Getting too big for its boundaries

As reported by the Sac Bee, the mayor of Rancho Cordova has big plans for the fair-sized denizens of his city:

Rancho Cordova’s “Great Health Challenge,” planned for announcement at tonight’s City Council meeting, calls for members of the community to drop a combined 40,000 pounds – 20 tons – over the next 10 months.

A rather ambitious objective, I would say. More info is available on the city’s web page devoted to the challenge, 20tonsin2010.com, which states who qualifies and the goals of the initiative:

For individuals who live, work, play, or pray in Rancho Cordova to lose 10 pounds in 10 months (February thru November 2010)
For the Rancho Cordova community as a whole to lose a combined total of 20 tons in 2010. That’s a minimum of 4000 people losing 10 pounds in a city of over 50,000 people!

And, how will the mayor reward his citizens to motivate them to lose weight?

You will be 10 pounds lighter and that much HEALTHIER. NOTE: we are not limiting you to 10 pounds. There will be prizes for the “biggest losers”! You will be eligible for monthly PRIZES donated by local businesses. ALL registered participants are entered each month and you don’t even have to LOSE to WIN! You will be part of a city-wide effort to get fit and HAVE FUN! There will be events, giveaways, incentives, and some fabulous prizes. (Worth repeating!)

Apparently, there will be prizes.

This is all fine and good. But, it’s made all the more interesting when you juxtapose this initiative with the realities of our area, as reported in another Sac Bee article back in October:

The five largest fast food and coffee chains in Sacramento County collectively have grown 4 percent during the past year and 21 percent since 2005, according to a Bee review of records from the county, which tracks every restaurant so it can undergo food safety inspections.

Let’s pile on some metaphorical blue cheese dressing on Rancho Cordova’s salad:

Nine out of 10 people in the county now live within two miles of either a Subway or a Starbucks, property records show.

And about eight out of 10 people live within two miles of any of the county’s other most prolific quick-serve restaurants: McDonald’s, Taco Bell and Carl’s Jr.

Let me add a few bacon bits:

Sacramento County has a higher obesity rate than the state average, and a higher number of fast food restaurants per capita than the state average. But several urban counties like San Diego, San Francisco and Los Angeles have a lower proportion of obese residents but a similar number of fast food restaurants per capita…

Yeah, the hungry person in the county is going to pass by more than their share of fast food, and even more so in a recession:

The fast food segment has propelled right through the recession, with many chains posting gains and adding new locations as diners eschew more expensive options.

So, who thinks Rancho Cordova has got what it takes?

Tell me have you seen her, er, him?

Police are requesting your help! Authorities are looking for the person, place or thing that may or may not have robbed what could have been a bank somewhere within our area. Witnesses say they saw what could have been something. Be on the look out for a man or woman, with blonde hair or maybe a wig, wearing a black jacket and pink dress unless they are wearing something different today.

Be vigilant, if you wish.

Sac Rag News. We report. You figure it out.

It’s no surprise our region is rife with buildings crashing into our moving vehicles.

I felt some vindication about my feelings on this issue when I came across Marcus Breton’s article in Bee today:

It seemed like a misprint: A random DUI sweep Friday night in central and south Sacramento netted 57 people who were cited on suspicion of driving under the influence.

Seven were on bicycles!

It took the California Highway Patrol just eight hours to round these people up. And the numbers aren’t considered an aberration.

Eight hours to round up about sixty people comes to about seven to eight people an hour – more than one every ten minutes, including the bicyclists (take that, Davis!) Moreover, this was just a sweep of central and south Sacramento.

Is there something lacking in our approach to the problem? Breton’s article points out that we may just not have enough enforcement:

…Sac PD’s traffic division needs to get bigger, though reinforcements won’t come anytime soon in this economy.

Fresno has 71 traffic officers and the best numbers for drunken driving enforcement in California. Sacramento has 22 traffic officers.

See, Fresno, you’re not always so bad.

