Letters: Missed deadline | Frontline workers | Zero-emissions buses | Self-driving trucks | New approach | Yemeni water

Re: “ ” (Page A1, Sept. 16). It is unbelievable that city officials failed to meet the deadline to receive funds for fighting organized retail theft and other property crime.

Oakland is embroiled in a crime wave that leaves residents and businesses as victims without recourse since 911 doesn’t answer in real-time and police are so short-staffed that a response may mean driving miles to the scene, very much too late to catch anyone. This money might have given the Oakland Police Department a break on these crimes and left more officers able to respond to assaults, shootings and murders. The mayor may go around town speaking about crime, but she had a chance to do something about it and her administration fell short.

She is not capable of running this city. Re: “ ” (Page B1, Sept. 19).

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposed ballot measure to modernize and reform the will transform the lives of thousands of Californians living with severe mental illness or housing insecurity. However, it is unclear if it will address the socioeconomic inequities faced by community mental health practitioners, or the frontline workers, too.

For example, compassionate and dedicated social workers, especially in places like Oakland where I reside, provide mental health services to historically disenfranchised communities, but are often overworked, underpaid and overburdened with student loan debt. Social workers will be working in these reformed systems if the measure passes. As Gov.

Newsom focuses on reforming mental health care in California, will he prioritize the needs of the frontline practitioners who are treating this public health crisis too? As a member of the health community [psychiatrist] concerned about climate change, I’m calling on Gov. Gavin Newsom to sign , which will require that any new school buses purchased or leased by school districts as of 2035 be zero-emission. This bill passed the Legislature with overwhelming majorities.

Diesel school buses are dangerous to children’s physical and mental health — a child riding inside a diesel school bus may be exposed to air that is 40% more polluted compared to riding in a zero-emission bus. Diesel exhaust is also a powerful driver of climate change. We can — and must — replace dirty diesel school buses with electric school buses to protect our kids’ health now and in the future.

Please urge Gov. Newsom to sign AB 579. Re: “ ” (Page 8, Sept.

24). Thanks for your editorial. I agree with your statement: “Self-driving trucks pose considerably more risk than cars.

The governor, the Legislature and state agencies should take a cautious approach to allowing them on the road while working to promote the innovative technology. ” I think autonomous vehicles must be required to pass an “ before being allowed to roam freely. Re: “ ” (Page A9, Sept.

24). It’s time to separate drug addicts and people with behavioral health issues from the homeless. Both of these groups need a shelter with a bed, bathroom and food, but more importantly treatment for their addiction and illness.

The state needs to crack down on the people dealing drugs on the street and put those people in jail. It is a crime that our state spends billions of taxpayer dollars each year, but politicians have no common sense to put the proper policies in place that help these people and also keep our cities clean and safe for our citizens, and allow businesses to prosper. The state needs a new strategy and plan that makes sense and deals with the real problems.

Yemen is a country located in the Middle East. Since 2016, Yemen has been struggling with extreme disease spread by contaminated water. The people there have a hard time trying to survive without any .

Many have died because of this problem. Related Articles A resident of Al-Adn village claims that whenever her family needed water they had to walk a long distance to collect it. She has to take her six children with her; they have dropped out of school to devote themselves to this task.

I know enough about the struggles in Yemen, seeing the lack of basic needs firsthand is far worse than the short peeks of what I’ve ever seen media portray. This is an issue that needs immediate action. I believe this should be talked about more so Yemen can get the help it needs.

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