December 16, 2005
I believe in the Croetto Ghetto!
I took this on Thursday on the way home. Since my 08/2005 photo, the couches have been replaced with an abandoned truck shell, and trash is strewn all over the place. If the owner is amenable to paying my gas and dump fees, I'l clean it up for him.
What really cracks me up seeing this, is that the city council swaggered and postured with Raleys intitially over their participation in the Mills Shopping Center Remodel.
They (a council member and staff) threatened, or intimated, that they would hinder the smooth processing of Raley's construction of the Anatoilia store should they "become difficult" over the Mills remodel. This made it's way into the newspaper. Amazing!
These bozoos can't even manage to keep a dumpy, closed bar's parking lot clean and they are boasting about muscling the most committed retailer/grocer in Rancho Cordova history.
Completely moronic. They did an about face in the Grapevine as soon as was humanly possible to print and distribute their "re-statement" or clarification.
Although it would suck for the shopping center and the neighborhoods adjoining Folsom Blvd, it would serve the city council right to be the first elected offcials in Rancho history to run off a committed business parner who'd stuck by Rancho through thick and thin, in what has to be one of the most dangerous and theft prone locations in Rancho Cordova to open a store near.
I guess the council can go back to sending "mean letters" with frowning face stickers to the owners of the Stagger. It seems to get them off or something.
Posted by cystdog at 11:29 PM
November 22, 2005
If they can do it, could we?
The Center for Civic Participation- Inland Voters Use Recall as a Way to Slow Growth
By Ashley Powers and Susannah Rosenblatt, Times Staff Writers
October 17, 2005 - LA Times
The dust-up in Muscoy began on a December night last year, when a newly elected county supervisor came to talk about cleaning up ratty neighborhoods and luring businesses.Linda Thacker pictured her avocado orchard being razed to make way for another wave of red-tile roofs and latte drinkers. She had roosted in this small, unincorporated pocket near Cal State San Bernardino much of her life, and preferred living next door to chickens and goats.
"I don't want my neighbors so close that I can hear them flush their toilets," Thacker said.
So she and other residents decided they wanted to give San Bernardino County Supervisor Josie Gonzales the bum's rush — California style. They launched a recall campaign.
Posted by cystdog at 12:24 AM
November 01, 2005
A snapshot of traffic: Anatolia style
News - Fatal accident, light-rail malfunction mar Highway 50 commute - sacbee.com
By Tony Bizjak -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:06 pm PST Tuesday, November 1, 2005
[Updated: 5:30 p.m. Tuesday] A fatal freeway accident and a nearby power outage on the light-rail transit line delivered a one-two punch Tuesday morning that brought the Highway 50 corridor commute to a near-standstill for thousands.
Motorists complained of waiting 45 minutes on Sunrise Boulevard just to get onto the freeway, and Carrero estimated that some commuters were stalled for more than one hour.
Posted by cystdog at 09:54 PM
October 23, 2005
Street Furniture is no substitute for community
New Urbanism anything but authentic
VIEWPOINT By Michael Ireton
Calgary News and Entertainment Weekly - August 18, 2005
Faux communities aren’t the way to achieve a healthy, happy lifestyle
New Urbanism, Part 2: Building a lie
VIEWPOINT By Michael Ireton
Calgary News and Entertainment Weekly - September 15, 2005
Houses should reflect modern-day reality, not false dreams of the past
I read these articles above sometime ago, and placed it on (or rather in) the stacks, no mountains, of "scratch" items I want to share or comment about. The Folsom Blvd. revitalization talk from the city has refreshed them in my mind, although Folsom Blvd. is never really that far from the top of my thoughts. I'm not sure if that's good or bad.
Michael Ireton nails down some thoughts and observations in these articles that I share, vigorously share, and feel are really important for folks in Rancho to think about. The problems on Folsom Blvd. cannot be solved with oldeanders and street furniture, styled light standards and landscaped medians.
Infrastructure isn't the problems, people are the problem.
No amount of TEA-whatever funding will make up for the disconnect between Rancho's leadership and the neighborhoods of La Loma/West La Loma, White Rock, Mills Park/ Croetto and Le Ann Drive.
At some point, Rancho's leaders have to accept responsibility not only for the services the city government provides for the "physical city", but for the "human city" as well.
I doubt that today's city council will ever be capable of that. Their preoccupation with protecting the interests of the Sundridge and Rio del Oro investors will be at the expense of, as they call it, "Riverside Rancho". Folsom Blvd. and it's "revitalization" will be for a future city council to tackle. The mission of this council, for at least three of them, is to make a pleasant presentation, with the appropriate garnish for the eye, but not to make changes in the menu.
The author skirts the term, but I'll use it; they are trying to manufacture a sense of community; one that either isn't there, or will supplant the one that is, the one that voted in cityhood, the one that made this council possible.
Memorable quotes that brought certain council members to mind:
Part 1:
The solutions the two groups arrived at could not be more different. For CIAM, it was the tower in the park with broad "efficient" streets between them. For the CNU, it’s narrow gridded streets lined with trees, front porches and picket fences. But both attempts are flawed in precisely the same way – a bedrock belief that built form can heal wounded psyches and magically create that oh-so-elusive thing called "community" (in itself a highly problematic term).
