In letters: Diablo Canyon, Dan Dow and countywide road tax | Opinion
County shouldn’t join Diablo ‘45 coalition
The San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors has placed on its June 16 agenda a proposal for the county to join the Diablo Canyon 2045 Coalition. The Board should decline.
County government has an obligation to remain independent on matters affecting public health, safety, emergency preparedness and environmental protection. Joining a coalition whose purpose is to advocate for extending Diablo Canyon’s operation through 2045 creates the appearance that the county has already taken a position on an issue that remains the subject of ongoing public and regulatory debate.
The timing is particularly troubling. Important seismic studies have not yet been completed, despite Diablo Canyon’s location near several earthquake faults. In addition, the long-awaited results of Unit 1 reactor vessel coupon testing — which could provide critical information about reactor vessel embrittlement after decades of operation — have not been publicly released.
Before endorsing continued operation through 2045, shouldn’t county leaders insist on seeing the science?
The board’s role is not to advocate for Diablo Canyon. It is to protect the interests of all county residents. That requires independence, transparency and a commitment to rigorous oversight.
Molly P. Johnson
Templeton
Dow’s budget threat
District Attorney Dan Dow threatened to sue SLO County at the May 19 Board of Supervisors meeting and budget analysis, but when the budget hearings began, Dow said he would not sue. Does that mean Dan will stop throwing baseless tantrums? I doubt it.
If Dow is such a great manager, why didn’t he make that request for more money, with justification, in a timely manner, as the county CEO said all the other departments did? Dan Dow needs to grow up. He is a bad manager of the DA’s Office.
Scott Jenkins
San Luis Obispo
SLO County can’t wait any longer
Roads are deteriorating and citizens are done waiting. Over four months, the Better Roads for All Citizens Committee built a broad coalition across the county. Well over 12,000 residents — Democrats and Republicans, business owners, families, and community leaders — signed petitions supporting a half-cent sales tax measure to generate $35 million annually and unlock hundreds of millions more in competitive grants for roads.
Residents are ready to act to fix our roads and ensure our safety. Thousands of voters engaged and a powerful coalition was built. We’re now putting together that volunteer network and the momentum behind the identical “Local Roads First” initiative. This is our path forward to becoming a self-help county.
We’re the last Central Coast county without a self-help transportation funding measure — and it shows. Since 2016, we’ve lost more than $700 million in funding that went to surrounding counties while our roads and bridges deteriorated.
On June 16, the Board of Supervisors will vote on whether to place Local Roads First on the November ballot. 12,000+ residents already said yes. Give every SLO County voter that same chance.
Jorge Aguilar
Arroyo Grande
Single-payer health care
I read with interest the article in the June 5 edition “Will single-payer health care champions offer something credible?” offered by Creators Syndicate, a generally conservative organization.
Several studies cited in the article concluded that it is not fiscally acceptable to establish a single-payer health care system in the United States. Without having read the studies, it is unclear as to how many options were considered in how we (USA) spend our public funds.
Ultimately, the question of a one-payer-for-all system boils down to what our priorities are as a society. Do we take health care as a fundamental right (like justice, freedom of expression, freedom to choose our political representatives, etc.) for all or do we want to spend our money on expensive systems that benefit the rich or enforce our hegemony around the world?
I’m confident that we can’t continue with the current health care system and at the same time call ourselves an ethical nation. It doesn’t make ethical or financial sense to offer health care to certain groups of people on only an emergent or dire situational basis.
Dr. John Zinke
Cambria
It’s not that complicated
Is climate change real? Obviously, yes.
Can sustainable energy reduce its impacts? Obviously, yes.
Shouldn’t citizens of this rich country and prosperous coast do their part for sustainable energy? Yes.
Would a wind farm out of sight over the ocean horizon begin to satisfy our collective responsibility? Yes.
Is there an explanation for local opposition to wind energy (which spouts meaningless slogans like ‘ocean industrialization’) other than empty-headed, NIMBY, selfishness? Not to mention buying into the self-centered meaninglessness of Donald Trump.
No. Obviously.
Jeff Wheelwright
Morro Bay