Wednesday’s Letters to the Editor

Remember Korea

EDITOR: “Our nation honors her sons and daughters who answered the call to defend a country they never knew and a people they never met” — inscribed on the Korean War Memorial in Washington. Thursday is the 70th anniversary of the signing of the truce that ended the fighting but left the country in a state of war. A ceremony will be held at the memorial on Thursday, which I will be attending. Give a thought if you will to the Korean families torn apart, first by the split up of the country thanks to the Russians, then by the invasion of South Korea by North Korea in 1950.

JOHN HENSON

Willits

Unwelcome nuisance

EDITOR: Years ago, Santa Rosa banned the sale of Fourth of July fireworks. The effort to ban sales was tedious and took many years.

For the past few years, we have been enduring another nuisance in the form of non-hosted short-term rentals in residentially zoned neighborhoods. These are boutique hotels in otherwise quiet neighborhoods, but with an added twist. There is nobody on site to supervise the guests. No other example exists of an unattended nuisance business legally operating in residentially zoned areas.

Zoning regulations are clear about businesses operating out of homes. Even a music teacher living on the premises is subject to more scrutiny for noise, traffic and good behavior. City staff and most of the City Council are unwilling to phase out non-hosted short-term rentals. The city attorney is keeping a remarkably low profile and has yet to publicly present a legal theory that allows this to continue. These businesses are against the word and spirit of our zoning laws.

Let’s hope the city of Santa Rosa will not repeat the yearslong stalling, as they did with the fireworks ordinance.

VLADAN TEMER

Santa Rosa

Squandered money

EDITOR: How much money, both his own and that of his donors, has Donald Trump squandered and wasted trying to defend his stupid, if not illegal, actions and comments? He could have been remembered favorably had he chosen instead to use that money to help others and make America and the world a better place. How much?

JOE CLENDENIN

Santa Rosa

What happened to SSU?

EDITOR: It was disappointing to read about Sonoma State University having a high rate of sexual harassment (“Audit puts college in bad light,” July 19). SSU was my second home in the 1970s and early ’80s, when I was the School of Natural Sciences’ secretary. What I saw then was different.

Joe Brumbaugh, a biologist and the dean, stood up when I entered for the job interview. What a courteous welcome.

I felt privileged to know some of the founders of what was a college first and then a university. Ambrose Nichols, the first president, for example. Despite being such an important figure, he often sat down to have coffee with employees.

Gustavo Flores, the director of admissions, encouraged me to pursue a master’s degree in education when he noticed that I was taking summer courses at random.

The list of dedicated individuals is long, but I need to mention that students came from many places, attracted by small classes and great programs such as nursing, geology, premed, science night and others.

No one is questioning departments, schools and programs, though. Behavior is the problem present leaders need to address, so SSU can be the elite university it used to be when courtesy, amiability, encouragement and respect were displayed.

YOLANDA VERA MARTÍNEZ

Santa Rosa

A party for Lincoln

EDITOR: If Abraham Lincoln were alive today, he would be a Democrat. The Republican Party in Lincoln’s day would be considered today’s Democratic Party. I, for one, think Lincoln would be appalled by what his Republican Party has become.

The “invaders” Sandy Metzger vilifies (“A modern Lincoln,” Letters, July 19) are the same “invaders” who harvest her fruits and vegetables in 100-degree heat for crappy wages and no benefits. They work the jobs no one else will take, and they do it without complaint.

Here’s an idea: Instead of always blaming Democrats for the ills of society, offer an actual plan. Republicans had no platform in 2020, and they don’t have a platform for 2024.

Sorry, but Lincoln will not be running in 2024, although I find it interesting that Metzger seems to “know” exactly how he’d handle things if he were here. What Republicans do have for their front-runner candidate is a thrice-indicted, accused sexual predator who may be too much of a coward to get on a debate stage.

LAURA GROSS

Petaluma

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