While I’m sure local drivers appreciate the warning, one thing I’ve always found amusing are press releases like these, announcing that for a weekend local police will be setting up a DUI checkpoint. What’s even more amusing is how easy it is to escape these checkpoints when you’re end up at one. I’m not sure the manner in which these checkpoints are publicized and set up is effective at stopping the behavior. But, I’m no law enforcement expert.

It’s also more than a lack of enforcement. It’s cultural. In the other cities that I’ve lived, people don’t take a passive approach to drunk driving, expecting that law enforcement will handle the problem. Not driving while impaired is a shared value. People take a personal interest in making sure they are out with a designated driver, or have another way to get home. Or, they just don’t drink. But here? We’re not concerned about the risks we’re putting ourselves and other drivers to when we drive after drinking. We’re concerned about just getting home without getting caught. But, as CoolDMZ noted here earlier and what Breton mentions, we’re not really getting away with it:

According to the state Office of Traffic Safety, Sacramento is the city with the most fatal crashes as well as the most fatal crashes in which alcohol was a factor.

Think about that the next time you’re on the road.

Rancho Murieta Online has a few suggestions on things to do on this upcoming Labor Day weekend, in case you were becoming overwhelmed with all the options for the holiday.

In case you would like to spend Labor Day by walking down streets and randomly explaining the history of Labor Day to passers by, check out the Department of Labor website on this very topic. If you could do this in a mailman’s uniform sitting at a bar, you’d be my hero. Cheers.

What percent of 1.5 million is 300? Find out here!

ELK GROVE, CA – Earlier today, Elk Grove Police Officer Ali Khalil was arrested by agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and served with a complaint alleging several felonies associated with mortgage-related financial transactions. None of the allegations were related to Officer Khalil’s official duties as an Elk Grove police officer. Officer Khalil, age 29, has been a member of the Elk Grove Police Department since 2006. Officer Khalil has been placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of an internal investigation, which is standard practice when an officer has been charged with a crime.

We obviously have no details at this point about the nature of the charges or the crime, but the role of mortgage predators brokers in the housing industry has played a huge factor in our economic meltdown. Some brokers were above board but many others were not. These unscrupulous individuals played a significant role in suckering banks and borrowers into bad mortgages. Many of these old brokers are now setting up shop as refinancing experts and mortgage assistance houses (word of advice: do your own research and deal with your lendor directly). They basically splashed everyone with mud and are now offering to take people to the cleaners.

Eyebrowraisingly, it seems police officers are not immune from felonies arising out of the housing industry (though this not to say that he is charged with crimes that he did while on duty – we don’t know). Also, this officer was charged by the FBI but the EG PD still has to do their own internal investigation, during which time the accused is still on paid leave (not that there’s anything wrong with that).

I, for one, would like to see a more aggressive effort by the state government to ban unscrupulous mortgage broker marriage. We need fewer of those people and the more we can do to stop them from procreating, the happier we’ll all be.

UPDATE 6/2: Further details available at the Bee. Thanks to the SacRag faithful for keeping me on my toes. Vigilance!

K.J.’s Campaign Headquarters Collapses, 2 Hurt

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) – The building that housed Mayor Kevin Johnson’s 2008 campaign headquarters has partially collapsed following a violent crash this afternoon.

The building located on 2030 16th St., gave way at around 2:20 p.m. Tuesday after two vehicles ? a Volvo sedan and an ICEE delivery truck — collided, sending the truck into the building and apparently into critical supports.

Drivers of both vehicles suffered minor injuries.

The building was thought to be vacant, but rescue personnel have sent a search dog inside to check for possible victims.

Is something afoot? Have people just lost their minds with their 12th election in seven years?

Nah, it’s just Sac being Sac.

“When coming here today someone hit a pole on Marconi. On Marconi, people just don’t pay attention and it’s foggy. They don’t care if it’s 50 mph in a 30. People don’t care,”

…so is quoted in a story from KCRA on CalTrans’ newly released 2008 California Highway Safety Improvement Program 5 Percent Report (don’t read that title while driving).

