Letters to the editor | Wednesday, May 13, 2020: Modesto mayor should reconsider support of Ted Howze

How can Brandvold defend Howze?

The denial by Ted Howze that he had anything to do with the vile, disgusting posts on his social media account is unbelievable and extremely disappointing. These postings speak volumes about his character. I am further disappointed in Modesto Mayor Brandvold’s defense of Howze, which exposes the mayor’s character also.

I appreciate the difficult responsibility of our local elected officials in trying to provide services especially in light of the effects of the current pandemic. I try to give them the benefit of the doubt, understanding the challenges they face normally and especially now. I have been disappointed in the silence of Mayor Brandvold in response to the pandemic.

We deserve better on both counts. I will not be voting for either of these men in the next election, as we have better choices with higher character.

Kenneth Bryant, Modesto

Jobless before pandemic need help

California’s Economic Development Department has been overwhelmed by 1.5 million claims for pandemic unemployment insurance in seven weeks. Their phone lines are always busy, even after they finally extended their hours in late April.

Unfortunately, there is one type of pandemic assistance that has been totally overlooked: Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC). These are unemployment recipients whose benefits ran out shortly before the shutdowns began in mid-March. The CARES Act allows an extra 13 weeks of unemployment insurance for them, but they seem to have been forgotten. They have an even tougher time trying to get a job now, and the government realized that they deserve help as much as those who recently lost their jobs. Their information is already in the system and it should be an easy matter to get them their aid, now that the government has approved it. I bet many of them would even be glad to work for the EDD, answering phones and helping guide new applicants through a system they are already familiar with.

But nothing is being done for them. They can’t use the online system to apply because they’ve already “exhausted their payments.” It’s shameful that the EDD hasn’t figured out how to handle this.

Sandra McHale, Copperopolis

Two-state solution bad for Israel

Re “Another resurrection story for unsinkable Netanyahu” (Page 6A, May 11): The column is flawed on two principle accounts: 1) that annexation of part of the Jordan Valley seized during the Six-Day War is somehow counterproductive to peace and, relatedly, 2) that the so-called two-state solution will lead to peace for Israel.

With regard to 1), Israel also seized the Golan Heights during that war and no one in their right mind is suggesting that they give it back to Syria. With regard to 2), creating a two-state solution will no more bring lasting peace to the Mideast than the 1938 Munich Agreement did to bring peace in Europe. Syria, Iran, and kindred spirits will never be satisfied until Israel is wiped off the face of the earth.

Lance Bernard, Turlock