Crane's Corner

Sacramento County is going to be looking for a new Sheriff in 2022 as current Sheriff Scott Jones seeks a Congressional seat.  After 12 years as Sheriff and 33 years with the force, he's looking for something different.  His endorsed replacement is Jim Barnes, a 22 year veteran with the Sacramento County Sheriffs department.  Join our conversation as I talk with Jim about his motivation for the job, his interests and what he thinks he brings to the table.  Why is he a great choice?  With crime on the rise, challenges with the state legislature and legal entitlements now favoring the criminals, what really needs to be done?  Hear Jim explain his perspective and his expectations should he be chosen by the people as the next Sheriff of Sacramento County.  

In full disclosure, this interview was done before any other candidates arose and since that time, a current Assemblymember has also decided to run for the role as well.  Jim Cooper will also be on the ballot as of this point in time.

For more information and to see all the Crane's Corner interviews and stories, visit www.edcranescorner.com

Listen in as today's discussion is with long time Real Estate Agent, Terry Knight.  We'll be talking about the market in general, some of the historical challenges real estate has faced and a look forward about what to expect in the near future.  Will our children or our grandchildren ever be able to get to the point where they can own a home as we know it today?  What could it possibly look like?  Is there a home buying challenge in our near future be it interest rates, inflation or even a dip in the overall economy?  We cover a lot of ground with an outlook that's probably a realistic view of where things are headed. 

What was the big takeaway from Tuesday’s resounding defeat of the Recall Governor Newsom petition? That Gavin Newsom is a terrific Governor? That the recall never had a chance? Those visits from the President and Vice President made all the difference.

No. The big takeaway is that Democracy prevailed. Democrat voters outnumber republican voters by about 2-1 in California, the recall efforts were primarily but not exclusively republican, so the outcome, a landslide vote to keep Democrat Newsom in office was pretty much along registered voter lines, and by all accounts a very fair election.

That's good for all of us. But if Gavin Newsom takes this as a resounding referendum in support of the job he’s doing, Newsom is a fool. A lot of democrats have problems with Newsom. He’s arrogant, personifying the rules are for thee not for me to knock on many politicians. His administration has yet to seriously address the state's biggest problems, forestry and fires, homelessness and the brazen billion dollar robbery of the EDD by convicted state prisoners and their accomplices on the outside. Not to mention a moratorium on the death penalty and the early relese of hardened criminals, both of which defy the views of the people who either elected Newsom or didn’t but have to put up with him. The vote it seems was less about love of Gavin Newsom and more about the fear of Larry Elder, who stepped into the race a few weeks back and energized both sides, The conservative radio talk show host became an instant favorite of the recall Newsom contingent, but his hard right views on everything from race and abortion to covid vaccines and the minimum wage galvanized the state’s majority party.

Elder, who got 46 percent of Newsom’s would be challenger, now calls himself a former radio host and suggests he’ll seek a re-match against Newsom when he’s up for re-election next year, But if that scenario plays out, it almost guarantees 4 more years of Newsom. California’s way too blue for any of Elder’s positions, but state republicans don’t seem interested in backing any other republican now on the scene. Disgruntled state republicans seem to have two choices. Find a more moderate choice that most republicans and democrats fed up with Newsom can get behind..or as a growing number of Californians have already done...Move out of state.

I suppose every state has its problems. Michigan lives and dies by the auto industry, which is now at a crossroads. Production is being hampered by shortages of computer chips while prices are putting new vehicles out of the hands of many would-be buyers. 

New York’s governor jumped before he could be pushed out of office and crime in New York and other big cities like Chicago remains out of control. Covid’s comeback is hitting the deep south hard.

Maybe it’s because we live here and are too close to it’s problems, but California seems to be the unhappiest state in the Union. It’s been a record fire season, which sadly has become an annual event. Criminals are being released early and reoffending, in some cases committing vicious assaults and murder, crimes worse than the felonies that put them behind bars in the first place.

 It was a fair vote, but California now retains Governor Newsom, a politician who has done pretty much what he wants, regardless of public sentiment, while failing to adequately address the state's biggest problems. From Amador to Anaheim, drought and future water supplies are a concern and while California is among the states with the highest percentage of vaccinations, Co Vid is making a serious comeback, with even those inoculated subject to infection. 

