Democratic Assembly candidate Chris Garland is ringing in the New Year with his announcement that he has picked up the endorsements of key legislative leaders in his race for the Democratic nomination in the 9th Assembly District, including Senator Leland Yee, Assemblymember Anthony Portantino, and former Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez. For more information, contact Phil Giarrizzo, 916-737-9325.

Talk about election fatigue. The last general election was just a few months ago. And though most voters aren't even aware of it yet, our tv's and mailboxes will be full of campaign propaganda for a statewide special election scheduled for May 19th. Beyond that, however, the 2010 campaigns for governor and legislature are already underway, particularly here in Sacramento, where an all-out battle for the California State Assembly seat being vacated by termed-out Assemblymember Dave Jones has begun to heat up. First, a bit of background. The District 9 Assembly seat, which encompasses the City of Sacramento and some Sacramento County turf, is safely Democratic. The winner of the June 2010

It's about time. On Tuesday night, the Sacramento City Council voted 6-3 to make it a crime to dig thru recycling and waste bins. (City Council members Fong, McCarty and Pannell were the votes against it).  Anyone who lives in Midtown, downtown, East Sac, Land Park, and other areas will appreciate the new ordinance. That's because stealing recyclable materials has become a full-time activity for plenty of folks -- and a headache for those of us who live in the city. During the past few years, the problem of bin raiding has gone from bad to worse.  A few months ago, a friend in Midtown told me how the scavengers had taken to jumping his fence and coming into his backyard to go after the