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A simpler way to rate your choices
Re: “City considers ranked choice voting” (Page B1, May 31). Proponents of ranked-choice voting assert that the system promotes diversity, reduces mudslinging and saves election costs. Critics argue RCV helps candidates game the system, complicates the process, disenfranchises folks having trouble with complicated choicing and takes longer to count.
It takes longer to vote, too.
Stop. They’re both right.
There are many ways to score elections, with our gubernatorial jungle primary the absolute worst. Perhaps we should adopt “5starvoting.” It’s simple to score and easy to understand. Many folks are now used to ranking things on a 1-to-5 scale. Computerized scoring is not required as with RCV.
Bruce Korb
Santa Cruz
California must stop its anti-ICE bias
Re: “‘408 hates ICE’: Bay Area protesters rally against planned Gilroy detention center” (May 30). In today’s global economic environment, where inflation, unemployment and global markets are struggling, here in blue-state California, we find it to be no different.
Illegal migration is illegal migration — the only difference is that this population has found a network that favors their labor and spending. However, American workers and children graduating from high school to college can’t afford to live in a progressive state because they can’t get employed.
Let’s really start with eliminating free government handouts to illegals and stop this anti-ICE madness. If our educators are not working to improve our schools and legislators and local officials don’t care about their citizens, then Californians should vote them out.
Californians can’t and shouldn’t sell themselves short.
Jeff Staben
Santa Cruz
Gutting US scientific capability is disastrous
Re: “Independent science comes to a halt at the EPA” (Page A2, May 29). The article correctly identifies the importance of scientific research in our modern, industrialized world. However, this administration’s notion that AI can replace human scientists is totally misguided and lacks understanding of how science progresses.
AI bots are trained on archived datasets that reflect established knowledge. Therefore, unlike humans, they are largely incapable of “thinking outside the box.” Although AI bots may “hallucinate,” they do not truly understand the laws of physics, nor the importance of experimental design. Their training requires human curation of relevant datasets.
Moreover, the current agenda, per Project 2025, is to reduce regulation and is at odds with the EPA’s foundational mission to provide a healthy environment for flora and fauna, including people. Rather, it reflects the worst of corporate goals: profits before people.
Gutting the nation’s scientific capability is a recipe for disaster.
Campbell Scott
Los Gatos
Mullin’s airport threat warrants a new chief
Re: “Groups decry airport plan for ‘liberal’ cities” (Page A1, June 1). Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin wants to pull security from airports in liberal cities. Before he does this, he might want to take a class in U.S. geography — what lands in a liberal city doesn’t necessarily stay in that liberal city.
Heaven forbid, many of them go to conservative counties and cities. The United States is one continent; the same highways go for miles through liberal and conservative cities. Is his plan now to have our cities surrounded by 10-foot concrete walls, with openings only where security officials check whether those passing are wearing red or blue shirts? Does he not know that terrorists are mobile and travel all over from state to state — including into the conservative areas he wishes to “protect”? Will our airports now be labeled “red” or “blue,” bomb here and not there?
It’s time for another change at Homeland Security — brains needed. Right now, it’s very un-American.
Marguerite Sinnett
Morgan Hill
Washington must break addiction to oil’s cash
The world as we know it today was built on the back of burning fossil fuels. Unfortunately, this has come at a tremendous cost. Emissions from burning fossil fuels are rapidly warming our world at a rate that has never occurred before. Why do we continue to burn planet-killing fuels?
One reason is the fossil fuel industry’s control over our government. The industry spends approximately $250 million annually lobbying elected officials, with the vast majority going to Republican officials and candidates. During the 2024 presidential campaign alone, oil interests gave over $75 million to Donald Trump-affiliated PACs. This results in $20 billion to $35 billion a year on direct handouts to the fossil fuel industry.
We cannot expect meaningful climate action while representatives are financially beholden to the industry driving this crisis. Voters must reject candidates who prioritize fossil fuel payouts over our planet’s future.
Ron Sadler
Palo Alto
Rigged political system must be changed
I don’t blame our politicians. When the first question each political party asks anyone wanting to run for office is how much money can you raise, you know something is wrong with the system.
Unless we rein in political spending, the wealthy will always control this country under the illusion that the common person has a say in this government. Sure, you can vote, but the names you see on the ballot are underwritten by special interests, lobbyists and PACs. Politicians will be more responsive to their constituents’ needs when their campaigns are financed by those constituents. Many of the leading democracies throughout the world have much shorter campaigns (30-90 days), some form of public financing and strict limits on advertising, among other constraints.
Our system is rigged and, unless we change it, the wealthy and special interests will always have undue power and control over it.
Phillip Sienna
San Jose