Inflation, though it seems to be moderating across the country, has hit California especially hard. The highest gas prices in the country are getting ridiculous, $5 dollars a gallon in the big cities, close to it in other parts of the state. Inflation is noticeable during every trip to a grocery store or restaurant. The employment situation is truly bizarre. The statewide unemployment rate is close to 8 percent, among the highest in the country, yet it seems every sector of our economy is looking for workers. Generous jobless benefits and co vid induced rent moratoriums effectively invite would-be workers to stay home, with an entitlement mentality setting in. 

SMUD reports many customers, while enjoying free rent, are failing to pay their electric and gas bills. Intense summer heat and daily smog and smoke from seasonal fires are keeping many from enjoying California’s natural beauty and vast recreation opportunities. Living here has ceased to be fun, and the daily cost of living and fears about the future make things worse. The Golden State in many respects has been tarnished. The idea that California can bounce back any time soon ….File that one under Fools Gold. 

It started before the Pandemic. I began working from home in January 2020, doing the morning news on a local radio station, and later other broadcast related work including writing and recording this Crane’s Corner Podcast.

I continue working from home, not because of Covid 19, but because the equipment I need is right here---so why pay the expense of an office, not to mention the travel time. It’s tough to goof off when the radio broadcast schedule demands content of a certain length at a certain time. But when a deadline is flexible, battling the urge to take a long lunch, watch some tv, surf the web do some work around the house is a daily challenge.

But I can relate to some of the horror stories I hear from my friends in management jobs around Sacramento. What began as a necessity---keeping people at home to prevent the spread of Co Vid 19--has in some cases turned into a major headache. As businesses allow working from home on occasion--workers are taking the perk of flexibility and turning into a license to goof off--staying home--but not working from home...or as some managers tell me...not even staying home or working from home….taking the day off without using a paid vacation or sick day--to due something else. 

Unless the office mandates a check in zoom call---it can be hard to track a worker down. Many people--especially younger workers have abandoned that hard wired home phone and can only be reached by mobile phone...which as the name suggests...goes wherever its owner takes it. So that worker you think is at home in Roseville, could be partying in Lake Tahoe or chilling at the beach in Santa Cruz. Some workers aren’t even pretending to be working. One friend told me that a newly hired subordinate called in one morning to say she’d be working from home because her pet wasn’t eating much and the pet store carrying a more suitable brand didn’t open till 10 am. Why come in one hour late when you can blow off the whole day. Some workers are actually more productive, knowing they can get up early, work like the devil from 6 am till noon...then have the rest of the day to themselves. That of course takes discipline, and a workload that doesn’t include communicating with people in different time zones or even local workers only available during regular business hours.

It will be interesting to say how this all shakes out, if Co Vid eventually dies out. Will companies think twice about paying all that overhead if people are just as productive at home, and continue to allow the work from home option? Or, as I suspect, companies will allow it but become much more vigilant in policing home workers, lest they become home shirkers--maybe through face timing calls or home based zoom calls. 

It’s not just the worker bees you have to worry about. A few weeks back I invited a friend, a manager with a lot of responsibilities , to play a round of golf early one Friday morning. I figured he was either taking the day off or working a half day---heading to the office after we finished 18. Apparently he planned neither. He didn’t tell anyone anything. Halfway through the front 9 his cell phone began ringing. He’d drop his club, jog to the woods or just off the fairway. It was working fine until he tried to swing and chat at the same time. An errant shot prompted him to scream FORE, Not only was he busted, he was so mad at himself his game went to hell, and he rushed off in shame as soon as the round was over.

Golf is a game of honor, but if you shirk your duties at the office, the Golf Gods will find out and you’ll be wishing you never left the cube farm.

Jeff Bezos can prove he’s a lot smarter than most of us with the mere opening of a bank statement. But the man who gave us Amazon and rewrote the book on retail sales, delivery and marketing in the 21st Century must really be bored. If he’s not riding a rocket ship to just this side of outer space, with plans for galactic expansion, he’s going back to the future, taking a walk on the wild side. Jeff Bezos and Amazon are investing in brick and mortar retail stores. 