Part 2:
McKenzie Towne and many other "New Urbanist" projects like it throughout North America do nothing to reduce automobile dependency. They just try to hide it by putting garages on lanes at the backs of building lots so the front streetscapes can display those precious gingerbreaded front porches and pretend to be something they’re not. One could also argue that the rigidly gridded street pattern New Urbanism prefers (nay, insists upon) actually increases the amount of vehicular roadway, and therefore impermeable surface, in a neighbourhood. These are not the kinds of things that advance the cause of sustainability. Paul Hawken, the retailer/environmentalist who wrote The Ecology of Commerce, summarizes sustainability as "doing more with less." Dare I say this statement has more in common with modernist (boo, hiss) Mies Van der Rohe’s assertion that "less is more" than it does with the suburbs in disguise that represent much of the output of New Urbanism?Those front porches and all the other stylistic pretences of New Urbanism and/or Neo-Traditionalism in the service of nostalgia for a past that only ever existed on movie and television screens is mere set dressing. To insist on Victorian, Colonial or Georgian wrappers around houses brimming with stainless steel appliances, plasma screen TVs, iPods, home computing networks, cat-5 wiring and every other expression and "necessity" of modern living inside is nothing more than going up to the attic and playing dress-up with great-grandma’s old clothes. It denies what the house is – a dwelling for 21st century people. It is fundamentally dishonest – a lie told to make people feel comforted and less threatened by whatever it is about the big, bad modern world that terrifies them. It is infinitely more authentic and honest to build houses and neighbourhoods that are real reflections of the time in which they were created and a visual expression of the "character" of their present-day habitation and use. But Leon Krier has said, "even one modernist building is enough to destroy the spirit" of a New Urbanist project, so I guess honesty and authenticity are out of the question and nostalgia wins the day. Gee, that’s swell.
Posted by cystdog at 11:02 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 25, 2005
A fourth kind of lie Mark Twain would have enumerated
Mark Twain wrote in his autobiography, of lies:
Figures often beguile me, particularly when I have the arranging of them myself; in which case the remark attributed to Disraeli would often apply with justice and force: "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics."
I believe he would have enumerated RCPD, and indeed Rancho Cordova City Council cited statistics collected since 2003, as a fourth.
Posted by cystdog at 03:05 PM
August 19, 2005
RC General Plan Safety Element Policy SA.1.33 - Pray
Policy SA.1.33 - Plan and develop law enforcement programs with a perspective toward reducing as well as controlling crime.
Posted by cystdog at 01:26 AM | TrackBack
July 23, 2005
"Ten years ago, that just wasn't the case."
"We're doing a lot right now," Weidman said. "Ten years ago, that just wasn't the case." "The community has been criticized for a long time for its reputation as a bad place to live," she said.
I came across a 1998 Bee article, in my archive of stuff about Rancho Notorious, where former neighbor and County School Board member Margaret Weidman made a statement about what is now recounted as Rancho's "Golden Age". While I personally know (and experienced) that Rancho was under siege in the mid eighties on into the mid-nineties, it was refreshing to see evidence of the truth, and how people in leadership of our community then framed the issues, and measured progress.
Here's the article:(continue)
RENAISSANCE IS GOAL OF MONTHLONG CELEBRATION
March 5, 1998
Section: NEIGHBORS
Page: N1
By Chris Derr Neighbors staff writer
--For Rancho Cordova residents, March will be filled with activities that many hope will lead to a revitalized community. The Rancho Cordova Renaissance Month, which kicks off today, will highlight a number of changes under way in the community.
"Rancho Cordova is a growing and vibrant place,' said Curt Haven, executive director of the chamber of commerce. "There are some exciting new happenings.'
The events start at Mitchell Middle School today with a celebration of the passage of Measure V, the $10.4 million school bond measure approved by voters in November. Improvements to the campus are scheduled to begin in June and wrap up this summer.
Saturday the Cordova Recreation and Park District will dedicate one of the Hagan Community Park baseball fields to the memory of Jim Glass, a much-loved booster of sports programs in the community.
The long-awaited groundbreaking for the light-rail station at Mather Field Road and Folsom Boulevard, to be known as the Mather Field-Mills Station, is scheduled March 12. The project will include moving the historic Mills Station building from Dawes Street.
A "Rancho Roundup' is planned March 14 at the Mills Shopping Center on Folsom Boulevard. During the event, the sheriff's community service center, in conjunction with a video rental company, will provide child fingerprinting and video records of children for identification purposes. The California Highway Patrol will conduct a bicycle rodeo for kids.
Community service organizations are invited to set up booths at the site for fund-raising activities, and to provide membership and general information.
Later in the month, a groundbreaking will be held for the new community resource center at Coloma Road and McGregor Drive. The project is funded by the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency.
Jane Smith, a representative of Supervisor Don Nottoli, said the 15,205-square-foot facility is to be finished by late June.
"We've been working on putting the resource center there for nearly five years,' Smith said. "Finally, after all that time, it's coming.'
In addition, the Folsom Boulevard revitalization project, also funded by the housing and redevelopment agency, will have a groundbreaking to signal the start of work to improve the physical appearance of the boulevard by upgrading storefronts and landscaping.
On March 25, Mather Airport will be celebrate the opening of a new, multimillion-dollar airport terminal.
Three days later, the Mills and Rancho Cordova Little Leagues will hold their opening day ceremonies.
Today's Measure V celebration starts at 11:30 a.m. at Mitchell Middle School at 2100 Zinfandel Drive. Nottoli, school board members, chamber of commerce representatives and other community leaders will be on hand for the event.
Saturday's field dedication at Hagan Park gets under way at noon.
Margaret Weidman, who represents the Rancho Cordova area on the Sacramento County Board of Education, said the magnitude of this month's activities is significant.
"We're doing a lot right now,' Weidman said. "Ten years ago, that just wasn't the case.'
"The community has been criticized for a long time for its reputation as a bad place to live," she said.
Evie Kadle, a longtime community activist who has lived in Rancho Cordova nearly 20 years, said she hopes the events will present the community in a more positive light.
For more information about the month's activities, call the chamber of commerce at 361-8750.
Posted by cystdog at 07:36 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 12, 2005
Hey, can Rancho join in and start a trend?
News - Elk Grove group gets OK to launch recall drive - sacbee.com
Elk Grove group gets OK to launch recall drive
Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PDT Tuesday, July 12, 2005
ELK GROVE - A group of Elk Grove residents won city approval Monday to circulate two petitions seeking to recall City Councilmen Michael Leary and Jim Cooper over conflict-of-interest complaints.
Posted by cystdog at 06:39 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 20, 2005
Oh, just a "little Amsterdam"
The most coincidental City crime rate in US History
Another coincidence.
