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Safety Bombs Away

Safety Bombs Away

The most incredible thing about people who live along the Sacramento River is not that they think they can stop public access to the new levee parkway. Of course they think they can stop access. They blocked the parkway for almost 50 years.

The incredible part is how they plan to prevent future access. Desperate and isolated, having lost the political support they exploited for five decades, they are down to their final play. It’s a Hail Mary.

Let’s Get Moving

Let’s Get Moving

Some people get frustrated when local government tells them something obvious. Not me. I find it satisfying, even comforting, to see a municipal report that validates precisely what I’ve been saying all along.

The Pocket Greenhaven Transportation Plan is one such document. The plan is a big deal, sponsored by the city to establish priorities and expenditures in traffic safety and connectivity for decades to come. The work started before the pandemic. Now it’s nearing the finish line.

Bureaucratic delays, combined with a reluctance to bring large groups together in town halls under COVID-19, slowed the project. Opportunities for public discourse were limited. But final opinions are now being solicited, leaving local City Councilmember Rick Jennings with a clear picture of community traffic priorities.

No Photos, Please

No Photos, Please

People in Pocket are becoming shy. I don’t know the reason for this, but I know it’s happening because part of my job is to ask people to pose for photographs. About half say no.

It wasn’t always this way. When I started writing for Inside eight years ago, my success rate with asking people to pose was close to 90 percent. I would interview someone for a story and explain that our photographer would call for a quick photo session. People were generally agreeable. The published photos were always flattering.

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