Letters to the Editor: We live in Texas. Visiting California, we feel safe from COVID-19

To the editor: As residents of Texas, we are not proud of our state given our governor’s actions against mask mandates, especially in schools. As a result, our hospitals are at their breaking point. Although local authorities have consistently tried to enforce strong public health measures, they have been sued by our governor. (“Biden steps into the growing battle between red states and blue cities,” Aug. 20)

Why are we writing this? We decided we had to get out of Houston for part of the summer. There, the heat and humidity can be unbearable, so we took a one-month road trip from San Diego to Mendocino County.

We feel much safer in California, I am sorry to say. Here, we see everyone wearing masks and acting with courtesy toward one another. Everyone we meet is taking COVID-19 seriously; they do not want to get sick or be a superspreader.

Californians often get a bad rap, but we cannot be more impressed by you. You have treated us with kindness, dignity and respect. You are polite and generous. You are proud of your cities and your state, and you should be. Your respect for the environment energizes us to become even more mindful global citizens.

So, we write to say thank you for hosting us, respecting the virus and teaching the rest of the world how to behave in the face of the pandemic. Don’t ever let anyone rain on your parade.

Milton and Kathie Magness, Houston

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To the editor: Should it really be so difficult to keep kids safe in this country?

To appease their supporters, conservative governors in red states threaten school districts with funding cuts if schools want to follow guidelines from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Incredibly, parents are also seeking ways to evade mask mandates.

If conservative political leaders won’t protect students and parents won’t protect their own children, what chance do they have to learn in a safe environment?

Students have become political pawns. Harming them for political gain should be a crime. We can roll our eyes and say “that’s politics,” but this game is deadly.

Donna Sloan, Los Angeles