The United States Department of Defense issued a warning today telling iPhone users not to upgrade to Apple’s newest Operating System iOS 13. Despite fan boy, Rush Limbaugh’s recent on air praise of everything Apple, I think, were I unfortunate enough to own such a device, in this instance, I would do what the guys with black helicopters tell me to do.
It’s also worth noting the US Department of Defense (via INC) sent the following email to its users:
DOD Mobility strongly encourages you to NOT update, to avoid known Apple iOS 13 bugs. Apple is expected to release iOS 13.1 at the end of September 2019 to address bugs. DMUC users can expect follow-on messaging within the next two weeks with updated guidance.
If you dig further into the reasons, apparently the wiz kids from Cupertino forgot to pay the exterminator last quarter and as a result, the shiny new OS comes with a wide assortment of bugs that they forgot to squash. Apple has already promised that they are working feverishly on iOS 13.1 which will hit the street in about another week.
Apple has also moved up iOS 13.1 to September 24 from September 30. The reason? Bugs. Apple’s new iPhones will ship with iOS 13.0 tomorrow, an experience that has been panned by reviewers as being full of bugs. Users have reported crashes, hangs, and random reboots in use.
As a follower of 90-day Guy, it seems no surprise that 13.1 hits just before the end of the calendar quarter. Coincidence? I think not. Wanna bet 13.2 or whatever the next number is will be out around Christmas?
Oh, if you haven’t heard, Apple wants you to know they put cameras in their phones. For some reason, Apple’s marketing department has decided to lead with this feature. Based on the fact that Apple phones have the worst picture quality I’ve ever seen, it wouldn’t be hard for them to improve their phone’s cameras. My old Windows Lumia phone takes better pictures than my coworker’s new iPhone.
Tech blogs are also underwhelmed by Apple’s new product offerings. We agree that innovation left the building about the time Steve Jobs left the planet. I’m still wondering if SD Cards and USB-C will ever be a thing for Apple users. Probably not… unless Apple can convince people they invented the technology.
About a month ago William sent me an article about the high turnover in minimum wage jobs, specifically the service sector. The numbers in it were staggering. Per this report, over 100% employee turnover is the norm at most restaurant chains! You read that correct. On average, the entire crew and then some turned over throughout the course of a year. Panera Bread, viewed by the left as a great establishment to work, saw just over 100%.
The case of Panera Bread shows just how deep the employee turnover issue is for restaurant companies. Panera loses close to 100% of workers every year, and by fast-food industry standards that’s considered good.
The official Bureau of Labor Statistics turnover rate for the restaurant sector was 81.9% for the 2015–2017 period, but industry estimates are much higher, reaching 150%, and the problem has gotten worse in recent years. “It’s definitely been going up,” said Rosemary Batt, chair of HR Studies and International & Comparative Labor at the Cornell School of Industrial Labor Relations.
McDonalds and Burger King’s turnover is north of 130%!!!!! The Bureau of Labor Statistics puts this number around 150% annually. That is absolutely mind boggling.
Keep in mind we have raised the minimum wage to a now “living wage” so that these people could be happy and live long prosperous lives working at these entry level starter jobs. Why are they leaving? Well the answer is complicated so I asked a friend of mine who runs a theatre for their thoughts. Basically there is lots of competition at the lowest levels. There is a need to hire 4 people to actually fill one position. Of the 4, 1 will not show up, the 2nd one will be tired of it after a couple hours, the 3rd will finish the day and never come back, and you just hope the 4th will stick around a little while. People in these jobs are fickle. If the GAP is paying $0.05 an hour more…they are taking that job. They may be treated like dirt, but that comes with the territory for a minimum wage gig. This causes a nightmare for my friend since the theatre operates on a tight budget and even a $.50 an hour increase could put them up against a wall.
Against the backdrop of struggling to hire and retain people for entry level jobs comes AOC plus 3, known here as “The Broad Squad.” These babes, voicing socialist and economic enlightenment, are now promising up to 100k a year to everyone. Surely this promise of universal income will fix the issue!
