Sacramento allows beloved restaurant to close rather than pay for necessary repairs | Opinion

Sacramento’s negligence

“Rio City Cafe in Old Sacramento will close for good. Here’s when and why it’s closing,” (sacbee.com, July 23)

The city of Sacramento, so generous in salary benefits to their employees — particularly City Manager Howard Chan — refuses to make the necessary repairs required of them as landlords of the River City Cafe, a treasured restaurant and destination on the river for 30 years.

Rather than make repairs to the decks, the city made Rio City close that seating area, with vague promises that the work would be done some time in the future. The city, which has identified the riverfront as an area that could use improvements and better access to the river, has a beautiful asset which has been a proven benefit — not to mention a revenue and tax generator for the city. But they would rather allow this treasured facility to close than find the funds necessary to keep this wonderful restaurant here for generations to come.

The city needs to reexamine its priorities.

Bill Motmans

Sacramento

Opinion

Reality check

“Sacramento Target says shoplifting is a violent issue. Actually, it’s not that bad | Opinion,” (sacbee.com, July 17)

. On multiple occasions, I’ve witnessed shoplifters saunter out the front door of Target, items in hand and not a care in the world. Why should they care? The employees just shrug their shoulders at a loss of what to do.

Hardworking Target employees have to deal with enough literal and figurative garbage while working. Crime is crime, and even the pettiest of crime contributes to more violence.. There are plenty of places for those in need to get free necessities without having to resort to stealing from Target.

Shoplifters, no matter why they are stealing, are still contributing to violence and crime.

Rosemary Livaich

Sacramento

Harris’ opportunity

“With Biden out of presidential race, Kamala Harris emerges as front-runner with his endorsement,” (sacbee.com, July 22)

Joe Biden has been a great president. But for the last month, he has run a terrible campaign.

Donald Trump is a great campaigner. He was a terrible president, beating out James Buchanan and Andrew Johnson for the “Worst of All Time” title.

Kamala Harris can build on Biden’s accomplishments and block Trump’s agenda of racial division, threats of violence, giveaways to the rich and immunity for lawbreakers who support him.

George Sheridan

Garden Valley

Trump’s mental instability

“Democrats stabbing President Joe Biden in the back helps one guy. Can you guess who? | Opinion,” (sacbee.com, July 20)

Donald Trump is more than “cognitively compromised.” He’s a nut. And it’s time for the media to stop doing America a great disservice by censoring the facts about this dangerous madman.

Quoting Psychology Today: “Over 70,000 health professionals signed a petition, saying ‘Donald Trump manifests a serious mental illness that renders him psychologically incapable of competently discharging the duties of president.’”

Trump’s niece, Mary, agrees that her uncle unsurprisingly “meets all nine criteria identifying a narcissistic personality disorder as listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. These include grandiosity, envy, arrogance, a surpassing sense of entitlement, a craving for admiration and fantasies of unlimited power.”

That’s why I call on all clear-headed Americans to bring Trump’s mental instability to the forefront of national discussion. Let’s keep this nutcase out of the White House!

Bob Canning

Petaluma

Impacts of climate change

“Global warming study: Arctic ice melt shifts Pacific weather,” (sacbee.com, Jan. 27, 2020)

Climate change is an existential threat to humanity, something so powerful that it is capable of changing the rotation of the Earth itself. Naturally, a force as powerful as this is a greater threat to those around the world who live in poverty — their lives and livelihoods already hanging by a thread.

I’ve spent the summer working as an intern for the Borgen Project, a non-profit that works to fight global poverty, which has made it clear to me that climate change is one of the greatest challenges that poor people around the world face.

As a wealthy nation and a leader of the world, our nation has an obligation to help those people and nations who need help. Congress and the president should make this a top priority.

Jack Ericson

Fair Oaks