Sac sheriff and Yolo DA’s claim that they can end homelessness in a year is nonsense | Opinion

Speak out against hate

“Sacramento Jewish leaders denounce antisemitic comments,” (sacbee.com, May 31)

We want to add our voices to speak out in support of Mayor Steinberg and against the antisemitic remarks made at the Sacramento City Council meeting on May 16. As members of Sisterhood of Salaam-Shalom, a national organization of Jewish and Muslim women, we strongly condemn such words of hate.

Though hate speech may be protected under the Constitution, it does not advance our society nor benefit our community. The Sisterhood of Salaam-Shalom is 100 plus women strong in Sacramento supporting our Jewish and Muslim communities against hate while building bridges that strengthen our community. The more we speak out against hate together, the less acceptable hate becomes.

Anne Kjemtrup

Melanie Mages-Canale

Davis

Trouble with a capital T

“Get ready, Californians. Your incomes will now factor into the electricity bill | Opinion,” (sacbee.com, April 28)

You’ve got trouble, my friend, right here in River City. Trouble with a capital “T,” and that rhymes with “P,” which stands for power companies!

That’s right; while you were sleeping, your government approved Assembly Bill 205, allowing the utilities access to your earnings. They’ll add a monthly income-based tax, whether or not you use any energy.

How can they get away with this? They claim the cost per kilowatt-hour will be reduced. But the math doesn’t work out for most customers, creating higher monthly bills. This new legislation requires California Public Utility Commission approval before coming into effect. Don’t expect them to do what’s right.

Rene Wise

Fremont

Opinion

Snake oil

“Law enforcement leaders believe homelessness in California can be ended in a year | Opinion,” (sacbee.com, May 31)

Sacramento Sheriff Jim Cooper and Yolo County District Attorney Jeff Reisig claim to be offering your readers a plan to end homelessness within the next year, but they’re really just selling snake oil. In support of their extraordinary claim that a reinvigorated war on drugs can end homelessness, they cite several states that have harsher drug laws and lower homelessness rates than California. What they neglect to mention is that each of these states also has more drug overdose deaths per capita.

The real reason why these states have lower rates of homelessness isn’t a mystery: they have much lower housing costs. The fact of the matter is that California will not be able to end homelessness in the space of a year — least of all by simply arresting our way out of the problem. To end the homelessness crisis, we need to end the housing crisis.

Ned Resnikoff

Emeryville

Stay woke

“Ron DeSantis’ launch was a Trump 2.0 moment. Let’s hope it doesn’t last. | Opinion,” (sacbee.com, May 25)

It would seem that (recently announced) presidential candidate DeSantis promises to destroy something called “woke.” Lacking a clear understanding of what “woke” really means, I’ll take a simple approach. The opposite of “woke” would be “unaware” or “asleep.”

Depriving people of the opportunity to learn about our history leads to being “unwoke,” a condition which leads to ignorance of basic truths about our nation.

Alan Wade

Sacramento

Correcting the record

“US debt ceiling crisis: Why was it so hard to make a deal?” (sacbee.com, May 30)

This article promotes a false equivalency regarding the debt ceiling. There is one very simple reason why it was so hard to make a deal: Republicans are willing to hold the world’s economy hostage in order to get what they want and Democrats are not.

Democrats were vehemently opposed to Donald Trump’s $2 trillion tax cuts that largely went to the very wealthy, but they passed the debt ceiling three times during the Trump administration without any fuss. Why? Because they aren’t willing to hold a gun to the head of our economy.

Creating a false equivalency out of thin air does a grave disservice to your readers, who deserve context and accurate information in order to make informed decisions at the ballot box.

Kathy Campbell

Sacramento

Goodbye, Tina

“Tina Turner, ‘Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll’ whose triumphant career made her world-famous, dies at 83,” (sacbee.com, May 26)

Back in 1997, I saw that a Tina Turner show was completely sold out. I took a big chance and bought two tickets from a scalper, fully expecting to lose my money. Imagine my surprise when we were escorted to our front row seats.

She was, of course, fantastic. She sang “Proud Mary,” and the brass section was stunning. On the last note, the lights went black. Turner, barely lit, looked at me and said “Was that OK?” Mouth agape and shocked, I just nodded yes and she laughed and walked away to acknowledge the thousands of fans behind me on their feet.

It was a highlight of my life, and the most mesmerizing thing I have ever witnessed. My guess is that Tina Turner is in heaven and doing them proud.

Todd Gearou

Citrus Heights