It was disappointing to see The San Francisco Examiner side with the big pork and cattle lobby in opposing U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s important pro-animal welfare amendment to the Farm Bill (“Bill’s defeat a win for animal welfare,” Monday). Read More

I cannot think of one financial city measure that has passed in which  the money was not spent in part on something other than what the measure was passed for (“SFUSD moves funds to meet state laws,” June 21). The San Francisco Unified School District budget includes $29 million in new expenditures, but only $364,000 in new revenue — and $16 million out of $62 million of earmarked state funds will be diverted to the district’s general fund to be used for other things. Read More

Thanks for your excellent article (“Speed push cited in bike death,” June 15). I wonder if The San Francisco Examiner has learned of any initiatives to require on-road bicyclists to carry insurance. Under the circumstances of your report, the subject would make for an excellent follow-up piece, and be a great public service if it spurred action. In another very recent incident, this time along The Embarcadero, another elderly person was hit by a bicyclist and killed. Her death resulted in only $15,000 in compensation. Read More

After following the saga of suspended Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi for the past few months, the recent findings and stories surrounding him are very disturbing. First, he was deceptive when it came to his guns, and then he seemed to obstruct the police’s attempts to secure them. And his claim that his guns were “buried deep in the house,” making it difficult to retrieve them, doesn’t fly. Well, if he buried them deep, then he knows where they are and can go uncover them, right? Read More

The article alleging racial bias in student discipline assumes that because black and Hispanic students are being suspended from school more frequently than Asian and Caucasian students, the cause “must” be racism (“Taking prejudice out of punishment,” Sunday).    Read More

To the letter writer from San Bruno: The 7 “measly acres” you refer to actually belong to the taxpayers of San Francisco and not to a San Bruno resident (“Small Golden Gate Park patch a big deal for families,” Letters, Wednesday). The City has more to offer children than just soccer. Great libraries, nine public swimming pools, a playground in every neighborhood, at least 60 soccer fields, numerous basketball gyms, after-school programs and lots of affordable summer camps — but we also want children to experience nature, wildlife and a great dark sky to view the stars. Read More

As a gay resident of San Francisco for nearly 40 years you can imagine how supremely delighted I was to glance up while waiting for a Muni bus and see an unmistakably, wonderfully gay Gap advertisement on the side of the bus! Were my eyes deceiving me? There they were, two cute gay young men tucked inside a Gap T-shirt, with the caption, ‘Be One.’ Read More