Sen. Angelique Ashby’s homelessness bill aims for real change on homelessness | Opinion

Homeless bureaucracy

“Key Sacramento homeless nonprofits say CA senator’s bill blindsided them,” (sacbee.com, June 27)

Rather than being “blindsided” by Sen. Angelique Ashby’s bill, nonprofits like Sacramento Steps Forward, which has been administering homeless services since 2011, should welcome and embrace a streamlined process that will likely produce results.

As quoted in this article, Sen. Ashby opined, “We cannot have the people of Sacramento having to deal with eight different boards of individuals for five different agencies, all working at counter purposes.” With regard to the homeless situation locally, have truer words ever been spoken?

Meanwhile, one nonprofit leader expressed concern about losing “expertise” if one of the groups is dissolved. This so-called expertise has created a situation where the homeless bureaucracy thrives, while the core problem continues to grow.

Bill Motmans

Sacramento

Masked agents from past and present

“Recent ICE raids expose just how vulnerable our location data is | Opinion,” (sacbee.com, June 26)

As a child in Marietta, Georgia, my wife remembers looking out her window and seeing a cross burning. She remembers seeing her dad confront hooded riders.

Now, our current Republican administration says federal agents, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, cover their faces for protection. When was the last time you saw a police officer or California Highway Patrol officer cover their face?

What President Donald Trump is doing is taking a stick to a hornet’s nest — riling up areas of our country while he bulldozes through existing federal government departments.

Dean Olson

Nevada City

Not ‘caving’

“Gavin Newsom hurts city of Sacramento by caving on his return-to-work order | Opinion,” (sacbee.com, June 23)

The State Employee Relations Act requires that the employers (the State of California) meet and confer with all representative unions on changes to the conditions of employment. This prevents unilateral changes mandated by decree of the employer or governor. Meeting the requirements of the law is not “caving,” it is acting appropriately.

Bob Losik

Fair Oaks

Sacramento shelter too small

“Sacramento’s Front Street shelter called a ‘doggy dungeon’ due to old design, overcrowding,” (sacbee.com, March 19)

The city shelter is way too small for a city the size of Sacramento. All but one of the dogs for adoption when I was there were pit bulls. Bless the staff for making every effort to adopt out the pets they have and for keeping Angel for as long as they did. We are meeting her new family in Salt Lake City so they can transport her home to Colorado.

Carol McElheney

Elk Grove

Why I turned to activism

“Trump’s troop deployment to Los Angeles faces legal test,” (modbee.com, June 12)

Violence and revenge are raining down on American citizens. In the last several weeks, the Trump administration arrested or forcefully detained judges and elected officials, including Sen. Alex Padilla and New York City Comptroller Brad Landers.

It was these evil and unlawful acts — plus many others — that led me to activism.. I was so mad that I went to my first protest and was hooked. I joined Indivisible Stanislaus and my world changed.

The group’s kind and caring members helped me channel my angst into activism. This culminated in the “No Kings” event on June 14, where I found over 4,000 others who’ve had enough, too.

All of this begs the question: Is this kind of activism worth it? Thank goodness we have people like Cesar Chavez, Dolores Huerta and Martin Luther King Jr. who have shown that peaceful protest can create a shift in public opinion, making for a kinder and just world.

Drusilla Clough

Modesto