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Polling is wrong gauge
I am writing to express a concern that has become increasingly clear in the wake of Measure PP’s defeat: polling is not a reliable proxy for the will of the residents.
Prior to placing Measure PP on the ballot, a poll suggested that voters would not support it (if there were an opposition campaign). Despite this clear signal, the council majority proceeded to advance the measure. The result: Voters decisively rejected it at the ballot box.
This outcome should not be dismissed as an anomaly — it is a stark reminder that polling, while sometimes useful for gauging general sentiment, cannot substitute for direct democratic engagement. Polls are shaped by methodology, timing, sample bias and question framing.
They capture snapshots, not convictions. Public opinion will be only definitively measured by voting.
When elected officials override polling and push forward with initiatives that lack clear public backing, it risks eroding trust in local government. Residents expect their voices to be heard — not approximated.
I urge the council to reflect on this outcome and consider more robust, inclusive methods for engaging the community before placing future measures on the ballot. Let us prioritize listening over guessing.
— Michael Austin
Successful Brilliance at the Bankhead
On behalf of Livermore Valley Arts, I am delighted to share the success of Brilliance at the Bankhead, starring LeAnn Rimes, held on Aug. 23. This year’s event was our most successful fundraiser to date, raising essential funds that support our mission to bring world-class performances, arts education and community engagement to the entire Tri-Valley.
The evening was filled with energy, creativity and a shared commitment to the Arts. That success was possible because of the incredible support we received from local sponsors who understand how vital the Arts are to our region.
In particular, we extend our sincere gratitude to Pleasanton Weekly and their parent company, Embarcadero Media Foundation, for their steadfast partnership. Their support helps ensure that our stories reach the community and that the importance of the Arts is celebrated widely.
We are equally grateful to every sponsor, donor, and attendee who joined us for this remarkable evening. Your generosity sustains Livermore Valley Arts as a cultural home where our community can gather, be inspired, and grow together.
The triumph of Brilliance at the Bankhead reminds us that when a community invests in the Arts, everyone benefits. With heartfelt thanks to our sponsors, we look forward to building on this success and continuing to keep the Arts vibrant in the Tri-Valley.
— Ruth Egherman, director of marketing, Livermore Valley Arts
No political letters
Would be great to set a new standard that discourages and frankly stipulates that political rhetoric isn’t welcome. It only insights hate. Social media has enough of that; your paper doesn’t need to support more.
– Lisa Thomas
Tariff wars are unnecessary
We don’t need balanced trade. If India, for example, can make apparel, textiles and many other things far cheaper than we can, let ’em. Everybody benefits.
We don’t need more factories with low-paying, non-union jobs (Trump, Musk, Bezos, and many other billionaires oppose unions). We need more white-collar, higher paying jobs along with lower product costs.
Tariffs are predicted to wipe out many small businesses. Of course, Bezos and Amazon will survive, if not thrive.
The trade war with China under Trump 1.0 resulted in $28 billion in farmer bailout payments. Of course, Trump 1.0 buried those payments from the news media lest they smack of socialism.
The wealth gap has never been wider. The Big Beautiful Bill’s Medicaid and SNAP cuts along with Trump’s fabricated tariff war will widen the gap. Only the oligarchs want the gap to widen.
Trade and tariff wars are unnecessary for our capitalistic society whose cornerstone is free markets. These “wars” are contrived by a man who likes to throw his notable weight around and has declared bankruptcy multiple times.
— Barry Brynjulson
Remembering animal advocate John Burton
The late John Burton was not an advocate only for the human downtrodden, he was also a loud and effective advocate for animals.
Back in 1994 Assemblymember Burton authored AB 49X, which passed with a then-unheard-of 117-3 floor vote, outlawing the Mexican charreada’s brutal “horse tripping” event. A dozen other states soon followed suit, resulting in a U.S. Charro Federation rule change for the entire country. Progress!
Similar legislation is now needed to ban the charreada’s even more brutal “steer tailing” event, in which a mounted cowboy (“charro”) chases a running steer down a long straightaway, grabs the steer’s tail, then wraps it around his stirrup.
Riding his horse off at an angle, he attempts to slam the hapless steer to the ground. Steers’ tails are routinely and painfully stripped to the bone (“degloved”), broken, even torn off. “Steer tailing” is not a standard ranching practice anywhere in the U.S. Even Cesar Chavez was an outspoken critic.
Both Alameda and Contra Costa counties outlawed “steer tailing” in the early 1990s; Nebraska did so in 2008. A similar ban is long overdue in California. Let your county and state reps hear from you!
Heartfelt thanks to Mr. Burton – may his tribe increase, R.I.P., with sincere condolences to his family and countless friends.
– Eric Mills, coordinator, Action for Animals
