DCAC and Del Cerro MAD

Re: “Del Cerro Action Council” [Volume 22, Issue 9 or bit.ly/2eBrFqY]

In rebuttal to [Jay Wilson’s] article published in the Mission Times Courier under the banner DCAC, dated Sept. 16, 2016, the second to the last paragraph states:

“Discussions continue regarding a proposed Maintenance Assessment District. This is not a DCAC project nor has DCAC taken a position. If you want more information email to friends of Del Cerro at [email protected].”

I take exception with the paragraph referenced above. I have followed all of the writings the Del Cerro Action Council has published in the Mission Times Courier from February 2016.

In February 2016, under the banner Del Cerro Action Council, Jay Wilson wrote: “Mark Rawlins, Chair of the DCAC, commented that he is interested in discussing a maintenance assessment district (MAD) and will provide an update on this matter at the April 28 meeting of the DCAC.”

And then in June, a three-column article by Mr. Rawlins, the chair of DCAC, providing a question-and-answer article referencing the benefits of a MAD. [Editor’s note: The piece referred to here was a guest editorial written by Mark Rawlins, not a DCAC update written by Jay Wilson. In July, The Mission Times Courier printed a rebuttal editorial by Stuart R. Josephs]

In August 2016, another article referencing MAD, under the DCAC, banner, was published.

The preponderance of evidence is quite clear based on all the writings in the Mission Times Courier from February through August, and from Mr. Rawlins and Mr. Thomas’ emails that you are proceeding to establish a MAD.

[Because of] these emails referencing signature teams and a signature gathering master plan dividing Del Cerro into sections, coupled with advice to the signature team members, I really don’t see how the Del Cerro Action Council and its Chairman Mr. Rawlins, Co-chairman Mr. McSweeney, and Secretary Jay Wilson really have any plausible deniability that the decision has been made and that DCAC is firmly committed to initiate the movement to establish a MAD in Del Cerro.

—Joe Ney, Del Cerro 

Political overload

Re: “Congressional Watch: Trumping Issa” [Volume 22, Issue 9 or bit.ly/2dhJ0jx] 

While flipping through the pages of the most recent issue of the Mission Times Courier, I bypassed an unwarranted hit piece on Darrell Issa only to find a pair of political cartoons, one attacking Donald Trump, the other jabbing at Hillary Clinton. I also noticed an angry letter from a reader accusing the paper of political bias regarding the presidential race.

My question: why does the Mission Times Courier need to cover the political arena at the national level? There are PLENTY of media outlets to cover the Trump and Clinton campaigns, and plenty of watchdog organizations and blogs looking out for the latest scandal on Capitol Hill. We, the consumers, have been bombarded daily with national political coverage on TV, radio, the print media, and the internet….  and all this for two candidates that nobody seems to like in the first place!

I open the Mission Times Courier not to read about Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton, but to read about local schools, community service organizations, and activities to bring our neighborhood closer together. Federal politics and partisan squabbling will only divide our community further apart. Let the Democrats have their column in the paper, and let the Republicans have theirs – and of course, keep up your outstanding coverage of all politics at the ultra-local level. That’s the news that only YOU can provide.

However, especially in an election year, the Mission Times Courier should leave the national politics to CNN and Fox News. Let’s focus on all of the good things happening daily in OUR community, and all of the little improvements that we can make at home, regardless of who moves into the White House next year.

—John Robert Crawford, San Carlos

Re: Editor’s note in Anne McCormick’s letter [Volume 22, Issue 9 or bit.ly/2dag3aY]

Anne McCormick is correct. There is liberal bias present in your paper. Your note skirts the issue by citing article size and candidate endorsement as proof that you are not biased. However, the bias is of a more-subtle nature. It portrays liberals in a positive light much more often than conservatives. Just read the articles about Darrell Issa and Scott Peters in this month’s Mission Times Courier.
I congratulate you on the more balanced approach you recently have taken regarding political cartoons. Now is the time to take the same balanced approach to articles published in the politics section of your paper.

—Douglas R. Perl