Effective Monday, June 8, I am no longer editor of the Elk Grove Citizen
I was laid off by Publisher David Herburger in what has turned out to be a continuing series of cutbacks at the Citizen and also Herburger Publications, Inc.
I will be wrapping up loose ends this week, and ceasing all new news work on this blog. I will be maintaining the blog as an archival reference only. The temporary editor to the best of my knowledge is Citizen veteran Cameron Macdonald. Please direct all inquiries about the newspaper to Cameron. His e-mail address is listed on left in Contacts area.
I have had a great time working in Elk Grove and at the Citizen. Along the way I've met some great people, learned a lot of valuable lessons, and covered some awesome stories.
Take care and thanks for being a part of the news.
Jeff Forward
Former Editor, the Citizen, 2003-2009
Monday, June 8, 2009
Monday, April 20, 2009
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Two pets...
UPDATED APRIL 20th:
A local resident who lost a pet in the April 13 attacks by two American Bulldogs provided these photos to the Citizen. The attacks, which witnesses told the Citizen occurred on Monday, April 13 in the neighborhood around Big Horn and Monterey Oaks, on Cypress View Way, reportedly left two dogs (pictured) and one cat dead.
"Not sure what made them attack but even during the hour in which the 3 separate attacks occurred they were friendly with people but attacked any animal they saw," said one witness. "It was like they just snapped."
The golden dog is "Happy," a pomeranian. "Max" - a cockapoo - is the white/gray shaggy dog.
JF
Rampaging dog issue isn't new....
UPDATED APRIL 20th:
The Citizen news team has covered many violent incidents involving pit bulls in Elk Grove. Part of our coverage included "this article" from Sept. 3, 2008.
A complete story about the most recent incident - which involved not pit bulls, but American Bulldogs - will appear in Wednesday's issue of the Citizen.
Elk Grove city officials provided an interview with city personnel familiar with the situation Monday morning. The Citizen has been gathering information from families that lost pets in the attacks; but reporters have not been provided with many details on the incident from the Elk Grove Police Department.
Jeff Forward
The Citizen news team has covered many violent incidents involving pit bulls in Elk Grove. Part of our coverage included "this article" from Sept. 3, 2008.
A complete story about the most recent incident - which involved not pit bulls, but American Bulldogs - will appear in Wednesday's issue of the Citizen.
Elk Grove city officials provided an interview with city personnel familiar with the situation Monday morning. The Citizen has been gathering information from families that lost pets in the attacks; but reporters have not been provided with many details on the incident from the Elk Grove Police Department.
Jeff Forward
Friday, April 17, 2009
Another Dog rampage...
UPDATED APRIL 20:
It is with sadness I report that the Citizen staff is working on a story about another dog rampage. This attack by two American Bulldogs left - from what we've been told by witnesses - three pets dead: two dogs and a cat. Citizen Staff Writer Cameron Macdonald is working on a story for the Wednesday issue of the Citizen. More to come as this story develops.
Jeff Forward
It is with sadness I report that the Citizen staff is working on a story about another dog rampage. This attack by two American Bulldogs left - from what we've been told by witnesses - three pets dead: two dogs and a cat. Citizen Staff Writer Cameron Macdonald is working on a story for the Wednesday issue of the Citizen. More to come as this story develops.
Jeff Forward
Do people read these things we call blogs?
Sometimes I wonder. Today, a friend of mine from far, far away sent me a message. He asked about John Danielson's pay and how the story was going. I was surprised. Not because he is a good buddy and he is interested in what I am working on; but that he paid attention to the story of high-priced executives. And, he was reading this blog without me knowing. I don't track "hits" or visits to this site. If you're here, I hope you find it factual and accurate and pertinent. It was nice of mon ami to comment on the site. Merci, Beaucoup!!!!
JSF.
Friday, April 10, 2009
Delays in executive pay series
The Citizen's planned executive pay story is still in the works. Its publication has been delayed due to several factors - a reduced staff as well as staffers unexpectedly being out sick for repeated days. Look for the next update in a future edition of the Citizen.
