Water Everywhere

Feb 28, 2023

I still have nightmares about a guy who came to City Hall and talked about floods. He worked for the Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency and spoke words that terrified me.

Growing up in Sacramento, I knew about floods and the dangers they presented. Thankfully, those dangers were always theoretical or viewed from safe distance.

When big floods came they inundated Peach Tree Mall in Yuba County. Or they swamped roadways and overflowed canals in rural areas such as Wilton or Arcade or Dry Creek. That’s what I knew.

Floods didn’t happen in Sacramento, at least not anymore. A system of dams, weirs and levees guarded the city. The last time rowboats floated on Downtown streets was 1862, when a levee broke near today’s River Park and flooded the town.

Judge Not

Jan 28, 2023

Since 1975, when the city announced plans for the Sacramento River Parkway and bike trail, various people said they would sue to stop it. For 48 years, there were no lawsuits. There was also no parkway.

As the levee parkway and bike path finally head toward completion in the next two years, it’s fair to wonder whether litigation can slow or derail a project that’s already a half-century behind schedule.

Anyone can threaten to sue. As a young reporter at The Bee, I thought I had a scoop when a soccer team owner told me he was going to sue the government for messing with his players’ visas.