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Where’s BART police
chief’s accountability?
Re: “BART settles shooting claim” (Page B1, Sept. 14).
BART spent $6.75 million of taxpayers’ money for the mistakes made by the BART police in the mediated prelitigation settlement with Jasmine Gao. It is a tragedy of just actions and how authority is abused. BART issued a notice of intent to terminate Officer Poblete.
It was BART police Chief Kevin Franklin who issued a public statement that said Gao “is alleged to have assaulted a police officer.” It looks like Poblete’s actions had the full support of the police chief. How come he is not being punished for it? How come BART management is quiet on it?
The transit agency admits to inaccurate statements by the police chief, but has done nothing that we know of about it. The public deserves full disclosure and appropriate disciplinary actions as needed.
Subru Bhat
Union City
UC students trading
survival for success
Forty-three percent of UC students face food insecurity, leaving them 50% less likely to attend class and 43% less likely to graduate. At the nation’s top public university, it is unacceptable that students must choose between rent, meals and their health.
In the richest country in the world, we cannot continue to neglect students’ basic needs. UC Berkeley’s pantry saw 22,000 visits in 2019, while Cal Poly Humboldt — despite having fewer than 6,000 students — recorded 30,000 visits in 2024. With nearly 46,000 students, Berkeley’s demand would be far higher if students weren’t limited to one visit per week.
This disparity makes one thing clear: students need more access, and they need it now. If our leaders truly value students’ futures, we must ensure that no one at UC Berkeley, or anywhere, has to sacrifice survival for success.
Danae Zarbalis
Oakland
Black women offer
health care blueprint
The August KQED article “Maternity group care for and by Black people is improving outcomes in Oakland” underscores a vital truth: When Black women lead maternal care, outcomes improve. The BElovedBIRTH Black Centering program proves that culturally grounded care — delivered by Black midwives, doulas and community health workers — reduces stress, strengthens advocacy and builds trust in health systems.
But one program is not enough. Alameda County must expand and fully fund Black-led group prenatal care so every mother has access, not just those in pilot programs. Hospitals should also be held accountable for meaningful implicit-bias training, with audits to ensure it’s more than a box-checking exercise.
Black-led maternal health saves lives. Oakland has the blueprint. Now leaders must scale it up so respectful, culturally competent care is the rule, not the exception.
Ashia Coleman
Oakland
E-scooters, e-bikes
require traffic safety
I live near a middle school, and this year several students are “driving” motorized scooters and bikes.
These children are operating motor vehicles without a clue about traffic regulations and safety. Without helmets, they zoom past cars, weaving into traffic, blowing through stop signs, oblivious to cars backing out of driveways or making turns. These children should at least wear helmets and, at best, be trained to operate vehicles in traffic.
Please, parents: If you buy your child a motorized (or any) vehicle that will be operated on roads with car and truck traffic, train them about traffic regulations and insist that they wear helmets.
Julie Haselden
El Sobrante
Premium Tax Credits
sustain small business
If Congress allows enhanced health care Premium Tax Credits (PTCs) to expire, it would create retention challenges for our worker-owned cooperative, as our employees would struggle to afford health insurance. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) serves as a critical safety net for our cooperative and the entrepreneurs we serve. Like many small businesses, we can’t afford to offer health care benefits. Instead, many of our worker-owners rely on ACA marketplace plans and count on PTCs to make their health care coverage more affordable.
This situation highlights a broader challenge for small businesses — the gap between wanting to provide comprehensive benefits and being able to. The ACA marketplace with enhanced PTCs bridges this gap, allowing our workers to access affordable health care independently while we work toward our goal of providing health care benefits. Congress must act now to help ensure that the ACA continues to work for small businesses and their employees.
Rani Langer-Croager
Oakland
U.S. should join
global action on Gaza
Stop the unspeakable suffering in Gaza. Civilians are trapped by war, without food, water or shelter. Since May, over 2,300 Palestinians have died while trying to reach food aid. A massive influx of aid is needed, and the international community and NGOs are ready to deliver it, but they can’t get in. The people of Gaza face famine, while global aid sits idle just miles away.
The U.S. should join the global community with concrete action if the Netanyahu government does not reverse course immediately. We must end the blockade, free all hostages and allow for the free flow of aid.
Patricia Payne
Castro Valley