Letters to the editor

Cyclists and bike lanes

I live in Rancho Santa Fe.  When driving our local roads I too often encounter bicycle riders who seem to have a death wish.  Instead of riding where there is a big wide bike trail like on the Del Dios Highway (S-6), a few insist on riding on Camino Del Norte or El Montevideo roads, for example.  Those and most other RSF 2-lane roads are dangerous!  There is no bike lane on many stretches.  There are many right turns in which a driver cannot see whether a bicycle is in the traffic lane ahead.  But a driver MUST not swing out wide over the double yellow stripes because a car going 40 MPH might be in the on-coming lane.  Nobody wants to risk a head-on collision.  But drivers are NOT going to slow to bicycle speed before rounding every blind corner.  We can only hope a bicyclist is not in the traffic lane ahead.

A few years ago my neighbor in Solana Beach, Dave Curnow while riding his bicycle was hit by a car.  Dave remains paralyzed from the chest down.  He was right, the driver was wrong, but Dave is still paralyzed.  A bicyclist always loses in any collision with a car.  Riding where there are no bike lanes and blind corners seems foolhardy in the extreme.  If I were a bicyclist, I wouldn’t risk injury just because a road is more scenic.

Larry Whitaker,

Rancho Santa Fe

 

Just the facts, please!  

As a Candidate for Escondido Mayor, current Deputy Mayor Olga Diaz must look at the larger picture from a macro view perspective to consider what is most in Escondido’s overall public interest as a city? That is why she supports Escondido’s Proposition H (The Lakes proposal for subdivision, public parks, public community facilities, developer contribution for extra million, besides developer impact fees).

That’s why I support Olga Diaz’ position, instead of considering only the micro-view of what’s best for County Club residents, and ECCHO’s own self interest.

Olga’s support for Prop. H reflects careful analysis and judgment.  I trust Deputy Mayor Diaz’ position, because it will have a better fiscal outcome (lesser cost) to the city of Escondido’s taxpayers, than the alternative(s).  Olga deserves credit, not criticism, for display of superior fiscal responsibility than incumbent Mayor Abed.

Patricia Borchmann,

Escondido 

 

Where are the girls?

This past August in Los Angeles, Google held the finals for its annual Code Jam computer coding contest.  Of the 26 finalists, there were no females.

Last year the San Dieguito Union High School District began offering a coding elective in its middle schools. Ninety-five percent of the students who enrolled were boys.  This year the percentage improved somewhat to 88 percent boys.  Where are the girls?

Computer Science/Information Technology continues to be one of the fastest growing and highest paid fields. The U.S. Department of Labor projects that by 2020, there will be 1.4 million computer specialist job openings. Yet U.S. universities anticipate that they will produce only enough qualified graduates to fill 29 percent of these jobs.

In light of this information and when I consider what the future might hold for my 10-year-old daughter, the following statistics from the Girls Who Code website (www.girlswhocode.com) are equally alarming:

• Despite the fact that 55 percent of overall AP test takers are girls, only 17 percent of AP Computer Science test takers are high school girls;

• In middle school, 74 percent of girls express interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM), but when choosing a college major, just 0.3 percent of high school girls select computer science;

• While 57 percent of bachelor’s degrees are earned by women, just 12 percent of computer science degrees are awarded to women.

This is not OK.  Is there something more we can do at our schools to encourage more female participation?  I believe there is and that’s why I’m running for the Board of the San Dieguito Union High School District.

There used to be a similar issue with girls and science, but for the last five years the San Dieguito School District has had a 50/50 gender balance in the AP level math and science courses.  Part of the solution is to recognize the problem.  Once we shed light on it the School Board can encourage actions that increase enrollment.  If I am elected to the Board, this is exactly what I intend to do. Learn more about me from my website                 VoteForViskanta.com.

Rimga Viskanta

Candidate for San Dieguito Union High School District Board