Elk Grove Citizen News Blog

Jeff Forward

By Cameron Macdonald
Citizen Staff Writer

Elk Grove’s police and firefighter unions formally announced their local Election 2008 endorsements outside the Elk Grove City Hall on Oct. 8.
The members of the two groups are endorsing the same candidates for both the Elk Grove City Council and the Cosumnes Community Services District (CSD) Board.
For city council, the groups support incumbents Jim Cooper, District 1, and Sophia Scherman, District 5, as well as challenger Steve Detrick in District 3.
And for the Cosumnes CSD board, the groups are backing incumbent Doug McElroy and challengers Rod Brewer and Michelle Orrock.
If elected, the Cosumnes CSD candidates would govern fire and emergency medical services for Elk Grove and Galt along with the parks of Elk Grove.
The leaders for both unions said they are supporting candidates who they believe will maintain public safety during difficult economic times.
“We need council members and board members that clearly understand the priorities of public safety,” said Dan Quiggle, the director of the Sacramento Area Firefighters Local 522.
The Local 522 represents the Cosumnes CSD firefighters who serve Elk Grove and Galt.
James Fuller, the president of the Elk Grove Police Officers Association, first spoke about how his organization considered their choices for the election.
“What comes to mind is just an absolute cooperation with public safety,” Fuller said of the endorsed candidates. “(They) are going to be the right team to make the right decisions to deal with those difficult issues.”
All of the endorsed candidates attended the unions’ press conference to share their appreciation.
“It’s one of the ones that I worked very hard to get,” Orrock said about the endorsement.
McElroy told the press: “This is a new chapter in regards to how local government is run here in the Elk Grove area…a chapter of cooperation, partnership and increased synergy.”
Quiggle told the Citizen that the Local 522’s endorsement process is performed every two years.
They first have seven firefighter members interview the candidates to learn about the candidates and hear their positions on subjects like public safety and the funding for it, Quiggle said.
“Much of it is an educational session for us to learn about them and for them to learn about us,” Quiggle added.
Fuller explained that the police officers’ association also conducted an interview process with the candidates. He mentioned that they made sure their interviews correlated with the Local 522’s, so that their endorsed candidates shared the same priorities for public safety.
The Local 522 chose to endorse McElroy, Brewer and Orrock for the CSD board based on their stances on issues that concern citizens and firefighters, Quiggle said.
As for the city council, the Local 522’s support of Cooper and Scherman is centered on those incumbents’ history in office; they are endorsing Detrick because they believe he will continue make the changes to the city council that were brought by the 2006 election winners, Gary Davis and Pat Hume.
Both of the union leaders said their members will now campaign for the chosen candidates.
Quiggle said that the Local 522 is making financial contributions to the candidates as well as placing campaign yard signs and making telephone calls to voters.
“All the work it takes to get the message of the candidate out to the citizens,” he said.
Fuller said that his association’s members have already started campaigning and “hitting the pavement. We’ll be in your neighborhood supporting our candidates.”

Jeff Forward

On Saturday morning, I was honored to be a moderator for the League of Women Voters televised forum for Elk Grove City Council candidates.
In one sentence, I wanted to describe my thoughts of the morning and the candidates' responses.
I will begin with District 1:
Imcumbent Jim Cooper was passionate and expressed his desire & reason to be elected well.
Challenger LaWanna Montgomery had difficultly maintaining focus and did not explain her positions in-depth.
In District 3:
Challenger Greg Higley, owner of the UPS Store, was a no-show.
Incumbent Mike Leary stuck to his normal emphasis points - he feels he's done a good job the past eight years.
Challenger Steve Detrick had a few feisty moments, but is clearly not a polished public speaker.
In District 5:
Challenger Bob Felts was emphatic that he has the qualifications to be a council member.
Incumbent Sophia Scherman made her case, but she had a cold and it affected her speaking.
Challenger Khanh "K.T." Tran continued to promote his green-tech plan to bring jobs and industry to Elk Grove.
Challenger Katherine Maestas spoke honestly about her personal life, and seemed very well prepared to speak.

I want to thank all the candidates who showed up for the event; as well as the fine folks at the League of Women Voters. This was my third time moderating the forum and all three have been a great experience.

Jeff Forward
Editor

Jeff Forward

Today I received the most recent financial filings for candidates for Elk Grove City Council. I am still going through the forms and working on a story, but one thing among all really stood out to me.
Elk Grove District 3 Incumbent Mike Leary paid out $32,510.26 in expenses to the political consulting firm MMS Strategies, which is owned by former Elk Grove Public Information Officer, Michelle Smira.
When Smira left the city of Elk Grove before the 2006 election, she told the Citizen she would not work for the campaign of any city council member.
Now, judging from campaign finance statements filed by Leary, she is a major cog in Leary's re-election campaign.
Jeff Forward
Editor

Jeff Forward

Shirley Peters of the Greater Sheldon Road Estates Homeowners Association invited me to their meeting Tuesday night, and I took her up on the offer.
Elk Grove City Council Candidates Mike Leary and Katherine Maestas spoke to the group - more than a dozen in attendance - and answered questions.
It was a nice event and I can say one thing, those folks are passionate about their community as well as knowledgeable about everything going on which will impact that community they love and cherish - know as "ag res."
We'll have a full story in an upcoming edition of the Citizen, but here are some quotes.
Mike Leary - the incumbent in District 3 - was very approachable and casual - dressed in faded blue jeans; a nice button down shirt and tie.
"I think I've provided a lot of good things to the community," Leary told the group. "I've had a good ride and I think I have the knowledge that it takes. We've done just a fantastic job creating this city as it is today."
Leary has repeatedly lauded the city council for making road improvements in Elk Grove - and he made sure to emphasize the Grant Line Road and Sheldon Road interchange projects as successes.
"Both of those interchanges happened because we moved forward without any federal funding," Leary said.
Leary also took aim at the city's developmental and business fee structure, saying it's, "Quite frankly, out of control."
When some in the audience questioned the money Leary has received in campaign donations from developers and out-of-town interests, Leary had a simple response.
"I don't really care who supports my campaign," he said. "I'm going to do what's right for the community."
The GSREHA group also heard from District 5 Challenger Katherine Maestas, who appeared very well dressed and professional looking.
Maestas talked a lot about her personal life, and how that has shaped her for a life of public service.
"I have a heightened feeling of, 'I need to make a difference,'" she said. "I am here to serve, I want to make a difference."
Maestas touted her years of planning experience with the County of Sacramento and listened to the pleas to save the rural way of life found in Sheldon.
Maestas said she is against the city's proposed Sphere of Influence expansion proposal.
"To expand here," she said, pointing at a map of the affected areas, "would be a huge detriment to our community. Once you pave it over and put in stop lights everywhere, you are never going to get it back."
Some asked about the proposed highway linking El Dorado and Interstate-5, which could run smack down the middle of Sheldon.
Maestas said she is "very cautious" about the proposal.
"That's not what we need," she said. "My gut feeling right now is, it's now good. In my opinion, it's not a good idea."
Maestas also took a swipe at the growing gang problem in Elk Grove, telling the group when she heard a gang presentation at her child's school, that it "scared me to death."
Maestas, who has much less money in her campaign war chest than incumbent Sophia Scherman, said the current political climate in the city is not community-minded.
"It's pretty sad that to be a viable candidate in this city, you need to raise more than $100,000," she said.
For more information on the meeting, check out an upcoming edition of the Citizen.

Jeff Forward
Editor

Jeff Forward

I am one of the moderators for the League of Women Voters live, televised debate between all nine candidates for Elk Grove City Council.
This is my third time being a moderator, and I have enjoyed the opportunity each time. Tomorrow - I guess today, since it is 1:17 a.m. - will be a lot of fun and voters in Elk Grove can learn more about the candidates whom they'll see on this year's ballot.
The debate is at 9 a.m. and will be televised on Metro Cable 14.
Jeff Forward
Editor

Jeff Forward

The meeting planned between officials from the city of Elk Grove and the editorial staff and ownership of the Elk Grove Citizen has been delayed until the city's new police chief is on duty and settled in. More on this exciting meeting when further developments arise.
Jeff Forward
Editor

Jeff Forward

The Thundering Herd scored on their first possession Friday night and used a ball-control, running strategy to grind out a 13-7 victory over cross-town rival Pleasant Grove. The Herd improved to 4-0 while the Eagles fell to 3-1.
Both teams entered the game undefeated and ranked in the area's top five; each riding offensive explosions to big wins. But Friday night was good old fall football, as a light drizzle developed and things got a bit slippery and both teams relied on the ground game.
The Thundering Herd ran the ball with a combination of several different players, including RB Bryce Harper and and QB Zach Miller; while Pleasant Grove moved the ball on the ground primarily behind Michael Madkins and somewhat through the air to WR Drew Ahmann.
Harper gave the Herd the lead on their first drive with a 7-yard score on third down; while Miller scored with a sneak from 1-yard out on Elk Grove's first possession of the third quarter. The Herd controlled the clock much of the game, including their two scoring drives, the first a 14-play series and the second, an 11-play drive, both for touchdowns. Elk Grove could have padded their lead late in the fourth after the Eagles had closed within six points, but missed a 31-yard field goal after a 13-play drive that began at their own 20-yard line and ate up more than five minutes on the clock.
The Eagles got the ball back with 3:22 on the clock at their own 20 yard line and adeptly moved the ball to the Herd 41-yard line.
On first down, QB Taylor Congdon threw incomplete. On second down, Congdon hit TE Kevin Harris for six yards to the 35. On the next play, Congdon threw imcomplete to WR Russell Vonschoech. The Eagles called time-out to discuss their fourth down play.
Looking at fourth and four from the Elk Grove 35-yard line, Congdon scrambled to his right and tossed an easy pass to Obadiah Johnson, but the Eagles hopes were dashed when Johnson couldn't hold on to the pass and dropped a sure first down.
Elk Grove took over on downs and ran out the remaining 1:15 off the clock to remain undefeated.
Look for a full report with player and coach reaction in Wednesday's Citizen.
Jeff Forward

Jeff Forward

For those that haven't already read, there is an update on Jamie's Journal.

