What About Elk Grove? Are We Fighting a Losing Battle?

By Sarah Johnson

I was in a meeting recently with a group of friends and the question was asked, “Is Elk Grove worth saving?” The question got everyone's attention, and there were different responses. One immediately said it was. Others were not sure.

It makes me so sad to say that I am reaching the conclusion that Elk Grove may not be worth the effort to try and save it from the “beast” that is devouring it. Today's headlines reported optimistically that things are beginning to look up for the economy somewhat. The first thing that crossed my mind was sadness because this means that the “beast” is awakening from its hibernation and will again unleash its never-ending appetite by devouring more of the land that surrounds us and that some of us hold so dear.

The “beast” has unlimited resources, at least as far as us lowly citizens ability to do battle with it. The recent so called victory of getting the flood plain removed from the SOI application seems to have lulled some into thinking they won something. Sadly, they did not. The election in November could change that in a heartbeat.

If Pat Hume gets re-elected, if Gary Davis does not get re-elected, and depending on who gets elected to replace Jim Cooper if he wins Sheriff, will change the dynamic altogether.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is the time, the moment when we meet our fate head-on. No longer can we turn away from the reality of what Elk Grove has become. The City of Elk Grove has failed us in so many ways and these failures have added up to a lot of negatives. We are perceived in the region and beyond as a joke, as an example of what not to do. The City Councilmembers can deny it all they want, it does not change the facts.

Look around at many others cities in our region. They seem to have taken advantage of the down time in the economy to up their game. West Sacramento, Rancho Cordova, Folsom have all made impressive strides to reinvent themselves, especially their old town areas, as destinations in order to attract visitors and new businesses. In those cities there is an air of optimism. In Elk Grove there is an air of waiting for the other shoe to drop, so to speak.

The jobs have not materialized and may not for a long time because Elk Grove is located out of the “flow”. We have a long way to go to get back to where Elk Grove used to be, before incorporation. I'm not saying incorporation was bad, but it was driven by forces we did not understand at the time. Since cityhood, staff and council both have adopted postures that were unfriendly, confrontational, and downright nasty. The mantra was, “we are special, we are Elk Grove, we don't have to cooperate with anyone, businesses will come here and if one doesn't there will be another one in line who will”. Well, we can all see how well that worked out!

There must be a change of attitude at every level. They say the words, “transparency, accountability”, but the actions usually do not match that.

Change is needed and it can't come soon enough for me. I just hope it is change for the better, not a backward step. We got rid of two bad apples, but we need to replace at least one more to have a majority of council members who are truly working in our best interests. It all depends on the November election. It all depends on whether or not Elk Grove is worth saving!