Letters for May 8, 2014

Soccer > NBA?

Re “Republic fever” (SN&R Scorekeeper, May 1):

The Sacramento Kings aren't the only game in town anymore. When a semipro soccer team can outdraw a barely pro basketball team, you have to wonder how well the Kings will compete with the Republic. Sure, some of the Republic's fans are not Kings fans, or can't afford Kings ticket and arena concessions prices. But we should be especially concerned about how much money the Republic will draw away from the Kings, the [entertainment and sports center] and downtown parking revenues. I expect attendance at Republic games to continue to bury the Kings attendance, because Republic ticket prices are more reasonable and the whole Republic experience is more Sacramento than the spoiled millionaire Kings players; billionaire franchise owners; and the high-tech, overhyped ESC will ever be.

Jan Bergeron

Sacramento

Bites needs his head examined?

Re “New lows” by Cosmo Garvin (SN&R Bites, May 1):

This article is nearsighted and contains incomplete data. Nowhere does it mention the loan that was paid back in full, facilitated by the arena deal and sale of the team. It doesn’t mention anything about the influx of parking revenue that the arena will provide. The city wasn’t making money off Natomas arena parking. Guess who will get the vast majority now? The city. Also, no mention of the sales and transient occupancy tax that will be generated from the arena, attracting big events and entertainment.

The point of using public funds is an investment in the city. The city is a business and, guess what, sometimes a business needs to take on more debt for a few years to be better off in the long run. Anyone saying this arena is bad for Sacramento needs their head examined.

Timothy E. Peterson

Sacramento

David Stern’s leftovers

Re “A game changer” by Rachel Leibrock (SN&R Editor’s Note, May 1):

I agree with Rachel Leibrock that the NBA rightfully suspended Donald Sterling for life. But the question is, why didn’t David Stern take care of this sooner, instead of handing it off to Adam Silver?

Mark Rodriguez

Sacramento

Focus bike improvements on nongrid areas

Re “Biketopia?” by Alastair Bland (SN&R Feature Story, April 17):

I was happy to find your recent article on biking in Sacramento. As a longtime bike/walk/public-transport user, this is important to me. While I’m not part of the “stop your whining” crowd, I will say I really love biking in Midtown. What you have in the grid is options. If one street doesn’t work, the next probably will. In the burbs, we have few options—or sometimes none at all.

I was disappointed that the article focused on “the grid.” I currently live in Tahoe Park and commute to Folsom Boulevard every day, and that feels more dangerous than anything I encountered while living on the grid. Sixty-fifth Street is a joke, and 59th Street is pretty dangerous. Folsom as well is crowded and full of impatient drivers making quick right turns. This and other areas are where improvement should be focused, not the grid. The grid is stable, and really quite nice, once you get used to it. Thank you for your time.

David Potts

Sacramento