Keyhole Longe = Sandtrap Lounge = "Dynamically Revitalized, World Class, Financially Vibrant Rancho Renaisance"
Posted by cystdog at 04:05 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 16, 2005
Positively thinking too much about thinking positive
Rancho Cordova City Councilmember Linda Budge replied in early April, in a Letter to the Editor of the Grapevine, to a series of letters published by the Grapevine in March that were critical of the direction the city council was taking, and the progress being made on the "Promises Made" about the benefits of cityhood. The letter was titled "C'mon! Lets think positive".
Ever since reading this letter, and subsequent statements made by the Mayor of Rancho Cordova, Ken Cooley, as well as votes cast for the approval of an 11 unit development in the West LaLoma ghetto, I've been in a funk about how to approach this creeping sense that we've all been duped, especially with the 2nd anniversary of cityhood fast approaching.
A full 24 months into cityhood, and I find that my family is worse off than they had been under the county, despite what my brain is telling me about the benefits my parents' neighborhood should be sharing in, and the sense of urgency I assumed we had in common with the city council about the dilemma in Croetto Ghetto.
Considering the history of the last quarter century in the Croetto Ghetto, and the costs that this neighborhood generates against the city's General Fund, and that of our previous government, Sacramento County, I am dumbfounded that things have gotten worse in Croetto since incorporation. I am also troubled that council members who claim a legacy; claim ownership to a position of leadership over this quarter century of municipal and community leadership failure, are more than ever engaging in what can only be described as a betrayal of the voters, the tax payers, the families of Rancho Cordova.
In the coming weeks, I will be writing about what I think should be the priorities of the city council, and solutions to the problems that I feel will fatally cripple any efforts by this current city council to "reinvent" Folsom Blvd, and to a larger extent, Rancho Cordova. I'll be hosting these essays on a new blog I've begun. In the next few days, I'll be adding links to relevent Bee, Grapevine, and Business Journal articles, as well as photoblogging what I see in Rancho Cordova that is relevent to my essays.
My greatest concern lies in what I see as a lack of shared values. Yes, this most often of misused phrases has a place in the discourse about Rancho Cordova, and a place in the examination of what I see as both a fracture in the relationship between the leadership and residents, and a disconnect on the part of the leadership from their obligation to the Rancho Cordova of today, to the children of our community growing up here now.
Every week, I'll post two essays about Rancho Cordova's governance, my insight into the issues, and propose solutions I hope will provoke others to follow their conscience, their gut instinct, and examination of what they have taken on faith from the city council.
I will follow up this Saturday with my commentary to Councilmember Budge's letter, to the letters others have written, and begin to layout my "take on things" on the new blog, rancho dot scupper dot net. I hope that some in our community will find common ground in what I point out, and are helped in identifying issues specific to their neighborhood, and how to frame solutions with consideration of the current council members we must deal with.
To begin this conversation, I'll share with you the letter Councilmember Linda Budge wrote in early April of this year to the editor of the Grapevine. I have retyped the letter from the newspaper, as scanning the newsprint of the issue I received, which has ink smear, would have been more tedious, with overcoming Acrobat 7's text capture objections.
So with that, I introduce you to Rancho Cordova's Matriarch of the last 25 years of land use planning and public safety priorities for Rancho Cordova, Linda Budge. (this will also be posted to the new blog in the next few days)
C’mon! Let’s think positive
By Linda Budge
The Grapevine Independent
News and Views/Other Views
April XX, 2005
While I understand the frustration expressed by some of your recent writers, I completely disagree with the conclusions that they are drawing. It’s probable that every resident of Rancho Cordova looks at Citrus Heights and wishes that we had as many noticeable changes in place.
I know that I’m certainly at the front of the line of impatient people. But, we have to remember that Citrus Heights is now nine years old! It took them a couple of years to begin to see physical improvements in place, just as it’s taking us.. It took them seven years before Sam’s Club made the decision to leave Rancho Cordova and open in Citrus Heights, just as in a few years, our growth boom will help us capture a store from another jurisdiction, making them equally frustrated.
Cityhood is an ever-fluctuating, dynamic process, and we always have to be prepared for change. Sometimes, we have to make our own opportunities, and sometimes we have to catch hold of opportunities as they come along. But for all of us, especially coming from the private sector, government seems to take too long to accomplish anything. And we understand that.
When we talk about the impact of the residential growth that has just begun, we need to remember that many of the projects were approved by the Board of Supervisors prior to incorporation. There was no ability to create major revisions to those projects, but we immediately seized the opportunity to get something for our existing homes so that current residents would experience some of the benefits of the new growth, not just the people who will move into the new homes.
You know that we immediately established a police tax on new lots so that new growth will not be a financial drain on our new police department. And you also know that we established a park renovation fee on new homes so that our existing parks can be renovated to the same quality as the parks serving new neighborhoods. We are now awaiting the park district’s master plan and the finalization of the agreement between the district and the city.
It would be more devastating if growth were occurring everywhere – except in Rancho Cordova. Much of what we are trying to remodel, upgrade, and renovate is the direct result of an almost complete lack of growth between 1980 and 2000.
We see retail growth and reinvestment in Roseville, Folsom and Elk Grove because they are building houses as fast as the carpenters can hammer. Looking accurately at what has changed here in the last five years, Cordova Village was razed and reconstructed because of the coming growth; Mills Center and McDonalds are being remodeled because of the coming growth; and the quality of retailers are looking at our empty buildings because of the coming growth. It just doesn’t happen overnight. Real estate decisions take as long as government decisions, only you can’t talk about them.
It’s been important that we take the necessary time to adopt firm, comprehensive, and defensible plans. We’ve upgraded our zoning code and development standards to insure that we’ll be proud of new buildings that are built.
You’ve heard every one of the council members and staff talk about creating a city that will be a great place to live in 50 or 100 years, not just 10 or 20 years, as is typical of some of our neighborhoods built in the 60’s and 70s. We are building for our children and grandchildren.
