Letters for January 30, 2020

“Clap back” by Kate Gonzales (Feature, Jan. 16):

I can’t help but laugh after reading about the importance of women’s rights, how evil and sexist President Trump is and the significance of the #MeToo movement in your article, only to then find numerous ads for strip clubs, massage parlors and other “services” displaying seductive and objectifying photos of women in the very same issue.

Just what message is SN&R trying to convey? Does anyone else find this disturbingly ironic? Next time you choose to publish a “Women’s Issue,” you may want to scrub the back pages of such advertisements.

Arthur Carr

Sacramento / via email

Parental guidance

Re “Raising boys in #MeToo era” by Sumiti Mehta (Essay, Jan. 16):

This should be read by all parents. It is well said and important. The #MeToo movement is not just for women and girls. It takes both genders to learn to respect their parents, siblings, families, teachers and everyone. So spread the word to your friends to read this article. We would have a much better world.

Molly Fling

Sacramento / via SN&R Extra

The truth about SMUD

Re: “A powerful agenda” by Rob Kerth (Essay, Jan. 16):

Rob Kerth’s opinion piece touting SMUD’s so-called environmental leadership omitted four important facts. SMUD is not ahead of schedule to reduce its global warming pollution to zero by 2045. SMUD plans to keep its five fossil fuel power plants operating well beyond 2045. SMUD is actively lobbying state officials to keep solar and battery storage off newly built homes in the Sacramento area.

SMUD tried to tax rooftop solar users with a punishing monthly fee that would discourage most people from choosing solar going forward. Kerth erroneously refers to its rooftop solar program as a “subsidy” rather than telling the truth—that rooftop solar is actually saving the community money by reducing the need to expensive transmission lines and giant renewable energy farms. SMUD also refuses to let renters easily benefit from solar energy created by solar panels on the rooftops of apartment buildings, something even PG&E allows.

Lee Miller

Sacramento / via SN&R Extra

The truth about solar

Re: “A powerful agenda” by Rob Kerth (Essay, Jan. 16):

As a SMUD customer, I am disappointed and perplexed about Rob Kerth’s article. This article does not tell the whole story and even twists the truth. SMUD is ahead of the “reduce global warming schedule”--really? It still burns fossil fuels and plans to keep plants open beyond 2045. SMUD is lobbying to stop installation of solar and battery storage in new homes. Kerth claims solar is plentiful, but only 20% of homeowners in the Sacramento area have solar. The attempt by SMUD to tax solar owners was ridiculous and was defeated.

Global warming has reached an alarming level. Solar owners are conscientious citizens who care about the environment and are willing to do their part to reduce global warming. Of course they appreciate the savings that come with solar. California is blessed with lots of sun, sun that is free energy. Why not capitalize on this?

Gisla Dewey

Sacramento / via email