cogmeyer comment-63547 2012-02-10T10:18:21Z 2012-02-10T10:18:21Z This episode is just another example of the outsized political influence held by local police, fire, city employee and education unions. The ulitimate solution is Scott Walker / Wisconsin style public employee union reforms. Step one would be make union membership voluntary. Until Sacramentans come to this realization, our fortunes (or lack thereof) will continue to be driven by a very small select cadre of public employees, many of whom don't even live in the City. cogmeyer 2012-02-10T10:18:21Z cogmeyer comment-63381 2012-02-07T09:52:51Z 2012-02-07T09:52:51Z KJ made the mistake of giving attention and legitimization to the selfish "SafeGround" PAC. These professional hobos have made a career leeching from Sacramento's public services and public open spaces. Now, in gratitude they are using lawsuits and media exposure to attempt to get Sacramento taxpayers to buy them free land for a more permanent hobo camp. Who on City Council is ready to stand up to these clowns? cogmeyer 2012-02-07T09:52:51Z cogmeyer comment-63336 2012-02-06T17:14:33Z 2012-02-06T17:14:33Z Interesting attitude that theft is the fault of the victim, not the perp. A perfect example of the lack of faith in local law enforcement. cogmeyer 2012-02-06T17:14:33Z cogmeyer comment-63298 2012-02-05T03:13:33Z 2012-02-05T03:13:33Z Felony grand theft is a non-crime in the view of SacPD. Felony thefts of 10s of thousands of dollars will only get the poor victim a call in police report (and a chance to interact with a cranky union laborer who would rather not be bothered). Calling the police to report thefts only results in another propety value sapping on the crime map. cogmeyer 2012-02-05T03:13:33Z cogmeyer comment-63080 2012-02-01T20:04:27Z 2012-02-01T20:04:27Z Odd indeed cogmeyer 2012-02-01T20:04:27Z cogmeyer comment-63027 2012-02-01T11:17:50Z 2012-02-01T11:17:50Z Great work Steve to pull this together. We have to question Phylis Newton's seriousness if she can't even answer a few questions for a local news source. All the candidates provided extremely cautious responses, with little differentiation. Is there a candidate who can actually speak their mind on an issue?: On the topic of leaf piles, interesting that none noted that street pickup was mandated by voters in '77, and any changes should take the public vote into consideration. On the topic of maijuana dispensaries, all the candidates seem to stay well clear of the obvious fact that the "medical" aspect of these dispensaries is mostly a sham. cogmeyer 2012-02-01T11:17:50Z cogmeyer comment-62932 2012-01-31T05:23:49Z 2012-01-31T05:23:49Z Lisa Totally agree with you on the immigration reform. The reason you friend who is a US citizen is suffering from harsh working conditions is because she is attempting to work in a field over-saturated with illegal workers. Your friend employment problems will soon be over, since she will soon be unemployed. This bill provides a far greater increase in protection for illegal workers (who have almost none) then it does for legal workers like your friend (who can easily sue in court, organize, or use the media to go after bad employers). Thus, this bill just encourages more illegal aliens into the domestic workforce. The policy of the State of California is to leave the door wide open unfettered illegal immigration. Many Californians think that this is a "compassionate" social policy. But in truth, having an underclass living in the shadows wiill always lead to abuse of both the immigrant and the US citizens in that field alike. Band aids like this bill simply attempt to legitimize illegal workers. We all know the correct answer is for California to exercise state's rights and to put an end to our States illegal workforce. cogmeyer 2012-01-31T05:23:49Z cogmeyer comment-62931 2012-01-31T05:03:50Z 2012-01-31T05:03:50Z Very informative. I learned that I can get my cat nuetered for free if I just cut the tip of hid ear off. And I learned that killing is not effective at controllong population (a point clearly disproven by Hitler and Poi Pot). I am surpised there is no concern raised about the thousands of rats and other rodents killed each year by these feral cats. Who is watching out for Sacramento's vulnerable rat population? cogmeyer 2012-01-31T05:03:50Z cogmeyer comment-62915 2012-01-30T20:59:24Z 2012-01-30T20:59:24Z Maybe you didn't notice that California has one of the highest income tax rates in the nation, and about to go higher if JB gets his way. Our overall per capita rate of taxation from all sources is medium to high, depending on how one measures it. There is and always was enough money in the treasury to run the state and maintain public buildings. What we have lacked since the 70s is prudent use of these funds. cogmeyer 2012-01-30T20:59:24Z cogmeyer comment-62912 2012-01-30T19:25:40Z 2012-01-30T19:25:40Z That is hilarious that a State employee thinks he will get fired if he highlights a safety issue. What possible evidence is the basis of this fear? Over at Caltrans you can falsify bridge test data and not get fired! cogmeyer 2012-01-30T19:25:40Z cogmeyer comment-62809 2012-01-27T18:38:20Z 2012-01-27T18:38:20Z MikeM It actually is not even clear that redevelopment has been "very helpful". I think it is more correct to say that many of the redevelopment projects have been very tangible and visible, such as the R Street project that you cite. But we never really get to see what the positive impact on the community would have been if those incremental tax dollars had continued to flow into local police, education, parks and other city services. cogmeyer 2012-01-27T18:38:20Z cogmeyer comment-62806 2012-01-27T18:19:55Z 2012-01-27T18:19:55Z Why wouldn't this school attract Oak Park residents? It seems a little condescending to imply that Oak Park residents are not interested or incapable of attending a school with a strong academic focus. cogmeyer 2012-01-27T18:19:55Z cogmeyer comment-62782 2012-01-26T21:18:31Z 2012-01-26T21:18:31Z That's my point. She seems concerned with fairness to the staff, and her union minders. I am concerned about fairness to the taxpayers who have been funding this boondoggle for all these years and expect it to be shut down in the most cost-effective manner possible. cogmeyer 