Getting your
Trinity Audioplayer ready...Submit your letter to the editor via this form. Read more Letters to the Editor.
Federal judge did state’s job in punishing lawyers
Re: “Biotech company awarded $3 million” (Page C9, May 28). Judge Edward Chen is to be commended for confronting “a culture of lawyering that is deeply disturbing.” For over 21 years, similar and worse conduct by attorneys in Santa Clara County Superior Court and the 6th District Court of Appeal destroyed our company and devastated its elderly shareholders.
Concealing evidence, aiding tax evasion and possible subornation of perjury went unchecked across more than 6 trials and more than 8 appeals, with two published reversals at enormous cost to California taxpayers. Fortunately for the attorneys who have drawn Chen’s ire, the State Bar routinely excuses such conduct with language such as “zealous advocacy,” which is directly drawn from denials of more than a dozen Bar complaints we filed over 15 years.
The lawyers Chen sanctioned should count themselves fortunate, and Californians should ask why it took a federal judge to say what our own disciplinary system has refused to do.
David Feldman
Menlo Park
Trump AI photo perverts “Doonesbury” comic
Re: “Trump sets up fund for his allies” (Page A1, May 19).
The July 21, 2024, “Doonesbury” shows Trump and 19 individuals in his orbit who have been either indicted or convicted of a crime. And consider this — they will most likely benefit the most from Trump’s ridiculous $1.776 billion “weaponization” fund.
Millionaires compensated for their bad behavior. Real news.
Scott Simmons
Portola Valley
Animal shelter must rebuild community trust
The Santa Clara County Civil Grand Jury’s report on the San José Animal Care Center deserves serious attention from city leaders and the public. The findings highlight long-standing concerns about transparency, accountability, staffing, operational consistency and public trust at a facility responsible for caring for vulnerable animals and serving our community.
Trust cannot exist without clear communication, accurate reporting and meaningful oversight. The report offers constructive recommendations that could improve both animal welfare outcomes and public confidence if implemented honestly and promptly.
San José residents, volunteers, rescuers, adopters, advocates and taxpayers all deserve a shelter system that operates with professionalism, transparency and compassion. I urge city officials to treat this report as an opportunity for meaningful reform rather than respond with defensiveness or delay. Real accountability is the first step toward rebuilding trust.
Rebekah Davis-Matthews
San Jose
Achievement gap is everyone’s problem
As a high school student in Sunnyvale who has attended ten schools across three countries, I’ve seen firsthand how unequal education can be. Where you’re born shouldn’t determine what you learn or how well you learn it.
That’s why I’ve spent the past few years teaching English, math, and Python to thousands of students for free across more than 10 countries — and why I built a free AI study platform used by more than 650 students in 23 countries. For every new user, we donate $1 toward AI education in Tanzania.
I’m just a high school student with a laptop, but I’ve seen what’s possible when you decide the gap is your problem to fix.
Dayeon Lim
Sunnyvale
State must fund aid to Holocaust survivors
Every week, Jewish Family Services of Silicon Valley cares for Holocaust survivors who endured starvation, concentration camps, forced labor and the murder of their families. Many are now in their late 80s and 90s. Most live below the federal poverty level and struggle to afford food, medication, transportation, and basic care.
These survivors endured humanity at its worst. They should not spend their final years worrying about whether they can pay rent or keep the lights on.
Today, the California Holocaust Survivor Assistance Program is in jeopardy. This funding provides care management, emergency financial assistance, food support and help paying for rent, utilities, medication and other essentials.
I urge Gov. Gavin Newsom and our state legislators to continue funding the California Holocaust Survivor Assistance Program. California must not turn its back on this extraordinary generation.
Susan Frazer
Los Gatos
Diplomacy wasted on power-hungry Iran
Cries for diplomacy with Iran seem like an echo of the appeasement pleas in the 1930’s. Iran is not interested in peace.
The misguided Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action of Barack Obama’s presidency did nothing to curb Iran’s quest for nuclear weapons and, by lifting some sanctions, helped fund Hezbollah and Hamas. Iran is playing Donald Trump. He wants a deal and will sell out his allies in order to get one.
Iran understands power, and they perceive negotiations as a sign of weakness. All of our living presidents have said that they would not allow Iran to have nuclear weapons. That is still the goal, and any waiver on that principle will mean a failure of this war and this administration.
Gil Stein
Aptos