Snitch Co-Written and Directed by Ric Roman Waugh There are some aspects of “Snitch” that I admire and that aren’t immediately apparent in the lowest common denominator style of previews that tend to get made to promote films. On its face, it’s a story about a father who goes undercover to assist in the capture of drug dealers in return for a reduced sentence for his son. That’s the kind of action film one might expect from Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and would probably be enough to draw a respectable action-oriented audience. But there’s more to “Snitch” than that and the action story is essentially a cover for an indictment of mandatory sentencing laws as they apply to drug offenses. In

A disappointing week Maybe it’s just me but I’ve had a disappointing week at the movies – probably not helped by wishful thinking if not actually especially high expectations. And the near future isn’t looking any better, but more on that next week. This week’s major releases include a comedy starring people whose work I’ve generally liked, until now, and a thriller against a backdrop of prescription drug use from a director I normally appreciate far more than this.   Identity Thief Directed by Seth Gordon The idea of a comedy starring Jason Bateman and Melissa McCarthy appeals to me – before you could even tell me a subject matter or a premise, that idea would pique my interest. And t

I can't remember the last time there was an all-day music festival in the city limits with some big-name acts, so I was excited to check out the Monster Energy Aftershock 2012 festival at Discovery Park on Sunday. The bill was a mix of "hard rock" bands on two stages. Performers included FallRise, Stepchild, Oleander, Beware of Darkness, Gemini Syndrome, Hell or Highwater, Escape the Fate, Hollywood Undead, Theory of a Deadman, Chevelle, Bush, Deftones, and Stone Temple Pilots. I was especially excited to see Deftones, Bush and STP, since they remind me of being in high school, and they play songs I recognize. Sacramento bands were well-represented (FallRise, Stepchild, Oleander, and De

For the most part the summer movie season ended when The Expendables 2 came out about a month ago. Since then there hasn’t been a lot to be too excited about, especially for all of us fanboys and fangirls. Thankfully, Lionsgate slotted the release of their highly anticipated(?) Judge Dredd remake to come out right now and hold us over until films like Skyfall and The Hobbit come out in a couple of months. Dredd 3D follows a day in the life of the incredibly grim and badass Judge Dredd (Karl Urban), one of many Judges in the sprawling mess of Mega City 1. The Judges function as upgraded cops with added powers. Not only do they have some pretty versatile weaponry, but they’re also allowed t

When buildings become slums and havens for gangs, prostitution and drug use, a little-known city program can force landowners to clean them up or – in extreme cases – be evicted. The Justice for Neighbors program began in 2006 and allows multiple departments – including police, code enforcement, the city attorney’s office and park rangers – to focus their efforts on some of the worst slumlords and dangerous properties in the city, resolving an average of 17 cases per year. “Essentially, it’s a public and social nuisance (enforcement) team,” said Gustavo Martinez, supervising deputy city attorney. “We meet every month and evaluate the worst security issues.” Property owners are required

  “10 years ago I was high on crack cocaine, now I’m high on life.”, these are the words from Sacramento native, Bishop Ron Allen, a former crack cocaine addict for seven years, and now one of the must prominent leaders in the country on the war on drugs.   Allen united with law enforcement agencies from all over the world, who assembled themselves in the nation’s capitol last week to share data and strategies to help fight the escalating war on drugs in this country.  The event was hosted by HIDTA (The High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas program) an organization under the executive order of the White House.   Allen was there with the I.F.B.C. (International Faith Based Coalition),

Posted by venegasn My mother has been trying to force my 27yr old brother to leave her house. He has been there for 6 months. He is a Crystal meth addict, loud, abusive, dirty and just a complete nuisance. She has called the police on him because he repeatedly steals her truck and he has no valid drivers license. He was arrested but released two days later and she woke up one day and there he was again. She’s changed the locks, but he always manages to get back inside the house somehow. He yells at her that she cannot do anything about it and he will never leave. She’s afraid of him and has asked me for help. I hope there is a legal way to get him out. She has a daycare license and she i

John Ross, a local comedian who was born addicted to methadone, a heroin substitute used to treat heroin addicts, discusses his past as an inspiration for his humor.

  "You moved where?"    "Sacramento"  "Why?"         Sacramento is not thought of very highly by a lot of Bay Area-ites.  I'm not entirely sure why.  I suppose many cannot separate the town from the stink wafting up from the State Assembly and Capital.  Politics as a whole is repugnant to your average person, and California's is especially loathsome. It's an unfortunate metonymy, "Sacramento" for the sludge that leaks out of the State Assembly, but it is to be expected.  When one considers "Washington DC", its a rare soul who thinks of the Smithsonian first and the politics second.   I grew up in Menlo Park, decidedly Bay Area-centric.  In the circles I came of age in, Sacramento wasn't

Dear Friends- As you may know, a arson fire was set at my home in the early morning on September 21st. My family and I are safe, and all necessary repairs and clean up, and replacements are being handled by our insurance company. We have had a great response from our neighbors and community leaders, who have organized a vigil tonight in front of our home to signify community strength and unity. If you are in the Northern CA area, we hope you can join us. Vigil Information - 2614 36th Street, Sacramento CA (between 1st and 2nd Avenue). 6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. http://www.inmycommunity.com/imc_joomla/index.php?option=com_jevents&task=icalrepeat.detail&evid=1243&Itemid=0&year=2009&month=10&d

#1. WEST SAC- West Sacramento police and Davis SWAT served warrants on several locations in West Sacramento related to recent gang activity occurring in the city including the fatal shooting at the Ortega's Night Club. Two people were arrested and a medium sized marijuana grow was located during the operation. #2. SOUTH SAC- A shooting occurred in an apartment on 44th Ave near 39th St in south Sacramento. The victim was shot once in the leg and transported to Kaiser South Trauma Center. Further details were unavailable at the time. #3. SAC COUNTY- A shooting occurred at an apartment complex on Tuolumne Dr near La Riviera Dr in Sacramento County. One victim was shot in the arm while stand

Oak Park, Sacramento, CA- A warrant search in Oak Park ended with two in custody, one at large today. Sgt. Norm Leong, spokesperson for the Sacramento Police Department, stated that "a loaded gun magazine, scale, packaging and dope were found in the residence". One of the detained was transported to the hospital.   As police conducted a warrant search in the 3600 block of 19th Street, three black, male occupants attempted to flee from police. One was immediately detained, the second was detained after running face-first into the wall he was going to scale, knocking himself unconscious. Transporting paramedics stated that the individual did not remember the incident and had minor bleeding f

Saturday, June 20, men and women will flex their sculpted bods and bulging muscles to compete for what Johnny "The Motivator" Carrero calls "pro-status." This isn't your average bodybuilding competition, however. Carrero, an advocate for drug-free fitness, is holding his annual "all-natural" bodybuilding competition at Folsom Middle School, which hosts the competition every year. "I promote drug-free bodybuilding and show youth and athletes that they can still look fantastic naturally without using steroids or other drugs," Carrero said. Carerro, who's been in the fitness industry since 1993, is a personal trainer and knows firsthand how dangerous drugs like steroids can be. He began us

In federal agencies such as the DEA and EPA there are the bureaucratic employees and the political appointees. The two factions try their best to coexist in times of conflict. With the change of administrations on January 20th, the lines of authority apparently are not apparent. There was a medical marijuana bust on Thursday at Tahoe. Despite the politics involved some drug issues do not lend themselves to interpretation. One example is the continuing problem of methamphetamine use and the toxic results of its manufacture on the environment and the toxic results among the people affected by its use. DEA says on its website, "Every pound of methamphetamine produced can yield up to five p