Ed. A great open letter sent by a concerned Sacramento citizen to sewer rat Harry Ratz of the Local 447 unio, the wacky organization that has been using its members’ dues todeliver a brutal public flogging to Sacramento mayoral hopeful Kevin Johnson. This letter was also sent to absentee mayor Heather Fartgo, absentee Natomas Councilman Ray Thretheway, and a litany of their complicit colleagues…
Hello Mr. Rotz and friends of the local 447,
I bought a home in Sacramento last August for $365k. A few months later I found out the federal government had designated my neighborhood an “AE flood zone” due to seepage they had discovered in the levees around Sacramento. The “AE” designation means my home and neighborhood are in an area the Army Corps of Engineers consider a severe flood risk. I know, I know, lucky me, right? :\
Fast forward to present day. Myself and every homeowner in Natomas are now paying (or will soon be paying), $1,500 per year for flood insurance. But that’s not the worst part. The worst part is going to sleep every night wondering if you will wake up in the morning to the sound of lapping water in your bedroom.
Being in the plumbing business, I’m sure you’ve seen your share of flooded homes throughout your career, and will agree this is a potentially nightmarish situation for myself and thousands of other Sacramento residents in this same predicament. To think our mayor has been in office for 8 years and never even mentioned the possibility d high flood risk to prospective or existing home buyers until after Katrina hit and the federal government came knocking.
But it gets even worse I’m afraid. The mayor has responded only once to the federal government’s ruling, and it was to complain about the moratorium on future building in Natomas! Can you believe it!? She has not even apologized to the residents here, or even held any town hall style meetings to discuss our concerns. Get this Mr. Kotz: The CITY HAS NOT EVEN COMMUNICATED DIRECTLY WITH THE RESIDENTS IN NATOMAS WITH RESPECT TO EVACUATION PLAN, EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT POLICY, DISASTER ALERTS, OR ANYTHING WHATSOEVER! That’s right, we don’t even know how or IF we will be notified if there is a breach in the levee!!!!!
The mayor is so angry that the federal government has put a halt to development that she hasn’t even bothered to tell us what to expect in the event of a flood! Sadly, she stated in a debate recently that “public safety and flood protection was the hallmark of her campaign.” Something like that. I know thousands of residents in Natomas Sacramento who disagree. Her negligence when it comes to Natomas is now legendary (and apparently she even lives in Natomas!),
Have you been to new Natomas lately? Fargo and council filled it with so much office space and warehouses (the majority of which have never been occupied), that there is no room for family venues whatsoever. From what I have learned, the city will not approve any projects that would improve the quality of life for families in the area. No bowling alleys. No roller rinks. No city-sponsored or non profit rec centers. No miniature golf. we don’t even have a car wash. I know, it’s hard to believe. But there sure are miles and miles of vacant office space if you’re in the market. Come on down!
There is nothing for kids to do here in Natomas (unless you consider a few skateboard ramps and ‘frisbee golf’ recreation). God knows they can’t afford to go see the Kings play. The new high school was plopped down right in the middle of town, and when kids get out of school each day they all spill into the parking lot of our main town retail square. Last week I stopped and asked a few of them what there was to do after school. They all shrugged. One said, “Hang out at Carl’s Jr.” yes, this is the “New Sacramento” you keep hearing about.
Natomas is also filled with more low income high density housing than any other area in the valley from what I hear. That means there is crime, and plenty of it. 170 reports within a 2000 FOOT radius of my home in the past 4 months. 170 reports. Police response time is dismal because only a few units have been assigned to our area. I hear police helicopters near my home every other night. Worst part is that homeowners are paying EXTRA TAXES for police services, yet we have less protection than other parts of the city that pay no extra taxes at all. There were five armed robberies at businesses in North Natomas in the past two weeks alone. 
