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San Francisco Chronicle​

Letters: Medicaid supports my daughter's 24/7 care. What will happen if Congress cuts funding?

My 35-year-old daughter, Flannery, is severely disabled and receives primary care from a Federally Qualified Health Center in San Rafael. As a way of giving back for the incredible work it has done for Flannery, I have served on the board of Marin Community Clinics for the past seven years. I understand that under the Senate version of the tax and spending bill, Marin Community Clinics and 1,400 other health centers stand to lose 30% of their Medicaid and block grant funding. Millions of Americans will lose access to health care. People are going to die. It's that simple. Flannery was born with cerebral palsy, is nonverbal and quadriplegic. She requires round-the-clock assistance. She is also supported by the state Regional Centers system, which indirectly receives funding from Medicaid. I do not know what these cuts will mean for Flannery, but I know they will be disastrous. All to provide large tax cuts to the super wealthy. Martin Weil, Sonoma Pay too low Regarding 'S.F. gave these homeless nonprofits nearly $2 billion. The salaries of their execs might surprise you' (San Francisco, June 27): I found the story surprising, but not because of the shock promised. Rather, I noted the effort to put nonprofit leaders on blast with backward speculation, troubling. Capitalism creates homelessness. And our region's contributions to free enterprise have been particularly egregious, with wealth gaps enabling some of the highest rents in the country. Our tech industry flourishes by selling fitness apps, payroll software, cryptocurrency, and refrigerators with computer screens on the door. We venerate commodities, claiming innovation, judgment-free. But if you opt out of (or are not privileged to) a tech career, the assumption is that you should not have equal access to this economy. The story notes one nonprofit's wage differential between executives and workers. Had they been asked, I'm sure the organizations would have thoughtful responses about values and wage philosophies. Because nonprofits pay attention to wealth equity — and attitudes that conflate this work with self-sacrifice require us to bring the receipts. This story shows we need to reevaluate our collective values. Given the Bay Area's staggering homelessness crisis, if anything, our nonprofit leaders — and all workers in this industry — deserve higher pay. Kristin Hatch, development director, Homeless Prenatal Program, San Francisco Don't misuse CEQA Regarding 'This rich California city is losing its mind over a housing project — and it shows why new rules are needed' (Emily Hoeven, June 28): Emily Hoeven's column on Menlo Park highlights how the California Environmental Quality Act and local resistance can stall needed housing. But in South San Jose, we face the opposite: The law is being manipulated to fast-track dangerous sprawl. A developer is proposing 173 market-rate homes on a hillside previously zoned for 54 units at the end of Harry Road in an area with no sidewalks, narrow roads, high wildfire danger, and known landslide risk. This is not infill. It's speculative development disguised as a housing solution. Even worse, the developer is attempting to bypass a full environmental impact report, under 2019's SB330, despite the parcel bordering wildlife corridors that support biodiversity and provide natural buffers in an already climate-sensitive area. This is exactly the kind of CEQA misuse that reform should prevent — not enable. If California is serious about climate, safety and equity, then it must protect the public's right to question unsustainable projects — not gut the laws that give us a voice. Lisa Lubliner, San Jose Bicoastal emissions Regarding 'Bicoastal living isn't just for the ultra wealthy. Here's how creatives make it work' (Bay Area, June 24): The story struck me as remarkably tone deaf. Airline flights are major contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. Ignoring this aspect in the reporting was a missed opportunity to discuss the repercussions of a bicoastal lifestyle. Liz Eva, Castro Valley