Rancho planners approve casino and restaurant

By Megan Hansen
CNS Staff Writer

Rancho Cordova will soon be home to a new 24-hour casino and late-night restaurant, but not everybody is happy about it.

The Planning Commission voted 4-1 Thursday night to approve a conditional use permit for the Cordova Casino and Restaurant. The new casino will inhabit an existing building at 2801 Prospect Park Drive, north of White Rock Road near Highway 50.

Casino owners plan to open the business within six months. The casino will offer nine card tables 24 hours a day and an adjoining family-oriented restaurant will operate from 6:30 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. daily.

Brian Sobel, a consultant for Cordova Casino and Restaurant, said the owners are pleased with the commission’s decision.

“We’re very excited about coming to Rancho Cordova,” Sobel said. “We’re thrilled with the location and we believe we can make a material difference in the area and come up with an operation you can be proud of.”

Rancho Cordova City Manager Ted Gaebler said he supports the permit and told the commissioners that the business will be a good addition to Rancho Cordova.

“The prospect of adding a family friendly restaurant on this side of the freeway is great,” Gaebler said. “The 30,000 workers in this area will have a place to eat here.”

But not everyone is excited about the new business. Planning Commissioner Matthew Cummings voted against the conditional use permit.

“For me it’s location. We need to provide places along the freeway that identify what Rancho Cordova represents,” Cummings said. “There’s already a Hooter’s across the freeway and it concerns me now that there’s going to be a casino on the other side. In my mind it’s not the best image to convey.”

In a letter to the Planning Commission, Rancho Cordova Chief of Police Reuben Meeks expressed concerns about security and the need for increased police surveillance at the casino.

Meeks could not be reached for comment.

According to the staff report for the use permit, the police department estimated the new casino would require additional patrol staffing, incurring more cost to the city.

Principal Planner Bill Campbell said casino owners hammered out an agreement with city officials to help pay for police services.

Under the agreement, Cordova Casino and Restaurant will pay the city a minimum of $900 per year for additional police services. The agreement will go into effect after the business has been operating for one year.

“The agreement…will help offset the increased costs of police protection,” Campbell said.

Planning Commissioners expressed concern about the nature of the business, which combines a card room and family-oriented restaurant.

Sobel and architect Allan Hoshida said the restaurant and bar will be separate from the casino once the building is remodeled, much like the owners’ other business, The 101 Casino in Petaluma.

“The restaurant is a completely separate operation,” Sobel said. “Prices will be kept low to attract people, and families dine at the 101 Casino every day.”

Randy Yaple, a consultant on behalf of The 101 Casino, said the restaurant is the most important aspect of the business.

“We can’t survive without the restaurant,” Yaple said. “We don’t make that much on card games.”

Cummings said he doesn’t think the casino needs to be open 24 hours if the card games don’t generate much revenue.

“Why would there be gambling after the restaurant and bar close? It seems unnecessary to have the casino be open 24 hours a day,” Cummings said.

Though the business may need increased police surveillance, Campbell said it will help Rancho Cordova.

“The property tax from the minor improvements and the increased sales tax will be of financial asset to the city,” Campbell said.

No one from the community commented at the meeting.

Pets abandoned in foreclosed homes

By Steffi Broski
CNS Staff Writer

Many Americans who have lost their homes to foreclosure leave more than broken dreams when they move out – Fido and Fluffy often stay behind too.

The more fortunate dogs and cats are dropped off at overflowing shelters, and rescue groups are faced with countless homeless pets.

“It’s not that pet owners want to get rid of their animals, but people are losing their jobs and homes. There are countless animals that are given to organizations and shelters,” said Laurie Rich, board member of the Folsom Feline Rescue. “I hope the economy improves fast, not just for you and me, but the animals.”

The pet advocacy group Lost Our Home calls it a “nationwide epidemic.”

“What really baffles me is that the whole foreclosure process takes four to nine months, it’s not like it comes as a surprise,” said Tina Eacret, board secretary and fundraising chair of Lost Our Home, a volunteer organization founded by Phoenix, Ariz. realtors distressed by the rising number of pets deserted in homes and backyards. The group works to locate abandoned animals and find them new homes.

“If people don’t give their pets to a shelter, they just starve to death in an empty house,” Eacret said.

With thousands of foreclosures in Sacramento County, it is now “pretty common” to find abandoned animals here, said Alexis Raymond, secretary of the Sacramento Area Animal Coalition.

“We have about 270 people, most of them rescuers, subscribed to an email list. They can post emails such as ‘an animal has been left behind, can anybody take a cat?’” Raymond said. “We have seen a big increase in those types of emails in the last one and a half years.”

