Wake up, Sacramento, before it's too late!

– Steve Mehlman, Sacramento

Don't let the arena door hit you

According to The Bee, Mayor Kevin Johnson said, "If we don't have a clear path to an arena … (the Kings) very well may look elsewhere." Well, let me be the first to offer them a flashlight with fresh batteries!

– Robert A. Dell'Agostino, Sacramento

Wait on arena? We'll regret it

Re "Mayor: Get arena going" (Page A1, Sept. 23): It always amazes me at the urgency that is displayed in the discussion regarding the issues that face us. Urgency, but no action. In private industry, if decisions are not made in a timely manner, they fail.

The city has not even been able to solve the "where do we let the tent city exist" question, so these people have a place to go, and they are people who are in need. Next spring to solve this is not acceptable. And the arena question drags on and on.

How many years will this go until the Kings organization finally has had enough? There goes another revenue source not just for the Kings, but the city, county and state. A new arena is not just a basketball venue, it is an entertainment venue. Think of all the events that will not take a place if there is no arena. The time has come to get it done and move on to the rest of the issues surrounding us. Let's not let this be the conversation of the future – "We could have or we should have" – after it is too late.

– Jim Meeter, Herald

Teach kids sports, not hunting

Re "Anterless hunt: Supes must own it – or not" (Viewpoints, Sept. 22): What is going on with our society? Teaching 12-year-old children to kill. We have a law against drinking under 21 years old, and we allow our children to shoot with a deadly weapon.

I'm an avid hiker and run, unfortunately, into hunters all the time, and it scares me. Can you imagine running into a 12-year-old child with a pointed gun?

Teach them something constructive, like how to play sports and not to hunt defenseless animals. Also, if people wouldn't drive so crazily and irresponsibly, they wouldn't hit a deer or other animals.

– Krystyna Mcknight, Auburn

Almond plant's 'flawed election'

Re "Ruling backs Blue Diamond" (Business, Sept. 22): The flawed union election at Blue Diamond Growers shows that once again, our labor laws fail to protect workers from harassment and intimidation when trying to gain a voice in the workplace. It's no surprise that in the face of aggressive anti-union tactics, Blue Diamond's employees lost in a system that was tilted to favor management from the beginning.

The National Labor Relations Board admits the company engaged in "objectionable conduct," such as promising to resolve complaints if they voted against the union and not allowing union supporters free speech on its property. Moreover, Blue Diamond officials threatened to cut workers' benefits, close the plant, and multiple employees were even fired simply because they supported the union.

The Employee Free Choice Act can help ensure corporations can't get away with unfair elections and retaliating against workers. It will allow workers to choose an alternative method to form unions that will bypass the hurdles that so many face. Additionally, it will increase penalties so companies that break the law won't get a mere slap on the wrist. It's time for lawmakers in Washington to listen to the needs of workers, not corporate CEOs, and pass this vital measure.

– Kimberly Freeman, Washington, D.C., acting executive director, American Rights at Work