2012-01-26T21:18:31Z cogmeyer comment-62771 2012-01-26T15:45:26Z 2012-01-26T15:45:26Z It is very telling that no city leaders quoted in the article show any concern for lessening the debt burden on city, county and state taxpayers. However Sheedy and Austin both have expressed their desire to keep a maximum number of staff on the payroll, whether that staff s needed or not. This attitude that government is a jobs program for the otherwise unemployable is a key component of redevelopments fiscal irresponsibility and subsequent downfall. cogmeyer 2012-01-26T15:45:26Z cogmeyer comment-62769 2012-01-26T12:56:20Z 2012-01-26T12:56:20Z Wow... HUD "awarded" Sacramento by giving back some of our own federal tax dollars? How very generous. Thanks Doris, but when will you address the rest of federal tax imbalance that Californians continue to suffer from? cogmeyer 2012-01-26T12:56:20Z cogmeyer comment-62768 2012-01-26T12:37:48Z 2012-01-26T12:37:48Z AB889 is just another dose of condescending liberal paternalism. The reason the women in the photo was able to be threatened with deportation was not because she lacked a so-called "domestic worker bill of rights", its because she is here illegally. An illegal immigrant will always be vulnerable. AB889 is an ineffective band-aid, the real solution is to end illegal immigration and illegal employment. Also, with California unemployment over 10%, shouldn't this be a job that legal US residents should be performing? cogmeyer 2012-01-26T12:37:48Z cogmeyer comment-62637 2012-01-24T05:12:53Z 2012-01-24T05:12:53Z True, and this EIR requirement is still a bunch of wasteful BS. The environmental consultants that pad the pockets of state and local governments to keep these bureaucratic rules in place are the only ones that gain from this. cogmeyer 2012-01-24T05:12:53Z cogmeyer comment-62597 2012-01-22T04:16:30Z 2012-01-22T04:16:30Z It is amazing how state & local governments moan incessantly about their budgets being "cut to the bone ", yet never challenge obvious waste like this. The bureaucrats are steering the ship while Taxpayers and common sense are locked away in steerage. cogmeyer 2012-01-22T04:16:30Z cogmeyer comment-62580 2012-01-21T08:24:48Z 2012-01-21T08:24:48Z Geoff Thanks for taking a stand on this one. The other question that needs to be asked is why the current laws are not sufficient. Megaupload was taken down this week in New Zealand in an FBI coordinated operation, all without these SOPA powers. The bar should be set very high to justify limiting free speech and free commerce. Was good to see all 4 GOP candidates oppose SOPA in the debate Thursday night. Hopefully our president will likewise take a clear position on SOPA as well. cogmeyer 2012-01-21T08:24:48Z cogmeyer comment-62301 2012-01-16T06:56:01Z 2012-01-16T06:56:01Z Well, The city has decided it has to work with a union approved list of contractors and pay the accompanying prevailing wage, and that it should give preference to minority and femaied owned contractors. And thanks to Rob Fong (is he gone yet BTW?) the city can't deal with any suppliers who are headquartered in Arizona. And meanwhile the city decides it must specify LED power saving stoplights despite the negative lifetime ROI, just to meet an arbitrary "Green Energy" goal. If the City continually short-circuits the laws of supply and demand with these artificial barriers to free and open commerce, then the result is $500K stoplights. Unfortunately this is pervasive across the city operations, not just traffic signaling. cogmeyer 2012-01-16T06:56:01Z cogmeyer comment-62300 2012-01-16T06:45:25Z 2012-01-16T06:45:25Z Great... now the SacPress is in the business of broadcasting gang tags :) Great work Melissa! cogmeyer 2012-01-16T06:45:25Z cogmeyer comment-62278 2012-01-16T06:41:38Z 2012-01-16T06:41:38Z Mark, Pay attention... I never mentioned OWS, only referred to Occupy Sacramento. OS own meeting minutes and agenda refer to various union activities... * SEIU offers of food, equipment, media services.. * Arrangments for OS to protest / picket in support of various union causes. Princess, it is a free country with a great 1st ammendment. Occupy Sacramento can align with any cause that they wish, I have no problem with that. But the idea that the SEIU has not been propping up Occupy Sacramento is just as farcical as the idea that corrupt union dollars are not a "special interest". Remember, nobody has ever been forced to join the NRA, but unfortunately today if you want to work in certain fields you can be forced to join a union, and that union is free to use your dues to also give "huge sums of PAC campaign donations to political election campaign coffers". cogmeyer 2012-01-16T06:41:38Z cogmeyer comment-62158 2012-01-11T21:48:46Z 2012-01-11T21:48:46Z Timely cogmeyer 2012-01-11T21:48:46Z cogmeyer comment-62019 2012-01-09T18:57:16Z 2012-01-09T18:57:16Z It was an attempt at levity... obviously ill-received by the astute SacPress comment corps. What did you hear about my Rorschasch results? My shrink promised me full confidentiality! cogmeyer 2012-01-09T18:57:16Z cogmeyer comment-62017 2012-01-09T18:40:54Z 2012-01-09T18:40:54Z Agreed, great work William. cogmeyer 2012-01-09T18:40:54Z cogmeyer comment-62006 2012-01-09T05:25:57Z 2012-01-09T05:25:57Z Joetrip Our state tax rates are the same with or without RDA's You seem to imply that tax dollars diverted to RDA's somehow creates more jobs and more local economic activity than if those same tax dollars were funding police, fire and schools. That is simply unsubstantiated. \If you look at local educational performance and dismal crime rates for our area, I argue we need more cops and teachers then we another shiny building. Yes news sources such as the SacPress always gravitate towards tangible images of construction and rehabilitation. The alternative uses of those RDA dollars, such as better educated children or a crime not happening, just aren't as easy to summarize in a headline. cogmeyer 2012-01-09T05:25:57Z cogmeyer comment-61950 2012-01-06T07:04:24Z 2012-01-06T07:04:24Z Ashby's photo subliminally implies that the office of Governor of California looks up to the office of Sacramento Vice-Mayor. cogmeyer 2012-01-06T07:04:24Z cogmeyer comment-61949 2012-01-06T06:48:21Z 2012-01-06T06:48:21Z Edgar Understood on the name issue. It sounded a little more insiduous the way Melissa described it (like Hilbert by day, Garcia by night). Best of luck! cogmeyer 2012-01-06T06:48:21Z cogmeyer comment-61930 2012-01-06T06:36:13Z 2012-01-06T06:36:13Z Anybody reading this article is encouraged to read the definitive article on the topic that Craig Powell wrote for Inside the City. http://eyeonsacramento.