Dead Air

Dead Air

Oct 28, 2023

Capital Public Radio was a beacon of objective news coverage and thoughtful analysis sailing blissfully amid the sea of blather, bile and self-promotion on commercial radio.

Beyond the microphone, CapRadio was Sacramento State University’s version of Animal House.

Unpaid loans for millions of dollars. Unauthorized contracts and purchases. Gifts of $56,794 and $10,000 not properly documented. All problems that point to negligent leadership at KXJZ and KXPR, the main call letters that comprise CapRadio.

Cozy Relations

Cozy Relations

Oct 28, 2023

It’s not easy to get a state agency to do what you want, especially when the request involves breaking rules and ignoring precedents and safety concerns.

But somehow, property owners near the Sacramento River levee turned the Central Valley Flood Protection Board into an ally.

They convinced the flood board’s top bureaucrat to authorize temporary fences that block public access to the levee.

Outlaw Fences

Outlaw Fences

Sep 28, 2023

Five weeks after his arrival, the new executive officer at the Central Valley Flood Protection Board appeared to ignore state law when he quietly signed three authorizations for private fences to block access to the Sacramento River Parkway and levee.

Two additional fence authorizations soon followed.

By allowing temporary fences, Christopher Lief reversed years of flood board practice and seemingly violated a California regulation that requires the board itself—not executive officer Lief—to authorize levee fences.

Step By Step

Step By Step

Sep 28, 2023

Homelessness is more than a housing crisis. It involves mental illness, drug addiction and criminal behavior, often committed by homeless individuals against others in encampments. While unsheltered individuals suffer, so does the quality of life in some of our neighborhoods.

Sacramento County takes a balanced approach using what I call the “four C’s”—compassion, coordination, capacity and consequences.