Jeff Forward
Editor

Jeff Forward

As many of our readers know, I have been writing a college football column for several years at the Citizen. However, due to space constraints in our print edition and our essential focus on local high school sports, the column hasn't always been published.
This year, we're switching the college football coverage to the Internet with our new blog, The EG Citizen College Football Report, where we will be covering everything related to the greatest sport in America - College Football.
Check out my first post and picks for tonight's three big games - Ohio State at USC; Washington hosting Oklahoma; and Wisconsin at Fresno State.
Jeff Forward
Editor & College Football Fanatic

Jeff Forward

The ownership and editorial staff of the Elk Grove Citizen will be meeting with numerous officials from the city of Elk Grove in an joint effort to discuss and enable better communications between the Elk Grove Police Department and the Citizen reporting staff.
In light of two recent serious public safety issues, Citizen staff became concerned about the availability and dissemination of information about critical criminal allegations and situations.
One incident involved the owner of a local mascot business who is facing allegations of suspicion of child porn charges and is also accused of suspicion of rape. The suspect was initially arrested on minor charges and allegations, but when more serious accusations and allegations surfaced, the Citizen and other area media were not informed. A local television news investigation weeks after the additional charges uncovered more details about the unusual allegations.
A second incident involving two pit bulls rampaging up to a mile from their owner's home and menacing citizens, attacking two pets, and finally aggressively confronting police officers - one of whom shot one pit bull to death - was reported to the Citizen but full and critical details regarding the incident were not provided to the Citizen reporting staff despite repeated interviews and requests.
These details, however, were provided to other area media; and the information provided by several officials was confusing and did not match the information each provided to the Citizen.
The Citizen editorial staff also sought the name of the owner of the two pit bulls, but was denied by Elk Grove police officials, who said names of suspects only receiving citations were not releasable to the press.
The Citizen editorial staff felt this information was public record, and filed a California Public Records request with City Attorney Susan Cochran, who denied the request and refused to release the name of the owner of the two dogs. The surviving pit bull was returned to the owner - who is facing numerous charges related to the dogs and incident - after being deemed not viscious by city animal control officials.
The city of Elk Grove finally did release the name of the owner, but it was nine days after the incident occurred.
In an effort to work collaboratively to better share information with the Citizen reporting staff, Editor Jeff Forward; Publisher and General Manager David Herburger; and Owner and Founder Roy Herburger will be meeting with city Manager Laura Gill, Elk Grove police Chief Robert Simmons, city Attorney Susan Cochran, city Public Information Officer Christine Brainerd, and EGPD Public Information Officer Christopher Trim.
The Citizen staff is very excited about the meeting as one of our top priorities it to serve the public and readership by, among other things, reporting news about critical public safety issues in Elk Grove. We appreciate the quickness of city officials to recognize the importance of the situation and offer to meet and improve communications.
A full report will be published in the Citizen after the meeting.

Jeff Forward
Editor

Jeff Forward

The city of Elk Grove has released the name of the owner of a pit bull shot by police on Aug. 20.
City Attorney Susan Cochran initially denied the Citizen's California Public Records Request and would not release the name of the dog owner.
In a letter dated Aug. 29, Cochran said the city would identify the owner as well as the officer who shot the dog.
The owner of the two pit bulls was named as Isreal Washington, of the 8600 block of Territorial Way. One dog was shot dead by Elk Grove police Officer Manual Saenz. According to police Spokesperson Christopher Trim, the other pit bull - which was also accused of menacing area residents and attacking a Pomeranian dog - was returned to Washington because under city Municipal Code, it was not deemed a dangerous animal.
The Citizen reporting staff will have a follow up story in Wednesday's print edition.

Jeff Forward

The city of Elk Grove has returned a pit bull to its owner despite the dog being involved in a rampage that ended with its capture and the shooting to death of a second dog, also owned by the same person.

City Attorney Susan Cochran declined a Citizen California Public Records Request last week for the name of the dog's owner - who was cited according to Elk Grove Police Public Information Officer (PIO) Christopher Trim.

In a post on the local forum, Elk Grove Online, Trim responded to a question from a poster about whether or not the second dog had been returned to the owner. He said the dog had been returned because it was deemed not to meet the criteria of a "vicious dog" under city code.
Trim's response is below.

The Citizen is working on a follow-up story on the pit bull situation; as well as stories on the Sacramento County Grand Jury probe into another incident in the city involving a pit bull, one that attacked and killed a couple's cat last year.

Meanwhile, in Lodi, citizens have also seen a recent vicious pit bull attack - this one beginning with the dog escaping a home, chasing and attacking a cat inside its owner's home, and ending with a 74-year-old man shooting and killing the dog after it attacked and bit him.
Story here "All I saw was a face full of teeth.

The city of Lodi, though, had a different approach to public safety - releasing the name of the owners of the dead dog - something the city of Elk Grove refuses to do despite a California Public Records request by the Citizen.

Follow-Up Story here Animal Control finds owner of pit bull...

This response was posted on Elk Grove Online, a local forum where Elk Grove Police PIO Christopher Trim posts information and answers to requests from other users. His screenname is "EGPD PIO"

----------
Good Afternoon,

Animal Control Officers returned the dog to the owner because under the current vicious animal code 8.04.260, the dog did not meet the criteria required to be considered a vicious animal. Here is a link to the Elk Grove municipal code regarding animals (49 page document)

http://www.elkgrovecity.org/documents/agendas/attachments/municipal-code/mc_title_08.pdf.

Here is the definition of a vicious animal according to the municipal code. I hope this helps to clear things up.

8.04.260 VICIOUS ANIMAL.

"Vicious animal" means any animal including a dog (except a dog assisting a peace officer engaged in law enforcement duties) which has, on one or more occasions, committed any one or more of the following acts:

(1) Without provocation inflicted severe injury on or killed a human being.

(2) In an unprovoked manner killed another domestic animal, as defined in section 8.04.140 of this Title, excluding rabbit or fowl, at a place other than upon the private property where the attacking animal is maintained.

(3) Physically attacked, mauled, or physically injured by biting any person, without provocation, at a place other than upon the private property where the animal is maintained.

(4) Physically attacked, mauled, or physically injured by biting any person, without provocation, when the owner thereof knows or should reasonably know that the animal poses a threat to public safety and has made no substantial effort to prevent the attack or when the owner has purposefully encouraged or commanded the animal to attack, maul, or physically injure any person.

(5) Physically attacked, mauled or physically injured by biting any guide dog for the blind, service dog for the disabled or signal (hearing) dog for the deaf, without provocation, at a place other than upon the private property where the attacking animal is maintained.

(6) Physically attacked, mauled or physically injured by biting any guide dog for the blind, service dog for the disabled or signal (hearing) dog for the deaf, without provocation, when the owner of the attacking animal knows or should know that the animal poses a threat to public safety and has made no substantial effort to prevent the attack or when the owner has purposefully encouraged or commanded the animal to attack, maul or physically injure any guide dog for the blind, service dog for the disabled or signal (hearing) dog for the deaf.

(7) Any animal previously determined to be and currently listed as a dangerous animal which, after its owner or keeper has been notified of this determination, continues the behavior described in Section 8.04.265.

For purposes of this section, provocation does not include the acts of a person attempting to prevent an animal from physically attacking, mauling, or physically injuring by biting another person or animal. (SCC 1180 § 1, 2001; SCC 0892 § 10, 1992; SCC 0815 § 2, 1990.)