JF
JF
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Executive Pay Series Update
The Citizen's series of stories examining executive pay for public officials in Elk Grove will continue on Wednesday, April 8. The Citizen news staff has made numerous public records requests for documents from the city of Elk Grove, the Cosumnes Community Services District, and the Elk Grove Joint Unified School District. These requests sometimes take time to be processed, assessed, and information returned to a news organization.
In order to paint a fuller picture of this issue, a story originally intended to be published on April 1 is being re-scheduled in order to include recently received data from the CCSD and also to add more comments from local officials.
Officials with the city of Elk Grove were quick to release requested pay data for several top executives, including city manager and assistant city manager; the city attorney and two other attorneys working in her office; and others officials. CCSD officials released pay for their top management team. The Citizen is still awaiting information from the EGUSD on pay for the superintendent and numeous assistant superintendents.
Jeff Forward
Editor, the Citizen
In order to paint a fuller picture of this issue, a story originally intended to be published on April 1 is being re-scheduled in order to include recently received data from the CCSD and also to add more comments from local officials.
Officials with the city of Elk Grove were quick to release requested pay data for several top executives, including city manager and assistant city manager; the city attorney and two other attorneys working in her office; and others officials. CCSD officials released pay for their top management team. The Citizen is still awaiting information from the EGUSD on pay for the superintendent and numeous assistant superintendents.
Jeff Forward
Editor, the Citizen
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Danielson pay controversy briefly addressed by council
By Jeff Forward
Citizen Staff Writer
When a niche newsletter focused on public employee pay revealed that former city manger John Danielson received the equivalent of $4.8 million in compensation for his work with the city, the issue instantly became a hot one in Elk Grove.
Wednesday night, March 25, the Elk Grove City Council briefly discussed the issue, making comments about the controversy before the meeting moved onto other business.
Elk Grove Vice Mayor Sophia Scherman spoke last on the issue, saying that her comments about the issue that she made during a television news appearance on Channel 13 broadcast on March 18 were “not taped in whole” and her whole statement was not broadcast.
Scherman, who voted for Danielson’s repeated contract amendments and upgrades, has been on the city council since Elk Grove was incorporated in 2000.
Fellow City Council Member Steve Detrick has called for an intensive forensic financial investigation of the current and former contracts of city executive staff, and has vowed that he won’t allow something similar happen again.
While other council members such as Detrick, and Council Member Jim Cooper, have decried Danielson’s compensation, Scherman has for the most part been silent on the issue; refusing to comment for an Elk Grove Citizen article published on March 18.
On Wednesday night, Scherman asked her supporters and others to not misinterpret her comments on the TV interview; but she wouldn’t apologize for signing off on Danielson’s repeated requests during his time as city manager from 2001 until 2008.
“I’m not apologizing to you for what I did,” Scherman said. “I did it in the best interest of the city. I apologize if you’re hurt.”
Before she finished, Scherman also said the council can look into it the issue, but that, “I don’t suspect we can do anything.”
For more comments from the city council, view the video or listen to audio at the city’s Web site, www.elkgrovecity.org. The Citizen’s continuing coverage of executive pay in Elk Grove continues on April 1 with an examination of the current pay of the top executives at the city of Elk Grove.
The Citizen has also made California Public Records requests to the Cosumnes Community Services District as well as the Elk Grove Unified School District seeking all details, records, and contracts of top administrators.
Citizen Staff Writer
When a niche newsletter focused on public employee pay revealed that former city manger John Danielson received the equivalent of $4.8 million in compensation for his work with the city, the issue instantly became a hot one in Elk Grove.
Wednesday night, March 25, the Elk Grove City Council briefly discussed the issue, making comments about the controversy before the meeting moved onto other business.
Elk Grove Vice Mayor Sophia Scherman spoke last on the issue, saying that her comments about the issue that she made during a television news appearance on Channel 13 broadcast on March 18 were “not taped in whole” and her whole statement was not broadcast.
Scherman, who voted for Danielson’s repeated contract amendments and upgrades, has been on the city council since Elk Grove was incorporated in 2000.
Fellow City Council Member Steve Detrick has called for an intensive forensic financial investigation of the current and former contracts of city executive staff, and has vowed that he won’t allow something similar happen again.
