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Alameda County must
restart bail hearings
Re. “Coronavirus surges at Bay Area jails,” Page B1, Jan. 12:
COVID-19 infections at Alameda County’s Santa Rita Jail have skyrocketed, reaching a record high on Jan. 14 of 453 infections among those incarcerated plus 92 among staff.
Sheriff’s spokesman Ray Kelly had claimed “We’re managing fine.” But reports Friday in a recurring call with community advocates, jail management and medical staff facilitated by county Supervisor Richard Valle revealed constitutionally mandated bail hearings are being delayed or canceled due to staff illness, a shortage of video arraignment alternatives, and an overall lack of planning by Sheriff’s Office management.
When infection rates fell dramatically in June 2020, the Superior Court amended its emergency bail schedule, which had successfully lessened the dangers of COVID. We call upon the court to reinstate that emergency bail schedule and the district attorney to order the release of current detainees meeting those criteria or denied their right to a bail hearing.
Bob Britton
Interfaith Coalition for Justice in our Jails
Castro Valley
Democratic leaders
hurt police recruiting
Walnut Creek is looking to add five more officers to their police force. In a recent article (“Adding 5 officers may take a year,” Page A1, Jan. 14) the author states that the pool of available personnel is drying up, due to “the tarnished image of officers in the wake of notorious police killings.” Ridiculous.
The reason police are quitting, retiring early, or no longer looking for law enforcement work is that the leftist Democratic politicians and media that run this state and others around the country are throwing the cops under the bus. They don’t support police; they disparage them and take away the tools needed for proper law enforcement.
Gavin Newsom and Democratic mayors and district attorneys throughout California are coddling criminals while at the same time sabotaging police departments. It’s simple. If we want to save local police and the rule of law, we have to stop voting for Democratic politicians.
Jay Todesco
Concord
Column finds something
to hate even in victory
Re. “How ’bout them Niners?” Page A1, Jan. 17:
In a column with the above headline from Dieter Kurtenbach, I was silly enough to think that we would be treated to a feel-good story following Sunday’s win over the Cowboys.
Instead, we received his normal torrent of negativity, focusing on what went wrong, and why the 49ers are doomed next week. If Dieter had been a writer during the 1981 NFC Championship (aka “The Catch” game), I’m now certain he would have focused more on the fact that the 49ers had six turnovers in the game and somehow won anyway. If he felt the same way about Joe Montana as he does Jimmy Garappolo, he would have devoted most of his column to Joe’s three interceptions and stated that the 49ers won despite such a pathetic effort.
Kurtenbach should move to New York and cover the Giants and the Jets. At least his constant negativity would be better justified.
Brian Glover
Hercules
New COVID closures
are taking a toll
I’m the mother of a 24-year-old severely disabled young woman who normally attends a six-hour-a-day program. My daughter can’t speak, wears diapers and requires 24-hour care. Her day program allowed my family some chance of having a break and making a living.
When COVID-19 struck in March 2020, her program was abruptly shut down. It stayed closed for almost 18 months. An administrator there told me that during that time, two parents and one client died, not of COVID, but from stressors probably related to the closure.
We were given some respite, but hiring caregivers is hard. We’ve mostly relied on help from two 86-year-old grandparents. In the fall, her program reopened for just three hours a day. Now it has suddenly closed again due to the omicron variant.
Closing programs because of COVID kills people. Support people trying to keep disabled kids at home.
Cassandra Duggan
Kensington