According to the study, Sacramento ranks number two (behind Los Angeles) in the number of traffic accident hot spots in the state. The worst spot in Sac? It probably won’t surprise anyone:

Over the past 10 years, Watt Avenue has been the site of 7,800 crashes, according to the California Highway Patrol, while Highway 99 near 12th Avenue hosts three accidents a month. Also, the link between Interstate 5 and 50 averages a crash almost every other day.

Who could have guessed?

In any case, this story is too good to be true, except that apparently it is true. As such, it warrants a dusting off the RIGHT AWN!, for the dude who used a giant Christmas ornament to defend his family and guests. I’ll let the story tell the story:

Man wielding candy cane lawn ornament subdues attacker

SACRAMENTO (AP) — A man using a candy cane lawn ornament fended off a knife-wielding neighbor who had been attacking holiday guests at a Sacramento home.
Police spokesman Sgt. Norm Leong says the man used the two-foot-tall plastic ornament to subdue the attacker until officers arrived.

He says the 49-year-old suspect became intoxicated, went over to a neighbor’s home on Thanksgiving and began waving a kitchen knife at people gathered on the lawn.

He cut several peoples’ clothing before one of them decided to fight back.

Police say the man with the knife was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon. The guest who took up the candy cane was not arrested because police determined he acted in self-defense.

RIGHT AWN, Christmas Candy Cane Wielding Ninja Defender!

Unfortunately, the only thing this store has going for it is that it’s a Costco that’s closest to those of us in the south side of the county but north of the cattle.

The staff are very friendly, but the store itself is wrought with overcrowding, rude customers and people who line up for free samples of orange juice and bacon, and then loiter in the middle of the aisles like they’re partaking of a United Nations relief mission. When you’ve finally navigated through the Dixie Cup buffet, you get stuck in a horrible feeder line system at the check out that also falls smack in a major thoroughfare in the store, so people with arms full of Christmas ornaments are running crosscurrent through the lines to get through.

The indoor food court is just as overcrowded as it is unsanitary. The time it takes to wait in line for the $1.50 hot dog and soda while you study the story told by the tattoo on the back of the neck in front of you, is worth more than the $1.50 you’ll spend. And, because people have had too much of a good thing back in the store, people also loiter around the soda vending machines refilling their cups of soda after every sip and making the rest of us wait for sweet flavourless bubbly. You also do not want your food to touch the picnic tables (complete with umbrellas) in the indoor sitting area, lest you disturb the flies. Besides, good luck pulling your food off the table once it’s been placed there and permanently affixed by old ketchup.

To top it off, last weekend, as I was browsing in an aisle, someone jacked my half full shopping cart and disappeared into the crowds. My bad. I forgot to padlock my cart to the shelf when I turned to browse.

My recommendation: go to another location. It might take longer to drive but you’ll save that time in the store, with a more pleasant experience.

Costco South Sacramento
7981 East Stockton Boulevard
Sacramento, California 95823
Rating: *

But, family and friends of Sac State Hornet alumnus Brandon Smith might, especially during this past weekend. Smith, as a defensive back on the Calgary Stampeders, defeated the Montreal Alouettes in yesterday’s CFL championship game, and is now a 2008 Grey Cup Champion.

Congrats Brandon!

The jolly old one will attend holiday events in Roseville on Saturday – including that city’s annual parade – but Sacramento’s annual Santa Parade has been canceled.

The event, always run on the Thanksgiving weekend, has been called off for the first time in the event’s 26-year history, said parade organizer Laurie Hensley.

The decision to cancel the privately organized event was prompted when organizers came up $15,000 short for stages, sound equipment and cash prizes for parade participants, Hensley said.

Sorry Sacto kids, but it looks like your Christmas Eve milk and cookies will go uneaten this year. Santa is off to more lucrative pastures.

In Roseville, however, the Sylvia Besana Annual Holiday Parade is ready to roll at 10 a.m. Saturday.

It will begin at Riverside Avenue and Douglas Boulevard and Vernon Street, proceed along Vernon Street and end behind the Roseville Square shopping center.

Really, Roseville, have you no shame?

