Letters: Cafe’s standard | Racial equity | Plant trees | Oppose hatred | Incarceration no answer | Political court

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Cafe set standard for
respecting workers

Re: “Beloved Berkeley eatery closes after 45 years” (Page A1, Jan. 2).

Thanks for the lovely piece on the Homemade Cafe. However, it must be noted that the culture of caring for others originated with the founders, Norm Berzon and Janet Hinze, a couple of social workers from Iowa who believed, well ahead of their time, that workers should be treated with respect.

I waited tables, working alongside Norm and Janet in the early 80s, and benefitted from the full health and dental care I received — even though employees worked just three shifts a week. We enjoyed positive team spirit, fomented by the policy of equal sharing of tips for all — a novel idea in those days. And the customer wasn’t always right: once, when a diner was stalking me, Norm didn’t hesitate to 86 the guy.

Thanks, Norm and Janet. I’ll miss the Homemade.

Kathryn Jordan
Berkeley

Contra Costa supervisors
drop ball on racial equity

Once more the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors has made fools of themselves and embarrassed the rest of the citizens of our county by its recent appointment to fill the vacancy of the County Treasurer-Tax Collector.

The Board of Supervisors, after months of pontificating, chest-beatingand self-congratulating each other for creating a new department with two department heads called the Department of Racial Equity and Social Justice, proved how hypocritical they truly are.

During the same board meeting, the board held public interviews for the CountyTreasurer-Tax Collector position, even though two of the candidates were current, high-level managers, with many years in the Treasurer-Tax Collector’s Office and both women of color, who were eminently qualified and credentialed. Predictably, the board instead picked a white man from Yuba County.

Why should any of us ever believe anything these board members say or do about racial or social justice?

Gus Kramer
Contra Costa County assessor
Martinez

Plant trees to make
neighborhoods livable

This past year was the year of record heat temperatures across the globe. Unfortunately, the neighborhoods without adequate tree canopy cover are going to become more and more risky to live in.

Fremont and Newark have among the lowest tree canopies in the Bay Area at about 13% tree canopy cover overall (for comparison, Palo Alto has 47%), but it varies between neighborhoods. Some areas have 25% while others, the Cabrillo and Glenmoor neighborhoods, have as little as 9%.

Please highlight this issue and ask people to join the efforts that work toward planting large shade trees, specifically groups such as the local tree planting nonprofit Urban Forest Friends.

Nathiya Prathnadi
Fremont

Danville citizens should
speak up against hatred

Our town of Danville has been invaded by Trump propagandists. Lately, they have set up a paraphernalia stand in front of the Lucky on San Ramon Valley Boulevard. One of their flags, visible to all, says, “(Expletive) Biden.” When I went there to counterprotest with my anti-Trump sign, some young men came by and said to me, “You must be a (expletive) Jew.”

I called the police to inquire. The obscene sign is allowed and they were granted a permit.

Do we want to live in a town that opens its arms to obscene supporters of the most corrupt politician in American history? They have their rights, but so do we have a right to counter-protest. I ask residents of good judgment to go there and let your feelings be known. We cannot let these words of hate — in support of a hateful politician — go unaddressed.

Jim Boots
Danville

Incarceration is not
the answer for kids

Re: “Increase penalties for violent crimes” (Page A8, Jan. 7).

California already has some of the strictest laws in the nation. Statistics show mass incarceration has not and will not work.

We need grassroots education and crime prevention. Locking up our youthful offenders will only lead to another lost generation. We need more mothers and fathers at home educating and mentoring our children. We need law enforcement we can trust and more occupational opportunities. We need to support our Alameda County district attorney and community outreach organizations like the Ella Baker Center For Human Rights. We as a community need to change the negatives into positive solutions.

As someone who was convicted and sentenced to life for violent crimes that occurred when I was 18 and 19 years old, I know change can happen. Change can happen if we support our community and educate our youth. Prison is not the solution to our problem.

John Crosthwaite
Tehachapi

Thomas shouldn’t
hear Jan. 6 cases

Associate Justice Clarence Thomas should not be allowed to participate in the Supreme Court’s ruling on the Colorado (or any state’s) 14th Amendment case.

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Due to the acknowledged actions of Thomas’ wife, Ginni, he has either an actual, or perceived, conflict of interest in any case involving what happened on Jan. 6, 2021. Her actions taint his participation in any case involving Donald Trump and Jan. 6, 2021.

Further, 2023 saw multiple reports of his very questionable financial involvement with major GOP donors. The Supreme Court’s Code of Ethics, released in November 2023, contains no mechanism to enforce those guidelines.

Thomas’ continuation on the court is evidence of the guidelines’ inadequacy. If he fails to recuse himself from any Jan. 6 cases, it becomes very clear that the Supreme Court is nothing but another political body.

Darcy Johnson
Antioch