{"id":6356,"date":"2026-08-04T23:37:26","date_gmt":"2026-08-04T23:37:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6356"},"modified":"2026-08-04T23:37:26","modified_gmt":"2026-08-04T23:37:26","slug":"letters-prop-45-would-take-state-back-to-bad-old-days","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6356","title":{"rendered":"Letters: Prop. 45 would take state back to bad old days"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div>\n<p><em><strong>Submit your letter to the editor via this form. Read more Letters to the Editor.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<h4>Prop. 45 returns state to the bad old days<\/h4>\n<p>Re: \u201cVoters can curb the review laws to build houses\u201d (Page A6, July 30).<\/p>\n<p>The opinion piece supporting Proposition 45 concedes that infill housing is already exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act, but argues that additional \u201cmodest\u201d steps are needed. What steps?<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6354\">Hotel De Anza in San Jose revamps with upgrades and new dining spot<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Proposition 45\u00a0would minimize environmental review of data centers, freeways, fossil-fuel power plants, dams, sprawling land uses into wildfire zones and more. The cost of review would be shifted to the government, over $100 million per year.<\/p>\n<p>Proposition 45, known as BACA, which should stand for the Backtrack California Act, would take California back to the days when developers had no accountability for the impacts of their projects. Did you like it when companies could dump toxic chemicals in landfills and waterways with impunity? Did you like the Embarcadero Freeway and pre-1989 Nimitz Freeway that slashed through communities without regard to impacts? Did you like it when California\u2019s air was a brown sludge? If so, you\u2019ll love Proposition 45.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Jack Fleck<\/strong><br \/>\n<em>Oakland<\/em><\/p>\n<h4>Local legislators should support anti-coal bill<\/h4>\n<p>Re: \u201cBenefits of coal terminal far outweigh drawbacks\u201d (Page A6, July 17).<\/p>\n<p>Thank you, Hunter Cobb, for bringing Mia Bonta\u2019s Assembly Bill 40\u00a0to my attention.<\/p>\n<div>\n<\/div>\n<p>State Sen. Jessie Arreguin and Assemblywoman Buffy Wicks, please add your support for this important legislation if you haven\u2019t done so already. The best place for coal is back in the Earth where it belongs. This planet does not benefit in any way by transporting or burning coal.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Kirk Essler<\/strong><br \/>\n<em>Richmond<\/em><\/p>\n<h4>There are safe ways for public to invest in AI<\/h4>\n<p>Re: \u201cPublic AI stakes are a disastrous policy mistake\u201d (Page A6, July 24).<\/p>\n<p>In his op-ed, Michael Bloomberg lambasts Bernie Sanders and others for suggesting that the federal government take significant ownership stakes in the leading AI companies. He argues that this would stifle private competition and make the AI firms do the bidding of Washington politicians and their cronies.<\/p>\n<div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Bloomberg is wrong to assume that the government must also receive the voting privileges that usually come with stock ownership. In fact, it is quite feasible to give the government a small equity interest with no voting rights in exchange for government subsidies or as compensation for granting access to the public securities markets. This is precisely what the government did when it \u201cbailed out\u201d the \u201ctoo big to fail\u201d banks during the 2008-09 financial crisis.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Kennedy Richardson<\/strong><br \/>\n<em>Piedmont<\/em><\/p>\n<h4>Henry would bring deep knowledge to park panel<\/h4>\n<p>Our East Bay Regional Parks are true gems, allowing people of all abilities, income levels and interests to enjoy the outdoors and learn. In November, we have the opportunity to elect a board member for Ward 5, and I am supporting Bruce Henry to replace the incumbent, Olivia Sanwong.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6352\">Controversial battery storage project in San Jose\u2019s Coyote Valley is withdrawn<\/a><\/p>\n<p>As an almost daily user of our parks, I want a board that ensures our beautiful parks are managed well. I know firsthand how passionate Bruce is about our parks, since he is also a frequent user of the parks and has a goal of responsible, cost-effective management in a way that optimizes public safety and accessibility. Bruce is the elected chair of the Park Advisory Committee, an appointed body that advises the board through a community perspective, so he has the in-depth knowledge and critical thinking needed to be an effective member.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Mark Miller<\/strong><br \/>\n<em>Pleasanton<\/em><\/p>\n<h4>State could lead nation away from brutal event<\/h4>\n<p>Back in 1994, California outlawed the Mexican charreada\u2019s brutal \u201chorse tripping\u201d event, resulting in a U.S. Charro Federation rules change for the entire country. That\u2019s progress.<\/p>\n<p>Charreadas feature an even worse event, \u201csteer tailing,\u201d wherein a mounted charro grabs a running steer by the tail, wraps the tail around his leg, then rides off at an angle, slamming the hapless animal to the ground. Tails are routinely broken, stripped to the bone (\u201cdegloved\u201d), even torn off. These events are common throughout California, unbeknownst to the general public.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSteer tailing\u201d is not a standard ranching practice anywhere in the United States, and is banned in Alameda and Contra Costa counties (early 1990s) and the state of Nebraska (2008).<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s likely that passage of a California ban would result in a U.S. Charro Federation rule change banning \u201csteer tailing\u201d nationwide. Let your state reps and county boards of supervisors hear from you.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Eric Mills<\/strong><br \/>\n<em>Oakland<\/em><\/p>\n<h4>Author fails to support glib opinion piece<\/h4>\n<p>Re: \u201cData centers face undue panic about mild resource impacts\u201d (Page A6, July 30).<\/p>\n<p>In Mr. Philp\u2019s recent \u201cUnfounded Fear\u201d piece, he glibly scolds opponents of unrestrained datacenter buildout for lack of objectivity. Philp: heal thyself.<\/p>\n<p>He presents alfalfa as a worse use of public water, implying our lack of outrage over that crop proves \u201cintellectual inconsistency.