Letters: Choosing fine | Increase punishment | Renew CTC | Successful program | Gun safety | 32-hour work week

Re: “ ” (Page A1, Sept. 19). The City of San Jose needs to get its head screwed on straight and thank Jim Salata, not fine him, for cleaning up The First Church of Christ, Scientist site.

Next, the city should recover the church and assess the owner the cost of the work, then use eminent domain to take over the property and find a new buyer to develop the site, keeping and restoring the church as part of the final development. Re: “ ” (Page A1, Sept. 8).

It is a sad commentary on our society when a curfew issue percolates to the local paper. One would think an event organizer is smart enough to shift a starting time to avoid this deadline. Given the size of these events, a $1,000 fine is nothing.

The fine should be 1% of the gate receipts for every minute the event goes beyond the curfew. That would be fair and reasonable. It would also be avoidable for any event planner with any substance.

Re: “ ” (Page A6, Sept. 15). California leads the nation in technology, agriculture, entertainment — and poverty.

More than one in 10 Californians experienced poverty in the United States in 2022, according to newly released Census . Among them, children saw the worst increases — child poverty levels more than doubled from the previous year. In 2021, the Expanded Child Tax Credit (CTC) was passed as a part of the American Rescue Plan and massively curbed child poverty.

In a decision that children and families in poverty now bear the brunt of, Congress did not renew the Expanded CTC after 2021. While some members of Congress ask how we can afford such a policy, I ask them this — how can we afford to ignore important and vulnerable members of our community? As Californians, we are no strangers to leading the charge. I call on our California U.

S. Congress members to elevate this issue and fight for all families and children. Why is the clearly successful Child Tax Credit program not being funded? The Census Bureau has reported recently that child poverty in the United States has increased significantly.

In particular, shows that the poverty rate using Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM) for children under 18 increased from 5. 2% to 12. 4% between 2021 and 2022, more than doubling.

The main reason for this increase was the expiration of the Child Tax Credit, or CTC, in 2022. It is unconscionable that such a successful program is not being considered for funding. It behooves Congress to make every effort to reinstate funding of CTC in the upcoming budget.

Re: “ ” (Page A6, Sept. 14). As a survivor of gun violence, who lost my beloved sister to suicide with a firearm, I am writing to urge Gov.

Gavin Newsom to sign and approve , the Gun Violence Prevention and School Safety Act. No family should ever have to endure the pain that my family has experienced. Furthermore, as a former elementary school teacher and principal, as well as the parent of a young adult, I know that improving gun violence education and services is crucial to keeping our students safe in schools.

AB 28 will include $50 million to the Department of Education, which will include crucial funding for school mental health, behavioral services and school safety measures, helping to save the lives of our precious children. Reducing the epidemic of gun violence is attainable by increasing funding for gun violence prevention. I look forward to gun safety champion Gov.

Newsom signing the bill. The joy associated with well-rounded human development can’t be bought. It can only be activated through all-sided human activity.

In , after asking over 70 groups to identify their human needs, we promote five major activities to meet those needs: (1) time to care for self and family; (2) time to produce something of value to society at a living wage with reduced work hours; (3) time for lifelong learning with accurate information; (4) time for democratic participation in institutions, especially in the family, the workplace and the community; and (5) time for self-realization, to do the things we love to do. As the poster children of overwork, U. S.

workers, but especially employees in Silicon Valley, emphasize No. 2 — but with long working hours — stunting our caring, learning, participation and self-actualization capacities. That is why the UAW demand for the 32-hour work week is humanizing, visionary and worthy of our support.

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