While other council members such as Detrick, and Council Member Jim Cooper, have decried Danielson’s compensation, Scherman has for the most part been silent on the issue; refusing to comment for an Elk Grove Citizen article published on March 18.
On Wednesday night, Scherman asked her supporters and others to not misinterpret her comments on the TV interview; but she wouldn’t apologize for signing off on Danielson’s repeated requests during his time as city manager from 2001 until 2008.
“I’m not apologizing to you for what I did,” Scherman said. “I did it in the best interest of the city. I apologize if you’re hurt.”
Before she finished, Scherman also said the council can look into it the issue, but that, “I don’t suspect we can do anything.”
For more comments from the city council, view the video or listen to audio at the city’s Web site, www.elkgrovecity.org. The Citizen’s continuing coverage of executive pay in Elk Grove continues on April 1 with an examination of the current pay of the top executives at the city of Elk Grove.
The Citizen has also made California Public Records requests to the Cosumnes Community Services District as well as the Elk Grove Unified School District seeking all details, records, and contracts of top administrators.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
There are no ulterior motives behind staff reductions...
I hope I can set the record straight here: our current lay-offs at the Elk Grove Citizen have absolutely nothing to do with the John Danielson executive pay and compensation piece published in the Wednesday, March 18th issue of the Citizen.
Our newspaper and our parent company, Herburger Publications, Inc., are just like every other news organization across the nation - we're facing tough times. I am not here to fool you. It's true and thankfully, our cuts have been limited. In the past several months, our company has had to make some lay-offs in a few different departments.
I was informed by Publisher David Herburger several weeks ago that he had to adjust to the current economic climate and the loss of advertising revenue and assess our staffing levels; that was if he possibly had to make any lay-offs. We all hoped for the best, but did not know what to expect.
Unfortunately, at the end of that assessment, a lay-off in the Citizen editorial staff was made. It is a very unfortunate situation to be in; and I can firmly say that when these types of moves are made, it is done with the utmost responsibility and care and concern for any employee who may be laid-off or let go due to the poor economic climate.
Nobody wants to be in these positions and another unfortunate aspect of this lay-off was that it was timed to coincide with the publication of what has become a controversial story in the community - the amount of compensation received by former Elk Grove city manager John Danielson.
I would like to stress one thing: our staff reductions had absolutely nothing to do with this article or any reaction or response to it. It is purely unlucky coincidence that these two incidents happened in the same week.
I hope that this post - and an opinion piece to be published in the March 25 edition of the Citizen - will put an end to the untrue, false rumors spreading around the online community and Elk Grove.
Jeff Forward
Editor, the Citizen
Our newspaper and our parent company, Herburger Publications, Inc., are just like every other news organization across the nation - we're facing tough times. I am not here to fool you. It's true and thankfully, our cuts have been limited. In the past several months, our company has had to make some lay-offs in a few different departments.
I was informed by Publisher David Herburger several weeks ago that he had to adjust to the current economic climate and the loss of advertising revenue and assess our staffing levels; that was if he possibly had to make any lay-offs. We all hoped for the best, but did not know what to expect.
Unfortunately, at the end of that assessment, a lay-off in the Citizen editorial staff was made. It is a very unfortunate situation to be in; and I can firmly say that when these types of moves are made, it is done with the utmost responsibility and care and concern for any employee who may be laid-off or let go due to the poor economic climate.
Nobody wants to be in these positions and another unfortunate aspect of this lay-off was that it was timed to coincide with the publication of what has become a controversial story in the community - the amount of compensation received by former Elk Grove city manager John Danielson.
I would like to stress one thing: our staff reductions had absolutely nothing to do with this article or any reaction or response to it. It is purely unlucky coincidence that these two incidents happened in the same week.
I hope that this post - and an opinion piece to be published in the March 25 edition of the Citizen - will put an end to the untrue, false rumors spreading around the online community and Elk Grove.
Jeff Forward
Editor, the Citizen
Friday, March 20, 2009
"City Beat" blog removed from web
The blog "City Beat" that was formerly maintained by Citizen Staff Writer Gamaliel Ortiz has been removed from the web. Ortiz authored the blog - covering the Elk Grove political scene - under supervision of the Citizen editorial staff/management and Publisher David Herburger. Ortiz eventually stopped using the blog and switched his blog coverage to another site - still linked on left - which is available online at this time.
