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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

Bangalore International Airport (BLR) to Kempe Gowda International Airport, after this guy who apparently starting building Bangalore in the 15th century, although Bangalore’s history dates back to the 9th century. No one outside of the state of Karnataka, whose capital is Bangalore, has heard of Kempe Gowda. At least, most Americans know who Norman Mineta is, the first Japanese American to hold a presidential cabinet post.

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