Letters: Subsidized rent could be teachers’ path to housing ladder

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Subsidized rent is path to the housing ladder

Re: “Districts should spend on teachers, not housing” (Page A6, July 29).

Peggy Brady asks, “Why not pay teachers enough to buy homes themselves?”

This is a good question, and the answer is simple. If you put $10,000 in everyone’s pocket to help them buy a home, the price of homes goes up by $10,000. This becomes a taxpayer subsidy to the seller that does not help the buyer. Subsidizing rented teacher housing is a more effective way to help teachers keep a roof over their heads near their jobs.

In theory, it could ultimately help them save the down payment needed to get on the housing ladder, but the Bay Area would need to build a lot more housing to make that possible.

Eamonn Gormley
San Jose

Polluters should pay for climate change

Re: “Voters want others to pay for climate rules” (Page A6, July 29).

The recent letter asserts that public support for climate initiatives wanes when voters face costs. Why should they when the primary responsibility for the climate crisis falls not on most voters, but on polluting industries, like the fossil fuel and timber sectors?

These industries reap massive profits while generating vast emissions and receiving taxpayer-funded government subsidies, something over which voters have little power. Sadly, this trend is now extending to the highly polluting biomass energy and AI sectors.

It is unfair to burden ordinary people with the funds needed to reverse a crisis for which they have little direct responsibility. Instead, polluting industries should be held accountable for funding climate repair efforts and should be mandated to transition to cleaner, safer practices.

Jennifer Normoyle
Hillsborough

Switch to electric is key to a healthy future

Re: “Unreliable electricity makes gas necessary” (July 20).

As a Bay Area high school student, I care about the future my generation will inherit. That is why I was disappointed that Marcia Friss ignored one of the biggest issues: clean air. Air pollution is not abstract. It affects the air we breathe, the number of unhealthy, smog-filled days that keep us indoors and our long-term health. The Bay Area Air District estimates that reducing pollution from gas furnaces and water heaters could prevent up to 85 premature deaths and 15,000 asthma attacks each year in our region.

Affordability concerns are valid, but rebates, exemptions and flexible implementation can address them. California has also invested heavily in battery storage, helping make the electric grid more reliable. These concerns should encourage better, more efficient implementation, not abandonment of the rules.

Air quality must be a priority, not an afterthought. We all deserve clean air and a healthy future.

Abhinaya Manickavasagan
Santa Clara

Quetzalcoatl is terrible choice for plaza name

Re: “Finalists announced in plaza’s renaming” (Page B1, July 28).

I was surprised to learn that one of the names under consideration to replace that of Cesar Chavez in San Jose’s downtown plaza is the mythological deity Quetzalcoatl. Quetzalcoatl was the “feathered serpent” worshipped by the Aztecs and other cultures.

Sacrifices were made to Quetzalcoatl, but some historians assure us that humans were not sacrificed: only butterflies, birds and serpents were killed to please the mythological god.

If San Jose’s downtown plaza is named for Quetzalcoatl, we will be mocked by the world … and rightly so.

Pete Campbell
San Jose

Pass a law to keep high court at 9 justices

Re: “Deadline passes for Trump to ask Supreme Court to reconsider birthright citizenship ruling” (July 29).

Now that the deadline for the United States Supreme Court to reconsider its birthright citizenship ruling has passed, the Supreme Court has proven that it is not a rubber stamp for Trump — and MAGA critics remain furious.

Court expansion is a trap. Some on the right may be tempted to expand the bench to make it more conservative, just as some on the left seek to expand it to make it more liberal.

To protect the court’s judicial independence, we must pass the Keep Nine Amendment, which simply says: “The Supreme Court of the United States shall be composed of nine Justices.”

Eugene Greg Zulueta
San Jose

Let’s rally voters to keep our democracy strong

At a time when civic participation feels more important than ever, we each have a role to play in strengthening our democracy. Voting is one of the most direct and powerful ways individuals can make their voices heard, yet many eligible voters remain disengaged or unsure how to participate.

If you are wondering how to make a tangible difference in getting Democrats elected to office, I encourage you to look into Activate America.

Activate America is an organization that empowers volunteers to reach out directly to voters in crucial swing states and districts, encouraging them to vote for Democratic candidates. By empowering volunteers to reach out to voters through postcards, texts and phone calls, we can make a real difference in getting Democrats elected.

Democracy works best when participation is broad and inclusive. Let’s do our part to make that happen.

Ron Sadler
Palo Alto