Robert Horowitz comment-41467 2010-12-01T08:46:57Z 2010-12-01T08:46:57Z DWB, there is plenty of crime reporting on the TV, KFBK, the Beevis and other places. I don't think your niche lies with more in depth crime reporting. Unfortunately, you might wind up spending all your time on that. I like Craig Powell's ideas about a neighborhood list serve, and I think there may be fodder in the fact that crime fighting resources are dwindling at a time when folks are more desperate than ever. Robert Horowitz 2010-12-01T08:46:57Z Robert Horowitz comment-34542 2010-08-09T20:44:41Z 2010-08-09T20:44:41Z A little Singapore-style caning would fix their wagon. All the vandalism at the newly fixed up schools around Sac makes me sick. What is wrong with these people? Perhaps this type of behavior could be deterred by a good, old fashioned ass whooping, televised for everyone to see... Robert Horowitz 2010-08-09T20:44:41Z Robert Horowitz comment-33995 2010-07-31T21:12:07Z 2010-07-31T21:12:07Z Well, we are working on that and I just didn't know whether she would be able to make it or not. I cannot commit her to an event when that had not been confirmed. If she has to be in DC to vote on something then it's OK with me to send a member of her staff; that's what they're for. When I get more info on attendees and speakers I will revise the article. Robert Horowitz 2010-07-31T21:12:07Z Robert Horowitz comment-33831 2010-07-30T06:06:59Z 2010-07-30T06:06:59Z Dang. LandParker's comments are very revealing, and union politics are often ridiculous. But we may be missing a larger point. Cogmeyer points out that there will be a ballot measure in November to further reduce city revenues. All those folks out there wishing to starve government to the point it can be drowned in a bathtub better be careful what they wish for. Sacramento is nice place to live in part because of the services we receive, including parks, code enforcement, fire, police. Is our goal to be more like third-world cities that don't provide a similar level of service??? Maybe I should reconsider that remodeling project.... Robert Horowitz 2010-07-30T06:06:59Z Robert Horowitz comment-33829 2010-07-30T05:55:36Z 2010-07-30T05:55:36Z I think a streetcar down Stockton Boulevard from Alhambra to Florin would benefit a lot more folks. Robert Horowitz 2010-07-30T05:55:36Z Robert Horowitz comment-33828 2010-07-30T05:52:35Z 2010-07-30T05:52:35Z I think this is actually a pretty decent location for new development, but would like to hear more about tie ins with light rail and the concept that many of these mined areas are substantially below "ground" level and what that might mean for flooding, flood insurance, etc. Robert Horowitz 2010-07-30T05:52:35Z Robert Horowitz comment-33825 2010-07-30T05:20:22Z 2010-07-30T05:20:22Z Nice Rockwell-esqe imagery, but it doesn't fit the current situation. Joe the donut maker and Jim the dry cleaner are not the ones making the big contributions. It's the giant trans-national corporations. Every single corporate chieftain, manager or worker bee is free to contribute their personal dollars to any candidate, and no one is interfering with that. So, in fact, corporate donations are nothing more than double-dipping. And let's get real, they are not doing it on behalf of their employees, but rather on behalf of executives and shareholders (yes, I realize that many of us are shareholders via our pensions and 401ks). These donations, combined with their influence from lobbying, has allowed large corporations to ship jobs overseas where labor is cheaper and protections for workers and the environment virtually non-existent, and hide their profits overseas so to avoid taxation here at home. The larger point of all this corporate influence peddling is to lower the corporate tax burden, and they have been quite successful at that. Wonder why government is always broke, even though your personal taxes don't ever seem to go down? That's because the effective corporate tax rate today is less than half of what it was in the 1950s, that supposedly blissful by-gone era of Rockwellian lore to which all good Republicans pine to return. I say great, let's start that return to better times by restoring corporate tax rates and shifting the burden off the individuals and back to the corporadoes. Anyway, that's only one of the three points of the Other 98 Plan, and definitely the toughest of the three to accomplish. I guess there is no argument on the other two points. So, everyone, hope to see you at the Rally! Robert Horowitz 2010-07-30T05:20:22Z Robert Horowitz comment-19113 2009-12-10T23:07:12Z 2009-12-10T23:07:12Z This article is long on emotion and unsubstantiated allegations, and short on fact. The part about asthma sufferers is laughable. Putting greenwaste into a covered bin is bad for asthma, but sweeping it into a pile which blows in in the wind and gets run over by vehicles is not? You got any scientific evidence for that??? The author's response to comments indicates he is not any more interested in contradicting opinions than the people he has criticized in his "article" There are many strong arguments in favor of bins. Very few good ones, in my opinion, for keeping the claw. I'm with Gabriel and Beerzie, let's have the election and let the chips... er the leaves, twigs and branches... fall where they may. Robert Horowitz 2009-12-10T23:07:12Z Robert Horowitz comment-18450 2009-11-30T21:05:54Z 2009-11-30T21:05:54Z I don't know what they did before the claw. But I suspect homeowners were more intimately involved. Good question! City archives or historians might be in the know. The claw is effective, but inefficient. By the time these materials make it to their final destination, I'll bet they have been handled by 5 different people and five different machines! Not sustainable! In the future, the large-scale compost facilities which are the best-case final destination for these materials will be more heavily regulated for air and water emissions. That means tipping fees have nowhere to go but UP. So, local, small scale solutions are needed. The less the city has to haul away, the