Kudos for mayor’s car ban veto

Mayor Gavin Newsom did the right thing in vetoing the Saturday closure of JFK Drive to cars (“Newsom nixes park’s car ban, stunning measure’s advocates,” May 16).

Now The City can evaluate for Saturday closure the many other roads that offer the same recreational benefits but do not impact the same residents, businesses and park institutions that already are impacted by the Sunday closure.

This time let’s have a reasoned process, one that involves all interested parties and doesn’t burden the same groups both days of every weekend.

Michele Stratton

The City

Mayor Newsom was absolutely correct in vetoing this poorly written legislation to close JFK Drive in Golden Gate Park on Saturdays. What is the point of voters giving their opinion at the ballot box if Jake McGoldrick and his colleagues on the Board of Supervisors can overturn the results of an election if they don’t like the outcome?

The advocates for the park road closure should now take this issue to the November ballot, where a vigorous debate can be engaged and the voters can weigh pros and cons of this issue and decide whether they want to reaffirm or rescind their vote of six years ago.

E.F. Sullivan

The City

Mayor Newsom did not act alone to keep the park open on Saturday. Many community leaders, including the disabled, seniors, merchants, homeowners, tenants and even bicyclists, met with Mayor Newsom to voice concerns about the closure of part of Golden Gate Park to cars on Saturdays.

I believe the mayor has made the proper decision after listening to us. He also stated that he understands the concerns of the bicyclists and will work to see what other viable location would be suitable for them.

We all need to thank the mayor for keeping Golden Gate Park open on Saturdays.

Ed Jew

The City

I was quite happy to read that Mayor Newsom has finally done something right in this city by vetoing a plan to close the park on Saturdays to vehicles.

Don’t get me wrong, I think it would be nice to have some more places to use in The City that are quieter, but this subject has already gone to the voters, and it was turned down.

Now the bicycle coalition says they are going to put the measure back on the ballot again? Will they finally shut up if it is defeated again?

I am so tired of all the whiners in this city who do not get what they want. If you dislike not getting your way so much, please feel free to move away to where you can have more open space.

Louis Douglas

The City

Are the supervisors who are currently screaming for “healthy Saturdays in the park” the same progressives who positioned themselves as obstructionists when it came to implementing Care Not Cash, seriously fought the notion of making public defecation illegal, have done absolutely nothing about promoting a single quality-of-life issue on our streets, and still subject those citizens living in the more disenfranchised parts of town to the constant ravings, threats, drug use, ravaged bodies and human evacuations that are detriments to the health of all San Franciscans, each and every day of the week?

Peter Streitz

The City

Renters ‘special interests’?

The eviction legislation just passed by the Board of Supervisors does indeed hurt property owners and land speculators’ ability to profit by evicting tenants.

Property owners run this city and make horrendous development decisions, like demolishing the Western Addition and its community. In my neighborhood, 80 percent of the people are renters. So why would letter writer Kim Stryker call 80 percent of the people “special interests”?

It’s the property owners and land speculators who do not even live in our community who are the special interests.

David Tornheim

The City

Limits of NSA program

Now that we know President Bush has been tracking every phone call made by every person in the United States, it makes you wonder, what’s next?

Has Microsoft or Apple collaborated with the NSA to plant spy software into Windows or Apple’s Mac OS X? Are they tracking everything we do online? That would be the next logical step in the progression of illegal spying.

So I would ask Apple and Microsoft, hopefully before the fact, if they intend to cooperate with the NSA to illegally tap our computers.

Marc Perkel

The City