The Public Eye

The Public Eye

Rocklin paid its former city attorney $270,000 to leave – without explaining why

The city of Rocklin gave longtime City Attorney Russell Hildebrand a $270,000 severance check last year after forcing him to resign with little explanation.

The Sacramento region’s largest local governments will see pension costs go up by an estimated 14 percent in the next fiscal year. City officials widely agree they are “unsustainable” and will force service cuts or tax hikes.

Gov. Jerry Brown talks about his revised budget plan, noting that an economic downturn is coming during a press conference at the Capitol on May 11, 2017 in Sacramento.

The Public Eye

‘We were forced to hire people.’ Investigation focuses on state tax agency’s hiring.

A longtime Board of Equalization employee resigned in 2016 as an investigation charged he used his influence to help job candidates favored by George Runner.

Crime - Sacto 911

Sacramento’s police force is one of the nation’s most shortstaffed. Here’s why

The Sacramento Police Department had the lowest number of sworn officers per capita compared to other cities in the United States with similar populations in 2016, FBI data shows. Currently, there are about 1.3 officers for every 1,000 people.

The Public Eye

Where the most dog bites occur in Sacramento

Hundreds of people are bitten by dogs in Sacramento each year, and the attacks happen in North Sacramento more often than in any other part of the city, a Sacramento Bee analysis has found.

Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District firefighters battled a grass and brush fire at Discovery Park and in areas near the intersection of Garden Highway and Truxel Road on Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2015, in Sacramento, Calif.

The Public Eye

This suburban Sacramento agency has state’s highest rate of six-figure pensioners

In 2016, 33 percent of Metro Fire pensioners received retirement income of $100,000 or more, the highest percentage of any government with 500 or more retirees in CalPERS, a Bee review has found.

The Public Eye

Lower American River contains unsafe levels of E. coli. Are homeless camps to blame?

The lower American River contains E. coli levels that exceed the the federal government’s threshold for safe recreational activity, tests show.

Local

Did McClellan Air Force Base poison their water? Lawsuits revive neighborhood fears

Some residents believe toxins from the former base have leaked into the water supply, and will only drink and cook with bottled water. The Air Force has denied contaminating the water

The Public Eye

UC chancellors who resign routinely get big parachutes at executive-level pay

Over the past two decades, 12 of 22 UC chancellors have stepped down to take faculty jobs, often with a reduced workload and pay rivaling their former executive-level salaries.

The Public Eye

Why is Sacramento spending so much on lobbyists?

The city of Sacramento spent $226,077 on lobbying at the state Capitol during the first six months of 2017. Mayor Darrell Steinberg says the city has “an ambitious agenda.”

Education

UC Davis’ Katehi will teach one course per quarter, conduct research in $318,000 position

Linda P.B. Katehi will teach one class per quarter and conduct research to earn $318,000 over nine months, a rate equivalent to her chancellor-level salary.

Education

UC Davis’ Linda Katehi returns to teaching, but she’ll be paid like a chancellor

Linda Katehi will earn $318,000 over nine months, plus benefits, to teach classes in electrical and computer engineering and women’s studies.

The Public Eye

Assessor's Office managers got bigger tax reductions than neighbors in these neighborhoods

Former Assessor Kathleen Kelleher and former Assistant Assessor John Solie received significantly lower valuations than neighboring property owners during the recessionary housing crash. One difference: their properties were appraised by outside assessors under rules designed to prevent conflicts of interest. Neighbors had their properties valued by a mass appraisal computer system.

View More Video

The Public Eye

Trending Stories

More Videos

49ers quarterback C.J. Beathard speaks following 40-10 loss to Cowboys

49ers executive John McVay on Dwight Clark

California candidates for governor differ on universal health care

'Every house is gone and the school is all that's left,' says Sonoma schools leader

Take a trip down memory lane for SMF’s 50th anniversary

'Just believe': Zach Randolph makes debut as Kings win at Dallas

Banned books that shaped American literature

Watch Placer County Sheriff arrest two Truckee men suspected of statutory rape

Sacramento State honors MLK's visit 50 years ago

How rookies Reuben Foster, C.J. Beathard, Solomon Thomas can make impact vs. Cowboys

Assessor's Office managers got bigger tax reductions than neighbors in these neighborhoods

Oroville Dam: Who's making the money?

A Sacramento State chemical spill has lab techs questioning their workplace safety

Dave Goudie talks about seeing his co-worker die, and then getting fired

Top Photos