Raymond’s advice to pet owners is to plan ahead. It is important to make your pet look like a good tenant to the new landlord, she said. A “good dog resume” includes proof of shots and references from previous landlords. If owners know it will be impossible to keep their pet, they should ask family and friends if they are able to foster or adopt their animal.

Cathryn Rakich, board member for Happy Tails, a Sacramento area no-kill pet shelter, said it is “traumatic” for pets, especially cats, to move from a loving home to a shelter. But a shelter is better than leaving pets behind. Eacret said they often find dead cats in abandoned houses because they are quiet; dogs typically bark to alert neighbors if they are abandoned.

Rakich said all rescue groups in the Sacramento area work closely together, and even if one rescue group can’t help a certain pet owner, another one might be able to.

Folsom Feline Rescue is not accepting any animals now after “having had tons of returns last year,” said Janet Bennett, who founded the group nine years ago with her husband John. Many adult cats that had already been adopted were dropped off again, and now the organization is more desperate than ever to find people to adopt the pets or foster families who are willing to give them a temporary home.

Theresa Pratt, pet sitter for Folsom Feline Rescue, has four rescued cats and urges everyone to not give up on their pet too soon. Many groups try hard to find ways to assist, Pratt said.

“There are a lot of good people out there, a lot of animal lovers that can help,” Pratt said.

Rich said even if many rescue groups cannot take anymore animals right now, they can offer free pet food or negotiate with a new landlord. But most charities are faced with a serious decline in donations while the need is larger than ever.

Still, the Folsom Feline Rescue is relentless in their efforts to help pet owners in need. Rich said people should not feel shame when they can’t care for their pet anymore.

“We are not judgmental about that,” said Rich. “We have a commitment and the commitment is to find Fido a home.”

Folsom Feline Rescue can be contacted at 916.365.4900 or visit www.folsomfelines.org for more information. Visit www.lostourhome.org for more information. Send an email to contact@sacanimal.org to the Sacramento Area Animal Coalition for more information or visit www.sacanimal.org. Contact Happy Tails at www.happytails.org.

Folsom considers water saving measures

By Steffi Broski
CNS Staff Writer

Folsom City Council member Andy Morin is glad to see rain clouds in the sky and welcomes every drizzle that touches the ground. But it won’t be enough to fill up Folsom Lake.

“Usually, the lake has about 1 million acre feet of water, (and) at this time of the year, around 500,000. We are looking at 250,000 acre feet right now, which is only half of normal and a quarter of full,” said Morin, who is a River Forecast Center senior hydrologist.

One acre foot is the equivalent of 325,851 gallons; it would take more than 82 billion gallons of water to fill the lake half full again.

The city council discussed an ordinance Tuesday that would define five stages of water conservation and penalties for water waste. The council will vote on the ordinance Feb. 24, and if approved, it would be effective 30 days later.

For several months, the city has been trying to conserve water by installing meters and limiting irrigation.

In July, when the Bureau of Reclamation announced that it would deliver 25 percent less water to municipal suppliers, such as the city of Folsom, the city implemented a plan to reduce water use by 20 percent and declared a stage 2 “water alert.”

Morin said by the end of the summer, that goal was met largely by reducing irrigation to three days per week. The new ordinance clarifies five stages of water conservation from a stage 1 “basic” stage to a stage 5 “water emergency.” Each stage will reduce water consumption by increasingly cutting back on irrigation, ponds, fountains, car washing, pool refills and installation of new lawns and landscaping.

During stage 2 residents with even street number addresses water on Wednesday, Friday and Sundays, while residents with odd number addresses water on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturdays.

One of the goals of the new measure is to define penalties for violating the city’s water use policy and enhance the city’s ability to enforce water conservation.

“We handle enforcement with a lot of discretion,” Morin said. “This is not targeted toward first time offenders, but we made sure the ordinance has enough teeth in it so we can come down on users that continue to waste water after several notices.”

After the first violation residents receive a personal or written notification of violation; the second will result in a written notification. A third violation could result in discontinued water service, a fine up to $100, mandatory installation of a meter, and other penalties as determined by the utilities director.

“We are basically trying to get people’s attention. This is for the guy that says: ‘I don’t care how much it costs, I just want my lawn green,’” said Walter Sadler, assistant director of the Folsom Utilities Department.

With the low water levels in the Folsom Reservoir, the city later this month is expected to issue a stage 3 “water warning,” Morin said. This would mean additional water use restrictions for parks and landscaping.

In June, Gov. Schwarzenegger declared a drought in California. The entire state is facing this crisis, but Folsom faces unique challenges, city officials said. The city has no ground water resources; Folsom Lake, the city’s water supplier, has extremely low water levels due to the lack of snow and rain.

According to the Department of Water Resources, this year’s rainfall has been below average, and statewide reservoir levels are only 68 percent of average for this time of the year. In 2008, they were at 80 percent of average. Morin said the city won’t know the extent of the drought until May.

