California forum letters: Bee readers respond to local and state elections endorsements

Yee responds

“California needs a controller to challenge Sacramento’s establishment. This candidate can,” (sacbee.com, May 10)

The Sacramento Bee demonstrates it lacks understanding of the agencies for which it feels qualified to recommend leaders. The Department of General Services vets vendors and awards contracts for personal protective equipment. The Employment Development Department reviews and approves unemployment claims. Upon receiving a request for payment from agencies, the Controller’s Office ensures claims are tied to a legitimate appropriation. In the case of PPE, claims were attached to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s emergency COVID appropriation, and contracts were awarded to companies without partisan ties. By contrast, the Controller’s Office denied a claim for payment to a Democratic consulting firm made by then-Secretary of State Alex Padilla’s office because no legal appropriation had been identified. I hope whoever next holds this office will exercise the same impartiality.

Betty T. Yee

California Controller

Sanctuary state

“California leaders move to put abortion rights into the state Constitution: ‘We will fight.’” (sacbee.com, May 3)

The end of the constitutional right to abortion is imminent. People without access to the financial resources and support they need to travel out of state are forced to carry pregnancies or seek abortions outside the health care system. We support current bills to secure California as a sanctuary for people to access abortions as well as the proposed consitutional amendment enshiring abortion protection.

Eileen Jacobowitz

President, National Council of Jewish Women Sacramento

Skunk Train stinks

“Will Fort Bragg become a choo-choo town? Skunk Train owners, city battle over expansion,” (sacbee.com, May 3)

Sierra Railroad chief executive Mike Hart’s quote about connecting to the national rail network sidesteps the juicy details found in filings submitted to the Surface Transportation Board in 2021.The Skunk Train has expressed interest in taking over the old Northwest Pacific Railroad right-of-way, which the state wants to transform into a stunning, world-class Great Redwood Trail. The company has openly acknowledged that taking this right-of-way from the public would mean an end to the trail, but it is less open about the commodity that would bring in the billions of dollars needed to resurrect and maintain the notoriously decrepit railroad line. The answer lies in one of the dirtiest cargos: coal.

Alicia Hamann

Eureka

Natomas distrust

“South Natomas needs grassroots leadership. This Sacramento council candidate can deliver,” (sacbee.com, May 5)

Talamantes betrayed us while president of the Sacramento County Board of Education. Why would we trust her as a Sacramento City Council member? The Natomas school board drew a map for “by trustee” elections that took our school from the extreme southeast corner of the Natomas district and placed it with a new trustee area in the extreme west — on the other side of Interstate 5. We sent Talamantes 12 pages of signatures, and 14 speakers begged her to table the motion and give us time to fix the problem. She never said a word and voted in support, disenfranchising all parents and neighbors. She’s only looking out for herself.

Rory Barlew

Sacramento

Dumars respect

“Power play: Joe Dumars exits after failed attempt to seize control of Kings’ front office,” (sacbee.com, May 3)

This article projected Joe Dumars as someone who’s conniving and malcontent. There were questionable accusations made that seemed to be based solely on conjecture and hearsay. A person of integrity, Dumars has always had a respected reputation. He came to the Kings with a high degree of experience. The fact that he was denied the opportunity to advance to his level of expertise is evidence of Dumars being wronged, not the other way around. He has earned better than his name being unjustly sullied.

Donald Manning

Sacramento

Bee superstar

“New Sacramento Bee columnist wins Pulitzer for columns on former Kansas cop accused of rape,” (sacbee.com, May 9)

Congratulations to Melinda Henneberger for winning a Pulitzer Prize. I have read Melinda’s work in the Kansas City Star for several years. Keep up the great writing, Melinda. Sacramento is lucky to have you. The Star’s loss is The Bee’s gain.

Bill Baxter

Kansas City, Mo.

Niello critique

“This sensible Sacramento area Republican deserves to be elected to the California Senate,” (sacbee.com, May 10)

This editorial mentions that Niello voted for more taxes to save a budget, but fails to mention that Niello once told Republicans not to vote for new contracts between state employees and then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. After months of negotiations and hardships faced by state employees suffering under furloughs, he stopped the approval and threw negotiations into chaos. Niello has supported eliminating CalPERS and forcing state workers into 401(k)s. He has been no friend of state workers or retirees.

Randy Cheek

Carmichael

Cooley’s legacy

“Sacramento County’s suburban voters should consider this Republican candidate for Assembly,” (sacbee.com, May 6)

Cooley claims to be a Democrat, but his views are not very different from those of his opponent. Cooley, however, is willing to destroy trees and state history for a glass monstrosity to replace our historic Capitol Annex. It’s for this reason that Hoover is the better bet. Maybe he can actually get something done for the people of California.

Karen Jacques

Sacramento