Global warming, water and weed, Donald Trump

A bright example of collaboration

Re “Mosque honors capital church that helps in resettling refugees” (Local, July 10): Stephen Magagnini’s article restored my faith in human decency. Magagnini excelled by showing how a mosque and a church reached out to each other seeking understanding and friendship. It is a breath of fresh air to see how this relationship evolved in the last four years, in contrast to the media’s coverage of stories of hate and violence. What a beautiful gesture to have First Covenant Church of Sacramento bring food to the SALAM Islamic Center to break its fast during the holy month of Ramadan, and for SALAM to bring toys for the children of the church during the holy time of the year, the Easter Service.

Thanks to Magagnini and The Bee for showing the bright side of Muslims and Christians working together and setting examples of how collaboration creates wonders.

Legislature’s at fault

Re “State lets buildings decay” (Dan Walters, July 13): If Dan Walters had done some investigative reporting, he would have learned that the Department of General Services has tracked exactly what maintenance is needed in its building inventory for decades and requested funds year after year from the Legislature to do the work only to be denied. Nothing happens until something falls off a building or grows moldy. Then their majesties in the Legislature are shocked and dismayed that the Department of General Services is so incompetent that they didn’t maintain the buildings they are in charge of.

Global warming requires action

Re “Beetles preying on dried-up forests” (Insight, July 11): Global warming is crippling California’s forests with a one-two punch. Higher temperatures are intensifying the drought, leaving insufficient water for trees. Without cold winters, more beetles survive to burrow into the already-weakened trees. Hotter temperatures combined with more dead trees create conditions for bigger wildfires, which have been happening more frequently.

We need to protect the well-being of our forests and our people by demanding that our political leaders stop denying science and start finding solutions to climate change.

Perspective on water and weed

Re “It’s past time to regulate medical marijuana” (Editorials, July 3): We at Cal NORML recognize that there are serious localized problems surrounding marijuana growing and its water use, and have been working again this year for the regulation of commercial-sized cannabis farms at a state level.

However, statewide, the amount of water being used for marijuana is a drop in a bucket compared to the 35 million to 45 million acre-feet used for agriculture in California. We calculate that cannabis, licit and illicit, uses only 12,000 acre-feet of water yearly, which is in line with the Emerald Growers Association’s estimate. Researcher Keith Humphreys of Stanford notes that, while the USDA data show that 936,000 acres are devoted to growing almonds, the marijuana consumption of the entire U.S. population could be cultivated using only 1 percent of that acreage.

Let’s be sure that we are looking at all possible solutions to the very real issues we face, instead of scapegoating a familiar, headline-grabbing one.

Trump should worry Dems too

Re “Despite GOP pressure, Trump not going away” (Sacbee.com, July 9): Conventional wisdom says Donald Trump will paint all Republicans as anti-Latino and hand the presidency to Hillary Clinton. I fear this may be wishful thinking. Unintended consequences could unfold unless Clinton takes a much stronger stance against Trump.

Only three Republicans have a chance at the nomination: Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio and Scott Walker. If Bush is smart, he’ll aggressively attack Trump and defend immigrants.

Bush, who is married to a Mexican American, is very popular in Florida and could name Ohio’s Gov. John Kasich as his vice president. Bush could win 35 percent of the Latino vote, Florida and Ohio. Florida’s Rubio, a Latino, could similarly benefit by this strategy.

So Clinton wins with a Trump third party or the nomination of Walker. But otherwise she needs to pin down the Latino vote now. She can’t afford to lose Florida, Ohio and 35 percent of the Latino vote.

This story was originally published July 13, 2015 at 5:01 PM with the headline "Global warming, water and weed, Donald Trump."