The City of Elk Grove 2024 Year in Review, Part II

During 2024, Elk Grove's unglamorous and unpopular northside became Mayor Bobbie 
Singh-Allen's metaphorical dumping ground. |    

July 

After only seven months, senior city attorney bails

A statement of economic interest revealed a key person in the city attorney's office bailed on city attorney Jonathan Hobbs after only seven months on the job. Emilio Camacho was hired in October 2023. 

We doubt he was overworked, considering how much business Hobbs directs to his former law firm! 

Onetime mentor of Mayor Singh-Allen ends career in public service

In July, Florin Resources Conservation District Director Sophia Scherman announced at a board meeting she would not seek another term. With that declaration, Ms. Sherman ended her 30 years of elected public service in Elk Grove.

Sheman was a director of the Elk Grove Community Services District (predecessor of the Cosumnes Services District) and was an original Elk Grove City Council member. 

Interestingly, Mayor Singh-Allen used to call Scherman her mentor and praised her support. In recent years, Singh-Allen has ignored her former mentor altogether.  

During a city council meeting, one Elk Grove resident urged Mayor Bobbie Singh-Allen and her council to honor Scherman's numerous community contributions. However, Mayor Singh-Allen has not taken action to honor her mentor.

Survey's validity challenged

Surprise, surprise! The city commissioned a suspect survey during an election year to benefit their bosses.

If you are a high-paid city executive, what better way to ensure your continued employment than to use taxpayers' dollars for the political purposes of your boss. Get them reelected, and they'll repay you with continued employment with that fat benefit and pension package.  

One person challenged this during a city council meeting. 

Here is a thought - don't conduct these surveys during election years. They are too self-serving. 

August 

Mayor Singh-Allen, city council and city executive staff skewered all for only $2,500!

Even though the old saying that you can't fight city hall holds true, especially a city hall under the thumb of Mayor Singh-Allen, that didn't stop people from skewering elected officials and other political appointees.

Of course, that skewering came at a cost. The exact cost to a group of people who unsuccessfully appealed the Coral Blossom housing project was $2,500.

So, even if you fight city hall, it's gonna cost you! 

Mayor, city council start pursuit of pay raise

Maybe they drew straws in one of their secret off-site meetings, and Elk Grove City Councilman Darren "Bobblehead" Suen drew the short straw. However they determined who would present it, during a city council meeting Suen broached the idea of giving themselves a raise. 

Roadside trash in Old Elk Grove

The northside is the perfect place to dump unwanted garbage, furniture, and affordable housing projects! 

Elitism, snobbery from the Elk Grove mayor, her city council and city hall bigwigs

Councilmember Sergio "Bender" Robles. 

What politician doesn't like mugging for the camera, especially with the proliferation of social media? Even though they might be too busy to attend mandatory meetings, Mayor Singh-Allen and her city council never missed an opportunity for self-promotion. 

This was evidenced at the grand opening of a dead-in-the-water retailer in an Elk Grove strip center. They just can't help themselves! 

Time for Doan, Singh-Allen to take their thumbs off the scale

A few months before the problems surfaced about Old Town Elk Grove's overhyped Slow and Low restaurant revealed themselves (jump to December if you need to), it was suggested that the city take its thumb off the scale.

Not only does the city's unfair and unnecessary restaurant incentive program make for an uneven playing field, but in the case of Slow and Low, they don't work!

Singh-Allen and Doan are all in on privaiting profit but socializing risk. Tough luck for the taxpayer!

Councilmember Rod Brewer's intentional lying exposed by a city council colleague 

During the hearing on their pay raise (see more about that below), Councilmember Rod "Crockpot" Brewer told a straight-up lie. 

Brewer conveniently omitted key information about his generous taxpayer-funded compensation package, and Councilmember Kevin Spease called him out. Spease had better watch his back because the mayor can't be too happy with this call to account for her protege. 

Spease clowns Suen over dry cleaning, volunteering

Even though his four city council colleagues - Big Red, Bobblehead, Bender, and Crockpot - voted themselves a whopping 300 percent pay increase, Councilmember Kevin Spease took potshots and deconstructed how many hours they actually work during the late August city council meeting. 

