Elk Grove News Podcasts

Two weeks ago was a rare moment of national unity on the 20th anniversary of the 9 -11 attacks. But as one Elk Grove, Calif. elected official noted, that unity quickly evaporated. 

During the post-pandemic American economic recovery, jobs in several classifications are being left unfilled. One such job is school bus drivers.

Once again we find ourselves referencing comments from former President George W. Bush. The former president made comments during a ceremony in Shanksville, Penn. marking the 20th anniversary of the 9-11 attacks.

Twenty years ago today was horrific. We should always remember this day. Upon our recent withdrawal from Afghanistan after 20 years, historians will dissect the misadventure that spanned four presidencies for generations.

By Dan Schmitt |  As another US tragedy unfolds in Afghanistan, it is natural for Americans to be frustrated and angry at our government and to have this hidious gut feeling that nothing good can possibly come from this tragedy.  After all, many of us saw a similar tragedy play out in Vietnam nearly fifty years ago.

Just when you thought a state government couldn’t get crazier, it does. And we aren’t talking about California.

During the current California legislative session, there has been debate and votes on several laws addressing housing. Two notable pieces of legislation are Senate Bills 9 and 10, which are expected to be enacted.

Elk Grove has grown quickly in its last 30 years because of affordable housing. Its regional role as a bedroom community started over 30 years ago and continued with its incorporation in 2000. Now mind you, there is nothing inherently wrong with being a bedroom community.

This week saw the end of America’s role in Afghanistan after 20 years of war. It is an unfortunate outcome, especially for the all souls lost or wounded.

One of several lingering effects of Donald Trump has been the Big Lie. The big lie perpetrators have included cable news outlets One America News and Newsmax.

Netflix has released a new documentary series called How to Become a Tyrant. The six-part series offers a somewhat snarky playbook to becoming a tyrant with a focus on Adolf Hitler, Edi Amin, Saddam Hussein, Moammar Kadafi, Joseph Stalin, and Kim il Yung.

This week’s there were a couple of encouraging developments. First, with bi-partisan support, the U.S. Senate advanced the debate on President Biden’s massive infrastructure proposal.

West Virginia’s Joe Manchin is one of the most powerful people in the U.S. Senate. The conservative Democratic senator is the crucial 50th person giving his party the majority.

For the second time in less than 20 years, a California governor is facing a recall. Voters will answer yes or no if Gavin Newsom should continue as governor.

By Lynn Wheat, Podcast Contributor | On Thursday the Sacramento Central Groundwater Authority will conduct a special meeting for the purpose of gathering comments on the Groundwater Sustainability Plan. One of the programs within the plan is the so-called Harvest Water project . While this plan is meant to provide agricultural users with an alternate source of water, could the use of sewer water b...

Emboldened by recent SCOTUS decisions, the week President Biden fired Andrew Saul, Trump’s appointee heading the Social Security Administration.

By Dan Schmitt |  One of my earliest memories involves reading.  I was about three when I began crawling up on my father’s lap each Sunday morning and listening while he read the comics to me. Although I didn’t understand much about those comics at such a young age, listening to Dad chuckle as he read the likes of Beetle Bailey, Dagwood, and Blondie, and Bringing up Father made me unders...

We have reached the halfway point of 2021, and things for America are much better. But there could be dark clouds ahead.

By Lynn Wheat | The transparency, outreach, and messaging of the Sacramento Central Groundwater Authority and its member agencies, including Elk Grove Water District and the City of Elk Grove, have not sufficiently engaged the public.

This week I attended the funeral mass of the father of dear friends. Days before his 98th birthday, Patrick left a large family of children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and friends. Slán Leat

There was a significant development in what was Elk Grove’s largest ever proposed project.

Elk Grove has many organizations providing crucial services to our community. Many of these groups are vital, yet there is one that has shriveled like an overcooked hotdog into irrelevancy.

This week the Sacramento LAFCO allowed Elk Grove to annex about 600 acres into city limits. With this annexation, 60 acres of taxpayer-owned property in the affected area might be sold to a corporation.

A year from now, the Supreme Court will issue what could be a landmark reproductive rights ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which could make it easier for states to essentially outlaw abortions. If decided as predicted, the courts six conservative justices will allow many states to continue their goal of reenacting Jim Crow-era laws.

Recently the city of Elk Grove’s public relation machinery has taken to social media bragging about the population growth over the last year. Growth, the smart kind, is welcome, but before the city council and city employee executives continue to laud themselves, they need to stand down.