Letters are posted as we receive them during the week, and before they are printed in the paper, so check back frequently to see new letters. If you'd like to send a letter to the editor, use this postmarks submission form, or email your letter directly to mail@austinchronicle.com. Thanks for your patience.

Dear Editor,
    Thanks, Larysa Pachulski, for mentioning the BMC Racing Team in your Tour de France blog [“Welcome to the Tour de France 2012!,” the Score, Sports blog, July 5]. One point to clarify ... the "v" in Tejay van Garderen is not capitalized.

Dear Editor,
    Regarding the June 29 article on Ruby Jane [“I Am Trying To Break Your Heart,” Music]: Ruby Jane is friendly, down-to-earth, approachable, and talented. I think she can look forward to a long, successful career. She’s only just begun.

Dear Editor,
    The City Council has made material changes to the proposed short-term rentals ordinance without public input [“There Goes the Neighborhood,” News, June 22]. The council removed the 1,000 feet density limit after public input was closed at the June 7 council meeting. Then, at the June 26 working session, the council eliminated the rule that the city may revoke the STR registration if a property has three or more valid complaints. These are major changes that will allow STRs to cluster in the most desired sections of Austin neighborhoods and make it harder to shutdown problematic STRs.
    The council made so many changes to the proposed ordinance that Council Members Kathie Tovo and Laura Morrison asked that public input be allowed when it comes up for a final vote at the August 2 council meeting. Mayor Lee Leffingwell said that the council is not required to allow public input even though the proposed ordinance is significantly different from the version that passed on first reading at the June 7 council meeting.
    The public has a right have input on these and other changes the council has made to the proposed ordinance. What’s the harm in giving all stakeholders more time to consider the changes and provide input to the council?

Dear Editor,
    Reading Chase Hoffberger's article [Music Listings, June 29] on the Kashmere Stage Band took me back to Houston and my days playing bass for Westbury High School from 1977-1980. It was a wonderful experience playing under the direction of Chuck Nolen – himself a monster trumpet player for such artists as Stan Kenton and Maynard Ferguson. I remember well competing against the Kashmere Band at contests throughout Texas and Louisiana, and they were very good at their game under Conrad Johnson. I do take an exception to Craig Baldwin's assertion that at contests, "We’d go out there and win every time.” I do not know what years Mr. Baldwin played but I can assure you that from the mid-Seventies to the early Eighties, the two schools to beat were either Westbury or the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, a school that recruited musicians and artists throughout the Houston area. Kashmere was known as putting on a great show (and they did), but these contests were more about jazz performance – where a premium was placed on technical proficiency and sight reading.
    That being said, what is great is that Kashmere has kept it together and continues performing big-band music, and there will hopefully be a renewed interest in this great music that is as much fun to play as listen. I couldn't make it out Saturday to Antone's but will certainly catch them next time.

Dear Editor,
    Re: “AISD Weighs Tax Increase” [News, June 29]. Look, until the Austin Independent School District cuts fat and waste like sports (oh, did I say a dirty word?) and extra vice principals a raise is not going to happen. I can't afford it! When are these people going to join the real world? This is Rick Perry's world. No frills allowed! Wish I made $50,000 a year like them teachers!

Dear Editor,
    After reading "There Goes the Neighborhood" [News, June 22] and a companion piece in the Statesman, all one has to do is substitute "Section 8 housing" for "short-term rentals
   " and you come up with one of Austin's dirty little secrets.
    Laura Morrison is quoted as saying that "you need people living there, not just people passing through.” However, that's exactly what comprises a number of Section 8 homes. All the sins attributed to STRs have a much greater chance of being realized by Section 8 residents, including everything from a total deterioration of the structure and property, graffiti, and criminal elements frequenting these neighborhoods at all hours. I recently attended a police community meeting, and in speaking with others I discovered that many area neighborhoods are experiencing the same problems and difficulties with these units.
    The dark side is that it seems as if every facet of city and county government supports this seeding of Section 8 housing in middle class neighborhoods, without regard to the resulting degradation to the quality of life that originally attracted people to make a home in these locales. It would be interesting to see the Chronicle do an investigative story of how Section 8 housing policy can bring about neighborhood blight and decay. This philosophy places the well-being of Section 8 recipients over the rights of taxpaying, long-established homeowners whose hard work and commitment made their neighborhoods a desirable and livable oasis in the heart of Austin.
    I would prefer having an STR to a Section 8 neighbor any time.

Dear Editor,
    Re: “Defending Ron Paul” [“Postmarks,” June 15]: Mr. Steve Michener has obviously missed my previous Ron Paul rants, courteously published by the Chronicle, and I would not blame them for not hosting a debate. That being said (here we go again), House Resolution 958 We the People Act (with which many Paulies seem unfamiliar) is a bizarre joke and is as bullshit as it gets. It is all about prohibitions and establishing religion, not personal liberty. If it does not scare you, then you are reading it wrong. It is a great window into the future of a Ron Paul presidency.

Dear Editor,
    Re: "Playback: Lights Out for Jovita's" [Music, June 29]: The recent news regarding members of Jovita's staff being involved in the sale of heroin is just that … news. Your attempt at covering that story as a respected news outlet, in a column that focuses on our local Austin music scene, however, fell very short and left me quite offended.
    It's hard to say what offended me more though. Was it your blatant attempt to sound hip by confessing to mistreating and disrespecting a venue and its staff? Confessing to smashing up an instrument on their stage, ignoring the sound woman, then parading out to the parking lot to celebrate performing only four songs by breaking bottles by a South Austin creek – where many children play everyday – is rude and unprofessional. Maybe it was the racist tone of your description of owner, Mayo Pardo. I never knew of his past convictions until last week, but I do know he is a recovering cancer survivor who had difficulty standing for long periods of time, which is why he slouched and spoke slow. Or perhaps, what was really offensive was yet another confession: of how you managed to beat him and Split Lip Rayfield out of a cover charge by forging a handstamp to get into a sold-out show despite being busted by the owner for trying to sneak in once before.
    It's all pretty ugly actually. It makes me sad to know that someone who the Chronicle has trusted to write about our local scene would not only knowingly act in this manner, but would then go on to brush off such acts with snide, backhanded commentary instead of using the opportunity to actually write something meaningful and relevant about this story.
    Like many, I was shocked when I heard the news. I am an Austin musician who had a very different experience at Jovita's than you, and yes, apparently many other musicians and diners. You see, Jovita's served as a home to my band, Nakia & His Southern Cousins, for about a year or so. I had my annual birthday parties there. We never had any problems with being paid. Chef Cesar always cooked us outstanding food served by a waitstaff who always took care of us with a smile, and the sound woman, Laura, did the best she could with what they had. Mayo and his family treated me, my band, and our fans and friends just like family. When the news broke last week, I watched as my Facebook feed filled up with heroin and Mexican food slang mixed together in attempts to be cute and witty and I did my best to hold my tongue. Your entry in this week's "Playback" would have fit perfectly alongside that snarky, high school humor but sadly, it somehow ended up in The Austin Chronicle instead. I can only hope that the people who read your column last week know that your flippant behavior is not a representation of Austin and its musical community as a whole.