Category: Politics

Election deadlines coming Friday

The deadline to register as a candidate for the District 1, 3, 5 and 7 City Council offices is Friday, March 12. As of today there will be quite a field, with 17 candidates running, including 5 candidates in Districts 3 and 5. The deadline for District 5 is actually March 17, since the incumbent Lauren Hammond won’t be running (she’s a candidate in the sure-to-be-exciting 9th Assembly district race). March 12 is also the Secretary Of State’s deadline to register for statewide office.

I’m planning take a look at the candidates for the 5th district (my district) in more detail in the next few weeks, in a humorous but fair and balanced manner. So, you know, stay tuned for that.

2010 Forecast: Heavy (!) traffic in Rancho Cordova’s drive-thrus

Getting too big for its boundaries
If you’re a sacrilegious, unemployed heathen who happens to be in Rancho Cordova at any point in time, please disregard this post.

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. Continue reading “2010 Forecast: Heavy (!) traffic in Rancho Cordova’s drive-thrus”

Recycle this!

I went to my parking lot recycling spot (awesome site, btw, 2004 & 2005 “News” articles) on Saturday to cash in some bottles and cans that had been piling up (why give that money to the County, right?) only to find out that their hours had been dramatically cut recently. Why? It’s good for the bottle, right? It’s good for the can, right? It’s what Oprah wants us to do!

As it turns out, what do you know …

The state has tapped the California Redemption Value fund for $417.7 million in loans to help deal with its budget crisis. Consumers pay about $1.2 billion a year in 5- and 10-cent deposits on most soda, sports drinks, juice, beer and water bottles and cans sold in California.

The parking-lot recycling business operates as a for profit enterprise helping to make it easier for folks to return their recyclables for cash. You know, creating jobs, providing a service to the community. Yawn…

Continue reading “Recycle this!”

Depressing government bureaucracy of the day

The Sacramento County Department of Health and Human Services helpfully allows you to order for informational purposes either a birth certificate or a death certificate using the same form. Merely check the box for the event that has occurred for the individual in question.

Note that it is much cheaper to request a death certificate, which adds insult to injury for us unlucky folks who are requesting birth certificates. Also note that this is in no way intended as a political argument. It is however intended as a call to rent Brazil and contemplate what might happen if you check the wrong box!

Aw, SNAP!

I’m just now reading this article on sacbee.com from Monday about the increase in food stamp use in Sacramento.

With more people on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, the marketplace is shifting as more retailers accept food stamps and some retailers consciously market to those customers.

Well, that’s a catchy name isn’t it? And now even Whole Foods Market accepts your SNAP stamps. Our society sure loves to react to the symptoms of problems rather than the causes, huh?

Since 2004, SNAP benefits have converted to Electronic Benefit Transfer, or what is essentially a debit card loaded with the benefit amounts that are deducted by retailers. As discreet as gift cards, EBT cards lessened the social stigma and simplified the process for retailers, Berg said.

Wasn’t the “social stigma” sort of the deal you made with the government when you accepted the assistance? That is, regardless of where you stand politically, isn’t shame the one constant social regulator we have left?

That and the “Pants on the Ground” song, of course.

Groundbreaking ideas from stimulus watchdog

the BobsLaura Chick, the state inspector general for stimulus spending, is busy solving problems that California is encountering with spending ARRA stimulus funds. Problem: A backlog of approvals at the Office of Historic Preservation, due to furloughs at that office, means ARRA funded projects are having trouble getting started. Her solution: No more furloughs for that department!

Obviously Chick is just a straight shooter with upper management written all over her. I’m sure it took Schwarzenegger a while to respond to this suggestion after he literally (not literally) picked his jaw up off the floor.

Continue reading “Groundbreaking ideas from stimulus watchdog”

Sac Bee digs up the dirt on Whitman

sacbee-meg-whitman

This voter hasn’t really thought much at all about who he’ll vote for in next year’s gubernatorial race. But I am getting the feeling the Sacramento Bee has a suggestion for me. Check out the related articles in one of the articles up on sacbee.com today.

I can’t believe Meg Whitman is still in this race after being linked to the gas leak explosion that killed a Rancho Cordova man, and either the accidental death of a firefighter or the child abuse committed against that woman’s children.

(Note to any Sac Bee folks: I am not being serious. But you might want to tweak those results, lest Whitman take a break from not voting and sue you.)

City wins $20 million stimulus for Railyard move

Next Stop Hogwarts
Creative Commons License photo credit: Brave Heart

The City announced on Friday that it had met a December 1 deadline to get shovel-ready on the project to move and realign the tracks at Sacramento Valley Station.

I trust that even though they were “scrambling” to get it done, Kevin McCarty and the other city council members made sure to scrutinize the environmental and logistical work before proceeding with requesting taxpayer money to fund the project on behalf of Thomas Enterprises. Or is it only important to scrutinize when a private company wants to spend its own money?

Continue reading “City wins $20 million stimulus for Railyard move”

H1N1 Update: Clinics open to all

The Sacramento County Public Health site has been updated with new free H1N1 vaccine clinics. In Sacramento County, there are no longer restrictions on who can receive the shots. Follow their Twitter page for the latest.

From the Bee article:

To avoid waiting in long lines at the public clinics, call your doctor’s office to see if they have the vaccination.

Hmm. A lot can be read into that statement, huh?

The Big Chill

We have some colder weather coming to our beloved city today and tomorrow. As such, temporary shelter for Sacramento’s homeless will be opened tonight.

I won’t even comment on the comments because I am all about the “Hide comments on sacbee.com” feature. It’s like you get to read about what’s going on in Sacramento and form your own opinions! Imagine.

The article did use my favorite phrase:

Homeless advocates have been scrambling to find emergency housing since funding for the Cal Expo winter shelter was closed because of budget cuts.

In other news, the CIM sold out five and half weeks early…because of these hard economic times.

It’s all about how you look at it, right?

At any rate, being homeless has to suck in pleasant conditions. Being homeless when it’s 28 degrees and snowing…