City, County and Neighborhood News
Local News
Giving Shelter
Sacramento County’s homeless problem is complex, especially when it comes to providing services and housing. For people experiencing homelessness, we want them to regain health, income and housing stability.
But that requires cooperation from those who need help. Unfortunately, not everyone will accept services.
I know because I’ve talked to dozens of unhoused people, along with providers who try to connect them with shelter and help.
The reasons vary: lifestyle preference, bad experiences in communal housing, opposition to rules, not wanting to give up pets or belongings, addiction and insistence they are “OK.”
Green Light
A New Year’s Day collision between lowrider car clubs and neighbors in William Land Park seemed inevitable. Both sides were dug in. Past events left bitter memories.
Now the Jan. 1 holiday is shaping up as a textbook way to resolve differences. All it took was an email, some honest discussions and mutual respect.
Hold It Down
Dennis Newhall knows about sound. He’s worked for decades as a radio and internet broadcaster, disc jockey, producer and voice talent. He understands the power of sound, how it motivates and transforms people.
This past year, he learned something else. How sound, reduced to sheer noise, can drive a neighborhood nuts.
That’s an exaggeration. Newhall doesn’t believe weeks of pounding by equipment to strengthen the Sacramento River levee literally drove his Pocket neighbors crazy.
Pocket Life November 2022
Find out what is happening in Pocket during the month of November!
Time For Change
The past 12 years were a lousy time to have your kids educated by the Sacramento City Unified School District.
Staff morale plummeted, teachers went on strike, enrollment declined, insolvency beckoned. As for the job of educating young people, don’t ask. Sac City Unified flunked.
Last year, only 22 percent of Sac City Unified students met or exceeded state standards in English. As for math, it might as well be Greek. Just 5 percent of the city’s students met or beat state math standards.