In addition to providing “economic security for those unable or unwilling to work,” the plan also promises to create “millions of good, high-wage jobs” for willing Americans.
Never mind the accompanying price increases and inflation that go along with it! Have no fear, we will legislate our way out of this one; our country has always found a way. Under their tutelage, America may one day be as economically enlightened as Venezuela.
In reality, it must stink working at jobs like these; you are treated like trash, you work among some of the least desirable people, and worse yet, you have a manager that keeps telling you work harder. You literally see your job being automated with each passing day, be it mobile ordering, a touch kiosk, or an employee free kitchen.
However, in reality you have no one to blame but yourselves. Politicians goaded you into believing a $15 an hour wage would magically lift you from poverty, but instead it promises to doom you to a life of drudgery and servitude. Your job is being automated, and eventually eliminated. A high minimum wage means a higher required skill set, you won’t get 90 days to learn on the job, the franchisee or manager won’t stand for it. The 90 day calendar types are innovating constantly, looking to cut any expense…. news flash labor is the highest non-fixed cost. Now you are being told aim for higher wages and employer required health care, don’t fall for the bait, it will hasten your demise.
In closing, our country no longer views the college degree as a positive, it’s now required. In reality, a college degree nowadays means less than a high school diplomat did in the 1950’s. If you don’t have one, find a trade to work in, if you have a degree and are having a hard time finding work, get an MBA, but be forewarned this is a fake economy we are currently in….the crash will be rough. Oh, and you can’t file BK to get out of paying back your student loans.
Folks I’ve been saying the 2020 election is going to be California’s Values versus American Values, last week I got confirmation that others agree. In fact, one guy is asking you to put money on it by donating to Reject the Resistance.
Sacramento, CA – As the country prepares for critical elections next year, a new nonprofit group has formed to warn Americans not to follow the lead of California’s political leadership, urging voters across the country, “Don’t Californicate America.”
“California’s political leadership fancies itself as leading the resistance to all things conservative, and all things Trump,” said Frank Schubert, founder of Reject The Resistance, the recently formed nonprofit group. Schubert has twice been named America’s top public affairs consultant.
“While the politics of the resistance might generate supportive headlines, the policies that are advanced in California would be a disaster for the country. We urge voters to take a look at the ideas advanced by California’s leadership and see the mess they have made of the state.”
Reject The Resistance has launched a television ad that it plans to air in key states, and has unveiled a website setting forth some of the policies that it says would be pursued if voters reject a conservative approach to government. The advertisement highlights many of California’s problems including homelessness, filthy cities with streets soiled by urine and feces, sanctuary cities, crime, and out of control government spending and debt.
I don’t know Mr. Schubert but I find it clever that he has put this campaign together as a non-profit and not a political PAC. Thus you can give money to save the Republic and its tax deductible. The truth is, it doesn’t matter who the other side selects, they all want to destroy American values and replace them with ones in harmony with California.
I think the Babylon Bee was right when they posted that Republicans can win just be running unedited speeches by Democrats.
Ok, so I have gotten a reputation as being both very complementary and also very ruthless. You cannot and will not pull a fast one on Johnnie Does. In my short time as a food critic, I have shut down a restaurant (Side Burn BBQ) as well as provided people with key lunch advice like the Burger King tacos; ask the Blog Father, he tried them after the advice of Johnnie Does!
However this article is an updated review of Ariana’s, the Mediterranean joint where I ordered my chicken gyro bowl, seasoned with Frank’s Red Hot. As you may remember, I gave them a 0.0, and it was well deserved. I don’t think they use Franks in the Middle East and authenticity counts. Anyways, I found myself back at the scene of the review Friday at lunch. I figured since it’s a small business, I will give them another shot, most businesses are not this lucky.
I ordered at the counter again and asked for my food spicy, just like last time. I also asked the young man what sauce they use to spice the chicken….he dipped his head and said the following. “We were using Franks Red Hot sauce. It was not authentic. We were made aware of a food blogger calling us out and he ripped us, so we now have our own in house hot sauce, scratch made, and seasoned with authentic spices from Afghanistan.” I would do a humble brag but I’m pretty sure that was me who they read, it certainly wasn’t that moron from the Sacramento Bee who is a total loser. Seriously the Bee changes their food critics like I change my drawers, daily!