In an effort to control water waste, meters are being installed in all residential homes. By state law, the city must install water meters by 2013. City Manager Kerry Miller said the meters will make customers more conscious of their water use. It is anticipated that by the end of summer, all Folsom residential homes will be metered, city officials said.

“We do live in a desert,” Sadler said. “And the situation is bad enough now to have everyone concerned.”

Job seekers flock to Raley Field

By Luke Gianni
CNS Staff Writer

Thousands of job seekers braved several hours of long lines and paperwork Saturday at Raley Field in West Sacramento in hopes of finding temporary work for the upcoming minor league baseball season.

A line of hundreds could be seen snaking out from the entrance of the park into the main lot as the team’s mascot walked through the crowd, giving high-fives to those patiently waiting in what would be a very long wait.

“How do I get that job?” one man in line asked.

The job fair, which was held over the last two Saturdays, is an annual event leading up to the River Cat’s season. However, park officials said this year fielded many more applicants than usual – and perhaps a wider variety of candidates as well.

Recently laid off engineers, EMTs, business consultants and other causalities of the economic recession marched incrementally forward to their chance of becoming hot dog vendors, parking lot ushers and janitors.

“It’s been hard,” said Mark Langford, 34, an out-of-work computer network engineer. “Mostly on my wife because not having any cash flow doesn’t help us out.”

Langford earned a certificate in network engineering a couple years ago but couldn’t find steady work and was recently let go from a seasonal job at Macys.

Before the downturn, Langford said he and his wife would reserve for themselves one special night of the week for a date.

“Now it’s like once a month,” Langford said. “I am still looking and that’s the best I can do. My wife sees that and she knows it.”

Langford’s story was echoed among many slogging their way toward a chance at a brief interview in front of Raley Field staff members posted at fold out tables inside the park’s concourse.

One of those in the long line was Tiffany Lighter, 30, who was laid off from her job as a medical clerk at Sutter Hospital in San Francisco in November. The setback forced her to temporarily drop out of school.

“I was half way through a master’s degree,” Lighter said. “But right now, I need to pay my bills.”

She lives at home with her mother in Sacramento and said she is on a daily mission to find work no matter wherever or whatever it may be.

“It’s been hard,” Lighter said, but adding she knows that other people in Sacramento have it much worse. “I have a home and I still have lights and food in my fridge.”

The state’s unemployment rate climbed to 9.3 percent in December, according to a California Employment and Development Department report, two percentage points higher than the national average. Yolo County has been no exception.

Some in line said they thought the days of vying for low-wage work were permanently behind them after they graduated college.

However, the state’s bleak economic conditions led them to reconsider, despite their developed resumes.

“I’ll take anything,” said Mark Garbe, 36, who was recently laid off from Home Depot.

Garbe said he left his job at the hardware franchise because of what he saw as a lack of opportunity for promotion. He thought with his more than two years of cashier experience he would find another job quickly.

“Stupidly, I didn’t know this was coming,” Garbe said. “When even Taco Bell tells you they’re not accepting applications, you know things are bad.”

On the bright side, Gabe Ross, Raley Field spokesman, said the thousands who turned out for the fair will ensure a good field of candidates for the 350 jobs available.

“It was large turnout,” Ross said. “We can only imagine the current economic climate is contributing to the amount of people looking for a job.”

Ross wouldn’t comment on how much the positions paid, but said his organization offers a “wide variety” of temporary jobs.

Walgreens Comes To Anatolia

By Megan Hansen
CNS Staff Writer

The cluster of houses in Rancho Cordova’s Anatolia development is surrounded by empty lots and ragged “coming soon” signs.

Only one sign is new, set in front of a construction site framed by a field of green grass. It advertises the only store for miles around – a new Walgreens.

Walgreens is projected to open its doors at 4050 Sunrise Blvd. in Rancho Cordova in March. It is the closest thing Anatolia residents have had to a grocery store since people began moving into the housing development, a few miles south of Highway 50, in 2005.

Derek Price and his family moved to Anatolia four years ago. Price said he is thankful for the Walgreens, but thought it would only take a year for a grocery store to be built in the area.

“We were supposed to have a Raley’s and a Safeway here,” Price said. “It sucks because it’s 20 minutes to any Bel Air or Raley’s and the closest thing is Costco- but that requires buying in bulk which can be expensive.”

Megan McMurtry, of Rancho Cordova’s Economic Development Department, said the zoning is in place for grocery stores, but stores have decided not to build.

“Safeway has gone through the entitlement process but has chosen not to proceed with building,” McMurtry said. “Raley’s has yet to go through the entitlement process.”

Representatives from Safeway and Raley’s could not be reached for comment.