We will be remodeling Folsom Boulevard. It’s important that we make our older areas look as nice as the newer areas so that we all want to stay in neighborhoods where we’ve lived for three or more decades. We need to maintain that stability.
And our city attorney has offered to drive the bulldozer to take out the Stagger Inn, but then he points out that there’s the little principal of individual property rights that must be considered.
I suppose that the letter writers need to be characterized as “the loyal opposition”, but I just wish that everyone who wrote to City Hall or who telephoned would leave contact information so that we can respond. I also wish that people who write and telephone felt that they should get involved and actually work on creating the solutions to the problems that are easily raised.
Some of the writers are frequent participants in city discussions, but not everyone. Instead of writing about the lack of a shuttle to connect neighborhoods to the light rail station, come to the meeting to plan for the start of the shuttle! Instead of complaining that there’s no budget information, everyone can read the budget. As a public document, it’s on the city’s web site and can be picked up or mailed out for those who don’t have access to the Internet.
And, guess what…that fledgling shuttle bus system? It gave us the idea to expand the shuttle bus concept to the north side of Folsom Boulevard (the riverside), because residents in those neighborhoods would like a shuttle option to get to light rail and shopping just like residents in the southside and eastside neighborhoods.
The benefits of new growth can be many, and one of the most intangible is reputation. We have been saying for years that this is a great place to live, but when we approve new neighborhoods such as Capitol Village, the entire city gets great publicity that enhances our reputation, makes new business and new retailers take notice, and gets us listed in local publications as one of the newest great neighborhoods in the region! Lets celebrate that and take advantage of the opportunities that it brings.
Don’t stop writing the letters. In a democracy, silence is worse than having an opinion that is not shared by everyone. Most letters are written on a single topic, they have just one focal point, and that’s fine. But our task at council is to consider a 360-degree radius of focal points. Instead of just pointing fingers, please get involved in helping to create solutions.
Linda Budge is a Rancho Cordova City Council member.
©2005 The Grapevine Independent.
Posted by cystdog at 06:30 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 15, 2005
A hypothetical "Old Town Rancho"
This is an idea I cooked up after driving through several "downtowns" of central valley and bay area cities. I was looking at what I saw as wasted space in Rancho retail centers, and Mills Shopping Center is king of waste. Reducing the lot spaces for parking to allow for more structures would require a multi-story parking structure to be built, probably like the one the City of Davis constructed.
It will never happen, as the city council now is more like their predecessors of 35 yrs ago than the Board of Supervisors we voted to emancipate ourselves from. But, in a sim city view of Rancho, Mills Center could accomodate a row of retail/restaurants facing the existing retail in the center, and allow for an alleyway between storefronts facing Folsom Blvd. and the new contruction with storefronts facing the existing mall.
I would also want to demolish the sin of a motel located on Folsom Blvd. near Mather Field, and use the parcel to accomodate a road into the new "old Town". It could be aligned so that traffic could turn into the new street from Mather Field, probably best as a one way, with a parking structure located where there's an empty lot behind the old Beacon gas station.
It would be absolutely ped oriented, and it would be tight, but that is what old downtowns that can bee seen in Marysville, Dixon, Folsom, Placerville, Martinez, Yuba City have. It's high and tight, and in many places, it works. Too bad we'll never find out.
I'd also thought it would be interesting to have reduced Folsom Blvd. to a two lane, from Dawes to Olsen, and have an adjacent greenway surrounding the light rail right of way, with a bike/ped trail, using the lane space. I believe the City of Folsom will have this at least along a portion of the light rail corridor in their city.
Must be nice to have city council and staff that have greater visions and expectations for a streetscape than a storefront remodel of an old Molly Malones now serving as a dart shop.
Posted by cystdog at 11:06 AM | TrackBack
May 30, 2005
A non-positive image of trash in Rancho
A non-positive image of trash in Rancho Cordova, on Dolcetto Way, next to the "Rancho Creek" since May 20th, 2005. This image violates RC Thought Police Edict 4-2005 which clearly states non-positive information will not be discussed, illustrated or photgraphed. Penalty will be Croetto-ization of your neighborhood.
Posted by cystdog at 10:57 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 20, 2005
What all these contract law enforcement talks have me reading
EXECUTIVE SUMMARYGeographic information systems (GIS) are increasingly recognized within the law enforcement community as an effective new tool for the analysis of crime patterns, for the allocation of enforcement resources, and for support of strategic planning by sheriffs or chiefs of police and their staffs. In a recent survey (Mamalian, LaVigne, et al.), the vast majority of police departments stated that crime mapping was a valuable tool, but only 13% had implemented it, mostly in larger jurisdictions. Actual use of GIS has proven illusive for the majority of small and even medium sized law enforcement jurisdictions because of problems associated with software and hardware resources, technical expertise, database management, and other challenges which may be met more easily by large jurisdictions with ample, specialized staffs and resources. The current study, based on extensive interviews with crime mapping staff, supervisors, and end-users both within and outside North Carolina, outlines obstacles, opportunities, and action steps relevant to the implementation of geographic information systems in law enforcement agencies of small to medium size jurisdictions.
The potential of GIS is twofold. First, it is probably the best automation tool to assimilate ever increasing volumes of information. Second, if applied correctly, GIS allows the beat officer to work ahead of the crime and criminal cycle. It is a tool for true prevention. However, neither of these two potentialities will be reached unless GIS is integrated into as many jurisdictions as possible. It is the broader purpose of these strategies and effective practices to assist law enforcement managers in the intelligent and practical proliferation of GIS. The focus is on critical managerial considerations in establishing and implementing GIS rather than on specific technical hardware and software specifications, which will vary by jurisdiction.
