Homeless crises are nothing new in Sacramento. The first one happened in August 1850, when outrageous real estate prices caused people to camp on land that didn’t belong to them.
Everybody had guns in 1850. The guns went off when city officials tried to clear camps around Fourth and J streets and Tahoe Park. Five people died and six were wounded before things calmed down.
Sacramento County’s District 1 supervisor June primary election has four candidates. Question is, are they qualified?
Each prospect offers a version of leadership that sounds reasonable in isolation. But elections aren’t about isolated promises. They’re about tradeoffs, priorities and the complex realities of governing a large, diverse and financially constrained bureaucracy.
Then there’s Senate Bill 802, introduced by state Sen. Angelique Ashby. If it becomes law, the management of homelessness and affordable housing will change significantly.
The bill proposes a joint powers authority to oversee homelessness and housing policies, shifting decision-making away from the county into a regional body.
Where do the candidates stand?
In February, I wrote “30 Years in Print,” recalling how Inside Sacramento began as a neighborhood experiment and grew into the largest print circulation publication in Northern California, with 80,000 copies of each monthly issue delivered to homes, helping to define our community.
The milestone was celebratory and sobering.
For three decades, Inside Sacramento has been 100% advertising supported. We don’t charge for the magazine. No subscription requirements or paywalls. Our model is simple. Local businesses invest in reaching local readers. We deliver high-quality journalism, storytelling and photography to the neighborhoods we share.
But the media landscape has changed.
Pity the pedestrian, lowest creature on Sacramento’s evolutionary ladder. Cars are king. Bicycles come next. Then homeless people, who have more agency than a resident who wants to take a walk.
I learned this by accident, never thinking it was true until I realized there’s no other explanation.
Pedestrians need to face facts. The city has no love for us.
I made this discovery while researching a column last month about my friend who stands his ground when bicycles barrel toward him on city sidewalks.
Given the mayhem and dysfunction in Washington, congressional midterm elections take on extra significance.
In Sacramento County, the California 7th Congressional District finds incumbent Doris Matsui challenged by City Council Member Mai Vang. It’s the first time in 21 years Matsui meets a serious opponent.
I worked with both candidates during my time on City Council. The contrast between Matsui and Vang is stark. Voters get to choose between a dynastic, legendary figure in city politics or a relative newcomer from the Meadowview suburbs.
Sacramento spends astonishing sums trying to address homelessness—more than $120 million in five years. Yet the crisis continues to dominate our streets, parks, business districts and neighborhoods.
A recent investigation by the Bee lays out where the money went and why the results were so limited. The findings deserve close attention from residents who wonder how so much public investment produces so little improvement.
The Bee’s reporting shows local strategy centered on building and operating shelters—large sites, tiny home villages, motel conversions and sanctioned camping areas. These projects consume enormous financial and administrative resources.
