Category: Politics

Jason at Eyes of Argus has some strong words for Elk Grove City Councilman Michael Leary. What is going on down there?

Uneasy Rhetoric has a great play-by-play on the mayor’s State of Downtown speech from yesterday. (See below.)

In her “State of Downtown” address today (who knew?) Mayor Fargo waxed enthusiastic about the direction downtown Sacramento is taking:

I have to say that it’s under construction. We’re past the dreaming and past the scheming, and we’re really full-blown into implementation.

I have to say, why the rush, Ms. Mayor? I mean, it’s only been 157 freakin years. Are there people who walk around, you know, the actual post-post-implementation downtown we currently have and say, gee, I hope they implement something around here soon?

I think there is a larger issue involved in the current Arnold Schwarzenegger illiegal motorcycle driving scandal. What this means to me is that one of his most famous actions in his former life as Arnold the action hero, namely the Los Angeles river chopper vs. big rig chase scene, was filmed under false pretenses. I smell class action action!

What’s next, are we going to find out that Robert Patrick‘s uncanny ability to show up in friggen everything is not due to his being composed of a mimetic polyalloy? Help us, Santa Claus.

Never to buck tradition, we at the Sac Rag feel compelled to link to SacBee.com‘s brief listing of the new laws that take effect today. We live in the Capitol City afterall and these babies are written and signed here. Here some highlights:

Senate Bill 1028 – Prohibits killing birds or mammals via a controversial Internet technology linking a computer mouse to a camera and rifle.
{Oh, this can’t miss: “We are offering a limited number of ‘I Shot OSAMA’ t-shirts for sale. Purchase one along with your membership and shooting session. Put up to 10 holes into a target printed on the shirt and then wear it with pride.”}

Assembly Bill 405 – Restricts the use of experimental pesticides on school campuses.
{Restricts? Good for you, Legislature, no need to get crazy here. Baby steps}

Assembly Bill 121 – Bans the sale of candy containing excessive lead, as was detected several years ago in a batch imported from Mexico.
{Excessive? Again, baby steps, what’s a little lead in your Snickers, anyway? It’s not like there’s an excessive amount in there, sheesh.}

Senate Bill 670 – Apologizes to U.S. citizens or legal residents of Mexican ancestry who were forcibly relocated to Mexico in the 1930s.
{Oops, our bad.}

But seriously, props to Assembly Bill 1328 which designates a 31-mile stretch of Cache Creek, primarily in Yolo and Lake counties, as a state wild, scenic and recreational river. Who knew there was an actual Cache Creek? And knowing is, of course, half the battle.

Did you see the smackdown Gov. Schwarzenegger handed to the city council of his hometown of Graz? Local politicians in the Austrian city were planning to remove Arnold’s name from the city’s soccer stadium in protest of his refusal to grant clemency to executed multiple murderer Stanley “Tookie” Williams. (Austrians caring about the execution of minorities, now that’s progress baby!)

Well, if you’ve seen any of his movies, you know Arnold isn’t one to take that kind of whiny crap sitting down. So, just like his T-800 cyborg death machine character from “Terminator” would do, he fired off a letter {PDF} demanding that his name be removed from the stadium immediately and promising legal action to ensure that outcome. He then totally sent back the ring they gave him in a special ceremony in 1999. Instead of being all like, no Arnold, baby, you are our soulmate, you can’t dump me at Christmas, Graz appears to be taking this one right in the pooper. Nice work, Governor!

I’d like to open up a forum for Sac Rag readers to suggest how the city should spend its $70 million surplus. I’ll start the discussion by suggesting buying out the contracts of Rick Adelman, Geoff Petrie, and Predrag Stojakovic. Arena schmarena, let’s win some games.

I know many of our Sac Rag readers are lawyers and/or highly educated. As such, please to explain why a person can be fined for having a boat on his property (CC&R I would assume) but not for spray painting a message on his garage door?

Constitutional guarantees of free speech will make it difficult for the city to order Fredrick to remove the painted message. In fact, Fredrick said his visual protest may be expanding soon.

So couldn’t the boat parking be this man’s way of expressing himself to all those lilly livered land lovers out there that refuse to enjoy the many wonderful waterways our great state has to offer?

News10.net is reporting that Sacramento County wants to bar shopping carts from the American River Parkway in an effort to curb illegal camping and cut the expense of cleaning out the campsites each week.

Under the terms of the ban, rangers would hand out plastic bags to those pushing shopping carts. They would be allowed to transfer their belonging to the bag, then the cart would be taken from them.

Hmmm, who wants in on an office pool? I’m selling squares for $5 a piece to benefit local homeless shelters. The person closest to the exact day News10.net reports that Sacramento County wants to bar plastic bags from the American River Parkway wins.