Unfair free space

On Hillside Drive, a house with such a free basement got the OK to be built. This home is about 4,000 square feet on a 6,000 square foot lot.

Sometime ago, I was led to believe that the issue had been settled, with the basement to help put mass and bulk underground so people would build smaller homes above ground, and that was why the square footage was free. That does not seem to be true any longer.

With this election for City Council it is a great opportunity to question the candidate on the issue as part of design review. See where they stand. Find out what they are going to do about this issue if elected.

Terry Hueber

Burlingame

The colors of Sanchez/ Matthews lawn signs

Editor,

This letter is in response to Sue Lempert’s question in "A battle of consultants” published in the Oct. 15, 2007 issue of the San Mateo Daily Journal. Bertha Sanchez was first to use these colors selected by her committee in January 2007. These colors went public on Feb. 3, 2007 at her kick off at the San Mateo train station. These colors have been used at every public event, i.e. Fiesta Italiana, San Mateo Wine Walk, San Mateo City Park events and on her official Web site during her run for office. There has never been an issue made about her choice of colors for this campaign.

May Nichols

San Mateo

Congress must move

forward on clean energy

Editor,

This summer, the Senate and the House of Representatives passed their own versions of a clean Energy Bill. These victories were an important step in the larger battle for strong energy policy in America. Now Congress must continue to move forward and hammer out a strong and clean final version of this Energy Bill.

The final Energy Bill must include the Senate’s hard-fought compromise provision that would require a 35 miles-per-gallon fuel economy standard for American automobiles by 2020. The auto lobby wants this provision replaced by a "do nothing” alternative, yet according to the Union of Concerned Scientists, the Senate’s position on fuel standards would save consumers $24 billion at the pump each year once the cleaner cars hit the road. Using cost-effective technologies to create these cleaner cars will also create over 170,000 new American jobs, including tens of thousands in the auto industry alone.

The final bill must also include the House’s 15 percent renewable electricity standard, which would require electric companies to obtain more power from clean, renewable sources like wind and sun. The Senate has passed similar provisions several times in the past, so industry interests should not be allowed to undermine what is clearly a majority position in both Congressional chambers.

These provisions will help launch the clean energy economy in America. By reducing our reliance on dirty fossil fuels, they will also put us on the path to energy independence — and a healthier future. Congress needs to stand up to industry and other clean energy opponents who want the Energy Bill weakened.

Ana Rudolph

Brisbane

Compassion for

abortion mothers

Editor,

Apparently Ms. Garibaldi is under the misguided notion that if abortion were illegal, that would be the end of the problem. She also makes reference to, "so called safe abortion clinics” (her words). I guess she is blind to the fact that women are going to get abortions regardless of whether they are legal or not. If abortions are made illegal, then women will go out of country if necessary, or worse yet it will force a return to the back alleys and the coat hanger. Legalized abortion has saved untold numbers of mothers lives by taking abortion out of the back alleys and providing a safe place for them to go for help, be it counseling or the abortion itself. And please remember, Ms. Garibaldi, you can pray all you want to, but there is not anyone listening.

Orlando LaRosa

South San Francisco

Truth in headlines

Editor,

I am wondering if you might consider having some of your headlines be a bit more to the point. As an example, in the Tuesday, Oct. 2 edition of the Daily Journal, the back page headline is "US Forces toll lowest in 14 months.” Well, that is good news, however, perhaps we might bring the point home that 64 of our young men and women died in Iraq, rather than just saying that the "toll” is lower. Let’s see, "only” 988 Iraqis died — to put that into perspective, almost the entire student body population of Carlmont High School.

Let’s do something to remind folks that it is people, not a "toll.”

Geri Kennedy

Redwood City