FERAL CITIES
Dr. Richard J. Norton, Naval War College Review, Autumn 2003, Vol. LVI, No. 4
Excerpt:
Imagine a great metropolis covering hundreds of square miles. Once a vital component in a national economy, this sprawling urban environment is now a vast collection of blighted buildings, an immense petri dish of both ancient and new diseases, a territory where the rule of law has long been replaced by near anarchy in which the only security available is that which is attained through brute power.1 Such cities have been routinely imagined in apocalyptic movies and in certain science-fiction genres, where they are often portrayed as gigantic versions of T. S. Eliot’s Rat’s Alley.2 Yet this city would still be globally connected. It would possess at least a modicum of commercial linkages, and some of its inhabitants would have access to the world’s most modern communication and computing technologies. It would, in effect, be a feral city.
Admittedly, the very term “feral city” is both provocative and controversial. Yet this description has been chosen advisedly. The feral city may be a phenomenon that never takes place, yet its emergence should not be dismissed as impossible. The phrase also suggests, at least faintly, the nature of what may become one of the more difficult security challenges of the new century.
Over the past decade or so a great deal of scholarly attention has been paid to the phenomenon of failing states.3 Nor has this pursuit been undertaken solely by the academic community. Government leaders and military commanders as well as directors of nongovernmental organizations and intergovernmental bodies have attempted to deal with faltering, failing, and failed states. Involvement by the United States in such matters has run the gamut from expressions of concern to cautious humanitarian assistance to full-fledged military intervention. In contrast, however, there has been a significant lack of concern for the potential emergence of failed cities. This is somewhat surprising, as the feral city may prove as common a feature of the global landscape of the first decade of the twenty-first century as the faltering, failing, or failed state was in the last decade of the twentieth. While it may be premature to suggest that a truly feral city—with the possible exception of Mogadishu—can be found anywhere on the globe today, indicators point to a day, not so distant, when such examples will be easily found.
This article first seeks to define a feral city. It then describes such a city’s attributes and suggests why the issue is worth international attention. A possible methodology to identify cities that have the potential to become feral will then be presented. Finally, the potential impact of feral cities on the U.S. military, and the U.S. Navy specifically, will be discussed.
Posted by cystdog at 10:17 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 12, 2005
C'Mon, think Positive, or else we'll turn your neighborhood into a ghetto
Lynn M. Stuter:"About Consensus and Facilitation."
Posted by cystdog at 08:04 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
April 04, 2005
GhettoSat - Croetto
Posted by cystdog at 06:57 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 29, 2005
Croetto Dreamin.....
Posted by cystdog at 09:19 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Wow, new, affordable housing in the heart of Rancho Biz District?
Yee Haw! Affordable housing, right where it's needed? 9.5 units per acre (can you say RD-10)And the city fast tracked it? The Sacramento Biz Journal article quoted below is about the Capital Center development called Capital Villages (see earlier Bee Article or Grapevine article for more details, or city's docs)
Check this out.....
The project, approved by the City Council on Monday, is classic smart-growth infill. Designed by Jeff Demure & Associates, it plans 827 homes on 87 acres, or 9.5 per acre -- roughly double the local norm.
The rest of the land was approved for office and retail, including a "lifestyle center" that blends with the community and creates a place to hang out as much as shop.
The main street is bordered by 40-foot strips that include 10-foot sidewalks set back 8 feet from the street and 15 feet from the property lines, Van Maren said.
O'Neill estimated that the average price would be about $350,000 per home, about 25 percent below the current regional average of $472,000. House prices should start in the mid-200,000s, with a few large-lot units selling above $400,000, he said.
The housing will include townhomes, live-work units and detached homes.
I dunno........They can't be that reasonable. They'll sell 50 units, then jack the price up, unless...the market slows (which I pray for).
Read on....
Rancho OKs big project in one-third the usual time
EXCLUSIVE REPORTS - Sacramento Business Journal
From the March 25, 2005 print edition
Mike McCarthy Staff Writer
Pages 1 - 3
http://sacramento.bizjournals.com/sacramento/stories/2005/03/28/story8.html
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March 27, 2005
"I'm running a business, and I'm trying to get the best business deal I can,"
Jesus Christ (and I say that on Easter Sunday)! The City of Rancho Cordova needs to hire a public relations consultant.
Read this sweet delivery from our City Manager (and remember, he's a city manager, not a convenience store owner doing an ad for Sam's Club)
Rancho Cordova officials are watching the other two cities closely. For Rancho Cordova, the issue likely will come down to dollars and cents, said City Manager Ted Gaebler. "I'm running a business, and I'm trying to get the best business deal I can," Gaebler said.I have more to say on this later. I'm not going to ruin my Easter contemplating our public safety in Rancho boiling down to "the best business deal" City Manager Gaebler can get. It's ironic, if the last contract is any measure of Gaebler's deal making prowess, well, I'll wait until after Easter to say un-christian things. Was this one of his one liners from "Reinventing Government"?
here's the rest of the article
News - Cities may sever ties to sheriff - sacbee.com
To the county's dismay, they study hiring their own police.
By Dorothy Korber and Mary Lynne Vellinga -- Bee Staff Writers
Published 2:15 am PST Sunday, March 27, 2005
Sacramento County's three young cities are studying whether they should stop using the Sheriff's Department for law enforcement and instead hire their own cops - a move causing consternation at the county's downtown Sacramento headquarters.
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Is the dam breaking? Truth vs. Spin from Rancho Cordovans
Grapevine Letter to the Editor: No New Taxes
Last week: "Ghetto"
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March 15, 2005
From the far edge of the empire....
From the far edge of the empire....
Originally uploaded by scupper.
Kimon will return!
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March 11, 2005
Rancho one step closer to $7M fed funding for Folsom Blvd.
House Approves $284 Bln Highway Bill
Thu Mar 10, 2005 04:23 PM ET
(Reuters)By John Crawley
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=politicsNews&storyID=7869957
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives approved a $284 billion, six-year highway and transit construction bill on Thursday, advancing a measure that eluded final passage last year in a fight with the White House over budget deficits.
The legislation matches the spending demands outlined in the Bush administration's 2006 budget and the cost of a similar version making its way through the Senate.
