Sacramento Bee readers respond to the latest mass shooting in Uvalde that left 21 dead
Elected cowards
“Texas gunman warned online he was going to shoot up school,” (sacbee.com, May 25)
When in God’s name are our elected officials going to have the guts to take on the gun lobby in some meaningful way? Our elected officials are behaving like cowards! It’s time for them to stand up for the safety of the people they represent.
Theodore R. Heil
Corona
Gender component
“Texas gunman warned online he was going to shoot up school,” (sacbee.com, May 25)
Despite transphobic misinformation to the contrary, Uvalde shooter Salvador Ramos was a cisgender man, like over 95% of American mass shooters before him. Most U.S. mass shootings are, at their core, extreme manifestations of a national culture that links masculinity with violence, and teaches boys that “feminine” traits such as gentleness and emotional vulnerability are signs of weakness. The gun industry exploits this shamelessly; it’s no coincidence that the .223 semiautomatic Bushmaster rifle (used in the Sandy Hook massacre) was once advertised with the tagline “Consider your man card reissued.” Gender should be central to our discussions about violence in America. The alternative is frequent, predictable and preventable tragedy.
Thomas Purdy
Sacramento
Sac can’t wait
“Rain, heat, repeat: What does erratic weather mean for California drought and fires?” (sacbee.com, May 11)
The National Weather Service issued its earliest-ever red flag warning for interior Northern California in April, and this wildfire season is slated to be long and disastrous. As we make slow progress on combating climate change, more people will suffer from heat-related illnesses, and more livelihoods. In 2020, the Mayors’ Commission on Climate Change laid out a road map for taking action to reduce our local climate impacts and increase resilience against Sacramento’s heat and extreme weather. The city’s climate action plan is supposed to incorporate this road map, but it’s been delayed for over 18 months. As the summer looms, the Sacramento City Council needs to release its climate action plan and get to work on urban greening and community climate resilience.
Kate Wilkins
Sacramento
Prioritize climate
“Californians could see mandatory water cuts amid drought,” (sacbee.com, May 24)
It’s going to be a brutal summer. We’re in extreme drought, water shortages are coming, food costs are rising and heat, wildfires and air quality are expected to be bad. This is climate change resulting from an irresponsible lack of action at all levels of leadership. Right now, the Sacramento City Council is poised to pass a budget that lacks funding for climate action. Given that the climate crisis is already upon us and people are already suffering, this is unacceptable. I served on the Mayors’ Commission on Climate Change, which recommended common sense solutions to the urgent threats from climate change. We need more tree canopy, cooling centers, heat island mitigation and improved public transit to ameliorate the effects of this crisis. Yet the council has not made climate a priority or worked to fund commission recommendations.
Laurie Litman
Sacramento
CalPERS betrayal
“$2.7 billion settlement in CalPERS long-term care insurance lawsuit is canceled,” (sacbee.com, May 18)
In our 50s, we purchased CalPERS long-term care insurance. Over 20 years later, we and 120,000 other Californians are grappling with how to survive a failed, mismanaged program that turned its back on us. CalPERS LTC was created through a bill passed by the California state legislature in 1995, the Public Employees Long Term Care Act. What resulted is a financial disaster and health care crisis for policyholders, most of whom are elderly with no hope of finding alternative insurance. Policies thought to have guaranteed level premiums have had outrageous increases of 900% in premiums from 2003 to 2022. After seven years, a Class Action lawsuit continues with no end in sight. It’s a nightmare for retired public employees who put their faith in CalPERS.
Ronald and Judith Josephson
Encinitas
Kiley takes us for granted
“If Trump thinks Rocklin’s Kevin Kiley is ‘tough,’ why is he so scared of my questions?” (sacbee.com, May 20)
Thank you, Jack Ohman. I attended two forums to which Kiley was invited, and he didn’t attend. He didn’t even have the good grace to let people know he wouldn’t be there. One was a weekly Chamber of Commerce meeting held in Auburn. That meeting had plenty of his supporters, and I’d imagine they, too, were disappointed their guy didn’t come.
I can only conclude that Kiley is taking our votes for granted. Rest assured, this voter will not be casting my vote for him.
Rosalie Wohlfromm
Auburn
Endorsement
“Sacramento County sheriff’s department desperately needs change. Jim Cooper can bring it,” (sacbee.com, May 4)
Undersheriff Jim Barnes is not a politician, and he is most certainly not a remake of Scott Jones. Barnes is a cop committed to creating a department that’s accountable to the entire community. He is willing to be reflective and desires overdue change. He has served in many capacities in the Sheriff’s Department without the blemishes and failed leadership associated with his opponent. Barnes’ reputation for integrity is outstanding. He possesses humility, introspection and a willingness to collaborate. The Sheriff’s Department needs powerful change that uplifts the integrity and professionalism of the hard-working members of the department while embracing the needs and concerns of the community they serve.
Rick Braziel
Former Sacramento chief of police