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Placer County Blog Articles


Image caption: Time to step up and speak out.
Conveniently Contacting Your Elected Representatives

We've made it one-click convenient for members to contact their elected representatives.

Image caption: A screenshot from “Modern Times” (1936), Charlie Chaplin’s meditation on the vicissitudes of labor.
Working Man’s Blues

They were odd jobs, but somebody had to do them. On International Workers’ Day, one peripatetic laborer shares his career lowlights.

Image caption: We're working to make it easier for you to find your way around this awesome state by improving our site architecture and User Interface, and building out two new editorial products.
California Local's Spring 2023 Roadmap

Several projects are underway to make California Local beautiful and more functional. We're working hard to make it even easier for our members to citizen. (And remember: 'Citizen' is a verb!)

Image caption: Valerie Jarrett with the commander in chief in the Blue Room of the White House in 2010.
What Is Civic Engagement?

President Obama’s closest advisor, Valerie Jarrett, created and ran the White House Office of Public Engagement. Because democracy.

Image caption: Collage of images generated by DALL-E with the prompt “An ink drawing in the style of Ralph Steadman of a group of creatures with human bodies dressed in business attire but with lizard heads, outside Twitter corporate headquarters.”
Eschewing Enshittification

Ever wonder why things go wrong in our country and economy? We learned a new word from Cory Doctorow, and found a solution to this menace in the Fediverse.

Image caption: Former U.S. Attorney General William Barr (right) and the man to whom he remains loyal.
Barr Attacks Media at News Publishers Conference

The title of CapCon 2023 was 'Rebuilding Trust in an Age of Disinformation.' Barr’s response to that prompt was unambiguous: You do not deserve to be trusted.

Image caption: View of the flooded San Lorenzo River Park Benchlands in Santa Cruz, California on New Year's Eve 2022.
Communicating During Disaster and Crisis

How to effectively communicate actionable information for preparation before extreme events, and to disseminate vital information during and after disasters.

Image caption: Winter moon rises over Lake Tahoe.
If You Love Tahoe, Step Right Up!

Wherever you live in California, you are likely to have strong feelings about Lake Tahoe. I want you to know that the Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation’s annual Give Back Tahoe campaign is at the tail end of another record-breaking year.

Image caption: Don't get stomped.
Could Mastodon Become the New Twitter?

Following Elon Musk's purchase of Twitter, droves are fleeing the social network and joining Mastodon, an open-source federated service in the 'Fediverse.'

Image caption: The Giant Sequoia, like this one in Yosemite National Park's Mariposa Grove, is one of the two fastest growing trees in the world. The other is the Coast Redwood. Ahhh ... California.
Two Years of Virtual Community Building

Publisher Mike Gelbman delivers a report on our media allies, local directories, marketing services, and more.

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TTCF: Delivering Impact in North Lake Tahoe

California Local is helping a powerful organization tell a big story about confronting problems that threaten the soul of the North Lake Tahoe community.

Image caption: UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres addresses the United Nations.
International Day of Democracy

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres defends "the cornerstone of democratic societies—free, independent, and pluralistic media.”

Image caption: Dig into daily tips provided by two master gardeners.
Welcome to Sacramento Digs Gardening

We’ve made our proprietary content management platform available for fellow publishers.

Image caption: Photo of Babbage Analytical Engine Plan from 1840 at the Computer History Museum
How Community Journalism Works Online

In which we explore how we do community journalism at California Local.

Image caption: Different representations of traffic stress.
Building a Better Bike Map

Recent discussions in social media revealed a lack of maps of safe local bike routes. So we connected with local bike experts to start a crowdsourced project to create some.

Image caption: Trump supporters are seen in the NY Times video “Days of Rage” attacking police officers at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. About 140 officers received injuries ranging from lacerations to concussions, rib fractures and chemical burns.
The Big Lie, and the Epiphany that Didn’t Happen

I hoped the events of Jan. 6, 2021, would put an end to the Big Lie—that the election of 2020 was bogus. But on Jan. 6, 2022, the Big Lie got even bigger.

Image caption: It’s good to know traffic and weather conditions before you hit the road.
Accurate Traffic Information Is Vital

We take a look under the hood of California Local’s Traffic and Transportation portal, which provides comprehensive information on local road and traffic conditions, current CHP incidents and traffic congestion hot spots.

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Getting to Yes

In which we ponder how to make things better in a climate of no.

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Building a Collaboration Machine

We wanted to build a better local newspaper; it turned into something much larger.

Image caption: A graph of a social network.
The Genius of Democracy

In which we ponder human self organization.

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Placer County Newsletter

Weekly digest of curated state and local news, upcoming government meetings and community events.

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Parks and Recreation Commission
Monday June 5 2023   6:00 PM

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Arts Commission
Monday June 5 2023   5:30 PM

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Roseville City Council Meetings
Wednesday June 7 2023   6:00 PM

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Planning Commission
Thursday June 8 2023   6:30 PM