UPDATE 11-24-2008: Sac-Eats called it, the Sacto parade is back on after a hefty donation from Mayor-elect KJ. One wonders if Santa was being held as an innocent hostage in some kind of parade-financing dispute.

High school graduation rates are falling and fewer teens are meeting requirements to get into University of California and California State University schools in Sacramento County.

Those are among the many findings of the 2008 Sacramento County Children’s Report Card, according to a report to be presented Tuesday to the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors…

…Among its education findings, the group reports that the graduation rate among high school seniors decreased to 79.6 percent in 2006-07, from 85.1 percent in 2000-01.

The “group” in question is the Sacramento County Children’s Coalition, and they also reported on several other interesting damn lies statistics:

• High school drop outs earn an average of $21,346 a year, while graduates earn an average of $8,747 more.
• Those with a bachelor’s degree earn more than $21,000 annually more than people who have only a high school diploma.
• Spending per student in Sacramento County in 2005-06 was $7,324, compared to the state average of $8,486 and the national average of $9,138.

Who thinks this will get worse before it gets better? Perhaps it’s time to give education its rightful props on the voting ballot.

Here’s another one for the “things are not as bad as they seem” file.

For all you midtown Peetniks, a new Peets has opened up at the southeast corner of Capitol and Alhambra. You’ll be happy to know there is yet another caffeine option in the area.

So, even though times are tough, apparently the fundamentals of our coffee are strong.

Sacramento, Apr 29, 2008 / 09:23 pm (CNA).- The Sacramento Library Authority Board voted last Thursday to retain its policy of minimal interference with patrons who access pornography on library computers, News10 Sacramento reports. Board members also voted to spend $21,000 for more computer monitors with recessed screens to allow more private viewing.

Recessed screens? How about just set up a whole private booth complete with neon lights?

Board member Robbie Waters explained his support for $21,000 for more private computer screens, saying he wanted people to be able to exercise their right to be able to view whatever they would like. “It allows the screen to come right up at you and nobody can look over your shoulders,” Waters said.

This might be one of the most ridiculous decisions made by a public library that I’ve ever seen. Is perversion not pervasive enough, that now parents can’t take their kids to Sacramento’s libraries unsupervised?

And, just one request to you commenters. Please refrain from commenting on the “exercise their right” or “allows the scene to come right up at you”. It’s a little too obvious, even for the Sac Rag.

DIXON (CBS13) ― Some serious foul play is going on at a Dixon chicken farm where thieves are stealing or killing hundreds of chickens and its costing the farmer thousands of dollars.

The Eatwell Farm in Dixon has been hit about 5 times since October costing the owner around $20,000.

And then, this:

STOCKTON (CBS13) ― Crates of tomato sauce in Stockton continued to smolder this morning, more than 12 hours after they began burning.

Five hundred plastic 300-gallon crates full of tomato product began burning yesterday afternoon at the Unilever Factory on Waterloo Road.

Coincidence? I think not.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Baby Jesus was stolen from the nativity scene of an Orangevale family’s front yard.

The family did not notice that Jesus was missing right away because the thieves left everything else, the manger, Joseph and Mary.

The family was not just robbed of a figurine, they were robbed of a tradition.

Don’t be another “The family”. Introducing the CHRIST CHLUB! Lock down your Baby Jesus in this festively decorated kevlar-coated security lock, now available in Rudolf Red! Guaranteed indestructible and tamper proof. This tasteful anti-theft device has been designed with your Nativity scene’s – and your family’s – security in mind.

Don’t let those Grinches steal your Christmas! Secure your Baby Jesus with the CHRIST CHLUB, and save Christmas. Yes, little Timmy, it is Christmas time in Sacramento again.

If you’ve been reading this blog for any amount of time, you already know the deal. You get this:

CITRUS HEIGHTS, Calif. — A woman crashed a sport utility vehicle into a Citrus Heights apartment complex at least twice on Tuesday, knocking out electricity and causing other damage, police said.

That’s right, a two-fer. How do you hit the same building twice? Perhaps by being drunk at 6:30 AM.

Only in Sacramento, dear friends.

