If a sobbing 10-year-old makes a Sac cop fear for his safety, he needs to find another job | Opinion

Unacceptable

“Sacramento police handcuffed child. No policy prevents it,” (sacbee.com, June 21)

Two things come to mind after reading the article: If a sobbing 10-year-old girl makes a cop have “reasonable and articulable concerns for his safety” then he needs to find other employment. Also, if the girl was white, this never would have happened.

Jon Maloney

Sacramento

Public safety crisis

“Sacramento, CA city council OKs record high police budget,” (sacbee.com, June 14)

Sacramento Police Chief Kathy Lester says Sac PD is “woefully understaffed,” with the citywide response time to 911 calls at about nine-and-a-half minutes, according to the article. North Sacramento, as well as parts of South Sacramento are unsafe, with patrol officers responding to multiple crimes, including a spate of recent shootings in both neighborhoods.

What is the mayor and council’s response? Cut 25 vacant police positions. Three council members wanted further cuts, with some police money being diverted to the Department of Community Response instead. But DCR, which was “created” by the mayor, works only on weekdays. Further, the plan to have DCR respond to all non-criminal 911 calls in a timely manner has not materialized. Yet their budget is about $25 million.

Nine-and-a-half minutes is an unacceptably long time to wait for help when you and your family are in peril.

Bill Motmans

Sacramento

Opinion

Prioritize transparency

“California governor proposes rolling back access to police misconduct disclosure,” (sacbee.com, June 17)

In order to help cover a deficit of $31.5 billion in the state budget, Gov. Newsom is proposing to end the public disclosure of investigations into corrupt police officers, sending the responsibility back to local agencies. In the ‘good old boy; network prevalent in law enforcement, local police can hardly be depended upon to investigate their own.

Police misconduct and abuse continue to be a problem in many areas. This, along with distrust by many of law enforcement in general, should be reason enough for cuts to be made elsewhere.

Sharon Scott

Sacramento

Clean air now

“Sales tax increases to improve Sacramento County keep getting rejected. Here’s why,” (sacbee.com, June 18)

The American Lung Association recently listed Sacramento as the seventh smoggiest city in America. We are also facing increasing climate risks in the form of extreme heat, atmospheric rivers and catastrophic wildfire smoke events. Transportation is the top source of both smog-forming emissions and climate pollution threatening our health here and globally.

We agree with The Bee Editorial Board that new transportation investments must help to bring clean, healthy air and a sustainable environment to all through a public process with climate adaptation in mind. We simply can’t afford to allow public funds to be used on freeway expansion and other transportation infrastructure that usher in more polluted air and climate catastrophes.

It’s time for our policymakers at the local, regional and state levels to recognize the urgency of building healthier, more sustainable communities, which includes clean modes of transportation. Our health depends on it.

Mariela Ruacho

Sacramento

Land conservancy

“California’s water supply is controlled by this covert room. Can it adjust to climate extremes?” (sacbee.com, June 15)

Thinking about how to best manage storage in bounty years should include considerations to restore wetlands wherever we can along the Pacific Flyway and Delta, which we engineered out of existence with dams and the conveyance systems.

Wetlands can absorb excess water during flood years and help replenish groundwater. The wildlife can have access to protected space during migration. Even along the riparian environment of the American River Parkway there are spaces like sloughs and creeks that could be used for the storage of water that could seep into the water table.

Land conservancy for wetlands restoration is a natural remedy to prepare for the variances of climate change that would benefit us all and return the water to the flora and fauna of Northern California.

Theresa Ann Lown

Sacramento

PGA’s immoral merge

“Saudi-backed LIV Golf merges with the PGA Tour. Not everyone wins,” (sacbee.com, June 7)

I was outraged at the Professional Golfers’ Association’s recent decision to “merge” with the Saudi-backed LIV Golf tour. After PGA Commissioner Jay Monahan told us all the reasons why players and fans should not support LIV, he caved in and joined them. Why? Clearly, it’s only about money.

As a golf fan who has volunteered for years at numerous PGA events like Pebble Beach, I am so outraged at this action that I vow never again to volunteer for them. I have also canceled my subscription to ESPN’s “PGATourLive” channel.

I urge you to write Congress and tell them to block this merger for anti-trust reasons. Boycott all PGA events. Speak out against this obvious greed and lack of ethics. Should we allow drug lords or mafia chieftains to openly own a sports league just because they have money? Take a stand for ethics!

Chuck Robuck

Newcastle