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PG&E getting awaywith another rate hike

 

Regarding the article “Customers to face rate hike for 2023,” Page A1, Dec. 27, about the upcoming PG&E rate hike, can anyone explain why the West Coast has the highest natural gas prices in the country?

According to the article, California’s average daily prices were two to nine times higher than the U.S. benchmark.

PG&E monthly bills have been rising well over three times as fast as the Bay Area inflation rate. We Social Security recipients will be receiving the largest COLA increase in decades next month — most of which will be sucked up by PG&E.

I just don’t understand why they’re always allowed to get their way — thank you Public Utilities Commission.

Do something, Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Sherry HughesNewark

Article gives voiceto Christmas’ hope

Thanks to Dr. Tyler Johnson for his moving insights into the beauty and frailty of our human existence as well as the beauty and frailty of the profoundly human choice to believe in the message of Christmas (“The intersection of oncology and biblical Christmas story,” Page A6, Dec. 23).

To choose to believe that the Creator of all can be known in a baby in a manger gives us hope that the Creator of all can be known in our prone-to-cancer lives.

Rev. Jim HopkinsOakland

Current events warnof history’s evil

David Lenga’s article on your opinion page of Dec. 22 (“My mission as a Holocaust survivor is to share my story,” Page A6), provided critical insight for your readers. Lenga, now 95, an Auschwitz survivor, illuminated the importance of educating the public.

He mentioned the Holocaust deniers. Six million people just disappeared? My aunt, her husband and two sons died in the Holocaust. The same fate could have come to my father and the rest of his family had they not fled to America from their native Poland as Hitler’s “final solution” began to evolve.

I shared my fears with a friend about the current rise in anti-Semitic acts and rhetoric. She said, “You have nothing to fear. Your last name is Brown.” I doubt my surname will save me if/when today’s “Nazis” march into my town. I’m 100% Ashkenazi (Eastern European) Jewish.

The Holocaust occurred only 77 years ago. Keep a close watch on “current events.” It could happen again.

Sharon BrownWalnut Creek

Southwest executivescan make fliers whole

Here’s a suggestion for Southwest Airlines to correct the chaos they created. Every executive forfeits their salary to fully reimburse every affected customer.

This way Southwest is incentivized to update its antiquated system so this doesn’t happen again.

Bruce OnkenFremont

Plenty of reasonsto vote for Democrats

Since Mike Heller asked, “what were they thinking” when these “architects” were returned to power (“COVID disaster architects returned to power,” Page A6, Dec. 21) I thought I’d provide my reasoning.

First and foremost, these lockdowns saved many lives, including the parents and grandparents of many of these kids. Compare the death rate on a per capita basis of California vs. Florida if you don’t believe me. My bet is that many of these kids would prefer to be a year behind in school vs. a dead parent.

Secondly, I’d like the opportunity to have my vote count in the next election, something the Trumplican party is not willing to accept unless they win.

Third, I’d like women to have a choice over their own bodies.

And last, but not least, I support Ukraine over Russia.

There’s only one party that agrees with my beliefs, so it was a very easy choice for me to make. Any other questions?

Bob WheelerWalnut Creek

Social media definitelyneed to be fixed

In the opinion piece on Dec. 28, “Don’t be tempted by Europe’s plan to fix social media’s woes,” (Page A7, Dec. 28) I couldn’t disagree more.

I am horrified by what it looks like social media and some cable news is doing to our culture. Social media companies sell more ads to posts that have a lot of likes, and the more inflammatory the postings, the more likes are received and the more promotion for extreme views. So many of us before the election were afraid that our democracy was going down the tubes. In the 1980s the Fairness Doctrine was eliminated. It required that any news had to present both sides.

We can’t implement that, but I think social media companies and cable news should have to abide by rules that govern newspapers. They are all publishers.

Sheilah FishMoraga