{"id":296034,"date":"2026-05-02T03:24:29","date_gmt":"2026-05-02T03:24:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/296034\/"},"modified":"2026-05-02T03:24:29","modified_gmt":"2026-05-02T03:24:29","slug":"countys-foster-kids-deserve-better-than-theater","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/296034\/","title":{"rendered":"County’s foster kids deserve better than theater"},"content":{"rendered":"

Submit your letter to the editor via this form<\/a>. Read more Letters to the Editor<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Foster kids deserve more than theater<\/p>\n

Re: \u201cSupervisor confronts officials after third foster care death<\/a>\u201d (Page A1, April 25).<\/p>\n

The death of a child under county supervision is a tragedy of the highest order, and it demands accountability, honesty and a sober examination of systemic failures.<\/p>\n

Supervisor Slyvia Arenas\u2019 comments, \u201cHow many children could die under your leadership and you still have a job? If they\u2019re brown, maybe five? If they\u2019re white, none?\u201d were not helpful. What happened to Jaxon was horrific, the result of ignored safeguards and systemic breakdowns, failures that occurred under her watch on the Board of Supervisors.<\/p>\n

To suggest that county staff allowed this tragedy because of the child\u2019s race is not only unfounded, it is unfair, inflammatory and harmful to the very employees who are working under immense pressure in a system that has been destabilized for years.<\/p>\n

Residents deserve better than theatrics. County employees deserve better than public humiliation. And Jaxon\u2019s memory deserves better than political framing in a moment that demands truth, accountability and reform.<\/p>\n

Joe Lopez
San Jose<\/p>\n

Newsom has changed his tune on billionaires<\/p>\n

Re: \u201cWealth tax likely headed to ballot<\/a>\u201d (Page A1, April 28).<\/p>\n

Gov. Gavin Newsom now opposes this wealth tax, and Californians should ask why. Did Newsom side with the billionaires because he wants their money for his next political campaign?<\/p>\n

If this is kissing up to the billionaires, then Newsom should purchase a pair of his infamous \u201cknee pads\u201d that he was selling as mock merchandise for people kissing up to President Trump.<\/p>\n

Is this wealth tax needed to cover the massive budget shortfall expected as a result of Newsom\u2019s lavish spending? Will he leave office with a legacy of sticking the bill to the people of California?<\/p>\n

Is he working on this budget problem? The answer is no because he\u2019s out peddling a new book about his favorite topic: himself.<\/p>\n

I teach corporate leadership, and humility and budget responsibility are the marks of a trusted leader.<\/p>\n

Curtis Panasuk
San Jose<\/p>\n

Debates are no way to learn about hopefuls<\/p>\n

Re: \u201cHopefuls roll with punches<\/a>\u201d (Page A1, April 30).<\/p>\n

I watched the second debate between candidates for governor because I missed the first and will never watch another. It is a useless way to assess the values by which a candidate will govern.<\/p>\n

I might as well have watched a machine gun contest for all the useful dialogue. Everyone was spouting words as fast as possible to max out their time slot. It tells me almost nothing about the candidate.<\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t even a debate. It\u2019s a verbal slugfest in which only the viewer gets pinned. I encourage everyone to skip these verbal wrestling matches.<\/p>\n

Allen Price
Half Moon Bay<\/p>\n

Iran was a threat that had to be neutralized<\/p>\n

Re: \u201cThe war Trump started in Iran has already diminished America<\/a>\u201d (Page A6, April 29).<\/p>\n

As a former naval officer, I disagree with the views of former naval officer Jon Duffy.<\/p>\n

Iran is run by a theocracy, mostly unsupported by the Iranian people. Iran\u2019s theocracy seeks to dominate the Middle East and become a nuclear power. How does one deal with an irrational regime that machine-gunned protesters in the streets of Iran and then destroyed its own economy by closing the Strait of Hormuz?<\/p>\n

Iran is a threat to world peace, and but for President Trump and United States leadership, it would go unchecked.<\/p>\n

Ed Kahl
Woodside<\/p>\n

Hold, don\u2019t waste, your vote for governor<\/p>\n

If you don\u2019t want to see a MAGA governor, don\u2019t vote early.<\/p>\n

My strategy for the governor\u2019s race is to wait until near the end of May to vote. I will be voting for the Democrats\u2019 front-runner (who might not be my first choice, but will be my strategic choice).<\/p>\n

Xavier Becerra has hit 10%, so he\u2019ll be one of the debaters. We need to see Becerra, Katie Porter and Tom Steyer debate each other. After they do, one of them will emerge in the polls as the front-runner. There can be no supporting a fringe candidate. There can be no trying to convince people that your person is the one if they\u2019re polling below 10%.<\/p>\n

This election is about keeping the fourth-largest economy in the world out of the hands of MAGA.<\/p>\n

Barbara Banke
Felton<\/p>\n

Enough is enough with Trump\u2019s likeness<\/p>\n

I have always been very proud to be an American. When I have been fortunate to travel to other countries, I show my passport with pride. I usually receive at least some element of respect.<\/p>\n

Tuesday, it was announced by the State Department that they have plans to put President Donald Trump\u2019s photo<\/a> on the inside cover of American passports along with his signature. In addition, the Treasury Department is now preparing to mint and issue money<\/a>\u00a0with the president\u2019s picture on it. He wants them to be \u201cas large as is possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

I will be embarrassed to show my passport when traveling. I will no longer expect to be treated with respect and will not be surprised when I receive rude treatment. The president\u2019s ego has been stroked. Isn\u2019t it time to say, \u201cEnough is enough\u201d?<\/p>\n

Norman Orloff
San Jose<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Submit your letter to the editor via this form. Read more Letters to the Editor. Foster kids deserve…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":296035,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[184,7,47501,733,16193,536,110806,457,3313,19378,181,2953,1564,1703,975,395,88,90,89,397,198,14368,3234,200,1694,1695,7620],"class_list":["post-296034","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-jose","tag-bay-area","tag-california","tag-california-governor-election","tag-child-abuse","tag-child-safety","tag-donald-trump","tag-felton","tag-gavin-newsom","tag-half-moon-bay","tag-iran","tag-latest-headlines","tag-letters","tag-letters-to-the-editor","tag-military","tag-opinion","tag-peninsula","tag-san-jose","tag-san-jose-headlines","tag-san-jose-news","tag-san-mateo-county","tag-santa-clara-county","tag-santa-clara-county-politics","tag-santa-cruz-county","tag-south-bay","tag-taxes","tag-trump-administration","tag-woodside"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/296034","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=296034"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/296034\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/296035"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=296034"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=296034"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=296034"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}