The Sunday, Jan. 26, Tribune included an editorial about the Moss Landing battery facility fire and a letter to the editor from authors calling attention to the impacts of climate change and the need for our local government to take appropriate action.
Opinion
I agree, which is why the authors of the letter and SLO city, county and state governments should get behind extending operations at Diablo Canyon Power Plant for the full 20 years of its recent Nuclear Regulatory Commission license renewal application, to help California meet its climate goals faster.
With uncertainty about the future of Central Coast offshore wind and safety concerns about utility-scale battery storage raised by the fires at Moss Landing (the fourth one at this site), it is more important than ever to embrace the safe, clean, reliable electricity DCPP provides.
The last section of the editorial suggested that we cannot abandon energy storage because we need all clean energy sources to combat climate change. Quite right. Nuclear energy is a vital component of our low-carbon electricity portfolio and should not be dismissed or omitted from consideration.
Jennifer Klay
San Luis Obispo
Lost in translation
Your Jan. 26 article on requirements for pet adoptions brought back memories of being a house checker for the Montgomery County, Maryland, animal shelter in the 1970s and ‘80s, where a house check was required, along with many rules and regulations. I got a call to check on a family in Bethesda, just a few blocks from my home. The only information they gave me was that the family was French, the husband worked at the French Embassy and that they wanted a dog.
I called to schedule a visit and they requested a morning meeting. A few days later I arrived and noted that they already had the required fenced-in yard. When I walked in their living room I saw it was immaculate and they were all very well dressed, standing in a line with smiles and hopeful looks — the husband and wife, their two or three children and their Spanish maid — all ready for inspection!
I mentioned our rules, but wanted to impress upon them the most important one, that they must have their dog fixed. They looked attentive and eager to please, but I saw that “fix” didn’t register. I said the dog must be spayed — blank — must be neutered — blank — no babies — blank —no puppies — blank.
My high school French was failing me, but I knew a tiny bit of Italian, and hoping Italian and Spanish were similar, I looked at the Spanish maid and said “castrato.”
“Ah, si” she said, her eyes lit up, and in rapid French she explained they must neuter their dog. They then all laughed and assured me that it would be done. Shelters have improved since then; our wonderful shelter will not allow their animals to be adopted until they are “fixed.”
Penny Koines
San Luis Obispo
Is your house fire resistant?
San Luis Obispo County is not immune to the devastating wildfires now consuming parts of Southern California, and the risk will only increase with worsening climate change. We need to act now to prevent what is happening to our southern neighbors.
Fire experts say that simple things like putting 1/8-inch mesh over attic vents and eliminating flammable material within five feet of our houses can significantly reduce the risk of wildfires spreading. Insurance companies should be required to offer discounts to homeowners who fire harden their homes.
Our cities could offer free mesh to put over vents, and free fire-hardening consultations. Fire-hardening measures should eventually become mandatory for all buildings in our county.
As we strive to wean ourselves off the fossil fuels that are the root cause of these unprecedented fires, let’s do all we can in our home towns to prevent them.
Jenny Martin
San Luis Obispo
Thanks, Trib!
Thank you for clearly calling out President Trump’s lies regarding water in California in both your headline and article.
John Sherwood
Shell Beach
Election’s over, folks
I don’t understand why Donald Trump’s supporters still display their election signs on their fences. There is an ordinance that requires the removal of election signs shortly after the conclusion of an election. Are his supporters ignorant of this rule? Or, like Donald Trump, do they assume that the law does not apply to them?
Susan Case
Nipomo
Are U.S. military veterans “different”?
We are certainly a minority. At about 6% of the U.S. population, we are less than half of the 14% foreign-born in America. Veterans are also different from the majority of Americans, with a suicide rate 57% higher than the national average.
Are programs that give veterans a “preference” in government and non-government employment based on merit or DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion)?
I like to think veterans are given “merit points” based on their sacrifices for their country. And perhaps because we know how to show up for work on time and get the damn job done. Hoorah!
Paul Worsham
Arroyo Grande