{"slug": "letters-theres-something-for-everyone-at-alameda-county-library", "title": "Letters: There’s something for everyone at Alameda County Library", "summary": "Alameda County Library offers services beyond book lending, including free seed kits, gardening tool loans, and a Youth Poet Laureate Contest, according to reader Subru Bhat. In a separate letter, George Doddington questions whether AI can meet human spiritual and emotional needs, responding to Elon Musk's vision of AI-driven abundance.", "body_md": "**Getting your**\n\n[Trinity Audio](//trinityaudio.ai)player ready...**Submit your letter to the editor via this form. Read more Letters to the Editor.**\n\n#### There’s something for everyone at library\n\nRe: “[Librarian has good read on community](https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2026/07/24/innovation-is-keeping-libraries-relevant/)” (Page E1, July 26).\n\nThanks for the report on the reopening of Campbell Library. Kudos to the Campbell Library staff for making the necessary changes to make better use of the limited space. I fully agree with librarian Nichole King that the patrons are surprised about all the different programs a library offers.\n\nAlameda County Library provides services in areas other than the lending of books, hardcover or e-books. It distributes free seed kits with information on what to do next. One of the branches lends gardening tools that patrons can borrow just like borrowing library books, of course with a shorter turnaround time. It conducts garden and sustainability events. I picked up a kale plant at an event at the Union City library. It conducts an annual county Youth Poet Laureate Contest.\n\nLet us support our local and county libraries and make the best use of them in many areas.\n\n**Subru Bhat**\n\n*Union City*\n\n#### Article misses negatives of political spending\n\nRe: “[Money does not corrupt our political system](https://www.mercurynews.com/2026/07/23/david-m-drucker-money-isnt-the-root-of-all-political-evil/)” (Page A7, July 23).\n\nDavid Drucker is completely wrong in his op-ed downplaying the increasingly bad effects of money in politics, particularly over the last 20 years.\n\nHe’s also completely wrong in agreeing with the Supreme Court’s decision that money is a form of free speech. The Founding Fathers must be rolling over in their graves on that one. (And the Republicans used to be originalists.) The clearest evidence is the rise of JD Vance, whose money for his Senate run almost all came from [one right-wing billionaire](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jd-vance-trump-vp-peter-thiel-billionaire/), which could never have happened 20 years ago.\n\nThe only real solution to this problem is public funding of elections for Congress and the presidency.\n\n**Ron Rizzo**\n\n*Concord*\n\n#### Warming up to Wahab House candidacy\n\nI did not vote for Aisha Wahab in the 2022 election for District 10 state senator.\n\nSince then, I have read her legislative activities and seen her in person at community events.\n\nWahab’s message makes sense to me, and I support her for U.S. representative of the 14th Congressional District.\n\n**Kobin Lee**\n\n*Fremont*\n\n#### AI falls short in area of human connections\n\nAfter hearing Elon Musk [assert](https://www.economist.com/business/2026/07/23/elon-musks-vision-of-the-future) that we can’t stop AI and that AI will create an “amazing abundance,” I am left wondering how our spiritual and emotional needs will be met.\n\nThese human bonds are the essence of what is important to us. These are bonds of respect, love, pride and joy — bonds that make our lives worth living and that remain untouched by AI.\n\n**George Doddington**\n\n*Walnut Creek*\n\n#### Advancing technology will ease e-car change\n\nRe: “[Voters sour on Newsom’s push to ban gas cars](https://www.mercurynews.com/2026/07/25/george-skelton-californians-sour-on-newsoms-push-to-ban-gas-powered-cars/)” (Page A10, July 26).\n\nVoters who are worried about California banning gas cars by 2035 should remember technology is rapidly changing.\n\nAccording to “Back to the Future,” we should already have flying cars.\n\nUsed cars that run on gasoline probably won’t be banned in 2035, and will be plentiful. Today’s high-priced new EV models will be inexpensive used models by that time. The Chinese NIO ET7 already has a more than 620-mile range on a charge. Cars with that range and longer should be widely available in the United States by 2035.\n\nMy family is happily driving a Subaru Solterra with a 240- to 250-mile range on a charge around the Bay Area and charging it at home overnight. We have a 2014 Toyota Camry hybrid for long-distance driving.\n\n**Michael Gray**\n\n*San Jose*\n\n#### Voters want others to pay for climate rules\n\nRe: “[Voters sour on Newsom’s push to ban gas cars](https://www.mercurynews.com/2026/07/25/george-skelton-californians-sour-on-newsoms-push-to-ban-gas-powered-cars/)” (Page A10, July 26).\n\nThe headline does Donald Trump’s work for him — throw cold water on any climate change repair.\n\nThe actual words in this piece tell a far different story. That is, voters have polled consistently that they support climate repair, until they have to pay anything for it. Voters want businesses to pay, not themselves.\n\nA reader scanning the page would get a more accurate impression if the headline were: “Voters support climate repair but don’t want to pay for it.”\n\n**Allen Price**\n\n*Half Moon Bay*", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/letters-theres-something-for-everyone-at-alameda-county-library", "canonical_source": "https://www.mercurynews.com/2026/07/28/letters-something-everyone-alameda-county-library/", "published_at": "2026-07-28 23:30:55+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-07-28 23:35:19.182620+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["artificial-intelligence"], "entities": ["Alameda County Library", "Campbell Library", "Nichole King", "Subru Bhat", "Elon Musk", "George Doddington"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/letters-theres-something-for-everyone-at-alameda-county-library", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/letters-theres-something-for-everyone-at-alameda-county-library.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/letters-theres-something-for-everyone-at-alameda-county-library.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/letters-theres-something-for-everyone-at-alameda-county-library.jsonld"}}