The Californian from Salinas, California • Page A2

PHONE: 831-754-4260 FAX: 831-754-4293 EMAIL: WWW.THECALIFORNIAN.COM Editorial board Pete Wevurski, executive editor, 754-4280 Katharine Ball, digital editor, 754-4282 aula Goudreau, president publisher, 754-4100 2A thecalifornian.comThe Salinas Californian "OTHER VIEWS" do not always reflect the opinion of The Californian, ut are presented to stimulate public debate on issues. OTHER VIEWS We welcome your comments on editorials, columns and other opics in The Salinas Californian or any subjects that are i mportant to you. Guidelines include: Mail your view to The Salinas Californian, 123 W. Alisal Salinas, CA 93901. Fax to 754-4293.

Email to hecalifornian.com. Letters to the editor may be limited to 200 or fewer words. oapbox commentaries may be limited to 500 or fewer words a nd require prior approval from the Opinion Page editor. Priority is given to letters from Monterey County. SHARE YOUR VIEW OPINION You would expect that a political party that recently won a majority in the U.S.

Senate, gained strength in the House, captured 31of 50 governorships and gave 24 of those governors majorities in their legislatures would be basking in predictions of success. But rather than luxuriating in the warm glow of bright prospects, the Republican Party is, in the eyes of some experts, on track for extinction. The reasons center on demographic forecasts showing groups likely to vote for the GOP in steep ecline and Democratic-oriented voters surging. But such the long predictions resemble those fanciful 1930s prophecies that by 1970, we would be all be commuting by autogiro and living in geodesic domes. After the 2014 elections, pundits wasted no time in proclaiming the Republican triumph an iridescent dream bound to evaporate in the face of growth in the number of Democrats and a corresponding crash in older white Americans who identify with the GOP.

Young and minority The first example of this was an article in Salon by William H. Frey of The Brookings Institution, ho wrote that the combination of a doubling of new racial minorities Hispanics, Asians and ultiracial coupled with tepid rowth of the aging white were awarning to the Republican Party that time was not on its side. somber prediction was echoed in Politico Daniel J. McGraw, who underscored the point by alculating the number of people who cast votes for itt Romney in 2012 who are now dead. So there it is: A triumphal procession of likely Democrats young and minority voters marching boldly along a road to the future lined with the raves of dead Republicans.

Add to the young and hose of color other pro-Democratic groups such as ingle women and the poor, and you have a scenario so nightmarish for Republicans that unless they reform radically, they will suffer the fate of the anti-immigrant Know-Nothing Party of the mid-19th entury. However, there is something wrong with this icture: Populations do not equal voters, and growth in a demographic group will not necessarily cause a commensurate upsurge in likely voters from those groups. The very groups predicted to swell the numbers of Democrats are also those least likely to show up a the polls, especially in non-presidential elections. For example, in 2014, voters ages 18-29 constituted nly 13 percent of the electorate, compared with those 65 and older, who were 22 percent of those casting ballots. In 2012, a presidential year, the youngest cohort voters was a more robust 19 percent.

Turning out in 2016 Astrong youth turnout in presidential elections favors Democrats, but the falloff of the youth vote in non-presidential elections magnifies the influence of Republican-leaning groups such as seniors. This tends to produce a situation in which, increasingly, Democratic presidents will face a Republican Congress and hostile governors. Turnout for Democrats is equally underwhelming in non-presidential years with minorities, most notably African Americans, the most loyal Democrats. The party has been heartened by the rise of Hispanics in the population, but a portion of that rise inc ludes the 11million undocumented residents of the U.S., most of whom are Hispanic and none of whom can legally vote. ven among those who can, turnout has been dismal.

Last year, more than 43 percent of likely non-voters were identified as non-white. President bama lamented this anemic contribution to Democratic voting strength shortly after the 2014 elections. But what of 2016? Intensity of feeling drives participation in elections, and one of the most intense groups has been the backers of Donald Trump. This is partly because of his celebrity and bumptious oratory, but there is an audience out there for the issues he has chosen to mphasize that extends well beyond Trump himself, an unlikely GOP presidential nominee. These issues, aptured by a more electable Republican, will cert ainly enhance GOP turnout in 2016.

Ross K. Baker is distinguished professor of political science at Rutgers University and a member of the Board of Contributors at USA TODAY. He is author of the recent ook Is Bipartisanship Dead? published by Paradigm Publishers. Republican party is far from dead BY ROSS K. BAKER USA TODAY viduals, communities and systems of care.

Numerous tudies demonstrate that communities save money by providing permanent supportive housing to people xperiencing homelessness. Homeless persons are more likely to suffer from chronic medical conditions and complications due to housing instability. Emergency rooms, crisis response, and public safety systems a re utilized at a much higher rate by homeless individuals. In short, it is proven to be more cost effective to rovide permanent supportive housing than to leave someone on the streets or in shelters. The issue of homelessness is complex and demands both individual and community-wide responses.

Supp ort of nonprofit homeless programs helps to provide services to those in need. Local governments should ake concerted efforts to increase the stock of safe and affordable housing for extremely low-income individuals and families. It is essential that all of us faith communities, local residents, nonprofits, government, housing developers, business, education and funding entities work together to do the heavy lift- i ng needed to end homelessness in our community. how you can help: Sign the online petition upportive of affordable housing or learn more about programs for landlords that provide rental subsidies at www.chspmontereycounty.org. Support the work of the Coalition of Homeless Services Providers whose ember agencies are established local experts with proven track records.

