August 2006 Sound Off
	27 Aug        Supports Old Placerville Project I would like to express my full support for the proposed development by Tower Development. The site has been vacant and without a sidewalk for far too long. Please convey my thoughts to city council.                   - Craig and Winny P.
	27 Aug           Know What Surrounds You At the Stone Creek Park ribbon cutting on Saturday evening, I was in the hot dog line in front of three very nice ladies. Each has a child in the Folsom-Cordova school system and the women clearly knew each because of that shared experience. It was easy to overhear their friendly chatter and I soon realized that two worked on nearby Data Drive. One of those two had recently moved from Folsom to this area of Rancho Cordova. Her co-worker, who still lives in Folsom, joked about how Rancho had been the "other side of the tracks" but now she thought her old side was the lesser of the two sides. Taking in the new park she said, "I didn't realize that any of this was even here!" That is a common experience these days - not realizing what is near where you work or live. The busy pace of our daily schedules prevents exploring, just for the sake of exploration. New developments can pop up overnight it seems and leave many of us to share the surprise of the Folsom lady in the Stone Creek Park hot dog line. But gradual changes to a neighborhood can also blind us to what is really around us. The most frequently missed question on the "Lincoln Village Quiz" at our National Night Out event was, how many businesses are in Lincoln Village. Everyone taking the test low balled the number of firms working here. To help overcome some of this lack of awareness this website is going to feature a different LV-based business every few weeks. And we will update the LV Profile this autumn. But nothing beats just getting out every now and then to explore your surroundings. It's something we all should do.                                    - Kevin J.
	20 August 2006                   Now there are Three Personally, I like the makeup of our current city council. Each one of them has been driven to make this community a better place. All were active in the community well before the city was formed. None have grown big heads or become remote from their neighbors since taking office. When I look at some of the other dysfunctional city councils and government boards that dot this region I am so very thankful that Rancho Cordova has been blessed by this group of men and women. That said, I was happy to see that Pedro Hernandez enter the race for the city council for three reasons. First, if not this year or even at our election after this one, it is a given that at some time down the road not all the folks currently on our council will still be there or still be willing to serve. (We remember all too well that sometimes it is not a planned changed we must face. It seems like yesterday that our city turned to Dan Skoglund to step in to fill the suddenly vacant chair of Dave Roberts.) Seeing solid members of the community step up and note their willingness to serve is a comfort. Second, it is good in a diverse community like Rancho Cordova for all segments of the community to be seen and heard. You don't have to be a "minority" to faithfully represent the individuals you serve. But every group needs role models who can show the younger people that involvement in the larger community is a win-win for everyone. Third, this is a democracy. Having a range of choices to select and pick from is the best way to be certain the will of the people is clearly understood. So welcome to this race, Pedro. Thanks for caring enough to step up and add your voice to the mix.                                - Kevin J.
	17 August 2006                           Traffic Cops Welcomed Thank goodness the traffic has been generally slower on Lincoln Village Drive since the new "Stop" signs were placed at Viking and since the lanes were narrowed after the resurfacing this spring. But we have all witnessed those individuals who continue their speeding, especially at rush hour, when they try to make Lincoln Village Drive their personal raceway. So we were happy to note the pair of RC motor cycle cops late on Thursday afternoon busy writing tickets from Liquor Loft to Seven-Eleven. It was amazing to see how quickly the sight of those gentlemen slowed rest of the racers down. (It was also nice to see how quickly the Liquor Loft parking lot drug crew vanished.) So to those cops, "thanks" and "don't be such strangers to our streets".                               - Kevin J.
	17 August 2006                         The empty store There was a rumor (likely started by me when I misread a news report) going around this week that the old Ralph's on Bradshaw will become a Nugget grocery store. Unfortunately, that is not going to be the case. (As I write this, there still has been no official word as to what will happen to that unit.) The longer the old store remains empty the more concerned I get. The list of grocery chains that could move into the place is now next to zero. (Albertson has a store in Rosemont, Safeway has one by the Walmart on Folsom Blvd, Railey's has College Green and plans for one down on Bradshaw at Gerber, Nugget and the other high end chains don't seem to fancy us.) Bigger grocery stores may make lots of money for their corporate owners. Hopefully someone will see that the great location and hungry neighbors still can make that old "medium size" site a profitable one.                                 - Kevin J.
	13 August 2006                           First Sounds Shortly after Rancho Cordova became a new city, a group of Lincoln Village residents banded together to form the Lincoln Village Neighborhood  Association (LVNA). It was their goal to make a positive difference in, for, and on behalf of the people and businesses in Lincoln Village. The City of Rancho Cordova is almost three years old now and LVNA is soon soon turning two years old. Both have grown up fast. Each has, to a large degree, achieved most , but not all of their original goals. To their credit, the city and LVNA have done much better than many local folks expected them to do. It has been, in the opinion of this writer, a good start. The key word there --- in case you missed it -- was "opinion". Sound Off is about opinions. It is about your opinions, your views and your thoughts on Rancho Cordova in general, and Lincoln Village in particular. Part blog, part letter to the editor, part soap box, Sound Off is the place on the LVNA website where you can have your say, get it off your chest. You can rant and rave or sing praises. Present an idea, chew on an agency, or note something done right (for once). LVNA, like any such group, is always keen to know what people are thinking. An early idea for this first edition of Sound Off was to have a multiple choice "Select the Greatest Issue Confronting Lincoln Village" style questionnaire. But Sound Off isn't about our channeling your thoughts so much as it is giving you the place to have your thoughts channel the actions of LVNA and/or the City of Rancho Cordova.                                           - Admin