{"id":5268,"date":"2026-07-23T23:37:21","date_gmt":"2026-07-23T23:37:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=5268"},"modified":"2026-07-23T23:37:21","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T23:37:21","slug":"letters-oakland-drivers-deserve-safe-well-maintained-streets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=5268","title":{"rendered":"Letters: Oakland drivers deserve safe, well-maintained streets"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Submit your letter to the editor via this form. Read more Letters to the Editor.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Oakland drivers deserve safe, smooth streets<\/h4>\n

I regularly commute through Oakland. When I drive, I not only have to worry about watching other drivers and people, but I have to actively scan the road for potholes because if I don\u2019t, I will ruin my vehicle.<\/p>\n

Read more Trump imposes double-digit tariffs on dozens of countries as his 10% levies are set to expire Friday<\/a><\/p>\n

Degraded streets pose a serious risk to drivers and their wallets. Potholes can cause blown tires, bent rims and can ruin suspensions. This poses unnecessary expensive repair costs for residents. Moreover, having to swerve or dodge potholes can be a safety risk to drivers.<\/p>\n

Simple patchwork repairs would go a long way. Ideally, Oakland leadership will prioritize a more aggressive repaving strategy to repave the worst streets, saving residents money and making streets safer for everyone.<\/p>\n

Paul DiGiacomo<\/strong>
\nAlameda<\/em><\/p>\n

We must mitigate waste from large events<\/h4>\n

Re: \u201cAfter World Cup end, city hopes vibe lives on\u201d (Page A1, July 19).<\/p>\n

The East Bay Times\u2019 article noted the World Cup\u2019s success in bringing crowds to celebrate together downtown.<\/p>\n

While this is fantastic news, it is important to note that it resulted in a significant amount of plastic waste and pollution. \t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

This doesn\u2019t need to be the norm, and shouldn\u2019t be as we hurdle toward the upcoming 2028 Olympics. As San Jos\u00e9 Stadium prepares to host sporting events in 2028, event organizers should prioritize efforts to limit pollution generated during the games, such as by going plastic-free.<\/p>\n

In doing so, California would prove itself a leader in sustainability at a time when waste and pollution continue to pose a significant threat to our communities.<\/p>\n

Cyrus Soltani<\/strong>
\nBerkeley<\/em><\/p>\n

Could Oakland closure signal end of charters?<\/h4>\n

Re: \u201cOakland charter\u2019s end seen as a harbinger\u201d (Page A1, July 19).<\/p>\n

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Tragic. Cataclysmic. The death knell on publicly funded charter schools has sounded loudly and will have a grave impact on a movement that at one time showed promise.<\/p>\n

The State Board of Education, on a 7-2 vote, shuttered the Oakland Aspire Golden State College Preparatory Charter School by taking no action. The State Board was petitioned by Aspire to overturn the vote to close by Oakland Unified and the Alameda County Office of Education.<\/p>\n

Read more Mark Cuban\u2019s investment group buys a minority stake in the A\u2019s ahead of Las Vegas move<\/a><\/p>\n

This decision essentially shutters the school for next year, sending the hundreds of middle and high school students packing to their neighborhood comprehensive high school, a forced choice hundreds of students and their parents fought to overturn.<\/p>\n

Former Go v. Jerry Brown said, \u201cThis is an organic institution that has grown up in Oakland. It\u2019s a real tragedy.\u201d I concur with Brown.<\/p>\n

The more than 30-year charter school movement should be a topic in California\u2019s race for governor.<\/p>\n

Joseph Di Salvo<\/strong>
\nSan Jose<\/em><\/p>\n

Local control crucial to small coastal towns<\/h4>\n

Re: \u201cNewsom administration sues Half Moon Bay\u201d (Page B1, July 17).<\/p>\n

I have lived on the San Mateo Coast since 1976 and have seen a lot of growth and infill. Unfortunately, with this growth and popularity with visitors, our infrastructure, roads, public transit, and TV and internet availability have not improved. During the last tsunami evacuation directive a few years ago, our two-lane roads were completely stopped by people trying to leave.<\/p>\n

Anybody coming here on a sunny beach day knows all too well the traffic jams on Highway 92, a very dangerous and antiquated road. Adding another almost 500 homes will make matters worse. The reality for most locals is to commute by car to good job markets for well-paying jobs, which are scarce here.<\/p>\n

Giving the state and federal governments control over local community governance is not a one-size-fits-all good idea.<\/p>\n

Bruce Krutel<\/strong>
\nEl Granada<\/em><\/p>\n

Prop. 45 poll shows state in line with Trump<\/h4>\n

Re: \u201cPoll points to strong Prop. 45 backing\u201d (Page A1, July 16).<\/p>\n

It\u2019s interesting that we now have strong sentiment favoring changes in California\u2019s CEQA legislation. It\u2019s certainly an indication of how far we\u2019ve come from caring about our environment.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s astonishing to think this legislation was signed by Ronald Reagan, a Republican revered in conservative circles. Now we\u2019re in sync with a Trump administration that trips over itself dismantling environmental regulations. It\u2019s all well and good to want to streamline the process, shortening review times and mandating time limits on court decision-making, but do we need to be reminded that we have this legislation because people are unwilling to do the right things on their own? Do the right thing.<\/p>\n

Read more OpenAI models break out of test environment, hack company to steal answers<\/a><\/p>\n

Eugene Ely<\/strong>
\nSan Jose<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Also: Mitigate waste | Charter schools | Local control | Prop. 45 poll. East Bay Times reader letters to the editor for July 24, 2026.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5267,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5268","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opinion"],"yoast_head":"\nLetters: Oakland drivers deserve safe, well-maintained streets - Next City Digest<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=5268\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Letters: Oakland drivers deserve safe, well-maintained streets - Next City Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Also: Mitigate waste | Charter schools | Local control | Prop. 45 poll. 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