Anyway, I took my seat and patently waited. It took 20 minutes, but my bowl was loaded, tons of chicken, some basmati rice, cucumber, tomatoes and a lime. The sauce was yellow orange almost mustardy look, and it was amazing! WOW. The heat was great, and the spices were fire! Johnnie Does even broke a sweat, he could barely finish.
Amazing, wonderful change of pace. The counter guy came to take my dish and he asked if it was good? I asked how they knew about the bad food review and where they read it. He said a close friend of the family Googled Ariana food reviews, and this blog called reallyright.com came up and a Johnnie Does food review was brutal. He said it was a real kick in the face, a small family business and we missed the mark. We felt terrible. He called us out on our carelessness. Then I doxed (revealed) myself. I told him I am Johnnie Does. He looked defeated and I told him this is great. The sauce is wonderful, the portions plentiful. New updated score 4.3/5.
Very solid, please patronize this place and support a local small business.
Johnnie Does
Johnnie Does likes it
Editor’s Note: I was shocked and surprised to read this post from Johnnie Does in my email last night. I found it inspiring and read it to my wife. I guess a visit to Ariana’s is in our future and hopefully your.
William wrote a great article about the debt the other day and it got me thinking, which is quite dangerous by the way. The debt is absolutely insurmountable and as a millennial, it’s my future, so I asked quite a few friends of mine, for their thoughts. The answers will likely not surprise any reader of this site.
Buy now, pay forever
To put it bluntly, they do not care. Most of them work for the state/city/county and view their jobs and pensions are guaranteed. That should scare everyone, regardless of your thoughts on pension guarantees. The general approach by my generation to debt is one of apathy and compassion.
I’ll start with the latter first; it’s borne out of feelings and wanting to throw money at a problem in hope good will come from it. For example, healthcare for literally everyone and continued support of government run programs such as: food stamps, and other social justice programs into infinity. We want to give the homeless guy/girl/it a place to live, and 3 square meals a day along with spending money in hopes he will get a job…it doesn’t happen. However, we will keep trying because, we’ll just throw more money at it, and it eventually works itself out right?
Now to the apathy part; debt is already a large part of our lives, mostly via student loans. We just view all debt as, well it’s there and as long as I make the payment, I’m good till next month. We see ourselves in massive debt and just assume we will eventually take care of it…. or we petition the government to get rid of it. Much like the 65,000 people who have applied for their loans to be forgiven only to be rightfully denied by the government. We know it’s there and it’s a part of our lives, but we don’t take it seriously.
However, the ones most at fault are the older generations (55-75). They are responsible not just for running up the tab on generations not yet born, but for installing in us a belief that debt is not a big deal. They removed any personal finance/budgeting classes from our school system, and never really gave us an allowance or anything while we grew up. They also, claiming it was for our own good, outlawed minors from virtually every type of work they did when they were growing-up.
For my generation, our budgeting consisted of, hey dad I need $100 for jeans, and you gave it to us. We never had a checkbook just plastic, which again allows you to run up debt at an alarming pace under the guise of buy now, pay later. You told us college was an investment in our future, so we went to college and ran up six figure student loan debt. We needed a car and instead of getting an economical used vehicle, we got a sporty type car fresh off the lot, and a loan to boot. Credit card, auto loans, and student loans created a toxic cocktail that is just starting to show its affects.
Just to be clear here, I’m not placing the blame of the debt on anyone, just the attitude of the millennials. We do not view a paycheck as wages for services rendered, we view it as money to spend. We don’t view credit cards as for emergencies only, we view it as a means of satisfying ourselves with short term happiness. We do not see this as money being spent, it’s just the swipe of a card, then the bill comes. But that’s ok, because we only have to pay a very small portion of the bill, then we keep spending. Our debts? Well almost every liberal politician, and probably some so called Republican ones, talk about wiping out our debts…therefore we vote for them. Debt to us is just a way of life, and we see a paycheck and annual mandated cost of living raises as a way by which to pay for it.