Officer Christopher Trim
Public Information Officer
Elk Grove Police Department
(916) 478-8008"
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Jeff Forward

Citizen Reporter Cameron Macdonald is working on a story about the Wednesday morning, Aug. 20, pit bull rampage and subsequent shooting to death of one of the dogs.
According to preliminary police reports from the Elk Grove Police Department, the large dogs menaced some people, attacked someone's pet, and then approached police - one officer shot and killed one of the dogs. The other canine was later caught.
Police spokesperson Christopher Trim said the owner of the dogs was cited, but refused to release the owner's name.
Thursday evening, Macdonald, acting in his reporting/journalistic duties and at request of Editor Jeff Forward and on behalf of the Elk Grove Citizen, submitted a California public records request to City Clerk Susan Blackston in an attempt to obtain the name of the owner or person responsible for the two dogs.
On Friday, City Attorney Susan Cochran informed Editor Jeff Forward that the city would not be releasing the name of the owner of the two pit bulls.
Cochran also said that the information was not required to be disclosed to the press or public citizens under her reading and interpretation of the the California Public Records Act, section 6254 (f). Cochran said an official city letter would be sent to the Citizen offices next week informing of the non-disclosure.
The Citizen news team is following up on this story next week and will have updates in print editions, online at egcitizen.com.
Jeff Forward

Jeff Forward

Opinion By Jeff Forward
Citizen Editor

As plans for the city of Elk Grove’s sphere of influence expansion bid move forward, things are also staying busy on another aspect of the area’s future: the El Dorado –Interstate-5 connector highway.
Tuesday night, Aug. 19, dozens of area residents, city leaders, and many candidates for upcoming local elections listened to Tom Zlotkowski – the executive director of the JPA handling the connector plans - talk about the proposed connector highway.
This highway – which could have more than 30 red light intersections - would likely run through the middle of Sheldon and down across the south area of the city and on to I-5 at the Hood Franklin exit.
The folks in Sheldon are not happy, and have proposed an alternative route for the connector through farmland to the south. Now, the farmers, ranchers, and residents of Wilton are frustrated by another foray into their cherished rural residential community.
The new concerns only compound Wilton resident’s fears of development fueled by the city’s expansion plans, which currently stop at the Cosumnes River.
But, one must brush aside momentarily all the controversy over the connector highway and Elk Grove expansion plans to see the real big picture.
It’s a familiar tune, one Elk Grove has seen before – lots of land; land ripe for development of all sorts.
It’s another gold rush.
We can all remember the last gold rush in Elk Grove. Homes were being built faster than they could sell; the housing market was at its peak; and the city coffers were filled with enough money to give officials huge raises in salaries and benefits.
Now, as we muddle through some economic hard times, city leaders have seen another gold rush in the not-so-distant future.
As plans for the city’s expansion bid and connector highway plod along, I imagine some astute planner, elected official, or city administrator has looked at the really big picture: money.
Yes, these city expansion and connector plans – if they develop as currently envisioned -would allow the city of Elk Grove to add an extremely lucrative, lesser-developed corridor of land to the city’s boundaries.
Imagine; there could possibly be 30 red light intersections on the connector – with the accompanying businesses (gas stations, fast food eateries, hotels) and mini-malls, which would undoubtedly sprout up around them.
Adding to that potential commercial development (and tax revenue) is the open land that would run southeast from Grant Line Road into the flood plains of the Cosumnes River and across vast swaths of prime agriculture and ranching land.
City leaders and planning officials say there are no plans for development in the flood plain, but local residents have heard that before.
One only needs to look back at the city’s record of eminent domain lawsuits as well as their rezoning of various parcels of land to fit the needs of what once-was America’s fastest growing city.
This is a situation that’s been played out in communities across the state and nation. City leaders want to be seen as visionaries, and for their part, those in Elk Grove have seen a vision.
That vision – based on their actions and plans for the southeast section of Sacramento County – is not one of making the city a better place to live.
No, it’s designed to max out the financial potential of the city of Elk Grove by gobbling up what is left of a respected, rural community – which, for anyone who cares, has its own sense of vibrancy and relevance and environmental uniqueness.
Of course, none of these plans are set in stone, and they may fall flat as the future unfolds. All the projects are currently facing difficulties ranging from pesky citizen activists to the all-important question of how these things will be financed.
In the end, meetings like the one Tuesday night will determine how the city’s future unfolds. The fact that it was so well attended by people of all levels in the community was promising and welcome.
If there is one thing citizens of every community can do, it is to flex their power as a unified body to foster awareness and change at the local level.
One has to be involved to do that, and anyone who has a vested interest in the future of this community – and the ones to the southeast of it – needs to stay informed and be active in the planning.
We’ve all seen the downside of rampant, unchecked growth in our community. Now, the future really is in the hands of the citizens. If citizens don’t want to see a repeat of the past, then they need to get involved.
Tuesday was a good beginning.

Jeff Forward

Jamie Gonzales has a new Jamie's Journal entry which will be in Friday's Citizen and Reporter Gamaliel Ortiz has gone blogwild on his politics blog, City Beat. Check it out.

Jeff Forward

The city of Elk Grove and community activists joined together Tuesday night and held an important update/public information meeting about the connector highway which will likely link El Dorado County to I-5 near Hood/Franklin. Three of the four alternatives currently being examined involve going down Grantline Road and through the rural community of Sheldon.
The meeting was well attended, as four Elk Grove City Council members and also four members of the Elk Grove Planning Commission were at city hall for the presentation by Tom Zlotkowski, Pat Hume, and Don Nottoli. Numerous candidates for city council as well as the Cosumnes Community Services District were in attendance, as was a good number of Sheldon and Wilton residents. Keri Wood was there taking photos and we'll have a good story for Friday's Citizen.
JF

Jeff Forward

The filing period for Elk Grove City Council candidates closed at 5 p.m. today and the only surprises were one challenger dropping out and another, unexpected candidate, jumping into the election fray.
In District 1, the race comes down to two candidates - Incumbent Jim Cooper and challenger LaWanna Montgomery. Jose Romero - profiled in Friday's Citizen - has announced he is dropping out of the contest to support Montgomery.
"I just read today's Citizen," Romero said in a telephone interview. "And saw Ms. Montgomery's platform...it's almost identical to mine. I don't want to split the vote against Mr. Cooper, so I am dropping out."

In District 3, three candidates are seeking office: Incumbent Mike Leary; challenger Steve Detrick; and challenger Greg Higley.

In District 5, things became a little more interesting when a fourth candidate entered the race today - Robert Felts. Felts joins challengers Katherine Maestas; Khanh "K.T." Tran, and Incumbent Sophia Scherman.

Look for full coverage - and that massive campaign finance story - in our print edition and online at www.egcitizen.com.
JF

Jeff Forward

I am about to have lunch with Capital Elector Editor & Founder Jason Daniel and just received word from City Clerk Susan Blackston that Jim Cooper has filed official candidacy paperwork with the city today. Also, the District 5 race got a new entrant when Robert Felts filed candidate paperwork this morning.
More to come as the day rolls along.
JF

Jeff Forward

I was hoping to get the Greg Higley profile into Friday's Citizen, but, it didn't happen. Look for it in the Aug. 13 edition.
JF

Jeff Forward

I am hoping to get the campaign finance story into Friday's Citizen. If not, it will run on the Web site Friday and in our print edition for Aug. 13.
JF

Jeff Forward

So much for that blogging experiment!
As noon approached, we here on staff at the Citizen turned to lunch hour. It's a good hour...I like it. If you've ambled upon our offices at 8970 Elk Grove Blvd. between noon and 1 p.m., you're likely to find us in the midst of a tasty lunch.
Our staff - like all workers everywhere - needs their afternoon calories. We - usually Keith Gebers, June, Mary Lewis, Jon tucked into the brick-walled sports office but within earshot, Keri our photo editor; myself still corresponding with Dustin; and anyone else who'd like to join - eat lunch and take our time.
After lunch, we kicked back into gear with getting the Friday edition of the Citizen out and done. Dustin upped his call frequency and we began to finalize pages.
At 2 p.m., our Publisher, David Herburger, had called a staff meeting. We, like all newspapers everywhere, try to have staff meetings regularly. "Regularly" is a loosely defined word in the newspaper business. Sometimes it means once a month, other times once a week, and sometimes it means daily. If you have an editor who is on top of everything (at a daily newspaper), you may have two meetings a day or more.
We had not had a staff meeting in a while, at least six weeks. With a lot of turnover on the staff and wildly varying work schedules, it became hard to coordinate everyone on the same day and time for a meeting. Summer is a busy time around the Citizen, when we have not only our two weekly editions, but also a special home and garden section; the Fourth of July special insert; and our tab on the Strauss Festival.
Cameron Macdonald and I had a brief misunderstanding after the meeting I am glad we caught.
I wrote an article on Jose Romero, a candidate for city council in District 1. As Cameron edited the story I wrote about Romero....Cameron noticed some things and advised me to change two or three sections in the article; I said, 'OK,' and thought Cameron changed them. I asked him if he was done, and he said, 'Yes,' and I transmitted the story to Galt where it would be placed on our page for printing Thursday.
But, we had a problem, Houston.
It - what was sent to Galt - was a story with Cameron's notes still written in bold (no changes). Fortunately, Cameron mentioned he'd written notes on the story when I'd thought he'd changed the text. We called Dustin and had him pull the story (which had Cameron's notes visible in bold) and replaced it with the version without notations included. Whew....

We worked on the paper until about 4:50 p.m., when Dustin idicated he was almost finished. Tomorrow, Mary Lewis will proof-read the paper before it is printed and sent to subscribers.

On most days, we at the Citizen try to keep as busy as possible covering everything pertinent to Elk Grove. When I say "pertinent," I mean everything. Everything life throws our way - it is pertinent to the rest of our readership and the greater society.

Our goal at the Citizen is to bring our readers and the citizens of Elk Grove the pertinent and important news to them in an accurate, factual, truthful, unbiased, well written and researched manner. We on the Citizen staff try to gauge the cultural, political, and popular pulse of Elk Grove and manage our coverage based on our resources. We will also be keeping an eye on the wide variety of other people, things, and issues in our town which don't usually merit attention from the traditional media.
We welcome you on this journey and ask you to take part by sending us story ideas, personal experiences, news video and audio and anything else you find interesting.

