Glenbrooke News » Editor’s Choice

Mello-Roos fees not deductible?

admin — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 08:05:39 +0000

As many as 5 million California property-tax payers who have been taking the entire amount they pay off their state income taxes could see a major cut in their deductions when they file next year.

According to a post by Mary Ann Milbour in the in the Orange County Register, Mello-Roos fees, which pay for roads, schools, fire stations and other public facilities in new developments, have not been deductible from state income taxes since the legislature authorized the special assessments 30 years ago.

Many property owners, however, routinely deduct the entire amount of their property tax bill from their state income taxes instead of only the parts that legally are deductible.

Until now the Franchise Tax Board didn’t to go after them. A new computer system being installed this year, however, will allow the agency to distinguish the portions of property tax bills that are deductible and non-deductible, said Daniel Tahara, a FTB spokesman.

You can read the entire article here.

Google ‘Let it snow’ Easter egg brings on a chill

admin — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 04:02:59 +0000

Do you want to have some fun with the grandkids (and us kids at heart)? Type in "Let it Snow" in Googles search box*. Then just wait for the snow flakes to fall. The snowflakes slowly turn into whiteout conditions on your screen until you click on the blue defrost button to clear your screen.

It is fun to see what artwork Google comes up with for Holidays and Birthdays, but this was really different.

*Apparently it does not work with Internet Explorer.

Doni’s Cautionary Tale No. 1: Car Break-in

ANewsCafe — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 08:02:34 +0000

By Doni Chamberlain Reprinted here with permission from author

A couple of weeks ago, when the police officer stood near my car - the one with shattered glass where the the passenger-side window used to be - I felt like a total idiot when he asked if anything was missing from my car after the break-in.

Me: Yes. My purse.

Officer Kimpley: Your purse? (He looks up.) Where was it?

Me: Uh ... on the passenger seat. But the car was locked ... and it was dark ...

Officer: (Looks down and continues writing.) Uh huh.

The crime occurred while I was at the 5:45 a.m. Jazzercise class, which, as my neighbor joked, was part of the problem right there.

Behold, my first cautionary tale. I have a million of them, not so much because I've lived that long, but because I have experienced a lot. Many of my cautionary tales have a similar theme: Many of my troubles were preventable, or, at the very least, survivable, whether it's having my purse stolen from my locked car, or making poached eggs in the microwave, or being blindsided by an exploding marriage, or navigating the murky waters of online dating.

Today we're talking about my car break-in. Actually, it wasn't so much a car break-in as a car window break-in. Note the photo, above. See the bits of remaining glass that jut from the window frame like a tooth busted off at the gum line. See the dented dashboard. Feel my anguish.

I take responsibility for my seriously flawed thinking. For starters, I thought a locked car was a secure car. Also, I must be more sheltered than I'd thought, because I'd never known anyone whose car window had been smashed with a piece of cinder block or whatever the hell the rock substance was that was lying on my front seat after class. Well, I've now heard from dozens of people whose vehicle windows have been shattered outside movie theaters, parks, homes, hotels, colleges - lots of places - by criminals who've then rummaged around and stolen stereo systems, loose change in ash trays, wallets, packages, and yes, purses left in plain sight, which, to a thief, is as good as an engraved note that says you are cordially invited to come rip me off royal because I'm a total idiot.

As an aside, suddenly, I notice many vehicles around the North State with cardboard or plastic taped over windowless openings. I know exactly what that's about: Jerks broke the windows, but the victims lacked the money to replace them. Car insurance? Very funny. I don't know about you, but my deductible is $500, which means that a $200 to $300 window won't be covered. In this economy, many people are one broken window away from financial disaster.

Back to my flawed thinking. I assumed that because it was dark outside, nobody would see the purse (in my locked car - and this is the last time I'll mention my car was locked). I now guess the thief probably had some expensive 2-jillion-candle-power flashlight that he ripped off from someone else.

The third flaw in my thinking was based upon a lifetime of a reckless habit of leaving my purse in my car when it was inconvenient to take it with me, whether to work out, or to walk the river trail. Sometimes, such as at the river trail, I'd actually get out of my car with my purse, then walk to the back of my car - doe-dee-doe - and lift the hatch to "hide" it in the back of the car (Priuses lack trunks).

According the RPD officer who wrote my report, some thieves actually lurk around places like parking lots where they can pay attention to whether women leave their cars with or without a purse. Granted, it's a creepy feeling to consider someone's watching you for that reason, but it's even more creepy to be so oblivious that you return to your vehicle to find your window shattered and glass everywhere, even in Austin's car seat, and in my yogurt cup with my spoon still in it and I do believe I will never get all those tiny bits of glass out of the car.

My main point is that, much like the lead-footed person who's routinely driven fast her whole life but never received a speeding ticket, at some point bad habits will catch up with you. Eventually, luck runs out. Always.

