The following true stories suggest that we do not give our animal friends sufficient credit as to their intelligence, loyalty and devotion. Some scoff at animals having or showing emotion. I believe that they do have feelings and often very deep, including love for each other and humans that are special to them. Apparently they can connect with us in ways that are yet unknown. I felt these true stories were particularly appropriate for Valentine’s Day. A long time friend emailed the first story to me; the second is a personal story. Freedom and Jeff Freedom, a Bald Eagle and a man named Jeff have been together 11 years this past summer. Freedom came into the animal rescue center as a bab

 It is now expected that the Sacramento City Council will decide in mid or late January whether it wants to place on the ballot the repeal of 1977’s Measure A, which prohibited the city from requiring property owners to containerize waste. If the repeal is placed on the ballot and citywide voters pass it, then council has the legal authority to force residential property owners to containerize “green” waste. Never mind that most of it in the central city (CC) is not green at all but brown from the city’s year-round falling tree leaves. Advocates of containerization, please note that important distinction as you drive or bike by because heretofore you muddied it—either by lack of observati

 Part I described differences in our city’s neighborhoods and how the self- appointed green waste committee ignored those differences, requesting council to punish some central city (CC) by forcing them to containerize city tree-dropped leaves 10 months out of the year. This second and final part details more differences: Another pesky difference for part of the central city. Did any of you readers ever get one of those $49 dollar tickets for parking on a street where the sign reads, “No parking 8 to 12 on Mon, Tues, Wed, Thurs - street cleaning”? If you have, just park south of R Street in Newtown, Booth, Richmond Grove or anywhere in South Side. Motorists—commuter or resident—-there don

 If anyone wonders, as I have, why and how issues in local and other political campaign matter less now than digging up dirt about an opponent, they will find their answer when they see “ATWATER Fixin’ to Die, now playing in the Three Penny Theater—a California Stage at 1745 25th Street. Author Robert Myers capsules the history of Southerner Harvey Leroy Atwater, the man who diverted the focus of political campaigns from discussing serious issues facing voters locally and nationally to uncovering, distorting and publicizing a candidate’s personal characteristics with no relevance to the qualifications for the job. Atwater’s unethical campaign management strategy vilified and twisted those

Why sign the petition against K Street revitalization efforts? Here we go again.  Pane and followers don't have the originality or creativity to put forward ideas and suggestions for businesses that would revitalize K Street, but they will spend their energy to be nay-sayers to SF entrepreneur's proposal to create entertainment venues. Sure the project is risky.  Sure it might fail.  Sure it uses tax money.  Have these self-appointed defenders of our tax dollars ever heard of "investment?"  Taxpayer dollars are often used to invest in a community.  What's wrong with that?  Some have said it would be better if we had a “Downtown Market”—like Seattle’s Pike Place Market.  Sounds like a gr

Kerridge's management philosophy had little respect for neighborhoods and residents. He particularly disdained those who ventured outside the narrow roles that he defined for them, i.e. drugs, gangs, graffiti cleanup, neighborhood watch, youth and children's activities, park work, etc--basically the "grunt" work. He felt residents did not know what was best for their quality of life when it came to communicating with city staff, historic preservation, streets, sidewalks, traffic, transportation, planning projects and related early notification, neighborhood serving businesses, fiscal matters, entertainment and alcohol venues. Making and implementing those decisions were city staff's job and private builders/developers knew best about these matters--even though neither lived in the city. Therefore, he encouraged separating residents from business and staff. A prior city manager (Edgar)stated as his management philosophy that a city is a collection of many residential and business neighborhoods and a city is as healthy and strong as its unhealthiest and weakest residential or business neighborhood. Therefore he promoted engaging both when making decisions that affect these neighborhoods. This meant staff, businesses and residents working together and cooperatively for the good of the city. Which of those two philosophies most closely reflect your management philosophy? If the former, what good has come of such a divisive philosophy? If the latter, what role(s) do you see neighborhoods (business and residential) playing in your management approach and how would you engage them, including staff working cooperatively together with both?

Many of the blighted properties in the central city are owned by the same owners who have held them for years making few if any improvements, sucking out as much income as they can in high rents without putting any investment back into those properties, including repairing dry rot, painting, addressing plumbing and electrical problems and etc.. Without code enforcement forcing them to do so, it hasn't happened and won't happen.

FYI, Mike and Anthony, this was one of many streets that some years ago residential neighbors of the greater area originally initiated the request to the council rep and city. It was based on studies in other cities that showed such conversions help local businesses and residents and responds to more recent changing traffic flows. Absent that request, it may not have happened. There will be adjustments, and as in any change, anger some drivers and please some.

To them, Marion, there was only ONE community: the builder and development community whoever they wherever they came from. Any of the other part of the community was beneath them, so not recognized.

Time will tell.