Letters for April 6, 2017

Overcoming sexism

Re “The secret show” by Karlos Rene Ayala (SN&R Feature, March 23):

Your piece on the Halloween Show was mildly disturbing to many participants for omitting its lasting achievement: overcoming the punk scene’s intransigent sexism. Since its early male-dominated days in attics, women asserted themselves within its ranks, presided over its decisions and expanded its inclusion.

From a sausage-fest to a pageant of show-stopping female performers; from small spaces where women were harassed to venues where they felt safe—women transformed the show, yet still sadly draw the ridicule of those nostalgic for the old days, a perspective that leads the author to compare women’s agency to death.

Jonah Paul

Sacramento

Planetary perspective

Re “The Four Horsemen,” by Robert Speer (SN&R Editor’s Note, March 30):

Afflictions may be planetary, but any lasting solutions to the big problems are certainly planetary. Nationalism is so … 19th-century. Your Editor’s Note is profound and prescient. Speer for president.

Evan Jones

Sacramento

Nix on rent control

Re “Renters strike back,” by Scott Thomas Anderson (SN&R News, March 23):

Instituting rent controls would return downtown/Midtown to the rundown place it was 15 years ago, as landlords lose the incentive to provide basic maintenance or renovations. Rents go up because there is adequate demand for the units by people willing and able to pay the higher prices. Renters have a choice: You can pay more or you can move to a cheaper area—simple.

Downtown/Midtown has improved because wealthier renters have moved into the area, allowing the opening of new entertainment and service businesses. Yes, this means some people get displaced, but you simply do not have a right to live in a house owned by someone else outside the terms of your lease.

This takes me to the ridiculous comment by Jovana Fajardo regarding rents being increased four times in one year. If you don’t want your rent raised four times in one year, sign a one-year lease. If you are on a month-to-month lease, you are taking the risk that your rent can be raised to compensate the landlord for taking the risk that you can move out whenever you want. If you don’t want to sign a one-year lease, don’t cry when your rent goes up.

Bill Bixby

Sacramento

Market poseur

Re: “Fork this,” by John Flynn (SN&R Dish, March 30):

In defense of the Sunday “utilitarian” market: The Saturday Midtown market is a poseur by comparison. If you want me to buy your product, put your prices out! And frankly I do not see how you could possibly ever expect to grow to 150 vendors. You cannot even decide when to be open, “due to inclement weather.” When is that decision made, midnight the night before?

What the Sunday market may lack in luster, it more than makes up for in quantity and quality. And what better place to shop in the middle of a winter storm or a 98-degree summer day?

John Orrin Gann

Sacramento

Trump’s digital footprints

Politicians who are the first to master the most innovative media tools of their day often emerge triumphant. FDR did it with radio, JFK with TV, Obama with the internet. Plenty of pundits assumed Donald Trump would march to victory thanks to his mastery of Twitter and the 24-hour news cycle.

But what if our era’s most important tool isn’t actually social media, but rather Big Data? And the victor is the one who can best take advantage of the personal digital footprints we all leave behind?

You leave digital footprints for everybody to see, Donald. Your lies are digitally available to anyone instantaneously. Everything you do, everywhere you go your digital footprints are left behind, and they’re big and ominous and ugly, Donald.

Ron Lowe

Sacramento