Bee readers sound off: Kevin McCarthy needs to remember where he is from

McCarthy forgets where he is from

My new congressman, Kevin McCarthy, who may be our new speaker of the House, has been threatening to oust Homeland Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Congressman McCarthy has failed to look at where he is from. He is from Bakersfield, Kern County where the main employers are giant grape, orange, nut, and vegetable growers.

He claims we have open borders, when he fails to recognize that drugs and contraband has crossed our Southern border for years. People have crossed our borders since the beginning of time. Many of those who are here today that are here illegally came on a visa and few on a plane.

Our congressman made our Southern border into a political issue, while the Republicans offer no solutions to the problem. Impeaching Mr. Mayorkas will not change what is going on at the border. McCarthy needs to see that undocumented people are need in his district and the Central Valley to do labor many Americans will not do.

Kudos to Fresno for homeless aid

On Nov. 22 you reported that Fresno secured $6 million in state funding to address homelessness. As a Central Valley resident and a master’s in public health candidate, I am excited to hear about this progress.

Other jurisdictions can learn from Fresno. The targeted approach to shelter houseless individuals is complimented — not overshadowed — by preventive measures and beautification projects.

As such, I would like to know more details. How did Mayor Dyer establish this ambitious yet feasible plan for state funding? I am curious to know how the city will balance outreach to individuals at-risk of homelessness while addressing those with an immediate need. Besides emergency housing, what other forms of assistance will be provided to ensure people do not become housing insecure again? This information can inspire other counties and cities as they apply for HHAP grants.

Watch out for Newsom on solar

We should all watch what Gov. Newsom and his Public Utilities Commission are doing if they vote to enact their climate-ruining proposed decision to make rooftop solar power much less affordable than it is with the current agreement with the investor-owned utilities.

Currently solar-powered customers who put power into the grid are paid for it at the retail rate. The CPUC plans to cut this by 75%, which will make rooftop solar unaffordable to the point that, as in other states, it will cut solar installations by half or more.

And this at a time when rooftop solar is essential to meeting our climate goals, which permit us and Gov. Newsom to call California a climate leader.

If Gov. Newsom caves in to the demands of PG&E to permit it to bill millions of dollars more from solar customers in exchange for their $10 million contribution to the governor’s campaigns, this would be a shameful corruption of our democracy and the supposed public-protective task of the CPUC.

Fresno’s Water Dept. itself wastes water

The Fresno water department is not taking our unprecedented drought seriously. They speak loudly about residential watering, but allow almost every commercial property in the city to water boulevards and ornamental shrubbery every day, rain or shine. One does not need to go very far to see water running down the gutters from these properties. Never mind mandates from Sacramento about prohibiting this type of watering.

I called the city and lodged complaints about this years ago, about the time the city was sending mailers out about how Fresno households were consuming more water than those in Oakland. They don’t return voice-mail messages, and they do nothing about this type of waste.

Many of these nice green decorations that water to excess are city medians. I assume that once we have to begin hauling our potable water, someone may take notice. But I am not holding my breath.

Apparently these “leaders” think that for something to be addressed, they need to hire consultants. Don’t take my word for it. Go look for yourselves.

The only people tasked with stewarding water are residential users. I see farmers flood-irrigating orchards rain or shine as well, but they can afford to drill wells ever deeper.

California, especially in the Central Valley, should adopt a sign to go along with the “Welcome to Fresno” signs that say “Do as we say, not as we do.” Water is the chief hypocrisy in this state.

No police attention despite reports

I know being a cop isn’t easy, but law enforcement in Fresno isn’t doing itself any favors when it routinely ignores reports. I’ve been living here for a while and have filled out many reports over the years, but I can’t remember a single time when an officer responded — even in situations with multiple witnesses, when apprehending the suspect would have been relatively easy.

A recent evening, a neighbor recounted several incidents of vandalism and attempted break-ins, but said she didn’t even bother calling the police anymore because everyone knows they won’t show up. What’s worse is I live in a relatively safe neighborhood, meaning others in Fresno have it far worse. We aren’t supposed to take the law into our own hands because we pay trained police officers to protect and serve. Yet if they’re violating their contract, what are we paying for?

I believe there are good police officers here, but the fact remains that citizens of Fresno are paying for a service they aren’t receiving. Either local law enforcement needs a dramatic upgrade, or else every citizen who fills out a police report that goes unanswered should get a refund on their taxes.

Sweet Potato Fest was a big success

On Nov. 16, Melissa Montalvo reported on the Sweet Potato Festival, an initiative created by the West Fresno Family Resource Center to promote community engagement and youth leadership. As a current public health master’s student studying community advocacy, I commend the Sweet Potato Project and think it is an incredible example of a successful outreach program for underserved youth.

The middle- and high-school-aged program participants gain hands-on experience at every stage of the sweet potato growing process, including the planting of the crops and the formulation of a marketing plan, as well as valuable knowledge about sustainable agriculture and entrepreneurship.

The neighborhood of west Fresno has historically been subject to policies of disinvestment and segregation, meaning that the children in the area, most of whom are Black or Latino, go to schools that are vastly under-resourced and therefore have much lower levels of educational achievement compared to other parts of the city. In addition, there aren’t as many safe spaces for kids to build social skills and learn together. The Sweet Potato Project addresses these needs, and I am excited to see more community engagement programs in west Fresno in the future.

This story was originally published December 4, 2022 at 5:30 AM with the headline "Bee readers sound off: Kevin McCarthy needs to remember where he is from."