Many lawmakers in both houses would eventually like to see more money committed to road, tunnel and bridge improvements. The House bill includes a provision that would let Congress revise spending in the future.
But White House budget advisers told lawmakers this week they would recommend President Bush veto any bill that exceeds his $284 billion limit. A similar threat last year helped scuttle highway legislation.
The landmark highway bill includes $225.5 billion for highway construction, $52.3 billion for transit and $3.2 billion for safety.
Rep. Don Young, an Alaska Republican and chairman of the House Transportation Committee, said the cash flow is "not what we wanted" and promised to push for more money as early as next year.
"There have been lots of cooks in this kitchen and we've been able to come out with a good product. We'll go to the Senate and we'll have this bill done before the first of June," Young said.
Highway spending is funded by taxes on gasoline bought by motorists. Efforts to modestly increase the gas tax of 18.4 cents per gallon have been fiercely resisted in Congress even as lawmakers agree that the nation's aging infrastructure needs urgent repairs.
Lawmakers covet the economic stimulus provided by the transportation bill. It is estimated that for every $1 billion invested in highway and transit, 47,500 jobs are created or sustained.
"This will be the signature domestic legislation of this Congress in terms of the impact on the public," said Rep. Peter DeFazio, an Oregon Democrat.
Despite passage, some lawmakers remain dissatisfied with the formula for allocating highway grants. States that turn over more in gas tax receipts than they get back in highway aid have clamored for more money.
Under the new bill, California would receive $19 billion over six years, Texas, $16.6 billion, Pennsylvania, $10 billion and Florida $9.9 billion.
Others lawmakers have chafed at the 3,300 mandatory spending requirements, which include pet projects with thin if any link to transportation -- like museum renovation in Ohio and the restoration of a historic home in Virginia.
The last highway bill expired in 2003 and temporary funding at that year's levels has been extended through May. Provisions in this highway bill run through 2009.
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March 08, 2005
BRT: This is what needs to "revitalize" Sunrise, Mayor Cooley
Shopping in nottingham. Tram hurtles by.
Originally uploaded by peterjlambert.
Folsom - Rancho Cordova - City weighs future of Sunrise - sacbee.com
South part of busy road is a haven for industry.
By Molly Dugan -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PST Thursday, January 20, 2005
The Big Picture.......
Elk Grove-Rancho Cordova-El Dorado Connector Study -SACOG
The Local Angle.......
City of Rancho Cordova General Plan
What's BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) you ask?
BRT- Federal Transit Administration
FTA - Bus Rapid Transit Exchange
Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Policy Center | Resources Page
UCB-California Partners For Advanced Transit And Highways (PATH)
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February 18, 2005
Weed and Seed in the Croetto Ghetto
Weed and Seed
Originally uploaded by scupper.
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February 13, 2005
My Barberess: Cheap cuts, always interesting conversation
Posted by cystdog at 03:22 PM | TrackBack
February 12, 2005
Is it a gang fight, or a coverup of a gang war?
News - Is it home invasion or a quarrel? - sacbee.com
Is it home invasion or a quarrel?
A witness says the Rancho Cordova shooting victims weren't trying to rob anyone.
By Ed Fletcher -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PST Saturday, February 12, 2005
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February 11, 2005
Another coincidental shooting in Rancho Cordova
Sacbee Coverage:
News - Man fatally shot during would-be home-invasion robbery - sacbee.com
By Mareva Brown and Christina Jewett -- Bee Staff Writers
Published 6:01 pm PST Thursday, February 10, 2005
News - Two shoot at invaders; man killed - sacbee.com
The gunfire sparks a lockdown of two Rancho Cordova schools.
By Mareva Brown and Christina Jewett -- Bee Staff Writers
Published 2:15 am PST Friday, February 11, 2005
KCRA Channel 3 Coverage
TheKCRAChannel.com - News - One Killed In Rancho Cordova Home Invasion Shooting
POSTED: 5:45 pm PST February 10, 2005
UPDATED: 5:59 pm PST February 10, 2005
KXTV Channel 10 Coverage
Botched Home Invasion Leaves One Man Dead, One Wounded
Story last updated Friday, February 11, 2005 - 12:59 AM
VIDEO
I first heard about this as "Breaking News" on KFBK. Jay Alan began to describe the scene and scope of what had happened, stating that 2 schools had been locked down, and that the streets around the schools had been blocked off. NO NAMES were mentioned, not of the schools, nor of the streets.
They segwayed into the reporter on the scene, who apparently either had low cell phone batteries, or hit a bad cell because the she faded in and out, leaving dead air for us all to listen to, until they played recorded interviews.
Until they played those interviews, I thought I had something wrong with my car radio reception. The people who were interviewed talked about not being able to get into their neighborhoods, and one woman said her daughter could not come home from school because of the campus lockdown. Still, no names of streets or schools were heard. Allen finally broke in and said that the reporter on scene was in fact having communications problems, and that they would get back to the story later in the broadcast. That never happened.
I was in rush hour traffic, and was worried about my family, wondering where, when, how long this had gone on. I kept thinking about all the parents of children of those schools, how they might be reacting right now, hearing a special report like that, then having no information to go on. Which schools? Which neighborhoods.
Surely with a school lockdown situation of not just one, but two schools, would prompt the media, specifically KFBK, to make special reports and help alert the public and parents of this situation. Didn't happen. Kitty and Jay talked about the Land Park dummy crisis, while parents in traffic wondered what the hell was going on with their kids in possibly any of the schools in our city. (as reported at 4-6pm the media still said only two schools had been in lockdown since approximately 1:30pm-two hrs in total; the actual count was three schools;Williamson Elementary, Mitchell Middle School and Walnutwood Alternative High School, ironically the school closest to the shooting and not mentioned by the Sheriff's spokesman, the Bee or KCRA reports, only KXTV News 10)
Did the schools notify parents? Did the Sheriff's Department of City/City Police? The Sheriff's spokesman didn't even know 3 schools had been locked down, saying at least 4 times on three separate tv interviews and one radio interview that two, not three had been locked down, never mentioning the school closest, Walnutwood Alternative High School (an old elementary school), had been locked down as well.
