Don’t drive drunk on Super Bowl Sunday. Sober options are always available | Opinion
Drive sober this Super Bowl Sunday
“Super Bowl Sunday has law enforcement adding DUI enforcement around Stanislaus County,” (modbee.com, Feb. 10, 2023)
I’m excited for Super Bowl LVIII: the San Francisco 49ers vs. the Kansas City Chiefs. This event, however, also brings danger: In 2016, reports from the Automobile Club of Southern California noted that drunk driving crashes on Super Bowl Sunday were 75% higher than on comparable Sundays in January and February. Records from 2002 to 2011 show that 642 alcohol-related crashes happened on Super Bowl Sunday — 276 more alcohol-related crashes over 10 years than there would have been on typical Sundays.
Don’t let celebrating the game foul your life. A drunken driver hit me in 1992 when I was 16, and I suffer daily. Drunken driving must stop.
If sober, give rides to those who aren’t. Please make sure your designated driver is sober, not just less intoxicated than you. Sober rides are always available in the forms of ride shares and taxis.
Everyone wins with a sober driver. It takes all of us.
Lori Martin
Tracy
A vote for Ryan Taylor
“Election season is here, but are you registered to vote in Stanislaus County? What to know,” (modbee.com, Feb. 2)
Ryan Taylor, a candidate for Stanislaus RCC Area 2, has been a strong advocate for getting young people involved in local government. Taylor has encouraged young people to go out and vote, participate in city council and county board of supervisor meetings and get involved with local political parties.
I’m proud to support Taylor and his endeavors in helping people get involved in local government. Whether you’re getting your ballot through the mail or going to the voting booth on March 5, consider a vote for Ryan Taylor.
Christine J Showalter
Modesto
Opinion
Transparency in higher education
“Modesto Junior College president search, finalists and forum,” (modbee.com, Nov. 24)
As president of the Yosemite Community College District Board of Trustees, I want to explain our role as policy makers for Modesto and Columbia Junior Colleges. Our district covers 4,500 square miles, and our two campuses in Modesto and near Sonora serve a population of over 550,000 persons in Stanislaus, Tuolumne, San Joaquin, Merced, Santa Clara and Calaveras Counties.
We provide educational services to 28,000 students annually, providing the specialist training opportunities our community needs, like nursing, with Modesto Junior College increasing enrollment annually.
We hire the chancellor, who selects campus presidents to implement necessary policy and operations to run our district office and both campuses.
We believe in shared governance and broad consultation, but realize we are responsible to the taxpayers and voters of the district to ensure our colleges serve the needs of our students in the most economical way possible. Contrary to previous media reports, we do not directly select campus presidents, but we do provide final approval or disapproval for our chancellor’s selections.
If you would like any additional information, email me at richardsm@yosemite.edu. It is an honor to serve our community as your elected representatives for our community colleges.
Milton Richards
Modesto
Hold drug dealers accountable
“Another bad year for fentanyl OD deaths in Stanislaus County,” (modbee.com, Nov. 10, 2023)
It seems that everyone in Stanislaus County knows someone who has been the victim of fentanyl poisoning in recent years. This has been a growing concern of mine. Late last year, I attended a Fentanyl Awareness Town Hall with my teenage nephew hosted by the Stanislaus Opioid Safety Coalition and Assemblyman Juan Alanis. Stanislaus County Deputy District Attorney Patrick Hogan and Modesto’s police chief were among the speakers present.
What I learned is that we need more accountability for individuals who are selling these drugs. This town hall made us aware of how fentanyl is being added to counterfeit prescription drugs and distributed indiscriminately — even being sold to kids in middle and high school. The impact on families has been devastating and heartbreaking. I am grateful that Alanis and other local officials as well as drug treatment facilities like Aegis are doing everything in their power to educate our community on this crisis. This meeting had a powerful impact on my nephew.
I am also thankful to Alanis for his work in the assembly to reform Propositions 47 and 57. We need stricter laws to hold those who are circulating these drugs accountable.
Terhesa Gamboa
Modesto
