Retired Elk Grove teacher: ‘LGBTQ clubs provide a safe environment for students’ | Opinion

Fight intolerance

“Elk Grove parents plan walk out over LGBTQ student clubs,” (sacbee.com, March 29)

A cosmic symmetry: the same day you published this article highlighting Elk Grove Unified parents’ concerns about LGBTQ student campus clubs, your Capitol Alert noted that in 2022, one in five hate crimes was motivated by anti-LGBTQ bias. These two data points are connected.

As a retired Elk Grove Unified teacher, I understand the devastating impact of bullying. Self-confidence, decision-making and communication skills must be fostered early in a student’s life. Developing empathy and social skills is crucial. These clubs provide a safe environment for students to interact. But organizations such as the California Family Council aim to demonize these efforts by using hyperbolic rhetoric and innuendo to stir up irrational fear and opposition.

Violence against our LGBTQ community and hate speech on social media shouldn’t surprise us. Every time we give in to intolerance, we lose a little more of our humanity.

Barbara Smith

Auburn

Don’t forget state workers

“Downtown can’t rely on state workers for vitality. Will soccer stadium help? | Opinion,” (sacbee.com, March 28)

I am a government worker, and I would be a downtown resident if I could afford it. Your article seems to forget that we exist outside of offices. I loved living downtown, but when my pandemic-era room rental ended, I couldn’t pass the income requirements on downtown apartment applications.

I now work remotely in Davis, where housing is equally expensive, but landlords believe you when you say you’ll find a roommate to split the rent. If I were living in Sacramento, I could walk to the office rather than brave the causeway and spend my whole lunch budget on parking. I’d have a choice of coffee shops when needing a change of remote work scenery. I could go to happy hours.

Don’t leave state workers out of your vision of vitality.

Cortney Copeland

Davis

Disappointed in KVIE

“CapRadio’s endowment board donates transmission tower to KVIE-TV,” (sacbee.com, April 2)

Let’s say you knew your neighbor was recovering from a serious illness. A guest who is supposed to be helping them says they’ve stolen not just your neighbor’s home, but medicine they need to survive, offering both to you as a gift. Do you take it, knowing it will harm your neighbor, perhaps even kill them?

This is what KVIE has done. The land and tower are necessary to CapRadio’s existence. KVIE didn’t build either, nor did the CapRadio Endowment, which only exists to support CapRadio. Volunteers bought that land and built the tower through hundreds of hours of fundraising.

I can’t be part of this. I’m ending my KVIE membership. And I’m telling them why.

The Bee is reporting this as if an endowment created to support one organization simply giving suspicious gifts to another is normal. This raises additional questions, and The Bee is not asking them.

Stephanie Jones

Sacramento

Excessive rates

“Will future increases in PG&E bills be tied to personal income? Here’s the latest | Opinion,” (sacbee.com, March 29)

Did you know that utility rates have nearly doubled over the past 10 years while investor-owned utilities — including PG&E — post excessive profits?

Once again, the California Public Utility Commission is doing the bidding of investor-owned utilities by proposing yet another increase in electric power rates. Now, they just proposed a monthly utility tax of $24 per customer, more than double the national average. The tax is uncapped and could rise to $80 per month at any time. The CPUC has been in the pocket of utilities for so long now that the state legislators had to introduce Assembly Bill 2054 to block retired CPUC commissioners from working for the utilities for 10 years!

Contact your legislators and tell them to vote for AB 1999, capping the tax at just $10 per month.

Sandy White

Fremont

Rethink decision to end red light program

“Sacramento’s red light camera program has been shut down by the Sheriff’s Office. Here’s why,” (sacbee.com, March 14)

The announcement to end the red light camera program is another roadblock to preventing

vehicular violence and protecting pedestrians and bikers. Red light camera systems have been

an effective deterrent in reducing crashes at intersections. Thousands of crashes each year in Sacramento occur at traffic stops, and the growing number of pedestrian injuries and fatalities show us that our city has a long way to go before Vision Zero is realized.

Other Northern California cities like San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose are implementing speed enforcement cameras as part of Assembly Bill 645’s pilot program. This program does what the Sacramento Sheriff’s Department suggested and moves camera speed enforcement to the department of transportation. Why can’t the red-light system programs be reformed to make safer streets?

If city leaders can make that happen, then perhaps ending the red light program is a

speedbump, not a roadblock, on getting to Vision Zero.

Samantha Henson

Sacramento

An American hero

“Lou Conter, last survivor of battleship targeted in Pearl Harbor, dies in California at 102,” (sacbee.com, April 2)

I am deeply saddened by the passing of a true American hero, Commander Lou Conter. His courage and bravery saved many lives on the USS Arizona during the attack at Pearl Harbor. Following a long and very distinguished military career, he dedicated his life to honoring the memory of those who were lost.

My thoughts are with his family and loved ones. I know he will be greatly missed.

Paul Bacon

Hallandale Beach, Fla.