We must mitigateweather extremes

I applaud The Mercury News for the excellent coverage of California’s recent storms and their resulting devastation. And wow, what a contrast to the extreme drought that we had been experiencing the past few years.

This extreme weather fluctuation is not a coincidence. Climate change has been wreaking havoc on our state. It is impacting weather patterns, altering the frequency and intensity of when it rains. A warming climate increases the moisture in the air, which unleashes longer, stronger and wetter storms.

We need to stop emitting heat-trapping climate pollution into the atmosphere. The longer we choose to burn fossil fuels, the more heat-trapping climate pollution we put into the atmosphere, which in turn exacerbates climate disasters and expense.

Our elected leaders must do the work to cut emissions, embrace carbon-free energy and transportation systems, and protect communities at risk — not only here in California, but also throughout the United States.

Paula DanzLos Altos

With fentanyl, don’tbe ‘the cool parent’

Thank you for your insight Johann Jacob (“Parents have critical role in fentanyl fight,” Page A6, Jan. 11).

Some adults just throw up their hands and say “they are just being teenagers” as a child starts messing around with drugs. These adults are a do-nothing lot. The result often is an escalation of drug use and in some cases death (or very close calls).

Parents, get involved, heavily. Being the cool parent is not cool.

Sue KensillSan Jose

Many in Congresshave violated oath

Mounting evidence has been provided that elected GOP representatives and senators are not eligible to maintain their positions in the House or in the Senate.

The 14th Amendment of our Constitution, Section 3: Ratified in the aftermath of the Civil War, Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment explicitly disqualifies any person from public office who, having previously taken an oath to defend our Constitution as a federal or state office holder, engaged in insurrection or rebellion.

There is ample evidence from the Jan. 6 committee and the Mueller report that Donald Trump and his allies in the House and Senate did engage in exactly that behavior. They should be held accountable and be removed from their public offices or be barred from ever holding a public office ever again.

Wilhelmus VuistCampbell

Prop. 13 needs reformfor schools’ sake

Re. “California’s Proposition 13 battle enters a new phase,” Page A6, Jan. 6:

The recent discussions of Proposition 13 have completely ignored its devastating and lasting impact on our schools, especially for marginalized students.

As a person of color immigrant who attended public high school, community college and is a recent graduate of UC Berkeley, I can firmly say that my education was negatively impacted by underfunding.

It’s interesting to see how accepted and easily published this vilification of taxation is. But we never talk about the huge burden Proposition 13 put on the backs of our students. Every year it’s estimated we lose billions of dollars that should be going to our public schools from commercial properties alone. A recent legislative fix would recoup up to $12.5 billion a year.

Proposition 13 has robbed so many from my generation; and so many more future Californians will experience teacher shortages, the lack of extracurricular programs and overcrowded classrooms because of Proposition 13. People need to consider all the effects Proposition 13 has created for Californians.

Gillian GaraciSan Francisco

CEQA isn’t holding upaffordable housing

In his recent column, Dan Walters falsely declares that the California Environmental Quality Act blocks affordable housing (“Environmental law’s misuse blocking housing brings calls for CEQA reform,” Page A9, Jan. 8). His argument relies on inflammatory rhetoric rather than established fact. He ignores empirical studies by reputable authorities — The Housing Workshop, UC Berkeley Law, and Association of Environmental Professionals — finding CEQA is not a major impediment to housing.

Walters got it exactly backward: The Livermore case demonstrates CEQA’s affordable housing exemptions are working. With its strong set of categorical exemptions, CEQA allows affordable housing to be built, while adhering to its purpose of protecting public health and the environment.

Rick LonginottiSanta Cruz

The Paradise Skate owner and his staff were caught off-guard by the all-day New Year’s Eve rain that pummeled the region, having no time to add sandbags and spray foam in the cracks to fortify the business before water poured in, flooding the building and effectively shutting it down the only roller rink in eastern Contra Costa County for months to come.

“There was lots of water everywhere and it penetrated the building and came through the drains that normally shouldn’t have anything in them,” manager Bob Bruce said. “And once it gets in, the wood will soak it up.”

Warrenburg, who was away at the time, said the building had six inches of water surrounding it.

“The problem was when it came so fast like it did, we did not get time to seal all the doors like we normally do,” he said.

Warrenburg’s staff later added some 200 sandbags around the building and was able to seal the doors to prevent more water from seeping into the rink and are now standing by to pump it out if needed when the next storm hits.

