Marin IJ Readers’ Forum for Nov. 17, 2024

If everyone follows rules, all can use Mt. Tamalpais

I read Barbara Saltzman’s quotes in support of recent legal action against the Marin Municipal Water District to prohibit more bike access on watershed land (“Marin judge issues tentative ruling in Mount Tam cycling suit,” Nov. 8). I don’t think taxing Marin residents via a lawsuit is the best choice and I want to suggest a different idea.

I am a Marin native and I have hiked, biked and jogged on Mount Tamalpais my whole life. What if we explain the rules of the road to all who use the mountain? There are only three:

• Stay to the right. This applies to hikers, runners, hikers and horses.

• If a biker comes upon pets or people, slow down. Bikes go the fastest, so they pose a greater risk.

• After a biker slows down for people or pets, call out to let everyone know how many are behind you. Also, say “on your left” as you pass them. Thank them for moving over and proceed.

I have never had a negative encounter on Tam and I have seen hikers spread across the trail unaware of others. I have seen hikers with earbuds in so they cannot hear. I have seen pets off leash and bikers going too fast (or coming up both sides of the trails) that led to spooked horses.

In every instance, we just took a breath and tried to use the three rules above. It has always worked like a charm.

— Bob Simon, Larkspur

MMWD director thanks voters for their support

I am deeply honored and humbled by the overwhelming support I received in the recent election for the Division 5 seat on the Marin Municipal Water District Board of Directors. Serving this community as your advocate for clean, safe and affordable water has been the privilege of my career. I am grateful to have earned your trust once again.

For over 20 years, I’ve worked alongside a dedicated team, always focusing on keeping our water quality high while ensuring affordability for all residents. My background as a civil engineer and water quality expert has taken me across the globe, but my most meaningful work has always been right here in Marin. I have always approached my work in water as a public service — putting people and our shared resources at the heart of every decision.

This election result reaffirms our shared commitment to a sustainable water future. I am excited to continue working for you, advocating for responsible water management and advancing practices that protect our resources and our community. Thank you, Marin, with sincere gratitude, for your support, trust and partnership in this journey.

— Larry Russell, MMWD Board of Directors

Disappointed by election results in presidential race

The election to a second term of Donald J. Trump has proven that if a lie is told often enough and convincingly enough it can be perceived as truth. Throw in the fact that the “price of eggs” is intolerably higher than it was several years ago — since before Joe Biden’s presidency — and America has decided to disregard the voices of its better angels and elect to a second term a president filled with the language of retribution, hatred, misogyny and finding “enemies within.”

America must now look in the mirror and realize that it has “become” Trump. I find it tragic that someone I consider to be a master con man has manipulated enough people with lies, fear and hatred.

Election results show that we have rejected — I believe partly out of misogyny and racism — leadership that would have brought together ideas of progress from a multicultural and multiracial political spectrum. We missed an opportunity to move forward into unchartered territory with optimism, a sense of joy for many, feelings of hope and strength.

Instead, I worry we have become the lowest incarnation of ourselves — just steps away from tyranny, repression and enslavement to powers whose agenda is corrosive and destructive.

Former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill once stated in a message to Parliament in 1947 that “Democracy is the worst form of government ever invented, except for all the forms that have been tried from time to time.” It is a statement that recognizes human flaws and the possibility that democracy may not always get it right. I think American democracy has failed America in 2024.

We’ve abandoned our better angels. We didn’t listen to their whispered words of the difference between truth and lies, right from wrong. I am sad, angry, disillusioned and incredulous. Yes, our democracy got it terribly wrong.

— Bruce Farrell Rosen, San Francisco