Thanks,
JF

Jeff Forward

A customer just came in with questions about her subscription. Our very trusty front-desk all-star, June, was away from her desk, so it falls onto me to welcome customers and try to help them.
This nice lady had just subscribed, but not yet received a paper in the mail. I told her to take a free copy & if she didn't get her Friday paper, to be sure to call (916) 685-3945 and we'll get it taken care of.
On a production sidenote: our photographer's computer had some memory issues - i.e. too much stuff on it - and photographer Keri Wood is having a tougher time than usual uploading her photos from National Night Out.
Oddly, I haven't heard much from our Galt-based graphic designer, Dustin. Normally, he calls every half hour on production days seeking pages or documents for Friday's paper.
JF

Jeff Forward

I am here, after an uneventful drive to work along Interstate 80 and Hwy 99. I managed to find some good tunes on my old radio - Billy Idol, some 60s stuff, and Led Zepplin.
We're working in the Friday edition of the Citizen and plodding through the morning with the help of coffee and greeen tea. Roy Herburger, the CEO and owner, dropped off cinnamon rolls for the staff.
In the office are sports editor Jon Gudel, me, Linda Le Park - our lifestyles reporter; photographer Keri Wood; business editor and columnist Keith Gebers; and reporter Cameron Macdonald.
Wood and Macdonald are working on last night's National Night Out coverage - Cameron will have the story and Keri the photographs. We also have an election update on three candidates - LaWanna Montgomery, Jose Romero, and Greg Higley.
JF

Jeff Forward

I live in Woodland and work in Elk Grove, which means quite a bit of driving. I will be finishing off breakfast soon, grabbing my coffee & lunch, and headed onto the freeways for the journey to work.
I normally listen to a mix of NPR news, classical music, or KDVS (when the tunes aren't too unusual). I also enjoy classic rock and even - gasp - silence. I also try to theorize what the day's top stories are and how we'll approach the news from a design standpoint and how to play it on our Web site. See you soon...
JF

Jeff Forward

I got up early and made some telephone calls for the capaign finance story. I believe I woke up District 3 Candidate Greg Higley. He was nice enough to do an interview over the telephone. He is 50, has lived in Elk Grove since 1997, and says if elected, he would work to reduce the crime levels, eliminate homelessness in the city, and restructure the city's taxes.
"The tax structure in the city is out of control," Higley said.
I also was able to reach District 3 Candidate Steve Detrick while he was driving to work, and yes, he said he was obeying the new hands-free cell phone law.
Detrick said he has about 10 major donors lined up for his run to unseat incumbent Mike Leary. He plans to use his campaign money to get a lot of signs, and to print fliers to be mailed and handed out in person during his precinct walks. He said telephone voicemails to thousands of registered voters would be a "major" aspect of his campaign spending.
Look for the article in Friday's Citizen
JF.

Jeff Forward

Today I am going experiment and will be live blogging the production of the Friday edition of the Elk Grove Citizen. It's an idea I thought of to showcase how the newspaper is produced each week and give readers a peak inside the operation.
Our production days are Monday and Wednesday for the Wednesday and Friday newspapers and our goal is to have the newspaper completed by 6 p.m. each production day. The newspaper is proof-read on Tuesday and Thursday mornings and printed immediately after corrections are made. (Mary Lewis, our trusted proof-reader, fixes all).
Today, I will do my best to post regularly, but remember, I am working, too.
As the day progresses, reporters and photographers will be working on various projects; I will read and edit articles and columns submitted by our staff. We will choose photographs and design the layout of each page. I also have to transmit these documents to our printing facility in Galt. Included are not only newspaper duties, but tasks such as answering the telephone and helping any customer who may come into the office.
Hope you enjoy.
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Jeff Forward

While breaking down the numbers filed in campaign finance reports turned in by candidates for Elk Grove City Council, I had a chance to interview the three District 1 candidates.
I spoke with Jose Romero, LaWanna Montgomery, and Jim Cooper for the article to be published in Friday's Citizen. Each had some unique things to say about campaign finance and Cooper's comments will likely surprise many veteran city council followers. And, which of the three plans to spend only $25 on the entire council race?
Read about it in Friday's Citizen
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Jeff Forward

We at the Citizen have received campaign finance statements filed by numerous candidates for Elk Grove City Council from City Clerk Susan Blackston and are working on a story for Friday's print edition; and for publication on our Web site, www.egcitizen.com

Jeff Forward

Citizen Reporter Cameron Macdonald received word from Cosumnes CSD incumbent Board Member Doug McElroy Saturday announcing his intention to run for re-election to the CCSD board of directors.
McElroy's entrance to the race adds to a seemingly competitive race for three seats on the board over the next few months. Also running are incumbent Gil Albiani; Guy Rutter of Galt; Michelle Orrock; Jimmie Johnson; Davies Ononiwu; Sandi Russell; and Rod Brewer. Gerald Derr pulled out of the race to throw his endorsement behind Rudder.
Jeff Forward
Editor

Jeff Forward

The Elk Grove Promenade Mall is officially on hold for up to a year, according to several Elk Grove City Council members. The mall was slated to open in 2009, but that will not happen.
What do you think of the Mall situation?

Jeff Forward

Another candidate has stepped forward to challenge Elk Grove City Council Member Jim Cooper in District 1.

According to election paperwork filed with the city of Elk Grove, Jose Romero will be seeking a spot on the City Council. He will be running against Cooper, and LaWanna Montgomery.

More news on new candidates will be published in the Friday edition of the Citizen.

Jeff Forward
Editor

Jeff Forward

Well, now that I've expelled the pancakes as best possible from my stomach, I can make a quick blog entry to let all of Elk Grove know that Mayor Gary Davis is your Pancake Eating Champion!!

That's right, the mayor got off to a hot start and held on for a one-pancake victory in the contest to eat as many as possible in 10 minutes.

In the end, Davis had eaten 15 pancakes and I had only managed 14. Darn!

Pancake eating is much tougher than it looks. They are so dry and fluffy, you must eat them with water...which then makes the consistency a bit odd, and well, disgusting!

When we got down to 2 minutes, I had an urge to vomit...but, I held it in. (I can't say the same for after the contest!!)

We raised a little bit of money for charity and had a good time.

The event was in conjunction with the city's Flapjack Forum, and it was well attended for an early start on a weekend. City Council candidates Mike Leary, Steve Detrick, and Sophia Scherman were in attendance for the contest. Cosumnes CSD candidate Jimmie Johnson was also present.

I want to pass on a special thanks to our awesome timer & coordinator, Heather Ross from the city of Elk Grove. Also, I cannot forget Cody Tubbs, the man behind the pancake griddle cooking up a storm. (Inside word is he made my pancakes denser than Gary's)

And, of course, thanks to the mayor for accepting a fun challenge. I think it's great that the city can have a mayor who wants to have fun and who is willing to do crazy things like, well....have a pancake eating contest.

Next year a new challenger will step forward to take on Davis. Yep, the Citizen's own Cameron Macdonald - the man who's eaten at every restaurant in Elk Grove - will challenge Davis. You better start preparing now, Mayor!

JF

Jeff Forward

Wow, it's raining cats and pancakes now....

Pancake Choker

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Jeff Forward

Well, who knew a pancake eating champion could also be a pretty attractive lady?

Lady Pancake Champ

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Jeff Forward

I found this story while surfing the Net for pancake info. Wow.

Pancake Champ Busted

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Jeff Forward

I've been scouring the Web for information on pancake eating contests. This photo is from the Central New York Maple Festival Pancake Eating Contest.
I also looked up some pancake records, and it'll be tough to break them tomorow...well, today since it is almost 1 a.m. Saturday.
There was a guy who ate five 5-inch pancakes in 1 mins. and 47 seconds. Crazy Legs Conti holds a record with three and a half pounds of pancakes and bacon eaten in 12 minutes.
JF

Jeff Forward

In less than 8 hours, I will be battling Gary Davis for the title of Pancake Eating King of Elk Grove. Gary e-mailed a while ago to tell me that while he was in Marine boot camp, he had to eat a lot of food in a little bit of time. I assume that means he is ready to go mentally and will have his game face on tomorrow.
More to come.....

Jeff Forward

New Elk Grove City Council Candidate Khanh "KT" Tran stopped by the Citizen editorial office today to say hello and introduce himself.
Tran is running against incumbent Sophia Scherman in District 5, and said he has some surprises in order for the campaign.
"It's not how much resources you have," Tran said, "but do you have the votes?"
Tran ran for office in 2006, contesting SMUD mainstay Genevieve Shiroma in the SMUD Dist. 4 race. Tran lost handily, but said today that he only ran for office in order to lobby against the SMUD annexation of Yolo County.
He works in a variety of jobs, including running a political "spam" Web site, CyberCampaigning and being an instructor at the online university, National University.
The Citizen will have a more in-depth profile of Tran in an upcoming print edition.
Jeff Forward
Editor

Jeff Forward

Tomorrow morning, at 8 a.m., I am challenging Mayor Gary Davis to a pancake eating contest. The deal is this: which person can eat the most pancakes in 10 minutes? The event will kick off the morning at the city of Elk Grove Flapjack Forum, where citizens are invited to meet new City Manager Laura Gill and other city council members. The action begins at 8 a.m. so be there!