“It comes in very minimal and you just take a shop vac and suck it up and then you pour the water out … and we can keep the damage minimal if we can do that,” he said.

In the meantime, his 16 employees – some just hired – are out of work until the rain stops, the fixes are made and they can reopen. It’s a timeframe Warrenburg is unsure of at this point while he waits for estimates to replace the rink’s 9,300-square-foot maplewood floating floor and the surrounding carpet among other items.

He’s also had to cancel dozens of parties, classes and other events that were scheduled, the rink owner said.

“I’m giving refunds like crazy,” he said.

Michelle Higby of Concord coaches an artistic roller skating club and runs classes four times a week at the Antioch rink and was disheartened to hear of the water damage and temporary closure.

“We’ve worked really hard to build the club,” she said. “And, it’s mostly heartbreaking for those kids since this was going to be our first full season since before COVID.

“It’s pretty hard on some of the kids because they’re getting old enough to be committed on their own (to the sport),” Higby added. “It’s not just fun; they’ve got goals that they’re trying to meet.”

Bruce suggested that it would be eight to 12 weeks before the rink can reopen, and that also depends on the supply chain, and how fast materials can be shipped.

“It’s a major guess,” he said, noting they’d keep customers aware of progress on their Facebook page.

Warrenburg, who bought the business – formerly called Roller Haven – in 2008 and leases the building from the state, is no stranger to flooding. Operating as a roller rink since 1969, the structure is located at the county fairgrounds, near a creek that flows to the San Joaquin River and is prone to flooding during high tides and torrential rain storms.

In 2009, more than a quarter of the rink’s wooden floors were damaged when 18 inches of rain surrounded his building, but even so, there was less damage because they were able to protect the building with sandbags and foam before the deluge hit.

“We’re not flooded around our building at this point – the water comes and goes – so water comes up and floods us and then after the tide goes down and the water goes out, the water goes away from our buildings,” he said. “ When the water is up against our building, whether it’s one inch, two inches or six inches, we have water coming through some of the cracks, and we use shop vacuums and sump pumps to get the water out.”

Bruce said he’s hoping the rain will stop long enough to dry things out and get back in the building and make some repair estimates.

“Mother Nature needs to stop raining right now,” he said. “We’ve got (the building) sealed and barricaded and sandbagged just to keep everything else from getting ruined.”

Rainwater causes seasonal flooding around the Contra Costa County Fairgrounds area. The county’s flood control district made improvements to the stormwater system in 1993, but a gap was left near the area of 10th and O streets because of a lack of funding. Additional culverts were added in 2012, paid for from a Department of Water Resources fund for flood prevention.

Now Warrenburg is hoping there will be federal or state disaster relief funding to help him renovate the flooded-out center, which he estimates will cost somewhere uo to $400,000 in repairs. Unfortunately, his flood insurance lapsed while he was changing insurance companies, he said.

“We don’t know when it’s gonna flood again. … We’re just kind of watching the news. We keep watching the creek, so we stay on top of it.”

Despite the challenges, the hardy business owner has no intention of leaving because he said he really enjoys running a family entertainment business.

“Yeah, we do have to put up with this flooding, and usually, it’s a lot of work every winter, especially when there’s wet winters, but it’s worth it,” Warrenburg said. “It’s been like 15 years (since significant rain damage); however, this time the rain got us.”

Require rodeos to haveveterinarians on site

I share Mercury News Editorial Page Editor  Ed Clendaniel’s concerns about sports injuries (“Damar Hamlin’s injury revives my love-hate relationship with football,” Page A8, Jan. 8).

But at least the footballers have a choice in the matter, unlike the animals in rodeos. All other sporting events have on-site ambulances and paramedics to treat injured players. Nearly 100 rodeos are held annually in California, plus hundreds of charreadas, the Mexican-style rodeos. The great majority don’t provide this basic care.

California state rodeo law, Penal Code 596.7, allows for an “on call veterinarian” option, resulting in animal suffering and under-reporting of animal injuries and deaths.

Penal Code 596.7 should be amended to require on-site veterinary care at every California rodeo and charreada.  Racetracks, horse shows, endurance rides and the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association all require on-site veterinary care.  So should all rodeos.