In closing, I will add this, I am a 33-year-old millennial who has no student loan debt, never had any, and I have no credit card debt. I own a house so there is debt there; however, I see it as at least having equity as opposed to paying a landlord in exchange for nothing. I am very lucky but none of my friends choose to live their lives like me; instead, they have mountains of student loan debt, credit card debts, and expensive car payments to boot. They make minimum payments, and all have nicer stuff than me. Their attitude is the government will bail them out at some point, or just wipe away the debt.
Poof, your debt is gone Lather, rinse, repeat
Owe money to the IRS just call a number…poof gone. Too much credit card debt…. personal bankruptcy…poof gone. Mortgage on a house you don’t like anymore…. walk away. Best of all regarding the last 2, (credit cards and mortgages), in several years you can do it all over again. However, my generation, like many others, is in for a real wakeup call soon because those rules do not apply to our nation’s debt. Your pension is not likely to be guaranteed–at least not at the levels they predict. Your government job may be cut, and Social Security for those of us in the private sector, is likely a figment of our imagination or soon will be.
A few days ago, we highlighted the fire that one lady lit under the backsides of CSD here in Elk Grove. Well, here’s the latest.
First, the lady reporting the algae in the lake to CSD has a rich history of sensationalism. Folks this is the same lady that claimed to have seen an alligator in the very same Camden Lakes that are the subject of the algae report. If you don’t recall that fateful report, we have a post about this elsewhere on the blog. Here is part of the report from Sacramento’s Fox affiliate, Channel 40. The original post is from Friday, April 13, 2018.
This was my response to Sharon’s last report to the media
Several people have reported seeing the gator over the past few days and neighbors say they have seen a decrease in the number of ducks and geese at the lake.
Sharon Anderson, the Camden Neighborhood Association President, saw the alligator herself on Thursday evening and is warning her neighbors to be alert.
“Just kind of stay clear. Keep your eyes open,” said Anderson. “When we don’t see the ducks and geese in the water, maybe that’s an indication that we should be clear of it too,” she said.
This report was all over local media over the weekend and by Monday, the California Department of Fish and Game (I know the agency by this name, but they have a more politically correct name these days) denounced the whole report as fraudulent.
Now she is back again with another report concerning the lakes. Once again, she was taken seriously and got government action on short order. I marvel that she is able to get these folks to act now and ascertain facts later.
As it turns out, her algae concern was validated by lab tests conducted by CSD. CSD released a press release on the results and even used her photo from Nosy Neighbor’s website.
Camden Lake–Photo by Sharon Anderson
Water from the Camden lakes has tested positive for cyanobacteria, commonly known as “blue-green algae.” Please take extra precautions to help protect yourself and your loved ones, including pets.
The lakes in the Camden Passage neighborhood of Elk Grove have tested positive for cyanobacteria, a type of blooming algae commonly known as “blue?green algae.” The presence of blue-green algae can produce a buildup of toxins harmful to both humans and animals.
While near-water activities such as picnicking, biking and hiking are safe, please take the following precautions to help protect yourself and your loved ones (including pets):
Avoid bodily contact with the water. If you come in contact with water containing blue-green algae, shower immediately with fresh water. Keep dogs on leashes and do not let them swim in or drink from the lake. If you suspect your dog has been exposed to blue-green algae, contact a vet immediately.
Signs have been posted around the lake and water tests will be conducted weekly. The signs will be removed when the tests come back negative.
These lakes are a part of Laguna Creek and are a popular destination for Elk Grove residents and a natural habitat for a wide variety of wildlife. Swimming, boating and allowing dogs in the Camden lakes is never permitted per Cosumnes CSD park rules.
Once again, Sharon’s report gets an honorable mention on local television. Below is link from KOVR, the local CBS affiliate. The report is an abbreviated version of the CSD press release which I quoted above.
As a result, of the lab results, CSD has posted new signs around the lake.
