Sacramento DA Thien Ho wants to further criminalize homeless population | Letters to the editor
Ho is wrong
“Sacramento DA is investigating city’s homeless efforts, says criminal charges are possible,” (sacbee.com, July 19)
Sacramento District Attorney Thien Ho’s proposed solution to the homeless crisis furthers the criminalization of this population, this time by pursuing civil or criminal charges against city officials. It’s disingenuous of the DA to claim that this effort is not against the unhoused, but rather meant to hold elected officials accountable.
If this is the approach to holding people accountable, why not hold funding sources accountable, such as federal, state and county officials whose lack of funding for housing, behavioral health and social services contribute significantly to this crisis? Ho’s proposal is short-sighted and contributes to the fallacy that there are simple solutions to the unhoused crisis. It is definitely not compassionate.
Frances Freitas
Sacramento
Addiction treatment
“War on drugs can’t hold us back from responding to fentanyl,” (sacbee.com, June 18)
Opioids are the third leading cause of death among teens. As pediatricians, we see teens in clinics and emergency departments grappling with addiction from prescription pain medications. Many teens opt to seek addiction treatment only to face more obstacles.
Buprenorphine is the only Food and Drug Administration-approved medication for individuals 16 and over to treat opioid addiction. Assembly Bill 816 would allow teenagers with opioid addiction to consent to treatment with buprenorphine without parental consent. Many teens facing addiction do not have active parental involvement, and this bill is a crucial step toward evidence-based care.
California has led the nation in many initiatives to expand access to healthcare by allowing adolescents to consent to birth control, STD testing and treatment and mental health care. Addiction treatment should be no different.
Dr. Jessica Jones
Dr. Kelli Derrah
Dr. Ken Stridiron
Sacramento
Cooper’s great idea
“‘Languishing’: Sacramento sheriff homeless outreach finds mental illness, addiction, crime,” (sacbee.com, July 13)
I agree with the sheriff and applaud his efforts to finally offer real solutions to address the problem of homelessness.
For far too long the general public has put up with encampments in doorways, parks, sidewalks and other public spaces that create squalor, filth, trash and public health and security concerns. I am strongly in favor of the sheriff’s proposal to create conservatorships and force individuals into treatment.
As the sheriff’s May survey showed, the vast majority of the homeless suffer from drug dependence and/or mental health issues. Currently, much of our unhoused population is jailed and re-jailed again and again. Let’s stop the revolving door and get them the treatment they need.
Building housing alone will not fix the root causes of the problem. Kudos to Sheriff Jim Cooper for taking on this controversial issue.
Chuck Robuck
Newcastle
Kiley takes away freedoms
“Gavin Newsom signs infrastructure bills, California budget,” (sacbee.com, July 11)
Our military personnel routinely sacrifice much on our behalf. They endure rigorous training, separations from their families, multiple deployments and, sadly, loss of life. Now Republicans, including Rep. Kevin Kiley, are demanding that they make one more sacrifice: their bodily autonomy.
Instead of protecting and supporting our military readiness, Republicans are playing politics by passing amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act to appease those who want to exert control over our reproductive freedoms. Republicans like Kiley will never uphold our freedoms over partisan allegiances. We must elect leaders who represent us instead of special interests so we can focus on improving our military readiness, sustaining our soldiers and ensuring reproductive freedoms for all Americans.
Barbara Smith
Auburn
California is askew
“Manson Family member Van Houten should still be in jail,” (sacbee.com, July 14)
The daughter of two of the victims of Leslie Van Houten’s murderous rage writes of the pain she and her family experienced after her parents were brutally slaughtered. The author, Louise LaBianca, struggles, after learning of Van Houten’s release, to find logic in the decision and impossibly tries to fill the void a half-century after these heinous crimes took place.
LaBianca concludes: “There is no justice for the victims or their families.”
Earlier in the article she states, “something is askew here.” She’s right, and one need look no further than the other two articles on the same page, one entitled, “California Democrats deserve to be embarrassed,” where numerous legislators could not move to increase the punishment for sex trafficking here, and “Sacramento city leaders lack political will on homelessness.” Something is indeed “askew” in this once great state.
When will residents realize that and vote accordingly?
Bill Motmans
Sacramento
Undeserved second chance
“Manson Family member Van Houten should still be in jail,” (sacbee.com, July 14)
Leslie Van Houten killed two innocent people. She received a life sentence. She took away any chance of her victims ever receiving a chance at life again, yet now she is receiving a second chance. This is so wrong.
If you kill, you lose forever. Your victims lost everything, and so should you. Yet Leslie has received parole, a second chance and a new life — something her victims will never, ever get.
It just shows how California works: placing criminals before victims.
Kathleen E Winkelman
Sacramento