Eric MillsAction for AnimalsOakland

Parents have criticalrole in fentanyl fight

Recently, there was news about a drug dealer who was supplying drugs at Los Gatos High School (“Los Gatos students allegedly targeted,” Page B1, Dec. 23). Stories of drug overdoses have come from other high schools in the Bay Area. Most people discount the seriousness of the problem because they’re not exposed to it. As a high school student, I have not been personally exposed to this, either. But this is a serious problem because drugs like fentanyl have deadly consequences, even with limited use.

Currently, the burden falls on the schools to deal with the life-threatening situations from the overdoses, using antidotes like Narcan. I would like to request the parents to please be more involved in their kids’ lives, so they can work with schools and medical professionals to proactively tackle this problem before it becomes life-threatening.

Johann JacobLos Gatos

Cupertino council mustre-examine City Hall plan

Re. “Better Cupertino councilmembers nailed in report,” Page A6, Jan. 6:

The editorial correctly branded the dysfunction of the previous Cupertino City Council.

Before leaving, the old council voted 4-1 to renovate the 1966-era City Hall to current seismic standards for $25 million. Neither the council discussion nor staff report considered the city’s own Climate Action Plan, lifecycle cost-effectiveness or achieving carbon neutrality. Did four councilpersons forget the climate emergency declaration in 2018?

The new council must re-examine this decision.

Gary LatshawCupertino

Prosecuting Trump isnation’s way forward

Re. “Pardon Trump so we can move on,” Page A6, Jan. 4:

The letter printed Wednesday calling for a pardon for Donald Trump so “we can move on” misses the whole point if “all his crimes have been displayed for us to see” has any meaning. The keyword here is ‘crimes.’ Richard Nixon was allowed to skate by with a pardon, though his cronies were tried, convicted and served time. And where did it get us? Another crooked president and administration, not to mention the ongoing undercurrent of lies and deceit!

We have a destroyed political party that has an unrelenting and ongoing attempt to destroy our system of government. Look at the circus in the House of Representatives where election deniers controlled the path to select a speaker. They have no agenda beyond being spoilers and power-seekers, while the country needs leaders who will genuinely put efforts toward satisfying the needs of the people.

Move on by prosecuting Trump now.

Dale MatlockSanta Cruz

Like the U.S., Indiafritters away money

Nick Cochran’s Letter to the Editor (“$9.6 million wasted on a name change,” Page A6, Jan. 6) reminds me of a similar comical event when useless bureaucrats in India renamed my hometown

Indian bureaucrats have spent a fortune renaming Bombay (Mumbai), Bangalore (Bengaluru), Madras (Chennai), Calcutta (Kolkatta), Pondicherry (Puducherri), Trivandrum (Thiruvananthapuram), … forgetting that renaming cities doesn’t rewrite history. They instead should be spending money on improving the decrepit infrastructure — roads, highways, electrical power, clean water — in India.

M. R. Pamidi.San Jose

DENVER (KCNC) — A messy celebrity custody battle is playing out in the Denver County Court.

The celebrities in this case, however, are from China, where their scandal has rocked the country and led to them being banned from social media.

Shuang Zheng is a megastar actress and Heng Zhang is a reality television producer. Three years ago, they came to the U.S. to have children via surrogates, something that is forbidden in China.

But two months before the births of their son and daughter, the couple split.

Zhang says his ex-girlfriend wanted to abort the babies. He offered to raise them alone.

“I told her I understand because you are a celebrity you don’t want anyone to know you have a surrogation baby in the United States,” Zhang said.

He says Zheng went back to China and he settled in Denver with his parents as a single dad.

A year later, he says, his ex-girlfriend suddenly reappeared and filed for custody of the kids.

Their battle in Denver County Court has made international headlines, but Zhang says what’s happened behind the scenes is far more disturbing.

“The past six months both of my children got injured really bad when they stayed with my ex-girlfriend.”

Zhang provided pictures showing stitches in his daughter’s finger and what appears to be a burn under his son’s nose.

He says his ex’s explanation for the injuries keeps changing, while his children become afraid when they have to see their mom.

“My son was so struggling ‘No, don’t go dad. Let’s go home. I’m afraid. I’m afraid of mom’ and crying. That is why I called child protective service because he told me mama did it,” Zhang said.

He says protective services let him down which is why he’s speaking out.

“I want everyone living in Colorado to know this story. The reason we have the child protective services department is because we want to protect our children before they got hurt not after they got hurt the department started to investigate, that’s too late,” he said.