My luck sprinted out. Some cretin smashed my window, grabbed my purse and took off with it. The window cost $202 to replace, but the very worst part of all was losing my purse, which basically contained my whole world - dangling by a leather shoulder strap. Inside my purse were personal and business check books and business and personal credit cards and debit cards, my drivers license, library card, prescription computer glasses, my first-ever prescription sunglasses, reporter notebooks, make-up (including a lip color my sister gave me that I really loved that I will never find again), personal photos of my kids that I've carried around for decades, and all kinds of things I am still remembering. Oh, and I lost $60 cash, which was probably all that the thief was really after.

Of course, I looked in all the dumpsters around the Cypress Square Shopping Center (a location where many of those good businesses, because of their proximity to homeless encampments and shelters and parks, suffer many break-ins). I didn't find my purse.

Thank goodness that morning I was in such a rush that I forgot to grab my cell phone, or it would have been impossible for me to call banks and credit card companies to alert them of my disaster. By the way, the moment you make those calls, and your accounts are closed or frozen, suddenly, you have no access to your money. After that, you have no identification when you go to the bank to withdraw cash to pay for the window and other things, like Extra Strength Excedrin and red wine.

Times like these a passport comes in handy. (A husband would come in handy at these times, too. I held myself together pretty well that morning until one of my fellow Jazzercisers said, "Do you want to use my phone to call your husband?" When I said I didn't have a husband and started crying, one of women took pity on me and offered to give me her husband. I love my Jazzersisters.)

So, here's something else I learned. Take your wallet, empty it of all your credit cards, membership cards (Oh crap! My Costco card!), even your drivers license. Photocopy the fronts and backs and put those copies in a file. Why? Well, for one thing, once your credit card is stolen, you don't even know the numbers because account numbers and credit card numbers aren't necessarily the same, and most financial and credit institutions aren't keen about disclosing that information over the phone. Also, if your wallet is stolen, and you're struck with sudden-onset Alzeheimer's when the officer asks you to recite your wallet contents, you'll have access to that information. Don't just read this and nod. Go photocopy your wallet contents right now. I'll wait.

The final lesson I learned is pretty embarrassing: If your car has an alarm ... Arm It Every Time You Park. Let me pause here and admit that in the five years I've owned my car, I didn't know it had an alarm, until my son asked if my car alarm had sounded when the jerk broke my car window.

Cue crickets. Behold dazed expression.

This car alarm part is important. See, even the most stupid thief is smart enough not to victimize a vehicle that has a little red alarm light flashing on the dashboard. I've learned that by pressing the button on my key fob three times, my car alarm is activated. All this time I've just pressed it once to lock the car.

I've learned so much from this experience, and now, I'm passing it onto you. You're welcome. Happy to help.

In return, I have a favor to ask of you: If you find a big tan purse with a long dark brown strap and a short handle strap, could you please get it to me? With any luck it will still have my glasses, photos and lipstick inside. And maybe a couple of Excedrin.

Independent online journalist Doni Chamberlain founded what’s now known as anewscafe.com in 2007 with her son, Joe Domke of the Czech Republic. Prior to 2007 Chamberlain was an award-winning newspaper opinion columnist, feature and food writer recognized by the Associated Press, the California Newspaper Publishers Association and E.W. Scripps. She lives in Redding, CA.

Smart phone muggings on the rise

admin — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 08:05:58 +0000

The truth is, the smart phone is the low-hanging fruit for roaming thugs. With debit cards in universal use, the average person isn't carrying much cash. The high-tech cell phone is probably the most valuable item you carry on the street.

"It's the modern day purse snatch - with better odds," said Obrochta. "With a purse, you never knew what you were getting."

Victims make it easy by walking down the street, holding out the phone while texting or searching for directions. "First, I am showing you that I have a nice fancy phone," said Brian Cooley, editor at large for Cnet. "And second, I am demonstrating that I do not have good situational awareness."

Illuminating The Lost and The Found: Genetically Transmitted Male Pattern Blindness

ANewsCafe — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 03:57:43 +0000

This is reprinted with permission from Anewscafe. I think you will love Charlie's sense of humor and insights -ed.

Several times this week male-pattern blindness has been brought to my attention, first by my friend, Donna, who raised the issue of men’s refrigerator myopia. She wondered what prevents males from finding whatever we’re looking for.

Husband: “Darling, what in the bloody hell did you do with the mayonnaise?"

Wife: “I don’t know, Honey, I haven’t used it lately.”

Husband: “Well, when you take it out of the fridge and don’t put it back, we will all get botulism and die.”

Wife: “Isn’t that it, a couple of inches from your hand in the door shelf where we always keep it?”

Husband: “Oh. Well, it was hidden behind the tube of wasabi.”

