# Letters: Fire safety officials aren’t doing the basic work to protect communities > Source: > Published: 2026-06-19 23:00:56+00:00 **Getting your** [Trinity Audio](//trinityaudio.ai)player ready...**Submit your letter to the editor via this form. Read more Letters to the Editor.** #### Officials aren’t doing basic work of fire safety Re: “[Few exits add to fire dangers](https://www.mercurynews.com/2026/06/08/is-your-community-wildfire-death-trap-study-deaths-number-escape-routes/)” (Page A1, June 8). Wildfire evacuation challenges are a stark reminder of how much work remains to prepare communities for the wildfires we know are inevitable. Unfortunately, in this regard, we are still not investing our taxpayer dollars where it matters most. Our state continues to pour time and money into remote fuels‑reduction projects, work that does little to protect people during the wind‑driven fires that destroy homes. Meanwhile, initiatives for evacuation planning, home‑hardening, defensible space, early alert systems and safe refuge areas, the basics of community safety, remain underfunded. If we devoted even a fraction of the political attention and budget spent on backcountry thinning to helping communities prepare, we would save far more lives and property. California deserves wildfire strategies grounded in what actually works: strengthening the places where people live. **Jennifer Normoyle** *Hillsborough* #### CalFresh reform isn’t cruelty, it’s necessity Re: ”[Trump’s CalFresh rules exemplify his cruelty](https://www.mercurynews.com/2026/06/15/letters-board-psychology-picking-someone-good/)” (Page A6, June 16). Recent changes to CalFresh (California’s SNAP food assistance) budget legislation by the Trump administration involve tightening of work requirements and altered eligibility. Requiring greater accountability in public assistance programs is not indifference to poverty. Compassion and accountability are not opposites. It’s not a Republican policy. Bill Clinton found welfare reform to be politically unpopular, but nobody accused him of cruelty. In welfare reform, “cruelty” may be emotionally powerful, but it does not fairly describe the policy debate. The purpose of welfare should be to provide a safety net for those who need help while encouraging self-sufficiency whenever possible. Assistance should be targeted to those facing genuine hardship and able-bodied adults should be encouraged to work, train or seek employment when opportunities are available. California welfare programs are not rich enough to accommodate illegal immigrants. Welfare reform is not cruelty; it’s necessary. **Fred Gutmann** *Cupertino* #### Caltrans shouldn’t wait for events to clean roads Wow, there must be an event happening in the South Bay. How can I tell? Our highways and city streets are spotless around the South Bay. It seems Caltrans only cleans the highways when the Super Bowl, FIFA or some other big event comes to town. Otherwise, they are always filled with trash, illegal dumping and debris. All I know is that Caltrans needs to keep our roads cleaned up on a monthly basis, but I am sure that as soon as the FIFA event is over, our roads will turn into a dump again. Why do we have to live like that? It looks great for the moment. Can we keep it that way? **Michael McWalters** *Alviso* #### Israel’s path to peace doesn’t lie in bombing Israel’s continued attacks on Gaza, Lebanon and Iran, despite repeated ceasefire calls, expose the failure of unconditional military support. A growing number of Americans want arms shipments halted. The path to peace is diplomacy, accountability, humanitarian relief and an immediate ceasefire. **Jag Singh** *Los Altos* #### Article doesn’t support overreaching headline Re: “Seeking public records could trigger lawsuit” (Page A6, June 18). The headline writer for the web article went a bit overboard: “Your government wants power to sue you for seeking public records.” The article mentions exactly one person in government who is proposing this and accuses the whole government of wanting it. Yes, it is a terrible idea. Yes, there are undoubtedly other people in government who support the idea, though that is entirely unsupported by the article. The article would have been more valuable if other supporters of the proposal had been named. **Niall MacDonagh** *Antioch* #### Officials should restore foreign aid budget Next week, I will take part in the [Alliance for American Leadership](https://a4al.org/)’s Soft Power Summer Hill Day, where I’ll urge Congress to recommit to international assistance. Skeptics characterize foreign aid as irresponsible “charity” from the United States to other countries. This view diminishes the role strategic foreign aid plays in protecting American interests. The United States spends less than 1% of its budget on foreign aid, a small investment with a big impact on protecting American businesses and containing deadly diseases. Ebola is spreading rapidly, having already claimed 223 lives abroad. Every day the virus proliferates is a day of increased risk to American lives. An American doctor has already been infected. By employing foreign assistance, we can protect American businesses and consumers. Assemblymember Liz Ortega, state Sen. Aisha Wahab and U.S. Sens. Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff should urge the OMB to expend appropriated foreign aid funds to contain global health crises before they cause further harm. **Nikole Ahne Morales** *Hayward*