Terri Fairley has lived in the area for more than two years. She said a Raley’s “coming soon” sign has been on the same corner for at least two years.

“We did think the grocery stores in the area would be built much sooner,” Fairley said. “I assumed once a grocery store was here, all the rest would follow.”

The area surrounding Anatolia lacks not just a grocery store, but any other stores or restaurants. The closest shopping center, with a Costco and a few fast food restaurants, is more than four miles away.

Jon and Yvone Silao moved to Anatolia two and a half years ago with their son and his fiancé. They too have noticed the lack of retail development in the community.

“I was expecting at least a grocery store,” Yvone Silao said. “Walgreens will help but a grocery store and a small mall would be nice.”

McMurtry said grocery stores and other amenities will come in time, but businesses like Safeway won’t build until there are a certain number of residents in Anatolia.

“There has to be a minimum number of rooftops within a certain radius of the store before they’ll locate there,” McMurtry said. “Grocery stores carry perishable items and they want to make sure there are enough people to buy these items so there is no waste or loss of revenue.”

Silao and other Anatolia residents said they believe there are more than enough people in the area to sustain a grocery store.

“I’m a little upset because [the stores] don’t think about all the people from Mather, Rancho Murieta, Elk Grove, Sunridge and the surrounding areas that would shop there,” Silao said. “They’re not including the entire demographic of the area in their count.”

The city of Rancho Cordova has plans to attract more retail businesses and fully develop the Anatolia area. McMurtry said she hopes Anatolia residents will get more retail stores in the future.

“Anatolia was approved by the county before Rancho Cordova became a city and took it over,” McMurtry said. “We want to grow our retail base [there] but with the economy, now is not the time to do that.”

Residents like Price said they want a grocery store but are grateful for the new Walgreens.

“It’s about time we got something out here. It’s not much but at least it’s something,” Price said.

Elk Grove Residents Oppose Wal-Mart

By Todd Wilson
CNS Staff Writer

The Elk Grove City Council chambers were standing room only Wednesday night as more than 150 residents gathered to voice their concerns over plans for a new Wal-Mart store.

The controversy began in January, when the city council learned that retailer Target pulled out of plans to anchor the 16-acre The Vineyard at Madeira shopping center and the property was purchased by Wal-Mart. The project is surrounded on three sides by residential housing, including the Del Webb Glenbrooke senior community.

The council approved the shopping center project, located at the southeast corner of Bruceville Road and Whitelock Parkway, in June. Mayor Patrick Hume explained to the crowd Wednesday that once the council approves a retail project, it cannot reject a proposed user as long as they conform to the original design plans set forth for the project.

Hume said he hoped that Wal-Mart, which normally operates its stores 24 hours a day, seven days a week, would agree to limit its hours of operation at the new store from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.

“We intend, as forcefully and aggressively as we can, to ask that Wal-Mart be a good corporate neighbor, and restrict their hours of operation for this store,” Hume said.

Hume said Wal-Mart has the option of rejecting the Council’s requests.

“At that point, then, they are creating an adverse situation that would probably not bode well for any future development they wish to do.”

Wednesday night, speaker after speaker came forward and told the Council they were worried about hours of operation, traffic congestion and the potential for an increase in crime because of the store. Many noted that Wal-Mart already has a 24-hour store located less than two miles from the new project.

Del Webb Glenbrooke resident, Debbie Sareeram, said her home sits right next to the site, and lights from the parking lot will shine directly into her bedroom.

“It’s very disheartening for us to now find out that there could now be a 24/7 operation there, which will definitely affect our quality of life,” Sareeram said.

Although not a part of the original design plans, Target had agreed to limit its hours of operation at the shopping center. Wal-Mart reached an agreement with the city of Galt to limit its hours of operation for a store being planned in that city.

Following the meeting, Linda Ford, chair person of the Elk Grove Coalition Advocating Proper Planning, said her organization is not opposed to Wal-Mart building a store at the shopping center, but has issues with the hours of operation.

“We’re opposed to a 24/7 store in a residential neighborhood,” Ford said. “It’s unacceptable.”

Ford’s organization was formed in 2005 as part of a successful effort to stop the planned building of a Wal-Mart superstore in Elk Grove.

Council member Gary Davis said that after listening to residents’ concerns, he is going to do everything he can to oppose the building of a Wal-Mart store in the shopping center and encourage the retailer to find a better location for its store outside of a residential neighborhood.
Council member Jim Cooper said he will also oppose the store and that his biggest concern is a possible rise in crime in the area.

“I don’t have a lot of respect for Wal-Mart,” Cooper said.

Representatives from Wal-Mart did not attend the meeting, nor did they respond to requests for comment. Council members said they have meetings scheduled with representatives from Wal-Mart in the coming week and would relate citizens concerns to the company.