better for taxpayers and the environment. Robert Horowitz 2009-11-30T21:05:54Z Robert Horowitz comment-18446 2009-11-30T19:32:00Z 2009-11-30T19:32:00Z I think Oracle has made some good points here, but I also agree that during certain times of the year, like this Saturday when high winds blew down a ton of leaves and branches, there can be an overwhelming amount of materials on the ground. I, for one, would be in favor of a city ordinance mandating property owners keep their street frontage clean and storm drains clear! Since I have a corner lot with 120' total of frontage, this is not something I say lightly. We need neighborhood-level solutions to these issues which keep the resources in the neighborhood. Maybe community block leaders or councils which help organize and compost leaves, branches and other materials so they stay out of the streets and out of the storm drains. Stop asking for city-level solutions to neighborhood-level problems. More backyard composting, more neighborhood composting, more street sweeping by homeowners, less gas-powered leaf blowers, less hauling away of valuable organics to distant landfills and compost facilities. What better way to meet your neighbors than a block party of sweeping, chipping and composting! Robert Horowitz 2009-11-30T19:32:00Z Robert Horowitz comment-17332 2009-11-05T22:15:20Z 2009-11-05T22:15:20Z I am going to have to disagree here, and I don't think the tone of this article is helpful. You make this sound like a capricious whim of unelected bureacrats, but in fact the city staff who are responsible for implementing these programs serve any number of masters, some of whom are elected, and others who have the ability to fine the city large amounts of $$$. While I certainly agree that massive fall leaf drops in the central city will overwhelm any bin, I don't think they city is unaware of that or would completely cease fall leaf-pickup efforts. While it may have some merits, the claw system is archaic and inefficient. It means running extra diesel engines, it damages city streets, and it requires a clean-up crew of broom-wielding workers. This is all very expensive, and results in significant emissions and noise. The bin loading trucks are faster, quieter and cleaner. Furthermore, the leaf piles are a hazard to cyclists and sometimes motorists. Few city residents take the time to properly sweep their portion of the street and keep their leaf piles out of the rights of way. Then there is the issue of attractive nuisance; street piles are a magnet for trash, little bags of dog poop, and other contaminants to the greenwaste stream. Then there is the most important issue of all, water quality and flooding. The street piles inveitably find their way into the city's antiquated storm drain system, inrtroducing nutrients, pathogens and other nasties. Sometimes the unwanted debris simply clogs the drain completely, resulting in flooding and much overtime for city staff unclogging them during a storm. Otherwise the stuff is just carried to the river. Street piles were eliminated in Woodland for that very reason. If there is a mosquito issue, and I have not heard that one before, it is because the street piles clog the storm drains and water pools there. Sacramento, like many city's, hires a pest control company to regularly treat the storm drains to eliminate mosquitoes. While there are some city reaidents who do a great job sweeping their gutters and keeping their piles out of the way, the majority do not. Bins are the way to go. I am certain that the city will continue to deal with the leaf issue; but it would be better for all if residents composted that themselves and used it on their yards. Barring that, get used to another bin. Robert Horowitz 2009-11-05T22:15:20Z Robert Horowitz comment-3486 2009-02-13T06:41:55Z 2009-02-13T06:41:55Z What a mess. Agree with Rock Star, the big buyout was the straw that is now breaking that camel. Now the employees and the readers will pay. I have to say that, overall, I like the new design, and that i think the story selections are a lot better than they used to be, even if the editorial hole is a bit smaller. Sadly, this improvement probably is not sustainable, and certainly will not be enough to fix the problems caused by Pruitt and his corporate clowns. Media consolidation is a bad deal for everybody! Robert Horowitz 2009-02-13T06:41:55Z Robert Horowitz comment-3485 2009-02-13T06:31:07Z 2009-02-13T06:31:07Z Thanks, David. Flat riding is better than no riding. One day when I am old and incontinent, I'm sure riding out there will be quite the thrill! Robert Horowitz 2009-02-13T06:31:07Z Robert Horowitz comment-2720 2009-01-25T01:48:43Z 2009-01-25T01:48:43Z These sound like great skis, however, ski length of 82 or even 93 MM would be smaller than your boot. Those numbers undoubtedly mean the width of the ski at the "waist," the area under your foot. An 82 would be a normal width for today's fatter skis. A 92 is a pretty fat powder ski, though today's super fats can go as wide as 110. Downhill skiing is inherently non-sustainable. Even if you were to bike up there with all your gear, which is not feasible, the lifts run on a ton of juice. However, you need to put it all in perspective. One could probably run all of the ski lifts in the world for an entire season on the energy burned by the US military in a day. Carpool, or take a bus, by all means, cuz' you'll need the company stuck in those apres-ski traffic jams. Robert Horowitz 2009-01-25T01:48:43Z Robert Horowitz comment-2665 2009-01-23T17:55:13Z 2009-01-23T17:55:13Z This story shows some bias against the district and needs more balance. There is no real discussion about what drives actual school funding. Also, this statement, "Many parents and one of Washington's own teachers were concerned over rumors that 18 months ago a dance company toured the school with the intention of closing down the school. " seems preposterous. Are school administrators posing as dancers touring the state to choose which schools they will crush under their evil pointed toes? Please explain. Robert Horowitz 2009-01-23T17:55:13Z