From major support to major doubt, Sacramentans are split on the Oakland A’s | Opinion
Keep momentum going
“Sacramento, meet the Oakland A’s: Proud history, hard times and baseball’s lowest payroll,” (sacbee.com, April 4)
It’s a done deal: The A’s are coming to town. While there are understandably mixed emotions from A’s fans and Bay Area residents, it’s important for Sacramentans to keep our eyes on the prize: Major League Baseball expansion.
The A’s ownership group wants to rent our ballpark, utilize our infrastructure and use our region to leapfrog their organization to Las Vegas. Fine, I welcome it. But we must keep in mind that the A’s will be gone as quickly as they arrived.
Sacramento has a golden opportunity, and we must milk it for all its worth. The MLB has already announced that they will be expanding the league by two teams soon. Overnight, Sacramento shot up on the shortlist of potential expansion sites. Let’s keep the momentum going and show the MLB that Sacramento is a major league city.
Drake Sapigao
Sacramento
Major doubt
“Sacramento, meet the Oakland A’s: Proud history, hard times and baseball’s lowest payroll,” (sacbee.com, April 4)
Much is being ignored in the acclaim for the A’s temporary move to Sacramento. The A’s are the worst team with the worst management in Major League Baseball, so it’s doubtful whether local fans will pay MLB prices to see a truly awful product that won’t get better. It is therefore also in doubt whether the A’s transient presence will show MLB that our area deserves a team.
Even if fans attend in large numbers, it is far too optimistic to think that this move will convince MLB to award a franchise here when there are several meritorious competing cities. If a franchise is awarded, the cost of building a ballpark will be astronomical and the expected government concessions will be fiscally dangerous.
Brian Powers
Sacramento
Life-saving actions
“A mom of a nonbinary teen became an anti-trans activist, fracturing a California family,” (sacbee.com, April 4)
I remember the whole fuss around transgender people and which bathrooms they should use during the Obama administration. My daughter’s comment was, “they just want to pee.” My response to this article is similar: “they just want to be.”
Lily, the non-binary teen featured in this piece, is happily living their life while their mom is foaming at the mouth and claiming they were coerced into transitioning.
Nobody called mom on her birthday? Well, mom should take a good, hard look in the mirror. Every person of good conscience should oppose Mom’s for Liberty every way they can: Run for school board; speak at board meetings; and oppose book bans. A life may depend on it.
Dawn Wolfson
Cameron Park
Debunking Dahle
“CA goes all in on unproven offshore wind farm technology,” (sacbee.com, April 5)
Republican State Sen. Brian Dahle uses disinformation to oppose offshore wind development. The fossil fuel industry and large utility companies are funding a huge effort to discredit wind development.
Among the fake victims are whales. On the Eastern Seaboard, one dead whale washed up near a wind farm, and this resulted in hundreds if not thousands of bots pushing the fake news that wind farms were killing whales. This has resulted in some local communities removing their support for wind farms.
Another piece of disinformation is the “untested technology” issue. Northern Europe and the Atlantic coast of the U.S. have hundreds of wind farms, with highly developed technologies and excellent results.
Stan Jones
Sacramento
Dahle fears the new
“CA goes all in on unproven offshore wind farm technology,” (sacbee.com, April 5)
District 1 State Sen. Brian Dahle is not ready for “unproven” offshore wind in California and wants us to fight it. Good thing he wasn’t around to oppose airfields after the Wright Brothers; we might have lost two wars. Without public funding, the interstate highway system, strategic bridges, flood control structures, schools, hospitals and public utilities would not have been possible.
He causes me to recall Congressman Doug LaMalfa’s insistence “that solar-generated electricity doesn’t work.” But my all-electric 3,265 square-foot home with solar has averaged $45.23 monthly across nine years.
Wind turbine technology is mature. It’s advancing fast, and the offshore method has been effective in Europe for decades. What remains is to let the engineers perfect the deep water anchorage of ballasted turbines. Port development will be critical, but Dahle would kill this program in its crib. The federal government has approved it and so should we.
Bill Martin
Quincy
Condemn Israel’s actions
“Obama aides say Biden isn’t exerting enough pressure on Israel. ‘Outrage does nothing’,” (sacbee.com, April 4)
In continuing to arm Israel, the U.S. has become complicit in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s relentless siege of Gaza, which may include war crimes such as the killing of tens of thousands of civilians; the wholesale destruction of civilian infrastructure and forcible relocation of millions; and limiting and interfering with the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gazans, now causing widespread starvation.
We must pause all arms sales to Israel.
In addition, Israel’s bombing of another nation’s embassy in Damascus must be condemned as a violation of international norms. Israel’s attack on an Iranian consular annex building is a provocation that appears intended to provoke retaliation and a further escalation of violence in the region. If the U.S. does not condemn Israel’s strike, it would appear to be condoning such attacks.
Richard and Maisie Conrad
Rocklin
Questionable sale
“Miwok tribe buys Sacramento’s landmark 301 Capitol Mall,” (sacbee.com, April 3)
Something is not right. The California Public Employees Retirement System sold 301 Capitol Mall, a prestigious square block of 2.39 acres at the entrance to Downtown Sacramento for $17 million when it has spent $70 million buying the property 18 years ago and maintaining it — a 76% loss (despite real estate increasing by 50% during that time). This makes no sense. How is this in the financial interest of the retirees they supposedly represent?
Further, the lot was sold to the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians who operate the Red Hawk Casino on their rancheria in the foothills. They claim the prime real estate “is near the tribe’s original village of Pusúune,” though their rancheria is some 38 miles away. They said they have no immediate plans for the site, “just to have a place that we could go and gather or just know is in our name is really exciting.”
Something is not right.
Bill Jurkovich
Citrus Heights
A new vision for Sacramento
“Sacramento picks left-leaning candidates for mayor runoff,” (sacbee.com, April 4)
Tom Philp’s article nailed the new voter voices in Sacramento, showing why Darrell Steinberg failed as a mayor. He did not see nor seek the conscience of this city, with its changing political base. New Sacramentans see the disparity in the city they live in. You cannot live here and not see the neglect around you.
People have felt excluded from city politics. Unsurprisingly, Dr. Flo Cofer received 8,000 more votes than other candidates. Newbies have moved here with new values that are inclusive to all — not just businesses and developers.
Just focusing on downtown, a historical money leaking bucket, leaves the rest of the city in desperate need. A win for either candidate will hopefully move this city forward to new visions.
Darlene Petkovich
Sacramento
