Letters: Inexcusable dereliction | Calling out DFCS | Travel safety | Eliminate waste | Surprise price | Firmer hand

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DFCS’s dereliction of
duty is inexcusable

Re: “Supervisor chastises child welfare leaders” (Page A1, Aug. 29).

As a proud 46-year social work professional and retired social work educator (faculty San Jose State University School of Social Work, 1988-2018), I have followed closely the egregious missteps of our community’s Department of Family and Children’s Services (DFCS) leaders in their dereliction of the responsibility to protect children.

The blind adherence to the principles of “family preservation” by DFCS head Damion Wright and his boss, Dan Little, have, tragically, cost the lives of baby Phoenix and others. These executives’ failure to heed the recommendations of their well-trained child welfare social workers, along with county counsel’s documented efforts to overrule those recommendations, is inexcusable.

Barry Goldman-Hall, LCSW
San Jose

Elected official is right
to call out DFCS team

Re: “Supervisor chastises child welfare leaders” (Page A1, Aug. 29).

Thank you Supervisor Arenas for speaking the truth and holding the Department of Family and Children’s officials accountable for the safety of children in their care. There is no place for their platitudes, inaction or hiding of damning reports when our children need immediate protection. The “fierce urgency of now” for these children must compel these leaders into immediate and effective action.

As a Court Appointed Special Advocate who supported foster youth, a retired high school educator who specialized in supporting “at-risk” youth, and an attorney who worked with family safety, I am so grateful to hear an elected official speak out against the bureaucracy and false promises of the current child welfare leaders.

How many more child deaths are required for them to take action?

Geoffrey Wright
San Jose

Holiday travelers must
keep safety in mind

Re: “Throngs of people expected to travel” (Page A1, Aug. 29).

I am struck by the national travel projections for this Labor Day weekend, which point toward a previously unprecedented level of domestic travel.

Despite the excitement that comes with vacation and family gatherings, managing logistics like increased gas prices, heavy traffic, and children on the road can make for a stressful environment. It’s crucial that safety remains a top priority amid the holiday rush.

Stanley Wan
Los Altos

VTA, BART must
eliminate waste

Re: “Federal funding gap demands VTA switch to cheaper option” (Page A6, Aug. 28).

Gerald Cauthen is spot-on with his critique of VTA’s bloated and overpriced BART extension. He is correct in saying that it is past due for some “value engineering on this out-of-control project.”

Despite the fact that voters in Santa Clara County have passed multiple tax and fee increases, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission is hoping to jack up taxes yet again, to bail out BART and other transit agencies.

Before this happens, waste needs to be removed from transportation projects, as Cauthen describes. Another example is the redundant BART extension between the San Jose and Santa Clara Caltrain stations, which would duplicate the existing Caltrain line and VTA’s 22 and 522 buses. This needs to be eliminated.

William Hough
Los Altos

‘Stigmatized’ property
pulls in surprise price

Re: “Home sells for $2.1M despite slaying there” (Page B1, Aug. 29).

A Santa Clara home sold for $2.1 million despite a death by murder that occurred there. The article states that the listing did not mention this fact, and that it sold for 3.4% above its last purchase price a year ago.

California law says that a death within three years must be disclosed — and it was in information provided to other agents and the buyer, but not to the general public.

I have appraised several properties in which deaths, including murders, have occurred. These are “stigmatized” properties that typically sell for between 10%-25% below market. A quick sales analysis I made shows that this particular property sold at the market value of “unstigmatized” homes in Santa Clara the same size as this one.

Dana Grover
San Jose

State must take firmer
hand against robocalls

Robocalls have become an overwhelming nuisance, with many of us receiving dozens of calls daily.

Despite laws in place to curb these intrusive practices, enforcement seems lax. In California, the Attorney General’s Office has only prosecuted a handful of cases in recent years, leaving violators largely unchecked.

Stronger action is needed to protect consumers from these relentless interruptions. Without it, we remain vulnerable to scams and constant disruptions, undermining our trust in telecommunication services.

Andrew Ratermann
Santa Clara