Enough is enough, stop drunk driving
As a third generation El Pasoan, this city is more than just home to me. It’s where my husband and I are raising our two boys and it’s a place where we want them to grow up feeling safe. But our community is facing a crisis we can’t ignore — drunken driving.
Too often, I hear about lives cut short because someone decided they were okay to drive after drinking. Just last year, an impaired driver crashed into our mailbox at midday, just as my children were walking to the front to play outside, leaving them and us shocked and terrified. These tragedies aren’t accidents; they are the result of reckless choices.
As the mayor has said, enough is enough. I’m grateful for his efforts to partner with ride-share companies like Uber, but this is just a start. We need a community-wide commitment to stop drunken driving.
If you see someone impaired, don’t let them get behind the wheel. No more excuses. No more victims.
Laura Rosales
West El Paso
Don’t allow another fiasco, keep El Paso unique
I was born and raised in El Paso. Like many, my family roots here go back generations. I have lived in both Chicago and Austin for years at a time enjoying the amenities they offer. We have recently returned to El Paso knowing that it is far from a perfect city (if in fact there truly is a perfect city anywhere).
El Paso is a unique city both historically and culturally. It cannot and should not be compared to other similar metropolitan cities. It is not nor will it ever be like them, hence my use of the word “unique.” Is New York City just like Miami? No.
The proposed change to Zoning Code 20.10.035 is morally and fiscally flawed. The issue is the unfairness to those people who have lived in their neighborhoods for years, perhaps generations, saving and struggling to maintain their property and take pride in them as well.
By allowing Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) to be constructed on properties not owned by the resident, you will create what will evolve into a “slum styled” neighborhood.
El Paso real estate is relatively inexpensive when compared to other major cities. Properties will be bought up for cheap by out-of-town investors who will exploit this proposed zoning change in the interest of profit. These owners will have no concern for the community or property itself if a profit is being made.
Neighborhoods, proud, perhaps humble, will not stand any chance of survival if there is no requirement against the owner building the ADU and renting out the main building and not residing on the property.
Please don’t allow for another fiasco such as the proposed sports facility in Chihuahita.
Paul Carvalho
Kern Place
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: LETTERS: Enough is enough, stop drunken driving
Reporting by El Paso Times / El Paso Times
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