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Pipe-Dreams.pdf Key Takeaway: If Sacramentans are concerned about 10-15% annual rate increases over the next 3 years, they should be freaked out when they learn that similarly huge annual increases will extend through the rest of the decade. cogmeyer 2012-01-06T06:36:13Z cogmeyer comment-61869 2012-01-04T01:54:01Z 2012-01-04T01:54:01Z Since you mention it, yes this list looks like a few nice-to-haves amidst a bunch of waste-of-times. Do you really see substantive, impactful laws here that justify the existence of a full time California legislature? Really? cogmeyer 2012-01-04T01:54:01Z cogmeyer comment-61826 2012-01-03T00:59:35Z 2012-01-03T00:59:35Z Melissa So we really had a council candidate who said he altenates between 2 different last names? Was Mr. Hilbert (or Mr. Garcia) not aware that name recognition is the key component of successful political campaigns? I would have loved to hear the audio on that interview! cogmeyer 2012-01-03T00:59:35Z cogmeyer comment-61577 2011-12-22T14:03:41Z 2011-12-22T14:03:41Z Occupy Sacramento which claimed to be a protest against the special interests whicbh corrupt our democracy, was eventually co-opted as a tool of the SEIU special interests. The black community should be proud that they didn't get involved in this corrupt labor rally masqerading as a "protest movement". cogmeyer 2011-12-22T14:03:41Z cogmeyer comment-61437 2011-12-17T10:56:48Z 2011-12-17T10:56:48Z Hopelly CalFac isn't upset that the author is holiday shopping at non-union Sam's Club cogmeyer 2011-12-17T10:56:48Z cogmeyer comment-61338 2011-12-14T19:32:59Z 2011-12-14T19:32:59Z how do you know 183 isn't Joel's last name? By the way, Fret Retort is the name of my new bluegrass ska band. cogmeyer 2011-12-14T19:32:59Z cogmeyer comment-61336 2011-12-14T18:54:13Z 2011-12-14T18:54:13Z Is the privatized parking linked to the arena...or is it possible the city will move forward with this as way to raise cash even when the arena deal collapses? cogmeyer 2011-12-14T18:54:13Z cogmeyer comment-61257 2011-12-13T17:52:39Z 2011-12-13T17:52:39Z I too wish Roger Dickinson would worry about all the Sacramentan suffering the molestation of high (and increasing) taxation, bankrupt public pensions, reduced government services, and the private enterprises abondoning the state en masse. This legislation that no one asked for is a perfect example why California really needs a part-time legislature. cogmeyer 2011-12-13T17:52:39Z cogmeyer comment-61150 2011-12-09T18:09:30Z 2011-12-09T18:09:30Z If the city and county were serious about this, then we would be hearing a joint statement from the DA, the Sheriff and local police chiefs about their plans. Usually this would involve a public commitment to prosecute copper thieves to the full extent of the law. The article mentions 3 arrests in the last three months. Would be interesting to hear how these were prosecuted, and how many were repeat offenders. Its also worth mentioning that you can regularly find copper "fire rings" in the transient camps around Sacramento, where spools of copper wire are set on fire to remove the plastic insulation. Destruction of private and city property is just another undocumented downside of Sac City's defacto strategy to encourage the nation's transients to settle in the Sacramento area (not to mention the environmental impact of burning piles of plastic next to a river). cogmeyer 2011-12-09T18:09:30Z cogmeyer comment-61056 2011-12-08T00:21:36Z 2011-12-08T00:21:36Z Definitely not. How about you? cogmeyer 2011-12-08T00:21:36Z cogmeyer comment-61015 2011-12-07T14:11:02Z 2011-12-07T14:11:02Z "Women in Media" may be an interesting class, but not having this class on your transcripts will have zero effect on your employability. Turn this into an advantage, and work with your advisor to find electives outside of journalism that will make you a better reporter. cogmeyer 2011-12-07T14:11:02Z cogmeyer comment-60922 2011-12-06T20:55:08Z 2011-12-06T20:55:08Z Either way, the city contract includes the transportation of the garbage as well as the landfill disposal fee. Obviously the big difference here is that Kiefer Landfill is charging way more per ton than the landfill in Nevada. Quick estimate: $2/mile operating/labor cost for the truck, 250miles additional travel to NV location, and 60 tons track per truck = $8.33 per ton in transportation cost to Nevada. Since the contract to the Kiefer location is already $8 more expensive, and trucking to the Kiefer landfill saves another $8.3 per ton in transportation cost, we can estimate that Kiefer is charging $16/more per ton for waste disposal then the landfill in Nevada. What's wierd is that the Kiefer landfill charges only $30/ton retail rate. Contracting companies like BLT would get a better rate. So the Nevada landfill must be charging almost nothing for garbage (maybe $10-$15 per ton). http://www.msa2.saccounty.net/wmr/Documents/Kiefer%20Fee%20Sheet%20July%201%202009%20green%20ver.pdf cogmeyer 2011-12-06T20:55:08Z cogmeyer comment-60920 2011-12-06T20:27:17Z 2011-12-06T20:27:17Z Yes, JAT consumers will always pursue good value for their hard-earned dollar. This is exactly the same reason why you typed your response on a 97% Asia sourced laptop. Your accusation of selfishness should be with the supplier. In this case Sacramento County who has priced their landfill services so ridiculously high that it is cheaper for Sacramento to run trucks 250 miles round trip to Nevada. cogmeyer 2011-12-06T20:27:17Z cogmeyer comment-60851 2011-12-03T05:24:10Z 2011-12-03T05:24:10Z Hell, forget about "email-gate". The simple fact that Kim Mack supported the Obama campaign tellls us all we need to know about her lack of judgement. cogmeyer 2011-12-03T05:24:10Z cogmeyer comment-60812 2011-12-02T18:00:06Z 2011-12-02T18:00:06Z Officer Michelle already confirmed in her response that the SacPD selectively