Sep 28, 2022
The plan was to gather at Land Park Drive and Broadway. We wanted to show support for law enforcement and express concerns over crime and the degraded quality of life in Land Park.
We wanted to hold city leaders accountable for our safety.
The demonstration began at 10 a.m. on Sept. 10. Land Park neighbors greeted each other and compared homemade signs. They discussed the spread of crime in their neighborhood. Signs said, “No on the increase in crime,” “Safe neighborhoods” and “Support our Sacramento Police Department.”
Aug 28, 2022
It’s déjà vu all over again. My City Council colleague Jay Schenirer convinced eight members to place a youth fund guarantee on the November ballot. I said no, respecting the wishes of voters who twice rejected this misguided idea.
Are youth programs a bad thing? Of course not. The city already spends more than $23 million on programs for young people every year.
We fund after-school programs, workforce development, youth employment, gang prevention and gun violence reduction, youth recreation, community centers, public safety academies and more.
Jul 27, 2022
Do you ever wonder why our local authorities allow homeless camps on city sidewalks underneath freeways? Why tents can block pedestrians, including elderly and disabled people, parents with strollers and children trying to walk to school?
With these questions in mind, I contacted City Council member Katie Valenzuela, whose district includes Midtown and Downtown. She said sidewalks under freeways are state property controlled by CalTrans, and there’s nothing the city can do about homeless camps blocking those sidewalks.
May 28, 2022
In 2015, the Sacramento City Council created the Sacramento Community Police Commission to make recommendations on policing.
The original commission consisted of 11 members. Community groups and advocates held the majority of seats, along with a retired police captain. I was there to represent the interests of police officers and other SPD employees.
While most commission members lacked law enforcement backgrounds, the presence of two trained and experienced police professionals gave the commission credibility. We helped the group root its recommendations in reality.
May 28, 2022
The fusillade of bullets around 10th and K streets in April that left six people dead and a dozen wounded generated demands for new gun controls in a state that already has the nation’s most restrictive firearms laws.
However, what happened Downtown underscores the folly of believing that “gun violence” can be meaningfully reduced by trying to choke off the supply of firearms, with as much success as the prohibition of liquor or the war on drugs.