\u201d In reality, the primary use of alfalfa hay is, as I\u2019m sure he knows, beef and dairy cattle. Awareness of the excessive environmental impact of the cattle industry is hardly new or trendy ground \u2014 a UN report, \u201c,\u201d was published in 2006. As for the discouraging lack of data centers in this country, how many do we need? Specifically and objectively, how many more than the 5,000 already operating in the U.S. today? Are 10,000 sufficient, and exactly what for? And are those unidentified, imagined services worth eminent domain action over Americans\u2019 private land and homes to achieve it?<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6350\">Stanford, UCSF Medical Center ranked among best hospitals in the U.S.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Alfalfa crops never crossed that line.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Scott Best<\/strong><br \/>\n<em>Palo Alto<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Also: Anti-coal bill | Public investment | Deep knowledge | Brutal event | Glib opinion. East Bay Times reader letters to the editor for Aug. 5, 2026.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6355,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6356","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opinion"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Letters: Prop. 45 would take state back to bad old days - 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=6356\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Letters: Prop. 45 would take state back to bad old days - Next City Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Also: Anti-coal bill | Public investment | Deep knowledge | Brutal event | Glib opinion. East Bay Times reader letters to the editor for Aug. 5, 2026.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6356\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Next City Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-08-04T23:37:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=6356#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=6356\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b\"},\"headline\":\"Letters: Prop. 45 would take state back to bad old days\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-04T23:37:26+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=6356\"},\"wordCount\":955,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=6356#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/a65868edeba0be5e6ffc519cc128eef5.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Opinion\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=6356#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=6356\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=6356\",\"name\":\"Letters: Prop. 45 would take state back to bad old days - Next City Digest\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=6356#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=6356#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/a65868edeba0be5e6ffc519cc128eef5.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-04T23:37:26+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=6356#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=6356\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=6356#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/a65868edeba0be5e6ffc519cc128eef5.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/a65868edeba0be5e6ffc519cc128eef5.webp\",\"width\":2000,\"height\":1333},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=6356#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Letters: Prop. 45 would take state back to bad old days\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Next City Digest\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Letters: Prop. 45 would take state back to bad old days - Next City Digest","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6356","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Letters: Prop. 45 would take state back to bad old days - Next City Digest","og_description":"Also: Anti-coal bill | Public investment | Deep knowledge | Brutal event | Glib opinion. East Bay Times reader letters to the editor for Aug. 5, 2026.","og_url":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6356","og_site_name":"Next City Digest","article_published_time":"2026-08-04T23:37:26+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6356#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6356"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/#\/schema\/person\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b"},"headline":"Letters: Prop. 45 would take state back to bad old days","datePublished":"2026-08-04T23:37:26+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6356"},"wordCount":955,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6356#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/a65868edeba0be5e6ffc519cc128eef5.webp","articleSection":["Opinion"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6356#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6356","url":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6356","name":"Letters: Prop. 45 would take state back to bad old days - Next City Digest","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6356#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6356#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/a65868edeba0be5e6ffc519cc128eef5.webp","datePublished":"2026-08-04T23:37:26+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/#\/schema\/person\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6356#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6356"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6356#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/a65868edeba0be5e6ffc519cc128eef5.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/a65868edeba0be5e6ffc519cc128eef5.webp","width":2000,"height":1333},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6356#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Letters: Prop. 45 would take state back to bad old days"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/","name":"Next City Digest","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/#\/schema\/person\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/nextcitydigest.com"],"url":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6356","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6356"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6356\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6355"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6356"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6356"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6356"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}