SACRAMENTO — A man wanted on suspicion of firing at a Sacramento police sergeant nearly a month ago was shot and killed during a standoff with officers, authorities confirmed Thursday. The Sacramento County coroner's office identified the man as 50-year-old Albert Wheeler. Police had been looking for Wheeler after he...
California Needs Bigger, Stronger City Councils not Strong Mayors
Want a stronger California city? Don’t make your mayor more powerful. Make your city council bigger. Mayors Sam Liccardo of San Jose and Darrell Steinberg of Sacramento are seeking to become “strong mayors”—with broad executive authority over department heads, budgets and council legislation. “Strong mayors” are rare in California. More...
Protests and Damage Hit California Cities After Wisconsin Shooting
SACRAMENTO — Demonstrators protesting the shooting of Jacob Blake in Wisconsin by a police officer vandalized buildings and tried to start a fire in downtown Sacramento while others in Los Angeles targeted the home of the city police chief. The protests Thursday night were expected to be followed Friday with...
Walters: Two Mayors Seek More Authority
California has 482 incorporated cities but just five of them — Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Oakland and Fresno — have what are called “strong mayors” with executive authority. Others, except for a few tiny villages, have professional city managers to hire and fire employees, draft budgets and perform...
Father Junipero Serra Statue Toppled in Sacramento Protest
SACRAMENTO — A statue of a Spanish missionary in downtown Sacramento has been toppled by demonstrators. The Sacramento Bee reports the statue of Father Junipero Serra in Capitol Park was brought down Saturday amid a protest focusing on the rights and historical struggle of indigenous people. The 18th century Roman Catholic priest...
Statue of Columbus on Display Since 1883 Will be Removed from California Capitol
SACRAMENTO — A statue depicting Christopher Columbus that has been the centerpiece of the California Capitol rotunda since 1883 will be removed after legislative leaders decided it is out of place “given the deadly impact his arrival in this hemisphere had on indigenous populations.” The decision, announced Tuesday by legislative...
Collaboration Is Answer to California’s Fishery, Water Supply Challenges
California has the opportunity to enter a new era in water management. Unprecedented efforts by leaders at the state and national level have led to the kind of cooperation that will provide valuable benefits to water users and the environment. I know because that’s what we’ve been doing in the Sacramento Valley...
Trapped Paraglider Rescued From Power Lines in California
OLIVEHURST — A paraglider spent three hours trapped in power lines before being rescued in northern California. The paraglider, who was not immediately identified, was facing the ground with the wires as his only support when first responders arrived Wednesday night, according to officials with the Olivehurst Fire Department. Olivehurst...
You’ve Been Named California’s Homelessness Czar. What’s Your First Move?
Gov. Gavin Newsom has taken grief for failing to fulfill what seems like a pretty achievable campaign promise: appointing a homelessness “czar” to help the 150,000 Californians living in shelters and on the streets. Newsom’s quest, which at various points had the mayor of Sacramento, the state secretary of health and human services and...
Rare Video Shows 5 Mountain Lions Together in California
JACKSON — Five California mountain lions were seen together on home surveillance video in a rare gathering of the notoriously solitary big cats. The footage was recorded at a rural residence at the edge of the El Dorado National Forest east of Sacramento, KTXL-TV reported Wednesday. “We shared the videos and photos with several...