September 

'Iceberg right ahead!' for the ballyhooed Slow and Low

An early indication that things might be faltering at the city of Elk Grove's favorite restaurant, Old Town's Slow and Low, appeared in September. The Sacramento Business Journal reported that a sister restaurant was in default. 

Slow and Low's operator, David Hargis, received a whopping $500,000 taxpayer-backed loan guarantee from Mayor Singh-Allen and economic development guru Darrell "Bojangles" Doan. Wonder how much taxpayer money Singh-Allen and Doan will lose with this boner? 

Mayor Singh-Allen takes money from death merchant 

An early September campaign disclosure revealed R.J. Reynolds coughed up - pun intended - $2,500 for the reelection of Mayor Singh-Allen. The fact that the mayor is a lobbyist for gas stations who makes a lot of cash selling cigarettes and vaping products is not coincidental. 

So whenever you hear Madame Mayor blabber about Elk Grove being a safe and healthy place for children, she is lying her butt off. She only cares about death merchants, not the ill effects tobacco has on impressionable kids. 

 

 

Elk Grove's year-round homeless shelter announcement poorly received   

The city of Elk Grove's year-round shelter was roundly criticized when its location was announced in October. Many residents near the East Stockton Boulevard shelter took to social media to criticize the location and the city's communications techniques, or lack thereof.   

Becoming a big city brings big city "art"

Since Elk Grove's founding 24 years ago, there has been an unending desire to grow the city. The former and current mayors and city council have succeeded in that regard.

In September, there was a sign, quite literally, showing Elk Grove was in the same league as Bay Area cities and L.A. Specifically, taggers were now using freeway signs to display their artwork.  

This may be what Mayor Singh-Allen has in mind for her new creative arts commission! 

Out of sight, out of mind for Mayor Singh-Allen

Speaking of growth, not only does Mayor Singh-Allen have a thirst for expansion, but there is also a fetish for the new and shiny parts of town. Meanwhile, older, more remote, and less glamorous parts of Elk Grove are becoming convenient dumping grounds.  

From the relocation of the Oak Rose affordable housing project to this dumpsite on Calvine Road, the northern part of Elk Grove has become the mayor and city council's figurative and literal dumpsite. 

Who knows what will be dumped there next year! 

 

Former Elk Grove Police employee takes Mayor Singh-Allen to task

Mayor Singh-Allen likes to portray Elk Grove as all rainbows and puppies. The reality is quite different.

This former Elk Grove Police Department employee was unabashed in taking the mayor and her city councilmen to task for their secret handling of the permanent homeless shelter.  

Spease stands for taxpayers; Will the mayor call him her Judas? 

During the second September city council meeting, Councilman Kevin Speasee called out the greed of his city council colleagues for giving themselves a colossal 300 percent pay raise.

Mr. Spease better watch it because the mayor has a mean streak, and she'll probably call him the city council's Judas! 

Who let the dogs out!

At a September city council meeting, an Elk Grove Planning commissioner complained to Mayor Singh-Allen about excessive barking in his neighborhood. That planning commission better watch his back as the mayor may not renominate him for the planning commission in 2025! 

October 

Did the Western Festival cancellation cause it? 

In early October, the Cosumnes Community Services District announced the termination of their general manager. Phile Lewis had been general manager for a little over a year at the time of the board's action.

No reason was given for the action, but it probably didn't help that the Western Festival was canceled earlier in the year. 

If imitation is sincere flattery, it means Mayor Singh-Allen is a HUGE Trump supporter! 

Even though she had overwhelming financial and name recognition over her two mayoral rivals, Mayor Singh-Allen still sent campaign mailers. She used a prominent slogan from one of Donald Trump's surrogates in her mailer. 

We can't help but wonder what tricks the mayor has up her sleeves when she says, "The Best is Yet to Come! 

PS Never forget the Mayor started her political career in the Republican Party and switched when it was more advantageous to be a Democratic Party member. Slick! 

Elk Grove has its own Howard Chan!

If you ever doubt the power of a city manager in a California municipality, you need to look no further to the power of Sacramento's one-time city manager, Howard Chan. But low and behold, Elk Grove's city manager, Jason Behrmann, has also flexed his muscles! 

More frequent, empty buses coming to Elk Grove? 

