Today is Sacramento’s first “Stage 1 - No Burn” residential wood burning restriction. This means that “…burning is prohibited when air quality is forecast to be 36-40 micrograms per cubic meter unless EPA certified fireplace inserts or stoves, or pellet stoves are used. First time violations will result in a $50 fine or a requirement to attend compliance school, fines for subsequent violations will be higher.”

The funny thing about this policy is that the Spare The Air site states “Sacramento County Only” as the area affected by this law. But, when you scroll down a bit you find this detail:

Check Before You Burn is in effect in Sacramento County and its cities: Citrus Heights, Elk Grove, Folsom, Galt, Isleton, Rancho Cordova, and Sacramento.

Does “Sacramento” mean anyone with a Sacramento, CA mailing address? Folks who are normally under the City umbrella can burn away? I checked the FAQ document and still couldn’t find anything concrete. Granted, I am not the brightest bulb so if I am missing this important detail, please comment.

At the risk of being out of touch with the what’s *really* happening in Sacramento, I mention this sacbee.com article about a new outdoor ice skating rink scheduled to open Friday in Folsom. The details can be found at visitfolsom.com.

This article makes me wonder, however, if it is a smart idea to spend money on “extras” like this in an effort to boost local business.

A report from Folsom city staff puts the total cost of operating the rink for two months during the holidays at $248,000 – $68,000 more than it is predicted to bring in.

I get that the intent with this project is encourage folks to shop and eat locally, but could the $248,000 be better spent helping local businesses lower their prices? Decrease their lease payments? Or is just full steam ahead and let’s see what happens?

Especially with the news that so many of the region’s cities are scrambling to save money and cut corners.

In an effort to control costs, Folsom has a freeze on hiring and discretionary spending, Miller said. But even that won’t be enough to close the budget shortfall, which could be as much as $5 million for the current year if the city were to do nothing.

Your thoughts?

From the Sacramento News & Review:

Because making appointments for these things is a real drag.

When we’re not asking the tough questions and searching for the right answers, we enjoy us some Sacramento trivia. With all the tension surrounding the state of the world right now, we were thrilled to hear from “Anna in Sacramento” today.

Anna writes (in my best Casey Kasem voice)…

Dear Sac Rag,

“Okay, we’re having a fit of nostalgia here in the office/random memory (very random!). Can anyone name/remember the bands that played at KWOD’s 1998 Summer Concert at Arco Arena (also known as the show that Green Day canceled because their drummer got bonked on the head by one of the guys from Third Eye Blind)?”

There’s not a ton of information on the InterWeb, so what say all you thirtysomethingers out there?

So, how is your voting experience going? Feel free to comment and share your story.

My polling place is being held at an elementary school. Sort of an odd idea to have a steady stream of adults coming and going while school is in session, but that could just be my paranoia.

I was not asked to show ID as I had voted there before. Another interesting one. I guess I see them working, but would it be that much of a time killer to require an ID every election?

What about the folks that hang signs on the overpasses? Or the groups that gather at major intersections during heavy rains and jump in and out of traffic to get their message out there? The hand painted signs with way too much information to make out as you fly by. Wackiness.

Anyone cashed in on the free Starbucks coffee?

All polls are open from 7 a.m. – 8 p.m. on Tuesday, November 4th.

You can use the County lookup tool to find your local polling location. While you are there enjoy the drop down menu of “city or community” names. The super sized photos of each polling location are kind of fun, too.

Another lookup tool to determine if you are eligible to vote tomorrow. Yahoo! offers up some tips, too (vote mid-morning or early afternoon, for example).

Here’s a Computer page that displays the proposition positions of the left and the right.

And of course, free coffee.

By no means are we telling you to vote. Just some links in case you, you know, need them and stuff.

The national Vote & Vax campaign will be offering up flu vaccinations at two Sacramento locations on Tuesday, November 4th. These are sponsored by the Sacramento County Immunization Program.

Sounds all well and good, right? Sure, unless you want more information or some details…

Update: The Sacramento Bee reports that the second clinic (Capital Christian Center) is being sponsored by the “local NBC affiliate” and that the charge there is $30 (it’s $10 at the Rancho Cordova City Hall location). Still not showing up on the Vote & Vax site.

Continue reading “Vote & Vax comes to Sacramento (maybe)” »

Karin Higgins, UC Davis
Eastern fox squirrel on UC Davis campus

When the squirrels aren’t being hunted for fun or falling to their death in flames caused by carelessly hung “power lines,” they just enjoy making sweet whoopee and raising families. And who can blame them, right?

Now word comes that the folks at UC Davis have had it up to here with the fertile squirrels on their campus and will be putting them on the pill next summer:

Officials said the university is being overrun with eastern fox squirrels, which aren’t natives of the Davis area…Faculty wildlife experts and their students plan to capture some of the squirrels next summer and give them hormone injections to try to limit offspring.

Hmmm, that tail sure looks familiar.

We love us a pumpkin patch here at the Sac Rag. I was beginning to wonder where we were with a 2008 review when I came across this article from kcra.com:

A Placer County pumpkin patch that’s been a local tradition for 20 years won’t be selling any pumpkins this year after getting hit by metal thieves.

The owner of the patch decided not to open this season after spending $15,000 on repairs.

As we used to say growing up, “that’s weak sauce, man.”

To conserve space on this here weblog, here you go. See you again in March…

P.S. And this time it is ending. Starts in March, ends in November.¹