Letters: Fight over gate raises questions of government service

"The spat over 1,000 feet of Morrison Canyon Road reflects a question that applies at all levels of government: Do elected officials serve voters broadly or a few wealthy donors? The current issue is whether Fremont controls the road that the Alameda County Board of Supervisors ceded to Christopher George, who has now blocked access with a gate. But it is part of a longer battle that has included the board considering George's request for the land after his company"

"The relationship between landlords and tenants in the Bay Area is defined by unease - not because it has to be, but because the system is designed that way. From the moment keys change hands, policy quietly positions neighbors as adversaries, then acts surprised when trust collapses. I'm an Oakland housing provider who supports tenant protections and housing stability. I've also watched well-intentioned policies reward conflict, punish cooperation and harden people who entered the relationship in good faith."

A dispute over 1,000 feet of Morrison Canyon Road raises whether elected officials prioritize voters broadly or wealthy donors. The Alameda County Board of Supervisors ceded the road to Christopher George, whose company donated $10,000 to a supervisor's campaign, and George has blocked access with a gate. The board justified the transfer as saving maintenance costs but deprived constituents of a segment used recreationally for decades. Bay Area landlord-tenant relations are described as defined by unease because policy structures neighbors as adversaries. An Oakland housing provider supports tenant protections but warns that policies reward conflict, punish cooperation, enable unchecked power on either side, and remove humanity; laws and norms should encourage accountability from both landlords and tenants to restore fairness and stability.

Read at The Mercury News