enforces the camping ordinance. Quote: "We typically don’t enforce the city ordinance on private property unless the business owners have an issue with individuals causing a specific problem." News flash, this happens every day. Example: Homeless steal thousands of pounds of valuable recyclables from city recycle bins each trash day, with zero enforcement from SacPD. However if the homeless steal the same value of recyclable copper from the lights at a City owned baseball diamond, SacPD arrives with sirens blaring. See? cogmeyer 2011-12-02T18:00:06Z cogmeyer comment-60811 2011-12-02T17:40:35Z 2011-12-02T17:40:35Z Yeah, sometimes very broad generalizations must be employed to get that succinct and biting soundbite :) Since RoKiFo is badging out of the shallow end of Sac City Hall cesspool (for the deeper cesspool of state capitol lobbying... ha) I am gonna need a new avatar. Any suggestions? cogmeyer 2011-12-02T17:40:35Z cogmeyer comment-60787 2011-12-01T06:52:15Z 2011-12-01T06:52:15Z Deal with it? Hell, KJ voted for it! The fact that this city council even considered a deal that increases our trash costs clearly shows that BLT lobbyists and city hall cronyism carries a lot more weight than the needs of the taxpayers. Shame on you Steve Cohn, Robert King Fong, Lauren Hammond, Bonnie Pannell, Kevin McCarty, Sandy Sheedy, and Mayor Kevin Johnson. cogmeyer 2011-12-01T06:52:15Z cogmeyer comment-60755 2011-11-30T07:20:37Z 2011-11-30T07:20:37Z “Second-guessing what the council decided a year ago is a waste of time,” Councilwoman Angelique Ashby said. “It’s not a question of rather or not the original contract was good. =========================================================== Yeah, we gotta move forward. But we also should stop and reflect on the specific councilmembers who made this boneheaded decision. Elections are right around the corner! From Nov 16 2010 City Council Meeting ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 17. Estimated Time: 45 minutes (Actual Time: 1 hr 5 minutes) Agreements: City/County/BLT In-Region Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Disposal, Purchase of Recyclables; and Settlement and Release Agreement [2/3 vote] (Continued from 11-9-10) Location: (Citywide) Action: Moved/Seconded: Member Steve Cohn/Member Sandy Sheedy Yes: Members Steve Cohn, Robert King Fong, Lauren Hammond, Bonnie Pannell, Kevin McCarty, Sandy Sheedy, Ray Tretheway, Robbie Waters and Mayor Kevin Johnson. Report Back a. Member Kevin McCarty 1. Return with report on citywide franchise for commercial waste and to analyze if it makes sense for the city to be involved in this franchise http://sacramento.granicus.com/DocumentViewer.php?file=sacramento_17583a76d9aaca2cb0b55c16eb2de7f8.pdf cogmeyer 2011-11-30T07:20:37Z cogmeyer comment-60745 2011-11-29T22:02:49Z 2011-11-29T22:02:49Z Since many occupiers think that there is no such thing as private property, the nuance of public vs. private property may have been lost on Justin cogmeyer 2011-11-29T22:02:49Z cogmeyer comment-60709 2011-11-29T05:47:43Z 2011-11-29T05:47:43Z Apparently the Sacramento region, and the drift of wood smoke, both end at the Sacramento county line. Ignore these nonsensical regulations implemented by unelected bureaucrats, just as the alleged "Sacramento Metro Air Quality District" forgot to include valley communities like West Sac, Davis, Roseville & Rocklin. cogmeyer 2011-11-29T05:47:43Z cogmeyer comment-60574 2011-11-23T19:52:47Z 2011-11-23T19:52:47Z I am in agreement with you and Rhys on this. Conceptually I think SMI is a good move, but it was a major mis-step for KJ to push for immediate implementation. He should have tied it to his re-election in the first place. It would make his re-election a referendum on Strong Mayor, but that would be his risk to take. cogmeyer 2011-11-23T19:52:47Z cogmeyer comment-60543 2011-11-22T22:54:06Z 2011-11-22T22:54:06Z The highly competitive 2011 Sustainable Communities grants totaled $97 million. Only 27 communities and organizations will receive the Community Challenge grants. =============================== What were the criteria for the selection of grant recipients? Can you share the selection matrix? Who (by name) was the final decision maker for the selection? cogmeyer 2011-11-22T22:54:06Z cogmeyer comment-60518 2011-11-22T17:26:04Z 2011-11-22T17:26:04Z The Power Balance deal was obviously a desparation move by the Maloofs, eager for some short term cash instead of taking the time to find a long term sponsor. So, how long before the Maloofs file bankruptcy and control of the team passes to the NBA (the pro sports version of receivership). The Maloofs have now sold off their beer distribution business, lost the Palms, shuttered the Monarchs. Cash flow was a challenge already, and now the Kings operation has been idled due to the labor strike. Should be just a matter of time before we hear that the Kings are deliquent on their loan payments to the City of Sacramento. cogmeyer 2011-11-22T17:26:04Z cogmeyer comment-60511 2011-11-22T17:08:34Z 2011-11-22T17:08:34Z "PB anticipates no interruption in the supply chain" Translation: We have now have 10 million of these worthless trinkets outgassing in a warehouse, and they will soon be in a landfill because we can't pay the warehouse rent. cogmeyer 2011-11-22T17:08:34Z cogmeyer comment-60458 2011-11-21T20:44:12Z 2011-11-21T20:44:12Z The first question that needs to be asked is whether everything has been done to work within the current budget. Are pay and benefits so low in the parks and rec dept that people are walking off the job for greener pastures? Considering that labor represents 85-90% of the parks budget, this becomes a critical question. Also, if the department is in such dire straits, why not open up a bit more about where the money is currently going?. For example, look at the current city budget (linked below) and tell me how much money is being used to support Camp Sacramento up by Lake Tahoe. http://www.cityofsacramento.org/finance/budget/approved-budget-2011-12/FY12_ApprovedBudget_Final_110311_WEB.pdf cogmeyer 2011-11-21T20:44:12Z cogmeyer comment-60440 2011-11-21T00:07:03Z 2011-11-21T00:07:03Z "Free" to the city, but as Rhys points out, not to its citizens. This is an example of government spending at its absolute worst. Pay $1.3 