As doctors, we have seen the toll that the COVID-19 pandemic has taken across the world. We understand the precautions needed to keep people safe. We also recognize the incredible hardship that many children across the world have faced, learning only via computer (if at all) and missing critical social interactions with peers and access to caring adults at school.
As parents and doctors, we are incredibly grateful that our local Portola Valley schools were resourceful and motivated to get kids back to on-campus learning as soon as they could responsibly do so. Our children have loved being back at school this year, and it is so healthy for them to be there. The exceptional instruction and enrichment that we value is still there, too, despite the extreme challenges of running schools during a pandemic.
We are proud of our local district. It deserves our support, as do the kids of our community. Passage of Measure S will keep the very best teachers, instruction, and enrichment here in Portola Valley. If you value protecting the exceptional quality of our local schools — whether to prepare students for success or simply to protect your property values — then S deserves your yes vote, too.
Dr. Lindsey Pierce and Dr. Brendan Pierce
Wyndham Drive, Portola Valley
Put a price on carbon
As a 17-year-old climate activist, my most recent excitement has come not from college acceptances, getting my driver's permit, or passing my classes. It has come from the reintroduction of the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act (EICDA) to the new Congress.
My excitement baffles my peers, even as I lecture them incessantly about the bill's effectiveness, financial responsibility, economic justice, and political strength. EICDA will reduce carbon emissions by 30% in the first five years and achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. It will stimulate economic growth, and a predicted increase in carbon costs will be offset by the regular check all Americans will receive to spend as they see fit, especially benefiting low-income individuals. As a senior in high school, I am celebrating my future. The time has come to put a price on carbon.
Lanier Poland
Wayside Road, Portola Valley
This story contains 407 words.
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