Illustration by Jay Allen Sanford

Once a nurse’s dorm for the nearby hospital, by the turn of the 21st century it had devolved into the most fleabitten of fleabag hotels.

Political housecleaning

Thank you Niki Roth for your letter “View from the Cleanup Crew.”(Letters, March 3) It was extremely insightful and confirmed my belief of all the agendas the Calif Teachers Union have along with many “educators” and administrators. The Teacher’s union and the SDUSD do NOT have children’s best interests in mind. No wonder former SD School District Superintendent Cindy Marten was selected by the Biden Administration to head the Dept of Education! Great success!

• Lori Hatley
• Escondido

Good old pre-flea days

Times have changed about the Friendship Hotel (“Nothing friendly about Hillcrest’s Friendship Hotel,” Feature Stories, February 17). Not a taste of the “old nasty days,” those were the good old days. (I’m older than you.) True, it was a nurses’ dorm for the nearby Mercy hospital, along with the Hillcrest Hotel across the street (8th Avenue).

I know. I rented a room which was the sun room, of all windows on the southeast corner on the second floor - loved it! That was from June of 1978 to March of 1982. Rent was about $70 a month (I don’t remember exactly). The bath and community kitchen and dining room down the hall (I heard) had become a room when converted into a hotel. Laundry was at the back, with a small yard of grass and a clothesline. I’m still the only person who hangs my wash on a line. Two of my co-workers also rented rooms, all of two blocks from the large AT&T building nearby. Lived here two and a half years, until I bought my house in University Heights for $70,500, a smart move as now would go for $500,000. That was in March, 1982.

Anyway, back to the Friendship. A lot of the quiet tenants were retired folks. Also, across the street, University Avenue, is the old third-floor operating room for Mercy - we’re talking the 1920s. The building was restored in recent years, still a furniture store, I believe. Kinko’s was a light fixture store in my time there, then a restaurant. Jack in the Box has since been completely renovated.

P.S. Never saw any fleas.

• Naida Hindert
• University Heights

Signer Joe checks the details.

My integrity attacked

I have been reading the Reader for 37 years now, I’ve never written in before, as a native born San Diego, sunny Californian, I feel genuinely and seriously concerned as to why The Reader is now spinning Republican shit on your newly elected governor Gavin Newsom? Your “News and Features” trash Democrats, the looks like factual news about “Gruesome Newsome” (Golden Dreams, January 6) if one doesn’t have a magnifying glass, wouldn’t notice in such small print “paid political advertisement.”

In addition to other news “San Diego’s Anti-Fascists turn Fascist” journalistic right-winged juice reporting! Seriously spin, would you dine with a mask on? Not possible, and stupid to think you can or Gavin Newsom and company can dine with their masks on!! You dine without a mask?!? I do. I and most of California who voted love our Governor Gavin Newsom, the man, we the people elected!! Who is, of course hated by Republicans, as they hate our newly elected President Biden and Vice President Harris!! So now the California Republican party announced using Republican funding of $125,000 to recall our Governor Gavin Newson and insurrection for California. At my residence I have received recall mailings; Republican money used to recall my vote!! As Republicans are funding at least that much money are they now also The Reader for us to read??! As the Reader is now spinning their spin against the truth. I personally feel my integrity and democracy attacked in reading your rotting paper. Turn back now!!

• Name withheld

Long-time driver Olivia says most people are good, but the problem is always there.

Open and shut case

I’m a regular transit-dependent person and I ride MTS Route 35, Ocean Beach bus twice daily. In the article (“MTS: trying to encourage compliance, not enforce it,” Golden Dreams, March 11) it says, open windows, the problem is solving itself. But the truth is the Ocean Beach Route 35 bus, the windows don’t open. I guess it’s ‘cause of old age, maybe they’re glued shut. I don’t know why. They have a handle to push ‘em open, but they don’t open. So it’s a very incorrect statement that they’re making. Basically, you’re letting people speak about buses that don’t ride buses, and it bothers me a little bit.

• Robert Kachur
• Mission Hills