You remember those costly ruins of 20th century retailing before Bill Gates and Steve Jobs figured out a better way? The business as usual plan that put some of America’s retail reliables, Lord and Taylor, Montgomery Ward,  Sears, J Crew--just to name a few. Stores that were on the ropes in 2019 but knocked out in the Pandemic of 2020. It’s been the Bataan Death March with an on going clearance sale. A sad trend that turned a day trip to the Mall into Night At The Museum.

Why Bezos? Why Amazon? Why now? Well, there is much to be said about getting anything you want, at a more than fair price, delivered in time for whatever and when ever it’s needed---especially if you live out on the country or are stuck in some kind of viral shutdown. But, ya gotta admit there is something about the look the feel the tradition of shopping. Of seeing goods on display, The tool you didn’t know you need till it turned up in the Kenmore section of Sears. Or the Sport Coat you covet and just have to try on. Or that perfume she wore? Can’t remember the name, but if i get a whiff at the counter I’ll know.

Thats whats missing from our digital shopping carts and computer screens. The experience. You can surf prices while brushing your teeth or feeding your goats like the Amazon TV spots point out, but sometimes money really isn’t the object. Come on it’s the experience, right. It was until life and Co Vid and hand held devices made us lazy.

Bezos clearly wants to bring that experience back..where possible. But he’ll be smart about it. The Amazon store will be a quarter the size of a typical 100 thousand square foot Macy’s, featuring name brands but plenty of Amazon’s Private label goods..and count on clothes. Amazon sells more clothing than Wal Mart or anyone else. And it might just be a way for Amazon to get the laundry done. The online giant’s business model is to buy from legions of Mom and Pop vendors..many of them the Wall Street Journal reports stealing the swag from bigger retailers and selling at a 100 percent profit to Amazon,

Retailers like CVS and Target are taking notice. They’re among the ubiquitous retailers socked with 45 billion dollars in losses, flying off the shelves and out the door in places like San Francisco, where brazen shoplifters know cops can’t be bothered, when boosting anything under 900 bucks is a mere misdemeanor. A trend so bad Walgreens, and other retailers are closing their crime scenes by the bay.

Jeff Bezos may be taking some risk here, but the richest man in the world didn’t get that way by being reckless. Pick me out a nice blazer,,,

It was a vicious crime spree. A senseless crime spree. Awful as it was, the murder of a quiet animal loving Land Park woman may wind up being more than just a crime statistic in a state governed by people who tire of keeping them, blaming everyone and everything but the criminal for his assault on Mary Kate Tibbits and human decency.

Police say the woman was sexually assaulted and murdered  by a homeless drug addict with a significant criminal record. 51 year old Troy Davis had a serious meth habit and a long and violent criminal record, Most recently arrested for car theft in June, the 51 year old somehow appeared before a judge who somehow arrived at the idea that letting an unemployed violent homeless criminal back on the streets of Sacramento was the right thing to do. Perhaps the judges hands were tied. Maybe the release was related to co vid or maybe Davis just didn’t have to post bail because he didn’t have cash, and as a poor person in the criminal justice system, keeping him in the County jail would have compounded a problem liberals seem hell bent to solve. So Troy Davis arrested for stealing a car in June faced a judge and was released with a promise to return to court later in the month, He didn’t show up for his hearing, But last Thursday he was seen on a doorbell video pleasuring himself at the home  of a neighbor of Mary Kate Tibbitts. Friday night, police say Davis, who might have been cranked up, broke into the woman’s home and turned violent. Killing two dogs, sexually assaulting and murdering the Tibbits then setting her home on fire. The Sac PD found and arrested Davis over the weekend. 

The horror of his alleged crimes and the idiocy of the policies that allowed that behavior to continue unchecked has even the most liberal leaders wringing their hands. Maybe that's it. Maybe this state is going so far left, on so many levels, that it’s going to slowly start moving back to the center if not the right.

