California forum letters: Bee readers take on Highway 50 drivers, John Eastman, solar

Revisionist history

“John Eastman: Here’s the advice I actually gave Vice President Pence on the 2020 election,” (sacbee.com, Oct. 7)

Mr. Eastman doth protest too much, advancing his revisionist history that he was “just” asking the vice president to delay the electoral certification. In truth, Eastman supported Donald Trump’s coup attempt.

There was no basis for further “investigations” or “delay” given that every state had already certified their electoral vote prior to the Dec. 8 safe-harbor deadline. The electoral college certification on Jan. 6 should have been routine. Instead, Trump worked incessantly to get Senators, Vice President Mike Pence and others to ignore their constitutional duties. By “just delaying” the counting of three hotly disputed states – Arizona, Georgia, and Michigan – Trump would have forced the election into the House where he expected to win by one vote. Our country barely averted a constitutional crisis in 2020. Mr. Eastman is not due an apology from Prof. Chemerinsky or anyone else. Quite the opposite.

Larry Miles

Sacramento

Priorities

“Big California retailers must offer gender-neutral children’s aisles under new law,” (sacbee.com, Oct. 10)

I was both heartened and inspired when I read that the Legislature and Gov. Gavin Newsom saw fit to pass a new law that requires large retailers to display children’s items in gender neutral sections of their stores. Now, when driving past the endless rows of tents and cardboard shacks that permeate our roads and sidewalks, I can take heart knowing that when I reach the store I’ll be able to see a doll on the same aisle as a toy truck. Thank you, Gov. Newsom and California lawmakers for your attention to the biggest problems we face in California.

John Dingman

Rancho Cordova

Opinion

Reckless drivers

“Collisions jump sharply on one of Sacramento’s busiest stretches of freeway. Here’s why,” (sacbee.com, Oct. 9)

As a frequent traveler on Highway 50, I am appalled at the speed of most vehicles, especially in marked construction zones. If the California Highway Patrol cannot safely control speeders in the construction zones, perhaps they should seriously enforce speed limits prior to these zones. How many fatalities is too many? We all have an inherent ability to control our vehicle in a safe and sane fashion, and should always do so. The CHP needs to do its job and the motoring public need to act in a responsible fashion.

John Metaxas

Folsom

Do something

“Caltrans to pause clean-ups at homeless camps, buying Sacramento time to find alternatives,” (sacbee.com, Oct. 10)

It’s probably not good news when we hear Caltrans will now “pause” clearing homeless encampments. The reason? It gives city officials more time to identify resources for those displaced. How much more time do city officials need? Almost every month for the past four years city residents have heard about a new “plan” for the homeless. Yet, even after upwards of four hundred million dollars spent, the problem is worse than ever. To Mayor Steinberg and city officials: We’ve been waiting. When are you actually going to do something?

Bill Motmans

Sacramento

Adapting to fires

“Wildfire insurance isn’t working for California anymore. It’s time for this new approach,”

We have come to recognize that wildfires are here to stay and can be expected to worsen over time. While reducing greenhouse gas emissions is crucial, we also have to focus attention and resources on adaptation. Let’s adopt ecological forestry and reduce wildfire risk through controlled burns and thinning vegetation in our forests. Let’s have a partnership between government and private insurance companies so they can work together to keep insurance coverage in Northern California available and affordable. Insurance companies can publish what constitutes acceptable minimized risk for affordable coverage and government agencies.

Lori Morales

Sacramento

Save solar

“PG&E gives ‘all-clear’ for wildfire shutoffs, but another round of outages already planned,” (sacbee.com, Oct. 12)

Here we are again folks: The battle of David vs. Goliath — the small independent rooftop solar homeowner vs. the giant utility power companies. Over 2,000 schools, 1,000 farms, 300 apartment buildings and over a million homes are solar powered, producing nearly 13 billion kilowatt hours of clean energy yearly, while avoiding 5 million metric tons of CO2. Now, PG&E and other utilities are lobbying the California Public Utilities Commission to make consumer solar twice as expensive than it is today, first by charging consumers upwards of $91/month just for having solar panels and then slashing the credit consumers receive for surplus solar electricity sent back to the grid by 77%. We’re doing this to save the planet from a climate crisis. Please help by calling Gov. Newsom or signing petitions at Save California Solar’s website.

Jacqueline Wise

Fremont

Help for faculty

“Gavin Newsom vetoes bill that sought to promote more diverse California state workers,” (sacbee.com, Oct. 13)

In a move reminiscent of many governors past and present, Gov. Newsom recently vetoed AB 375 (which would have allowed districts to negotiate to raise part-time faculty’s workload). Conscientious and hard-working part-time faculty have been told to work within the constraints throughout the system and our needs would be met. However, after 40 years we have been kicked down the road yet again because somebody decided that we cost too much. Never mind that without part-time faculty the system would fall flat on its face. Newsom should insist that the majority of community college faculty be raised up.

John Martin

Chico