Zheng’s attorneys, Martha Timmers and Madeleine Rosengrants of Sherman & Howard, released a statement saying:

Family law will be the subject of several bills at the Colorado State Capitol during the 2023 legislative session, which starts next week.

Allison and Erik Laviolette, of Pleasant Hill, welcomed a baby boy at 12:06 a.m. New Year’s Day at the Kaiser Permanente Walnut Creek Medical Center. Ezekiel entered the world weighing 7 pounds and 9 ounces.

“We can’t believe it,” Allison said, adding that doctors induced labor early at 39 weeks because it was a high-risk pregnancy. “We had no idea that he was going to be the first baby of the new year, but we’re very excited about it.”

The first-time parents in their early 30s said they weren’t sure they could even get pregnant. After finding out the good news, Erik said they chose to name their new bundle of joy after the Book of Ezekiel in the Bible, inspired by a passage about breathing new life into dry bones.

“He’s just a little miracle,” he said. “Him coming into the world, for Ali and I, is breathing a new breath into our life.”

Families across the Bay Area rang in the New Year in labor and delivery rooms.

Babies were also born at 1 a.m. at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital in Palo Alto, at 1:16 a.m. at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, 1:39 a.m. at Washington Hospital Healthcare System in Fremont and 3:44 a.m. at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in San Jose.

One of the earliest — and the first in the South Bay — was Baby Nylashae, who was born at 12:16 a.m. at El Camino Health – Los Gatos Hospital, weighing 7 pounds and 8 ounces.

Her parents, Tai Bass, 30, and Kirby Nelson, 31, said they can’t wait to get home, rest and start life as a family of three in San Jose.

After Nylashae’s due date was pushed twice from Dec. 19 and Dec. 27, Tai said holding her in her arms on New Year’s Day was a surreal experience.

“To be able to love without even seeing her was a bizarre and beautiful experience,” Tai said. “This baby was brought into this world out of love, so we plan on raising her surrounded with love.”

For father Kirby, the early-morning delivery brought nerves, but he said he was feeling proud of Tai for going through labor and was excited to see what’s next: “I’m really looking forward to all the years that we’ll have to spend together.”

Getting rid of RCVwould boost legitimacy

Re. “Critics still scrutinizing Thao’s victory,” Page B1, Dec. 15:

The controversy regarding whether Oakland’s confusing ranked choice (RCV) vote system “suppressed” votes for Loren Taylor in the mayoral race is a precise one. The larger question is whether RCV should be entirely scrapped and whether we return to holding a primary election followed by a two-person final one.

Supporters of RCV say it produces more harmony among the candidates. But the more critical purpose of a debate is to hear the candidates’ ideas in detail so they can be properly evaluated.

This does not happen by posing questions to a large range of candidates answering questions in one forum with tight time constraints. Only a run-off filters out the issues.

Two-phase voting costs more than RCV. The cost is well worth it. It produces a more knowledgeable electorate and bestows full legitimacy on the winner. The cost is only a tiny portion of Oakland’s vast budget.

Gary SirbuOakland

Voters must stay vigilantabout misinformation

It is troubling to learn that in the 2022 San Ramon Valley Unified School District election, according to your Dec. 16 article “Campaign tricks cited in election” (Page A1), a disinformation effort may have influenced the outcome of that contest. The article reported fabricated information used to attack one candidate.

In the current environment of anonymous “publishers,” the League of Women Voters Diablo Valley encourages voters to consistently verify sources. Disinformation deprives us of free and fair elections, prevents voters from having accurate information with which to make decisions, and creates distrust in representative government. It is important that voters stay vigilant and alert to honesty and truth in election information. Information about spotting and stopping misinformation and disinformation can be found on our website.

Anne GranlundPresident, League of Women Voters Diablo ValleyLafayette

Only resignation willstop Newsom

Re: “Newsom, CPUC should resign over NEM change,” Letters to the Editor, Page A6, Dec. 20:

California’s nightmare must end. As Alan Marling writes, Gov. Gavin Newsom must resign.

The reasons extend beyond state regulators’ attack on utility payments to solar households. Newsom has again kowtowed to PG&E, one of Northern California’s richest felons. He tells us that he cares about our grid’s safety, but Newsom quietly designated the utility that instigated several fatal firestorms as safe.

Newsom serves as the poster boy of California’s duplicitous, two-faced politics. His slicked-back hair and tony ties shroud his backroom machinations to boost a criminal campaign donor. He may tell us Joe Six-Packs that he has our backs, but he just as easily backstabs us in the French Laundry underworld.

