Desperate to manage a homeless population that’s nearly doubled in three years, the Board of Supervisors opened a two-pronged strategy this summer.
Board members approved 100 “tiny homes” for a vacant lot in South Sacramento. And the board took preliminary steps to restrict encampments in sensitive places such as sidewalks, waterways, levees and the American River Parkway.
In what’s become familiar blowback, supervisors were criticized for doing too much and not doing enough.
Statewide voters blessed cannabis in California, but local jurisdictions—cities and counties—control the legalized pot market.
Sacramento County prohibits commercial cultivation and retail sales in unincorporated areas. Now the Board of Supervisors is thinking about changing that. The move is motivated by the desire to collect taxes—lots of them.
Primary voting by mail in Sacramento County is underway and ballots can be cast at Vote Center locations through June 7 when the polls close. Two candidates already know they’re winners. Others must wait for the final tabulation.
County Assessor Christina Wynn and Supervisor Phil Serna drew no opponents, so neither needed to campaign.
Serna hasn’t faced an election battle since his maiden run to succeed Roger Dickinson in 2010, and that race brought token opposition. We can ponder whether Serna will try to move up the political ladder, though history has not favored candidates from the county’s first district.
Voters can choose between two experienced lawmen for Sacramento County sheriff this year, with Jim Cooper and Jim Barnes running for the office vacated by Scott Jones.
Cooper and Barnes both claim deep connections to the sheriff’s department, but they have taken different paths to the June primary. The sheriff’s job is nonpartisan, but the campaign may evolve into a battle over political backgrounds and ideology.
Cooper is giving up his state Assembly seat to run for sheriff. Barnes is the current chief deputy in Sacramento. He has the endorsement of Jones, who is running for Congress.
The race has historical significance for Cooper. The former sheriff’s captain ran against Jones for the sheriff’s job in 2010 and lost by about 3,000 votes.
Snuff out those menthol cigarettes and other flavored tobacco products. As of July, selling them is banned in Sacramento County.
The prohibition means flavored smokes are banned locally no matter what California voters decide in November, when a referendum could repeal a similar statewide ban. Flavored tobacco is often marketed to new and youthful customers as a less-harsh version of the original.
The Board of Supervisors recently redrew its district boundaries to reflect Sacramento County’s population changes over the last decade. New lines are in effect for this year’s elections, with three seats open. Filing begins Feb. 14 for the June primary.
Boundaries for Districts 1 and 2, represented by Phil Serna and Patrick Kennedy, had minor modifications. Half of Rancho Cordova was moved from Don Nottoli’s District 5 into Rich Desmond’s District 3. North Highlands was swapped out of District 3 and given to Sue Frost in District 4. Desmond picks up Gold River.
