Mailbag: Urge Rep. Kim to vote ‘no’ on taking basic health care away from people

Americans will live sicker and die sooner if Congress approves massive cuts to Medicaid, marketplace plans and private insurance. But it’s not too late for Rep. Young Kim to stand up for her constituents, including the nearly 358,000 people in her district who rely on Medicaid.

This week, I joined the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network to deliver a clear message at Rep. Kim’s Anaheim office: Vote “no” on taking basic health care away from nearly 11 million people nationwide.

Instead of working to lower costs, Congress is moving quickly to slash at least $793 billion over 10 years from Medicaid and raise the costs of premiums and services for millions of people.

As a cancer survivor who relies on Medicaid for lifesaving care, I call on Rep. Kim to vote against these devastating cuts that make it more difficult and more expensive for people to get the care they need.

Dolly Lin
Fullerton

ICE raids are not justice

When I was 18, spending the summer in Corona del Mar with friends from USC, my goal was simple: to be the darkest person on the beach. I don’t know if I succeeded, but I tried. After two-plus months of surfing and laying in the sun almost every day — without sunblock — I was extremely tan.

Denny Freidenrich, far left, pictured with friends in Laguna Beach in 1967.

(Courtesy of Denny Freidenrich)

Back then, in 1967, no one ever suggested I didn’t belong here. But if Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had been rounding up thousands of people a day like they are now, I easily could have been mistaken for an undocumented immigrant. That possibility never crossed my mind back then but it certainly would today. Imagine living legally in the U.S. for 30 years — working, paying taxes, and raising a family — only to be detained or arrested at a car wash or Home Depot because of how you look. It’s no wonder thousands of day laborers have gone into hiding. The fear of being wrongfully deported without due process isn’t just stressful — it’s paralyzing.

When Donald Trump ran for office, he promised to deport the “worst of the worst.” I naively assumed he meant convicted drug lords, killers, and rapists — not mothers and fathers trying to support their families. Yet, this is exactly what’s happening. Because arrest and deportation numbers are lagging behind White House expectations, aides have convinced the president that a sweeping crackdown is necessary — even if it pushes the bounds of constitutionality. The last line of the Pledge of Allegiance reads, “with liberty and justice for all.” I wish more Americans understood that living in fear, as millions are doing now, is not liberty. And being rounded up in an ICE raid, as so many are today, is not justice.

Denny Freidenrich
Laguna Beach

Frustration over H.B. City Council meetings

I agree with Councilmember Twining that “There is a clear need to turn down the rhetoric and restore civility during Huntington Beach Council meetings.”

What has led to this incivility is the frustration that the City Council has taken a MAGA ideological position on most issues. These include anti-LGBTQ, anti-DEI and human rights, book banning and elimination of citizen committees. Since the citizen comments at council meetings require no response from the council, there is no exchange of points of view, nor any way to hold the council members accountable. In the past, my husband and I have volunteered on citizen committees. They offer opportunity for two-way exchanges.

Despite the fact that more than half of H.B.’s population are not MAGA devotees, the City Council has chosen to simply not listen to the “other side.” Their disdain for opposing opinions is evident in their voting. “My way or the highway” is the council meeting undercurrent. In other words, community members from the left and center know they are speaking to deaf ears.

If Twining and other council members want civil interchanges, then they need to stop their autocratic decision-making and actions and do what is best for all Huntington Beach residents, not just their MAGA constituents.

Judith A. Lewis
Retired Los Angeles County sheriff’s captain
Huntington Beach

I am so disgusted. The mayor of Huntington Beach, Pat Burns, was caught on hot mic calling a constituent “Another f—ing cow” during Tuesday’s City Council meeting. Instead of being grateful to a courageous young woman for sharing her thoughts during public comments, he chose to disparage her. Burns also called other council members who were not on the side of the conservative council majority “pieces of s**t” last year.

My personal experience speaking to the council has not been quite this dramatic. When I have spoken, which is often, the mayor yawns, chats with others or stares at the ceiling. He leans far back in his chair to make it clear that he isn’t listening. My input is unwanted. Burns rigidly supports an extreme MAGA agenda. He clearly doesn’t care about the people of Huntington Beach. I call for the resignation of Pat Burns in his failure to represent all of us, to treat all constituents with respect and to behave professionally as he represents our beleaguered city. Goodbye, Pat Burns.

Nora Pedersen
Huntington Beach