J. Forward
Editor, The Citizen
J. Forward
Editor, The Citizen
Staff reductions at Elk Grove Citizen
March 20, 2009
Elk Grove, Calif.
Herburger Publications, Inc., owner of the Elk Grove Citizen, has announced staff reductions at the Citizen to adjust to the current economy.
The Elk Grove Citizen - like all newspapers and news organizations across the United States - is facing difficult times due to the poor economy.
In light of those challenges, the Citizen and HPI have made a variety of lay-offs in different areas of production over the past few months, including the loss of a news reporter at the Elk Grove Citizen.
The reporter - Bobby Wilson, hired in mid-December, 2008 - covered city government and politics.
Despite having to reduce staff at the Citizen, the management of HPI firmly believes in the value of reporting local city government news and coverage of the politics beat is still a high priority.
The city government and local politics beats will be jointly covered by the remaining Citizen staff writers - Cameron Macdonald and Katie Freeman, with supplemental reporting by Writer Fran Soto from sister newspaper The River Valley Times.
The Citizen will also be joining forces on a more regular basis with sister newspapers The River Valley Times, based in Wilton, as well as the Galt Herald, to bring South Sacramento regional news to readers of each publication and also share resources and reporting on common issues.
Citizen Editor Jeff Forward said false rumors circulating in online forums theorizing about the reason for staffing changes were untrue.
"The publication of a story about John Danielson's pay had absolutely no bearing in any decision to reduce staffing levels at the Elk Grove Citizen," Forward said in a press release. "The management has been assessing staffing levels for several months; and when the need to make changes became more pressing, appropriate reductions were made."
"Despite these unfortunate, but necessary changes, the Citizen reporting team will still be doggedly covering the story of executive pay at the city of Elk Grove, the Cosumnes Community Services District, and the Elk Grove Unified School District," Forward added.
Elk Grove, Calif.
Herburger Publications, Inc., owner of the Elk Grove Citizen, has announced staff reductions at the Citizen to adjust to the current economy.
The Elk Grove Citizen - like all newspapers and news organizations across the United States - is facing difficult times due to the poor economy.
In light of those challenges, the Citizen and HPI have made a variety of lay-offs in different areas of production over the past few months, including the loss of a news reporter at the Elk Grove Citizen.
The reporter - Bobby Wilson, hired in mid-December, 2008 - covered city government and politics.
Despite having to reduce staff at the Citizen, the management of HPI firmly believes in the value of reporting local city government news and coverage of the politics beat is still a high priority.
The city government and local politics beats will be jointly covered by the remaining Citizen staff writers - Cameron Macdonald and Katie Freeman, with supplemental reporting by Writer Fran Soto from sister newspaper The River Valley Times.
The Citizen will also be joining forces on a more regular basis with sister newspapers The River Valley Times, based in Wilton, as well as the Galt Herald, to bring South Sacramento regional news to readers of each publication and also share resources and reporting on common issues.
Citizen Editor Jeff Forward said false rumors circulating in online forums theorizing about the reason for staffing changes were untrue.
"The publication of a story about John Danielson's pay had absolutely no bearing in any decision to reduce staffing levels at the Elk Grove Citizen," Forward said in a press release. "The management has been assessing staffing levels for several months; and when the need to make changes became more pressing, appropriate reductions were made."
"Despite these unfortunate, but necessary changes, the Citizen reporting team will still be doggedly covering the story of executive pay at the city of Elk Grove, the Cosumnes Community Services District, and the Elk Grove Unified School District," Forward added.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Newsletter reveals details on Danielson pay
Elk Grove Citizen Reporter Bobby Wilson has written an article to be published in the Wednesday, March 18, edition of the Elk Grove Citizen about the compensation package given to former Elk Grove city manager John Danielson. The article, in a niche newsletter that focuses on public employee pay issues, was written by former Capitol Weekly reporter and publisher Ken Mandler and details how Danielson was compensated the equivalent of more than $746,000 per year when all was said and done.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
I remembered the password...
A peril of online ventures...losing your password. I just remembered the one for this site, so I am now back on track.
J. Forward
J. Forward
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