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Parking at BART\u2019s West Oakland Station will become more difficult as spaces will be lost when construction begins on an affordable housing project.<\/p>\n
Don Feria\/For the S.F. Chronicle<\/p>\n
Regarding \u201cBART plans major housing at East Bay station. The trade-off: 400 parking spots lost\u201d<\/a> (East Bay, SFChronicle.com, April 17): Forgive me for not shedding a tear for commuters from the Oakland hills and elsewhere who will lose access to some parking at the West Oakland BART Station.<\/p>\n To put it in perspective, there are about 440 parking spaces at the station. In March, weekday daily ridership at West Oakland was about 4,200<\/a>.<\/p>\n Riders who can\u2019t get to BART without a car have plenty of other options. Oakland has seven other BART stations that may be closer to them. For a little more than the price of parking, a resident of the hills can hire a Lyft or an Uber (or other ride service) to a BART station and back home.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The valuable land in West Oakland will be much better used as apartments. To me, those apartments and the revitalization of the neighborhood outweigh the convenience of a few commuters.<\/p>\n Ilya Gurin, volunteer lead, South Bay YIMBY, Mountain View<\/p>\n Stop vaccine disinformation<\/p>\n Regarding\u00a0\u201cCalifornia hasn\u2019t seen measles numbers like this in years\u00a0\u2014 and cases are still rising\u201d<\/a> (Health, SFChronicle.com, April 14): California\u2019s historic measles outbreak isn\u2019t an isolated incident. Emergencies like this reflect a wider, more alarming trend: a drop in vaccination rates<\/a> across the U.S. below the \u201cherd immunity\u201d required for community-wide protection. Misinformation serves as a primary contributor to undervaccination<\/a>; to overcome it, we need public health officials who can promote trust and directly address vaccine misconceptions with the American public.<\/p>\n San Francisco Chronicle Logo<\/p>\n Make us a Preferred Source to get more of our news when you search.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Add Preferred Source<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Instead, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. seems to be doing the opposite. He has canceled vaccine-awareness campaigns<\/a>, stripped funding for new vaccine development<\/a> and decimated immunization panels<\/a> of medical experts. It\u2019s not only policy changes either\u00a0\u2014 Kennedy also continues to sow vaccine doubt in hearings<\/a> and in public<\/a>. When these sentiments lead to spikes in vaccine skepticism<\/a> and decreased vaccination, harmful rhetoric becomes just as detrimental as harmful policy.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The vaccine misinformation outbreak is out of control. If not urgently addressed\u00a0\u2014 by Secretary Kennedy or state health departments\u00a0\u2014 it will lead to many future disease outbreaks for our communities to contend with.<\/p>\n Cheung for school board<\/p>\n Regarding \u201cEndorsement: One candidate clearly stands above the rest for S.F. school board\u201d<\/a> (Editorials, SFChronicle.com, April 17): The editorial board makes a compelling case for Phil Kim\u2019s experience and steady leadership during a turbulent period for the San Francisco Unified School District. He\u2019s shown discipline and a willingness to confront difficult fiscal realities, and that deserves recognition.<\/p>\n And yet, I\u2019ll cast my vote for Virginia Cheung.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n I\u2019ve worked alongside Cheung in several leadership capacities for more than eight years. I\u2019ve seen her bring together educators, parents and community leaders with uncommon empathy and clarity of purpose.<\/p>\n At a moment when trust in the school district is fragile, her ability to listen and build durable coalitions matters as much as operational fluency.<\/p>\n San Francisco\u2019s schools don\u2019t just need stabilization. They need reconnection to the communities they serve. Cheung offers that bridge, and that\u2019s why she has my vote.<\/p>\n Ian McCuaig, San Francisco<\/p>\n Use better designs<\/p>\n