Letters to the editor | Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2020: Christmas kindness, renting with pets, Disneyland

A Modesto Christmas miracle

On Christmas Eve morning we found ourselves with a flat tire in a shopping center north of Modesto, wondering exactly what to do next. We needed to be someplace soon so we called emergency services for assistance. We actually had a tow truck on its way — in an hour.

Suddenly a Good Samaritan appeared. Patrick got out of his pickup truck and asked if he could help. I assumed he was with the towing service and motioned him over. He changed out the flat tire quickly and refused any payment, exemplifying what some folks do at Christmastime: showing us that giving is better than receiving. Thanks for your kindness to two strangers from out of town.

Pet owners can be good renters

I was recently approved to buy a house, but in this state of California I can’t afford what is out there, so I rent. Three years ago I was paying $1,150 for a 1,700-square-foot, 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom house in a good neighborhood. Now I’m paying $1,225 for a 2-bedroom, 2-bathroom 1,000-square-foot house in a crappy neighborhood.

I’ve actively been looking to move and it absolutely kills me that these landlords have the nerve to look me in the eye and ask for $1,500 to $1,800 a month in rent but tell me that I can’t have pets. I am an excellent tenant. I pay my rent every month and I take care of the home as if it was my own. But none of that matters if you have pets. I work 60-plus hours every week, but that doesn’t matter if you have pets.

No one seems to care about the rise in rents and how that effects us, but it’s OK to charge so much as long as you dump your pets.

Disneyland should reduce crowds

Have you ever gone to Disneyland and had trouble waiting in super-long lines? Did you try getting a FastPass but found out that ride didn’t have one or they were out? A great solution would be if Disneyland limited the amount of people that came every day.

This would make lines shorter and then there wouldn’t be a need for a FastPass system. FastPass distributing machines, which are all over the park, are usually broken or out. Also, Disney’s MaxPass costs extra money on top of what you already spent for your expensive ticket. Even when you get one from the machine or app, it’s hours until the ride.

According to The Orange County Register, “Disneyland has an estimated average daily attendance of 50,000 people.” Disneyland should reduce that number so it’ll be more fun and safe. People say come into Disneyland at the right time of day, but why? This change would prove that the owners truly care about their customers’ happiness and they’re not in it only for money.

This story was originally published December 31, 2019 at 10:58 AM with the headline "Letters to the editor | Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2020: Christmas kindness, renting with pets, Disneyland."