Government/Politics

El Dorado County's financial woes could force several rural fire districts to cut staffing and services, or consider consolidation next year.

El Dorado Water and Power Authority

Charitable organizations and disabled people are back in Sacramento federal court asking for an order barring enforcement of two new laws outlawing electronic bingo.

City officials said Thursday they had found 98 percent of 4,500 water meters thought to have been misplaced earlier this year and that the error was likely caused by poor recordkeeping.

Nine days after the polls closed, the titanic 4th Congressional District race is getting most of the attention, but it is not the only election that remains too close to call in Placer County.

Sacramento Mayor-elect Kevin Johnson and outgoing Mayor Heather Fargo spent their first significant time together since the election, and they appear to agree that the worsening financial situation is the most pressing issue facing the city.

Fresh from a convincing victory over incumbent Heather Fargo, Sacramento Mayor-elect Kevin Johnson is taking advantage of his celebrity status.

Sacramento Mayor-elect Kevin Johnson defended the city against its cow town image and said people have begun calling him "Little Barack" during an appearance Tuesday on Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report."

In response to state cuts in funding, Sacramento County's Board of Supervisors today will look to adopt a final budget for 2008-09 with $15 million in cuts to programs that serve the area's neediest and most vulnerable.

Mayor Linda Budge has been honored by the American Planning Association of California for three decades of community leadership.

Sacramento County, squeezed by a souring economy and less money from the state, will look to cut almost $15 million more from its $2.2 billion budget, primarily from programs that serve the area's most vulnerable.

Faced with tough new state and federal wastewater standards, Placer County is planning to build either a new treatment plant or a 12-mile pipeline to Lincoln.

Sacramento fire officials are gauging public support of a ballot measure that would forbid the city from reducing the number of fire engines in use everyday.

For El Dorado County employees and those who rely on county services, the bad news just keeps coming.

The findings submitted to the U.S. attorney's office thus far from an investigation of Mayor-elect Kevin Johnson and his nonprofit Hood Corps do not warrant criminal charges, U.S. Attorney McGregor Scott said Thursday.

The North Highlands Recreation and Park District has a new director after Tuesday's election; so does Sacramento Suburban Water District, Division 1.

The election of Randy Shelton, who lost his council seat in 2006, likely will restore a council majority that in prior years pushed for growth north of the city. Councilwoman Barbara Payne was re-elected to a second four-year term.

Yolo County Supervisor Mariko Yamada moved up to the state Assembly in the 8th district.

Former El Dorado County Board of Supervisors member Ray Nutting is headed for a return to office after an eight-year hiatus.

Steve Detrick, a tireless campaigner who earned his public service chops fighting a Wal-Mart Supercenter, took a lead Tuesday night in the race for the Elk Grove City Council's District 3 seat.

California voters approved the Humane Society-sponsored measure Proposition 2, 68 percent to 32 percent with about 10 percent of precincts reporting, to outlaw caging practices that prevent farm animals from lying down, standing up, turning around or extending their limbs.

Political newcomer Jennifer Montgomery of Serene Lakes, near Donner Summit, was victorious in her runoff election against incumbent Placer County Supervisor Bruce Kranz of Colfax.

Kevin Johnson declared victory in the Sacramento mayor's race Tuesday night after the most costly and intensely publicized quest ever for the city's top political job.

Polling places throughout the capital region have been busy today, but there don't appear to be any major problems, election officials say. With a landmark presidential campaign, a contentious mayoral race and several ballot measures, participation is high. But with so many voters casting ballots by mail, the lines at the polls haven't been too bad.

George Rene Francis, considered the oldest man in the United States, has waited 112 years to see an African American president. Today, he's glued to a television at his south Sacramento retirement home to see if Barack Obama becomes that history-making person.

Francis is already a part of history -- he's considered the oldest man in America, and by casting his absentee ballot for Barack Obama, he's arguably the nation's oldest voter.

Former NBA star Kevin Johnson has opened up an eight-point lead over incumbent Heather Fargo in the race for Sacramento mayor, but a large block of undecided voters still could swing the Nov. 4 election.