Folks, I tend to question whether this lady has both oars in the water, but I think if there are any Republicans left in California, they might want to learn how this lady gets stuff done. She gets more government action and media attention than anybody out there throwing blood at legislators or blockading the entrance to the State Capitol (both of which have happened in the last week). She gets her way and keeps in the good graces of the media and local electeds. I can’t name a single Republican that can claim to do likewise.
Blog Father did a really good job on Nextdoor. I want to elaborate just a touch further on the topic of message boards on the internet. Nextdoor was actually a useful source for the first couple years I was on it. As a new homeowner in a mostly starter home neighborhood, I wanted to know the goings on around my new digs. There was good information on it initially, crime, new stores, garage sales, giveaways…then it all changed.
The night I cancelled the app, it seemed like all of Elk Grove was chiming in about a neighbor (nowhere near my house) whose camera picked up a couple of youths seeming to be casing the neighborhood. The back and forth among adult men and women was atrocious, allegations were thrown, assumptions were being made…..yikes. It was all the normal bars; are you sure they were casing? Why didn’t you do something about it? Were they Black? Mexican?
The only redeeming quality for the site was you had to post under your actual name, not an internet pseudonym, (more on this later), and it had the neighborhood where you lived listed as well. It devolved into neighbors playing Salem Witch Trial type gotcha’s on one another. My neighbor is playing music too loud! Look out for this truck because my neighbor’s kid drives too fast! How dare you let your dog off the leash to play fetch in the park! I’m off the app, I see it hasn’t changed and I’m glad I waste no more time on it.
Basement bomber in action
Now on to something far worse, comment sections and message boards, the free type. This is the worst of the worst. Anyone can make a free account, it takes only minutes, and most create several free accounts. From there…well, let hell rain on everything. Whatever you think about Trump on Twitter, it’s tame compared to what these folks post. Check them out yourself. Yahoo.com, almost any message board, online newspaper, forum, you name it. Heck you should see what we get in our spam filter on this blog. If you insist on checking out my claim yourself then I recommend showering afterwards because it is a sewer in there. Right, left, middle, young, old, it’s almost all retirees and non-stop cable watchers, but boy is it bad. I’m positive not a single normal person posts there, it’s just a bunch of hot take machines arguing back and forth about the dumbest stuff.
In conclusion, sadly, this is where we are as a country now. You can be totally anonymous on a message board and spew your filth all over the internet unchecked. It gives the unemployed, retired, and those who are just not bright an avenue to feel important. I agree with William, they just hit F5 on their desktop all day looking for a fight to pick or an argument to make. But I guess to some, it gives power to the few to try to have influence over us all. These folks do to the Internet what the homeless do to San Francisco’s sidewalks. Sad state of affairs we live in now.
Spaghetti is a very heavy food and not usually a lunch option, but since the Old Spaghetti Factory is right by my office I decided to take the plunge, as usual we tried it twice. (OSF) is a small family owned business that has grown to 45 stores from its humble beginnings in 1945 by Guss Dussin. Here is the review.
Ambiance: The one near my office is a standalone building that looks like any other strip mall type venue, large, concrete and somewhat uninviting. If you want a really cool scene check out the downtown Sacramento location. The interior is very cozy with a décor reminiscent of being on a train car. The booths have Tiffany lamps and also quite a bit of gleaming brass which sets a nice tone. In one part of the restaurant, there is even a refurbished trolley car you can sit in and enjoy your meal. However, at 12:50 in the afternoon, during what should have been peak lunch time, the place was empty. When you walked into the restaurant, instead of the aroma of food, you could smell the Windex used to clean the place. 1.3/5 Disclosure: I have gone by this place during dinner hours and it seems very busy, so your experience likely will differ.
Menu/food: This is your standard Italian-American faire. Once you are seated by the hostess, you are greeting by a loaf of bread and some butter, and the menu is basically spaghetti, pasta, sandwiches, and salads. They put tons of different spins on their pasta with sauces that include: clam, garlic, Alfredo, meat, meatless, mizithra (brown butter), and pesto. I ordered the spaghetti and meatballs with red sauce, it also came with a salad, I choose creamy pesto dressing (balsamic was the only other option).
