Letters: Gun violence | Leaders’ failure 

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Amid gun violence,
ATF lacks a frontrunner

My coronary heart broke as I learn the article entitled, “18 children killed in class taking pictures” revealed within the East Bay Occasions on Might 25 (Web page A1).

As a pediatrician working towards within the Bay Space, annually I’ve handled youngsters affected by gun violence. The reality is, over 1,300 Individuals had been killed in mass shootings between 2009 and 2020. One in 4 of those mass taking pictures victims had been youngsters and teenagers. But these numbers are only a small portion of the lives without end modified by these occasions.

The final a number of years, the federal authorities’s most important company for imposing gun legal guidelines and holding the gun business accountable has lacked management and course. I plead with our U.S. senators to verify Steve Dettelbach as the subsequent ATF director. By confirming him for this function, ATF can work to maintain our communities protected — giving every baby an opportunity for a protected future.

Soniya Mehra
Pleasanton

COVID-19’s U.S. toll
exhibits leaders’ failure

Your current articles on the grim statistics of our nation’s and state’s responses to the pandemic (“COVID-19 has killed 1 million Individuals. It didn’t must occur,” Web page A1, Might 15 and “1 million COVID-19 deaths understates enormity of loss,” Web page A7, Might 20) makes it painfully evident that the alternatives our authorities and well being officers made to mitigate the dangers had been severely insufficient.

South Korea, with a inhabitants 25% larger than California, has had about 23,000 deaths in comparison with California’s 90,000. When in Korea everybody was carrying masks, our officers had been telling us that masks weren’t efficient. However they didn’t perceive the science of masks and reversed themselves far too late to stem the well being and financial damages. Just about no a part of the Korean economic system has been shut down, except faculties very briefly, and infrequently a number of bars and nightclubs.

That is one more of many examples demonstrating the shortage of competent management on the native, state and federal ranges. The approaching elections are an amazing alternative to take away the incumbents.

Dick Patterson
El Cerrito

Supporting doomed HSR
is a far cry from braveness

Re. “Opinion: Let’s discover the braveness to finish high-speed rail challenge,” Might 20:

East Bay Occasions readers know that query phrasing determines ballot output. Writers state a slight majority approve high-speed rail. However when all present points are offered, (homelessness, inequity, racism, fires, and so forth.“]) high-speed rail doesn’t garner a point out.

Cherry-picking exhibits our Merced-Bakersfield phase prices lower than two different traces now beneath development. They additional declare that further freeway lanes would price far more. Electrifying private transportation doesn’t should financial institution on unreliable prepare passenger visitors, and cuts extra GHGs within the course of. When arriving, how does a passenger get from the station to his/her ultimate vacation spot? Not all are city.

It’s clearly Rod Diridon’s job, as former chairman of the rail authority, to advertise this boondoggle.”] Assist for our high-speed rail failure is as removed from “braveness” as you would get.

R. Cote
Castro Valley

15-week rule might
quiet abortion furor

The present Roe vs Wade disaster wouldn’t exist if the fetus would give a positive signal on the level that it had developed sufficiently to be acknowledged as human. However it doesn’t, so we people should determine it out. Nevertheless, the one factor we are able to all agree on is that after it’s born, it’s human.