California forum letters: Bee readers weigh in on mask guidance, prison closure, Kings
Pay to play
“Sorry, CDC. We’re keeping our masks on until more Californians get the COVID-19 vaccine” sacbee.com, May 17)
Only 40% of California is fully vaccinated. Gov. Newsom can increase vaccination rates by providing a monetary incentive. Just $1 million could be used to fund a lottery for citizens who are fully vaccinated in the month of June. To reward citizens who are already fully vaccinated, additional lotteries would be needed. This is a small price to pay to ease the minds of citizens who think the COVID-19 war is far from over.
Dennis Hocevar
Manhattan Beach
Republican shame
“Tom McClintock backs Liz Cheney’s ouster, saying her biases hurt the GOP” (sacbee.com, May 12)
Cheney’s biases are her refusal to countenance Trump’s lies about the election and his role in inciting the insurrection. The 147 Republicans voting to overturn the election, based upon Trump’s lies, put party before our country and Constitution. Some may be so stupid as to believe there was widespread fraud, despite zero evidence. Others are so afraid of Trump they will kowtow to anything he says, including attacking the foundations of our democracy. Others know the election wasn’t stolen and are not afraid of Trump, but afraid they will be voted out of office for not supporting Trump.
Shame! I was a Republican. No longer.
William Schmidt
Wilton
Christian values
“An ‘egregious, racist act’ still haunts a St. Francis student. Her parents speak out” (sacbee.com, May 16)
As a parent of a student of color who attends a school in the Sacramento Diocese, I was both saddened and heartened by this story. While I wasn’t surprised at the student’s thoughtless social media post, I was surprised at St. Francis’ High School’s response to it, to the victim’s parents and to the community outrage at their complete lack of action. Our family chose a Catholic school because we wanted our child to learn fundamental Christian values that help us teach that admitting fault, taking responsibility for your actions and sincerely apologizing for your part in hurting another person are the path to growth and maturity. St. Francis showed none of that. In stark contrast stood the actions the Palkos took to ensure the issue was not swept under the diocesan carpet. Congratulations to them for standing up in support of true Christian values of faith and forgiveness.
Brenda Dabey
Sacramento
Broken promises
“Pay cuts ending for 130,000 California state workers. Others must negotiate” (sacbee.com, May 14)
In 2009, SEIU Local 1000 was in a dilemma: California’s revenue forecast was way off, forcing anticipation that there would be insufficient funds to cover payroll terms already ratified in the then current collective bargaining agreement. Members were asked to either take the chance of a layoff or keep their job, agreeing to a pay cut via furloughs. The union voted for furloughs. Cheap talk ensued that when the budget was balanced, we would be compensated. As years passed, different governors came along declaring magnificent surpluses, but compensation was still not a reality. Now it’s 2021, and there’s that same talk about compensation that leaves out many workers whose pay was cut. Happy for those who get it.
Carl Schwartz, former SEIU Local 1000 member
Sacramento
Permission to build
“California blackouts this summer? State offers ‘guarded optimism’ the lights will stay on” (sacbee.com, May 5)
Last summer’s blackouts revealed that once-in-a-lifetime events are now just ordinary – and we need to prepare our energy grid. We need new, renewable energy generation and storage projects online to ensure we have enough energy to keep our lights on. Right now, projects consisting of thousands of megawatts of clean energy and storage are awaiting state approval. Several new long-duration energy storage projects have been proposed – and in some cases permitted – throughout the state. It’s time for the California Public Utilities Commission and the California Independent System Operator to meet the moment by granting already permitted green energy generation and storage projects permission to build.
Julia Prochnik
Sacramento
Kings are critical
“Hey, Sacramento: If you don’t think you’re invested in the Kings’ dysfunction, think again” (sacbee.com, May 19)
While we may be disappointed in the team’s success on the court, off the court the Sacramento Kings continue to do great things for our region.
The development of Golden 1 Center has proven to be fundamental to the revitalization of our downtown. Over the last several years, it has generated nearly $6 billion in economic activity, improved the quality of life for the region, set a nationwide example for sustainability and showcased our region to the world. What’s more, they have shown us that sports teams can use their platform for good by combating social and racial injustice.
With ticket sales for top live events outselling big cities like Boston, Atlanta and San Francisco, Golden 1 Center truly has been bigger than basketball. The Kings have been critical for our community.
Michael T. Ault, executive director, Downtown Sacramento Partnership
Sacramento
Close the prisons
“Rural California could lose thousands of jobs as prisons close. What can the state do?” (sacbee.com, May 18)
Closing California state-owned prisons is a complex problem with many moving parts including concerns around labor, job loss and economic infrastructure of rural communities.
But let us not forget why we must close these facilities in the first place: Mass incarceration in California and across the U.S. is an ongoing social crisis that disproportionately affects our Black and brown communities. We can and must continue to close prisons in the interest of racial justice, environmental justice and public health. Labor and job loss is important, but so is reckoning with our legacy of systemic racism.
Prison closure is essential to reimagining the criminal justice system so our communities can start healing.
Dax Proctor
Los Angeles