14 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY july 11-17, 2024 www.montereycountynow.com Voting Matters Thank you for your editorial on our presidential candidates (“Biden and Trump should both drop out. Our country is too important,” July 4-10). I respectfully disagree. Trump will never drop out. Who on the red team will utter dissent? Biden must decide; the people voted overwhelmingly to nominate both these guys. Unless he quits the race, a brokered convention is a pipe dream. Biden will beat Trump...like a drum. The women of America will see to that. This is the first presidential election since Dobbs. Now the rogue Supreme Court is making law, not interpreting it. They just rewrote the Constitution by adding presidential immunity for criminal action while in office. The Supremes just put their thumb on the scale, but opposite of how they intended. We, the people, are the last line of defense. Vote! Michael Baer | San Jose If Donald Trump were not campaigning for the presidency for a third time, I believe Joe Biden would be happy to retire from public service, again. Biden is the only candidate who has ever won against Trump, and he if wants to stay in the race he’s got my vote. An open Democratic Convention as you rightly state “would be wild,” and the certain mudslinging among contestants would no doubt turn off a lot of people who are infrequent voters to begin with. This year like no other we need everyone to be involved and engaged, and in my opinion your assertion that Biden can’t beat Trump is wrong. Tony Amarante | Seaside To suggest Biden drop out of the presidential race without alternatives is nonsensical. Who would replace him? Winning candidates do not magically appear. Who are the next generation of Democrats? They are relative unknowns. Of course there must be viable people but we are too close to November. We have an old horse yet we are past mid-stream. This talk is reckless. Steve Parker | Salinas Go Boom I LOVE fireworks, and appreciate the efforts of the Seaside renegades who entertain me every July Fourth in spite of the expense and risk of arrest (“Another Fourth of July, another round of illegal fireworks,” posted July 3). The only problem is that July Fourth is the height of the fire season, a problem made worse by the need to light fuses in hidden private places, rather than in safer public places. It makes me wonder what would happen if fireworks were made legal on some safer day, the obvious candidate being New Year’s Eve. Would the renegades switch their attention to the safer day, thus pleasing both me and the firemen? If any reader is wise on that question, please write another letter. Alan Washburn | Monterey Road Ways As a daily commuter on Boronda Road, I am very excited about the approved Boronda Road Congestion Relief Project (“Salinas City Council approves first phase of the Boronda Road widening project,” posted June 28). This project is critical because this road is a vital arterial route that connects East Salinas to North Salinas and vice versa. As a supporter of safe biking and walking, and a member of the TAMC Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee, I am thrilled that the project will include buffered bike lanes. These lanes will make it safer for people to bike. Moreover, the new roundabouts will also make the road safer for motorists. I want to applaud the City Council for approving this project. The approval of the project shows the council’s commitment to our safety and well-being, and I can’t wait to see the project completed. Victor Manuel Tafoya | Salinas Next Gen I applaud the Monterey County Weekly for the support you are giving this initiative (“The Weekly is proud to join the California Local News Fellowship, among 37 newsrooms statewide,” posted June 25). To inspire young people to seek a career in journalism, and to inspire a whole new generation of thoughtful journalists. Brian Gingerich | Carmel Power Down As an advocate for the safe, reliable, abundant, cost-effective, and zero-emission Diablo Canyon Power Plant, I write to rebut the misleading claims of opponents in this article (“PG&E’s grace period at Diablo Canyon nuclear plant is costing billions,” June 27-July 3). DCPP’s typical annual generation is equal to five Hoover Dams from a land area covering roughly one square mile. That generation costs a modest amount of money per kilowatt-hour, hence the costs are denominated in billions of dollars each year. DCPP typically undercuts the cost of California natural gas fired generation. California’s power grid needs huge amounts of synchronous grid inertia (SGI) to keep the power grid stable 24/7, despite the destabilizing effects of solar, wind and batteries that contribute negligible SGI. If DCPP is needlessly retired, it will be largely replaced with Wyoming coal-fired generation to supply the necessary SGI, as was the case when the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station near San Clemente was needlessly shut down in 2012. DCPP has been continuously upgraded since it began commercial operation about four decades ago. It is typically in the top quartile of U.S. nuclear plants as surveyed by the independent Institute for Nuclear Power Operations. Keep Diablo Canyon running. Gene Nelson | Arroyo Grande Note: Nelson is senior legal researcher and president of Californians for Green Nuclear Power, Inc. A Photo’s Worth Your photographs were so delightful to look at (“Living Well” magazine, available at various locations throughout Monterey County). You really showed what goes on at the various senior programs and residences. Good job! Rosemary Robert | via email Letters • CommentsOPINION Submit letters to the editor to letters@montereycountynow.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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