Forsaken promises. Crony bureaucracy. Sacramento’s mobster politics won’t end until Newsom quits.

Shun GravesBerkeley

A proposal to end bluestates’ homelessness

Dan Walters cites approvingly an article in The Atlantic that blames homelessness in California and other progressive states on excessive regulation. I could take issue with the premise — don’t people deserve to live in safe homes? Must environmental destruction be the price of affordable housing? Why would labor unions oppose projects that would bring them thousands of jobs?

But instead, I’ll put forth a modest proposal: If conservative states have affordable housing and little or no homelessness, let’s take a page from the book of conservative-state governors who put refugees on buses or planes and send them to progressive states. Let’s send the homeless — with their consent, of course — to where they can afford to live, free from burdensome regulations on housing (and on just about everything else).

One wonders how many takers there will be.

Merlin DorfmanLivermore

Expanded child tax credithelps prepare for future

As we look toward the future, one thing is for certain: The generations that inherit this world will have to navigate the challenges we’ve left behind. Now, we have an opportunity to better empower our children to become productive individuals and move our society closer toward being driven by humanity, not money.

I strongly encourage implementation of more policies similar to the CTC to provide our families with additional resources to build toward humanity’s future, for they will be the ones inheriting our problems. We have an obligation to build the foundation for the next generation to move us forward.

Sherman TangUnion City

Fusion money could bebetter spent on solar

Re. “Scientific history made in Livermore,” Page A1, Dec. 14:

For context, Lawrence Livermore Lab spent $3.5 Billion to create a reaction that generated all of 1.1 megajoules (.28Kwh) for a fraction of a second. My rooftop solar panels can generate up to 13.8 megajoules per hour (3.8Kwh).

As the authors of the article acknowledge, we are still decades from any practical use of this technology.

Maybe the Department of Energy should install solar on every rooftop? That would cost only a fraction of the continued research at Lawrence Livermore Labs.

And it would help to immediately eliminate global warming.

Don MahoneyMoraga

Will recent scandalscool Stanford boosters?

Is the era of the Stanford University young, wacky, arrogant tech tycoon over with the dynamic discombobulation wrought by Elizabeth Holmes and Sam Bankman-Fried?

A total of $9 billion and $32 billion down the tubes. Whew. Steve Jobs was real. These are frauds, But Jobs went to Reed College in Oregon. I wager that going forward an investor might hesitate on a Stanford alumnus/alumna-initiated venture and prefer a Berkeley Haas one.

Now Holmes doesn’t want to go to jail to serve a sentence, which is pretty reasonable considering the crime. One thing is for sure: Had I been responsible for the Theranos debacle, with my vast absence of powerful connections, I’m sure it would have been life in prison.

Jack KnutsonFremont

Senators have haltedpush for leave policy

Re. “Why does U.S. still have no paid parental leave policy?” Page A7, Dec. 15:

This headline was extremely misleading, and I’m sure Sara Hunter Simanson didn’t write it.

A better headline would have been something along the lines of what parents go through when their children, and they themselves, get sick. There was no explanation as to why the United States doesn’t have a paid parental leave policy. One needn’t go far, however, to discover the cause. Fifty Republicans and one Democrat in the U.S. Senate.

If you want programs like this to better the lives of you and your family, you now know for whom to vote.

Lisa RiggePleasanton

AI writing doesn’t haveto be great, just sensible

Re. “I’ll bet you didn’t write that — artificial intelligence robot did,” Page A7, Dec. 13:

Glenn Kramon misses the point entirely in his essay on the efficacy of the new Artificial Intelligence program capable of writing in a variety of styles. Perhaps in his extremely narrow purview of writing business emails and memos, the program is mediocre due to its lack of “warmth and individuality” and overuse of adverbs. Does he really believe that the middle or high school teachers sitting down with 100 essays to grade are basing their judgment on warmth?

Later in the article, Kramon admits that the program can produce a “sensible, fair-minded” opinion piece. I guarantee you that, today, essays are being submitted to teachers, written by the AI program, that will also be deemed sensible and fair-minded.

Lou AscatignoConcord

State should requireveterinarians at rodeos

Kudos to Los Angeles Times reporter Susanne Rust for her Dec. 7 horrific exposé of the injuries and deaths routinely suffered by animals in the state’s many rodeo arenas. Those injury reports are required by state law, Penal Code 596.7, the result of 1999 legislation sponsored by Action For Animals, carried by state Sen. Don Perata, D-Oakland. It seems clear that every state should have such a law, minimum.

