Letters

Editor,

Has anyone noticed that during the past few years, the Daily Journal has published an increasing number of stories related to young men with Hispanic surnames being arrested for, or convicted of, crimes in San Mateo?

It’s probably not a coincidence that the rise in Hispanic crime parallels the rise in the illegal immigrant population in San Mateo. This isn’t surprising, considering that the so-called Worker Resource Center is able to find work for only about 20 percent of the illegals who gather there on any given day. This means that there are a large number of young, Hispanic men with a lot of free time on their hands. Truthfully, most illegal immigrants are law-abiding individuals who simply want to work. But the fact is that our ever-inept City Council has seemingly not provided any screening process to weed out the potential criminals among the illegals.

Come to think of it, the City Council told us that the Worker Resource Center was going to stop illegal immigrants from loitering along the Third Avenue Gateway. What a joke. There are still many loitering illegals — they now simply congregate on residential corners one block away from the Gateway, and there’s no evidence that the Police Department is citing them, as was promised.

In addition to the Bay Meadows Phase II redevelopment, our City Council has really slickered us all with the nearly-useless Worker Resource Center — and they’re totally ignoring the increasing illegal immigrant problem.

Remember that when council members run for re-election.

Jon Bryant

San Mateo

Bay Meadows becoming

a forgotten topic

Editor,

It seems like your "newspaper” has for some reason forgotten Bay Meadows now that the city has deemed that enough signatures do not meet "their” requirements.

The San Mateo Daily Journal seems to have fallen in line with all those who are told what to do and what to say, those who believe that we should all do as has been decided for us by individuals holding power.

Roger W. Slocum

Hagerman, Idaho

Find a solution

for Summit Prep

Editor,

Mr. Silverfarb’s Friday, Jan. 13 column on the burden that Proposition 39 has put on the Sequoia Union High School (SUHSD) is right on. Proposition 39 is a poster child for the law of unintended consequences. I believe the proposition’s framers meant to ensure the best for every student.

Here is the result — ejecting Redwood Continuation High School students from their campus, displacing the Sequoia High School tennis program (to already crowded city tennis courts) — to provide facilities for a charter school (Summit Prep).

I challenge the business community and public entities that own or control real estate in San Mateo County to collaborate and find a suitable location for Summit. Redwood City, Woodside, San Mateo County and San Mateo Community College District: Put your heads together with SUHSD. Find a better solution.

Some have asked, "Why should the cities, the county, or the college district bail out the SUHSD? It’s their problem.” The answer is simple. You exist to serve your communities. We are the members of those communities. These are our children. This move, as it stands, is not in their best interests. It is, therefore, not in ours or yours.

Susan Swope

Redwood City

Rally in favor of SB 840

Editor,

Your recent article about the governor’s legislation to pay for federal government Medicare bungling reminded me that we are close to having a universal health plan here. Senate Bill SB 840, the California Health Reliability Act, passed the Senate and now needs to be approved by the Assembly. Bill author Sheila Kuehl says that now is the time to rally approval for the next steps of the bill to insure passage.

We spend far more money on healthcare than does any other country, yet we are ranked 72nd — below Morocco and Nicaragua — in quality of care. Eighty percent of the seven million uninsured working Californians don’t make enough to cover today’s exorbitant premiums.

It’s predicted the insurance industry will spend upwards of 100 million to defeat SB 840. Can the citizens of California wait five or ten more years to have a universal health insurance system similar to SB 840? I say no. We must fight hard to have this single payer system approved. By cutting red tape involved dealing with 1400 different health insurance plans, more funds will go into health care and save the state money. Phone legislators, send letters to newspapers and talk up this vital life-saving bill with family and friends.

Richard Karch

Mendocino

Thanks for Daily Journal

online edition

Editor,

I used to live in Foster City and moved out of the area two years ago. I used to enjoy the Daily Journal quite often. Now that I no longer live in the area, I really miss your great work in producing the Journal. The format is something the papers here, in Rocklin, Calif., could really use.

While on the Internet I found your site, and to my surprise, found that the same great work is available on the Internet. Thanks. I love the piece on Loomis etc, Mandarin Orange; it is all new to me.

In addition, the site works great. I am on modem and the speed is just fine. Thanks to your Web master.

Thanks again for a great paper and Web site.

John T. Young

Rocklin, Calif.

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