First there was Enron. At the time the largest failure of a public company ever. The executives became greedy and gambled on the deregulated energy market and lost, big time. Many people lost jobs, stock investments and confidence in government to regulate energy markets and corporate board rooms. Did we learn anything from that mess?

The American River Parkway is the most important recreational area in our region and it has serious financial and public safety issues not being dealt with effectively. In the December 1985 American River Parkway Plan, an element of the Sacramento County General Plan, ratified by Sacramento County, the city of Sacramento and approved by state legislation: The Urban American River Parkway Preservation Act, California Public Resources Code Sections 5840, there was a mandate to review and update the plan every five years to allow for changing circumstances.

The red ink continues to flow for the Sacramento Bee newspaper, the flagship of the McClatchy Co of Sacramento. In a continued effort to cut costs The Bee offered buyouts to 55% of its full-time employees. In June The Bee eliminated 86 jobs in across the board cuts by McClatchy.In total 44% of all employees, or about 400 staff, were offered buyouts. In July, The Bee shrank its print edition in yet another cost cutting measure.

It appears that there have been some some misguided plans and an inability in many areas to simply involve the community to improve Rancho area parks. It may be time for another change in leadership or a change to the structure of the CRPD. Clearly, the park district is not meeting the needs of Rancho Cordova residents and it’s time for the community to come together to make a change.

Most likely by now you’ve seen the groundbreaking series “To Catch a Predator” on Dateline NBC with Chris Hanson. In each episode slimy sexual predators are lured into a trap by a host of undercover crime fighters and eventually embarrassed and arrested for being an idiot.