Sac City Unified must address its budget deficit head on | Opinion

Sac City Unified must act

“As Sac City considers closing schools, the district may also seek more bond funds,” (sacbee.com, April 24)

Sacramento City Unified is finally talking about consolidating schools and reinvesting in stronger, better-resourced campuses. That is the right vision. Done well, it could both help stabilize the district’s finances and improve services, including for students who rely on consistent special education programs.

But a vision is not a plan, and time is not on the district’s side. The board’s direction to staff to focus first on attendance boundary adjustments may be politically understandable, but it does not change the underlying reality of too many underutilized schools. If anything, it risks delaying the harder decisions that must come.

Given the scale of the fiscal crisis, the district must also consolidate planning and facilities investment and enact program redesign.

Monica Baumann

Sacramento

California must build

“California committee kills bill aiming to end tax break for corporate landlords,” (sacbee.com, April 27)

The California Department of Housing and Community Development has been clear: over the last decade, the state produced fewer than 80,000 new homes per year — less than half of the roughly 180,000 required annually. That supply gap is the real crisis.

Instead of asking how to increase supply, we’re fed a rotating list of scapegoats: boomers, NIMBYs, regulations and now “corporate landlords.”

Here’s the question lawmakers should answer every time they propose a new restriction: Will this policy build a single new home? If the answer is no, it’s political theater. Pushing investors out doesn’t create ownership opportunities; it drives capital away from housing.

Eric Eisenhammer

Roseville

Don’t feed the wildlife

“CA officials warn of increased bear encounters, especially in Tahoe, as temps rise,” (sacbee.com, April 28)

When bears gain access to human food, conflict inevitably follows. Black bears are highly intelligent, but they are motivated by food. Once rewarded with unsecured garbage, bird or pet foods or backyard attractants, they quickly lose their natural wariness of people.

Communities across California already know what works: bear‑resistant trash containers, locking doors and windows, removing bird feeders during the time when bears are out of their dens and never feeding wildlife — intentionally or not. These tools are effective because they keep bears wild and people safe.

When we fail to prevent attractants, the outcome is often fatal for the bear. If we want fewer break‑ins, fewer emergency responses and fewer bears euthanized, the solution starts with us.

Dawn Ward

Placerville

Less accountable government

“Supreme Court limits Voting Rights Act in setback for Black Democrats,” (sacbee.com, April 26)

The Supreme Court decision just reversed hard-won progress under the Voting Rights Act.

It means less representation for millions of Black Americans and other voters of color, as lawmakers gain the ability to manipulate their districts.

There will be more extreme partisan gerrymandering, lopsided elections, less accountable government and policies that hurt rather than help with everyday life.

It does not have to be this way. We can mobilize around reform, new laws and, where necessary, constitutional amendments for fairer government. Only then can we feel the benefits of a balanced court, a truly representative Congress and an election system free from the distorting power of extreme corporate and partisan manipulation.

Paul Bacon

Hallandale Beach, Fla.

Clean up our air

“How unfunded mandates raise California utility bills,” (sacbee.com, April 17)

According to the American Lung Association’s State of the Air report, gas soot is harmful to children at any level. The costs add up quickly for families, including doctor visits, inhalers and more. And many families are already struggling to keep up, especially as support through programs like Medicaid and Medicare becomes harder to access.

We should be using every tool we have to clean up our air. Cleaner air means fewer health

problems and fewer medical bills for families like mine.

Prisma Alvarez

Los Angeles

Unscientific cap

“2 new California cannabis laws took effect in 2026. What to know ahead of 4/20,” (sacbee.com, April 17)

California’s new animal cannabis laws adopted a limit of 1 milligram of Tetrahydrocannabinol

(THC) per package of pet products — a number too low to be clinically meaningful in most cases.

This cap is not science-based. The California Veterinary Medical Association called it “arbitrary, unsupported by current scientific literature.” Pet Poison Helpline reports the lethal THC dose in dogs exceeds 3,000 milligrams — making a 1 milligram cap driven by fear, not evidence.

California pet owners deserve cannabis regulations grounded in veterinary science, not bureaucratic caution.

Jeffrey Powers

President, Veterinary Cannabis Society