Chamber PAC endorses candidates in primary

The Pleasanton Chamber of Commerce's Business and Community Political Action Committee is pleased to announce its endorsements for the June 7 primary election.

Decisions were based on completed questionnaires received from the candidates running for the following positions: Assembly District 16 and 20, Alameda County Office of Education (Superintendent and Board Area 7), Alameda County Sheriff and Zone 7 Board of Directors.

Questions were based on Pleasanton 2025: A Community Vision, the chamber's local public policy platform with goals for the economy, jobs, education, infrastructure, public safety, health, housing, arts, leadership, culture and recreation that can be found on our website.

The endorsements are Assembly District 16: Rebecca Bauer-Kahan; Assembly District 20: Shawn Kumagai; Alameda County Superintendent of Schools: Alysse Castro; Alameda County Board of Education Area 7: Cheryl Cook-Kallio; Alameda County Sheriff: Gregory Ahern; Zone 7: Dr. Sarah Palmer, Dennis Gambs and Olivia Sanwong.

We support these candidates due to their qualifications and experience in representing Pleasanton and the Tri-Valley so it will remain the Bay Area's best place to live, work and raise a family. All were also supportive of the Pleasanton Chamber's goals as outlined in Pleasanton 2025: A Community Vision.

The BACPAC wants to extend its thanks to all the candidates for their commitment to running for public office and for taking the time to participate in our questionnaire process.

-- John Sensiba, BACPAC chair

Re-elect Monroe for county superintendent

I am writing to share my full support for L.K. Monroe for County Superintendent.

I was fortunate to work alongside her for many years as a School Board Trustee in Dublin and relied on her support on many occasions. Superintendent Monroe has successfully served Alameda County as its Superintendent of Schools for the past eight years and proven to be a staunch advocate for the funding that our schools need, now more than ever.

Superintendent Monroe convened the East Bay Coalition for Public Education, a unique group of school board members, union leaders, district superintendents, parents and students who joined together to go to Sacramento to advocate for increased funding for our schools before the COVID pandemic.

Her ability to bring this group together for this common cause showed her leadership and the respect that she has at all levels in our educational communities.

During the COVID crisis, Monroe served as the statewide president for the organization of the 58 county superintendents, the first woman of color to hold that office. She continued her advocacy for the resources that schools desperately needed during the pandemic, including testing, vaccines and the funding to ensure that students had the technologies and materials they needed to learn in both remote and classroom settings.

L.K. Monroe has proven she can get it done. We need her experience and leadership. Please re-elect L.K. Monroe for County Superintendent of Schools.

-- Amy Miller, former DUSD board president

Congress must continue its commitment to Alzheimer's research

Like all of you, I'm thankful that COVID is calming down and we can hug and visit friends and family again. I've been living with Alzheimer's for seven years, so every day is a gift for me.

I am so grateful for the time I get to spend with my friends and family. I'm also thankful that I'm still able to write, read, knit, drive, cook, make reservations and share my journey through my blog.

Though you wouldn't know it to look at me, Alzheimer's is a progressive brain disease that damages and eventually destroys brain cells, leading to a loss of memory and other cognitive skills. Eventually, Alzheimer's is fatal.

Recent funding increases for Alzheimer's research have led to significant scientific progress toward understanding what causes the disease, as well as developing interventions that may prevent and treat it.

I was very hopeful about Aduhelm, the Alzheimer's drug approved by the FDA last summer, and I was devastated when Medicare refused to cover it. But I don't have time to wallow! I'm going to keep using my voice to urge Congress to fulfill its bipartisan commitment made in the 2011 National Alzheimer's Project Act, to develop a disease-altering treatment by 2025.

Please join me in asking Congressman Swalwell and Senators Feinstein and Padilla to continue the commitment by supporting a $226 million increase for Alzheimer's research as requested by the National Institutes of Health for fiscal year 2023. Learn more about the bipartisan, grassroots movement to end Alzheimer's disease at www.alzimpact.org.

-- Pam Montana, via Town Square

Do Nothing Dems

We have a crisis at our southern border with thousands of illegal aliens entering the country every day.

And because of this open border policy by the Biden administration, fentanyl is being smuggled into the U.S. in record numbers. The fentanyl overdose epidemic is another crisis that is being ignored by the Biden administration.

We have an inflation problem that is getting worse, not better. Gas and food prices are at an all-time high. What are the Democratic leaders doing about these crises? Nothing!

The Do Nothing Dems continue to focus on their personal agenda to ruin our country and they turn a blind eye to the real issues of the day. Come November, do the right thing and vote them out of office.

-- David Ott

Special Olympics are back; track needs volunteers

Special Olympics need volunteers for the Pleasanton Track Meet. For the 18th year, Amador Valley High School Athletic Boosters is host for the Special Olympics East Bay Regional Track Meet, next Saturday (May 14).

This is a volunteer activity that will change your life and attitude! Volunteers: Must be high school age or older, adults welcome, children under high school must be accompanied by an adult or older sibling.

Team Escorts are needed for all day volunteering. Help the coaches and teams during the day, cheer and support them in their events. (All track-and-field volunteers are filled.)

To register, visit www.AV-SpecialOlympics.org; for questions, email me at [email protected]

-- Ken Mano, via Town Square