Elk Grove Week at a Glance - Week of December 9

• Tire Collection Event at the Special Waste Collection Center December 8-11 
• 12/11 City Council Meeting (6 p.m.) 
• 12/13 Old Fashion Christmas December 13-15 (3 p.m.)
• 12/14 Senior Center Holiday Gift Faire (9 a.m.) 
• 12/14 Polar Express Vintage Market (10 a.m.) 
• 12/16 Trails Committee Meeting (6 p.m.) 
• 12/18 Disability Advisory Committee Meeting (6 p.m.) 
• 12/19 Planning Commission Meeting (6 p.m.) 
• 12/19 Storytime with the Chief (6 p.m.) 
• 12/20 Old Fashion Christmas December 20-22 (3 p.m.) 
• 12/22 Light Up Elk Grove (2:30 p.m.) 
• 12/24 City Hall Closed in Observance of Christmas Eve 
• 12/25 City Hall Closed in Observance of Christmas Day 

Protect Yourself From Porch Pirates  With the holidays here, Elk Grove Police Department is sharing some tips to help ensure that your packages aren’t intercepted by “porch pirates”. Package thefts increase during the holiday season, but there is a way to make sure that your “treasure” doesn’t fall into the hands of these criminals. If you are expecting packages to be delivered to your home, the tips below can minimize your risk.  Schedule your package delivery for a time that you are home, or have your package delivered to your work during business hours.  Have packages delivered to a trusted neighbor or have a neighbor pick up the package from your front porch and keep it for you until you get home.   If you are an Amazon user, take advantage of Amazon Locker, where you can pick up your package from local pickup locations.  Ask the shipper to require a signature confirmation of delivery to prevent packages being left when no one is home to sign for them.  Provide delivery instructions so packages can be left out of sight from your yard or the road.  Sign up for delivery alerts from the shipper.  If something is stolen, file a police report IMMEDIATELY. Don’t wait.   Watch out for vehicles following delivery vans through neighborhoods. Some thieves will shadow delivery drivers and go from house to house stealing newly delivered packages.

Made with Love  Senior Center elves are working extra hard to bring the most unique, beautiful and wow-worthy gifts for shoppers at their Holiday Gift Faire this Saturday, December 14 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at District56 (8230 Civic Center Drive). Experience the jolly of the season and shop for the special someone on your list among more than 40 local artists, crafters, and vendors. Free admission. All proceeds benefit the Senior Center of Elk Grove.

Survey Seeks More Community Priorities  The City is conducting a new, random, statistically valid community survey through January asking residents about potential additional Measure E priority areas that could be added to the current priority list to improve our ability to address community needs. Previously identified priorities included public safety, homelessness, emergency response, traffic and street maintenance, clean and safe public areas, youth crime prevention, and economic development. Revenues from Measure E have trended higher than anticipated, and the City is seeking resident feedback on priorities for the additional funding. The Cosumnes Community Services District also benefits from the increased revenue due to the percentage-based tax sharing agreement. This survey, conducted by the third-party vendor ZenCity, will gather feedback from a random, demographically representative subset of the Elk Grove community. Conducting the survey will provide the City Council with additional information that they can use when considering how to best enhance community services.

Tree Talk Have you seen the Ribbon Tree? It’s golden glow offers a unique holiday display. It is one of only 9 trees like it in the whole world! Outside of Elk Grove, you will only find a tree like it in France, Illinois, Texas, Tennessee, Missouri, Florida, Maryland and Nevada. As you gather with family and friends over the holidays, consider stopping by District56 for a photo. The tree makes a great backdrop for Instagram shots and digital memories. Stop by any time before January 3 to experience the magic.

Keep Food Waste in Its Place Over the Holidays  Over one-third of the food produced in the U.S. is never eaten. This waste generates a significant greenhouse gas (GHG) footprint. But preventing and reducing food waste is a relatively easy way to help curb GHGs. Before you toss your food scraps and leftovers in your organics bin, consider the following ideas and solutions to reducing your food waste:  Plan ahead. Make enough food based on your guest count. Take inventory of items you already have at home to avoid buying duplicates.  Use your scraps. Turkey bones and bits, vegetable scraps, and leftover herbs can be made into a turkey stock. You can use the stock with your turkey leftovers to make a soup or freeze it for future use.  Make something new out of your leftovers. Transform your holiday leftovers into an entirely new reimagined meal. For example, make sandwiches out of leftover rolls, turkey, and cranberry sauce.  Save leftovers. Freeze leftovers to enjoy weeks later.  Share leftovers. Send guests home with leftovers.

Recycle Your Holiday String Lights  Don’t throw away those string lights, recycle instead! Broken or unwanted string lights may be recycled at the Special Waste Collection Center (9255 Disposal Lane). They’ll also accept large lighted holiday decorations such as inflatables and sculptures Lighted or artificial trees cannot be recycled.

Shop at local Elk Grove businesses this holiday season!  The Elk Grove Local eGift Card features 100+ participating businesses, making it the perfect gift for anyone! The eGift Card not only allows for flexible spending, but you are also supporting local business owners in the community. Purchase an eGift Card and watch testimonials from your favorite breweries, restaurants, and shops at SupportLocalEG.org

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