Consider the donations
to Assembly candidates
Education has traditionally been the lynchpin that opens doors to better opportunities. As such, public schools need enough resources to meet the needs of their students. But now, charter schools’ demands for support are threatening the funding of regular public schools.
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, who supports charter schools, also supports privatization of public education by spending taxpayer money on vouchers for private and religious schools, thus funneling public funds into non-validated K-12 education.
Throughout California, we have many deep-pocket billionaires pushing the same agenda. Votesmart.org, for example, shows that one person, John Scully, a big supporter of charter schools statewide, has given our Marin/Sonoma Assemblyman Marc Levine four separate checks of $50,000. The record shows that Assemblyman Levine has voted “no” on California Assembly bills that would require charter schools to prevent discrimination and be held more accountable for their spending.
In 2015, Marc Levine was named “Elected Official of the Year” by the California Charter Schools Association. This could begin the process of following the Betsy DeVos agenda of taking control of schools out of the public’s hands and making them less accountable.
Mr. Levine’s opponent, Dan Monte, has pledged to take no corporate donations, and both of us, retired teachers, ask you to consider this when you vote Nov. 6.
— Laureen Macpherson,
San Rafael
— Margie Goff, Novato
San Rafael PorchFest
was a great event
Kudos to Tom Obletz, the Gerstle Park Neighborhood Association, the city of San Rafael and all the sponsors and participants of the 1st Annual PorchFest on Sunday. What a wonderful community event, with a great variety of excellent musicians, charming venues on porches throughout the tree-lined streets and lots of appreciative listeners strolling around, having a great time in the balmy autumnal weather.
It was especially welcome to have dogs allowed, chairs and bikes encouraged and no alcohol present. I look forward to many more events like this to enrich our lives and our communities. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
— Larry A. Paul, San Rafael
Pletcher has the vision
needed for Marin County
The voters are energized for a midterm election — a rare moment when we can make a difference and demonstrate the vision for which Marin County is known, rather than the status quo that has served few and no longer reflects our forward-thinking community.
Anna Pletcher, candidate for Marin County district attorney, has that vision and a work ethic grounded in her own family’s immigration story. Furthermore, she seeks to protect our immigrant community by standing up to ICE and rebuilding trust between law enforcement and immigrants to keep everyone safe, secure justice for sexual assault victims by providing rape exams in Marin, defending Marin’s environment by aggressively pursuing polluters, and tackling homelessness by partnering with social and mental health services in the county.
She has experience fighting for what’s valuable and fair in Marin, with an eye on what is important for our California district, as a progressive criminal justice leader. With roots in our county, she will represent all of us, not just the privileged, a change we should embrace.
The district attorney has profound influence on local policy; many progressive counties are taking a constructive look at what is and isn’t working for their constituents. They are seeking needed criminal justice reform, and so should we.
— Leigh Ann Townsend,
Mill Valley;
Mill Valley Community
Action Network
Here’s a solution to those
long waits at the DMV
Re: long waits at the Department of Motor Vehicles offices, we can relieve the waste, congestion and the stand-in-line, wait-months-for-an-appointment irritation: renew driver’s licenses automatically, regardless of applicant age, for drivers whose records are clean. Let medical doctors decide the vision, mental and physical capabilities. No need to drive from Marin to Eureka for a renewal appointment.
— Ben Hickey, Novato
