Sacramento County Public Safety Digest

Senate Bill 1012, a law that will require California State Parks to restrict open fires, has been unanimously passed through the Committee of Water, Parks, and Wildlife. The bill instructs parks to work with the guidelines of local fire departments. The bill could appear before the full assembly in August.

A vandalism incident last week resulted in property damage of around $28,000 for a popular Japanese noodle restaurant near Sunrise Boulevard and Madison Avenue.

Pacific Gas & Electric pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter and other charges in connection with the Zogg Fire, which killed four people and destroyed hundreds of homes in Northern California two years ago. A preliminary hearing was set for January.

One man is dead after what police say was an exchange of gunfire between two individuals on Birdcage Street Monday night.

Red flag warning issued for Sacramento Valley; elevated fire conditions expected for Bay Area.

Due to dry, hot conditions, Cal Fire has suspended all burn permits for outdoor residential burning within Alpine, Amador, El Dorado, Sacramento and San Joaquin counties. The ban, which went into effect May 23, continues until further notice.

One person was killed and four others were critically wounded at Geneva Presbyterian Church in the city of Laguna Woods. When deputies arrived, parishioners had the gunman hog-tied and in custody.

Following last month's fatal shooting, the Sentinel interviewed Police Lt. Chad Morris for a look at how local law enforcement works with other agencies.

Responding to a new state law requiring cities to develop policies for the use of military equipment such as armored vehicles and large caliber rifles oh, the city council unanimously proved the plan put forward by police department.

A ceremony was held for Galt PD officer Harminder Grewal and Sac County sheriff’s deputy Adam Gibson.

This year figures to be a bad one for California wildfires. The driest regions include parts of the North Bay area and the northern Sacramento Valley, each devastated by major fires since 2017.

Ground was broken on March 22 for the Cosumnes Fire Department’s ninth fire station, which will mainly serve southern Elk Grove and help protect the Sky River Casino site.

The state auditor blasted the regulators who oversee wildfire safety at California’s major electric utilities, saying they signed off on flawed safety plans. He said the California Public Utilities Commission and the recently formed Office of Energy Infrastructure Safety haven’t gone far enough in demanding safety reforms from utilities.

Two California congressional representatives, Tom McClintock and Doug LaMalfa, have introduced legislation directing the U.S. Forest Service to suppress wildfires on national forest system lands and end the policy of letting fires burn.

The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to appoint former Eric Jones as its first deputy county executive of public safety and justice. Jones previously served as police chief of Stockton, where he was both praised and criticized for incidents that occurred under his watch.

The Folsom Police Department has sworn in two new officers as it continues to fill multiple vacancies. Melissa White comes from the Stockton Police Department, and Owen Anstess worked for the Sacramento PD.

John Trotter, a retired appellate court justice in charge of the PG&E Fire Victim Trust, has engineered a massive sale of PG&E stock. Although the trust still has millions of shares, Trotter worries the price won’t get high enough to pay victims in full.

On Feb. 1, law enforcement officers gathered at a memorial service in Roseville to remember Ty Lenehan and support his family, friends, and colleagues. The Cameron. Park resident was an officer with the Elk Grove Police Department.

The Capital City CHP says a law putting the brakes on “sideshows” was needed, but safety advocates don’t understand why it won’t go into effect until 2025.

A tree that fell into PG&E power lines was responsible for the devastating Dixie Fire, it has been determined. It burned nearly 1 million acres and destroyed more than 1,300 homes and buildings.

The Cosumnes Community Services District unanimously approved an $8.9 million construction plan to create Station 77. It will serve Elk Grove and casino areas.

Lumber companies throughout Northern California are grappling with a lack of time and resources to process the multitudes of dead trees in forests—trees that will become kindling for the next wildfire.

A Folsom man is one of two being accused of starting the Caldor Fire. They were arrested last week and bail has been set at $1 million each.

The Citrus Heights Police Department is beginning a heightened holiday DUI enforcement that will last through Jan. 1.

PG&E Corp. has been fined $125 million over its role in the 2019 Kincade Fire fire in Sonoma County. PG&E will pay the state a $40 million fine and will swallow $85 million in fire-related costs that it could have billed to ratepayers.

The Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District has launched a fundraising campaign to purchase a helicopter specifically designated for the Tahoe region—a key helper in extinguishing future fires.

The U.S. Forest Service, Cal Fire, El Dorado Irrigation District and the El Dorado County Resource Conservation District gave a presentation on the Caldor Fire. The meeting was recorded and can be watched online.

With the state still reeling from its latest round of wildfires, former governor Jerry Brown is focusing on new ways to save California from this annual tragedy.

PG&E Corp. estimates its costs from the Dixie Fire at a minimum of $1.15 billion. And the utility also said in a regulatory filing that it has received a subpoena by the U.S. attorney’s office in Sacramento over its potential role in the mega-fire.

PG&E has stalled its plan to remove some trees in Folsom after community feedback showed opposition to the proposed project.

Sacramento Metro Fire has one of the first FAA-approved drone programs in the nation, with 17 fully loaded drones assisting with everything from fire to flood to search and rescue operations.

While everyone was welcoming the rain over the weekend, an unfortunate side effect has crawled to the surface. Brace yourself, because cockroaches have been emerging from Sacramento's sewers, and they are doing so quickly.