Readers React: Newsom vs. Cox presents California voters the same sad choice as Clinton vs. Trump

To the editor: It’s bad enough that the 2018 California gubernatorial election presents voters with a contest that is nearly a mirror image of what national voters faced in the presidential election of 2016. Now we know, according to the Los Angeles Times, that members of California’s 1% in San Francisco see themselves as the foundation of Democratic candidate Gavin Newsom’s career-long ambition of being the state’s chief executive.

What will that portend for the future of California’s 99%? Will Newsom be able to carry out Gov. Jerry Brown’s rational political and economic agendas while discarding his more irrational projects (for example, the bullet train circus)? Or will he cater to the elites of San Francisco while ignoring the problems that come with a steadily increasing population and our year-round fire season?

Is Republican candidate John Cox any better? Was Clinton any better? Voters of California, beware!

Lawrence Martin Kates, Los Angeles

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To the editor: I’m not sure exactly what you intend to convey in your report on Newsom’s decades-long ties to San Francisco’s elite. Perhaps that Newsom appears to be the recipient of not-outlandish contributions by a host of good civic-minded San Francisco families?

These people, unlike the Koch brothers and other “conservative” donors, don’t seem to be in it for the money. The contributions are really just chump change compared to what right-wing groups give.

The San Francisco folks have plenty, and they’re willing to spend it on a candidate who espouses liberal positions with which they — and I — largely agree. I would love to see a similar dissection of Cox’s contributors.

Robert Helfman, Los Angeles

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To the editor: Your Sunday newspaper should go in a time capsule labeled, “Financial life in 2018.”

First, I read about poor people trying to dig their way out of poverty through education, but L.A. is so rough and so expensive they still have to share a room with their parents and siblings.

Then I read about Newsom and his rich friends, and I was appalled. These few rich donors can exert great influence on our government because they have lots of money to spread around.

Do so many people have to suffer and be at the bottom just so a few rich people can hang on to their superiority and power?

Cheryl Clark-O’Brien, Long Beach

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