Letters to the editor: Week of Feb. 15

Re “The Dangerous Unintended Consequences of a Domestic Violence Registry“:

We appreciate Jane Stoever’s analysis and support her call for caution as policymakers discuss a domestic violence registry in California. Survivors are too often harmed by systems that miss the complexities of abuse.

As a relationship violence service provider, we share concerns that a publicly accessible registry, while well intentioned, could deepen harm. Survivors tell us fear of losing housing, income, or custody shapes decisions about seeking help. A registry could limit employment for those listed, including people still responsible for child or family support. Lost income can destabilize housing and increase pressure to stay or return.

As these discussions continue, we urge legislators to prioritize proven solutions: survivor centered response and coordination with law enforcement, deeper education in the judicial system on coercive control and domestic abuse dynamics, access to legal advocacy, long-term housing and financial empowerment. These solutions will protect survivors and strengthen family stability.

Maricela Rios-Faust is CEO of Human Options

Make Election Day a Holiday

In order to bring back public trust in elections, it’s time to make Election Day a federal holiday where you show up in person to your assigned voting place, show proper ID and cast your vote.  I don’t understand why many on the left do not want the Save Act to become law.  They claim voter suppression for some, but when asked how some people are being suppressed by having to show ID, they have no legitimate answer.

Why are we one of the only developed nations that do not have election results and all the votes counted by the end of Election Day? With very few exceptions and some planning, voters can and do get to their voting places and perform their civic duty.

Election Day has become Election Month which has  directly led to the loss of public trust in the election process.

Chas Hamann, Yorba Linda

Politicians need a class in constitutional law

The Republicans (and probably some Democrats) in Congress and Trump want to change the rules for voting. These powers belongs to the individual states as stated in the US Constitution. I think the president, vice president, and members of Congress need to take a course in US Constitutional law and if they fail, they should be forced to resign their offices.

It wouldn’t be a bad idea for all contenders for public office to have a passing grade in understanding the US Constitution and how it means so much for ALL the people who love this country and what it stands for.

Paul Fiene, West Hills

Kudos to Susan Shelley

Re “Jennifer Siebel Newsom scolds the press for doing its job“:

The hottest news in your Sunday Feb. 15 paper was buried on the jump page of the last section, Opinion.

There, amid the tired cliches of the regulars bashing Trump and Republicans, we learn in Susan Shelley’s column that Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Legislature worked it out so Planned Parenthood could get $90 million in taxpayer money to perform abortions on Californians.

A fleshed-out story of how they managed to do that, summarized deftly in just a few paragraphs by Shelley, would have – if journalism were still alive – made a great front-page centerpiece of the Southern California News Group’s big Sunday edition.

Heavens, the juicy tidbits – a detached governor winking at some ambitious politician, who packs a “shell” bill from last year with bucks that weren’t there then are aren’t there now,

And they did this because why? Well, California’s Planned Parenthood boss backed Newsom’s Prop. 50, the anti-Trump measure voters approved that re-gerrymandered California to favor Democrats even more. And who drew the new maps? The Planned Parenthood chief’s husband. Isn’t that tidy?

And this all cost California taxpayers only $90 million. Not bad when you consider Newsom and the Legislature have saddled the same taxpayers with deficits into the billions for years to come.

Kudos to Shelley for doing what other journalists these days don’t seem to want to do – research and report the truth.

Roger Ruvolo, Riverside