Editor,

I think the Governator’s idea for “merit pay” has merit. We just are a little too myopic where we employ it. Every state election, the voters will be given the opportunity to vote for pay increases or decreases of our elected officials. If the politicians truly work for the benefit of their constituents and play well with others, they may be voted a raise. If they behave obnoxiously as they continue to do, we may dock their pay. Finally, if they are voted out of office or retire, the voters of the state can determine if they merit the right for us to pay them the substantial pensions they automatically get now no matter how poorly a job they did. Now, that is merit pay.

Michael E. Turturici

San Carlos

Sierra Club clarification

Editor,

I write to make a simple clarification of the Sierra Club position on residential density in the San Mateo Rail Corridor Plan as described by the San Mateo Daily Journal in an article entitled “City approves transit study” in the April 19, 2005 edition. The article states that we “support the plan with minimum density, maximum park space and environmentally efficient buildings.”

The Sierra Club supports keeping the “minimum density requirement” in the plan, i.e., the number of “dwelling units per acre” would not be allowed to drop below a specified level. Transit studies have shown that ridership correlates directly with density — for the city’s progressive Transportation Demand Management program to work at Bay Meadows II, it is vital to build to the maximum limits specified in the recently approved Measure P. To boost the number of homes affordable to working folks in San Mateo, the city needs to allow the greatest number of units to be built along the corridor to get the full benefit of the 10 percent affordability requirement for new development. We appreciate the Journal’s excellent coverage of land use issues throughout the Peninsula. Your readers can view our press release and correspondence on the Corridor Plan in the documents section of our Web site: www.lomaprieta.sierraclub.org/slu/. We especially encourage Sierra Club members to contact us to share their viewpoints on this critical land use issue that has the potential to be a model of transit-oriented development for the Peninsula.

Irvin Dawid

Chair Loma Prieta chapter,

Sierra Club

Palo Alto

Shot the Golden Goose

Editor,

The May 3 article “Business group divides city” is, yet, more evidence “da mayor’s” “quick draw hip shot” allegations do more harm than good!

At an earlier council meeting “da mayor” in concert with Councilwoman Rosalie O’Mahony doubled-teamed the DBID and associated businesses and threw innuendoes, allegations and unfounded facts around as if they were confetti at a New Year’s Eve party. They publicly hinted at impropriety with how the DBID money was being spent. Can we forget how council O’Mahony waved her “pink paper” at those in attendance and stated something to the effect of “I have it all here on my pink sheet.” The real travesty with this slanderous attack upon some very good citizens of the community was “da mayor” met with DBID officials and reviewed the books, prior to the council meeting and he knew there wasn’t anything improper with the books. “Da mayor” elected to omit this fact from his witch-hunt and let the “firestorm” feed on itself. The “firestorm” resulted in implied wrong-doing, which resulted in some of the merchants picking up “da mayor’s” innuendoes and generating the “anti-DBID” movement. As a result of “da mayor’s” irresponsible actions, the city is on the verge of forfeiting a source of much needed money for the improvement of downtown Burlingame. “Da mayor” and O’Mahony should be proud of their double-team efforts, because it appears they shot the goose that laid the golden egg. It was amazing that neither “da mayor” or O’Mahony did not apologize to all of those citizens, whose reputations they attempted to vilify, in their double-team efforts.

Evidently they forgot about that old saying, “be careful for what you wish for, because you might just get it. In this case, it looks like the DBID will not get funded for 2005-2006.

Rich Grogan

Burlingame

What can I do to help?

Editor,

I am 17 and my boyfriend use to do meth. I read Bill Silverfarb’s column (“The Scourge of Meth,” in the April 22 edition of the Daily Journal).

I really liked it. I have always known about meth use but when I met my boyfriend he told me a lot more. I knew I could only help him stay away from it, but after reading your column and some other little ones in the Daily Journal about meth prevention I realized I want to do more than just help my boyfriend. I want to have a major in psychology and most likely be some kind of therapist but I want to help now. What can I do?

Krystin Reed

Belmont