Surely this is the very least we owe the animals. Racetracks, horse shows and endurance rides all require on-site vets. So should all rodeos. Let your state legislators hear from you.

Eric MillsAction for AnimalsOakland

Run time: 192 minutes

Score: 2 stars (out of 4)

You know that “Avatar: The Way of Water” has an actual point of view because every time humans appear on screen, they look trollish. Lumpy and inelegant, they’re mostly cast as violent colonizers and grunts, slashing and burning their way through the idealized alien world of Pandora.

The indigenous Na’vi, however, are tall, blue, hairless leopards with braids and dreadlocks, all sinew and primal power and spiritual purity. To defend their world from humans, they must rely on the Marine skills of white-dude-gone-native Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), whose consciousness was transferred to a lab-sourced Na’vi “avatar.”

It that sounds like the plot for the 2009 original, it is. It’s also the animating idea behind the second “Avatar,” director James Cameron’s long-in-the-making sequel that’s destined to earn hundreds of millions of dollars starting Dec. 16. The visuals set a new high bar for computer-generated imagery, with luminous, hyper-detailed environments and close-ups that crackle with delicacy and personality. For a movie that looks almost entirely made in a computer, it’s a visceral marvel.

Pity that the rest is still clumsily contrived, simplistic to a fault and emotionally vacant. Cameron and fellow scriptwriters Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver invoke family loyalty, strangers in a strange land, racism and ecological stewardship vs. exploitation, but to no lasting effect. Gorging on all the eye candy — floating, rocky “islands,” sparkling waters and exotic creatures — at least distracts from that.

Cameron makes it easier than usual to root against humanity. Despite some hesitation borne of familial bonds, few characters are conflicted in their utter goodness or badness. The prologue builds on the first film by setting up Sully and Na’vi partner Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) as the doting parents of four kids.

One of them is essentially adopted — the wide-eyed, introverted Kiri, the daughter of the first movie’s main human scientist, Dr. Grace Augustine. She’s voiced by Sigourney Weaver, whose physical presence is missed here. In Cameron’s trio of planned sequels (!), she’ll no doubt move to the center along with the new, younger characters, of which there are many.

Baddie Colonel Miles Quaritch is back again in Na’vi form. His memories were transplanted to a new, permanent avatar after his death and he’s starting to learn the ways of his enemies in order to conquer them. Stephen Lang plays this antagonist as eager to avenge his human death at the hands of Neytiri, but he’s possibly the only character to experience a vague arc as he rediscovers his human son, Miles “Spider” Socorro (Jack Champion) and begins to doubt his mission.

The water comes into play as the Sully family is forced to flee their forest refuge for an oceanic “reef” tribe, led by Tonowari (Cliff Curtis) and Ronal (Kate Winslet). Set against Quaritch’s relentless, revenge-driven pursuit, the movie takes us deep into Cameron’s earnest love of deep-sea environments, pristine marine life and panic-inducing, near-drowning incidents on sinking ships.

His mastery of big-budget spectacle, from “Aliens” to “Terminator 2: Judgment Day,” “Titanic” and the first “Avatar,” is faultlessly muscular. There is no current equal to “Way of Water’s” visuals, no video game or AI that can touch its gorgeous micro-details. It’s meant to be seen on the biggest screen possible, with a projector that can handle the 48-frames-per-second Cameron intended, with a 3D format that delivers on its promise instead of fading into the background after a few minutes. Like Peter Jackson’s pioneering but highly flawed “Hobbit” trilogy, it’s virtual filmmaking at its most self-assured, and audiences may finally be ready to welcome the motion-smoothed aesthetic (for better or worse).

But resonance and epic visuals needn’t be mutually exclusive. The bald, button-pushing beats are undermined alternately by Cameron’s unapologetic gun fetishization and overlong “wonder” sequences, turning this into a numbing, three-hour slog instead of an easily achievable two-hour experience.

Naturally, Cameron didn’t set out to make a taut indie drama. He’s pushing big-budget sci-fi/fantasy filmmaking forward in huge bounds and, in that, “The Way of Water” succeeds. It just happens to have left a lot on the sea floor along the way.

Joshua Gourneau’s family said he was crossing the street at Southeast 122nd Avenue and Southeast Stark Street at about 6 p.m.

