Letters for January 19, 2017

Breaking the rules

Re “Defending the double-dip” by Scott Thomas Anderson (SN&R News, January 12):

It is interesting that the author highlights that neither citizen groups Eye on Sacramento and Sacramento Taxpayers Association members approached the podium. However, most notably absent was anyone from the governor’s office. Steinberg and the city council voted in open defiance of the governor’s “double-dipping” rule. Where was a representative of the governor’s administration? It appears that the governor’s cronies can defy rules. Given that, I would expect all levels of government, in any locale of the state, can defy the governor. His rules no longer mean anything.

Bill Monroe

Citrus Heights

No sanctuary?

Re “Homes for the homeless” by Jeff vonKaenel (SN&R Greenlight, January 12):

What a wonderful article. You do a great job of keeping us informed with the truth. Thank you! I would like to comment about sanctuary cities. I believe this is disgraceful and right next to treason. What can I do to try to get rid of this concept/title? The new administration (which scares me as well as my family) has made it well known that they intend to hold up funding to cities that have this distinction, so that is another very good reason to shed this title and attitude.

Clara Smith

Sacramento

A violent cycle

Re “The world is changing” by Jeff vonKaenel (SN&R Feature Story, January 5):

I object to the deportation of people who have committed serious crimes, and all intelligent people should as well, because that’s what got us into the current crisis. The crush of unaccompanied minors fleeing Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala is due to the gang terror that gives those countries the highest murder rates in the world. Their gang problems arose when President Clinton made mass deportations of the children of Salvadoran refugees who had gotten caught up in LA gangs. Once these youths arrived in a country they were unfamiliar with, they began recruiting there. In fact, it was President Reagan who was responsible for the plight of the Salvadoran refugees in the first place because of his support for the death squad government there. Once the Salvadorans reached the U.S., they were denied refugee status because of that support, and thus had to scrape by in the shadows while their kids fell through the cracks. A sensible policy would be to rehabilitate people who commit serious crimes, whether immigrant or the more violent native-born population. Pushing a problem out of sight rather than solving it only causes it to fester.

Phillip Fujiyoshi

Davis