Letters for January 2, 2014

Modernize mental-health care

Re “Heavy mental” by Jeff vonKaenel (SN&R News; December 26, 2013):

We need to move these biological brain diseases (a.k.a. “mental illness”) out of a “behavioral” health-care delivery system of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, which is functioning way out of its scope of practice to manage complex biological brain disease and illness. We need the services, but we don't need the expensive administrative system. These biological brain diseases, disorders and conditions need to be under physical health care and the National Institutes of Health. Not only would this be a fiscally responsible move, it would bring health-care delivery for brain disease and brain health out of an old-fashioned judgmental belief system and properly align it with modern brain research [and] neuroscience.

Mary Palafox

Santa Ana

Shame, shame

Re “What’s up, grinches?!” by Cosmo Garvin and Raheem F. Hosseini (SN&R Feature Story; December 26, 2013):

I want to nominate the [Sacramento] City Council and the mayor for directing meter maids to work on Christmas to write parking tickets. I went for a walk on Christmas Day, and I was stunned to see a meter maid with his evil computer writing parking tickets on 26th Street. Shame on Sacramento’s grinchy leaders!

Ben Bannister

Sacramento

High-speed fantasy

Re “Back on track” (SN&R Editorial; December 12, 2013):

The problems with the current effort to build high-speed rail in California have very little to do with the naysayers but are inherent to the poorly thought-out plan associated with Proposition 1A, approved in 2008. The financial plan is pure fantasy, based on an unnecessarily expensive alignment, and promising high-speed rail for everyone within 20 years. In fact, high-speed rail anywhere in California makes little sense in advance of a modern passenger rail link across the Tehachapi Mountains, and that should go directly across Tejon Pass (Interstate 5), rather than the long detour via Palmdale, adopted by the California High-Speed Rail Authority.

Moreover, the $10 billion backlog in improvements to the existing passenger-rail system should be given much higher priority than high-speed rail, and it is difficult to see how the state could possibly finance both simultaneously. High-speed rail should be shelved until these precursor projects are completed.

John Deeter

Sacramento

Solutions, 24-seven

Re “More housing” (SN&R Editorial; December 5, 2013):

The idea that we need jobs in downtown and Midtown is not something that most who want more housing in our city disagree with. More housing does mean more jobs, [and] more higher-paying, regular, scheduled, long-term jobs than an arena provides.

Having people move to downtown and Midtown full-time means that there would be a full-time demand for food, clothing, household goods, etc. Unlike an arena, which would bring spurts of increases in demand during basketball season, people who actually live in a city 24-seven need their services 24-seven. New construction means construction jobs, residents means mouths to feed, etc.

There are also tens of thousands of people who already have jobs in the downtown and Midtown area who do not live there because of the lack of appropriate housing. They work for the government. …

If we all took field trips to thriving cities that are humming with action even when it’s not game day, we would see that the key is to get people to live there. People actually living in a city is what brings it life.

Michelle Lowe

Fair Oaks

There’s no ‘i’ in ‘team’

Re “Above the rim” by Blake Gillespie (SN&R Arts&Culture; December 5, 2013):

Love this man, but [Sacramento State University men’s basketball coach Brian Katz] is also surrounded by a team of wonderful assistants who care just as much for the players on this team. They have established a “family” who care deeply for each other and pick each other up when one is down. There are no “superstars” or egos on this team: It’s all about the team and what’s best for the team. Well-written article. Kudos to the author for capturing the essence of this coach and his team.

Kim Garrity

Huntington Beach