Hello and happy May Day. Or as it is known in Great Britain: Labour Day. And elsewhere: International Workers Day. To recognize the honorable notion of human labor, which is celebrated today everywhere but here, our friend Richard von Busack shares a tale of eight jobs that he has held over the course of many years in order to fund his writing habit. His essay will make you grin and grimace.
You may not know that May 1 is also Law Day in the United States, declared as such by Richard Nixon via proclamation in 1969. Citing “rising crime rates, urban rioting, and violent campus protests,” the soon-to-be-disgraced president stated the following with a straight face: “We must recognize a clear duty to obey the laws …”. And then, “equal justice under law is the bedrock of the American system.”
Just a few evenings ago, at the Sacramento Speakers Series, I heard the great presidential historian Michael Beschloss quote Nixon on the topic of law. Beschloss (whom you may know from The PBS News Hour or The Rachel Maddow Show) referred to the famous marathon interview conducted in 1977 by the TV host David Frost, in which Nixon said the following with a straight face: "When the President does it, that means that it is not illegal."
Beschloss, who has the measured, patrician manner of a scholar, could not disguise that fact that he hates Nixon. Part of his animosity seems to stem from the fact that Nixon tried to have his taped White House conversations and other presidential records destroyed after he learned that their existence had been revealed; as an historian, obviously, Beschloss has a profound commitment to the preservation of the historical record.
Beyond that, Beschloss’s contempt for Nixon clearly results from the fact that the man did not respect the rule of law. Beschloss spoke at some length about his belief that the rule of law is the keystone principle of democracy. (I’ve since learned that he will deliver a keynote address in Chicago in a couple weeks on presidential power as it relates to the rule of law, so the subject is top-of-mind for him right now.)
Of course, he also addressed this subject as it regards Donald Trump. That is a topic for another day.
Politics, Crime, and the Law
The crime wave Nixon pointed to when declaring May 1, 1969, as Law Day was not a crime wave per se, but rather an outbreak of political violence, sparked in part by an illegal and immoral war, and in part by centuries of injustice.
Viewers of Fox News and readers of Tweets by the billionaire VC David Sacks see a new crime wave in California cities, including San Francisco. This week, Jonathan Vankin, investigates and learns that this is another political myth.
In another piece, Jon looks at the oft-stated claim that “Democrat-controlled” cities are ablaze in violence. Guess which color the most violent places in America were on Steve Kornacki’s maps last Election Day?
Is Crime Out of Control? What's the Reality?
Fears that violent crime is out of control on the streets of California cities rose after the murder of a well-known tech exec. But what are the facts and do they back up the rising moral panic about crime?
Why Are Murder Rates High in Some Republican Counties?
Homicide rates remain high in some of California's most Republican, Trump-voting counties. Are law-and-order policies against crime a bust? Here’s why political voting patterns are a strong indicator of violent crime in states and counties.
• Tahoe Conservancy Announces Upper Truckee Marsh Dog Ban
The California Tahoe Conservancy is closing the Upper Truckee Marsh to dogs—a seasonal closure that protects birds and other wildlife during the breeding season.
(05/01/2023) → Tahoe Daily Tribune
• South Lake Tahoe Appoints Parks and Recreation Director
John Stark has been appointed the director of parks and recreation, effective May 15.
(05/01/2023) → Tahoe Daily Tribune
• Public Airs Views on Placerville Market Move
The Placerville City Council saw a significant turnout of farmers, merchants and locals looking to speak about the decision to move the Wednesday night farmers market away from the Bell Tower. Parking, safety, finances and communication were the main themes, with suggested solutions and counterpoints coming from both sides.
(05/01/2023) → Mountain Democrat
• Disaster Livestock Access Program Established in Three Counties
Ranchers in Placer, Nevada, and Yuba counties, along with UC Cooperative Extension and county agricultural departments, have established a program to facilitate livestock and human safety before, during, and after wildfire and other emergencies.
(05/01/2023) → Read the full YubaNet report
• Yolo County Tribe Pushes for Preservation of ‘Condor Ridge’
Conservationists, geologists, botanists and a Yolo County Native American tribe are pushing for President Joe Biden to incorporate Molok Luyuk into the adjacent Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument. A bill in Congress would do the same, recognizing it as a geological and biodiversity rarity.
(04/30/2023) → Read the full The Sacramento Bee report
• Bosch Plans to Invest $1.5 Billion in Roseville Company
German company Bosch is planning to buy Roseville company TSI Semiconductors and invest $1.5 billion to “convert the TSI Semiconductors manufacturing facilities to state-of-the-art processes,” according to a city press release.
(04/28/2023) → Gold Country Media
• Local Mule Deer Infected With COVID-19
SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, has been detected for the first time in free-ranging California wildlife. One hunter-harvested mule deer, a buck from El Dorado County, was confirmed to be infected. The deer was harvested in 2021 and sampled for chronic wasting disease surveillance.
(04/27/2023) → Mountain Democrat
• TRPA Approves Revised Waldorf Astoria Plan
The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency Governing Board voted to approve the updated plan revision to the Waldorf Astoria, located at what used to be the Tahoe Biltmore. Developers made significant changes to the 2011 plan.
(04/27/2023) → Tahoe Daily Tribune
• Bright Spot on the Divide
One person who stands out in the minds of most who frequent the Georgetown Post Office is window clerk Allen Frazeur. He is humble when accolades are dished out for the exemplary way he does his job.
(04/26/2023) → Georgetown Gazette
• El Dorado County to Benefit From Cal Fire Grants
El Dorado County agencies will receive a portion of the $142 million in grants, which will go to projects intended to enhance carbon storage while restoring the health and resilience of existing and recently burned forests.
(04/25/2023) → Tahoe Daily Tribune
• Target to Replace Raley’s in South Lake Tahoe
Target is planning to move into the building that Raley's formerly occupied in Village Shopping Center in South Lake Tahoe, officials confirmed.
(04/25/2023) → Tahoe Daily Tribune
• Lincoln High Student Documents Lacrosse Season
Many high school athletes look back years later via photos in the yearbook or through conversations with former teammates. The inaugural lacrosse team at Lincoln High School will be able to recollect via video through Davis Brandi’s documentary on the team.
(04/25/2023) → Lincoln News Messenger
• Auburn Approves Lease for Carnegie Library
The community is one step closer to a community space at the city-owned Carnegie Library. The nonprofit group Almost Free For All will pay $1 a month to use the space, which needs rehab and ADA-compliance projects before it opens to the public.
(04/25/2023) → Gold Country Media
• South Placer Looks to Triple Its Passenger Trains
New state funding could triple the number of Capitol Corridor trips leaving from Roseville each day, making journeys to Sacramento and San Francisco more convenient. The changes could come as soon as 2028.
(04/25/2023) → Sacramento News and Review
• Cameron Park Likely Shuttering a Fire Station
With reluctance, the Cameron Park Community Services District Board of Directors supported a fire service plan that will brown out Station 88 on Alhambra Drive. The plan includes a five-year service extension agreement with Cal Fire.
(04/24/2023) → Mountain Democrat
• South Lake Tahoe Seeks Fourth of July Parade Entries
The city is seeking participants for the annual Fourth of July Parade. This year's theme: “Celebrating the Red, White, & Big Blue!”
(04/24/2023) → Tahoe Daily Tribune
