Jeff Pelline's Sierra Foothills Report

My parents died three years ago this past week, making Memorial Day weekend a extra somber time. My Dad was a Veteran. The obituaries I wrote about my parents are here. This weekend, we are praying for a friend who also will die soon under hospice care — making visits, providing homemade lasagna for visiting [...]

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As I’ve written before, I’ve heard a growing chorus of complaints that The Union’s entertainment coverage has become largely a compilation of press releases. Do you notice all the times that “special to The Union” appears rather than a byline? This weekend’s Sunday Express — the cover story, no less — has a story promoting [...]

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I’ve written before about “hijacking” the letter to the editor section of The Union for negative campaigning. The background is here and here. It’s part of the campaign manager’s playbook. A letter that is running this weekend — “Diaz should make public apology” — raised my eyebrows. It is written by Joe Vielbig, who is [...]

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I’ve been writing about the eerie similarities in the political races that pit challengers Barry Pruett and Casey Tanner against incumbents for supposedly nonpartisan posts in Nevada and Placer counties. Here’s the latest: The Placer County Republican Party picked up the $3,548 tab for Casey Tanner for auditor-controller’s slate mailer, according to the county’s latest [...]

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I’m getting in a Dan Fogelberg mood, preparing for Saturday night’s tribute to the singer at the Center for The Arts. And as for reader John Regan’s vote earlier in the week, I’ve also included a song from Gordon Lightfoot, “The wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.” You can play them in tandem. Weren’t the ’70s [...]

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A hearty kudos to reporters Dave Moller and Michelle Rindels and city editor Trina Kleist of The Union for “digging deeper” with the local campaign finance filings from May and March. They also posted the reports online. In “Analysis: Donations hint at political bent,” they focus on an issue that has been discussed here for [...]

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My sources told me on Friday that Dave Moller — the most experienced of The Union’s reporters — is planning to relocate to Oregon, thus departing the staff. Dave has more institutional knowledge — about the community and The Union — than anyone left on the staff. He also is a hard worker. In my [...]

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The Del Oro mural in Grass Valley is complete, as I wrote on Thursday. I noticed the scaffolding was coming down on Friday, after picking up my son from school, and I was saved a trip of returning with my iPhone to “capture the moment.” Somebody else did. Glad to see the mural will be [...]

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The county executive memo for Friday reports that AB 811 has hit a “speed bump,” and it reiterates its policy on campaign signs. The background on AB811 is here. “We will watch this closely over the next year,” according to the county. Let’s hope it’s an honest assessment and not catering to objections from the [...]

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It seems the City of Grass Valley is itching to get a medical marijuana dispensary in place to prepare for the November ballot initiative to legalize pot. I remain skeptical the initiative will pass, but — just in case — we are growing a Grass Head (AKA we call him by the more respectful name [...]

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