The spaghetti was standard noodles with red sauce tasting very much like Prego scooped over it. The plate also featured 2 very large baseball sized meatballs. The salad was bagged salad from a local grocer and the dressing was ladled over it as well. I was not impressed with this at all. True Italian food, the pasta and sauce are mixed together in a bowl, not just tossed on top, the meatballs were ok, but very large and you almost feel cheated just getting 2. Generally, the plating was unimpressive.
Pre-fab salad mix
As mentioned earlier, I come back a second time and will share the reason in the conclusion when I ordered the mizithra pasta. It was very interesting to say the least, much improved and I’ll average the scores call it 2.2/5. I would definitely order this again if I come back, it was a very good cheese/butter taste.
mizithra pasta
Overall: The Old Spaghetti Factory is not much to write home about; just standard Italian faire from a decent non-chain place. I would recommend avoiding the spaghetti and meatballs; however, I did thoroughly enjoy my other meal. The price point for lunch is around $10. OSF claims great food and fast food prices. The bizarre flex here was I asked my server what the best thing on the menu was and she pointed me toward the spaghetti with meatballs, after finishing and paying my check, she shared with me her favorite is the mizithra?????????? HUH? That’s a weird flex, sweetie, you probably would have gotten a decent score if I had that meal first. 1.75/5 I don’t think I will return.
Assembly Bill 1482 a.k.a. Tenant Protection Act of 2019 has gained traction as is worked its way thru the “Bill Mill.” It would impose a statewide rent control scheme for all of California. It has passed both the Assembly and Senate and is back in the Assembly to reconcile Senate amendments. Final passage could be as early as tomorrow.Its next stop is the Governor’s desk.
It has received the blessing of many outside groups including the California Business Roundtable.
The CBRT is touting its support with statements like:
AB 1482 will provide certainty to tenants. AB 1482 will keep families in their homes by tying caps on annual rent increases to the regional consumer price index (CPI) plus 5%, implementing California’s first-ever statewide rent control.
AB 1482 will encourage new homebuilding. AB 1482 will also provide certainty to developers by exempting new construction for the first 15 years. This rolling exemption will address the acute supply shortage by encouraging developers to build more critically needed housing, while also ensuring we are adding new units under rent control protections.
AB 1482 will protect tenants in California. AB 1482 will enhance safeguards for tenants statewide by ensuring they receive a 60-day eviction notice and a 1-month relocation fee if they are evicted after the first 12 months of a lease.
AB 1482 will prevent rent gouging. AB 1482’s statewide rent cap applies to all multi-family housing over 15 years old covering more than 95% of all multi-family housing units, and all single-family homes that are corporately owned, ensuring landlords cannot take advantage of tenants through rent gouging.
I find myself in agreement with former CRA member and political curmudgeon Steve Frank who wrote recently:
This is another example of the business community deciding to “compromise” with a totalitarian State. The California Business roundtable formed by the California Chamber of Commerce has AGREED to the first step of government take over of housing. In AB 1482 it allows the State to set the rules and caps on rent increases. While this bill sets the limit at 7% a year, nothing stops government from making it 2% next year. It is the slippery slope to the State OWNERSHIP of housing—and those who claim to love freedom have given up the fight.
Exemptions today, can be ended tomorrow—by legislation or an activist court—and these folks claiming to represent capitalism have instead supported socialism. Of course, most of the Chamber folks donated to the Democrats. There is an old saying that fits this situation: “An appeaser is someone that feeds his friends to the alligators, hoping they eat him last.” The alligators just killed off the Roundtable—the Chamber is next.
This is a huge power grab by the State and way outside the legitimate boundaries of a lawful government. Sadly, this act of tyranny will be met with hardly a whisper of opposition. We don’t normally talk this way but the truth is that in the final analysis, it’s all the king’s land, we are but the humble vassals. If you really owned your property then the government couldn’t take it away. Both rent control and property taxes are based on the premise that you don’t really own anything tangible.
