Category: Politics

City of Sacramento to allow backyard chickens (at a price)

http://www.hulu.com/embed/z4nukuhUJ3JQ1yUx1fWk9Q
RIP Phil Hartman

On Tuesday night, the City Council passed an ordinance that will allow city residents to keep up to three egg-laying hens in their back yards starting November 1, 2011. It has been legal to own chickens in Sacramento County for some time as long as your property lot size meets the 10,000 square feet requirement.

This is good news, right? Sure, but there are a few catches, cause it’s, you know, politics and stuff.

Households that want to keep chickens will be required to pay $15, plus an annual fee of $10 per chicken. No roosters will be allowed.

Really? You couldn’t just pass an ordinance for the fun of passing an ordinance?

And for those concerned that the new law will lead to chickens roaming city streets, the law requires that hens be kept in pens, coops or cages at all times. Those holding areas must be at least 20 feet from a neighbor’s home…Chickens will be tagged for identification.

Oh, this can’t miss. Folks will have a field day ratting out their neighbors when their chickens cluck their way inside 20 feet. Not to mention random chicken busts of non-tagged hens.

Next thing you know Sacramento will try to tax tourists for having an accident in our city or something.

Where Everybody Knows Your Name

So about two years ago I was appointed to Sacramento’s Housing and Redevelopment Commission. Twice a month, yours truly and ten other wonks meet to provide input and vote on what the city’s and county’s redevelopers want to do with public money.

Meetings are open to the public, but I can count on my own ten fingers (no toes) the regulars who show up and spout off. These eight or nine folks by default represent all of Sacramento’s residents. Continue reading “Where Everybody Knows Your Name”

Trash Talkin’

Earlier today I discovered that, for the second week in a row, my yard waste container was not emptied. Immediately, my blood began to boil and my skin tingled with anticipation and sweat. My pulse raced as I picked up the phone to call 311, praying that she would answer. Lately, almost anything is an excuse for me to call and hear her sexy instructions for better citizenship. Within seconds, her sweet, stern voice informed me that she was aware of the situation.

Oh baby, tell me more. Tell me that all your public services are going to satisfy my needs. Tell me how important my call is to you. Make me feel special.
Continue reading “Trash Talkin’”

Railyard Recycled

So here’s a new (-ish) video about the Sacramento Railyards project. The Center for Creative Land Recycling is one of many partners – public, private and nonprofit – trying to redevelop Sacramento’s historic (and historically blighted) former Union Pacific railyard.

240 acres of abandoned railyard has been spooning the north-west corner of downtown Sacramento for years. City leaders hope to transform this rail-etched wasteland into a downtown annex with housing, retail, office space, and entertainment and cultural venues, not to mention development of the riverfront. Continue reading “Railyard Recycled”

Sac City Redistricting

As it turns out, the City of Sacramento is undergoing a redistricting effort this year as a result of the 2010 census. The current population is 466,488 badass Sacramentans, and the City needs to redraw council district lines to equally distribute the population at 58,311 badasses per district. The results of that should be interesting.

The City has set up a website to allow us citizens badasses to participate. You know where I usually stand on participatory democracy gimmicks but this looks fun.

You have to sign up for an account to try it out, but on the plus side, no CAPTCHA.

(Hat tip to Jay Schenirer for alerting his constituents to this opportunity.)

Don’t sell state office buildings!

SacRag writer Stickie sez “booooooo” to selling off California state office buildings.

Before GAS became EX-GAS, one of his final victories was arranging a deal to sell 11 of the 24 state buildings that he placed on the market under the guise of fiscal austerity. This deal included several pieces of Sacramento real estate: The East End Complex, Attorney General Building, Emergency Management Agency Building, Franchise Tax Board Complex, and Department of Justice Building. Their sale was blocked in December by a state appellate court.

Luckily, a new administration means a chance to reverse this decision before it costs California billions.
Continue reading “Don’t sell state office buildings!”

Voting details for today

In case you’re looking for the same online resources as I am, here are a few links that may be of use to you:

The Property Associate Information is pretty slick (we may have discussed this here before) as you can use the General Map Viewer tool to find out all sorts of information about your local area.

Put this to a vote

My neighbor and I were talking about the amount of political mail we were receiving and if there was anything we could do about it. He said he would contact the County and ask to be removed from any lists, etc.

Here’s the response he received:

The only way to be removed from their mailing list is to not be registered to vote. If you wish to not be registered anymore you may send us something in writing with your signature requesting us to do so at 7000 65th Street, Sacramento, CA 95823. Thanks.

Awesome. That’ll show’em. This could be my new response when I am hit up at the grocery store to register. “Excuse me, sir, are you registered to vote in Sacramento County?” “No, I am not, I was, but I had to unregister to stop receiving campaign propaganda, sorry.”

I’ve got a proposition for you.

Here is a catchy little ditty to start you on the road to understanding the 2010 ballot propositions in California.

Year after year, I am amazed at the things that get put on the ballot for people to vote on. Most people have no idea what the hell the propositions on the ballot mean, yet we still vote for/against them. The system is clearly dysfunctional and the first step to solving this is education.

Some local friends from the California Voter Foundation have composed an educational, non-partisan, and catchy little ditty to get you on the trolley to understanding the 2010 ballot. Please feel free to ask questions and/or discuss particular propositions (NO talk of candidates, propositions ONLY) as long as you keep it directed towards educational discourse and don’t try to lobby our readers. I’ll do my best to answer any questions in an educational, non-partisan manner. Trust me, I’m a professional.