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Voters must take back local control on housing

Re: “‘Big Short’ investor leads fight against 25 homes” (Page B1, Oct. 5).

California’s politicians are causing irreparable damage to our neighborhoods. The state’s housing mandates will densify every neighborhood throughout the state regardless of infrastructure stability, parking needs, water supply and fire risk. The gridlock, overcrowding and ugly buildings infiltrating our neighborhoods as a result of these housing mandates are infuriating.

In the upcoming election, I am voting every incumbent out of state office. I will only vote for candidates who will fight to restore local control of housing decisions to cities. The governor and his ilk should suffer politically for these draconian housing mandates they are forcing on us.

Tina Toni
San Jose

Reelect Loraine as San Mateo mayor

Re: “San Mateo candidates look to future” (Page B1, Sept. 29).

I’ve worked with Adam Loraine since Sierra Club Cool Cities in 2013, when he began to learn the ropes of city hall. Adam completed both the San Mateo County and City Services academy, a level of commitment that is rare for City Council. Adam served on the Sustainability and Infrastructure Commission for four years. Adam also spent weeks working on the city’s General Plan 2040 Subcommittee.

The city of San Mateo has a $17 million shortfall. Adam’s 2027 fiscal accounting plan is sage and provides specific fiscal solutions, not platitudes like “pragmatic problem solving.”

We need continued progress on the stormwater master plan, Flock license plate readers, etc. Let’s leverage Adam’s decade of experience and hard work and re-elect him as mayor.

Dave Clark
San Mateo

Don’t let billionaires buy state measures vote

Re: “Poll: Billionaire tax, countermeasures are losing ground” (Page A1, Sept. 26).

As voters are now receiving ballots, it’s vital everyone understands that billionaires are trying to buy this year’s races on propositions. Absolutely massive amounts of money are being spent by this incredibly small group, most of it in response to the billionaire tax proposition.

$38 million has been spent by two billionaires to move $4.8 billion in state funds to their nonprofit (Proposition 38). Over $83.5 million has been spent against Proposition 40, the billionaire tax. In addition, another $131 million has been spent on Propositions 41 and 42 to *cancel* Proposition 40 should it pass.

The billionaire tax could be better, but it at least provides a response to federal cuts. Plus, its passage would show that Californians aren’t beholden to some 200 unelected oligarchs. We as voters must reject their threats, lest we abandon governance to their whims. Vote yes on 40, no on 38, 41, and 42.

Christopher Dooner
Sunnyvale

Prop. 4 mitigates cash’s effect on campaigns

Polls show that most of us believe that the deluge of money into political campaigns has corrupted politics. Officeholders should act in the best interests of the people rather than those of big campaign contributors. Just because Elon Musk contributed over $270 million in the last election does not make his opinions more valid than those of the rest of us. There is a measure on November’s ballot that addresses this inequity.

Proposition 4 will repeal a prohibition on public financing of political campaigns in California. That prohibition prevents most government entities from enacting programs that would give a chance to candidates who aren’t independently wealthy or backed by wealthy interests. It does not mandate any program, includes reasonable expenditure limits and allows each entity to tailor the program.

We have few opportunities to improve a broken system. This one is too good to miss. Vote yes on 4.

Brian Carr
San Jose

In Los Altos, vote yes on Measure D

On Sept. 25, California cities sent Sacramento a resounding message: give communities a stronger voice over housing and land-use decisions.

The League of California Cities resolution passed 234–1. Los Altos cast the lone no vote.

Why reject greater local authority when Los Altos residents themselves demand a greater voice over consequential decisions involving their public land?

That disconnect is at the heart of Los Altos Measure D. In three weeks, more than 3,000 signatures helped place the citizen initiative on the ballot. Measure D creates a voter-approval checkpoint before specified major, permanent sales or development of Los Altos’ ten publicly owned downtown parking plazas.

Local control is not just about shifting authority from Sacramento to City Hall. It can also put irreversible decisions about public land directly before voters for approval — direct democracy.

Government closest to the people should not mean government without the people. Vote yes on Los Altos Measure D.

Catherine Nunes
and Paul “Chip” Lion III
Los Altos

You won’t get truth on TV ads from Trump

So, now Donald Trump says he will personally pay for all the TV ads with his mug prominently featured. The ads state that they were paid for by the U.S. Government. There was finally sufficient fallout by both parties to make him state he will reimburse the government coffers.

Now here is a question for all: Since this guy does not release his taxes, how the hell will we know he repaid the money? Nobody is monitoring his expenses except him and his crooked attorneys.

Trump lies about everything: always has, always will. Truth and Trump are strangers.

Lynda Martinez
San Jose