Friday, May 18, 2012
Workshop will train women on getting appointed to local boards, commissions.
Women may be 51 percent of the U.S. population, but they're woefully underrepresented in government. That's including Elk Grove—at least, when it comes to the city government's most high-profile deliberative bodies. Elk Grove's lone female City Council member, Sophia Scherman, is set to lose her seat next year (though she's running for state Assembly), and just one woman, Nancy Chaires, serves on the city's Planning Commission. It's a situation Chaires wants to change. "Decades of scholarly research shows that government is more responsive when it is more representative of its population," said Chaires in an email. "Elk Grove is a fast-growing city and the second largest in Sacramento County. That makes it even more important that we …
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Governor floated a radical idea to help close the state's budget gap. Tell us what you think of it.
Some leftists have long proposed shortening the work week to four days as a way to boost employment and ease stress on workers. When progressives talk about it, they usually call for fewer work hours with no loss of pay. Gov. Jerry Brown's proposed work week reforms, however (part of a revised budget plan the governor unveiled Monday for the fiscal year beginning July 1) would have state employees work and get paid for just 38 hours per week. State workers would come into work for 9.5 hours, four days per week—which Brown says would save the state more than $800 million. The Sacramento Bee's state worker blogger, Jon Ortiz, is doing a bang-up job of covering the details of this proposal. You can join a live chat he's hosting on the issue …
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Republican-paid company is accused of submitting fraudulent registrations to Sacramento County Registrar of Voters.
The campaign manager for Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. Dan Lungren called accusations of voter registration fraud against a Republican-paid company in Sacramento County “unfortunate” Tuesday but said they had nothing to do with Lungren’s campaign. Sacramento County elections officials say Momentum Political Services, a firm hired by the Sacramento County Republican Party, submitted thousands of inaccurate registration cards—including some where the person’s voter registration appeared to have been switched to Republican against their wishes, according to reports by News10 and The Sacramento Bee. Increased Republican registrations could presumably help Lungren in his bid to defeat Democrat Ami Bera in Congressional District 7, a swing …
The City will accept ballots for the June 5 primary election through June 1.
The June 5 primary election is coming up fast. If you're signed up to vote absentee, you can save yourself a stamp by dropping your ballot off at Elk Grove City Hall Monday through Friday, between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., through June 1 (except for May 28, when City offices close for Memorial Day). Your ballot must be signed and sealed inside its official ballot envelope. Dropping your ballot off also gives you a few extra days; if you mail your ballot, it must be postmarked by May 29. The Sacramento County Registrar of Voters Office also offers a secure drop box where you can leave your ballot 24-7. They're located at 7000 65th St., Suite A in Sacramento. Questions? Contact City Clerk Jason Lindgren, jlindgren@elkgrovecity.org.
County Counsel Robert Ryan, Jr., is retiring.
The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors will meet behind closed doors this week to interview candidates for the county's top law position. Current Sacramento County Counsel Robert Ryan, Jr., plans to retire in June after 18 years in the position, the Sacramento Business Journal reported in January. The board will meet in closed session at 8:30 a.m. Friday to interview potential replacements. The county counsel gives legal advice to the county, and prosecutes and defends civil lawsuits when the county is involved, according to the county's website.
Monday, May 14, 2012
Kids can explore things that go vroom.
When we first heard about 'Big Truck Day,' we thought maybe the City of Elk Grove had decided to lure tourists with a monster truck rally. The actual event is more modest, but still viscerally appealing: What kid doesn't want a chance to climb all over buses and dump trucks and learn about how they work? Here's some more information from the city about the event, which takes place Wednesday May 23: On Wednesday, May 23, the City of Elk Grove will host its first Big Truck Day event from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. The free event will feature more than a dozen trucks, large vehicles, buses and construction equipment for kids to look at, sit in, touch and even honk. A representative will be stationed at each vehicle to educate visitors about the …
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Laguna Creek High wins recycling contest, cheerleaders take over council chambers.
Ever heard anyone cheer for recycling? We hadn't, until Wednesday when the Laguna Creek High School cheerleaders took over the City Council chambers. The occasion: the end of the City of Elk Grove's annual sneaker recycling campaign, a partnership with Nike and Allied Waste Services of Sacramento. Students at local schools collected used shoes, which Nike will convert into playground surfaces around the country. (There's a soccer field behind the Sacramento County courthouse made with the shoes, according to city staff.) Laguna Creek High School won the competition in the high school category and a $1,000 prize from Allied Waste—helped along by special cheers their cheerleaders composed for the occasion. ("LC, Bring Shoes!") We snapped a …
Located on Elk Grove Blvd near Big Horn Blvd, The Falls of Elk Grove will provide rental space for meetings and parties.
Elk Grovians looking for a place to hold a wedding or family reunion will likely soon have one more option to choose from, after the City Council Wednesday approved plans for a new event center on Elk Grove Blvd. Utah company The Falls says it's had success in the Midwest and Southwest offering low-cost rental space for meetings and parties, and wants to bring the same concept to Elk Grove. The Falls of Elk Grove will occupy two 13,000-plus-square-foot buildings on Elk Grove Blvd between Big Horn Blvd and Laguna Springs Drive, according to documents filed with the city—right next to the site of the city's planned civic center. It will include a main hall that can hold close to 300 people, smaller game and meeting rooms and a theater. The …
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Here's how local Twitter users and media outlets responded to President Obama's big announcement. What's your take? Tell us in the comments.
Help park cars and you could raise money for a local non-profit organization.
Elk Grove throws one of the biggest Fourth of July parties around, and with about 20,000 attendees, it's a lot of work for city staff. The city is looking for volunteers to help park cars during the annual "Salute to the Red, White and Blue" fireworks show, and will make a donation to any community group whose members volunteer en masse. For more information, contact Shane Diller at 687-3002 or sdiller@elkgrovecity.org.
Mark Paxson
2:40 pm on Saturday, May 19, 2012
M. ... thanks for demonstrating that you don't actually "have more knowledge than some would prefer." In your world unfunded liabilities that stretch out for decades to come, should all be counted in one year. Now I understand why you so rarely provide the specifics to back up your general assertions. As to whether I would be willing to give up some of my benefits. Guess what? State employees … more ›