million today and over the next ten years you might get back 85% of your investment. Who but crony government bureaucrats spending other peoples money would enter into such an idiotic investment. (And then brag about it) cogmeyer 2011-11-21T00:07:03Z cogmeyer comment-60334 2011-11-17T21:09:51Z 2011-11-17T21:09:51Z Jessica, great article. You are old and wise enough to clearly see self-serving Teachers Union BS at face value. Thanks for speaking out for common sense. cogmeyer 2011-11-17T21:09:51Z cogmeyer comment-60318 2011-11-17T16:58:16Z 2011-11-17T16:58:16Z Awesome. Great business idea with an interesting history. Now I need to go taste the beer! cogmeyer 2011-11-17T16:58:16Z cogmeyer comment-60265 2011-11-16T19:15:47Z 2011-11-16T19:15:47Z What is the City of Sacramento doing to reduce building fee increases? And the bigger question is why the city and county fund 2 separate, redundant building departments that provide the exact same service. cogmeyer 2011-11-16T19:15:47Z cogmeyer comment-60184 2011-11-15T17:39:53Z 2011-11-15T17:39:53Z Occupy Sacramento is fighting for "life or death, human needs"? Melodrama alert. Melodrama alert. Cres seems like I heard this tune before with your groups supposed "anti Iraq war" rallies at Broadway and 15th. You remember those weekly political rallies disguised as a "life or death" peace movement? You know, the ones that suddenly stopped the day the Obama won the presidential election? cogmeyer 2011-11-15T17:39:53Z cogmeyer comment-59992 2011-11-11T22:29:18Z 2011-11-11T22:29:18Z Great point Davi Obviously the quotes are not representative of the Sacramento Latino community, but they are stillf very telling. Such as the complaint about La Raza Galleria running out of money. La Raza Galleria somtiems caters to a pretty hardcore fringe La Raza / MEChA crowd, is it any surprise they are not selling much art to the 27% Hispanic population (or non-Hispanics)? And there is the Latino complaining about the lack of Latino candidates. Instead of bitching to the SacPress reporter, enter the race dude. Maybe the quotes are misrepresentative, but they really mischaracterize the Sacramento Latinos as a feeble, helpless group. cogmeyer 2011-11-11T22:29:18Z cogmeyer comment-59988 2011-11-11T19:51:03Z 2011-11-11T19:51:03Z Providing a front row, easily accessible parking space for handicapped is the right thing for society to do. But we should question why we also provide free parking as part of this package. Unless your situation means you physically cannot reach the parking meter / ticket dispenser, this does not make sense. If for instance there are 1000 handicap spaces in the city of Sacramento that are in metered locations, this is easily a $1M plus a year of missed revenue....equal to maybe 5 or 7 full time police officers. Decreasing the incentive for placard fraud (ie free parking) is best local way that we can decrease the fraud. cogmeyer 2011-11-11T19:51:03Z cogmeyer comment-59968 2011-11-11T06:59:22Z 2011-11-11T06:59:22Z I agree, I get the same thing. IMy vision is so bad I can barely see past the hood ornament on my Plymouth when I pull into my disabled parking spot at the Old Spaghetti Factory. But when I get "that look" from bystanders who expect that I should be on crutches or something, I just wack them in the ankles with my white cane. Problem solved. cogmeyer 2011-11-11T06:59:22Z cogmeyer comment-59904 2011-11-10T00:42:22Z 2011-11-10T00:42:22Z The whole "medical marijuana" think is a joke straight out of some corrupt 3rd world country. Shady doctors writing prescriptions with wink. Dispensaries operating as "non-profits"... yeah right. I could care less what people smoke. But dragging down our medical profession and business tax code to tin-pot sub-Saharan levels is sad. I would rather that pot just be sold at Farmers Markets versus this charade! cogmeyer 2011-11-10T00:42:22Z cogmeyer comment-59865 2011-11-08T19:07:53Z 2011-11-08T19:07:53Z "After the first quarter of the fiscal year, city revenues are only about half of what was projected, but city finance officials said they aren’t ready to panic yet." ======================================= Sacramento's over-optimistic budget is already out of whack AFTER JUST ONE QUARTER!!!! We are approaching the 5th year of the local economic / housing downturn. When will our city stop wishing on rainbows and actually size our expenditures to a conservative revenue forecast? cogmeyer 2011-11-08T19:07:53Z cogmeyer comment-59818 2011-11-07T23:23:17Z 2011-11-07T23:23:17Z Funny stuff Sergio. The layers of sexual tension (and snake / canine metaphors) in the comments are funnier though! cogmeyer 2011-11-07T23:23:17Z cogmeyer comment-59803 2011-11-07T17:46:52Z 2011-11-07T17:46:52Z klenox just got pwned with a grammar challenge fail. cogmeyer 2011-11-07T17:46:52Z cogmeyer comment-59800 2011-11-07T17:26:59Z 2011-11-07T17:26:59Z "The fight with the City Council has sucked energy away from the group’s goal of reforming the U.S economy." ============================== So true Amabelle. Glad to see Occupy Sacramento is refocused on Wall Street, and I really like the push to support local credit unions. cogmeyer 2011-11-07T17:26:59Z cogmeyer comment-59710 2011-11-04T21:35:22Z 2011-11-04T21:35:22Z most of the attempts to "discredit at every turn" are actually other informed citizens wondering when Occupy Sacramento will actually make their point. Almost a month ago Occupy Sacramento published the declaration of intent. http://occupysac.com/?p=292 I read this with interest in what they would do next. But in reality the last month has been a waste, as Occupy Sacramento has marched around in circles against non-union hotel maids, against Sac City park ordinances, and even up to the state capital for reasons still unknown. Occupy Sacramento could quell a lot of this "discredit" by picking up their MacBook Air and agreeing on the follow-up to their declaration of intent, and then agreeing on specific directions of pursuit. Name candidates you support (or oppose), laws you want written (or overturned). Name criminals on Wall Street and demand their prosecution. Tell us how much you think rich people should be taxed, or if the rich should be banished to a leper island. Not everybody will agree of course, probably not me. But at some point please lay your cards on