Bee readers react to California’s water storage woes, homeless encampments, levee failure | Opinion
Water woes
“Rain totals in Northern California after atmospheric river,” (sacbee.com, Jan. 6)
Water, water everywhere, nor any drop to drink.
A parade of atmospheric rivers is drenching California with an estimated 22 trillion gallons of rain, enough to cover the entire state with up to six inches of water. Tragically, we’re capturing only a fraction of it while $2.7 billion to expand water storage — approved by voters in 2014 — sits largely idle.
The seven projects included in Proposition 1 have the collective capacity to increase the state’s water storage by 900 billion gallons, enough to supply up to 2.7 million homes for a year. But nearly five years after initial funding was awarded, none of these projects has broken ground.
It’s absolutely critical that we accelerate these projects to begin storing water that can help us as future droughts intensify. California and the federal government must work together on ways to streamline permits for infrastructure projects essential for adapting to climate change.
Jim Wunderman
President and CEO, Bay Area Council
No free solution
“Oakland’s homeless urge California to stop brutal sweeps,” (sacbee.com, Jan. 8)
I was a resident of downtown Los Angeles when the Echo Park encampment was cleared out, and it was never lauded as a complete success. The day the police descended on the park without warning, local media were quick to point out that the city had failed to notify advocacy groups that could have helped.
There was mass disorganization that affected the entire neighboring community, and soon after, nearby encampments grew larger, suggesting that unhoused people were merely displaced, not sheltered.
The author suggests keeping current encampments as the easy, cost-free answer. But to an outsider, these areas all too often fall victim to excessive hoarding and trash. Tax-paying, property-owning residents must give up access to public land and don’t have any say. Unfortunately, no solution is free.
Jana Massey
Los Angeles
Utterly uninspiring
“How Placer Pastor Matthew Oliver lost Rocklin council race,” (sacbee.com, Jan. 8)
Rocklin City Councilman David Bass is absolutely correct: Some of us are sick of the smear campaigns.
The residents of Placer County have survived catastrophic fire, pandemic, economic recession, escalating housing and food prices, and now flood and storm damage. Those aspiring to office and currently in office campaigning and governing via blame, misdirection, half-truths and bald-faced lies, while offering nothing to improve the realities of their constituents’ lives, are frankly insulting and utterly uninspiring.
Playing fast and loose with the livelihoods and well-being of constituents in service of personal political and party aspirations is a reprehensible breach of the public trust. When everyone has been labeled either a villain or an enemy, and no real policy has been offered to help people living through the effects of the neglect, all that’s left is more Placer residents suffering.
Please just stop.
Neva M. Parker
Roseville
National failure
“A Sacramento County levee has a hole the size of a football field,” (sacbee.com, Jan. 5)
As a lifelong New Orleanian, my heart goes out to all of the people affected by this tragic incident.
Your article indicates that Hurricane Katrina caused the massive destruction of our city. Katrina was a big storm, but the flooding of our city was due to the abject and total failure of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to have properly designed and built the levees meant to protect our city, as directed by Congress in the late ’60s, following Hurricane Betsy. This fact was publicly acknowledged by the corps some years after Katrina.
I hope your community can successfully overcome the problems that led to your current situation.
Dan Silverman
New Orleans, La.
Need support
“Why aren’t American feminists backing brave Iranian women …,” (sacbee.com, Dec. 16)
In the new year, the uprising in Iran is entering a new, critical phase, and it will need international support now more than ever. We need to keep the pressure on Western governments and representatives to do more to support young Iranians. To do this, we need to put public pressure on politicians.
Hanri Nahreini
Persian Cultural Center – Sacramento
Feeling unsafe
“Sacramento robbery victim disarmed suspect arrested by police,” (sacbee.com, Jan. 11)
The victim of a robbery disarmed his attacker, and the assailant was later identified as a suspect in two other armed robberies in the same area, all within Sacramento’s downtown core. The article included a post from police officials indicating that they “know that incidents such as this can be upsetting to a sense of safety in the community” and offering safety tips, including “walking in a group (and) using well-lit paths of travel.”
These are all very good tips, but the underlying message is clear: Downtown is no longer safe. We know the Police Department is understaffed, down at least 80 patrol officers. The mayor and City Council need to dedicate resources to help keep Sacramento safe.
Bill Motmans
Sacramento
A senior’s reality
“Tax burden may rise for some seniors as Social Security benefits increase next year,” (sacbee.com, Dec. 12)
I am a senior citizen living in a senior community that has raised the rent. I pay $1,470 and am on Social Security. I have to ask my family for financial help to cover the cost so I won’t be homeless.
I recently heard that there is no security guard in the evening hours to make sure seniors are safe. Also, there is no gate around the facility to keep us safe.
What can be done about this situation? I have worked since I was 17. There is no such thing as the golden years for seniors. The world is changing for the worse.
I feel like I am in poverty.
Judy Sutter
Citrus Heights