The thoughts expressed in these letters do not necessarily represent the views of The Pajaronian or its employees.
Take the time to learn about proposed battery storage facility
The people at last week’s meeting regarding the proposed Seahawk Energy Storage facility were emotionally driven by the recent Moss Landing fires.
They need to look at what Green Leaf Energy is proposing. I took the time to interview them and get details about their installation. It is much safer because of two factors: they have fuses in each of their cells, and several cells are combined in a module that is encased in a steel container. The first has a small computer for each cell that senses voltage, current and temperature. If any one of these falls outside the control limits that cell is shut down by a fuse or circuit breaker like in your house. If there is a fire in a cell then the steel container keeps all of the gases and potentially dangerous chemicals inside the container. The fusing is covered under Underwriters Lab Standard 9540. Neither installation at Moss Landing had these safe guards. Green Leaf has contracted out the manufacturing of the batteries and the integration to CATL in China. Green Leaf is the installer. The present proposal location needs to have easy access for the fire department. In my judgment that does not exist because the road is too narrow. It would have to be widened before installing the battery storage unit.
Bill Beecher
Aptos
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A response from Rep. Lofgren
Editor’s note: This is a response to a letter that ran in the April 11-17 edition titled “seeking a response from Lofgren”
When Members of Congress are sworn into office, we take an oath to protect and defend the Constitution. As part of upholding that oath, we must ensure the President of the United States does not take actions that threaten our democracy itself. Accordingly, the U.S. House of Representatives should follow the facts, apply the law, and be guided by the Constitution.
As the only current Member of Congress who has participated in all of the modern impeachments, as an impeachment manager who prosecuted Donald Trump in his first trial, and as a member of the Jan. 6 Committee which identified Trump as the instigator of the insurrection and referred him to the Department of Justice for criminal prosecution, I can definitively say I am not afraid of impeachment—and I’m certainly not afraid of Donald Trump.
Like you, and many of my constituents, I am outraged by his actions this term and believe several may violate the law. However, any decision about how to hold Trump accountable must be made strategically, and in coordination with Democratic leadership. Trump must be stopped, and the real question is how best to go about that.
Zoe Lofgren
U.S. Congresswoman
18th Congressional District
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Support the teachers
Teacher Appreciation Week is the second week of May, and Day of the Teacher is May 7. This observance is a special time to honor the dedication, passion and resilience of teachers. Santa Cruz County California Retired Teachers Association (CalRTA Division 7) celebrates each year by giving out $150 teacher grants with a total of $2000 and $6000 Cabrillo College scholarships to students planning on becoming teachers. Contact ca********@gm***.com for more information for joining other retired teachers or about donating to teacher grants or Cabrillo College scholarships. Our next luncheon in Aptos is May 13. Our speaker is Murry Schekman. If interested in attending for $25 for a chef or tofu salad, please contact Glenda Hastings at 831.476.5886. Thank a teacher if you can read this!
Mary Dixon
Aptos
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Pass the Patient Debt Prevention Act
We did everything right, but cancer care in Salinas still put us in debt. I am asking our state legislators to pass the Patient Debt Prevention Act, Assembly Bill 1312. I am a high school teacher in Salinas. In our early thirties and working hard to build our future in Salinas, my husband and I were focused on building our skills as school teachers and saving to buy our first house. We thought we had our priorities in order. Everything changed when my husband was diagnosed with stage four cancer at age 33.
Three years later, his lymphoma is in remission, but our finances still haven’t recovered. Like one in three Californians, we live under the weight of medical debt.
We know now that hospitals like Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital are required to provide financial assistance to patients that meet certain income requirements, but patients need those options before the bills start piling up. That’s why I’m asking lawmakers to pass a bill that would protect patients from being saddled with preventable but crushing medical debt, AB 1312. This bill faces its first big hurdle on April 29 when it must pass the Assembly Health Committee.
With his cancer in remission, insurance no longer covers tests intended to catch any recurrence early. His latest screenings added $3,000 to our pile of debt.
Veronica Olea
Salinas