the table and stop complaining about park ordinances. cogmeyer 2011-11-04T21:35:22Z cogmeyer comment-59646 2011-11-03T23:32:31Z 2011-11-03T23:32:31Z Boy I hope Margaret Mead is wrong about the power of a small group of committed people. Because if the small, committed group holding up the giant black "Class Warfare" banner in Oakland last night become the change agents, we should all be scared. We have already seen that movie.. It starred Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge and ended rather badly. Really, how can any serious movement allow someone to walk aroud with a "Class Warfare" banner? Reverend MLK would have punched guys like that in the nose and told them to never come back. cogmeyer 2011-11-03T23:32:31Z cogmeyer comment-59637 2011-11-03T22:19:02Z 2011-11-03T22:19:02Z I actually think that there is a place for "casualties of war", civil disobediance, disruption of businesses (large and small), blocking of traffic, strikes etc. There could even be a case made that the malfeasance on Wall Street, excessive influence of corporate and union lobbyist, bank bailouts etc are just cause for such actions. But if Occupy is going to go there like the Civil Rights and Anti-War movement before them (and America's founding fathers for that matter) you better be able to state your goals clearly, concisely and cohesively. 6 wks in and Occupy still looks like a hodgepodge of amateur anarchists, homeless hangers-on, neo-communist/socialists and flavor of the week activitist. With a few college kids who picked the wrong major and want to complain to CBS13 about their student loans mixed in. I am (or at least was) sympathetic to original stated goals of the Occupy movement, but if all they have at this point is a poorly organized WTO riot, then it is probably time to call the whole thing off. cogmeyer 2011-11-03T22:19:02Z cogmeyer comment-59634 2011-11-03T22:08:07Z 2011-11-03T22:08:07Z Wasn't Franklin D. Roosevelt part of the 1%? cogmeyer 2011-11-03T22:08:07Z cogmeyer comment-59614 2011-11-03T19:09:07Z 2011-11-03T19:09:07Z ... and piddling around Sac City Council chambers while ignoring the culprits on Wall Street (and K. Street Washington DC). cogmeyer 2011-11-03T19:09:07Z cogmeyer comment-59608 2011-11-03T18:33:10Z 2011-11-03T18:33:10Z to be clear Curmudgeon, while I noted LPCA official position supports a Broadway bridge and not a Sutterville Bridge, I personally am not in agreement with this. But since West Sac is still at an early stage of its buildout, if West Sac is will to make some commitments on how their future neighborhoods will look (open grids passable to everyone, or walled off cul-de-sacs?) I certainly am more than willing to consider any bridge location. The ball is in West Sacramento's court on this one. In the meantime I support downtown area bridges. cogmeyer 2011-11-03T18:33:10Z cogmeyer comment-59604 2011-11-03T17:58:14Z 2011-11-03T17:58:14Z During our lunchtime walk, several of us engineer types were checking out one of these free charging stations and started wondering. Technically it would be easy to fill a large van or truck with cheap 24v forklift batteries, and then use power from these charging stations to light up one's home. I am surprised the prop215 growers haven't considered this yet (maybe they have :) Legally are their any restrictions on how much power can be taken from these power stations? cogmeyer 2011-11-03T17:58:14Z cogmeyer comment-59567 2011-11-03T17:33:29Z 2011-11-03T17:33:29Z I guess the moral of the story is that the mobile food agenda would be getting a lot more attention around city hall if they had a lobbyist like Mr. Conway hobbnobbing and buying dinners on their behalf, as the restaurant owners do. How silly of the food truck vendors to just focus on delivering hot tasty meals, and ignore on the seedy business of political lobbying. cogmeyer 2011-11-03T17:33:29Z cogmeyer comment-59602 2011-11-03T17:27:53Z 2011-11-03T17:27:53Z This is one of those rare occasions where I actually have sympathy for our Sac City Council having to listen to this garbage. cogmeyer 2011-11-03T17:27:53Z cogmeyer comment-59512 2011-11-02T18:00:32Z 2011-11-02T18:00:32Z Brandon my bad... on first read I didnt catch that Conway is speaking for the restaurant association not the city. An easy mistake to make though, since Conway appears to speaking on behalf of city staff for 3 paragraphs, seeming to know their challenge with motor vehicle code, defending them as not being complacent, and then wrappiong it all up by highlighting how hard city staff has been working on chicken coops and Occupy Sacramento. It almost seems like the California Restaurant Association is acting as city staff's brain for this issue. Great journalistic scoop Brandon. cogmeyer 2011-11-02T18:00:32Z cogmeyer comment-59496 2011-11-02T15:53:51Z 2011-11-02T15:53:51Z I am on the side of the mobile trucks. But for the love of Korean tacos, just make a decision Sac City Council. I can't believe they went on the record claiming that Occupy Sacramento and chicken coops have delayed their ability to consider the mobile food truck situation. Freaking bizarre that a city would spend millions to allow traffic on K Street with the dim hope that it will draw in some customers. Meanwhile Sacramento literally wins the lottery and has a rather ad hoc but incredibly successful Sacto Mofo event dropped in their lap. and the city instead spends their time considering chicken coops. cogmeyer 2011-11-02T15:53:51Z cogmeyer comment-59437 2011-11-01T22:49:47Z 2011-11-01T22:49:47Z We have already confirmed here on these pages that one of the more outspoken Occupiers is a lobbyist at the state capital. Makes sense that the Occupiers don't want to make too much of a ruckus on the capital steps and scare away any deep-pocketed clients. cogmeyer 2011-11-01T22:49:47Z cogmeyer comment-59436 2011-11-01T22:42:12Z 2011-11-01T22:42:12Z Yeah, but I think the Occupy movement's original intention were about expressing the active form of the verb (ie control an environment), like an occupying army. But in practice, with this fixation on being in a particular park between 12am-5am they are expressing the more passive form of the verb (ie take up space), like the uninvited couch surfer who decided to occupy my apartment when I was 19. cogmeyer 