News

Oct 28, 2023

Marin IJ Readers’ Forum for May 31, 2023

As president emeritus of the UN Association of Marin, I want to commend the IJ

As president emeritus of the UN Association of Marin, I want to commend the IJ for printing the excellent article by the Associated Press on May 26 with the headline, "United Nations peacekeeping on 75th anniversary." The article highlighted the successes of the more than 2 million peacekeepers from 125 countries who have served in 71 operations since 1948, including 4,200 who lost their lives to the cause of peace.

We in Marin have a long history with the UN. Before the Rockefeller family offered land in New York, Marin's Strawberry Point was one of the locations considered. In May of 1945, UN delegates representing 46 nations attended a memorial service for former President Franklin D. Roosevelt in Muir Woods. A memorial plaque remains in Cathedral Grove to honor this event.

This rich history deserves to be celebrated

— Kimberly Weichel, Tiburon

I am writing in regard to the recently published article about San Rafael's downtown business planning ("City approves plan for economic development," May 23). The elimination of parking meters should be on the list of steps to take.

Parking meters are a 1960s solution to bolster city revenues. The idea that people have to pay to park on city streets is out of date. No one has spare change and trying to navigate dozens of different card-enabled solutions in different locales is frustrating. In addition, the small amount of money collected is likely offset by the cost to enforce the meters and maintain the hardware.

Paying for the privilege to come downtown and see a movie, shop or have a meal puts the city core at a disadvantage compared to businesses outside of that area. Downtown San Rafael is a ghost town and bordering on blight. Getting rid of the meters is a step in the right direction for economic development.

Paid garages can stay as a paid service. Bonds were likely raised to build them and at least they offer some protection from the elements. But let's keep the idea of the 1960s cars for our wonderful "classic car" shows, not paying to park.

— Edward Zimmerman, San Rafael

I have watched in horror as very young teens race around on their electric-assist bicycles and other mobility devices — zooming in and out of traffic at high speeds, often with a friend sharing the bike seat. Most don't wear helmets and have absolutely no regard for the safety of themselves or anyone around them.

Recently, on Camino Alto in Mill Valley, I witnessed four young e-bikers going at a fast speed, some with their legs hanging over handlebars. One teen looked like he was laying across his bike in a sleeping position while racing each other through the traffic.

Laws should include mandatory helmets, age and speed limits. There should be fines for recklessness. Every teenager with an e-bike or electric mobility device should have a permit from a Marin regulatory department or a police department. Permit cards should be given to every owner as a license type of process and responsibility. Penalties should be strict — and doing nothing is not an option.

How is it possible that such young children are allowed to be completely reckless through traffic, trails and our neighborhoods? Are we waiting for something horrible to happen before safety regulations are installed?

— Sandra Macleod White, San Rafael

I think it is a grave mistake to reduce the charges of felony vandalism to misdemeanors in the case against the demonstrators who destroyed the statue of Junipero Serra ("Marin DA's office reduces charges in church statue vandalism case," May 26).

This will only encourage like-minded individuals to come up with similar crimes. There is enough of this kind of behavior going on already to risk more by being so lenient. Those people deserve to be punished, so that they remember that crimes like it will not be tolerated.

For those that say the people who pulled down the statue are activists, I would say there are other ways to show your displeasure — more peaceful ones.

— Ute Brandon, San Rafael

Larkspur officials have explicitly stated its objective to maintain affordability in the housing element it submitted to the state, along with an established obligation to protect residents from threat of displacement. Considering that, I think Larkspur's most recent public hearing to draft a new rental ordinance, per Mayor Gabe Paulson's recommendation, for an annual rental cap at 7% was not only mystifying but insulting ("Larkspur draft rent control ordinance would cap increases at 7%," May 25).

It's clear that Paulson wishes to protect seniors from displacement. But I don't believe many seniors can sustain an annual rent increase of 7%. I feel this agreement is out of touch with the needs of the constituents and will cause harm.

The Skylark Tenant Association and its supporters want it to be 60% of the Consumer Price Index or 5%, whichever is lower, as a basis for the rental cap. As deliberations continue we can only hope the council will see the wisdom in that equation and use it to reach some kind of meaningful compromise to truly protect the renters of Larkspur, especially seniors and the infirm.

— Elaine Hausman, Larkspur

In a recently published Marin Voice commentary by Richard Rubin ("Trump continues to challenge media's journalistic responsibilities," May 26), the author undercuts his own commentary with the careless inclusion of Dan Rather on his list of "journalists of impeccable integrity."

In 2005, CBS removed Rather from the anchor desk for what it deemed an incredibly sloppy job of reporting on former President George W. Bush's service record. He was fired a year later. Rather's report included documents that turned out to be forgeries, despite warning signs this might have been the case.

Rather subsequently sued CBS, but the case was dismissed. In 2015, the movie "Truth," starring Robert Redford, was released about the incident.

— Steve Stein, Larkspur

I enjoyed Richard Rubin's trenchant Marin Voice commentary ("Trump continues to challenge media's journalistic responsibilities," May 26). However, I would like to offer an alternative point of view.

In fact, portions of the media have been relentlessly thorough in covering the criminal, political, business, social and moral misdeeds of former President Donald Trump. If the media's job is to present a president in full, they’ve done an exemplary job of covering Trump.

Today's media can be faulted for much, but on this count — exposing Trump for the grifter that he is — they can be applauded.

— Russ Yarrow, San Francisco

The recently released 306-page report by Justice Department special counsel John Durham called the FBI's investigation of former President Donald Trump's ties with Russia and its influence on the 2016 election to be "seriously flawed." However, I think that if there was anything "seriously flawed" here it was Durham's investigation of the investigation.

Did the FBI make missteps and questionable judgment calls? Apparently so. But Durham's report shows there was no "crime of the century."

The report did not really reveal anything that wasn't already known. There were no recommendations offered that weren't already enacted. Trump's imagined enemies were not sent to prison. The only possibility of criminality in this whole probe was revealed during Durham's and former Attorney General William Barr's junket to Italy — potential financial crimes involving Trump.

Considering all this, Republicans need to spare me the faux outrage.

— John Brooks, Fairfax

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