Letters to the Editor 7/25

CHP appreciates support

On behalf of the California Highway Patrol, I would like to express our sincere appreciation and gratitude for the overwhelming amount of support we have received from the residents of San Luis Obispo County and the surrounding areas during the days following the death of our friend and colleague, Officer Brett Oswald.

Your heartfelt sympathy, words of support and numerous contributions continue to overwhelm us. Officer Oswald touched many lives in the community through his service and dedication to duty. It is comforting to know that his legacy of commitment and loyalty will live on through the people he knew and those he protected daily.

Thank you again for helping us bid farewell to a hero.

M.C. Maples

California Highway Patrol Lieutenant Commander, Templeton area

Palin headline off cue?

Regarding, “Palin was paid $75,000 for speech at CSU” (July 17): That headline should have read: “Palin is most successful fundraiser in CSU Stanislaus’ history! $207,000!”

Would the people of Fresno have donated to hear Vice President Joe Biden or California Attorney General Jerry Brown?

Isn’t article writer Garance Burke attempting to further a dislike of conservatives?

Is The Tribune contributing to that view?

Gisela M. Dawley

Los Osos

Loving Kids’ Camp in M.B.

I live in Seattle and every summer I visit my grandparents in Morro Bay. I go to Kids’ Camp and I love it! We go on lots of great field trips and the director, Shodee, is very, very nice. I can’t wait to come back next year!

Ryder Marin

Morro Bay

Fix budget, not climate

The Tribune’s editorial on Proposition 23 lists several negative consequences of “climate change” (“Prop. 23 is wrongheaded about climate change,” July 18).

Long before any of us were born, there were periods when Earth was warmer and periods when it was cooler.

If changing the temperature now only has negative consequences, then I guess we must now be at the most perfect temperature.

The Earth and humans have been around so long, doesn’t it seem odd that we are at the perfect temperature in the 1985 to 2010 time frame?

We don’t even know what the perfect temperature is, yet California has its finger on the thermostat.

California can’t even run its own finances (a man-made condition), yet The Tribune thinks California can dial-in global temperatures.

Why shouldn’t taxpayers expect California to balance its books even once before it starts to work on the heat balance of planet Earth?

Steve Eselun

Los Osos

Let citizens pick sheriff

Your article regarding the runoff election for sheriff (“Parkinson support is deep and wide,” June 27) went beyond reporting. It smacked of your continued “campaigning” for Ian Parkinson. 

May I remind you and others that “it’s not over until it’s over.” It would be nice to see fair and balanced coverage of the two candidates for sheriff from The Tribune prior to the election.

Joe Cortez is an extremely viable candidate for sheriff, with years of experience in law enforcement where he was first in command and accountable for his decisions and actions, not second in command. This is just one of the large differences between the candidates.

I agree with Ray Hanson in his recent letter to the editor (“Sheriff questions,” June 27). Let’s put the difficult questions to each candidate and let us (not The Tribune) determine who will best serve as our next sheriff. 

In fact, Cortez has challenged Parkinson to a series of debates. I hope Parkinson is up to the challenge.

Dorothy Schlitz

Arroyo Grande

Joe Cortez for sheriff

I’m not a political person, but as a San Luis Obispo County resident for 52 years, I have a vital interest in the safety and welfare of my county. After attending a coffee meet-and-greet at a friend’s home and listening to sheriff candidate Joe Cortez speak, I decided Cortez has the qualifications needed to repair our damaged Sheriff’s Department.

I was impressed that over the course of his career Cortez has returned nearly $1 million of his budgets back to his cities’ treasuries. In addition, under Cortez’s tenure as Pismo Beach’s police chief, his department became one of only five in the state to receive accreditation.

Cortez is highly motivated to bring the county’s Sheriff’s Department to standards of which we can be proud. As a rural resident, I am gratified that he will extend resources to all parts of the county.

It is interesting to note that Cortez is the only candidate who looks me straight in the eye and directly answers my questions. These are the reasons I’m voting for Joe Cortez in November. We deserve no less.

Pete Giambalvo

Arroyo Grande

Blakeslee is suspect

I voted for Sam Blakeslee in the last two elections, but this time I am concerned about his reluctance to join in a debate with the other candidates, especially with John Laird.

I am suspicious of someone who relies only on advertisements to get his message out. Why does debate scare him?

John Consoli

Paso Robles

Not selling the vote

I see the attack ads by the Sam Blakeslee campaign have started again. Am I the only one seeing the hypocrisy in all of this? The Blakeslee campaign is painting their opponent, John Laird, as a spender, taxer, hater of the elderly and a jerk.

Never mind that the last time we had an on-time balanced budget was when Laird was chair of the Assembly Budget Committee. Never mind that Laird has time and again pushed for programs for the elderly and schools.

These attacks are being paid for by a campaign that is accepting huge funds from “big oil,” health care and tobacco companies.

I understand that “everything is subject to the free market” is a popular Republican theme. Meg Whitman just spent $80 per vote just to get to the governor’s race. I’m just not ready to sell my vote, especially to a campaign being funded, at least in part, by British Petroleum.

David May

Atascadero