Monday’s Letters to the Editor

Building, homes and jobs

EDITOR: As a retired construction worker who saw many trades workers forced to leave the industry for lack of work during the last recession, I’m pleased to see so much new housing being built here in Santa Rosa. I’m especially happy to see higher density projects like the Yolanda Apartments, which will consist of 252 multifamily residential units. While this project is 100% market rate, builders are constructing affordable housing elsewhere in the city.

We all want people who work in our city and for our city to be able to afford to live in our city. The income qualification for affordable housing will allow many city workers to live in housing being constructed now.

A hearty thank you from this citizen to all the city workers involved with these projects — planners, engineers, water and parks department personnel and traffic engineers among them. And to all the construction workers who actually build the buildings, I wish you work for many years to come.

MOLLY MARTIN

Santa Rosa

Remedial classes belong

EDITOR: Beginning in August, Santa Rosa Junior College no longer will offer remedial courses in math and English (“ ‘We know what works,’ ” July 10). This is incredibly wrongheaded and unfortunate. SRJC, along with all the other campuses in the state’s junior college system, historically has had a core mission to be responsive to the needs of the broader community.

Simply put, not everyone who attends SRJC aspires to a bachelor’s degree or higher. Many students who are returning to school after lengthy pauses in their education, or recent high school graduates who had a bumpy ride and are looking for a fresh start, will be ill-served by this change.

When the K-12 public school “college-for-all” mania first took hold, California State University campuses were forced to offer remedial courses. They tended to be among the largest classes on those campuses, and they usually were relegated to adjunct professors who were burdened with excessive workloads. Those courses were eliminated in 2017. I found it difficult to justify their inclusion or necessity in a four-year college system.

However, SRJC is precisely the place where a broad range of course offerings should remain in place. Not all courses at that school need to be UC or CSU transferable.

MARK WARDLAW

Santa Rosa

A damaging decision

EDITOR: As a longtime member of the American Association of University Women, I join AAUW in strongly condemning the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson, which takes away a woman’s constitutional right to choose whether to have an abortion.

The decision hurts all Americans. It will do the most harm to low-income people, women of color, immigrants, people with disabilities and LGBTQ+ people, because these groups already face substantial barriers to accessing reproductive services and health care. Being able to choose whether and when to become a parent improves women’s well-being and fosters economic security — a crucial component of AAUW’s mission to advance gender equity.

I strongly encourage everyone who supports a woman’s right to choose to join, volunteer with or donate to national and state organizations such as AAUW as they work to find ways to reduce the damage caused by the Dobbs decision. Share your outrage with friends around the country and urge them to vote for representatives who trust women to make informed decisions about their own reproductive lives.

JEAN REED

Petaluma

Estate planning

EDITOR: A dear friend died recently and got me thinking about death and the details of death. We know we are going to die, but we don’t know where, when or how, but it will happen to all of us. Some will die quickly from a heart attack or accident, but most of us will linger for a while.

This letter is to the grandparents, parents and adult children. There is no right time to do your preplanning, but it should happen today or next week at the latest. If you own real estate or have an estate of $100,000 or more, a living trust, will and advanced directive for health are imperative. (No, I am not an attorney).

Having our affairs in order is a blessing to our family. If you are sick or have a stroke, you need to have your wishes about your care in writing. A trust will help organize your financials. Don’t waste your hard-earned money on probate lawyers and courts when you can give your estate in months instead of years for a fraction of the probate and attorney fees.

GORDON FREEDMAN

Santa Rosa

Important words

EDITOR: The first time I saw The Press Democrat misuse the term “suffragette,” I ignored it. But when it appeared again on the first page of Nation World section on Thursday, I could no longer sit still (“Florida unveils a hero”). Women fighting for equal rights in the country have always been known as “suffragists.” Women in Great Britain were the suffragettes. I implore you to do more research into the use of important words.

LILYAN FRANK

Petaluma

You can send letters to the editor to letters@pressdemocrat.com.