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Fee creates barrier
to enjoying ridge trail
I am concerned about the new easement restrictions requiring non-Pleasanton residents to purchase a weekly pass for access to the Pleasanton Ridge hiking trail via Augustine Bernal Park. This issue specifically relates to the property easement through Golden Eagle Estates, which was designated as a public easement when it was built. This change imposes an unnecessary burden on visitors from neighboring communities and could deter many from enjoying this public space.
This is a popular trail entrance as it provides easier access to the main trail for mountain biking and for those who may not be able to hike up the steeper areas at other entrances. While I understand the need for maintaining the park, it’s important to note that other access points to Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park do not require payment. The Pleasanton Ridge should remain accessible to all, regardless of residency. These new fees create an economic barrier, disproportionately affecting those with limited financial means. I urge the authorities to reconsider this decision and seek alternative solutions that promote inclusivity and equitable access to our natural landscapes.
Greg Nagy
San Ramon
Harris book puts race
question to rest
Per the author, Kamala Harris, on Page 11 of the 2019 paperback version of her book, “The Truths We Hold”:
“My mother, grandparents, aunts and uncle instilled in Maya and me pride in our South Asian roots. … But my mother also understood that she was raising two Black daughters.”
May this settle any confusion on this subject. Ignorance is bliss.
George Fulmore
Emeryville
Mourning terror leaders
hurts cause for peace
The grief shown by the citizens of Iran for the targeted assassinations of Hezbollah and Hamas leaders raises questions.
These were targeted strikes on leaders of terrorist organizations. These leaders reportedly masterminded the wholesale slaughter of children playing soccer and the Oct. 7 slaughter of families and music concert attendees. They took hostages to bargain with. Yet, these “leaders” are mourned in Iran and the West Bank by thousands.
Israel has been trying to make peace since 1948. The peace efforts have been met with numerous invasions and terrorist attacks that target schools, shopping districts and soccer fields. Israelis are expected to conduct themselves with reactions that the world deems moral. Meanwhile, Hezbollah and Hamas are taking hostages, raping, torturing and killing children playing soccer. The world they want is not a world for the civilized or of peace.
Norm Weiss
Orinda
Questioning years of
research in bad faith
Re: “Deep-sea mining could lead to greener future” (Page A9, Aug. 4).
How typical. After a decade of study, scientists draw tentative conclusions, and prime for additional study.
Meanwhile, those whose greed drives them to strip mine every corner of the Earth, quickly hire their own employee to post a “rebuttal” to the scientists’ work. They will claim that every sample the scientists had was “contaminated.” Really? Over ten years? Every sample? Contaminated by what? Were they there? Media then presents us with two different potentials: one based on years of laboratory study, and another cobbled together from lies. But since they both appear in the same article, they must both be equally valid, mustn’t they? Obviously, the author fails to take a stand.
Human destruction of Earth systems began in earnest a century ago. Now that we are uncontrollably filling the atmosphere with all manner of pollution. Apparently it’s time to wreak that same havoc on the seafloor, with extinctions to follow.
R Cote
Castro Valley