Jeff Forward

The 2008 Elk Grove City Council race got a bit bigger with the addition of three new candidates.
In District 1, where strongly-supported incumbent Jim Cooper holds sway, a familiar challenger has stepped forward. LaWanna Mongomery, a former candidate for city council against Cooper in 2004, has announced she is running again in an attempt to unseat Cooper.
In District 3, where Mike Leary has held office since incorporation, one challenger has stepped to the plate in a big way - Steve Detrick. Now, a third challenger - Greg Higley - has filed paperwork with the City Clerk's office and intends to challenge for a spot on the city council.
Sophia Scherman has also been in office since incorporation, and her District 5 seat has been challenged by two candidates - Katherine Maestas and Khanh 'KT' Tran. Maestas is a Democratic mainstay in Sacramento and formerly ran for state assembly. Tran e-mailed the Citizen today to announce his candidacy.
Look for more information, photos and quotes from the new candidates online and in our Wednesday print edition.
Jeff Forward
Editor

Jeff Forward

Did you know that the Elk Grove Citizen now has a YouTube account? Yep, we've got some young, talented staff members who know how to get online and make and post videos and slideshows. We'll also be adding in audio podcasts as well as other stories and photos and community tid-bits.
Check out the first production by Gamaliel Ortiz and Keri Wood.

Soccer at Raley Field.

It's a great medium and we hope you enjoy this new aspect of Citizen news coverage.

Jeff Forward
Editor

Jeff Forward

A new column by Jamie Gonzales will be printed in Friday's Elk Grove Citizen. It can be found online at egcitizencancer.blogspot.com.

Jeff Forward
Editor

Jeff Forward

The online news scene in Elk Grove has grown by one.
Local Blogger Jason Daniel has taken his online presence to another level with the unveiling of capitalelector.com, a blog focusing on regional issues with contributions from a wide variety of local politicians and others. And, Daniel also unleashes his own opinions and views on the site.
Jason's other blog, Eyes of Argus had recently drifted from its Elk Grove roots and taken on a distinctly Sacramento tone with heavy coverage of the mayoral race between Heather Fargo and Kevin Johnson. Daniel has done a really solid job covering the local political scene with a mix of news and opinion while also juggling a full-time job and family life.
His political activism with the attempted-but-failed recall of City Council Members Jim Cooper and Mike Leary led him online and he's continued to educate the public with unique views and news about the region, covering issues from Stockton and Lodi to Elk Grove and Sacramento.
Daniel's two sites, along with Dan Gougherty's blog, Elk Grove News.net, give Elk Grove a unique presence in the Sacramento blogosphere.
More and more people are finding their news, and sharing their stories, online. In Elk Grove, these online resources help build community but also foster public awareness of issues. Our business - the old-time newspaper in your hand one - is changing with the many new technologies. Cell phones, digital cameras, bloggers, and citizen journalists are helping reshape the news world and re-defining what a "gatekeeper" is.
As we here at the Citizen move into the online world, we aim to serve you - our readers - with the same levels of accuracy and integrity as we do in our print edition. Soon, we'll be bringing you slideshows, podcasts, and video clips of our news coverage. We have our main Web site and blogs from our reporting staff. And, we want to hear from you...got a story tip? E-mail or post in our online forums. We're also interested in video clips and photos of news incidents. If a local issue affects you, don't hesitate to contact one of our staff. We are here to serve Elk Grove online and with that old-fashioned newspaper in your hand.
Thanks for reading!
Jeff Forward
Editor

Jeff Forward

Jamie Gonzales has updated her blog - egcitizencancer.blogspot.com - with a new post. We'll keep readers updated on Jamie's condition in our print edition as well as online.

Jeff Forward
Editor

Jeff Forward

The Elk Grove Citizen has a new face on board - Gamaliel Ortiz, who is our new city goverment, local politics reporter. Gamaliel will be covering all aspects of the Elk Grove City Council, the upcoming city election and anything pertaining to local politics.
Gamaliel is a graduate of CSU-Sacramento and worked at the State Hornet for several years. He has started a new politics blog, which is linked at left, called City Beat.
We at the Citizen are trying to reach out to a wider, more diverse audience via the Internet. We not only have our main Web site, www.egcitizen.com but we also feature this blog, Gamaliel's City Beat Blog, and former reporter Jamie's cancer blog. There are also links to former reporter's blogs by Blake Ellington and our 2007 Summer Intern, Sarah Kyo. We hope you enjoy these additions to our print edition and main Web site coverage of local news.

Jeff Forward
Editor

Jeff Forward

The May 14 Elk Grove City Council meeting began with three members and ended with four. Jim Cooper was absent and missed the hiring of a new city manager, new city clerk and initial discussions on the city's budget.
After reporting on Cooper's absence, Council Member Cooper called up the Citizen to explain his absence.
"I was at training in San Diego," Cooper said, explaining that he is now in charge of the Central Valley High Tech Crimes Task Force and needed to get updated on some of the issues in the field.
Cooper said he told Elk Grove Mayor Gary Davis of his training and that he would not be there that evening. Cooper had been present at other closed session special meetings of the council when it is believed discussions and interviews were held with potential applicants.

Elk Grove City Council Member Mike Leary has been vocal in his opposition to any sort of traffic ticket quotas in Elk Grove. Elk Grove PD Chief Robert Simmons has repeatedly said there are no quotas. The clashes between the two, and also between Leary and Davis, have brought public attention to the issue and spat.
Leary called last week and said he wanted to make sure that the public knows he supports the officers on the street 100 percent and reiterated that his focus on this issue is purely from the administrative angle.

The messy saga of the Vintara Park project and lawsuit by a local neighborhood association appeared to come to an end on May 27, when a local judge ruled in favor of many aspects of a lawsuit against the city. Supporters of the lawsuit who protested the issue of Vintara Park with the city for years showed up to enjoy their victory at the May 28 city council meeting (read about it in Ted Cox's story). The Citizen inquired with City PIO Christine Brainerd about the lawsuit but has heard no comment on the issue.

City council and planning commission agendas are often times hefty tomes weighing several pounds and consisting of hundreds of pages. The cake may have been taken Wednesday evening as the council discussed the Sterling Meadows project and its 1,600 page staff report. That is more than four times the number of pages as the city's preliminary budget.

The offices of the Elk Grove Citizen were recently vandalized again with more graffiti and spray painted messages on our outside wall. The new tagging was done by unknown people sometime in the last few weeks; and happened in the alley between the Citizen office and the Elk Grove Teen Center USA.

Jeff Forward
Editor, the Citizen

Jeff Forward

Council passes budget, appoints charter commission members

Local residents laud court ruling against disputed Vintara Park project

By Ted Cox
Citizen Staff Writer

“We’re here tonight celebrating a victory, a victory over our own city,” said Elk Grove resident Kathy Lee.
With the ink barely dry on a Writ of Mandate from the Superior Court of California, Lee was one of five Elk Grove residents to address the Elk Grove City Council Wednesday night, lauding their recent court victory halting the Vintara Park development plans and calling for changes in the city’s development approval process.
“Vintara is no more,” Lee told the members of the city council.
The Writ of Mandate, which was handed down by Judge Gail D. Ohanesian, ordered the city of Elk Grove and the City Council to “set aside their actions of Feb. 22, 2006, approving the Negative Declaration and Initial Study for the Project, an ordinance rezoning the Project site and a resolution giving approval to a tentative subdivision map, large lot map, design review, and an exception to lot area requirements.”
The case, which was filed by an attorney representing the Quail Ranch Estates Association, claimed that the city failed to conduct the adequate environmental impact reports, was improperly piecemealed, and lacked adequate public review.
The Court agreed that the city had not conducted proper assessments of traffic impact and water availability. The Court rejected the Association’s arguments that that city did not properly assess issues concerning flooding and storm water, water and sewer facilities, and air quality. The Court also rejected the Association’s arguments that the project was improperly piecemealed, that the mitigated negative declaration was improperly recirculated, or that the City did not provide adequate public review of the project.
“It is not our goal tonight to stand before you full of arrogance and self-indulgence,” said Rachelle Reinwald, a representative of the Quail Ranch Estates Association. “It is instead our goal to encourage you to use these events as an opportunity to evaluate the planning process.”
All five city council members were in attendance, but Elk Grove Mayor Gary Davis was the only council member to address the ruling, called the Vintara Park Project, “an example of bad past practices.”
Davis also expressed his hope that future developers conduct “extensive community outreach.”
The night also featured the council adopted a balanced budget for Fiscal Year 2008-2009 after a continued discussion from the previous meeting on May 14.
City Finance Director Rebecca Craig made a brief presentation and answered questions from council members.
The budget includes two new city employee positions: a Community Enhancement Inspector, which would be funded by the Solid Waste Fund, and an Assistant City Attorney, which would be funded by a reduction in legal services.
Council members also considered a request for funds by the Sacramento Area Commerce & Trade Organization, which facilitates economic development in the region. SACTO Executive Director Barbara Hayes was on-hand to respond to concerns about a requested $30,000 allocation of funds to SACTO for economic development in Elk Grove. The figure is based on a $0.25 per capita contribution derived from the 2000 census figures.
In their previous meeting, the city council had earmarked $1,000 in funding to SACTO. Wednesday the council unanimously approved a motion to allocate another $9,000, bringing the total allocation to $10,000. The funding will be achieved by a decrease in contributions to the city’s reserve funds.
Council members expressed gratitude to the City staff for preparing a balanced budget in a time when other governments are facing budget deficits.
“I’m excited about bringing a balanced budget back to this community,” said District 3 Council Member Michael Leary. “It’s really unique in this region to have a community that has a balanced budget.”
Council Member Jim Cooper, however, cautioned that harder times might be ahead.
“I don’t think we should puff out our chests, because our time may come,” Cooper said.
In a move to make Elk Grove a charter city, the council appointed seven people to the Charter Commission that was established in March.
“We got a lot of qualified applicants for this,” Davis said. Twelve people submitted applications for the seven open positions. Each council member selected one applicant to join the Commission, and two “at large” Commission members were selected by a council vote.
The five Commission members appointed directly by the city council were: Juanita Lopez, Jimmie Johnson, Christopher Orrock, Clifford Loveland, and Jake Allen. The Council voted unanimously to appoint “at large” members Heather Martin and William Farley.
Council members also requested that the newly appointed commission members be presented at the next city council meeting.
The commission was established to draft a charter to be presented to voters in Elk Grove in the 2010 general election. Resolution 2008-74 specified that each commission member must be at least 18 years of age, reside in the city, and be registered to vote.
The City Attorney’s Office has budgeted $150,000 to support the Commission for Fiscal Year 2008-2009.
Bob Williamson, senior project architect for the city of Elk Grove, spoke on a recommendation to expand the Corporation Yard Facilities to three yard locations.
The Corporation Yard currently houses the e-tran buses, the police fleet vehicles, and the city’s maintenance vehicles.
In 2006, the city hired SGS Group to examine the long-term needs of the Corporation Yard as the city ages and continues to grow. While the City currently owns 11.2 acres at the current yard location, SGS recommended that the City would need between 40 to 50 acres in the next 15 years.
Council members directed Williamson to proceed with an environmental review to explore possible new locations for the expanded yard.
Wednesday’s meeting also included a lengthy and sometimes rowdy discussion on alleged fencing violations throughout the city. Several residents expressed their frustration not only with what they believe are violations of the city’s fencing codes, but also that the city council has taken more than a year to resolve the issue.
At the center of the issue are several homes around the city that some residents say have expanded their fences beyond legal limits to make room for recreational vehicle parking.
Residents who addressed the council did little to mask their displeasure, sometimes speaking over council members or city staff after public comments were closed.
When Davis told the residents that the city council will be in contact with them, one person shot back from the audience, “We’ve been hearing that for a year now.”
Council members discussion included a proposed plan that would utilize aerial photographs to determine which homes were in violation of the codes. Part of the difficulty in enforcing the fencing issue is a lack of staff members to handle the complaints and the fact that some fences were legal in the County of Sacramento before the city of Elk Grove enacted new, shorter height requirements for fences.
The city council decided that instead of an aerial review of individual fences, a notice would be sent to homeowners when a complaint is received by the city. The homeowner would then have to prove their fence was constructed legally or face a fine.
The Council also appointed Mayor Davis as a representative on the Elk Grove Teen Center Board of Directors. Davis will replace Cooper, who resigned from the position May 13.

Jeff Forward

The 2008 Sacramento County Fair was filled with eager, hard-working students from 4-H and FFA programs from every area of Elk Grove. Here is this year's Grand Champion Turkey, raised by Florin High School junior Stephanie Sloan. The bird nabbed $1,000 in the junior livestock auction.

Jeff Forward

As many of our readers are aware, one of our staff writers - Jamie Gonzales - has cancer. She is chronicling her experience via a column in the Elk Grove Citizen - Jamie's Journal - as well as in a new blog she's created. It is linked at left under the Citizen News Links section.
Jeff Forward
Editor, The Citizen

Jeff Forward

The Davis Blue Devils defeated Pleasant Grove 4-0 in the first round of the girl's soccer play-offs Friday.
Senior goalkeeper Lauren Arjil made 24 saves on the day to keep the Eagles in the game. Look for a full story with photographs in Wednesday's Elk Grove Citizen.

Jeff Forward

It has been awhile, but the blog is back. That's right, I finally figured how to reset my password and now have access to the blog again. I will get some news up on this as soon as possible, as there are some big things happening in Elk Grove.
Notably, there is a special meeting of the Elk Grove City Council on Monday night where a new city manager may be hired.
Sorry to all our readers (yes, you two) about the inaction on the blog...we here at the Citizen (i.e. Jeff) are still learning the ins and outs of the Internet.
Thanks and back soon.
Jeff Forward
Editor, the Citizen

Jeff Forward

Rescue workers pull out a victim who was traveling in a car that crashed and submerged in the lake. Photo by Cameron Macdonald.

Jeff Forward

Local authorities responded to a call of a vehicle in a lake on Wednesday afternoon. Cosumnes CSD firefighters search for the victims after a car drove into and sunk in an artificial lake at Laguna West. These photos were taken by Citizen Staff Writer Cameron Macdonald.

Jeff Forward

By Cameron Macdonald
Citizen Staff Writer

A 35-year-old man died Wednesday when his jeep crashed into a steel light-pole near the Laguna Boulevard overpass on Interstate-5 on Sept. 5. A passenger in the vehicle was hospitalized for moderate injuries, authorities reported.
The deceased man, who was reportedly from Sacramento, was not identified and Sacramento County coroners could not be reached for information about him, as of press time.
Jasper Begay, spokesperson for the California Highway Patrol, said that the incident occurred around 2:45 p.m. on Sept. 5.
The driver was traveling in a 1991 Jeep Cherokee northbound on Interstate-5’s fast lane when the accident happened, Begay said, adding that it appeared the driver drifted over into the freeway’s center divider and struck a steel guardrail.
The jeep then bounced away from the rail and spun sideways across all four northbound lanes and into the dirt of the roadway’s right shoulder.
“Somehow he avoided hitting the other vehicles,” Begay said.
He said that the driver was wearing a seatbelt at the time, but he died instantly when the vehicle’s driver door struck the light-pole.
The victim’s passenger was taken to the UC Davis Medical Center for medical treatment.
This incident occurred around the same time that a car carrying an elderly couple had crashed into an artificial lake a mile away in Elk Grove’s Laguna West area.

Jeff Forward

By Blake Ellington
Citizen Staff Writer

When the Elk Grove Police Department began in 2006 one its main hurdles was hiring new officers because of the current retirement health plan.
Recruitment for law enforcement during the department’s infant stages was no easy task, as identified by every person responsible for its creation, but with a change in policy, so the Elk Grove City Council ushered in a new health benefits program for those who work for city employees at the Aug. 22 meeting.
“Going into our interviews, there were a number of questions about our current retiree medical plan and we did in fact lose candidates because of that,” said Police Chief Robert Simmons. “I can see this (the new plan) as a great recruitment tool but also a retention tool because people are not willing to give up their retirement medical benefits to go on to another agency.”
The new plan offers $800 per month for executive-level employees who have served for five years and regular city employees who have served for 10 years. The money is placed into a “Health Reimbursement Account” HRA and accumulates each month. Employees are eligible, along with their spouse, for both of their lives.
The time accrued by the employee which makes them eligible after the initial grace period is based on “active employment.” This means, someone who takes a large extended amount of leave will not be able to use that time towards their five or 10 year probation period.
City council had a few a problems with the language of these requirements.
“What happens if someone is pregnant and has a child, takes an extended period of time off, it seems that we are going to penalize the woman because it has to be after employment when she took off nine months or a year because of her child and other places don’t really do that,” Elk Grove Mayor Jim Cooper said.
City Council members Michael Leary and Pat Hume, who were both on the Retiree Healthcare Committee appointed on Jan. 10 to come up with different options for healthcare benefits, explained that the point of mentioning “active employment” in the documentation was to make sure those accrued six months of sick time could not be used towards that five or 10 year increment level.
“They can’t bank accrued leave and then use that and say ‘you know I have nine-and-a-half years in but I’ve got six months of accrued leave I’m out of here pay me,” Hume said.
City Council Member Sophia Scherman also expressed concern however over the treatment of pregnant woman who sometimes can stay in bed for up to seven months and then “after that are home with their newborn.”
Deputy City Manager, Frank Oviedo said staff would draft up the documents to make sure that that issue was addressed including not losing sick time for the birth of a child.
City Council Member Gary Davis made some additional clarifications on sick time.
“A year after the birth of that child, you are allowed to use your sick leave,” Davis said. “So I hope that doesn’t get lost in the mix.”
The plan, which is being funded through a transfer of $1.5 million from the city’s reserve fund, is also only good so as long as the employee does not work for another agency following termination of employment with the city of Elk Grove. So in other words, if someone works for the city of Sacramento after they begin collecting retirement health benefits from Elk Grove, their benefits are suspended or terminated should the new agency (Sacramento) supply its own set of benefits.
The program is similar to the one the Cosumnes Community Services District (CSD), city of Folsom, city of Roseville and the Elk Grove Unified School District uses.
Cooper had additional concerns over the distinction between executive time requirements and regular city employee time requirements laid out in the plan. The city currently has four department heads including the city manger, city attorney and city clerk.
With an extensive background in law enforcement, Cooper questioned why the management officials at the police department (police captains and sergeants) weren’t also included in the language and considered “department heads.”
Hume explained the reasoning of that decision by the Retirement Healthcare Committee over the course of their five meetings since January.
“The reason being is that their jobs are a little more secure because they are not at the will of political whims of change,” Hume said.
The plan was passed 5-0 yet in still to bring in a new retirement health benefits program with the included change to not penalize someone who takes an extended leave of having children of some catastrophic illness.
“We tried to find one that is not fluctuating so that we know what our expenses are, it makes it much easier to come up with that year so that we can project out, these are your employees this is their age range,” Hume said.
Aside from attracting and keeping more employees in the city, the new healthcare plan will also help the general fund’s pocketbook according to Oviedo.
“If you were to fund fully and do it similar to what other agencies have done, our first year payment would be in the million dollar range compared to what we are paying which is more in the $400,000 range,” Oviedo said.
In other news, the 21,000 or so residents in Elk Grove that use either a wood or pellet burning stove could be in jeopardy of losing that privilege in the near future.
In two years or so the federal law against these types of fireplaces may take effect and the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District warned the city council of the health effects of wood particles in the air during the winter at the meeting.
Air Pollution Control Officer Larry Greene presented the issue to council.
“The reason why we are doing this is the two-fold, one is because of the health impacts from smoke that comes from fireplaces on our citizens, secondly, we have an opportunity to get ahead of the power curve on a new federal standard that is coming down the pipe,” Greene said.
Greene went on to say that wood smoke makes up for 45 percent of the pollution in the region during winter and that it can cause lung conditions and heart disease.
In response to such statistics, the Management District is proposing no burning on days with poor air quality, which accounts for about 30 days of the year. The restriction would apply to the burning of any solid fuel including wood, pellets and manufactured logs from November through February.
Council members raised concerns over those who can’t afford SMUD services, like senior citizens, and rely on wood burning stoves for their main source of heat during the winter months.
“We would consider an economic hardship and there would be some things people would have to come and show us,” Greene said. “I would have the option of giving those people a pass.”
The enforcement would need to be in the form of visuals only. Residents who should call and complain that they see smoke coming from a chimney would not be enough. A member of the Management District would have to witness the smoke first hand to issue a citation.
Scherman, as well as other council members, had issues with the ban on pellet-burning stoves which are often credited as being fuel efficient.
“I own a pellet burning stove, I’ve had it for about 10 years and it is a cleaner way of heating the area that you are in,” Scherman said.
Leary shared his comments on the importance of wood-burning stoves.
“My parents use a wood-burning stove to keep their house warm and they are retired so to maintain a gas heater in that house would be and astronomical amount of money,” Leary said.
The city of Fresno currently has a similar program.

Jeff Forward

Well, I met the first person outside of our office who reads the blog - that being Nan Mahon, a local Elk Grove author, columnist for the Bee EG edition, and also a former Citizen staff writer.
That is nice to know, that someone is reading the blog...or, at least knows of its existence.
On a side note, the blog has not had an entry since Aug. 2, for a variety of reasons. Mainly, I am busy at the office working on many aspects of the newspaper. Our summer, college intern - Sarah Kyo - just finished and went back to school. Now, we are beginning yet another school year.
High School Football, here I come.

Jeff Forward

Authorities are investigating a reported security breach in an inventory space where the Cosumnes Community Services District Fire Department stores their medicinal narcotics.
Steve Foster, fire chief for the Cosumnes CSD, said that the case is an ongoing criminal investigation and is also a personnel matter within the CSD.
“As soon as we discovered the breach, we immediately reported it to the authorities,” he said Wednesday night.
Foster could not comment on the details of the case details since it is still under investigation, but did say that CSD staff is actively working with officials from the Elk Grove police, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and Sacramento County health officials on the case.
Foster said that, to his knowledge, such an incident has not occurred before within the CSD.
Foster noted that since the incident, the fire department has changed the way they store their medicinal narcotics inventory under the supervision of medical authorities.
CSD staff discovered the breach several weeks ago, Foster said, noting than authorities had made no arrests as of press time.

Brief was compiled by Citizen Staff Writer Cameron Macdonald.

Jeff Forward

Report says more than 4,800 very-low income housing units are needed; council offers debt relief on utility bills

By Blake Ellington
Citizen Staff Writer

The Elk Grove City Council – short of two members – got a jolt from the Sacramento Area Council of Government (SACOG) at their July 25 meeting when a report was presented to council members stating that Elk Grove should add an additional 16,208 total housing units by the year 2013 - 4,820 of those being “very-low income” housing.
SACOG has allowed for a 60-day comment period for all of the local jurisdictions under their umbrella of influence to come up with comments as to any disagreements or problems that could arise because of their projected numbers.
Council members requested SACOG officials come back with a more realistic number and to take Elk Grove’s past performance in housing development into consideration.
“I think it’s important that we send a message that we value this exercise, it’s important,” said City Council Member Gary Davis.
Davis said Elk Grove does have housing program fees currently in place that helps get “units on the ground, which really is usually the most significant prohibitor often times to get it when it’s built.”
The regional needs assessment by SACOG was calculated with an overall figure by the state and then distributed to various area cities for further determination on how that figure should be allocated throughout their jurisdictions.
Members of the city council expressed their view that the share of the pie is a little high based on the city’s capacity.
“If you look around at the six counties and 22 cities in the region which SACOG is a part of, Elk Grove has done the best job,” said Elk Grove Mayor Jim Cooper. “You look at Folsom, Roseville they are way behind us in building affordable housing.”
Council members went on to make note that they aren’t pleased with the way to study was done and how the numbers were compiled by SACOG, which initially planned to take the growth projections out to 2035 and then reverted to 2018 because they wished to overlap other efforts and staff work time.
“We felt like that they actually needed to go back to 2013 which is actually the planning period,” said Jim Carney, housing advisor. “I think the current methodology is better than the first one.”
Council members weren’t convinced.
“We definitely don’t like the result of it,” said City Council Member Pat Hume. “In April there were some concerns raised and it says one of those concerns was that some jurisdictions are doing better than others, and I think we are one of those jurisdictions.”
The city has recently identified some low-income sites and approved the rezone process for these sites.
Council members also requested SACOG respond to these current advancements and that the 16,208 figure be looked at more closely in relation to the city’s capacity. The general consensus was to make other jurisdictions come up with their fair share and to not penalize Elk Grove.
“We are collecting data from the other jurisdictions as to how they have actually been producing units in comparison to Elk Grove’s and we will get back to you when have it complete,” Carney said.
In other business in a short meeting, the members of the city council sympathized with late utility bill payments.
The delinquent utility payment report was brought forward to the council, members to be approved and sent to the county of Sacramento for collection. The list of customers in question have not made payments on solid waste and storm water utility charges for 10 months and have liens attached to their properties as a result.
Though it was acknowledged by the council that the majority of those customers have been initially dodging payments, exceptions were made for individuals with certain life circumstances that put them in a tight financial spot.
Kathy Nguyn, a college student in attendance on behalf of her mother and father who speak little English, stood in front of council to voice one such circumstance.
“I am currently not working, I am going to school and so my parents actually have to pay for my college tuition, my school books and my rent, so it’s super hard for them to pay for all these expenses,” Nguyn said. “We are were hoping for an extension if possible.”
Nguyn and her family just moved into their Elk Grove house not that long ago from a studio in a bad neighborhood. Her mother, who stood by her side at the podium while her daughter took it upon herself to explain their hardships, had been seeking a job transfer from Walgreen’s for a full time position but has yet to receive it. Her father is dealing with mental health issues and diabetes.
“Every time we did make a payment we would have to pay our late charges, so instead of paying the bill we were paying our late charges,” Nguyn said.
The family was requesting an extension on the payments due, thus to avoid collection requirements from the county.
The collection process, headed by city Utilities Billing Manager Bonnie Puleo, is in its second year and currently is seeking to collect about $576,000 in past due bills. The customers had received three to five notifications of their late charges up until this point.
Nguyn continued to vouch for her family’s diligence in attempting to make prior payments on time.
“We paid every single bill on time, if you go back in our history,” Nguyn said.
Council members, with a nod of understanding, took the college student’s effort to heart and agreed for Puleo to make arrangements for an extension and payment plan.
“In some cases we have adjusted our late fees as they make those payments depending on the situation, we are always willing to work with them,” Puleo said.
Davis mentioned a similar request from another resident made in person to the city clerk earlier that day.
“I’d just like to ask that we also reach out to this gentlemen,” Davis said.
As for the other customers on the list provided by staff, council members felt that the program is needed for the county to receive the money due.
“A lot of them just ignore the bill, but you have some cases where people just can’t afford it,” Cooper said. “We are also aware of that, too.”
The Elk Grove Municipal Code states that any solid waste and storm water utility charges that remain unpaid for 60 days can be collected as a “special assessment on the residential parcel.”
The collection program received a 100 percent recovery rate last year.
“That’s not bad,” Davis said.
Council voted 3-0 to send the report to the county for collections barring payment plans be coordinated with the requesting parties.
In other action, a General Plan amendment, specific plan amendment, and rezone to the Waterman Park 75 project based on the Elk Grove Planning Commission’s recommendations was also approved in a 3-0. vote
For more information on the meeting visit www.elkgrovecity.org.

