Editor:

Please get the word out as soon as possible to homeowners in San Francisco turning 65 this year that the deadline for submitting the 2019-20 senior exemption application (on property taxes) is June 30, 2019.

There are problems with printing the application form online.  It will only print on eight-and-one-half inch by 14-inch paper and will not “fit to format.” I had to download the form, and send it as an attachment to Fedex because my printer only uses eight-and-one-half inch by 11-inch paper.

Otherwise, seniors must go to the San Francisco Unified School District office at 135 Van Ness Ave. to pick up an application.  This could be daunting since the building looks like it is enclosed by a fence right now.

Why can’t the SFUSD have simply sent us the application in the mail? Or would that have made it too easy for us oldsters?

Communication with the SFUSD has been completely useless. They don’t answer the phone and the person doing the emails can barely spell or put together a sentence.

Susan Chen, Parkside homeowner

Editor:

Regarding the dispute concerning George Washington High School’s sculpture and murals of Native Americans shown in a demeaning way and put down by powerful white men, I think it is important to take these artworks down.

The argument that they represent American history is senseless.  Just because a picture shows historical incidents is not a good reason to display racist imagery.  Such incidents are something the United States should be ashamed of. If Native American and all other students want to learn about the history of Native Americans, there are plenty of books and films documenting it, such as “A Cross of Thorns: The Enslavement of California’s Indians” by the Spanish Missions, by Elias Castillo and “The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee,” by David Treuer.

How would it be to have pictures of the Nazi death camps shown on the walls of schools to teach students about the atrocities of World War II?  Again, there are many books and films that depict the horrors of history.

Linda Lewin

Editor:

It is imperative that San Franciscans contact SF Supervisor Sandra Lee Fewer, the head of the budget committee, to voice their concern for the so-called “congestion pricing,” a ruse which the SF Recreation and Park Department, Parks Alliance and the San Francisco Botanical Garden Society are using to jack up entry taxes for “tourists” to a jaw-dropping $11.50 per person under the ridiculous claim that this will enable “low income” people to enter at a lower ($9!) price.

It is important to remember what we San Franciscans have lost since Dianne Feinstein privatized the museums. Every attraction in our parks used to be free. Parks Alliance turned the Conservatory into a place for baby showers, corporate events, light shows, weddings and other money-spinning activities. We have lost the quiet, free-to-enter greenhouse that we enjoyed for decades.

The San Francisco Botanical Garden Society has removed much of the vegetation from the native plant garden that Gavin Newsom’s grandfather founded, destroyed the ambience at the pond, brought in inappropriate events (with inane insanities such as “Winter Lights” in the works), destroyed the Demonstration Garden and covered it with concrete and has systematically shut out neighbors from any input. And they are just beginning to commercialize our former haven from urban hub.

Remember that your guests will have to pay that $11.50, as well as those “tourists” (such as visitors from Oakland). Contact Fewer at (415) 554-7410; (415) 554-7415 (fax) or Sandra.Fewer@sfgov.org.

Ask that she oppose “congestion pricing” and work to repeal all entry taxes. 

Harry S. Pariser