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Article missed likelihood
to look at site visitors deaths
The title of Sunday’s article (“San Jose broke its report for site visitors fatalities in 2022. Why?” Web page A1, Jan. 1), promised insights into the causes of rising site visitors fatalities, however didn't ship.
It by no means talked about – nor analyzed – the report spike in site visitors deaths nationally yearly since 2019, as chronicled by the U.S. Division of Transportation and lots of nationwide publications.
A much less myopic view may acknowledge bigger forces at work, and establish these cities and approaches uniquely bucking this nationwide pattern. It'd seek the advice of the opinions of unbiased site visitors security specialists evaluating greatest practices to San Jose’s methods. It'd establish instruments obtainable elsewhere, like automated pace enforcement, that California prohibits.
Making our streets safer requires all of us – policymakers, the press and the general public – to dive deeper than the consolation of the shallow finish.
Sam Liccardo
Former mayor
Metropolis of San Jose
Towers are too huge
for proposed website
Re. “‘Transit village’ eyed for downtown,” Web page B1, Dec. 27:
The article designated the 900 block of North First Avenue as being a location for 12-story housing towers. This particular space requires 4-story constructions. Even this top could be a problem to design with the setbacks and tiered-height limitations on this a part of the transit village.
This particular space, the 900 block, has established one- and two-story residential houses butting as much as the business properties. A stable 12-story monolith constructing on the property behind our neighborhood would forged a shadow for prolonged occasions of the day if not all day rendering residents’ privateness and yard enjoyment nonexistent, and make photo voltaic panels already on roofs ineffective.
The taller constructing towers are designated on the west aspect of North First Avenue and nearer to the Freeway 87 freeway in addition to the properties between East Mission and East Hedding. This could affect much less the present attribute of the established residential neighborhoods.
Antonina Ettare
San Jose
False alarm prices
discourage police calls
Whereas I used to be touring internationally, my residence safety alarm went off, presumably attributable to a low battery on one of many sensors. Once I returned, I had an $87 bill from the “Santa Clara False Alarm Discount Program.”
In my view, it is a dangerous thought. I'm serving to town cut back crimes by spending my cash, which I shouldn't need to do after paying taxes. I get the aim of this system, but it surely needs to be for repeat offenders, not on occasion.
Now I've known as my monitoring firm and adjusted my choices to not contact police, which defeats the aim. It's all the time extra environment friendly to shortly examine as a substitute of investigating against the law scene.
This system ought to rethink giving a number of warnings and the way a lot they need to cost for the primary few false alarms in order that individuals are not pressured to decide to not name police.
Ramchandra Khaparde
Santa Clara
Why make a mockery
of Christmas?
The current Mercury Information choice to place the one vestige of a Christmas greeting in your opinion web page (Web page A10, Dec. 25) was an unbelievably poor choice and offensive to Christians.
That entire web page was cartoons mocking political points in the end suggesting the thought of Merry Christmas needs to be mocked as properly.
I keep in mind when The Mercury Information used to place it on the entrance web page as a celebration not a mockery. I can solely think about if you happen to had degraded one other faith or perception on this manner.
Greg Holsen
San Jose
Pardon Trump so
we are able to transfer on
Now that Donald Trump has been investigated and all his crimes displayed for us to see it’s time to ask President Biden to subject a pardon for any and all crimes.
A pardon would enable us to start the therapeutic course of to restore our broken political cloth. President Ford had the foresight to pardon Richard Nixon, one other felony president.
Let’s transfer on and get Trump off our screens and out of our lives. Political and social shunning is the one efficient punishment for Donald J. Trump.
David Matuszak
Gilroy
Ukraine assist is
prudent spending
Re. “Home passes $1.7 trillion spending package deal,” Pare A1, Dec. 24:
Home members did their responsibility to submit a spending invoice together with some $45 billion in assist to Ukraine. It appears a big quantity for a nation that hasn’t been an ally or main buying and selling accomplice to the US and has a somewhat spotty report on corruption and human rights when Individuals are battling wants for housing, training, meals, utility and medical prices for each residents and noncitizens.
However let’s belief our elected officers to make sure Ukrainian aid might be spent at the least as successfully and transparently as our profitable assist to Iraq and Afghanistan. That is probably only a down fee on what might be even higher requests for future rebuilding efforts.
Eric Johnson
San Jose