Mailbag: Voters will watch these issues

I am opposed to allowing multiple dwellings in R1 zones.

I urge the City Council to institute the most restrictive limits possible and support staff’s recommendations.

Before the city considers spending a single tax dollar to appeal the water case, I suggest they instead fight Sacramento on this theft of local land use control.

In April the voters will be watching.

Brian Ellis
Glendale

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No need for Grayson fixes?

Re: “Glendale Water & Power looks to upgrade Grayson Power Plant,” Feb. 8. What perfect timing on staff writer Jeff Landa’s piece about plans to upgrade the Grayson Power Plant!

Just the day before, The Los Angeles Times covered a groundbreaking proposal by Republican luminaries for a national carbon tax. The carbon tax idea has been raised before by both Democrats and Republicans, but with Republican climate denial, it never seemed to have much hope. This week’s Republican announcement really changes things.

In that light, I started wondering how this would shift the economics on Grayson. If natural gas is now going to be taxed at $40/ton of CO2 (as the proposal calls for), maybe GWP should be looking harder for new sources of solar and wind power than rebuilding an old energy facility. Just a thought.

Daniel Brotman
Adjunct Professor of Economics
Glendale College

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Let school districts decide

The Feb. 15 edition of the Glendale News-Press reported on a proposal by state Sen. Anthony Portantino to require schools to begin classes after 8:30 in the morning. While the proposal is based upon some research citing the benefits of a later start for some teenagers, the proposal ignores the rights of local school districts and the parents.

The proposal uses legislative power over the existing power of local districts and, indeed the power provided to the state Department of Education, to establish school hours. The governance of local schools is something that should remain at the local level without the interference of state government mandates.

One could argue that state mandates have not improved the educational standards and may have reduced the quality of education. I would suggest we not fix something just to say we fixed it. Let local districts decide their own hours based upon the local needs of the districts and the needs of the parents. The Legislature might better serve us by repairing our infrastructure like roads, dams and levees.

Bob Taylor
La Crescenta