What about the federal government and tribe's part in Section 14 claims?
I have read with interest The Desert Sun’s reporting on the demands being placed upon the citizens of Palm Springs regarding past actions taken relative to housing in the so-called Section 14 area of the city. From what has been reported, the land was not owned by evicted residents (it was rented), the land being rented was not owned by the city (it was owned by the tribe), funds used for clearing the housing (much of which it is reported was substandard) ultimately came from the federal government, and at least some claim proper eviction notices were given. Why generations later the city is being asked to pay up to a whopping $367 million is baffling. The bottom line is that owned real property assets were not taken from the residents resulting in monetary loss to future generations. (It is also baffling why the tribe and federal government are not mentioned as responsible parties.) Efforts by the city to increase affordable housing and education are worthy goals. Giving out cash for dubious claims…not so much.
Paul Kaminski, Palm Springs
Why an increase to electric bill fixed rates?
In response to the proposed fixed rate increase on our electric bills as reported in The Desert Sun, we must ask why. Solar nuclear and wind were touted to help bring down energy costs. Hydro has become more efficient over the years. China has and is building an enormous generating capacity with hydro. The point is the hard costs of producing electricity have come down over the past 100 years. Why then do our electric bills keep going up?
Is it mismanagement, fraud, corruption labor or administrative costs? Looking just at the Southern California Edison website we see that California energy costs are 73% higher than the national average. The website also shows the total compensation package for the CEO of SoCal Edison for 2023 was $2,791,218.00 and his 31 (yes 31) vice presidents each made over $400,000. This is a public utility, not an Amazon or a Tesla. Where are the regulators?
The Fourth Estate needs to dive deeply into the relationship between the regulators, the energy companies and the elected officials. A free press is valuable to our democracy only if it does its job.
Richard Siltanen, Rancho Mirage
Californians on crime: hypocrisy to boot
A recent article covering Proposition 47, which was passed in 2014 and subsequently survived a 2020 election challenge, prompted me to respond to same. The passing of Proposition 47 lowered theft and drug possession from felonies to misdemeanors. And now the voters want just the opposite as crime and retail theft has risen out of control, a continued top issue today. I can't help wondering if some and/or many voters actually fully understand the propositions they vote for which can be somewhat complex. Is it fair to say that those who voted for and did fully comprehend Proposition 47 probably should be the last to complain of the subsequent consequences of this Proposition?
Ken Leitner, Desert Hot Springs
Absolute immunity casts a scary shadow over democracy
This is a frightening week for Americans who believe in democracy and the rule of law: The Supreme Court will consider Trump’s argument that he is immune to criminal prosecution for conspiring to subvert the will of American voters and stay in power after losing the 2020 election. Instead of letting stand the unanimous and meticulously written Feb. 6 U.S. Court of Appeals ruling, which forcefully argues that Trump has no immunity, the High Court opted to entertain Trump’s arguments, needlessly delaying Trump’s criminal prosecution. The court’s behavior is so out of step with American judicial precedent, I worry that the conservative Supreme Court majority could be setting the stage for the U.S. to slide into dictatorship. Trump has already been indicted by four separate grand juries in four different jurisdictions. A true democracy cannot exist unless everyone is held accountable to the laws our nation has established, including current and former presidents. If the conservative Supreme Court majority is so beholden to Trump that it cannot forcefully defend our democracy and the rule of law from an aspiring dictator, what more is there to defend?
Jeff Crider, Palm Desert
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: What about the federal government and tribe's part in Section 14 claims?
