Letters: Is parking in San Francisco too expensive or too cheap?
Regarding 'Three ideas to save S.F. Muni that have nothing to do with cutting service' (Open Forum, SFChronicle.com, June 23): Joe DiMento argues for more regressive taxation targeting drivers in his Open Forum.
But people drive in San Francisco because they need to, and not everyone works for Bain Capital.
For many in the city, $200 for a residential parking permit is a lot of money. Then there are the other steep parking fees, the dearth of parking, and the rising cost of gas and tolls.
Make the Bain Capital billionaires, hedge fund managers and other elites (such as those who can afford to take Lyft and Uber) pay their fair share.
Working people need cars to generate income, visit their aging parents, pick up their children from school and go to a job that starts in the middle of the night. Wealthy people need to get out of their bubble and get a clue.
Harry Pariser, San Francisco
I pay close to $4,000 every year to park my car in a private garage. Cars are private assets, and their storage in public spaces should not be subsidized.
Car owners will no doubt object because they have been pampered so long by a society addicted to using cars.
I hope the mayor and other relevant authorities are listening and will begin to make car owners in the city pay their fair share.
Bill McClanahan, San Francisco
Join the 21st century
Regarding 'This obscure rule is one reason San Francisco can't build more housing' (Projects, SFChronicle.com, June 21): Isn't it incredible that the city at the forefront of the artificial intelligence revolution is held back by building and safety codes written when copper wires wrapped in paper insulation carried electricity and America was still decades away from transistor radios and television?
The story says, 'Agencies in both San Francisco and California governments are currently reviewing how to safely allow taller single stair buildings.' If much of the rest of the world has been doing it safely for decades, what kind of 'review' is needed here?
Levi Armlovich, San Francisco
Sharks not the villain
Regarding ''Jaws' at 50: How Steven Spielberg's shark movie changed my life and cinema forever' (Arts & Entertainment, SFChronicle.com, June 20): I was one of those moviegoers who joined in the feeding frenzy over 'Jaws' in June 1975. I had just graduated from high school and was on my way to studying marine biology in college.
The movie was big, the weather was hot, and the futuristic dome-shaped Century 21 theater was packed to the gills. Like any of the best summer blockbusters to follow, 'Jaws' did not disappoint, and the movie left quite a cinematic legacy.
Unfortunately, director Steven Spielberg's movie and the book it was based on by Peter Benchley also perpetuated a legacy of misinformation about sharks that justified killing them for recreation or just for their fins to make soup.
Since 1975, researchers have learned much about sharks, and Spielberg and Benchley have apologized for their roles in demonizing them.
Let's hope that our understanding of sharks has matured enough that we don't repeat bad behaviors as we recognize this cinematic milestone.
Geoff Brosseau, Menlo Park
I was raised with dogs since I was a baby and consider them as cherished family members. They are loving, loyal and faithful, unlike a great many people I have known throughout my life.
Only an uncaring and thoughtless person would discard a dog because it becomes an inconvenience. When you adopt a dog, it is a commitment for the life of the dog.
At this point in my life, the more people I meet, the more I love my dogs.
Maria Nowicki, San Francisco
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