Prius Envy? and Union Needs New Leadership

July 26, 2004

Dear Editor,

Whether or not one agrees with Frank Gruber's opinion ("What I Say: Feeding the Stereotype," July 26, 2004) that hybrid vehicles shouldn't get special carpool or parking meter treatment,
Assemblywoman Fran Pavley shouldn't be faulted for trying to come up with innovative ways to encourage folks to reduce reliance on fossil fuels. The more incentives we have, the sooner we will break the bad fuel consumption habit, a habit that has been a catastrophe, environmentally and politically.

Mr. Gruber also calls the Prius hybrid "expensive" and implies that the Prius is for the wealthy. True, the Prius is priced a little higher than comparable models, but it is still in the mid-price range. The gas savings make the car a good deal for consumers who will also appreciate that
it is a Super Low Emission Vehicle.

I admit, I'm biased, having purchased a Prius hybrid a few months back. Still, my wife, Robbie, and I are very happy with ours. So is our newly licensed 16 year old, Zac. He says it's "very cool".

I never said that about my father's Oldsmobile.

Why is Mr. Gruber picking on Fran Pavley's "Thousand Oaks constituents" for living far from their jobs? He and I both are very fortunate to live near our jobs in Santa Monica. That's great but it's not realistic for a lot of people, including many who commute out of Santa Monica to places like...Thousand Oaks. There are a lot of reasons why this is so, including the fact that it is increasingly expensive to live here.

Whether we like it or not, not all of the jobs are on the Westside. Commuters can help by saving gas and polluting less, can't they? After all, there isn't a bus or a train between our two cities, so some folks just have to get on the highway. For these commuters and many others, the hybrid is
a good deal for their pocketbook and for the environment.

I am quite certain that Mr. Gruber, Assemblywoman Pavley and I will all happily agree that we need to encourage new transportation options, most importantly, the Expo light rail line. In the meantime, people who have to drive and are responsibly looking at other options, should know that there are some very good reasons to choose them.

Richard Bloom
Mayor
City of Santa Monica

Dear Editor,

I don't care for the opinion piece by Phil Hendricks and Carl Gettleman. (“OPINION: A Report Card You Wouldn’t Want Your Kid to Bring Home,” July 21, 2004)

They have said some very nasty things about hard-working people, personally attacked Margaret Quiñones and Dr. Piedad Robertson, and embarrassed the union movement. CSEA (California School Employees Association) needs new leadership.