Letters for May 24, 2012

Evil is as evil does

Re “The secret life of Google” by Rachel Leibrock (SN&R Feature, May 17):

I can’t help but think how your story would have changed if Larry [Page] and [Sergey] Brin were huge Republican donors. Might the nefarious ways have taken on a much more ominous tone?

Tommy Gio
via email

Serna had strong mayor right

Re “Let K.J. debate” by Cosmo Garvin (SN&R Bites, May 17):

I remember Joe Serna making the rounds for debates. One of the other candidates would regularly suggest that the solution to the city’s budget problems was to feed bean burritos to the homeless who [then] would create enough natural gas, when captured and sold, to pay the city’s bills. Yup. But there was Joe, talking about his plans for downtown and the schools: a truly strong mayor in action.

Eddie Di Vacio
Sacramento

K.J.’s got no competition

Re “Let K.J. debate” by Cosmo Garvin (SN&R Bites, May 17):

Mayor Kevin Johnson’s competition this year consists of the following: a bounty hunter whose wife is seeking a restraining order and who has been endorsed by a convicted murderer from prison; a retiree who says his wife won’t even vote for him; and a newcomer whose candidacy consists of a single sheet of paper, who doesn’t have a website, and whose Facebook election page lists six “friends.” Although I confess to being a fan of junk reality shows, a debate with this field of rivals wouldn’t even rise to that level of interest.

The mayor is focused on being mayor, which is exactly what he was elected to do. During this campaign season, he’s had dozens of events to discuss issues with voters, as well as a well-publicized series of campaign listening sessions. During the previous three years, he held office hours in every neighborhood in the city where citizens could talk with him without an appointment and have their problems solved with city officials at hand. The notion that the mayor is inaccessible is bunk.

Steven Maviglio
campaign manager for Mayor Kevin Johnson

Hassling homeless doesn’t help

Re “Spring cleaning” by Nick Miller (SN&R Frontlines, May 17):

So, are we surprised to hear that the homeless are being harassed again? What I don’t get is why the “citizens” and the police and the city officials don’t snap out of it and offer up a solution that works for the homeless and for the city.

You can’t keep treating homeless people like they are dirt. You can’t keep blaming them for trash that is already there, and you can’t keep moving them around. Everyone in America has a right to live. Some people just have a harder life for whatever reason, and it isn’t always drugs and alcohol. What’s wrong with “safe ground”? Is that not a viable solution for the city and the homeless people?

Three years ago, my husband and I were living down at the river. We lived there off and on for about four years. I made a change in my lifestyle and location and now live in Alaska and work with mentally challenged homeless people in my town. I have an apartment and two cars and an adorable Boston terrier. See? I did it.

Other homeless people can, too. Just stop treating them like they’re not human, and start offering a real solution. People, be the change you want to see!

Tamee Martini
via email

Bites is bitten

Re “Charters make their play” by Cosmo Garvin (SN&R Bites, May 10):

Sorry to say that Bites got bit on this one. The Fortune petitioners did not do an end run around districts.

In 2002, Assembly Bill 1994 (Reyes) tightened up restrictions on charter schools. Democrats passed A.B. 1994 over the objections of Republicans (party-line split), and it was signed into law by then-Gov. Gray Davis. Democrats were tired of charters being approved in one district, but then opening up and grabbing students in other districts. A.B. 1994 required a district-approved charter school to actually be located in the approving district and to give preference to students residing in the district. Students from outside the district could be enrolled, but only if there was space left over.

However, A.B. 1994 created a specific exception for countywide charters to operate across district lines to serve “pupil populations that cannot be served as well by a charter school that operates in only one school district in the county.” The Fortune charter petition was signed by 123 parents and guardians of 4- through 7-year-olds from all over Sacramento County. The petitioners were dissatisfied with the horrible achievement gap that exists in our county.

In 2011, in all six of our county’s largest school districts—Elk Grove, Folsom Cordova, Natomas, [Sacramento] City, San Juan and Twin Rivers—African-American students scored at least 100 points lower than their white counterparts on the state’s Academic Performance Index. No wonder these parents and guardians were fed up and wanted a charter school that would actually do something about this serious, persistent and inexcusable achievement gap, and they wanted all students to have an equal chance at enrollment regardless of their district of residence.

The Fortune charter petition was clearly designed to attract students across district lines. The first school opened under the charter, Fortune Charter School, is located near the boundary between the Sac City and Elk Grove districts, and its first-year students reside about equally in the two districts.

Greg Geeting
vice president

No on 29

Re “Don’t get fooled” (SN&R Editorial, May 10):

OK, so Professor [Stanton A.] Glantz estimates that smokers will spend $1 billion less on cigarettes if [Proposition] 29 passes. So that means California will lose $750 million in sales taxes. Does anyone still think Prop. 29 is a good idea?

Please vote “no” on Proposition 29.

Carl Schwarzott
Sacramento

Not so fast on Pan

Re “Pan’s the man” (SN&R Editorial, May 10):

It makes perfect sense to pick [Dr. Richard] Pan to serve this district. After all, he was one of the “yes” votes for a budget that everyone with half a brain knew was a sham last year (It was out of balance before [Gov. Jerry Brown’s] ink was dry.)

That is what we need: more legislators who blindly vote by party, and don’t actually think before voting.

Jeff Randall
Antelope