Posted by cyd evans I saw an officer talking on a cell phone while driving a marked car yesterday. Don’t the same rules apply to police officers as the general public regarding only using hands free devices? Dear cyd evans, Police officers are to abide by the same rules of the road as citizens. However, there are some exceptions to these rules – for instance, when talking on a cell phone while driving, California Vehicle Code Section 23123 (d). This section does not apply to an emergency services professional using a wireless telephone while operating an authorized emergency vehicle, as defined in Section 165, in the course and scope of his or her duties. This translates to, if the offi

Growing up, sometimes we forget to exercise our creative activities. For some, our creative drive dies right along with the hand-me-down car from Grandma senior year in high school. Sometimes our creative energy is put on the backburner as stresses and responsibilities of being an adult such as finding a job, keeping a job, paying bills, the mortgage and providing for our families take over… or our creative energy fades away completely. Here in Sacramento, we love each other. We support each other. Seriously, we do. Just stop for a moment and think back on how many creative projects, ideas and businesses that have thrived in the last decade or so. Regardless if the doors of any of these i

The City of Sacramento invites residents and those who work in the City to complete a web-based survey to provide community input on living and working here. The survey results will be used as part of the city's 2030 General Plan annual report and help capture the community's perspective on livability and quality of life in Sacramento. To complete the survey, follow this link. The survey will be available through Monday, February 13. “Every year, we invite the community to tell us how they feel about living and doing business in our city,” says Tom Pace, long range planning manager. “Hearing from the public helps us ensure we are on the right track as we carry out the vision of the city’

Dr. King’s dream and march, our nightmare and pain “I feel so broken hearted, I cried so many tears There was so much you gave me, to my heart, to my soul So much of your dreams that were never told There was hope for a brighter day Why were you, my flower, plucked away Oh, oh, I’m missing you Tell me why the road turns I’m missing you” —Diana Ross I miss my son. I miss hugging him. I miss looking in his eyes when he is excited. I miss us discussing his plans for his future. I miss sharing in his everyday experiences. I miss his smile. I miss his joy. All I ever wanted was for him to be in an environment where he can grow. My son was arrested at 19 years of age. He was sentenced t

It’s a chilly January morning.  Shivering, swimsuit-clad bodies surround Clunie Pool waiting for the countdown of the Polar Bear Plunge. In unison, the swimmers leap into the bracing 48-degree water. Like a comic film being rewound, they just as quickly leap back onto the pool deck. Most lasted a full three seconds before returning to the warmth of their towels and hot coffee. What manner of motivation brought these hardy souls to the first annual Polar Bear Plunge sponsored by the City of Sacramento?  For most, it was a chance to support city pools. All proceeds of the event go towards keeping the pools open in the summer. Lesley Henriquez encouraged her daughter Gracie to take the plun

Posted by MartinM Hi,I suspect that my friend Is using drugs,I am almost sure he is using some kind of drugs.Should I report him? After all I am not 100% sure,but he has had some problems before. Thank you. Dear MartinM, It sounds like you have some concerns about your friend using drugs. You may be right. Have you discussed this with your friend? He may need help and police involvement may not be the best route. Your friend may need some intervention from friends and family. There are many drug and alcohol clinics in Sacramento and in the outlying region where your friend may seek help. If your friend is selling drugs or furnishing the drugs to others, then you should call the police

The first of a series of informational workshops about proposed utilities rate hikes took place in the lobby of City Hall Wednesday where attendees walked away with a personalized report on what the new rates will look like on their own utility bills. “It’s an opportunity for people to come in, ask all the questions they want and really become informed about the proposal,” Jessica Hess, communications specialist with the city Utilities Department, said Tuesday. The workshops are set up in an open house forum with information booths staffed by Utilities Department engineers, regulatory compliance specialists and field crews that respond to customers. The Utilities Department’s proposed t

Posted by dram13 Hello, I went out Friday night with some friends and had a bit too much to drink. We took a taxi from the bar and the next day I find out from my bank that over $700 was taken from my account. I had zero money in my wallet and it was shown that money taken out from multiple ATMS before I got home. There are three possibilites I see happening. A) I was guided by the people I was with to take money out while I was intoxicated B) People took my password and card out of my wallet while I was asleep and took money out C) Taxi driver did either A or B. I know that under the law if a girl is intoxicated and a male sleeps with her, it can be considered rape since she was not in

Posted by cherylwin Can I complete a restraining order on someone without providing my location? This is a person who was in prison for kidnapping me years ago and is now free and off parole as of yesterday. Dear cherylwin, It must be unnerving for you knowing that the man who once victimized you is out. Here’s what you should do. His parole agent should have already put those conditions on his parole prior to getting out of prison. You may want to call Parole and make sure the condition to stay away from you was added. He must only know your name and you don’t need to supply your address. If you see the man anywhere near you, call the police. If he attempts to contact you via telephone

The 2012 City Management Academy (CMA) starts on Wednesday January 25th, 2012. Applications are being accepted through Friday, December 9th at 5:00pm, postmarks are not accepted.  Completed applications can be hand delivered, faxed or mailed. If you have a interest in how the City of Sacramento government works this is with out a doubt the best place to learn. This is especially true if you are a neighborhood activist or want to help make the city work better for everyone.   "Anyone considering running for election for mayor/ city council or serving on any board or commission would be well served by participating in these valuable orientation "academies:" fifthgenerationsacramentan SacPr

