TOUGH LESSON

I am a senior at Seaside High and a supporter of Measure P (See story, p. 10). For the past four years, I have witnessed a school whose foundation has nearly broken apart. The school has had maintenance problems since I arrived here as a freshman. I have seen ceilings come apart and debris hitting the heads of students and teachers. The air conditioning for the school is obsolete and the heaters don’t work properly. Our school has yet to reach the 21st century, with technology dating back to the early ’90s. I am also a part of the Seaside High varsity football team, and our team has been plagued by injuries due to twisting and spraining of ankles because of potholes that surround the entire field.

With Measure P, this school can become far more respected, with up-to-date technology, roofs that do not collapse, and overall a school that people can look at with a positive outlook. I am sick and tired of having a school that is in the top 10 in California for lead poisoning. Adults have a chance of a lifetime to better the schools of the area by voting Yes for Measure P. The students are the future, and with the obsolescence plaguing the district, our future does not seem bright. The process to put this area on the map and become trailblazers for the state starts here with Measure P. Oscar Dorantes | Seaside

SHERIFF SENSIBILITIES

I have worked with young people in Castroville for many years. I know dozens of wonderful youth who are good students, as well as being kind, thoughtful and respectful. Often they are poorly treated by law enforcement, being repeatedly stopped, questioned and even searched by sheriff’s deputies. When they call the sheriffs for help, often no one comes, even if they are told someone will be there in minutes. When I heard Scott Miller say he wanted to build trust through community policing, I invited him to Castroville to meet with some young people and hear how they feel about policing in their community (“Sheriff challenger is more heart than hardass,” Sept. 30-Oct. 6).

I was pleased that Miller met with us and respectfully listened to young adults describe their frustrations. We had some interesting discussion with him about the role of law enforcement, and got a glimpse of what trust might feel like. Sally Childs | Prunedale

CLASS STRUCTURE

1141 S. Main St., Salinas, is opening a restaurant and applying for a full bar license. This property shares parking with a family restaurant and an elementary school, Montessori Learning Center, which my daughter attends. A bar in such close proximity to a school is inappropriate and may ultimately be a safety risk.

There’s no school bus; each child is driven by his/her parent. This amounts to a fair amount of traffic on the property. Does the city want to risk a drunk driver being introduced into the situation? Any bar-related incident would be pursued legally, and fingers would point at the city’s role in allowing the introduction of such a high-risk situation. Teresa Mallory Genauer | Salinas