In my mind, I keep harkening back to the story of H.L. Richardson recounting a conversation with Democrats in a back room of the State Capitol many decades ago. When asked about why the Democrat felt he had the right to tax something, he responded with the quip, “But look what we let them keep.” Translation, the Democrats think they are entitled to all that you have, but only take what they need at any particular time. Please note that this redistribution of your stuff only works in one direction.
The only lingering question is will supporters of the ballot initiative to impose statewide rent control pull their initiative when Governor Newsom signs this legislation?
Do you remember at the end of every episode of Scooby-Doo when the bad guy says, “And I would have got away with it too if it weren’t for you mettlesome brats” or something to that effect? Well the generation that grew-up watching the crew of the Mystery Machine has an app. This app allows them to be mettlesome wherever and whenever they wish, thanks to the miracle of cyberspace. Allow me to introduce you to Nextdoor.
Yes folks, you can find lost pets, complain about homeless people living under bridges—they have yet to catch our contributor The Troll but have come close a few times-and get local government to do your bidding. Yes, in real life, this app has been instrumental in putting the fear of God into politicians and citizens with felony arrest records not able to get elected.
Here in my neighborhood, the users of this app have moved mountains.
Here’s the story.
September 1, 2019 Nosy neighbor complains about algae in the neighborhood lakes on Nextdoor app
The lakes in my subdivision are used for fishing, keeping some endangered species of bird happy, and for rainwater to drain from the neighborhood streets directly into the lake. One lady noticed some algae in the lower lake, took two photos, and posted them on line using the Nextdoor app. As a result, all sorts of bureaucratic hell erupted.
Here’s the text of the complaint that started the ball rolling.
Do you use the lake or fish in Camden Lakes? Caution
Today I spotted possibly Blue-Green algae in the lower lake by the new bridge (by the weir) in Camden.
Although this Algae and the lake has yet to be tested to determine if it’s toxic, I am alerting friends and neighbors just to be on the safe side.
Please do not let your dog swim in the lakes if you have any concerns regarding the blue-green algae as shown in the photos attached.
I have alerted the city, the parks department, the Laguna Creek Watershed Council, and by way of this post, I’m sure others will be alerted as well.
I hope to keep everybody posted on the outcome of any testing that is done on the Algae, or the water itself. Our neighborhood has asked that the lake water be tested for other pathogens and bacteria. We have yet to receive any results.
The post that literally launched ships a few days later
September 3, 2019 CSD agrees to post warning signs
Within 48 hours of the initial post, CSD has posted multiple warning signs around both lakes
September 6, 2019 Lake Clean-up Begins
By Friday, September 6, CSD (Cosumnes Community Services District) has dispatched crews of boat people to clean the lakes. Said crews worked on Saturday as well.
CSD is in charge of most parks and lakes found in subdivisions of southern Sacramento County.
Before water plants removed. Tullies in background are part of island in the lake
After floating plants removed
Above are before and after photos of the same portion of the lake showing the effects of the clean-up. Below is equipment used for cleaning the lake.
This bucket tractor is floated by pontoons with stainless steel tacks
Another photo of bucket tractor with pontoons visible
Debris was piled on banks of lake
Debris piles were placed on the far side of the lake for removal later. Many were nine to ten feet high. Many dump truck loads worth of stuff were removed from each lake. When I said the post was able to move mountains, I meant that literally…mountains of plant debris.
Smaller boat used to clean next to shore and ferry debris across lake
Folks, this clean-up is usually done yearly, at least until CSD started running short of cash. Two years ago the lake was not cleaned at all. Last year the crew showed up at the end of October and did a mediocre job. This year, with one person complaining they sent the crew two months earlier than last year. If you read the Nextdoor thread, they even took water samples and decided to do the cleaning before the results came back.
The Nextdoor app is also used to track traffic, neighborhood crime, sell unwanted stuff, and of course complain about the behavior of others. Much of it is nonsense but in the hands of retired people with lots of free time, it can be used to move mountains. After spending time with this app, you’ll never look at old folks with gray hair quite the same way again. Squeaky wheels and grease may not block 5G internet in Elk Grove but they sure get things done in other areas.
