Snow covers the higher elevation of Mount Diablo at sunset as seen from San Ramon, Calif., in February 2023. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
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San Ramon should
prioritize climate
Climate change is a pressing issue affecting our daily lives, with wildfires in the San Francisco Bay Area and California highlighting its impact. The San Ramon City Council has been unresponsive for over two years to the San Ramon Valley Climate Coalition’s pleas for action.
The Council’s responses, like “planting more trees” or shifting blame to regional authorities, fall short. We can no longer rely on tree planting to combat CO2 emissions, and we need an updated climate action plan. It’s time to push the San Ramon City Council for a climate emergency declaration and establish a sustainability task force. This task force can guide the city staff and other commissions in actively participating in climate solutions while saving money.
It’s crucial that we unite to address this existential threat.
Sue Bock
Board Member, San Ramon Valley Climate Coalition
San Ramon
Parents must monitor
kids’ computer use
Social media data collection tactics targeting children’s activities and enticing their continued use of potentially harmful sites have made parents’ jobs even more difficult.
We want our children to have all the social, educational and developmental advantages offered online by reputable sites. Equally important is the need to supervise our kids’ online exposure. It is important for parents and caregivers to be aware of their children’s vulnerability online and take practical steps to protect them. Parents can get started by taking advantage of the parental controls offered by internet service providers, by creating family rules regarding online exposure, passwords and postings. They can use a common area for their children’s computer time.
Social media sites are targeting children under 13 years of age. Because these children are unaware of the risks they face, parents and caregivers must now be aware of these threats and provide proper communication and guidance.
Carol Carrillo
Executive director, Child Abuse Prevention Council of Contra Costa
Concord
Fix Prop. 13 to fix
school funding
The Alameda school funding via property tax assessment is a good example of the balkanization of schools (and libraries and parks) in California created by Proposition 13: Communities that have got money to give, do; those that don’t, don’t.
Berkeley is a great example: A private foundation funds music, science, bus service and field trips. Berkeley has got it to give. Oakland? Richmond? San Leandro? Not so much.
Unless we the people do something about Proposition 13, California’s public schools will continue to show clearly the lines dividing the haves and have-nots — while Chevron, Disneyland and IBM sit on land not reassessed for decades.
Seena Hawley
Berkeley