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Developer is missing real issue on San Pablo

Patrick Kennedy was quoted in the June 12 Daily Planet as saying opponents to his proposed development at 2700 San Pablo were “citizen vigilantes whose real motive is fighting the low income housing units proposed for the building.” Nothing could be farther from the truth! Every opponent I have spoken to is all for affordable housing and thinks Kennedy’s plan of five affordable units out of 48 total units is far too little. Our opposition is to the mass and density of the building. We would be most pleased to see a 30-unit, all-affordable building. I regret that Patrick Kennedy must resort to name calling to avoid the real issue. 

Bob Kubik 

Berkeley 

Zero-Emission Vehicles will help environment

I was glad to hear that Bay Area residents are so concerned about environmental issues, and air quality in particular (Daily Planet, June 22). Currently, 95 percent of California residents live in areas where air quality failed to meet federal health standards last year, so air pollution is certainly a major problem statewide, and especially the Bay Area. Most of that pollution is due to automobiles (we’re adding 1.5 million new cars every year), so the only realistic long-term solution is to ensure that future cars pollute less. 

California’s Zero-Emission Vehicle program pollutes the development of hybrid, electric, and other clean-technology cars by requiring that 10 percent of new cars sold must be zero- (or near-zero) emission vehicles by 2003. Unfortunately, this program has been handcuffed in the past by automakers and the oil industry, whose lobbying got requirements for 1998 lifted, and the thing is threatening to happen again this year. Gov. Davis ought to support this 10 percent requirement in order to provide a long-term solution to the problem of air quality. 

Alan Keefer 

CALPIRG field manager 

Berkeley