In letters to the editor: Standing up for Arroyo Grande city officials | Opinion

Respect for A.G. officials

“Chaos erupts at SLO County city council meeting” (sanluisobispo.com, Aug. 29)

I have been following some recent news in The Tribune with dismay and disgust.

I worked for the city of Arroyo Grande for 33 years. I know how hard city staff and the City Council work and how dedicated they are to the residents of Arroyo Grande.

When I retired 12 years ago, the City Council suffered through comments from a few well-intentioned old gadflies and a despicable reporter from a local online paper.

Of course, people have the right to address the council during community comments and suggestions, and during public hearings. However, now the council must deal with people who believe that it is their constitutional right to be obnoxious, inflammatory, disrespectful, disruptive, profane and hateful at the meetings.

I can’t think of any challenge that would be more of a disincentive to serving as an elected official. I want all of the council members and city staff to know how much I respect and appreciate their service to the city and its residents. They have an important but sometimes thankless job, and deserve everyone’s respect and gratitude. Please know that most people appreciate what you do. Keep up the good work.

Doug Perrin

San Luis Obispo

Expand the Child Tax Credit

New Census poverty data confirms it: We need to expand the Child Tax Credit!

In new data on poverty in 2023, the U.S. Census reports that the child poverty rate increased last year by 1.3% — to 13.7% overall. This translates to millions of children living in poverty. The data also shows that if the Child Tax Credit was not in place, 2.4 million more people (most of them kids) would have experienced living in poverty.

However, this is still less than half the people helped when the expanded CTC was in place in 2021. Years of data show that the CTC is one of our most effective means to reduce child poverty. And politicians know it. Both Vice President Kamala Harris and Sen. JD Vance have called for expanding the CTC.

I urge all candidates running this year to make expanding the Child Tax Credit priority number one when the new Congress and administration take office in January.

Bob Leppo

Pismo Beach

Support Sharon Roden for Paso council

I am proud to support Sharon Roden’s campaign for the Paso Robles City Council. As the CEO of 2B Farming, Inc., I have had the pleasure of working alongside Sharon in various capacities. As someone who has directly witnessed her capabilities, I can confidently say that Sharon is the type of leader Paso Robles needs.

Sharon’s ability to bring people together, even in the face of difficult circumstances, is unmatched. I had the pleasure of serving on the executive board of the American Pistachio Growers (APG) when Sharon was chairperson. APG is dedicated to promoting and advocating for the local agricultural industry, and Sharon led with transparency and an unwavering work ethic. She showed strong leadership and an ability to work on both sides of the aisle that allowed our organization to come together and succeed with unity. She was able to accomplish this through honesty and hard work. Sharon speaks her mind and is always honest but open-minded. These are rare but needed traits in leadership nowadays.

In a time where strong, honest, and open-minded leadership is more important than ever, Sharon stands out as someone who can deliver results while representing the best interests of our community. Her dedication to Paso Robles, along with her experience and proven leadership, makes her the right choice for City Council.

I urge the residents of Paso Robles to join me in supporting Sharon Roden for Paso Robles City Council. Together, we can continue building a stronger and more united community.

Jeremy Blackwell

Paso Robles

Mainstream media blew it again

Our vaunted national mainstream media has “Trumped” even the Germans.

On Nov 9-10, 1938, (Kristallnacht), the German people ransacked Jewish synagogues and businesses. This worried the German government because many of the damaged buildings were insured by German companies, and it would be catastrophic if Germans had to foot the bill.

The government held a meeting to decide a course of action. Someone got the bright idea that the insurance companies didn’t have to pay because the Jews being Jews were to blame for the destruction of their buildings. Go figure.

Fast forward to 2024. The mainstream media has decided that Trump being Trump is to blame for the assassination attempts on his life. Go figure some more. As George Santayana was reported to have said: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

In the mainstream media’s eyes, their words don’t deserve ridicule and condemnation; their words deserve praise — because after all, it would be catastrophic to elect Trump.

Reed Coray

Los Osos