| | Published January 16th, 2013
| Letters to the Editor
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Editor:
My intent is not to dim the celebration of Orindans over the recent honor bestowed upon our community by Forbes as the Second Friendliest Town in America. However I do find it ironic that many Orinda residents vociferously opposed the proposal by our last City Manager to use the former library as a temporary winter shelter for homeless families. Could it be that our hospitality extends only to those who are as fortunate as us? Just a thought.
Willie Yee
Orinda
Editor:
Since the shooting and murder in Connecticut of 26 kids and staff there has been talk of stricter gun legislation and the possibility of outright gun confiscation. I am against this because in the 2nd Amendment--it states we have the right to bear arms. I would prefer guns in the hands of responsible people for the purposes of self-defence and personal means of entertainment such as target shooting and hunting game. I'd prefer that psychiatrists, physicians and social workers be required to input names into a database of people who pose a threat to themselves or others, and then those people would not be allowed a permit to purchase a firearm. Otherwise, we're removing guns from those who follow the law and leaving them in the hands of those who don't (people who obtain their guns illegally). This would not completely solve the problem but I believe it would make a great impact.
Alex (last name withheld at parent's request because the writer is a minor)
Moraga
Editor:
In the Contra Costa Times' "Eye on the East Bay..... irreverent look at the news" in Lafayette, your competitor has fallen victim to common misunderstandings about getting around in our small city. In other words, it looks easier than it is. "Eye on the East Bay" cites the speed with which the sinkhole on Mountain View Drive was returned to active service with the help of CC Meyer, Inc., and expresses a belief that only during such events as Taste of Lafayette and the Art and Wine Festival, which occupy the Mt. Diablo Boulevard tarmac, is a bypass to our downtown needed. As a long-term traffic commissioner, let me explain that on any given day of the week, long backups often accompany one's drive through Lafayette's downtown, regardless of the direction headed. The Mt. View Drive turnoff helps to avoid these long waits at each intersection and helps to de-load the street. To this end, too, Mt. View Drive south to Brook is a frequently used shortcut both to downtown schools and to destinations of others headed south of the freeway, including those who are headed to Moraga.
Additionally, it needs to be understood that the single and multi-family residential, commercial and medical services area delineated by Moraga Road, Brook Street, Mt. View and Mt. Diablo Boulevard contains a concentration of uses with ingress/egress roads -- save the two arterials on the outskirts - that are no more than one narrow and irregular lane in each direction to serve those who travel these roads. In an emergency, the options for egress for those finding themselves within those perimeters would be severely limited. Options for ingress for emergency purposes would be similarly constrained. Closure of the 4th leg of that neighborhood for a longer length of time would not have been an intelligent option.
Sincerely,
Lynn Hiden
Lafayette
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA