I found this story while surfing the Net for pancake info. Wow.
Pancake Champ Busted
JF
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Pancake Research....
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
Pancake nerves are hitting me....
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.....
Friday, July 25, 2008
Tran stops by Citizen office
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
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
Are you ready for some Pancakes??
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!
Thursday, July 24, 2008
City Council race grows with addition of Montgomery, Higley, Khan
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
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
Citizen opens YouTube account, to feature photos and videos
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
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
New Jamie's Jounal in Friday's Citizen
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
Editor
Friday, July 18, 2008
Jason Daniel has new blog
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
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
Jamie Update
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
Editor
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Misc....happenings
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
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
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Reporter's Notebook
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
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
City Council Report: May 28
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.
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.
Monday, May 26, 2008
Local ag students shine at Sac County Fair
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.
Jamie's Journal & Cancer Blog
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
Editor, The Citizen
Friday, May 9, 2008
Pleasant Grove lady Eagles soccer loses in play-offs
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.
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.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Back at it; the blog isn't dead yet
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
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
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Laguna Lake rescue
Rescue workers pull out a victim who was traveling in a car that crashed and submerged in the lake. Photo by Cameron Macdonald.
Dramatic Rescue at Laguna lake
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.
Man killed in I-5 accident Wednesday
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.
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.
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