When I got home, I immediately turned on the tv news, just before 5pm. KCRA led with another story, but their second story was the RC Shooting. Very little was discussed about the school lock down, or children, or parents' concerns and if they had been notified. The KXTV coverage was similar, as their story at 5pm was not the RC shooting. KOVR, which I don't watch, did a quick blurb, after doing an orgy of coverage on the huge public safety threat, the dangerous hanging dummy in Land Park.
KOVR and KFBK's obsession with that story confirmed for me that in the face of a public emergency in Rancho, they chose to stick to their political agenda, and not pull away for some "colored kids in Rancho Cambodia".
No station, radio or tv led with this story of 1300+ students (with an elementary school, a continuation school and a middle school) in lockdown from 1:30 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. Not one. The Bee couldn't even report accurately that three schools had been locked down, excluding the one closest to the crime scene and in the center of an entire neighborhood blocked off by Police and the Sheriff's Department.
The combined approx attendance of the three schools is 1316 (OCT 2003)
Williamson Elementary
406 + school staff- Source:2003-2004 SARC report
(OCT 2003)I.Demographic Information /pg 2 of pdf
http://www.fcusd.k12.ca.us/PDRTAWeb/SARCs2004/WM03-04.pdfWalnutwood Alternative High School
176 + school staff- Source:2003-2004 SARC report
(OCT 2003)I. Demographic Information /pg 2 of pdf
http://www.fcusd.k12.ca.us/PDRTAWeb/SARCs2004/WHS03-04.pdfMitchell Middle School
734 + school staff - Source:2003-2004 SARC report
(OCT 2003)I. Demographic Information /pg 2 of pdf
http://www.fcusd.k12.ca.us/PDRTAWeb/SARCs2004/MIT03-04.pdf
If this had happened in a more affluent community like Elk Grove, Folsom, Roseville, an orgy of coverage would have ensued. Three public schools, in a lockdown, with an armed manhunt underway, and the Sacramento media cannot consider that a public emergency important enough as a lead story.
And where was the City and Sheriff's Department? No one could give a call and put the fire under the media, or did they? Did they want to minimize this in a damage control effort to preserve the "illusion" that Rancho Cordova is a safe community to buy homes in? Was selling the homes south of the freeway, and protecting marketability the overriding thought when deciding how to handle the public emergency notification and media relations?
How bad does a public emergency in a public school in Rancho Cordova have to be for Sacramento media to cover it as a top news story, as part of their duty to the communities they serve? If there's Columbine style shooting at a Rancho Cordova school, will this be the style of coverage provided? Does anyone even care?
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February 04, 2005
BFI-mobile "Proudly Serving"
A BFI trash truck on it's first week of rounds through the southland of Rancho, passing through the treacherous South White Rock/Cordova Villa neighborhood. One promise of cityhood delivered.
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Even more Cans are Coming!
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The City Seal on a new baby trash can
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More Cans are Coming!
Posted by cystdog at 11:49 AM | TrackBack
The Cans are Coming! The Cans are Coming!
Trash cans for the City of Rancho Cordova lie in waiting to be placed in a new home, with a loving family.
Posted by cystdog at 11:48 AM | TrackBack
February 03, 2005
Croetto Ghetto Info Service Flashback
And where is the "V&T Video and Gifts" store located at?
-----Original Message-----
From:scupper
Sent: Wednesday, April 07, 2004 4:19 PM
Subject: Summer food program numbers
To play with the map and truly understand what you're looking at, goto:
summer food service program map machine
Economic Research Service - US Dept. of Agriculture
http://maps.ers.usda.gov/fanrp/index.asp
Number of Children Under 185%
Poverty Line**
Greater than 1000
Number of Children Under 185%
Poverty Line**
Fewer than 100 
100-250 
250-500 
500-1000 Greater than 1000
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They printed "V&T Video and Gifts" OMG!
News - Strip clubs irk Rancho Cordova - sacbee.com
Wow! Croetto Ghetto news. They actually mentioned "V&T Video and Gifts", and not just in the Mayberry section, but in M E T R O. What are they thinking? Card rooms, sex video stores....They've been there for years, why rock the boat and have conscience now? Maybe they'll relocate them to the back of the strip mall, and let a Cannibis Club replace the V&T Video Store.
We all know a Cannibis Club is coming to the Croetto-Mills Park area,....City Council members of Rancho Cordova......
Strip clubs irk Rancho Cordova
The city mulls ways it can change its image as a center of adult businesses.
By Molly Dugan -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PST Thursday, February 3, 2005
http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/story/12225607p-13089576c.html
Across Highway 50 from the sign welcoming people to Rancho Cordova, a large marquee announces the performance of Olivia O'Lovely: "Over 100 XXX movies.""Whether you're driving through Rancho Cordova on Highway 50 or coming into the city on Sunrise Boulevard, you'll see these prominent in-your-face sort of businesses," said Mayor Ken Cooley. "I do think they tend to typecast Rancho Cordova."
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January 27, 2005
Pearls of Wisdom and Air Supply Lines
Folsom - Rancho Cordova - City weighs future of Sunrise - sacbee.com
South part of busy road is a haven for industry.
By Molly Dugan -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PST Thursday, January 20, 2005
(note: It's a "Haven" for industry? "Haven"?)
All you need to read in this article is the excerpt of Pearls of Wisdom from City Council Member Linda Budge:
"For 25 years, we have been aggressively putting industrial (businesses) into that area. ... We can't just tell them they should get up and move," said Councilwoman Linda Budge.Many cities are not retaining enough of their industrial businesses and, instead, are focusing too much on residential and commercial uses, Budge said.
That approach wouldn't be healthy for Rancho Cordova's economy, Budge said - industrial businesses make up a large chunk of the city's job base.
