Forum letters: Politicians just want to blame whatever they feel is popular
Come up with a plan, politicians
“10 years of California blackouts? Gavin Newsom says this is ‘not the new normal’” (sacbee.com, Oct. 30): Rather than doing something to stop disastrous wildfires, it seems politicians just want to blame them on whoever or whatever they feel is popular. No matter what did or didn’t happen in the past, or who owns the utilities in the future, the only way to stop wildfires caused by electric lines is by increasing maintenance and upgrades, a massive effort costing billions of dollars. It will be the public that will pay for this through increased electricity rates, and/or government subsidy. Our government determines the rates and regulations for utilities. Our politicians must immediately enact and enforce a basic plan for work and funding that will immediately stop wildfires caused by electric lines.
Bill Jurkovich,
Citrus Heights
Fire tax to blame
“This California firefighter nearly died. Then voters laid him off — in fight for lower taxes” (sacbee.com, Nov. 4): We’ve heard it all before. Proposition 13 has been blamed for everything from the Northridge earthquake to the acquittal of O.J. Simpson. But blaming the two-thirds vote requirement for the near-death of a firefighter is a new one. The article suggests that the two-thirds vote requirement is directly responsible for a fire district’s failure to secure voter approval, putting firefighters at risk. But this deflecting avoids the truth. Blame belongs to the Legislature which approved an illegal fire tax on rural property owners, making it challenging for local fire assessments to be approved. Although that tax was suspended, its legality is still being litigated. This past decade, a majority of local parcel taxes have passed easily under the two-thirds vote threshold. Moreover, a strong majority of voters oppose lowering that threshold, according to a recent poll. Let’s not make it easier to raise taxes in America’s most heavily taxed state.
Jon Coupal,
Sacramento
Pay for care, not advertising
“So long, Wells Fargo Pavilion. Home of Sacramento’s Broadway at Music Circus gets new name” (sacbee.com, Oct. 28): How does Dignity Health have so much extra money that it can buy the naming rights of a theater? If there is any extra money, it should be spent on running better hospitals and clinics. We the patients are paying an overcharge that is going toward advertising when we thought we were paying for health care. Single Payer Medicare for All is needed so that we are not charged for advertising when we go to the doctor or hospital. Dignity Health is just a small example. For-profit hospitals take in much more extra money. It’s the healthcare system that needs to be changed.
Pat Martens,
Davis
Sleep improves teen life
“California students need more sleep. But later start times probably won’t help” (sacbee.com, Oct. 26): Klein acknowledges the physiologic sleep shift of teens which causes them to fall asleep later. Her subsequent statements about the new California healthy school start time law are concerning. She can rest assured this new law is no experiment. Policy statements by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Centers for Disease Control, based upon decades of peer reviewed adolescent sleep research, have urgently called for developmentally appropriate start times to combat the epidemic of teen sleep deprivation. Yet the vast majority of school districts in CA have continued to mandate early first periods-some as early as 7 am. School districts across the country have shown that with later starts, students experience less anxiety and depression, fewer illnesses and fewer drowsy driving accidents. They also have better attendance, higher test scores and improved graduation rates, especially among disadvantaged students. California now leads the nation in teen public health.
Sue Gylling,
Sacramento
Legislators caused rent problems
“40 tenants got eviction notices at Sacramento apartment complex. Here’s who is responsible” (sacbee.com, Nov. 1): The details of the convoluted lawsuit notwithstanding, the article illustrates perfectly the nettlesome results of the law of unintended consequences. AB 1482, seeking to “fix” a problem the Assembly helped create, results in property owners making a business decision to protect their economic interests. Their actions, now subject to a lawsuit, quite likely would not have occurred but for the tinkering with “supply and demand.” Now the Board of Supervisors are called upon to address the situation that will “infuriate elected leaders up and down the state.” The people who should be most infuriated are the tenants whose lives have been upended because elected governmental officials are unable to resist the temptation to tinker with band aid “solutions” for problems and market forces they fail to comprehend. Further “remedies” contemplated will likely only exacerbate the situation.
Bill Motmans,
Sacramento
No temporary solutions
“Exclusive: Here’s the Sacramento site that could house 700 people in tents, cabins, tiny homes” (sacbee.com, Nov. 2): So the city is going to spend $37 million for 2 years to temporarily house possibly 700 homeless people, and after two years, what, spend another $40 million? What the city needs to do is change their mindset from temporary to permanent. The city needs a permanent facility which will house thousands of homeless people while providing them the needed services. A place that can expand if needed. A place with a permanent building with office space, kitchens, bathrooms/showers, etc. A place with all the infrastructure in place and ready to go. A central location for all the homeless to go to for housing and services. A place like the current unused Sleep Train Arena, a facility with 100 acres and a permanent building with room enough for all the tents, cabins and tiny houses they could possibly use. Help the homeless and do what needs to be done.
Edward Thomas,
Galt
