Month: March 2007

Grand jury slams arena backdoor dealings

News10 reported yesterday that the County grand jury found that Sacramento officials “violated the public trust” in rushing measures Q and R to the ballot last fall. Ironically, it’s not a binding decision and finds nobody at fault for any specific infraction.

My own take on this saga is completely in evidence so obviously you know how I feel. However, read the PDF of the Grand Jury’s report. It is very strange. With headings like “Hail to the Kings! The Costly Illusion that City Greatness Requires the Presence of Professional Sports” and “Downtown Railyard Development – What Have We Gotten Into?” and “The Train has left and the City now has the Station!” and with language like “Has the city initiated the much wished for revitalization of downtown or has it stepped into a polluted black hole?” it doesn’t read anything like the legal document you will expect. It reads more like some snarky blog poster obviously biased against the whole deal from the start. I don’t know much about grand jury proceedings but is this normal?

Looks like the city and county officials have to respond to the findings in this report later in the year. Specifically, by “June 00, 2007.” So we’ll all stay tuned for that!

Sac State and other CSU faculties authorize strike

The Sacramento Bee reports today that the California State University faculty has voted to strike. Statewide, 82% of the more than 11,000 members of the California Faculty Association voted, with 94% of them authorizing the strike. Tensions have centered upon the lack of a contract and extreme disparity in the salaries of various faculty members. A possible strike will take the form of a rolling walkout, with individual campuses striking for two days at a time.

Here at home, the faculty of Sac State met as a body for the first time in 30 years. Among the budget discussions, a vote of no confidence in University President Alex Gonzalez was proposed. As next week is Spring Break, the vote will not occur until the next Faculty Senate meeting on April 5.

Have you adequate postage, Master Luke?

I was on my way into the State Capitol this morning when I saw a mailbox painted to look like R2-D2 at 11th and N. At first, I thought that it had fallen prey to an incredibly nerdy vandal until I saw the Web site tag. Apparently, the United States Postal Service has teamed up with the Star Wars people to bring you mail service. Hopefully, my Netflix returns will not end up in a galaxy far, far away…

You heard it here first

Back in January of 2006, frequent Sac Rag contributor “Runnergirl” wrote a post about the area’s worst parking lots. Tops on her list was the Natomas Marketplace. And anyone that has ever had the misfortune to shop there has witnessed the Grade A Fuster Cluck (GAFC) that ensues on a daily basis.

Fear not, Sacramento, as the City has listened (probably, maybe) and responded!

The city of Sacramento is taking steps to improve access to Natomas Marketplace, a half-million square foot shopping center with a single main driveway.

Bravo! Now if they could just do something about the drive through line at In & Out Burger (it’s a burger, people, sure it’s good, but it’s a BURGER!).

Massive Meteorite Found in Delta

CBS-13 reported today on a meteorite found ten miles west of Stockton on Victoria Island. The crater is estimated to be three miles wide, several times larger than the really cool Barringer Meteor Crater in Arizona. Scientists think that the impact was 50 million years ago and will begin excavating the blast site that lies underneath more than a mile of soil.

Could this be the magical tourist attraction that will change Stockton from a mediocre backwater shithole to… a less mediocre backwater shithole? If not, I hope that they can dig up enough of the fragments to put an exhibit on this in the Haggin Museum.

Tower offers it all

Beginning at 11am this morning, Tower Records will be auctioning off their equipment from the recently shut down stores.

Boxes of DVDs and CDs along with forklifts, desks and file cabinets are some of the items that will be up for grabs.

The proceedings will be webcast by Great American. Online bidders have to register at the Web site.  A quick browse of the auction catalog finds lots of standard office equipment.  You know, air compressors, banding machines, label makers, printers, pornography, etc.

“What!” you are saying to yourself.  I know, I know.  Who couldn’t use a banding machine, huh?  Totally.

Oh, the porno you say?  Yeah, well it appears that, for the right price, Lots 38 and 39 can be yours.  With such hits as “Spanish Fly” and “Deep Inside” topping the list.

Man, it’s worth going just to be there to hear the auctioneer play those up…

It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!

When we moved into our official married couple house just before Christmas, we noticed that our cross-the-street neighbors still had pumpkins on their front porch. Since they have the most beautifully updated house on the block, keep their yard immaculate, were the first to welcome us to the ‘hood, and seem to be awesome people in general, I didn’t think much of it. I figured the pumpkins had been there so long that they didn’t notice them anymore.

Continue reading “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!”

Sandwiches? In Sacramento?

The newest sandwich sensation in Sacramento has arrived: The Sandwich Spot.  While, I’ll admit, not the catchiest name for a sandwich spot, “The Sandwich Spot” does connote an air of casual grace and casual food that works well with the neighborhood surrounding The Sandwich Spot.  You will spot The Sandwich Spot on the corner of 18th and Q streets in Sacramento.  The Sandwich Spot is, as the name suggests, a spot for sandwiches, but don’t be misled, The Sandwich Spot also serves drinks and chips and salads.  “What kind of sandwich spot serves drinks?” you may ask.  “The Sandwich Spot,” I would reply.  “What kind of sandwiches does The Sandwich Spot serve?” you would then ask.  Good question.  The sandwiches at The Sandwich Spot fall somewhere between Beach Hut Deli (Hooters Deli to you and me) and Togo’s, simple recipes loaded with odd additions like bbq sauce, cream cheese, teriyaki and something called “bomb sauce.”  “What the hell is ‘bomb sauce’?” you might ask.  As far as I can tell, “bomb sauce” is Italian dressing with chili peppers in it.  I suggest that you skip the “bomb sauce” unless you want to be tasting The Sandwich Spot for the rest of the day and well into the night. 

Continue reading “Sandwiches? In Sacramento?”