Letters: Allowing denser housing in Berkeley won't rectify past wrongs. Here's why
Regarding 'Is Berkeley finally ready to atone for its single-family housing sins?' (Open Forum, SFChronicle.com, June 25): Darrell Owens, a former California YIMBY staffer (not mentioned in the Open Forum), says that Middle Housing will redress historical redlining and displacement in Berkeley.
But, in a letter to the City Council, I, along with representatives from South Berkeley, the historically African American neighborhood, write that, 'These proponents of MH are engaging in moral grandstanding at our expense. MH will destroy our already impacted communities' by accelerating gentrification.
As a city report states, Middle Housing projects are more feasible in neighborhoods where existing housing is relatively cheaper, and they will be most impacted. The affluent hills will be exempt because of fire concerns.
Owens is also wrong about Middle Housing ending exclusive single-family zoning. He does not mention SB9, which allowed up to four homes on an existing parcel, effectively eliminating single-family only zoning.
While the photo published with the op-ed shows beautifully articulated facades of buildings, the proposed Middle Housing rules will allow three-story, box-like buildings.
Nico Calavita, Berkeley
Another office tower?
Regarding 'S.F.'s first new office tower in years is closer to construction, even as vacancies remain high' (San Francisco, SFChronicle.com, June 24): The latest proposal to 'set the stage for San Francisco's future' — with a 41-story glass monolith — is irresponsible.
The new building would diminish the prominence of the nearby elegant, iconic Transamerica Pyramid and undermine the thoughtful preservation of historic Jackson Square and its harmonious surroundings.
Although the development promises benefits for the city, why does it have to be so big and uninspiring? We already have too many empty office buildings and hotels. If this is the future of San Francisco, we are doomed to mediocrity.
Aesthetics matter. Please, do not build this monstrosity.
Richard Hutson, San Francisco
Keep widening freeways
If the population of drivers were fixed, then widening roads would improve traffic. But road widening projects are too slow, so at best, they keep up with the increasing number of drivers, and traffic congestion remains mostly unchanged.
But it's magical thinking to assert that improving the roads doesn't alleviate traffic problems. If roads had not been constantly improved and widened in the past, we would be suffering utter paralysis now.
Projects such as widening Highway 37 are decades overdue. As a side benefit, they are also good for the environment because cars will once again whiz through the area instead of grinding along in a stop-and-go fashion.
Mike Drew, Vacaville
Masks invoke terror
Regarding 'Mask bill misdirected' (Letters to the Editor, June 23): The letter writer objects to state Sen. Scott Wiener's proposed law to ban police from wearing face masks because it also doesn't ban masks worn by demonstrators. This is perhaps a valid critique, but it overlooks a crucial point.
It is now common for Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and officers from other agencies to wear masks in public. The explanation is that unmasked officers may be identified and subject to retaliation.
Masks make their wearers seem robotic, less human. They inspire terror and hopelessness, which is one reason why masked police are the hallmark of despotic regimes.
Phil Kipper, San Francisco
War nothing to celebrate
Regarding 'World is safer now' (Letters to the Editor, SFChronicle.com, June 23): Paul Bacon's letter applauding President Donald Trump's order to strike Iran's nuclear sites is a dangerous mix of blind loyalty and warmongering.
Celebrating military escalation as 'decisive leadership' ignores the human cost and global consequences of pushing us closer to nuclear war.
Trump didn't make us safer — he gambled with millions of lives, destabilized the region and once again made America look like a bully, not a leader. Real leadership is diplomacy, not dropping bombs and daring a nation to retaliate.
War isn't strength. It's failure. And letters like Bacon's prove how easy it is to cheer for war when you're not the one sent to fight it.
Alex McMurray, Castro Valley
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