It turns out that the dream is to build a huge outdoor shopping complex complete with a movie theater, a 20,000 square foot food pavilion, a Macy’s (of course), and a whole load of trees – among other things. You can check out the full vision for the mall at http://www.elkgrovepromenade.com .

While personally I believe Elk Grove does need something (there is simply nothing to do in that town other than sleep before you go to work the next day), and I agree an upper scale shopping center is a good idea, I wonder if it really will suit Elk Grove. Walnut Creek’s outdoor mall is a pleasant place to shop, but can that be replicated in Elk Grove? Or will the Elk Grove Promenade just bring to it the problems that Arden Mall now has (my recent experiences have caused me to give Arden the tagline “where white trash meets the ghetto”), where you can’t shop out of fear of abuse by other “shoppers”?

I hope that the mall is actually a success and is a place where families can go and spend a day shopping in peace. But, I wonder if that would really turn out to be the case.

The 2007 Scripps National Spelling Bee is on as we speak. A look at the list of contestants will take you not just around the United States but also around the world.

With something to prove this year, Josephine, contestant #19, has made it into round 3 . More updates as they become available!

UPDATE 2: As mentioned in the comments, Josephine dropped out in round 6 on the word “tournure“. The contest went on another seven rounds, but the title was still brought back to NorCal when Evan O’Dorney from Walnut Creek knocked “serrefine” out of the park. Great job in representing NorCal, Josephine and Evan!

UPDATE: My sources tell me that Josephine is still standing after Round 4. Only 72 entrants out of 286 are still standing, putting her in the top 24.8 percent. Call in s-i-c-k tomorrow and catch the bee live on ESPN from 7 to 10 AM.

Personally, I think that a picture of an elk standing in front of a grove of big box stores would be the best logo, but hey, that’s just me.

(Note to City of Elk Grove: if you don’t want people to steal your pictures, don’t put them on the internet.)

The Sharks have had a strong season. After eliminating the Nashville Predators in the first round, San Jose and Detroit are renewing old playoff hostilities:

The teams also have some playoff history dating back to the Sharks’ post-season debut in 1994. San Jose shocked the top-seeded Wings, ousting their highly favoured foes in a seven-game classic.

However, the Wings returned the favour the following season, sweeping the Sharks in the second round.

If the Anaheim Ducks (who play in the same arena that is the rumored future home of the Sacramenno Kings) dispatch with the Vancouver Canucks in round two and the Sharks get by Detroit, it’s quite conceivable that round three of the NHL playoffs will feature an all-California Western Conference Final, with the NorCal Sharks playing the SoCal Ducks. Those would be some bragging rights. The winner of that series would then go on to play in round four – more relevantly known as the Stanley Cup Final – against the best team in the east.

A $115 million bond measure for a new high school in Roseville was passed Tuesday in an election involving only 12 voters.

Eleven of the 12 voters cast ballots in favor of the new high school. Only a dozen voters were eligible because they are the only ones who live in the westside neighborhood where the school will be built.

That’s a 100% turn out, with 91.6% of all votes cast supporting the bond measure, and 8.4% of all votes cast (the one guy/gal) against the bond measure. That’s a pretty strong decision. Majority rules.

What’s even cooler about this vote is that the people voting were doing so on behalf of others who don’t even live there yet:

Rich Strickland, deputy superintendent of the Roseville Joint Union High School District, said the area doesn’t have many voters because the first of some 25,000 homes expected in the Fiddyment Farm area are currently under construction. The development is expected to bring an additional 2,000 students high school students. Strickland said the district doesn’t want to try to cram the children into Roseville’s existing high schools which are already overcrowded.

And, construction won’t even start until 2012. That’s some pretty farsighted thinking by those 11 people on behalf of Roseville. Good on ya, area voters, for demonstrating how important a vote can be. RIGHT AWN!

A school bus crashed into a house in Citrus Heights just before 1 this afternoon. A six-year-old student on the bus was unhurt but the driver was injured.

The driver sustained minor injuries, according to the story.

Is it time for us to equip our houses with airbags?