley
UCs must resist
Trump’s money grab
Re: “Trump administration seeking $1 billion settlement from UCLA over antisemitism allegation” (Aug. 8).
As a UC alumnus, UC retiree and American, I plead with the UC Board of Regents not to capitulate to the Trump administration’s demand that UCLA pay $1 billion to resolve alleged civil rights violations in return for the restoration of federal grants for life-saving research. This is not about antisemitism or other civil rights violations. It is simply a political shakedown.
Our very democracy is under assault and failing. We can only stop the Trump administration’s authoritative power grab if the pillars of our society stand up, including large universities.
Do not cave to Donald Trump’s demands. Do not stay silent. Stand up to Trump. Democratic Americans plead with you to hold strong.
Jennifer Huber
El Sobrante
Hike taxes on wealthy
for economic equity
Re: “Worry reigns before encampment clearing” (Page A1, Aug. 1) and “AI job market is flush with cash” (Page A1, Aug. 1).
The side-by-side articles on the front page of the East Bay Times of Aug. 1 clearly illustrate the dystopian nature of the economic system that has been created.
While many can’t afford a place to live, a minuscule number are rewarded with obscenely gross amounts of wealth paid by a handful of mega-corporations in a race to be first. They pay hundreds of millions of dollars to win the talent race. These corporations have shown that they are far from benign nor in it for the common good. Meanwhile the residents of encampments are shuffled from spot to spot with no real hope that their lot will improve. Students accrue massive debt to pay for college and entry level jobs taken by AI. Data centers use huge amounts of energy, forcing utilities to build more infrastructure to serve AI.
It’s time to increase taxes on the uber-wealthy and mega corporations.
Joseph Brulenski
Berkeley
People will now look
abroad for land of free
Re: “Scientists hope burying pigs can lead to human bodies” (Page A2, Aug. 8).
The technology is admirable, but I was overwhelmed by the statement that grieving mothers of sons who have disappeared have learned to identify burial sites by observing the plants that grow over the graves.
When the actions of a government allow oppression or create neglect, people want to flee to a safer place.
This is how I interpret the influx of people from Mexico and other countries; people desperate to find safety for themselves and their families; people wanting opportunities to better their lives, who realize that in their home countries they are at a dead end.
There are now Americans wanting to flee this countryto France or Canada or some other country where they can escape the destruction of freedoms brought on by the Trump administration’s cruel programs.
America has always been a beacon of hope. That is being wiped out, so where can desperate people go?
Teri Shikany
Danville