Holiday spirit

Monday, Dec. 13 we dropped off our holiday cards to be mailed at the 92120 Grantville post office. We didn’t realize that we left the unused stamps in the box with the cards. The next day we got the stamps back in the mail.

As busy as the postal workers are in helping so many customers during the holidays, April the dispatcher along with Valerie, took the time to see who mailed the letters and sent us back our stamps.

Gestures like these are what makes one realize the good in people. Thank you, Grantville post office!

—Lisa Cantor, San Diego.

Hold ColRich accountable

Re: “Del Cerro Action Council news” [Volume 23, Issue 12 or bit.ly/2CW0S0I]

As a Del Cerro resident for over 21 years, I chose to participate in efforts opposing the now approved ColRich housing development along College Avenue, just south of the Del Cerro Chevron station. Traffic flow, emergency access and ecological impacts remain some of the concerns dozens of fellow residents discussed over the last few years.

I want to convey the frustration felt experiencing how stacked the deck was against me and fellow community-minded residents in at least trying to get some reasonable mitigations before project approval. Having attended the Planning Commission and then the City Council decisive meeting on Dec. 11, these matters stand out:

Council President Cole’s decision to cut public comment time to one minute for each resident — right before this item was being heard — was very unfair given how much time the developer had to present its case following the pro-project presentation of city staff.

As concerned residents, we could not adequately address the council before it voted.

Disappointment that after several years of community discussions, only four of us even showed up to counter all the ColRich-connected supporters.

Issues of vehicular access into and out of approved project remained poorly addressed — as did potential safety impacts on pedestrians and bicyclists heading northbound from the I-8 freeway.

Above said, I would encourage efforts to hold ColRich accountable for proceeding with the best possible project by working with concerned residents to be the good neighbor it can hopefully be.

For starters, let’s get Colrich’s support in having the city install a “No U-turn” sign for eastbound Del Cerro Boulevard at Marne Avenue; planting trees in empty rings along the College Avenue raised median; and assuring their “family” homes don’t become mini-dorms.

—Dan Tomsky, Del Cerro.

No snowflakes in California

I enjoyed reading the Dec. 15 edition of Mission Times Courier.

“Remembering Pearl Harbor” was excellent, and so was the recap of “The Top Five Stories of 2017.”

What stopped me in my tracks was the extremely snarky political cartoon “The First Snowflakes of the Season.”

I know politics can be inescapable. But at this juncture, our president (“alleged president”) looks as though he colluded with Russia to steal our election. That is treason.

“Russia, if you’re listening …”

His approval rating is now hovering at 30 percent. California is a blue state.

Mission Times Courier is a paper that should reflect those who live in the neighborhood. So, I don’t appreciate the sentiment of that cartoon one bit, characterizing most Americans as some wide-eyed dorks who have it wrong. We don’t. This is the most progressive and economically proficient state in the union, and we have suffered a year of torture under the rule of a psychopathic criminal.

We are also about to be punished for simply being Californians when this horrific “tax reform” bill passes.

Who knows how long it’s going to take to reverse the damage Trump has caused? (And if it can be reversed?)

I am sure cartoonist Tom Stiglich has better material that isn’t so denigrating to Californians. He might be better served placing this one in the deep South where they are still flying their freak Confederate flags.

—Patty Mooney, San Carlos.

Tax bill won’t hurt

Re: “GOP tax bills will short-change the middle class” [Volume 23, Issue 12 or bit.ly/2pFtbOQ]

I was a little disturbed by the guest editorial by Rep. Susan Davis in the Dec. 15 issue.

I thought your paper was non-political in that you would report on local events and activities versus national politics.

I don’t believe the now-passed tax bill will hurt the middle class. Rep. Davis didn’t mention the reduction in corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent. Ask her this question: “Do any middle class citizens work for U.S. corporations?”

She notes the U.S. debt will increase under the new tax law. Time will tell! Ask her another question: “What recent U.S. president’s administration and Democratic-controlled House and Senate increased the debt by the greatest percentage in history?”

Oh well, I got to get back and sell off a couple million dollars profit of U.S. corporate stock holdings since President Trump took office. I will be buying some more corporate stock in the future, but I want to bank some dollar gains.

—Don Helmich, Del Cerro.