Letters to the Editor 06.16.22

Central Park

This is a terrific idea and project. Congratulations to all involved! (The Carr Lake property in Salinas – 480 acres of farm fields in the middle of a city – presents a unique opportunity to revitalize communities and serve residents. The Big Sur Land Trust is on the case,” June 9-15.)

I would like to see the future park become a true hub of Salinas, connecting and uniting the whole city with various spokes of the “wheel” being bike trails going out in all directions, to the city limits and beyond.

Hopefully, none of these bike trails would be a narrow lane, simply marked on the side of streets, but wide, dedicated paths completely separated from car traffic and thickly landscaped for beauty and noise reduction.

I can dream, can’t I? John Thomas | Salinas

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Your article about the park at Carr Lake brought me great joy. Thank you for such a well written and positive news story.

I especially liked your point about the term “reclaimed” wetlands, “as if they represented a form of theft from humanity.” Well said. We humans have to do right by the land. Elizabeth Stacey | Del Rey Oaks

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Love this cover. Leigh Susan Fitz | via social media

Excellent article regarding Carr Lake. You were so thorough and detailed. What a pleasure to read such a well written and documented history of such an important land area in Salinas. I really appreciate your work! Jyl Lutes | Salinas

Student Loans

I hope this means I’ll be getting my $13,000 back because my tax returns were taken two years in a row to pay off my loans from them (“Heald College students are set to have their fraudulent loans forgiven by U.S. Department of Education,” posted June 12). April Rodriguez | Gonzales

Listen students. YOU are paying this taxation BACK later in life. The Democrats are making you slaves to California debt!! You will just pay higher taxes across the board. Laura Stollorz Schroeder | via social media

This is fantastic. The students who went to Heald were some of the hardest-working, kindest and savvy humans on earth. What Corinthian Colleges did to them was criminal. Lisa Spence Koehlmoos | via social media

Vote Count

If [Marina Police] Chief Tina Nieto doesn’t win the primary, she will definitely win in November (“Marina Police Chief Tina Nieto edges close to winning outright in a four-way primary for sheriff,” posted June 7). It’s obvious based on the percentage of votes that the public wants change and a new leadership team in the Sheriff’s Office. Jose Mendoza | via social media

Note: Mendoza is a former candidate for Monterey County sheriff.

Down and Out

Thanks for putting faces on the stories of the homeless (“Getting help to chronically homeless people who reject it is an uphill battle,” June 9-15). It is an incredibly difficult situation and your story brings us to empathy, not dismissiveness. Mary Alicia McRae | Salinas

Thank you for writing about this difficult but real subject. Your article spoke the truth about what goes on in the life of a homeless person.

My brother had a head injury while in the military and didn’t get the attention he needed (mental assistance) for an accident. He lived on and off the street for over 15 years. In the ’80s the only way I was told to assist him is to declare him incompetent. I just couldn’t because I knew he wasn’t; he took drugs and alcohol for his pain.

Most everyone out there has a brother, sister, father, mother, cousin, etc., someone looking for them. If they become missing and the family has no idea where to look… my brother was missing on and off for years. We are originally from Ohio and I found him in Arizona. We now text or talk weekly. On May 24, 2022, he celebrated 18 years of sobriety. He is an active member of AA and now helps others. Debbie George | Monterey

Cops and Guns

They are considered first responders; they are certainly paid and equipped as if that were the case. Why would body armor, armored vehicles, and all the other military hardware be provided if they are responding after the fact? (“The Uvalde shooting exposes an ugly truth: The police have no legal duty to protect you,” June 9-15.) It seems to me they want to be equipped to confront but not responsible for failing to. Carson Franklin | via social media

One-hundred-percent correct, and this is why it’s ever more important we arm ourselves. You never know what can happen, and when that day comes it is up to the individual to protect themselves. Mike Haskins | Seaside

Maybe they should erase “To preserve and protect” from their cars. Can’t have it both ways. It’s sad that we’ve all been sold a bill of goods. Douglas Brown | via social media

Cops and Rights

Taxpayers are owed a refund for ineptitude of the initial investigation which cost tens of thousands of dollars and determined that the officer just really liked comic book characters and wasn’t espousing propaganda (“Pacific Grove officials deny they violated free speech rights of police officer,” posted June 13). Doug Mueller | via social media

Good to hear that his constitutional rights stood this time. Hope he [wins his lawsuit]. Kathleen Rose Minafo | via social media

The fact that he has a Parler account says a lot about him. P.G. was right to get rid of him! Chris Sierra | via social media

Lots of hate speech on Parler. The public needs to have trust in law enforcement departments. Building public trust is not easy to do; maintaining public trust is even more difficult over the long term. Arnoldo Garcia | Monterey