Saturday’s Letters to the Editor

Mourning SRT

EDITOR: I was a member of Summer Repertory Theatre from 1983-2001, all under the tutelage of Frank Zwolinski (“Junior college halts summer theater,” Jan. 21). I was an actor, box office assistant, box office manager, audio technician, theater supervisor and sound designer. In 1990 and ’91, I did not attend because SRT gave me the confidence to attend CalArts where I received my degree in performing arts design and technology.

Locally, I crewed and designed sound for many shows at Actors’ Theatre, Santa Rosa Players and Nova Theatre, among others. I went on to be a sound designer/audio master at the Magic Theater in San Francisco and San Diego Repertory Theatre. SRT was a major influence on my life and made me into the person I am.

I’m no longer involved in theater, but the collaborative and creative nature of Zwolinski’s program made me the collaborative and creative special education teacher I am today.

The skills one acquires working in a true repertory company are extraordinary. SRT does much more than create great actors, technicians and designers, it creates great people with a creative, adaptive and collaborative skill set.

The fact that SRT is to no longer be funded by Santa Rosa Junior College is a tragic loss to many professions across our country. I mourn the loss.

RANDY COHEN

Bonny Doon

County report’s flaws

EDITOR: The Jan. 21 article about the Sonoma Developmental Center lawsuit neglected to mention that the Board of Supervisors reduced the amount of affordable housing to 124 units out of a potential 750, a nearly 50% reduction, despite their talk about the need for affordable housing (“Citizens sue to block report”). People think there is all this affordable housing proposed for the site, but that’s not true. The overwhelming majority of the housing as currently proposed will be market rate.

In addition, there is no requirement in the specific plan to build housing first. A developer could build a hotel or other commercial buildings (400,000 square feet) and not even bother with housing. Yet, the market study showed there is little demand for commercial development other than a hotel.

The lawsuit’s co-plaintiff SCALE (scaledownsdc.org), advocates for housing first, prioritizing residential over commercial development by maximizing the amount of affordable housing on the site, with a focus on housing for people with low and very low incomes, essential workers and individuals with developmental disabilities.

Community groups had no choice but to sue the county to prevent a shortsighted plan from becoming reality.

ALICE HOROWITZ

Glen Ellen

Financial obstruction

EDITOR: U.S. debt is basically the foundation of the global financial system (that’s bigger than Kevin McCarthy’s congressional district). If the rest of the world comes to doubt its reliability, a major recession is likely, if not a shattering financial crisis. Is financial obstruction a course taught in business school? If so, the obstructionists all have MBAs (Meritless Business Advice).

TOBY COWAN

Sebastopol

Evidence and belief

EDITOR: The Jan. 19 edition contained yet another article about anti-abortion protests (“March for Life on Friday”). When one reads about this topic there are some issues to think about that are rarely mentioned. The first is that there is a significant difference between what we believe and what we know.

We know in great detail how life begins and develops in the womb before birth, and we know when viability begins. An important thing that we do not know, but that many believe in, is the existence of a soul. This is essentially a religious belief; there is no way to demonstrate the existence of a soul.

Anti-abortionists seem to believe that women pregnant under any circumstance, whether by intention or by circumstance such as rape, should be forced to carry the fetus to term, because they argue that this is an independent life that has a right to exist.

They cannot offer evidence for this; they can only offer belief. Further, they argue that this pregnancy should be forced to exist but offer no ideas or support for the pregnant woman or for the child after it is born. All of this happens because of belief for which there is no evidence. This is worth some thought and debate.

PAUL S. TREUHAFT

Santa Rosa

Acknowledging lives

EDITOR: Wayne Seden poses an interesting solution to the war in Ukraine (“An offramp for Putin,” Letters, Jan. 17). Every peaceful option should stay on the table for the Ukrainians to use as they see fit. I would like to add that until we start saying that bombing and killing men, as well as “women, children and babies” is senseless, we will not see an end to war. Let’s stop calling all soldiers “boots on the ground” and keep their humanity in sight.

MARTHA JOHNSON

Santa Rosa

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