2011-11-01T22:42:12Z cogmeyer comment-59393 2011-11-01T22:36:57Z 2011-11-01T22:36:57Z Firstly, governments don't have "pocket books"... they just have the right to reach into the pocket books of taxpayers. A "threat of expensive lawsuit" is actually a threat against the government services that Sacramentans rely on. On these pages I have constantly been an advocate of free speech, and I appreciate the Occupy Movement expressing thier constitutionally guaranteed 1st ammendment rights (while I am still confused about Occupy's purpose or plan). But it is not obvious to many of us that Sacramento has restricted anybodies free speech by restricting hours of access to public parks. Instead of taking up Mark Merin's longstanding quixotic battle against Sac City Hall, I suggest that the Occupy Movement instead use the right of free speech that they already have. Get back to the reason you gathered in the first place: identify Wall St. culprits for prosecution, recommend candidates, etc. Just one man's opinion.... cogmeyer 2011-11-01T22:36:57Z cogmeyer comment-59432 2011-11-01T22:28:20Z 2011-11-01T22:28:20Z I think we are both making the same request for additional supporting data, no? cogmeyer 2011-11-01T22:28:20Z cogmeyer comment-59395 2011-11-01T16:52:24Z 2011-11-01T16:52:24Z The data that was presented is impressive. Since it appears to cover a relatively small "project area" around Mack Rd in South Sacramento, one naturally questions whether the violence actually stopped, or just moved somewhere else in the city. It would be interesting to see the same gang statistics for the overall city for the same time periods. I cannot find this data at sacpd.org cogmeyer 2011-11-01T16:52:24Z cogmeyer comment-59326 2011-10-31T08:10:37Z 2011-10-31T08:10:37Z Remind me again how suing Sacramento addresses crimes committed on Wall St? cogmeyer 2011-10-31T08:10:37Z cogmeyer comment-59325 2011-10-31T07:50:11Z 2011-10-31T07:50:11Z Note that this silly and unenforced law is just restricted to Sacramento County. Other cities in our region with similarly temperate climates have no such restrictions, and can dump as much wood smoke into our air as they wish. El Dorado Hills, Roseville, Rocklin, West Sac, Woodland. Even the hypocritical burg of Davis decided against a woodburning ban. I am with Davi on this one. I think I will pop open an Urquall and enjoy a "religious ceremony" tomorrow night! cogmeyer 2011-10-31T07:50:11Z cogmeyer comment-59304 2011-10-30T16:04:39Z 2011-10-30T16:04:39Z Rush hour on jefferson is still a disaster, so clearly West Sac hasn't done enough. Tear down those walls West Sacramento! cogmeyer 2011-10-30T16:04:39Z cogmeyer comment-59263 2011-10-28T22:41:20Z 2011-10-28T22:41:20Z Spectacular rebuttal! cogmeyer 2011-10-28T22:41:20Z cogmeyer comment-59204 2011-10-27T15:35:47Z 2011-10-27T15:35:47Z If West Sac was really so interested in "getting from Polnt A to Point B", then why did they build out with a maze of dead end cul de sacs and such limited routes over their own canal? These decisions were completely under West Sacs control. Looks to me like West Sac took great effort to make sure no "outsider' would ever drive past their new residences, but also wants to dump the problems created by this approach on established Sacramento neighborhoods. People always reference Portlands many bridges, but note that those bridges connect gridded neighborhoods to gridded neighborhoods. Ask West Sac'ers to blast out their culdesacs and make their streets open thoroughfares and you wll quickly identify the true NIMBYs here. cogmeyer 2011-10-27T15:35:47Z cogmeyer comment-59188 2011-10-26T20:39:52Z 2011-10-26T20:39:52Z What is going on at Occupy Sac? Accusations of rape as well as a coverup by one of the lead organizers, resulting in a group that has formed a splinter Occupy Sac group in protest. This seems like a news story worth reporting, but so far it hasnt. Weird. http://occupysac.com/?cat=14 http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2011/10/22/18694581.php ======================================= Addressing Saturday’s GA. There were 5 members of the Community Outreach Committee that issued a BLOCK on the Security Team for keeping information regarding an alleged rape secret. The BLOCK initiated a large and heated argument and has been discussed in detail for four days now. The 5 people who initiated the block have decided to start their own occupation movement called Occupy Yourself due to the disagreements. !!end section!! ======================================================== cogmeyer 2011-10-26T20:39:52Z cogmeyer comment-59009 2011-10-22T05:20:06Z 2011-10-22T05:20:06Z No more so than the other local public utilities such as water, sewer service,trash collection. Good work if you can get it, but very little potential for growth beyond normal population growth, little R&D or patent / IP generation. Bottomline SMUD is unlikely to spawn a host of new support business and and related industries, like a Genentech/Google/Intel etc. if you really view the local electrical service provider as an example of a high tech and/or growth company that we need to focus on drawing into our city to expand our pathetic private industry base, then I think this is a pretty fruitless conversation. cogmeyer 2011-10-22T05:20:06Z cogmeyer comment-59000 2011-10-21T21:45:44Z 2011-10-21T21:45:44Z ... who works at Genentech cogmeyer 2011-10-21T21:45:44Z cogmeyer comment-58999 2011-10-21T21:44:43Z 2011-10-21T21:44:43Z A logical response from the Occupy movement would be for all local Occupiers to converge on Washington. But this hasn't even been mentioned... cogmeyer 2011-10-21T21:44:43Z cogmeyer comment-58988 2011-10-21T17:47:47Z 2011-10-21T17:47:47Z My point is that Sacramento talks a good game about wanting to engage with the business community in general and specifically with high tech industry. But the results have been absolutely dismal for a city of our size. Coincidentally, our City council has historically been populated with an incredibly provincial mix of local government workers and/or neighborhood activist. This isn't bad, and in moderate doses it serves our city well. But while the provincialist fret about whether we have the proper ratio of Latinos, blacks and gays on the city council, we should really be asking what kind of experential