Awful that Mary Kate Tibbits had to be the victim of a terrible injustice for California to get a wake up call. Crime needs to be punished and the criminals need not be released until people paid to handle them are allowed to do their jobs, and only when they say it’s time,

Oh and Mayor Steinberg and other suddenly concerned leaders. Davis is a homeless drug addict. Not all homeless are drug addicts. Not all homeless drug users are violent. But that's a solid operational theory until proven otherwise. Just warehousing them in former hotels or mini homes with a toilet and a shower won’t cut it. Many of them need mental help and support along with shelter. We all have rights---the best part about America. But it’s time to balance with compassion and good sense the rights of the law abiding with those who’ve forfeited their rights to drugs and crime and too many others who have lost their homes and their way before they lose their lives or take someone else.

Nancy Pelosi loves ice cream. Too bad she doesn’t feel the same way about babies. Pelosi is a hypocrite, She’s a practicing Catholic who supports Abortion, long a no no in that faith. She went absolutely nuts when a small band of Trump supporters made a misguided, unlawful storming of the U-S Capitol, in which 5 people died. How does that stack up against the 600 thousand innocent babies, who are legally killed through abortion? You want to defend a woman's right to choose. I’d rather defend an innocent childs right to live, Since 1973, abortion on demand has been the law of the land. Abortion supporters long ago fled to the dictionary to make their cause palatable to the masses. It’s not baby killing. It’s all about a woman’s Reproductive Rights. Don’t tell me the fetus isn’t really a human. Many a C section has delivered a fine healthy baby, still in that 24 week abortion window.

Well the Secretary of Hypocrisy who has been silent about Joe Biden’s fumbling of everything from the border to the virus to the Afghanistan mess, she’s sent a loud message to those right wing deplorables in Texas. They had the audacity to pass a law that bans abortion if a the fetus to be dispatched---has a deterctable heart beat. That by one estimate could prevent 4000 abortions, saving 4 thousand lives every month. Nearly 50 thousand a year, half a million a decade. 

You can do all the legislative Kabuki theatre you want Nancy, you are not going to win this one. Look at it this way---Texas is fast becoming a blue state...so think of all the potential voters you’ve been killing off. Oh and last time I looked, 49 other states have some abortion law on the books. Besides, a woman in Houston could ride a bus to Oklahoma, Louisiana, Kansas or Alabama before she could make it to El Paso.

Enjoy your Ice Cream Nancy, but remember, hypocrisy is a Rocky Road.

There’s an old saying that is usually brought into the conversation, when a political argument begins to escalate:

“You are entitled to your own opinion, but you’re not entitled to your own facts”

The saying comes to mind in this year 2 of Covid as the virus, commanding a growing legion of variants is back with a vengeance,

How? Didn’t we get a vaccine?

Ah, yeah. Problem is not everyone who could benefit from it is getting the vaccine. That's not only a problem for them--it’s a problem for us--who may have been vaccinated, but not immune to the variant strain when we come across un vaccinated hosts to the bulked up Co Vid 19. Lots of people who swore off the shots are having second thoughts, because they’re suffering from nasty bouts with CO VID, so bad they need to be hospitalized.97 percent of those being admitted to the hospital never got the shot, In some cases, they leave the hospital in a hearse. Selfishly, they’re taking up resources that would otherwise go to patients suffering from cancer, heart problems or were the victims of accidents or crime.

Every day it seems we get another report of a well known person whose now in the ICU--or dead--because he or she did not get the shot, Most of them right wing talk show hosts, who ranted for months against the vaccine urging their listeners to join them in keeping their sleeves rolled down.

I am an absolute proponent of freedom--and if you really don’t want the vaccine--it’s your choice. But it’s a selfish one. An ignorant one.

Life in 2021 is a daily selection of betting propositions. You could die crossing the street. But you probably won’t. You could trip on a buckling sidewalk and suffer a fatal injury, But it’s unlikely. Flying in an aluminum tube at 500 miles per hour doesn’t always end well, but flying on a commercial jet is safer than driving your Honda to the supermarket. At least that's what the numbers tell us.

Now, that CO VID shot, Let’s shoot down some myths. The FDA hasn’t thoroughly researched it’s safety. After testing tens of thousands of volunteers, the FDA gave it experimental approval and now in the case of Pfizer’s version. Full approval. Side effects. Some people do get them. But if they occur, you’ll get them weeks or months after the vaccine. Not years. Young healthy people won’t get Co Vid. Then explained byr America’s world class athletes, the best in baseball football and basketball are coming down with Co Vid in spite of draconian precautions taken by their respective teams and leagues.