Bus and mass transit are vital to any community, especially Elk Grove, with its downtown commuters, students, and others needing transportation. In October, it was learned that a study will be conducted to see if Elk Grove needs bus rapid transit. 

Hard to say what the study will determine. As we know, SacRT commuter buses serving Elk Grove on Highway 99 and I-5, seen during morning and evening rush hours, are well below capacity and sometimes have only one or two passengers.

Don't get your hopes up too much for bus rapid transit or Light Rail, especially given the incoming Trump administration. Notwithstanding the new administration, it will be hard to get Elk Grove commuters, much less non-commuters butts out of their cars and into buses.      

November 

Singh-Allen wins record third term.

Now that Mayor Bobbie, as she insists people call her, has won a third term, when will she dump Elk Grove as she attempts to move up the political food chain? Who will be her next victim? 

We can't help but wonder what the mayor really thinks of Elk Grove, given her lust to move on. Perhaps this South Park depiction of Paris Hilton provides the answer. 

Good thing we aren't in a drought - Drip, drip, drip . . . Elk Grove Water District's leaky faucet

Fortunately for Californians, 2024 going into 2025 looks to be a wet year. The Sacramento rainfall as of December 30 is 125 percent of normal, so aquifers should be recharged. 

And don't forget that Harvest Water - reclaimed sewage water - is returning to aquifers soon.

Nonetheless, the Elk Grove Water District needs to tighten things up literally!


More bars coming to Old Town-Historic Downtown Elk Grove!

As part of her plan to transform Old Town into a tourist destination that will challenge San Diego's famed Gaslamp Quarter, Mayor Singh-Allen started the ball rolling for more watering holes in the special planning area.

No wonder the mayor didn't want to help people hoping to escape homelessness when she fought off the state and moved the Oak Rose affordable housing project to the edge of town! 

You can't help but wonder if some shady real estate transactions are happening. Regardless, that's mayoral leadership! 

Three new school board members for EGUSD

There was a large-scale change to the seven-member Elk Grove Unified School District Board of Trustees. There are three new trustees, two of which defeated incumbents.

With one solid conservative voice now on the board, it will be noteworthy to see how the seven trustees interact during public meetings. 

December 

'Elk Grove is a sanctuary city for pedophilia'

Even though this was included in our Top 10 EGN stories, this story is a reminder that if you scratch below the surface of the pictures that elected officials portray, there are often weird events happening in a community. 

It is not all rainbow and puppies, as Madame Mayor would have you believe. These comments at a city council meeting confirm the underbelly of Elk Grove.

Suen gets a new gig

Was it coincidental at about the same time he was separated from his chief of staff job for California Assemblymember Stephanie Nguyen, Elk Grove City Councilman Darren Suen advanced the astounding 300 percent pay increase.

Maybe.

Nonetheless, Suen was out of a job. It was learned after his short tenure in the state house that Suen landed a job in Stockton as the executive director of the San Joaquin Area Flood Control Agency.

Given that Suen has never been a city council leader, it will be interesting to see how he performs in leading this joint power authority. If he gets in trouble, the mayor can bail him out!

Mayor Singh-Allen decapitates Arts Commission    

After winning her third term, Mayor Singh-Allen moved swiftly to seize more power. One of her first acts was to disband the city's 20-plus-year-old Arts Commission in favor of something more now and hip!

Given the commission was made up of primarily wise and elderly ladies, was this an overt act of ageism on behalf of the mayor? 

Remember, Mayor Bobbie, before long, you'll start getting those endless AARP pieces in your mailbox! 

The keystone to the mayor's Old Town revitalization scheme is on the ropes after less than 7 months

Slow and Low will close on December 31 for a reported retooling. But really, who believes they
will ever reopen in their current incarnation? | 

Even though Mayor Singh-Allen and economic development guru Darrell Doan put their thumbs on the scale in the form of a $500,000 taxpayer loan guarantee, it appears the Slow and Low restaurant is on the brink as it plans a "temporary" closure starting January 1, 2025. 

If Slow and Low closes, like other restaurants owned by Michael Hargis, the death of the Old Town BBQ restaurant will have been anything but slow and low. Having been opened with great fanfare in June 2024, its death will be fast and hot! 

Too bad taxpayers will be on the hook!  










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