Read the 2015 Homeless Census eport and share the findings. Katherine Thoeni is the executive officer of the Coalition of Homeless Services Providers. According to the recently released Homeless Cens us, the number of individuals counted in Monterey County was 2,308. The number of individuals counted in San Benito County was 651. For the purposes of the census, the U.S.

Department of Housing and Urban evelopment (HUD) defines homelessness as living in shelters and places not meant for human but excludes the common circumstance of multiple families housed together due to economic hardship. The Homeless Census provides us with numbers, tatistics and demographics. But the people behind the numbers are often our neighbors, loved ones, friends a nd co-workers. He served his country and did three tours in Iraq. He experienced death, war and battle.

He came home with an honorable discharge, post-traumatic stress disorder and few employment opportunities. One piece of bad luck followed another until he found him- elf sleeping in the alley way of a shopping center. He just wants a job and the chance to get his life together a gain. She is a woman of a certain age, a homemaker married for 30 years before her partner left her. The last thing she would ever do is to become a burden to her rown children who live in different states.

They think Mom is doing OK, but Mom is not OK. You see, she lost he house eight months ago and has been sleeping in the car every night since and visiting libraries in the daytime hours trying her best to blend in. Homelessness comes at a very high cost to indi- SOAP BOX Ending homelessness is a community responsibility BY KATHERINE THOENI remove officer from Salinas PAL The public passed Measure in order to increase public safety and get more police officers on the treets. This move was made with a desire to increase neighborhood policing along with supporting youth programs. As police officers are being hired and the department is being reorganized to achieve a greater police presence in our community, Salinas PAL is losing i ts leading officer and executive director.

Weakening the Salinas PAL by taking police leadership out of the olice Athletic League seems like the wrong move for oth the short and long term. Officer Angel Gonzalez, who has led PAL over the ast five years, has grown the Salinas Jr. Giants Pro- ram from a couple hundred kids ages 5 to 13 years old, to a program that has over 1,000 of youth inv olved. Today, kids ages 5 to 18 years old are playing a nd participating in the Salinas summer Jr. Giants program.

After exponential annual growth, and being ne of the few Jr. Giants programs in the state to expand to include a for ages 14 to 18 years old, the San Francisco Giants have taken notice a nd want to work with Salinas to build a Jr. Giants Baseball Complex. The addition of a Jr. Giants Baseball Complex would not only help with the current lack of field availability in the summer for Jr Giants activity, but would also help the whole community of Salinas year-round.

alinas PAL provides activities for at-risk youth throughout Salinas that teach character, integrity, teamwork and leadership all year round. There is bowling, arate, ballet, and other activities and experiences like the police Explorers that instill positive skills and interactions with law enforcement and the people who dedicate themselves to community improvement. The efforts of Salinas PAL and positive role models like Officer Angel Gonzalez are the very formula needed to foster positive community relations and supportive attitudes toward our local law enforcement. Continuing and growing the Salinas PAL will pay off in future divi- ends for our city. The National PAL motto: better to build youth than mend With all the challenges Salinas and its police department are facing these days, PAL is a youth program ith a proven track record in our community that should be expanded rather than cut.

SEAN HENRY SALINAS Feds need to probe Peninsula water plans It is time for the federal grand jury to give immediate and full investigation into the recent allegation of conflict of interest of Cal Am Water company, and in my opinion, conspiracy of private parties and government officials for the economic benefit of Cal Am shareholders The water rights of others have been totally ignored and should be exposed by the jury as well. JAN COLLINS SALINAS Inmates forced to eat on floor writing to inform you of treatment in Monterey County Jail that is a big problem and is inhumane and ruel. Inmates are people, too, not animals like reated. For example, an area of the jail known as D- Wing has triple bunks holding 85 or more inmates at a time with only 50 seats so at every meal 30 or more inmates are forced to eat on the floor every day. Which is only cleaned and mopped once a day at 5 a.m.

I nmates at the jail are also allowed to buy $125 a eek in hygiene and food and offered anywhere store such items. No lockers, no containers, no tubs, othing, so everything you have is kept on the floor, which is dirty with bugs and other stuff. Inmates are eople, too, and not animals. ith that being said, when you degrade inmates and show them no respect, how are you able to consider rehabilitation for any of them? Animals are treated etter than Monterey County inmates. JEFF MCCORMICK, D-WING, MONTEREY COUNTY JAIL LETTERS TO THE EDITOR U.S.

SENATE BARBARA BOXER, D-CA, 112 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C., 20510, phone 202-224-3553. Online: boxer.senate.gov DIANNE FEINSTEIN, D-CA, 331Hart Senate Office uilding, Washington, D.C., 20510, phone 202-224-3841. Online: feinstein.senate.gov. U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES District 20: SAM FARR, D-Carmel, Salinas office, 100 W.

A lisal Salinas, phone 831-424-2229. Online: ww.farr.house.gov. CONTACT YOUR ELECTED LEADERS.