This has been an ongoing issue in my own home since a couple of years ago when my wife escalated to the insidious practice of hiding my things where I put them. There are few things more annoying than, after a prolonged fruitless search, having someone else find the missing object where I set it.

Take yesterday. My calculator. She obviously took it off my office desk to work on her taxes, leaving it god-only-knows-where in the labyrinth of our home. Useless to ask her, since she would feel guilty immediately and deny it. Lucky for her I found it close to its usual spot where someone had put it while reorganizing my papers.

Particularly in my home, I am vexed by a perverse intergalactic cloaking device that assiduously conceals the very object of my current desire. My wife, however, has an intuitive grasp of object locations. I suspect this is part and parcel of a primordial nesting instinct. She can find things with the subtle, fractally inspired template that she carries in her amygdala, the almond-shaped limbic mass that’s also loaded with crystal-clear emotional memories of my misplays since we met in the '70s, e.g., “This is just like the time you told the Clarks we’d bring chicken salad without consulting me.”

I don’t remember the incident, don’t care for chicken salad, and who are the Clarks?

Lately, I have come to feel this location phenomenon is inversely related to the asking-for-directions issue. Let me elucidate, since I am quite comfortable in that arena. There are hundreds of good reasons never to ask for directions. It must be here somewhere or else why am I driving on this street?

Those people don’t know. They’ll spout gibberish and I’ll get farther afield trying to follow their instructions. Conceptually, there is no such thing as “lost” when one is going someplace. We have left X and are in transit to Y. Some prefer Euclid. I prefer Chaos Theory. I am here. It is there. With cheerful persistence, sooner or later we will both be there. Case closed. Everyone knows the straightest distance between two points on the globe is a circle.

As several philosophers have expounded, a problem is only a problem if one considers it so. I don’t conceive wandering toward a destination as a problem. Rather, it is an opportunity. Fraught with the bloom of potential. Only the narrow-minded would toss an expeditious-arrival into the equation. And speaking of equation, Einstein pointed out space and time are relative. Thus, no matter how you slice it, X to Y is an adventure based on perception.

As Heisenberg postulated, we can never conclusively know what we are and where we are at the same time. In this instance, it is imminently clear what we are: a couple arguing in the front seat of an automobile. Therefore, where we are becomes impossible to establish. If I knew where we were in space, I would simultaneously lose my identity. And since Zeno conclusively proved we can’t get there anyway, what use could inquiring about directions possibly serve?

Most reasonable people will conclude that asking for directions obscures a destination and prolongs a journey.

And conversely, asking my wife where she put the clothing/utensil/document that I was working with a few minutes ago allows me to find it immediately. Who actually placed what, where, is immaterial and assessing blame will be difficult now that I have disarmed the video cameras.

According to my Wikipedia Research, Isaac Newton rather closed the book on this subject with his first two laws.

An object at rest will be in the wrong place. An object in motion will be moving in the wrong direction.

Thank you for allowing me to clear that up.

Respectfully submitted,

Your Positional Logician, Charles Price

Charlie Price divides his time betweem homes in Redding and Dunsmuir. He's a business coach, consultant, writer and author of "Dead Connection" and "Lizard People."

Why Buy Locally – Top Ten Reasons

DarcieG — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 08:49:59 +0000

We have heard it before, "Buy Local" but do you really understand why it is so important for our economy and sustainability?

I have to admit it is easier for me to shop on the Internet, but then I have to stop and think, How much do I love living in Elk Grove?

Below are the top ten reasons to buy locally presented by Sustainable Connections.

Residents have brought up the desire to buy local to our Board of Directors when going out to bid on work, catering events, ordering supplies, etc. Personally, I think there should be a policy that local vendors should have priority over other vendors in any GCA business - unless their prices are more than 15% higher (all other factors being equal).

What do YOU think?