We can not let our kids ride their bikes up to, e.g., Jamba Juice anymore because both previous times we allowed them to they were harassed by hooligan teens on the way there. I won’t even go into the crime in South Natomas (it is amongst the worst in the valley),
The mayor called our area the “new Sacramento, and a great place to raise a family,” but a quick view of the area will convince you that too is a downright lie.If this is the new Sacramento, we are in trouble. New Natomas has been treated like a step child in every possible way except to those who want to lease office space. We don’t even have bike trails that connect; they all dead end into major streets and force us to walk across dangerous streets and center medians to continue to the other side–yes, even mothers with baby strollers. You need to see it to believe it.
How did this happen? Some will say planning committees are responsible. Some will say residents participated in the planning. But let’s face it, the mayor’s job is to lead. And there is no possible way a mayor who missed 132 days of work in the past two years traveling around the world in search of “green” solutions for our city can be providing effective, qualitative leadership on a consistent basis. She spent $44,000 in taxpayer money to go on trips to Australia and China with her husband. While she was continent hopping and missing 16 city council meetings, the levees were seeping, and the only group who cared about our well being was the federal government. It would be horrifying if it weren’t just downright stupefying. Fargo, try this quote on for size: “Better do a good deed near home than go far away to burn incense.” -Amelia Earhart
I think most reasonable people agree this mayor has failed her constituents on too many levels to even count. I have to ask you Mr. Kotz: How you could endorse this irresponsible, shortsighted incumbent with a good conscience? Are you aware of the $58 million budget shortfall facing the city? Are you aware this inept city council led by Heather Fargo can’t even get a WIFI network deal done for the city??
I have to tell you, your endorsement of Heather Fargo is shocking in light of all these things, but what’s even more shocking is the horrific material you have published on paper and internet about her opponent, Mr.Kevin Johnson–especially given the underhanded racial overtones of your material. It has been reported you did not even follow the law, and notify the city before you distributed it. I heard you spent $25,000 for this flier. Mr, Kotz, man to man, I have to tell you, that was some COWARDLY stuff, dude. Wow. We are talking sneaky on levels that would even make G Gordon Liddy proud. And smutty! How could you do that to our city? I have to ask you: If you truly care about the City, why didn’t you donate that $25,000 to, e.g., a non profit in Sacramento? Or a church? I am forced to question your love for the city.
I am not mad at you for your despicable underhanded dirty approach to candidate support, I am saddened deeply that you would taint our city’s mayoral race with such an incredibly hurtful and disdainful attack on one of the candidates, especially when none of the allegations have ever proven to be true, and the man has never even been charged with a crime. If you truly care about our beautifully diverse city of Sacramento, how can you justify a racially charged attack on the candidate who is the most profoundly passionate about improving it? It doesn’t add up.
Mr. Kotz, with all due respect, you should be ashamed. Do you have a son? A daughter? Is this how you would teach them to solve problems? You have embarrassed our city, and undermined our mayoral race immensely.I am sickened by your poor judgment and blind support of an incumbent mayor who cares more about development than the safety of her constituents and their families.
I have copied Kevin Johnson on this message. I hope he knows there are hundreds of thousands of residents who admire his courage, and greatly appreciate his devotion to improving the quality of life in Sacramento. Kevin, while I have zero affiliation with this pipefitters and plumbers union,as a fellow citizen who loves his city, and on behalf of ALL Sacramento residents, including Heather Fargo, I APOLOGIZE TO YOU FOR MR. KOTZ’ HORRIBLE JUDGMENT AND THE PAIN AND HUMILIATION YOU AND YOUR LOVED ONES HAVE SUFFERED AS A RESULT. WE LOVE YOU, KEVIN, ONE OF SACRAMENTO’S FINEST SONS.
I truly pray Sacramento residents love the city as much as I do and remove this incumbent mayor from city hall. Sacramento needs a visionary, energetic, passionate leader who takes crime and public safety seriously. Heather Fargo is clearly NOT that person,
Tags: Accountability, Business, City Hall, Community, Crime, Defamation, Ethics, fraud, Harry Rotz, Heather Fargo, Local 447, Mayoral Race, Morals, Natomas, negligence, Ray Tretheway, Scandal
