Fining BART holds no one accountable

How does fining BART $210,000 make the system safer for workers or passengers?

BART revenues come from the fare box and the taxpayers. BART will simply absorb the $210,000 by increasing fares, eliminating service or reducing maintenance.

Compensation for board members, BART administrators or, for that matter, anyone actually responsible for the workers' deaths will not be affected.

Fining public agencies for safety violations holds no one accountable.

Robert W. Nichelini


Did police consider collateral damage?

At around 9 p.m. on April 22, a BART train I had just boarded in the downtown Berkeley BART station was held up for from 20 to 30 minutes by police action, about which we were told nothing.

I only know that the station was soon full of police; I frankly do not know whether they were BART police or Berkeley police. We were repeatedly told to remain on the train.

Finally, the driver, who had apologized several times for the delay, announced that we would be able to leave the station as soon as the police completed a sweep of the train. Then three policemen walked through the car, each of them carrying a semi-automatic weapon. This terrified me. In what circumstances would they have opened fire in a crowded BART car with those weapons?


Wouldn't this have almost certainly caused collateral damage, which could have included damage to me as well as other random passengers?

Diane Ames

El Cerrito

Flag at top of tower should be replaced

My wife and I attended opening day for the Oakland A's. We stayed at the Marriott.

How appalling it was to look out the window and see the American Flag in tatters on the top of the Tribune Tower.

Someone should read up on etiquette for displaying flags. Torn flags are a disgrace.

Gary Fosburg

Grass Valley

Honeybees are vital to environment's health

Research has shown in the last decade there is a decline in honeybees. The need for honeybee colonies is important. We as human beings depend on honeybees for various resources.

In Europe and in the United States, there have been reports of annual declines of hives.

I was proud to have read in the article "Oakland a welcome haven for city bees" about the workers of the building not calling an exterminator.

As stated in the article, a couple years back they probably would have had someone exterminate the honeybees.

It is a time where people want to have goods that are locally grown. Planting urban gardens is becoming a priority for people who are conscientious of the environment.

What fascinated me about the article are the people in the community using urban beehives. People still fear bees but they have changed their perception of them as a very important part of the ecosystem that is in need of growth in population.

Alberto Salinas


Can't turn blind eye to higher care costs

Recently, I went to Kaiser for a routine X-ray for my lower back. Since I am on Medicare and Senior Advantage, I believed that the cost would remain at $30. Wrong. The cost was $45 and I went into sticker shock.

This prompts the question as to why the increase, and why was I, like so many other seniors on Medicare, not informed?

When one of my doctors moved to San Leandro, I received an email and a letter. But no such information about increases about medical care.

Seniors on fixed incomes will truly suffer due to lack of communication and, therefore, cannot plan or budget for increases.

Was this ever a consideration when Obamacare -- or the euphemism The Affordable Care Act, was implemented? Is this the beginning of the single-payer system for everyone and Medicare will be eliminated?

This is the beginning of our worst nightmare: higher co-pays, higher prices for medication, higher prices for basic exams and X-rays, and fewer and fewer health care professionals, not to mention long lines and raffles and lottery tickets for appointments.

The writing is on the wall, and we cannot turn a blind eye to the fallout of Obamascare.

Anita Imazumi