Top Ten reasons to Think Local - Buy Local - Be Local

Buy Local -- Support yourself: Several studies have shown that when you buy from an independent, locally owned business, rather than a nationally owned businesses, significantly more of your money is used to make purchases from other local businesses, service providers and farms -- continuing to strengthen the economic base of the community.(Click here to see summaries of a variety of economic impact studies; these include case studies showing that locally-owned businesses generate a premium in enhanced economic impact to the community and our tax base.)
Support community groups: Non-profit organizations receive an average 250% more support from smaller business owners than they do from large businesses.
Keep our community unique: Where we shop, where we eat and have fun -- all of it makes our community home. Our one-of-a-kind businesses are an integral part of the distinctive character of this place. Our tourism businesses also benefit. “When people go on vacation they generally seek out destinations that offer them the sense of being someplace, not just anyplace.” ~ Richard Moe, President, National Historic Preservation Trust
Reduce environmental impact: Locally owned businesses can make more local purchases requiring less transportation and generally set up shop in town or city centers as opposed to developing on the fringe. This generally means contributing less to sprawl, congestion, habitat loss and pollution.
Create more good jobs: Small local businesses are the largest employer nationally and in our community, provide the most jobs to residents.
Get better service: Local businesses often hire people with a better understanding of the products they are selling and take more time to get to know customers.
Invest in community: Local businesses are owned by people who live in this community, are less likely to leave, and are more invested in the community’s future.
Put your taxes to good use: Local businesses in town centers require comparatively little infrastructure investment and make more efficient use of public services as compared to nationally owned stores entering the community.
Buy what you want, not what someone wants you to buy: A marketplace of tens of thousands of small businesses is the best way to ensure innovation and low prices over the long-term. A multitude of small businesses, each selecting products based not on a national sales plan but on their own interests and the needs of their local customers, guarantees a much broader range of product choices.
Encourage local prosperity: A growing body of economic research shows that in an increasingly homogenized world, entrepreneurs and skilled workers are more likely to invest and settle in communities that preserve their one-of-a-kind businesses and distinctive character.

Think local first + Buy local when you can = Being a local!

City Accepting Requests for Speed Control Device

Press Release — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 17:06:29 +0000

As surrounding neighborhoods grow rapidly, it seems there is a lot more traffic using Del Webb Blvd as a speed way to connect to Bruceville. Maybe the time is right look at controlling the speed of those racing through our community.

The City of Elk Grove is encouraging resident involvement in addressing speeding on Elk Grove’s streets and is currently accepting requests for speed control devices.

The City’s speed control program allows residents to work with city staff to identify tools
needed to address speeding in Elk Grove neighborhoods. The program establishes a system for
residents to nominate and vote on streets to receive traffic calming measures, provided funding
is available and the streets meet qualifying safety criteria.

With information brought forth by residents, Public Works staff will examine the feasibility of
speed humps, tables and lumps on a given street using set criteria that includes speed, volume,
adjacent land use and street length. The guidelines also establish a priority ranking system to
determine the order in which requests will be addressed. Public Works staff will collect,
investigate, and rank requests throughout the year. In addition, Public Works staff will evaluate
signing and striping options on these streets. The number of qualifying streets that will have
devices and signing and striping installed will depend on available funding in the 2012‐13 fiscal
year.

“Public safety is a high priority for the City of Elk Grove, and we’re partnering with our citizens
to obtain insight about what streets in Elk Grove need traffic calming measures,” said Mayor
Steven Detrick. “I encourage concerned residents to submit a request and help the City
improve the safety and livability of our neighborhoods.”

In the last year, more than 30 streets have been approved for installation of traffic calming
measures through the speed control program, including speed humps, tables, signing and
striping.
Residents concerned about speeding on a specific street are encouraged to submit a request to
the City of Elk Grove.  Requests submitted by November 23rd will be in the upcoming
evaluation and ranking cycle for construction in 2012‐13.  Request submitted after November
23rd will be placed in the following years’ cycle.  Forms are available at
www.elkgrovecity.org/speedcontrol or at the Public Works public counter (8401 Laguna Palms
Way, Elk Grove).

To view the program guidelines or obtain more information about the speed control program,
please visit www.elkgrovecity.org/speedcontrol or contact Dorothy Kam at
dkam@elkgrovecity.org or (916) 478‐3604

GlenbrookeNews Back Online!

DarcieG — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 12:12:16 +0000

We arrived in Florida this morning and will be returning tonight to Glenbrooke. I want to thank everyone for their patience is not having posts while we were on our Panama Cruise. Yes, my batteries are re-charged and I am ready to continue facilitating our neighborhood newsletter.

It will take a little while to get the site full with current posts but with your help and submissions it will back by the end of the week.

We still have an airboat ride in the Everglades and a cross-country flight to face but we are both looking forward to being home again.

Found Money – Is it Yours?

DarcieG — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 05:41:28 +0000

Found at Acorn Park some currency. This is a long shot, but if you lost money while out for a walk, we would like to get it back to you. Call Darcie or Jim Gore (listed in resident directory) and tell us when you lost it and how much. Bonus points if you know the serial numbers

Boomer women get the retirement shaft

admin — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 07:14:24 +0000

By JANE GLENN HAAS / FOR THE REGISTER

I've been reading the newspapers and I'm as depressed as you are. Doesn't matter which side of the political aisle you claim, no news seems very good today.

Don't boomers deserve better? The Greatest Generation, as Tom Brokow dubbed it, won retirement with pensions. Silents, who slipped between the Great ones and boomers, pretty much got the same pot.

Now here come the boomers – especially boomer women (sorry, guys) – and suddenly the rules have changed. And not just in the workplace.

For full story click HERE.