Development money wasted

Re "K Street plan faces new snag" (Our Region, Nov. 16): So it appears that Joe Zeiden is backing out of his proposal for the 700 block of K Street? Is this surprising? Not really. These absentee landlords do not have a strong enough commitment to Sacramento to stick with a project. When the going gets tough, they just go away.

The city has spent a large amount of money acquiring these properties and subsidizing Zeiden only to have him change his mind. On top of that, one of the alternative proposals being considered has Moe Mohanna, the vilified owner of some of the acquired properties, as one of the partners. Everything seems to be back where it started except for the large amount of money wasted.

The city should have let Mohanna continue his ownership because at least he was able to put businesses in his properties. They may not be the high-end shops the city fantasizes about, but they are local viable businesses, and in these rough economic times that is very much a positive.

– John W. Borsdorf, Sacramento

Budget cuts will harm the innocent

Re "Deficit is clear, remedy is not" (Page A1, Nov. 16): Stating the obvious, after several years of credit card advances, state government finds itself having to show some leadership on the budget. The Legislature and governor have to allocate limited resources.

One of the proposed cuts by the governor is grant money for the elderly, blind and disabled. I accept the reality that many programs going to most basic government services have to absorb reductions. Still, these cuts go to the daily existence of people who are reliant on state assistance through no choice of their own. The only possibly equivalent group in the budget are children attending school. They cannot spontaneously have an education. Likewise, the blind, elderly or permanently disabled cannot spontaneously survive this economy.

It is particularly egregious in view of the response to several revenue issues. "No new taxes" is a slogan, not a policy. Policy is produced by leadership. Leadership would not apparently nonchalantly produce such a dark policy toward the most vulnerable members of society.

– George L. Mertens, Rancho Cordova

Crisis demands radical reformation

Re "Deficit is clear, remedy is not" (Page A1, Nov. 16): The story lays out the issues and reviews the possible solutions.

However, the story is confined to the disastrous economic box created by the governor and the Legislature. The proposed solutions do not solve the problems.

Chopping and slashing education budgets is self-destructive. Cutting support of programs for children, persons with disabilities, health care, elderly, etc., demonstrates a fundamental crisis in moral, ethical and religious values.

Resolving the crisis requires thinking outside the box:

• Redesign the dysfunctional government: objective reapportionment, revise term limits, enact "clean money" campaigns, lobbying reform, eliminate the two-thirds budget requirement, limit initiatives.

• Generating additional revenues is the critical necessity for California: Create a more progressive tax structure, eliminate loopholes, revise Prop. 13.

• Develop long-term, systematic planning processes: Focus on prevention and early intervention, set goals, multi-year budgeting, and systematic evaluations and accountability.

California's moral and fiscal crisis urgently requires:

• An outraged and organized citizenry, rejecting finger-in-the-dikes solutions.

• And supporting a radical transformation of the failed political system.

– Emanuel Gale, Sacramento

Sharing the road

Re "Can bikes and cars coexist?" (Forum, Nov. 16): I am coming up on my year anniversary of bike commuting. I would like to counteract the negative tone of the article by saying "thank you" to the countless motorists who I have shared the road with for allowing me to be the first through an intersection, for clear communication via the thumbs-up as I indicate I am making a left turn, for providing a fresh water bottle and phone on the brutally hot day when I almost got run over, and for helping me change my first flat on a cold and drizzly day. Despite the near-misses, the screams and honks (apparently just to get a good laugh when I veer a little bit), and a few angry glances, I have enjoyed traveling by bike. That said, I would not mind more of our city streets being dedicated to bike-only lanes which separate bikes from cars. I think more people would be willing to venture out on a bicycle if they felt more safe. To all of us who bike in the city, let us make a renewed effort to be better lit (headlamps and blinkers are cheap, folks) and more courteous as we share the road.