diversity our city council needs in order to snare the next Google or Apple expansion. Just thinking about day jobs of council members that I am aware of: R. Fong - Longstanding local family, local lawyer and now lobbyist. Cohn - SMUD lawyer, CEC lawyer. Ashby - neighborhood activist. H. Fong - Sac Police captain. Our previous mayor worked for Parks and Rec, and of course "tree fort" Trethaway and . All very well meaning people who worked hard for our city, but also very narrow in their experience in dealings with things outside of a government town. So with that as our city history, and knowing nothing about Mr. Hansen's politics, I nontheless am excited that someone with some high tech engagement has decided to enter the race. Clear? cogmeyer 2011-10-21T17:47:47Z cogmeyer comment-58942 2011-10-21T16:50:16Z 2011-10-21T16:50:16Z To quote directly from Occupy Sacramento's official declaration of purpose: "When the majority of Americans can no longer effectively control the government because they can’t afford enough lobbyists, we no longer have a functioning democracy." http://occupysac.com/?p=292 I actually am sympathetic to the Occupy movement. I love to see American free speech in action, and its great that the malfeasance on Wall St is getting attention again. But even with the little Sacramento movement its apparent that Democratic Party power politics and their lobbyists have already infested the proceedings. Nothing wrong with the Democratic party and all, but I guess i had some hope this was something other than a watered down version of MoveOn.org. cogmeyer 2011-10-21T16:50:16Z cogmeyer comment-58986 2011-10-21T16:47:19Z 2011-10-21T16:47:19Z Its absurd that West Sac built out southport with just 2 crossing over the little tiny ship canal (one of which has been there forever). And then when they can't get their residents in and out of their walled off subdivisions, their first solution is to dump traffic across the river into Land Park, which happens to be an open, accessible grid of nice neighborhoods. I would like to see West Sac take some ownership of their own recent development problems before dumping their self-induced traffic nightmare on established Sacramento neighborhoods. cogmeyer 2011-10-21T16:47:19Z cogmeyer comment-58985 2011-10-21T16:42:21Z 2011-10-21T16:42:21Z And an "au contrere" to you as well Davi! According to the city of Sacramento Hwy50 is the Land Park boudary, not Broadway. The WIC belongs to Land Park! http://www.cityofsacramento.org/gis/documents/Neighborhoods_E.pdf As an Upper Land Parker I can't vouch for the snooty, elitist Land Parkers that live south of Vallejo. They are indeed NIMBYs, and they deserve an elevated freeway right through the middle William Land Park as punishment. I look forward to the day that each block becomes it's own neighborhood, and then we can really toss around the NIMBY card. Example: "You only have 2 fire hydrants on your side of the block? well your block is so NIMBY!" cogmeyer 2011-10-21T16:42:21Z cogmeyer comment-58952 2011-10-20T23:27:46Z 2011-10-20T23:27:46Z Doris "Solyndra" Matsui is at it again, throwing around taxpayers hard-earned money and pretending she is doing us a favor. Take a look at the Matsui-math in the article: "These energy upgrade loans average about $23,500 each will save homeowner hundreds of dollars in energy costs each year." Assuming "hundreds of dollars" is around $500, this it will take 47 years for these upgrades to pay for themselves, far longer than the usable lifespan of the upgraded air-conditioners! Please please stop wasting our money like this Doris. cogmeyer 2011-10-20T23:27:46Z cogmeyer comment-58944 2011-10-20T20:01:16Z 2011-10-20T20:01:16Z Au contraire mon frere! We have a large city low-income housing area next to the City Cemetery at Muir & Broadway (first place I look when my old Civic gets stolen, actually found it there once!).. At Broadway & 9th there is a large community resource/WIC center. Across street from that is a store that only accepts WIC coupons. And I have a guy named Dave that takes my empty beer cans out of my recycling bin each week, which should count for something. And we have Channel 10 at Broadway and 6th, which produces newscasts every evening for Sacramentans of lesser education. What do you got? cogmeyer 2011-10-20T20:01:16Z cogmeyer comment-58936 2011-10-20T17:33:06Z 2011-10-20T17:33:06Z Actually the LPCA recommended the Broadway location (over the Suttervile option). BTW, you regularly refer to Land Park as NIMBY. Clearly you have something to get off your chest. Can you clue us in on a recent example of Land Park NIMBYism? cogmeyer 2011-10-20T17:33:06Z cogmeyer comment-58926 2011-10-20T04:19:53Z 2011-10-20T04:19:53Z You mean he is a LOBBYIST, whose full time job is to funnel corporate and special interest dollars into elections, propositions and legislation? http://www.jimgonzalez.com/clients.php http://www.jimgonzalez.com/profiles.php Sounds like a movie plot... Lobbyist by day, anti-lobbyist by night (except between the hours of 12-5a). I wonder if his boss Mr. Gonzales knows that Brendan has been out in the park rallying against corporations (such as their very own client, multi-national conglomerate Sumitomo). Absolutely classic. cogmeyer 2011-10-20T04:19:53Z cogmeyer comment-58892 2011-10-19T20:10:07Z 2011-10-19T20:10:07Z Some good comments Brendan, although as stated elsewhere I still think your battle with City of Sacramento is a diversion. Sacramento City council and SacPD is not your problem, stop fixating on it. Regarding your call to action, lay out some specifics. Its been 3+ years since the Wall St fiasco, so there certainly is enough perspective and data available to be specific about the change that you want to see. * Whom does Occupy Sacramento recommend that we vote for, or against? * What specific Wall St regulations does Occupy Sacramento want to see? * Which individuals on Wall St need to be prosecuted, and for what? (Name names) * While you are at, provide the names and offenses of the politicians that enabled the Wall St corruption, If you just continue yelling about not being able to hang out in a park between 12-5am and not about the real problems, more and more of your potential support base is just going to tune you out. cogmeyer 2011-10-19T20:10:07Z