UC Davis chancellor weighs in on suspension of Law Students Association | Opinion

UC Davis weighs in

“How UC Davis capitulated to Donald Trump and harmed law school students | Opinion,” (sacbee.com, April 3)

UC Davis suspended operations of the Law Students Association because it violated University of California policy. Association members were repeatedly advised before their vote that their resolution to boycott people or entities with ties to Israel was discriminatory. UC policy requires student government organizations to support activities on a viewpoint-neutral basis.

This action was not in response to students’ exercise of free speech rights or the mere expressing of an opinion.

Gary S. May

Chancellor, UC Davis

Silence is complicity

“Bernie Sanders, AOC rally thousands at ‘Fighting Oligarchy’ stop in Folsom,” (sacbee.com, April 16)

Yesterday, I took my son to a Folsom rally with speakers Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Tens of thousands of people came. Why? Because silence is complicity.

We came because watching people taken in unmarked vans while thousands of unhoused people sleep on our streets demands more than outrage. I believe in capitalism, but it needs oversight, not reckless power. This administration is torching decades of global leadership and embracing strongmen, not strength.

When Congress eagerly hands its authority to the executive branch, it is not true or democratic governance, it’s erosion. I brought my son to learn that when democracy starts to wobble, you show up.

We can’t afford to wait. The Constitution doesn’t defend itself.

Robert van der Vijver

Somerset

Kiley chooses billionaires over constituents

“California Republicans say yes, Democrats say no to massive federal budget plan,” (sacbee.com, April 10)

My congressman, Republican Kevin Kiley, just voted for a budget bill that will require cuts of $880 billion from Medicaid (MediCal) over the next 10 years. Nearly a quarter (23%) of Kiley’s constituents use MediCal, and a huge portion of those individuals are children or people with disabilities.

These cuts are proposed so that billionaires and corporations will get massive tax breaks. In his telephone town hall, Kiley said these tax breaks will trickle down to the rest of us, but we’ve been waiting 40 years and that hasn’t happened.

Kiley will choose billionaires over protecting his working-class constituents in this largely rural district every single time.

Tracy Wade

Browns Valley

Immigrants strengthen our country

“Sacramento police vow not to engage in immigration enforcement despite Trump DOJ threats,” (sacbee.com, Jan. 23)

When I was in junior high school, my dad became very sick. He was taken to the UCLA Medical Center, and after many tests, doctors still couldn’t figure out what was wrong. Then, a blood test intern who had arrived here from Korea on a student visa suggested a test for a disease that was common in Korea but rare in the U.S. That test gave him his diagnosis. My dad got the appropriate medication and returned home healthy.

What if Donald Trump had been president at the time and deported the intern?

Our country benefits from immigrants from different countries, with different cultures, different religions and different races. We must maintain an inclusive society. Don’t let MAGA deportation policies take away the special sauce that makes America truly great. Trump’s policies wreck and weaken our country.

Bruce Joffe

Piedmont

Sacramento looks the other way

“Short-term rentals are changing small towns for the worse,” (sacbee.com, Feb. 21. 2024)

Short-term rentals are deepening California’s housing crisis by pulling homes off the long-term market and driving up rents. With 100,000 of these rentals statewide, platforms like Airbnb openly flout laws, enable tax evasion and profit from illegal listings, all while Sacramento looks the other way.

These companies encourage landlords to kick out tenants for tourist profits, shrinking housing supply and fueling displacement. Lower-income renters are hit hardest, driving homelessness and housing instability.

Neighborhoods are turning into hotel zones, while cities lose critical tax revenue and struggle to enforce basic rules.

Sacramento’s inaction is unacceptable. The state has allowed powerful tech platforms to write their own rules, leaving cities powerless to protect housing. Building 100,000 homes isn’t realistic in the short term, but stopping short-term rental abuse is. California cannot fix its housing crisis unless Sacramento stops shielding corporate interests and starts standing with residents.

Raymond Jackson

Councilmember, Hermosa Beach City Council

This story was originally published April 16, 2025 at 12:44 PM.