18 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY April 6-12, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com Water Line Thank you so much for your Pajaro levee reporting (“Congress authorized a restoration of the Pajaro River levee in 1966. More than half a century later, the work remains undone,” March 23-29). When the levee failed the people of Pajaro, this time, I was so angry I had steam coming from my ears. It’s not nice to let disadvantaged people suffer because their house isn’t worth more. Your story makes clear that there are not only uncaring fools involved in the history of this failure, but also heroes who have long struggled to do what’s right. Thanks for filling out the story for me. Steve Beck | Big Sur Tenant Rights If the tenants are not able to reside they should not be charged rent… although most will argue they should of carried renters insurance to help with that. (“Monterey County Board of Supervisors adopts eviction moratorium for Pajaro residents,” posted March 28). Sandra Lynn Manely | via social media Hear the Echo As a retired professor of theater, I’m pretty much firmly ensconced in a liberal echo chamber both in “real life” and on social media (“Anti-vax rhetoric is just one topic that gets caught in an echo chamber, sometimes with tragic consequences,” posted March 24). However, I grew up in Orange County in the ’50s, ’60s and early ’70s, well before it turned “purple” politically. Many of my old friends as well as some of my family still live there and are still very conservative. So how do I escape my own echo chamber? By still engaging—cordially and intelligently—with all of them. The worst thing we can do is to isolate ourselves (via absence of communication or “unfriending”) from differing opinions. I often joke with some of them that I’m “intelligence gathering of enemy plans” when we talk. There are some “red lines” I won’t cross. Homophobia, transphobia, misogyny are all “sins” I can’t tolerate. But if we on the left think that none of us fall under those categories…we’ll, then you’re probably trapped in your echo chamber. Gary Bolen | Prunedale I know Dr. Hulstedt and always found him to be a free thinker, non-mainstream, educated and always had a child’s best health as his primary concern. So sad to hear this ended badly (“A Monterey doctor loses his license for anti-vax views that factored into a deadly custody case,” March 23-29). Shawn Adams | Monterey Envisioning Equality I’ve been around Salinas since the late ’60s and it’s always been cliquey. I don’t get it. It’s completely different in other places I’ve lived—People of mixed race neighborhoods always got along just fine. What makes Salinas so different? (“After two racist incidents at Salinas Union schools, the community demands accountability,” March 16-22.) Norma Ray | Salinas Surf’s Down Even if it overcomes the seemingly insurmountable issues regarding building on the coast, I question whether a six-mile bus route will really give workers a cost-effective “reliable and faster option to reach their jobs.” (“MST’s embattled SURF! project is entering a decisive gauntlet: the Coastal Commission,” March 30-April 5.) How will workers get from their homes to the departure bus depot? How much will it cost to ride? How do they get from the arrival depot to their job? How often will buses run? How many people are expected to use it instead of the freeway? Will this system turn a profit or be forever subsidized by taxpayers? History has shown that adding lanes does not alleviate traffic. This smells like a boondoggle project, and I’m guessing that on-ramp lights would be a cheaper solution with a greater impact. Joe Snyder | Monterey [In my opinion] a six mile route between two rural stations which requires riders to change buses to achieve their destination cannot legitimately be considered mass transit, it is no more than a spur. I have commuted on MST Line 20, boarding in Marina and debarking in downtown Monterey, I got to work and there was no need to change buses. That line still exists. We have an endangered Smith’s Blue Butterfly in those coastal dunes that needs protection from unnecessary development. Tina Walsh | via social media Not a Pet The female octopus at the Monterey Bay Aquarium is a prisoner, not a pet, and for a solitary animal to have to see “thousands of people” a day is stressful (“A Monterey Bay Aquarium biologist gets paid to pet the biggest octopuses in the ocean, and they love him back,” March 30-April 5). There is a consensus in the field of animal sentience that octopuses are conscious beings. They show the ability to learn behavior and strategies and are not set in a programmed behavioral pattern. They are extremely intelligent and aware. They have a life of the mind like we do. Octopus have no rights. Some scientists and many organizations are speaking up. Some states and countries are banning farms and including octopus in animal welfare legislation. We must do the same. Susan Schiavone | Seaside Party Politics Squid must be scratching its head wondering why this wasn’t in its column instead of in an almost fullpage commentary that was based on unconfirmed misinformation (“The county Democratic Party gets stuck on issues big and small,” March 23-29). [Former Salinas mayoral candidate and Democratic Central Committee member Amit Pandya] has lost multiple times and is looking to throw shade at those who endorsed him, a tactic another candidate did as well a few years ago. Sore losers don’t deserve any more than a comment from Squid. Esther Malkin | Monterey Note: Malkin is a member of the Monterey County Democratic Central Committee. Letters • CommentsOPINION Submit letters to the editor to letters@mcweekly.com. Please keep your letter to 150 words or less; subject to editing for space. Please include your full name, contact information and city you live in.
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