California Forum Letters: General Motors is a champion for clean energy and economy
American champion
“GM sided with Trump against California. Please remember this when buying a new car” (sacbee.com, Nov. 27)
As an eight-time General Motors Dealer of the Year, I feel compelled to respond to your Nov. 27 editorial regarding GM. Your editorial left out the fact that GM has long been a champion of the American workforce, and a leader in innovation, economic growth and making union-produced electric vehicles available right here in Sacramento. That commitment was firmly in place long before President Trump and has not wavered since President-elect Biden claimed victory last month.
As we continue enduring the ongoing pandemic, now is not the time to encourage greater divisiveness that could cause irreparable harm to California or Sacramento’s economy. GM’s work to keep Sacramentans employed and on the road through a pandemic, while advancing its shared goal with our state, should be the focus: an all-electric, zero-emissions future.
John L. Sullivan,
Roseville
Invest in peace
“Gun assaults increased during pandemic. See the trend for your Sacramento neighborhood” (sacbee.com, Nov. 23)
I was moved to take action to end gun violence after the Parkland High shooting. Sadly, since COVID-19, gun violence has sharply risen in Sacramento. The pandemic has exacerbated the root causes of gun violence in cities across the nation, bringing unprecedented challenges to the work of local gun violence intervention programs.
Let’s increase support for local-based community violence intervention and prevention workers so they have what they need to make Sacramento safe. These trained professionals skillfully defuse potentially violent situations, help protect people at the highest risk of injury, and disrupt cycles of violence.
Local leaders should continue to invest in and seek insight from community-led approaches like Advance Peace. We must also continue to prioritize the California Violence Intervention and Prevention program. Investing in peace saves lives.
Rosemary Yoshikawa,
Woodland
Interrupt violence
“Gun assaults increased during pandemic. See the trend for your Sacramento neighborhood” (sacbee.com, Nov. 23)
In the midst of the pandemic and economic recession, the risk of gun violence has been increasing as more people buy guns, many for the first time. City gun violence and suicide by gun have increased in Sacramento. My friend Jack died many years ago by suicide when he was despondent.
The City of Sacramento and the state of California have budgeted in recent years to support violence interrupters like Advance Peace. These programs mentor young people to handle their anger in nonviolent ways and build skills to thrive.
California needs to increase funding for the California Violence Intervention and Prevention grant fund (CalVIP), which provides competitive matching grants for cities and community-based organizations to implement effective programs designed to interrupt shootings and retaliation.
Carol Rodgers,
Elk Grove
Yay for Yee
“Betty Yee must uphold law, let Alex Padilla clean up $35 million voter contract mess” (sacbee.com, Nov. 24)
State Controller Betty Yee is doing her job withholding payment on the crony SKD Knickerbocker contract. As former treasurer of the Libertarian Party of San Francisco, I have personally tussled with Lee’s legal counsel, Rick Chivaro, over thorny public finance matters, and he knows his stuff.
Second to the governor, the state controller is the most important elected executive in California — something recognized by Hiram Johnson in his first inaugural discussing the then-new state constitution. Good for Yee for doing her job. It builds confidence in uncertain times.
Thomas Busse,
San Francisco
I’m done
“California’s ‘dysfunctional’ EDD was unresponsive amid inmate unemployment fraud, prosecutors say” (sacbee.com, Nov. 24)
When an entity cannot bother to distinguish between that which is fraudulent from that which is lawful, it has too much money! California taxes its citizens and businesses thoughtlessly and then fails to safeguard the money deposited in its coffers.
Prisoners have taken the hard-earned money of Californians unlawfully while the government slept on the job. Our governor tells us to wear masks and to restrict our activities while he wines and dines without a care in the world and leads a system that takes our money and flushes it down the toilet.
I am done with this system. California is losing its tax base over poor decisions, hypocritical leadership and the thoughtless throwing of money at every ill.
Jeanne Carroll,
Sacramento
Beyond housing
“Sacramento needs a real plan to solve its homeless crisis” (sacbee.com, Nov. 25)
After five years, one public restroom is accessible downtown. Project RoomKey hotels are closing. The W-X shelter has been delayed for a year, failing to help those experiencing homelessness as the winter begins.
The COVID-19 pandemic is at an all-time high. At a minimum, our public officials must acknowledge the life-threatening conditions unhoused Sacramento residents are experiencing and immediately provide warming shelters and temporary housing.
To echo the author, Sacramento needs a strategic plan to tackle homelessness. This begins with the Board of Supervisors, Mayor Steinberg and Gov. Newsom acknowledging the institutional failures that perpetuate housing deprivation, poverty and a lack of investment in Sacramento’s communities of color. This means working beyond just housing and funding a community-wide approach to impact social determinants of health.
Madeleine Fraix,
Sacramento