Disease we’ve eradicated through vaccination..smallpox and polio among them had side effects too.

My religion prohibits the vaccine. The Lord will protect me and cure me if infected, Let’s hope so. But was God looking the other way when antibiotics, chemotherapy, anesthesia, life support and other surgical advances came on the scene,

Co Vid’s a myth invented by the government to control us. Well things got out of control. The virus has killed more than 60 thousand  Americans 4 and a half million world wide. Some views are mind blowing. The other day I was playing golf with a friend and several folks I didn’t know. I encountered a guy with great golf skills, whose real handicap is his opinion. When someone asked the guy if he got the shot, he said no and I never will. I’m a medical professional. Was he a doctor with years of experience in infectious disease?

Ah no. He sells shoes. Some of them, medically prescribed.

I’ll grant the shot isn’t a cure all. We will need boosters. But if misguided or stubborn among us dodge the needle, we will never dodge co vid for good. Take one for the team. Can’t hurt for more than a second and it probably will help.

And oh, yeah--it’s free.

America’s collective work ethic is being put to the test--and so far, we’re grading around a D and an F isn’t out of the realm of possibility. Thanks to our government--federal and state government, America has replaced the word “enterprise” with “entitlement”. Once upon a time, a walk through a suburban business district might offer an occasional “help wanted” sign. Now, it’s a rare business that isn’t looking for help and putting the need on display. Nugget is hiring, So is Costco. CVS wants to give you a job. DoorDash needs delivery drivers, Uber needs ride share contractors. Amazon claims it has jobs for those who have got used to working at home. The giant retailer says in some cases, they’ll allow it. The wanted signs, the “we're hiring” banners seem to be everywhere. But the online recruiters, your INDEED.COM’s and Glassdoors and Zip Recruiters are brimming with digital opportunities. They’re looking for doctors and CEO’s, drivers and technicians. 

Recently American Airlines during a day of summer thunderstorms had to cancel hundreds of flights. Weather was just partly to blame. The carrier which cut cockpit crews when CO CID infected the travel industry, learned the hard way it didn’t have sufficient pilots to fly it’s schedule when delays cut into the maximum number of hours the FAA allows pilots to guard against the kind of fatigue that could lead to an in flight mistake. The Airline had to cancel hundreds of flights and residual delays impacted the airline’s schedule for a few days after the weather improved. American’s bean counters are still trying to figure out the economic balance between bringing all those furloughed pilots back or be faced with the task of grounding them again as the Co Vid variants are infecting more people, in some cases even if they’ve been previously vaccinated.

Restaurants which went into a Co Vid recession early are trying to come out of it, but labor shortages are forcing many to cut back business hours, or as a last resort, raise their prices to stay open. Last week, seeking a mid afternoon meal, I stopped by a restaurant I’d heard good things about. The goods did not include the sign that left me hungry. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays until further notice. Resume.com has been trying to figure the trend out. 22 percent of workers were previously laid off and either found another job or tapped into generous Pandemic relief payments, which made their unemployment payment higher than anything they could make waiting tables or cooking retail cuisine. 31 percent say a fear of contracting the virus is keeping them home, and to resume.com’s dismay another 22 percent are taking early retirement, either too intimidated to polish up their resume or convinced that able bodied workers in their early 50’s aren’t very marketable in this tech driven world. Others say child care expenses and 4 dollar a gallon gas are keeping them home. There are exceptions to the rule, but labor experts say Millenials, having a mid life crisis before mid life, are checking out and pocketing pandemic relief dough while they figure out their next move.

Unless Washington cranks up the currency printers, The gravy train goes out of service September 4th. The federal dollars to support state pandemic relief payments will stop flowing. By Halloween or maybe Thanksgiving the out of work but doing fine crowd will morph into the out of work and out of options crowd. Even the 20 percent planning to open their own business should stock  up on Rolaids. Between the worker shortage, the online shopping habits we’ve all acquired and yes--the chance of another virus related shutdowns any new small business will inherit big problems. The jobless rate--less than 4 percent pre covid is close to 5 and a half percent now but falling. That's about the same jobless rate as the chinese report, even with a worker pool of close to a billion people...more at www.edcranescorner.com/blog-page/