Jeff Forward

I have only one request - don't tell me the ending of the new Harry Potter book.
I know, you Potter fans have probably heard a lot of that request. But, I am in a bit different situaton: I am only on chapter four of the very first Potter tome.
In other words, you reveal the ending and you're ruining the next six books for me!
It's funny how much Harry Potter has fascinated nearly all segments of society - here in the United States and abroad. Harry reaches all ages, all economic classes, and both men and women.
Unlike most of the current generation of youth, I have not read the Harry Potter books....I did see one movie! I am only beginning the first book of the Potter series and I have to admit, it's not too bad. I am turning the pages, slowly, but I am turning them. I began reading the book two weeks ago and have progressed four chapters. Hagrid is rescuing Harry from his aunt and uncle's torment. (Hope I got that right, Potter fans).
The popularity of the Harry Potter series reminds me of my time in junior high school, the fabulous early 1980s, when our class was assigned to read "The Hobbit" by J.R.R. Tolkien. I plowed through it - as did many of my classmates.
Afterall, my elementary school days had been filled with the reading of tomes about the Battle of the Bulge, the Civil War, the 82nd (All-American) and 101st (Screaming Eagles) Airborne Divisions; the D-Day invasion; Erwin Rommel and the African tank battles between him and Monty; and also the Arnhem airborne operation.
So, delving into a fantasy world of Dwarves, Hobbits, Elves, Goblins, Orcs, and dozens of other fantasmic creatures was a welcome respite from the real-life stories of military engagements.
I loved "The Hobbit" and that Christmas, my grandmother bought me the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy in a boxed set of paperbacks. Again, I read them as fast as possible and then re-read all four novels many times over. By the time I'd had my fill of Hobbits and dragons and the like, I had read "The Hobbit" about nine times and the three books of "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy a total of seven times each.
My friends and others in school during those years also became fascinated with the Tolkien tales. Instead of dressing up as the characters in the novels, most of us began playing Dungeons and Dragons to recreate the fastasies of the Hobbit world.
I sense from our college intern - Sarah Kyo - and our staff photographer - Rebecca Maston (Both HUGE Potter fans) - that they have the same connection with Harry that we did with Bilbo and Frodo and Sam.
Although this is supposed to be the final Potter book, you never can say never. Maybe Harry will return for one more battle? Don't despair, Potter fans, you can alway read the books again, and again, and again. They will get better every time.

Jeff Forward is the editor of the Elk Grove Citizen. He welcomes all comments and criticisms - just not the ending or details fo the next six Harry Potter books.

Jeff Forward

The interior of the Laguna Boulevard Borders store was crowded with enthusiastic Potter fans who came dressed for the occassion. Photo by Rebecca Maston, Citizen staff photographer.

Sarah Kyo
Citizen College Intern

“10! 9! 8! 7! 6! 5! 4! 3! 2! 1!,” fans yelled out as the witching hour neared on July 20.
At the stroke of midnight, July 21, cheers erupted throughout the Borders store in Elk Grove.
No, this wasn’t a countdown for a new year. Instead, it was a welcome for the newest addition to J.K. Rowling’s best-selling series, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows."
Since this seventh volume marks the end of the boy wizard saga, prior to the event, Borders General Manager Doug Thompson said he expected a larger turnout than what the store witnessed during the release of the previous book. On Friday evening, the store was packed full of people, waiting and anticipating late into the night for the book. Hundreds of people, many wearing Harry Potter-related outfits, had flocked to the store’s Grand Hallows Ball.
Among the activities at the event included the Harry Potter Spelling Bee, in which contestants took turns spelling words from Harry Potter books. To start off the game, a contestant spelled the last name of Harry’s close female friend, Hermione.
“G-R-A-N-G-E-R,” said the contestant.
“Does anyone know if that was correct?” asked Andy Harr, the master of ceremonies.
“Yes!” shouted the crowd.
“Indeed, that was correct!” exclaimed Harr, who wore a cloak and bushy wig.
Later during the bee, Harr. who was standing on a tall ladder that acted as a platform, almost stumbled when climbing down to give a contestant a consolation prize.
“Don’t worry kids,” Harr said. “It’s just magic.”
After six rounds, April Adalim, 15, won the spelling bee, earning a free pen and the first volume from the Pendragon Series. The winning word was “serpensortia,” a spell that causes a large serpent to come from the end of a wand.
Wearing a black robe over her Loretto High School uniform and a red-and-gold scarf, Adalim said she came to her first midnight release celebration because it was the last Harry Potter book.
“I hope that the last book won’t be a disappointment, and it’ll tie-up loose ends,” said Adalim, who had also drawn a lightening bolt-scar on her forehead with a pen and poked out the lenses of her sister’s old glasses in order to resemble Harry.
Another event at the Grand Hallows Ball was the costume contest. Melissa Forsberg, a student from Cosumnes River College, was crowned the queen of the ball in her red-and-white, off-shoulder ball gown. She was dressed as the fat lady from the portrait that hangs outside of the Gryffindor common area.
“She always dresses good,” said Forsberg, who had used her high school senior ball dress for the costume and had some red flowers painted across her face.
However, Harr said his favorite activity was the Great Snape Debate in which people took turn speaking into a microphone, expressing their opinion regarding the loyalties of the character, Severus Snape. Customers could visually show-off their position by wearing a purple sticker with the words “Snape is loyal,” or an orange sticker with the words “Snape will betray.”
“Everyone was really animated,” Harr said on Sunday afternoon.
Harr, who is also the merchandising supervisor at Borders, talked about how passionate people were about the topic and that the amount of people who wanted to participate could have possibly delayed the midnight release of the book.
Ever since the first book was published a decade ago, the series has sold 325 million copies worldwide, according to CNN.
Customers who had preordered the seventh Harry Potter book by July 13 from Borders picked up a certain colored wristband starting at 9 a.m. on Friday. The first block of people who could line up to purchase their books had orange wristbands. The line for the orange wristbands started at the registers and snaked towards the back of the store.
The next group would have silver wristbands, then blue, green and pink. The people who did not preorder the book were in the final group with purple wristbands.
However, Deborah Midas won a raffle, allowing her to move to the front of the line and become the first person to purchase Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows from this location.
“I couldn’t believe it,” Midas said. “I never win anything. I looked at the number twice, and I kept shouting.”
Midas, who had preordered the book in December, had picked up a pink wristband at around 10:30 p.m. That color bracelet would have put her in the second-to-the-last group.
However, even Dumbledore couldn’t receive his book in a timely fashion. That is, Owen Mosburg, the male costume contest winner who dressed as the Hogwarts headmaster, had a purple wristband around his wrist.
Mosburg, who wore a beard, a pointy hat and robe, hadn’t pre-ordered his book nor planned on attending the event initially. He heard the youth group from his church, United Methodist Church, was going to be in attendance.
“I think it’s great that Elk Grove came together,” Mosburg said. “There’s a lot of people interested in Harry Potter.”
After midnight, there were still people waiting outside of the store to get a wristband. At around 12:30 a.m., the line stretched towards the Crazy Sushi restaurant.
Harr said the final customer left at around 3:30 a.m., and overall, about 80 percent of the store’s Deathly Hallows inventory had been unloaded during the weekend.
As of Sunday afternoon, though, Harr said he hadn’t had a chance to read the book, though he looked forward to it.
Harr said, “Just hopefully—hopefully—nobody spoils the end.”

Jeff Forward

April Adalim, 15, dressed in her best Gryffindor attire and attended the Grand Hallows Ball at Borders on the evening of July 20. Adalim won the night's Harry Potter spelling bee and received a pen and book for her Potter prowess. Photograph by Rebecca Maston, Citizen staff photographer.

Jeff Forward

Daniellesherri Baker, Katie Tam, and Ariel Ryan (left to right) represent the character of Professor Trelawney while they wait for the release of the final Harry Potter book, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows." Photograph by Rebecca Maston Citizenstaff photographer.

Jeff Forward

Employees of Borders were dressed in costume Friday night for the big occassion, characters included this person as Albus Dumbledore. Photograph by Rebecca Maston, Citizen staff photographer.

Jeff Forward

Christopher Duran dressed in his Harry Potter costume in honor of the midnight release of the seventh and final Harry Potter book. Scores of Potter fans invaded the Borders store on Laguna Boulevard for a night of wizard fun. Photograph by Rebecca Maston, Citizen staff photographer.

Jeff Forward

Scores of wizards, Muggles, and other Harry Potter aficianado's were at Borders Friday night for the release of the latest Harry Potter book. Elk Grove Citizen Photographer Rebecca Maston and College Intern Sarah Kyo were at Borders to catch all the Muggle madness, their full report - along with Shannon Savage's story on Saturday's Potter fun at the Elk Grove Library - will be in the Wednesday, July 25, edition of the Citizen.

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