California Forum Letters: Bee readers weigh in on Sac zoo, immigrant health care

Support Sac Zoo

“‘Expansion or extinction.’ New location for Sacramento Zoo stuck in decision gridlock” (sacbee.com, April 8)

As a long-time local zoo member, I was disheartened to read the headline “expansion of extinction.” There is no reason for this “move or die” approach. Like many other smaller zoos, ours can continue to serve a critical conservation and education niche by housing a variety of interesting rare and endangered smaller animals. So whether or not our zoo moves, let’s continue to support it.

Georgianna Pfost

Sacramento

Thinking big

“‘Expansion or extinction.’ New location for Sacramento Zoo stuck in decision gridlock” (sacbee.com, April 8)

The Bing Maloney Golf Course site is the best place for our zoo — bringing new development and commerce to a depressed area with federal start-up money. To grow into a true regional zoo and park, the adjacent Sacramento Executive Airport could easily move its limited operations to another airport as expansion funds become available. Sacramento must think big now, for a change, for the benefit of all the people of the Sacramento area.

Bill Jurkovich

Citrus Heights

Failure to launch

“‘We Have Lift Off’: See the 34-foot tall sculpture about to appear in downtown Sacramento” (sacbee.com, April 6)

$750,000 to be paid by the city for an outdated-looking rocket ship statue for Midtown! If this is done with private donated funds, OK. But not with taxpayer’s funds. It needs to be on a ballot first for approval. I’d rather see money for city art used for Wide Open Walls — something that everybody can enjoy. I will be watching which council members approve this and not vote for them next election.

Jean Storms

Sacramento

Dollars and sense

“Gavin Newsom strikes wildfire deal to put $536 million toward home-hardening, prevention” (sacbee.com, April 8)

Drought conditions related to climate change threaten to make the upcoming fire season a repeat of last year’s record-breaking year. Similarly, in Biden’s infrastructure plan, billions of dollars will be provided to build resilience to climate change. Additionally, the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act was recently reintroduced in the House of Representatives. It puts a price on carbon and returns the funds collected to U.S. households. Economists agree that this is one of the most powerful ways of dealing with climate change.

Harold Ferber

Elk Grove

Trash talk

“How a surprising Newsom veto threw California’s garbage, building industries into chaos” (sacbee.com, April 8)

Did the governor thoughtlessly create chaos by vetoing a bill that permanently allows builders and haulers to dump toxic waste into our landfills? The easiest way to solve one’s problems is to literally dump them onto someone else. Buried in the article, the governor’s veto message points out that these products should not be allowed into the landfills without at least some periodic review. Sounds reasonable. These products are deliberately designed to be environmentally unfriendly. Maybe their manufacturer should be looking for alternatives.

David Studer

Davis

Health care reform

“California’s economy depends on undocumented immigrants. They have earned health care” (sacbee.com, April 13)

Extending Medi-Cal to undocumented Californians would do justice to the essential role of immigrants in our state economy, and ending the exclusion for immigrants would make California a national model for an equitable pandemic recovery. Health care is a human right. Yet, due to pointless structural barriers, the negative health and economic impacts of COVID-19 have been significantly greater among undocumented immigrants. Inclusive policies like universal COVID-19 treatment and vaccines are steps in the right direction. But these solutions place a Band-Aid on inequities rather than create real change. We must end the exclusion of immigrants from our health care system.

Benyamin Chao, Health & Public Benefits Policy Coordinator.

Los Angeles

Run don’t walk

“Battery-powered vehicles can clean California’s air and help cut electricity rates” (sacbee.com, April 14)

The development of an electric vehicle-based infrastructure is a necessary step to turn California into a 100% renewable state. In an aesthetic sense, automobile regulations in the past have transformed our major city centers from smog-ridden clouds into shining beacons of clean communities. In a more pragmatic sense, the reliance of our economies on healthy ecosystems demand that the change is made swiftly and effectively in order to ensure the holistic health of California. The problem is that we are walking where we should be running. My goal is to advocate for the acceleration of our plan to reach 100% energy from renewable resources, and the promise that this EV plan has is an excellent step.

Samuel Van Blaricom

Roseville

Unaffordable solar

“Thinking of getting solar panels? California utilities want to slash ‘generous’ subsidies” (sacbee.com, March 30)

California’s 25-year-old rooftop solar program is unfairly driving up electricity bills for millions of low-income Californians and jeopardizing the state’s ability to achieve clean energy objectives. Diverse groups have asked the California Public Utilities Commission for changes that address the inequities while also suggesting financial incentives for people to put solar panels on their rooftops. Without reform, those with solar systems will continue to get overly generous credits and pay nominal utility bills, while millions of low-income customers without rooftop solar pay significantly more than their fair share.

Faith Bautista

Daly City