Becoming windy. Cloudy skies with periods of rain developing this afternoon. High 59F. Winds S at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a half an inch..
Cloudy with occasional rain showers. Low near 50F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%.
Updated: April 11, 2026 @ 5:43 am
Editor,
According to California law, an agreement for sale or purchase of goods, services, property, etc., with a value of $500 or more, must be in writing to be valid. Also according to California law, a verbal promise is legal, depending on the consequences and factors involved. A verbal promise does not have to be in writing. Obviously, it would be better if it was in writing.
Frank Paya’s letter “Rogue judges,” in the Friday, June 22 issue, is an example of someone writing a letter to the editor who clearly didn’t know what he was talking about. Nowadays, with the internet, it is so easy to research California civil law regarding contracts and verbal promises.
I would recommend that Mr. Paya do the research before he writes about something he doesn’t know about.
Also in law, there is a legal doctrine called a “Letter of the Law vs. Spirit of the Law,” that allows police officers, prosecutors, and judges to have some degree of flexibility to enforce the law, depending on the factors and consequences involved. This is all stuff that a first-year law student knows. Hopefully, this will be helpful for Mr. Paya.
Michael Oberg
San Mateo
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