Join Our Sunshine Week Scavenger Hunt!

This week, Elk Grove Patch, along with journalistic organizations around the country, is celebrating Sunshine Week—a week dedicated to promoting open government and freedom of information.

Every day, elected officials and staff at local government agencies make decisions that affect our lives—from whether to approve a new development to how much to pay a teacher.  Sunshine Week is about shining light on those decisions.

In that spirit, Elk Grove Patch is launching our first Sunshine Week Scavenger Hunt, a chance for you to win cool prizes while learning about how your local government works.

Here’s how to play: We’ve listed some questions below that deal with publicly available information about local government agencies in Elk Grove. The answers to most of these questions can be found online. (If you get stuck, see below for contact information for people who can help you.)

Pick the questions that most interest you, and go searching for the answers. When you find an answer, post it in the comments, and let us know how you found it. We’ll award one point to the first person to answer each question correctly. The three people with the most points by Friday at 5:00 p.m. all win prizes!

The Prizes:

First Place: Two tickets to the ($50 value). Feast on Texas chili served up by a celebrity chef, mingle with Mayor Jim Cooper and other city council members, and receive $2,000 in play money for the evening.

Second Place: A Patch T-shirt

Third Place: A Patch water bottle

The Questions:

1. What is the starting salary for a high school principal in the Elk Grove Unified School District?

2. How many candidates have officially entered the race to become Elk Grove’s first elected mayor?

3. Which two Elk Grove City Councilmembers voted ‘no’ on an ordinance banning outdoor marijuana growing that the council introduced at its Feb. 8 meeting?

4. How much is the Cosumnes Community Services District spending on firefighter salaries and benefits for the 2011-2012 fiscal year?

5. Which Cosumnes Community Services District board member got a free ticket to the California Capital Airshow last year, paid for by the Elk Grove Citizen newspaper?

6. How many assaults were reported to the Elk Grove Police Department during the week of March 1 through March 8?

7. What is the cost of the dinner that Sacramento law firm Hefner, Stark and Marois bought for Elk Grove City Councilmember Steve Detrick during elected officials’ ‘Cap to Cap’ lobbying trip last year?

Relax: You don’t have to answer all the questions! Pick the ones that interest you. Remember, one point for the first person to correctly answer each question.

Helpful Contacts:

Christine Brainerd, Public Information Officer, City of Elk Grove, cbrainerd@elkgrovecity.org, 916-478-3632

Elizabeth Graswich, Communications Director, Elk Grove Unified School District, communication@egusd.net, 916-686-7732

Christopher Trim, Public Information Officer, Elk Grove Police Department, chtrim@elkgrovepd.org, 916-627-3709

Jason Lindgren, Clerk, City of Elk Grove, jlindgren@elkgrovecity.org, 916-478-3635

Here's the fine print from our legal department:

• Open to legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia.
• To enter, post answers to the above questions as individual comments to this article, and explain how you found the answers. One point for the first person to answer each question correctly. The top three point-getters win prizes.
• All entries must be received by 5:00 PM Pacific Time Friday, March 16.
• You may enter once for each question.
• Three winners will be selected.
• Prizes: One (1) First Place Winner will receive two tickets to the Elk Grove Mayor's Charity Casino Night on April 27, 2012. Approximate Retail Value of tickets: $50. One (1) Second Place Winner will receive a Patch t-shirt.  Approximate Retail Value of t-shirt: $20. One (1) Third Place Winner will receive a Patch water bottle. Approximate Retail Value of water bottle: $5.
  
• Click on the attached PDF for complete Official Rules.