Nov 27, 2023
The West Antarctic ice sheet is collapsing, hurricanes are growing more intense, sea levels are rising. Locally we have seen two severe droughts, wildfires in abundance and a 500-year rain event, all within seven years.
Climate change is here and increasing at a rapid rate. Even the staunchest climate-change deniers are reconsidering. What should we do in Sacramento to address this global calamity?
The answer: reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The transportation sector is a big culprit. That’s where we can make huge improvements. Moving to electric vehicles and alternative modes of transportation addresses the problem.
Nov 27, 2023
Soon after winning her City Council seat in 2020, Katie Valenzuela made a decision that set the tone for her neophyte political career. She hired a man who made violent threats against the mayor and city manager.
As it turned out, Skyler Henry wasn’t violent. But his presence at City Hall prompted Mayor Darrell Steinberg and City Manager Howard Chan to seek a restraining order against Henry. The order was denied, but Chan changed several locks at City Hall to prevent Henry from wandering around.
When I asked Valenzuela why she would hire someone known for making threats against public officials, she said Henry was merely exercising his First Amendment rights. Refusal to hire him, she said, would make her a hypocrite, someone who disrespects free speech.
Nov 27, 2023
Three months ago, the Bee announced its print circulation was 25,325. The number represented a one-year drop of about 35%. It signaled massive revenue losses, $17 million if annual subscribers paid $1,200. About 5% of digital subscribers also disappeared.
As a former Bee reporter who remembers when circulation topped 300,000, I type these numbers with sadness. In 2019, the Bee sold 93,000 copies daily.
I escaped the newsroom at 21st and Q streets 16 years ago, when I saw deep cracks in the Bee’s fundamentals. I knew management wasn’t capable or willing to address threats from online advertising and free news content. I decided the Bee had no future.
