LETTERS Water cutbacks, retiree costs, GOP debt, women athletes, etc.

Well, aren’t you special

Re “Capitol’s suburbs face big water cut” (Page A1, April 8): Well, San Juan Water District, aren’t you just special. You have to cut back from 445 gallons per person per day to 289. Oh, woe is me. I don’t see how you can possibly get to that number. I really feel bad for you. What a sacrifice that’s going to be. I feel so bad that I’m thinking of moving there so I can triple my water usage.

I’m in the California American Water District, and we’re required to cut it down to 94 gallons per person. Just looked at my last bill and we’re already down to 93.5 gallons so we don’t need to do more than we’re doing. Our lawns have taken quite a hit, but I feel sacrificing the lawn in a severe drought is the right thing to do.

I wonder what your yards look like. How much time do you actually spend out on your lawn? Maybe it’s time to just let it go. Oh, I forgot. You’re the high-income folks and once again the burden of sacrifice always falls on the low-income people. It must be fun to be so special.

Water curbs lack fairness

The State Water Resources Control Board, using percentages rather than units to cut water use in this drought, is an example of a bureaucracy taking the easy way out for itself and is grossly unfair.

As The Sacramento Bee article shows, in Citrus Heights the California American Water District uses 50 percent less water per person than those a block away in the Citrus Heights Water District. California American water customers are already conserving far more than those in Citrus Heights, but California American customers will only be allowed to use 94 gallons per day per person, whereas Citrus Heights customers may use 150, due to the percentage formula. This is grossly unfair and only punishes those who have already been conserving. Further, adjacent San Juan Water District persons may use three times the amount of California American water customers.

In the suburbs, the same amount per person should be allowed. That is equally sharing the burden.

Why not restrict fracking?

Gov. Jerry Brown has issued more extreme requirements for water conservation. The Sacramento Bee’s Dan Walters and others have commented about the lack of more stringent water conservation for agriculture. However, the more glaring omission in the discussion is the lack of restrictions on fracking.

Fracking uses a lot of our dwindling water supplies and pollutes the aquifers on which agriculture and many cities depend.

Gov. Brown, why the silence on this issue?

Retiree costs vs. arena subsidy

Re “Curbing retiree health care cost will be painful” (Editorials, April 7): Why does The Sacramento Bee constantly complain about the cost of pensions for state workers, teachers, firefighters and public-sector workers who devote their lives to the service of this state in hopes of a small pension check and decent health care?

The editorial complains that the long-term unfunded liabilities threaten to overwhelm the budget and limit the services the city provides. If the unfunded liability is truly $452 million for retiree health care, including $385 million from the general fund, why were these numbers not discussed with the City Council and members of the public when the city decided to go into debt for the tune of some $300 million to subsidize a group of millionaires who could have built the arena on their own without holding the city of Sacramento hostage?

The city’s general fund should go to pay for services that every citizen pays taxes for. When the city gets left on the hook for this subsidy, and the garages and parking meters do not produce the projected revenue to cover this loan, it will be the retirees who again will be in the cross hairs.

Advocating for unemployment?

Re “Rely on volunteer firefighters” (Letters, April 8): I don’t want to dismiss the idea of using volunteer firefighters. I’m sure that in an emergency they are a very valuable resource in fighting fires. I just wonder if Marcia Fritz realizes that replacing paid firefighters with volunteers would cause unemployment and hardship for those firefighters and their families.

GOP debtors need your help

Re “Election debts piled up in 2014” (Page A1, April 7): I found it interesting that the top six of the list of 12 lawmakers with the most debt at the end of the 2014 campaign season were Republicans, and that eight of the 12 on the list were Republicans. And now they are asking their friends and supporters to dig them out of this mountain of debt.

Hmm. Fiscally responsible conservative principles.

Now I get it.

Female athletes revive fans

Re “Heart, teamwork and a little history” (Editorials, April 1): How marvelous. There was a picture and story of the top young woman athlete, Gigi Garcia from McClatchy High School, on the front page of the Sports section (“Team came 1st for playmakers”; Sports, April 2) and equal boys and girls format of information on Page 6. And then there was the editorial about the McClatchy High School girls basketball team, which had won the state Division I championship. Title IX is working. Now, maybe we can get our Monarchs back. Thanks.

This story was originally published April 8, 2015 at 5:00 PM with the headline "LETTERS Water cutbacks, retiree costs, GOP debt, women athletes, etc.."