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Single-family zoning
change lacks fairness

This is in regard to Pierluigi Oliverio’s oped article of August 30th (“Eliminating single-family home zoning is a bad idea“). The current GP2040 task force has decided that multi-family residential housing can be built in single-family neighborhoods, without any input from the citizens of San Jose who will be affected by this decision.

So, when a house in a neighborhood is sold, and the new owner wants to build a four-plex on that property, the buyer is creating income for him or herself while devaluing the property values for the rest of the neighborhood. And there is nothing the neighborhood can do about it.

This idea is poorly conceived and unfair to people who have worked hard to buy a house in a single-family housing neighborhood to raise their families in. How can a committee of 40 people decide to redo the residential make-up of our city?

Wayne Miller
San Jose

Disabling Diablo plant
subverts climate goals

San Mateo County Supervisor Dave Pine, et al, are off to a good start (“Bay Area fighting blackout culprit — climate change,” Sept. 2 ). Global warming is a global problem requiring global solutions. An interconnected storage and distribution network that spans states and countries is needed. Unlimited local solutions, while well-intentioned and of value for future groundwork, are just not enough. If everyone had his own solar or wind power plant, cool, but what happens at night with calm wind and empty batteries? A globally coordinated, mixed energy strategy is required.

Blackouts become an issue when over-capacity approaches 1% or so. Just 1% can make a lot of difference. The Diablo Canyon Nuclear plant produces 8% of California electricity and 23% of its carbon-free electricity, with availability and capacity factors far exceeding any other sources of electricity. This is baseload, 24/7, 8% of our needs, carbon free. Unfortunately, the two units there will be turned off by 2025, half-way into their lifetime.

Donald Jedlovec
Fremont

Enact ranked-choice voting
elections at every level

I totally support ranked-choice voting (“Editorial: Ranked-choice voting could racially diversify councils,” Sept. 2 ). I spoke to the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors advocating mail-in ballots, which they approved. Ranked-choice will be more difficult but we must get it in, at every level, national and state.

If the Republican primary had had ranked-choice, we wouldn’t have President Trump now. The same goes for the national general election in 2016. Our antiquated voting (“first past the post”) is how authoritarians like Trump get and keep power based on a plurality of voters.

Don Draper
San Jose

Postmaster General DeJoy
must be held accountable

I alone cannot prevent COVID-19 from infecting thousands of Americans, eliminate systemic racism and inequality, provide affordable health care for all, or reduce the effects of climate change on our fragile environment. Yet I do have one important power, and that is my right to vote for new leadership in Washington.

But I am concerned that my precious vote in the November election may be compromised for political reasons by disruption in mail delivery caused by the reduction of mail sorting machines, blue mailboxes, and overtime hours for postal employees. And that is why the House Oversight Committee’s intention subpoena of Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, a donor to President Trump’s campaign, for documents regarding mail delivery is so important.

If the changes in mail delivery appear to be politically motivated, those responsible should be held accountable.

Kathleen Moe
San Jose