His older brothers, Matthew Gourneau and Jason Gourneau, were on their way to pick him up. They were talking to him on the phone. Then they heard a loud noise and the call dropped.

“I just couldn’t believe it, I didn’t think it was him when I first saw someone laying there, because we were just talking to him,” Matthew Gourneau said. “He just looked so bad, blood everywhere, and he wasn’t breathing good, and my other brother jumped out to give him CPR.”

Joshua Gourneau was taken to OHSU, where the doctors warned his family to prepare for the worst, his family said. He’d suffered broken ribs, fractured bones in his skull and face and a broken pelvis.

Jason Gourneau said his brother was still fighting, despite the grim diagnosis. But seeing him so injured has been devastating for his whole family, he said.

“It’s so hard seeing him like this,” Jason Gourneau said. “It just crushes their spirit seeing him with the tubes in his mouth and his head.”

Police said the driver of the vehicle remained at the scene and has not been charged with anything.

Summer blend hasbrought clear skies

Re. “Special blend makes state a gas island,” Page A6, Oct. 12:

Growing up in Oakland in the ’50s and  ’60s, I never thought twice about our air quality.

When I was 11, I had a horse and would go up to Skyline Boulevard to ride. From the top of Skyline, looking down on the Bay Area, I was shocked to see a brown carpet stretching from the Bay and blocking the cities below. It was horrifying.

Now, you can travel to any vista point and see clearly. We live near Mount Umunhum. Taking visitors to the summit regularly affords us a beautiful view of the Bay and environs.

I am grateful to those who’ve formulated that gas that provides us cleaner air. I am stunned at the record profits gas companies are taking and question their commitment as Americans to the country.

Denise DelongSan Jose

Eshoo exemplifiesimportant values

There are many important choices on the ballot for the upcoming election. What should influence voters should not be false allegations between rivals, but instead the ethics and thoughtfulness of a candidate.

Anna Eshoo exemplifies these important values. She has a long record of prioritizing the community and working to safeguard democracy, protecting voting rights and insisting on government and political transparency.

It is these strengths that we need in Congress.

Ann RavelLos Gatos

Is Holmes playing childcard in sentencing?

Elizabeth Holmes, who had unfettered access to birth control, chooses (plans) to now have two young children fully knowing that the court must consider the impact on children in sentencing.

Now think about the many women of color with substantiated limited access to birth control who receive prison time for lesser offenses resulting in a greater impact on their children.

Shirley CantuLos Gatos

GOP’s plans areto further reward rich

Inflation is the number one priority for voters.

So many commenters seem to think inflation is President Biden’s fault. They don’t seem to be aware that inflation is a global situation. Most countries have a higher rate of inflation than the United States. Almost three years of COVID restrictions shut down nonessential production, so it will take time to gear back up.

We must not forget that the previous administration and Congress gave huge tax breaks to the top 10% and there is rampant disparity in income. The top 10% are not feeling the inflation. Gauging prices for increased profits seems to be the plan of corporate America.

Bob PedrettiSan Jose

Time to updateSecond Amendment

Re. “San Jose toughens gun control mandate,” Page B1, Oct. 19:

I would like to respectfully disagree with National Association for Gun Rights Policy Director Hannah Hill who is quoted as saying that owning a gun is a “God-given right.” I recall nothing in the Bible or the Ten Commandments indicating God has granted us the right to own a gun.

Gun ownership should be treated like owning an automobile. It should be a privilege to own a gun, and like any driver who is required to carry liability insurance, gun owners should also be required to do the same.

Unfortunately, many gun owners are irresponsible. It is estimated between 237,000 and 380,000 guns are stolen from gun owners annually. Many of those stolen guns are used in the commission of a crime.

The Second Amendment was written in 1791 – it needs to be overhauled to reflect today’s realities. We are paying too steep a price for the right to own a gun.

Gregory CarlstedSan Jose

McCarthy’s Ukraine planputs the U.S. last

The article “McCarthy: No blank check if GOP wins majority,” (Page A4, Oct. 19) ought to scare the heck out of the average American – not to mention the rest of the world.

McCarthy’s “America first” attitude demonstrates an astounding lack of knowledge of world affairs and their effect on the United States. That, coupled with the GOP intent to again reduce taxes on our most wealthy, will continue to increase inflation – exactly the opposite of their goals.

Daniel LeeSan Jose