"We have to have our industrial base. It's an important part of having a well-rounded economy," Budge said. "It's really critical that we continue to emphasize creation of additional jobs for people with manual skills."
And this newsflash that even caught me offguard.....This successful industrial area, part of the backbone of the RC economy that made it fiscally possible to incorporate, ready....has to be "revitalized", according to a city employee quoted on the story.
The last comment worth honorable mention is this quote from Mayor Ken Cooley:
"I don't think we have a clear enough plan at this moment," Cooley said. "It's a front door to the community. We want it to be a welcoming front door. If we're not doing that, we're stepping on the air hose of our future."
More on this later.......
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January 26, 2005
Hope? 10 yrs down the road
Folsom - Rancho Cordova - Rancho in partnership - sacbee.com
This will work out best if the County leads the way. I can't believe I'm saying that. 24 months ago, I'd never have thought I would, but the County looks a whole lot better this side of cityhood. If Rancho's council gets "the lead agency" designation, it will be a golf course road for Rio del Oro, and it will literally be 10 + years before improvements begin to take shape, and that's NO JOKE............
Rancho in partnership
By Molly Dugan -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PST Sunday, January 23, 2005
The Rancho Cordova City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to participate in the Folsom South Canal Development Plan.
A group of public and private interests, led by the Bureau of Reclamation, wants to develop a bicycle and pedestrian trail along a 14-mile stretch of Folsom South Canal from Lake Natoma to Sloughhouse Road.
The council also agreed to allocate $30,000 to complete a resource-management plan and ongoing public outreach efforts.
The plan is a two-year process to determine who - a newly created entity or one of the current players - would develop and maintain the trails, how much it would cost and who would pay for it.
It also will look at what else can be developed along the Folsom South Canal and what other trails it should connect.
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January 25, 2005
Historical Amnesia? I think this stop is in Rancho as well
I spotted this on flickr and cracked up. This bus bench must exist in Rancho somewhere. I've got to find it. Reading the last two years news articles in the Bee, Biz Journal and Grapevine, you'd think the period of time in Rancho history from 1977-2002 never existed. What's worse, is the absence of action, or even public comment to the Bee, to the County, over that time by some of Rancho's most celebrated leadership luminaries on issues like crime, child abuse and death, gangs, income property neglect, the housing of homeless children in cheap motels along with mentally ill "assisted living" patients, felons and probationers; the list goes on, even extending into the post-incorporation "era". Example: Olsen Drive Pedestrian Crossings?(A street srrounded by the busiest and most profitable retail center in the City of Rancho Cordova???) Not one, NOT one utterance in official city documents of any kind with the words "Croetto Way", "Woodberry Way", "Redburn Lane", "DeSoto Way", "Crawford Way", "Glenmoor Drive"... there are more, the list is staggering.
The slogan "Silence=Death" has a analogue in Rancho leadership circles....
"Silence=Rock with Plaque".
Posted by cystdog at 09:33 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 19, 2005
Rancho Renaissance Unplugged
When I first saw this psychic center put it's light up in May-June '04, I nearly had a seizure laughing my arse off. The irony of the Mayor and the medium having the same first name called into my mind so many quotes I'd read.
Strangly, the sign was taken down the next night, and it made me suspicious of possible cirumstances of the disappearance. About 2 months after it's removal, it reappeared.
It would not surprise me if the clarion call went out to the Old Guard of the "neon "blasphemy"'s existence and the need for removal, or permitting.
Such sense of urgency over a neon light, yet ambivilance towards the neighborhood behind this business sickens me. The environment thousands of children have grown up in for over 20 years in the surrounding apartment complexes just defies explanation.
I'll be visiting Linda the psychic and asking her about the Croetto Ghetto's future. I figure Linda the Card Reader should come up with more answers about Croetto than the Linda the City Council member and community leader has over the last 20 years concerning the Croetto Ghetto.
I wonder what nurturing and sustinance of a neighborhood like Croetto as a community leader does to one's Kharma? Maybe the psychic can tell me. Somehow, I suspect a Rock with Plaque will be "in the cards".
Posted by cystdog at 11:14 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 10, 2005
Entrance to frustration
In the coming months, I'll have to go into city hall, and have my say, go on the record, despite the fact I will be completely ineffectual in changing one council member's mind, on anything. The crew running the show is the same crew that assured the County for 20 + years that everything was A - OK, and that Rancho Cordovans were some of the laziest citizens in the state.
But whatever the council is and believes, people who care about Rancho can't walk away because these people are in office now. In 10 years, things will be different, and there isn't a whole lot these folks can do that can't be undone. As unpleasant as it will be to face people with complete disregard for my family's safety and well being, I have to at least try and speak up.
Hopefully others who are dissatisfied with the County Proxies on the city council now will run for office to replace them. When that happens, they will finally deliver on the promise cityhood held out to so many.
Posted by cystdog at 10:55 AM | Comments (0)
January 04, 2005
Trolley finally reaches the Croetto Ghetto
This was a great scene, but incomplete. What's missing is a light rail station at Mills Park Dr. @ Folsom Blvd. With the nearly dozen apartment complexes built around this intersection, it seems obvious that if you want to reduce the number of pedestrians flocking to the Zinfandel station and competing with cars for crossing access, you should try to draw these folks out of the area and keep them near their apt complexes in the Mills Park Drive area.
So much for Pedestrian Oriented Development. Three cheers for good old fashioned Pedestrian Oriented Denial.
Posted by cystdog at 05:27 AM
Pedestrian Oriented Denial rules the day on Olsen Drive
City of Rancho Cordova -- Pedestrian Master Plan and (ADA) Transition Plan
The City of Rancho Cordova announced it's upcoming Pedestrian Master Plan public comment period and offered the draft plan to the public and council for review. Once again, Olsen Drive has be ignored. Why is it that the City Council and staff seem more into "Pedestrian Oriented Denial" than Pedestrian Oriented Development and Enchancement of existing streets and neighborhoods?
Posted by cystdog at 05:16 AM