Posted by bmclemons Hello Michelle.. Question.. I’m aware of a vehicle which obviously hit something when the driver was drunk not sure if it was a pole or something, but was able to make it back. The car is sitting in an apartment complex garage now for over 3 months and is completely totaled. Shouldn’t this be reported to either DMV or the authorities? Dear bmclemons, You could call the police department in your jurisdiction and report it as a suspicious vehicle. The dispatcher will ask you what the license plate is. It may be a stolen vehicle, or a vehicle involved in a crime. If it doesn’t have a plate attached to the vehicle, an officer can still be sent out to check the vehicle id

Posted by Jib916 Good Morning Michelle. I had a question regarding how you plan on handling the occupiers/campers camping in front of best buy and other big box retail stores for black Friday. If Sacramento has a no tent policy, isn’t it only fair that these peoples camping equipment shall be confiscated, just like the protesters? After all the law is the law. Any response would be greatly appreciated. Thank You Justin Buell Dear Justin, The “no tent” policy you are speaking about refers to occupying a camping space on city/county property. When people camp in front of stores in anticipation for stores to open or to get prime tickets at a box office, they are occupying space on priva

Posted by ron_lopez2011 Please extend my personal thanks to the officers involved in the arrest of Rasaan Zawadi. I hope you get his accomplices too. That story just bugged me to the core; thank you for what you guys do. Dear ron_lopez2011, Thank you Ron! For those of you who aren’t familiar with Rasaan Zawadi, he was one of two bullies who were shown in a viral video taunting and punching a handicapped woman in front of a South Sacramento store. Zawadi was seen harassing and punching the female victim several times. Another suspect, 19-year-old Donnell Wade, who was seen punching the female in the face and knocking her out, was also arrested for the crime. According to a recent press

Abuse of disabled parking placards is no small problem in Sacramento, where a special task force is charged with tracking down offenders. To help reduce the misuse of disabled placards, the Sacramento Task Force On Placard Abuse was formed in 1996. According to Linda Tucker, spokeswoman for the Department of Transportation, the task force consists of specially trained parking enforcement officers who investigate complaints on disabled placard abuse and issue misdemeanor citations when necessary. The city employs 50 parking enforcement officers, and two of those are full-time officers who go undercover to investigate the use of disabled parking placards in the city. Tucker said the task

Recently, A&E launched “Parking Wars,” a reality series chronicling the parking division in Philadelphia and Detroit and their encounters with the parking-impaired. I admit, I’m hooked. As I watched episode after episode, I found myself in awe at the sheer amount of rage that one dreaded slip of paper can instill in someone. As someone who has dumped my own fair share of hard-earned dollars into parking citations, I can understand why the ticketed become irate; times are tough and tickets are expensive. Curious why anyone would subject themselves to a job where harassment is guaranteed, I set my bitterness aside and asked the city if I could hang out with a parking enforcement officer. I

It’s cold out there. It never stops raining. Despite some chilly conditions, the weather was not cold enough to deter the warmth heralded by the protestors of Occupy Sacramento who kept marching on Nov. 5 in solidarity with Occupy Wall Street for bank transfer day. Some are people whose homes have been taken away due to foreclosure. Others are disappointed because their children’s favorite teacher has been cut from lack of funding in their public school. Some just can’t get the health insurance they need. Others are sick and tired of the lies fed by government. Others are aging and their basic Social Security check no longer covers their necessities. Others are people on disability whose

It’s as if the ghosts of all those who have traveled through these halls before us can still be heard... I find myself yet again walking through empty rooms that echo not only my footsteps, but the seeming sounds of the past The Sacramento Valley Station finds itself as a hub of transportation for the Sacramento area. Currently serving as an intermodal complex, the facility includes Amtrak, light rail, regional bus services and taxi amenities. The public portions of the building are those that many are familiar with such as the main hall, or passenger waiting area, where customers purchase tickets or pass through to the facilities outside to the north. Outside are the bus berths, passeng

Posted by ted bas Greetings! I enjoy reading these archive articles. Thanks. In my neighborhood, I suspect 3 individual who are, I believe, are in constant plans to rob empty home. One of them daily eye on certain vehicles which would have left their residence. I believes he communicates this to his partner and then determines who else is left behind on a house they plan to steal from. Yesterday I went out to the area where he usually observes. when he saw me, we walked away like guilty for some reason. Today, he is out there but in a more secluded area, eyeing or in a look out for some vehicle while he talks to his friend in the cell phone. Need your advice. I am willing to help to preve

The phone rings a woman cries out. “Rhonda, is your son okay? I heard he was robbed at gunpoint. Was he shot?" "My son is on his way home from school. It must be someone else." I replied. I hung up the phone and I called the cell phone my sister had bought my son for Christmas. A voice I did not recognize answered. I asked, “Who is this?" I demanded, "Put my son on the phone."  The person responded, "You're son is dead" and then they hung up. I called back crying, "Please put my son on the phone." They replied, "He's dead." I ran to the car with no idea of where I was going. I decided to drive the route my son would have walked home from school. I was praying "Please God let me find m

Posted by logsmom08 Hi Officer Michelle! I am a renter in the Sacramento area. I live in a duplex and share the other half of the house with someone who has a ‘medical card’. My neighbors and I share a garage wall in our duplex and I am assuming that they smoke in their garage because when I walk in my garage, the stink about knocks me over. Do I have any rights to ask them to stop smoking in the garage or anywhere where I and my family can smell or be effected by it? Dear logsmom08, The best thing you can do about that is to speak with your landlord. Some landlords have their renters sign a marijuana smoking clause now. The law about smoking marijuana regardless if it is for medicinal