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Conservation pays off
in Silicon Valley
Re: “California regulators are willing to spend billions to save a few drops” (Page A6, Jan. 30).
Dan Walters believes that water conservation efforts in California waste money, arguing for more water storage and desalination. As usual, the cynical pundit is dead wrong, and his oversimplified argument is deliberately misleading.
Dan compares the immense quantity of California’s total precipitation to the water saved through conservation, characterizing the benefit as an expensive “drop in the bucket.” But here in the Santa Clara Valley, conservation efforts are providing significant, relatively inexpensive gains, offsetting the purchase of precious stored water supplies, the considerable cost of water conveyance, and the cost of local water purification. Our leaders are currently debating the efficacy of a new reservoir at Pacheco Pass that will cost a whopping $2.8 billion.
Compassionate people who know what they’re doing understand the enormous value of water conservation, and Walters is at his very worst when he dismisses their thoughtful efforts as mere “virtue signaling.”
Doug Peterson
Water Ambassador, Santa Clara Valley Water District
San Jose
Sreekrishnan for
District 26 seat
Re: “Elect Ahrens for Evan Low’s Assembly seat” (Page A8, Jan. 28).
We enthusiastically support Tara Sreekrishnan for state Assembly, District 26. She is the hard-working daughter of immigrants who knows the importance of safe jobs, a living wage, educational excellence and a clean environment. With her years of experience on the Santa Clara County Board of Education and as legislative director to state Sen. Dave Cortese, she has proved she knows how to get things done to help working families throughout Santa Clara County.
That Tara has the endorsement of local city and county firefighters, teachers and health care workers is further evidence of her commitment to the public good. We need and deserve the kind of representation and leadership that Tara has been providing.
Ted Smith
and Amanda Hawes
San Jose
California’s economy
needs renewable energy
“New statistics released today (Jan. 26) by the Scottish government reveal that renewable energy technologies generated the equivalent of 113% of Scotland’s overall electricity consumption in 2022 — the highest recorded figures to date and a 26% increase year-on-year” (Scottish Renewables). Well done Scotland.
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California could have achieved a similar goal had Gov. Newsom and his California Public Utilities Commission supported renewable energy sources like rooftop solar, instead of decimating the industry. Rather than move forward in growing renewable energy, Newsom and his CPUC chose to support fossil fuel utilities like Pacific Gas and Electric.
Scotland found that renewable energy added thousands of jobs and contributed significantly to the country’s economic stability. Now is the time to re-examine the decision to gut renewables in favor of more fossil fuel consumption. Supporting an industry that provides jobs, an economic boost to cities, counties and the state makes sense.
Thomas Redfern
San Jose