SMEP and Other Transportation News

In today’s Bee, intrepid transportation reporter Tony Bizjak interviews new RT manager Mike Wiley. In the interview, Tony asks Mr. Wiley about his dreams for RT–including the Monorail!

A: My wild thought is I want to make sure transit is a core service that everybody can depend on, whether they choose to or not. I know that’s not sexy, like running a monorail.

Q: What, no monorail?

A: I don’t care about the mode. I just want everybody to be able to use the system. To me, we need a backbone of frequent service within reasonable walking distance.

Now, as a member of the media, Tony can’t come out and say that he’s 100% for the Sacramento Monorail! Expansion Project (SMEP), but I’m sure, as a right-thinking Sacramentan, he’s on board. Now, if we can just get Mike Wiley on the same page, we’d be set. And once that Monorail! is up and running, we can start on our new campaign, Fan Boats! Continue reading “SMEP and Other Transportation News”

Update on two “dead zone” locales

As noted in a previous post, there are certain locations throughout the region that seem to be jinxed.  Even if the rest of the tenants in a shopping center thrive for years, there seems to be the one oddball space that is constantly changing.

Here is an update on two previously noted dead zone locations:

Fair Oaks Boulevard, just east of Watt, next to the Shell station
Previously a Baskin-Robbins, Double Rainbow, and a bevy of cell phone stores, this is now a Goodwill Xpress donation drop-off location.  With the “Xpress” spelling, I’m waiting for the word on if they accept all kinds of donations or only cast-off Xtreme sports gear.

Free-standing building in the parking lot of the really run-down looking center on Fulton just north of Hurley
It’s being demolished.   Consider it “dead” and not just part of the “dead zone.”

Mayoral race totally copies Simpsons

KJ over HakeemFrom a recent Kevin Johnson for Mayor campaign email, listing the recent activities of the campaign:

3. Thought you knew everything there was to know about “The Dunk”, Kevin’s infamous thunder-dunk on NBA Hall-of-Fame center Hakeem Olajuwon — one of the most famous NBA clips of all time? Think again, and check out an amazing video where Kevin tells — in his own words — how it really went down…see the “Recent Videos” section at our homepage http://www.kevinjohnsonformayor.com, or email this link (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kidpegzfFc) to your friends.

As always, from The Simpsons, “Brother’s Little Helper“:

Bart: But why, Mr McGwire?
Mark McGwire: Do you want to know the terrifying truth? Or do you want to see me sock a few dingers!
Everyone: Dingers! Dingers!
(Mark McGwire socks a dinger, and as everyone looks at the dinger, he takes the info from the satellite.)
Mark McGwire: Yoink.

Do you want a mayor who talks boring tax stuff? Or do you want a mayor who can dunk over Hakeem freakin Olajuwon??!! You decide, Sacramento…

The Sac Rag reports

So I am having lunch the other day at Togo’s. I order the sandwich and am asked if it would be “For here, or to go?” (To go, Togo’s…hey, wait a minute!) which I reply, “To go.” The sandwich maker asks for a “ring” and the cashier then tells me the price. It’s the price on the board, $5.49. I then realize my lunch partner ordered his sandwich “for here.” So I tell the sandwichista that it’s for dine in and she then tells the cashier who then charges me sales tax and we get into this whole thing. The cashier tells me that they have to charge sales tax if you eat the food on the premises. This got me thinking. What’s the deal with dine in sales tax? I’ve heard over the years that it was related to hot food, but that is not always the case.

I went home and jumped on the Interweb and discovered that the rules regarding sales tax and food are, shocker, I know, sketchy at best. I thought I would break it down for you just in case you have nothing better to do than learn about sales tax.

(Warning the content after the jump is dry and, er, taxing. Proceed at your own risk.)

Update: see comment below.

Continue reading “The Sac Rag reports”

What, me feel responsible?

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from News10 story

Parents down in Elk Grove must be so relieved that nothing tragic happened this week when a fourth-grader brought a loaded gun to Charles Mack Elementary School. Some parents in particular, like the parents of Devon and Donovan Smith (pictured at right) who apparently “held bullets” for the kid with the gun.

“They were wrong for not telling anybody” the boys’ mother, Tabatha Weitnauer, says, before going ahead and bringing up that the boys have been diagnosed with ADHD. Perhaps they were also wrong for carrying ammunition to their elementary school. Not to be outdone, the father of the boy who brought the gun released a zinger of a written statement…

Continue reading “What, me feel responsible?”

High School Basketball Fever! Catch it!

Tomorrow, the CIF will bring the best high school basketball teams from Northern California to Arco Arena for the NorCal championship games. Next weekend, the NorCal champs will face the SoCal winners in the finals. The Sac-Joaquin Section boasts several teams that have a shot at the state championship, so let’s get pumped and show some support! Woo!

In Division 1, Kennedy has the #2 raked girls team in NorCal. They will face #1 ranked Berkeley High in the semi-finals to see who will face the SoCal champion.

In Division 2 girls, #1 St. Francis will face #6 Archbishop Mitty.

The game of the year is definitely the Division 3 girls semi-final, with the only two undefeated teams in California vying for the NorCal title. #2 St. Mary’s of Stockton (GO RAMS!!!!!) will face #1 Sacred Heart Cathedral (SF).

The Division 3 boys match features a battle of the upsetting underdogs, with #7 Sacramento High battling #6 Sacred Heart Cathedral.

Best of luck to all of our local teams!

Fargo’s tax charge bogus

Heather FargoHeather Fargo should be ashamed. Apparently her campaign’s charge, repeated several times, that among the problems Kevin Johnson must answer to is “not paying his taxes” has been all but proven false. Yesterday, “pressed” (not sure by whom) “to support her claim,” Fargo couldn’t provide any evidence of outstanding liens or unpaid taxes either for Johnson personally or for his businesses.

I wonder if she’ll take a closer look at the interview she granted Eyes of Argus yesterday in which she claims “we’re also going to need to look at his record and … look at where he is in terms of, you know, paying his taxes.” And Argus might want to amend his claim Johnson was “hamming it up at the Guild Theater” during the interview to “fighting Fargo’s bogus claims.”

Continue reading “Fargo’s tax charge bogus”

“Next” Sunday vs. “This” Sunday

In my previous post, I noted “next” Sunday as the one that will fall on March 16.

To me, the Sunday that will fall on March 9 is “this coming Sunday.” The one that was on March 2 was “this past Sunday.”

The whole “this” vs. “next” thing was possibly the biggest argument between my parents when I was growing up (other than the whole exchange of “Hold the tree straight!” “I AM holding the tree straight” when trying to put the Christmas tree in its stand.)

What say you on the whole “next” vs. “this” when referencing upcoming dates or days gone by?