Letters: Forget the Great Highway. This is what the S.F. recall of Engardio is about
Engardio failed to represent the wishes of his constituents when he spearheaded the campaign for Proposition K, which closed the Upper Great Highway to cars for a park.
Engardio had no interest in a compromise solution like the one that had been in place for weekend closures. Instead of working to improve pedestrian safety and easing traffic congestion, he has made both issues worse.
Engardio appears to be more interested in pleasing his big-money backers like Yelp CEO Jeremy Stoppelman, Ripple founder Chris Larsen, tech investor Ron Conway and Twilio co-founder John Wolthuis than the constituents in his district.
Engardio has said traffic is not as bad as people had expected. Some studies found it to be much worse.
Over 10,000 valid signatures were submitted to get the recall on the ballot. The voters of the Sunset District decide Engardio's fate.
Kenneth Jones, San Francisco
How Dems can win
President Donald Trump has been caught in another scandal: He recently pardoned a man — who had pleaded guilty to tax crimes — a month after his mother attended a $1-million-a-head MAGA fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago.
This is a blatant quid pro quo that would have led to the impeachment and conviction of any other president. With Trump, it is par for the course.
Sadly, few Trump supporters will care about this suspicious action. However, MAGA folks will take great joy in watching Trump detractors whine and complain about this fishy pardon. As one of my friends wondered, are we witnessing the death of outrage?
As a scholar who studied political rhetoric for four decades, I believe the rules of the game have changed, and the rhetorical playing field is no longer the same.
The moral of the story is clear: Democrats can't regain control if their message is exclusively or primarily 'not Trump'; they must convince Americans that they will fix the problems that negatively impact people's lives.
This can be contrasted with what Trump has and hasn't done. Such a message offers the best persuasive strategy for Democrats.
Richard Cherwitz, Camas, Wash.
Keep lid on Dead tickets
While tickets for the Dead & Company concerts in Golden Gate Park this August are listed at $245 for single-day admission and $635 for three-day passes, many fans worry Ticketmaster will quietly introduce dynamic pricing — sending costs skyrocketing in real-time based on demand.
This controversial model has already priced out many fans for Bruce Springsteen and Taylor Swift shows. If implemented for Dead & Company, it would turn a community celebration into an exclusive, high-cost event — on public land that's supposed to belong to everyone.
San Francisco should take a stand. The city should demand transparency from promoters and prohibit surge pricing at events in public parks. Dead & Company's shows should reflect the inclusive spirit of the band and the city that helped shape it.
Let's make sure these shows are a celebration for all — not just the wealthy few.
Dan Steiger, San Francisco
Pictures tell story
I see these events live every day because I walk for exercise in areas where there is drug use. It's disgusting and needs to be shown to emphasize the need to clean up the streets. Putting lipstick on a pig does not change the pig.
Good for San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie for trying to address the problem.
Catherine Maxey, San Francisco
Prioritize teaching English
Regarding 'S.F. parents are trying to start first K-8 Mandarin immersion charter school. It won't be easy' (San Francisco, SFChronicle.com, May 24): I was disturbed to read about Mandarin-immersion education for children.
Judging by the lack of literacy and poor communication skills of today's youth, we should be immersing our students in English, which should be the official language of the United States of America.
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