California gubernatorial candidate Katie Porter delivers remarks in February during the California Democratic Party Convention in San Francisco.
Yalonda M. James/S.F. Chronicle
Regarding “Katie Porter looks to flip the temperament script on her male rivals for California governor” (Open Forum, SFChronicle.com, May 7): Columnist Jack Ohman wrote that criticism of gubernatorial candidate Katie Porter’s temperament is “blatantly sexist.” I agree.
While I don’t generally support Porter on policy issues, I think she has been unfairly criticized for the video of her berating staff and being combative in press interviews.
If Porter were a man, she would be characterized as being tough and assertive, positive qualities if you’re a male. This is grossly unfair to her and to all women.
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I like tough battle-axes like Porter who are not shrinking violets. Give ’em hell, Katie.
Gonzalo Vergara, Lincoln, Placer County
Widen representation
Regarding “California has six distinct voting groups beyond Democrat and Republican. Which one are you in?” (Data Spotlight, San Francisco, SFChronicle.com, May 6): The Chronicle’s analysis perfectly demonstrates a widely understood but seldom addressed reality: The political preferences of Californians are far more complex than red or blue.
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And yet, due to the winner-take-all electoral system we use in California and across the country, our political preferences are oversimplified and forced into a rigid, fully polarized two-party system.
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In most advanced democracies, the six voting clusters the Chronicle identified likely would form political parties of their own. That’s because most advanced democracies use proportional representation, an electoral system in which a party’s percentage of votes in an election gets it the same proportional share of seats in the legislature.
In California, proportional representation would produce a coalition-based multiparty Legislature that would better reflect and respond to the needs of voters.
Caledon Myers, executive director, ProRep Coalition, Sacramento
Electrify for health
Regarding “Replacing a broken water heater in the Bay Area is about to get vastly more expensive” (Bay Area, SFChronicle.com, May 6): The profound health benefits of electrifying our homes were not even mentioned in the story.
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Heat pumps would annually save the Bay Area $890 million in health impacts, avoid 85 premature deaths and avert up to 15,000 asthma attacks, according to the Bay Area Air District. Chronic lung disease, stroke, heart attacks and dementia would also be reduced.
Let’s factor the health and safety benefits of heat pumps into this equation — priceless.
Dr. Bret Andrews, board member, Physicians for Social Responsibility, San Francisco Bay Chapter, San Francisco
Scrutinize nuclear plans
The U.S. government plans to produce 80 or more deadly plutonium bomb cores, called pits, to place inside new nuclear warheads.
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Manufacturing will be at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico and the Savannah River Site in South Carolina. In the Bay Area, there will be an increase in experiments and testing at Lawrence Livermore Lab, where there have been past plutonium accidents and releases.
This is not about science; this is about new nuclear warheads and whether our Bay Area air, land, water and health may be subject to future releases.
Guest opinions in Open Forum and Insight are produced by writers with expertise, personal experience or original insights on a subject of interest to our readers. Their views do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Chronicle editorial board, which is committed to providing a diversity of ideas to our readership.
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Due to litigation brought by Tri-Valley Cares and colleagues, the government is conducting an environmental impact statement and public hearings on its plans.
The Bay Area hearing is Tuesday from 5:30-8 p.m. at the Garre Vineyard Winery, Santa Rosa Room, 7986 Tesla Road, Livermore.
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Marylia Kelley, co-founder, Tri-Valley Cares, Livermore