At the February 26, 2025 Reno City Council meeting there is a McCarran Blvd. safety presentation and agenda item. In the interest of true transparency can we have a record of how many tickets the City of Reno Police Department have issued at this intersection in the last 36-months? Picon often uses this route and rarely sees a RPD presence, except when there is an accident.

We agree with the residents who mentioned the speed cars are going, especially coming down McCarran towards Plumb Lane and Mayberry Drive. How about a good old speed trap City of Reno?

Lawsuits, Lies, and Local Leadership: The Sparks Saga Continues

Former Sparks City Manager Neil Krutz is finally doing what anyone with a grudge and a lawyer on speed-dial would do – suing his former colleagues. The target list reads Team Krutz: Mayor Ed Lawson, Councilmember Paul Anderson, and former Councilmember Kristopher Dahir. Let's not forget the trio of troublemakers (in Krutz's eyes, anyway) – Councilmembers Bybee, Vanderwell, and Abbott – who had the audacity to suggest maybe, just maybe, his management style needed a review.

Remember Krutz's greatest hit? That memorable YouTube performance where he informed the Sparks Fire Union that he had fired Fire Chief Mark Lawson, a decision that burned through taxpayer dollars faster than a wildfire through dry brush. The irony of Krutz now crying wrongful termination is richer than a casino owner's bank account.

Sparks Mayor Ed Lawson is apparently channeling his social media rantings into actual legislation. AB51, the "We'd Rather You Didn't Look Too Closely" bill, aims to make public records about as accessible as Fort Knox – but with more paperwork.

The irony is rich: The League of Cities, whose mission statement reads like a love letter to transparency and innovation, is backing a bill that treats public records requests like classified CIA operations. What's next – secret handshakes and decoder rings?

Yesterday Picon wrote about Mayor Lawson and his two buddies who are getting, yet again, a contract with the City of Sparks to help carry the Truckee Meadows Public Land Management Act being sponsored by U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen.

The City of Sparks' latest moves raise serious questions about governance and the allocation of public resources. At the center is Mayor Ed Lawson's decision to award two $80,000 contracts to familiar consultants - a move that deserves scrutiny not just for its cost, but for its broader implications.

The February 24, 2025 Sparks City Council meeting agenda includes a notable consent item (#8) proposing $160,000 in consulting contracts related to the Truckee Meadows Public Land Management Act. The proposal would award $80,000 each to SB Strategic Consulting Inc. and Barrett Resources for public outreach services.

Yes, Sparks Councilmember Donald Abbott's Valentine's Day cards for seniors is a sweet gesture. For five years, he's brought smiles to seniors' faces - for one day.

But what about the other 364 days when our seniors:

• Choose between buying groceries or medicine

• Face eviction notices because they can't afford skyrocketing rent

• Eat substandard meals from Washoe County Human Services Agency

• Battle isolation and depression

• Return to work because their fixed incomes aren't enough anymore

When did selecting a Registrar of Voters become a classified operation?

County Manager Eric Brown has turned what should be a transparent process into a closed-door affair, complete with non-disclosure agreements. Let that sink in: A committee filled with county employees selecting someone to oversee our elections are being sworn to secrecy.

Welcome to the latest episode of "Who Really Cares About Seniors?" starring our very own Washoe County Commission.

In this corner: Commissioner Mike Clark, actual admitted senior citizen and long-time champion of senior issues. In that corner: Commissioner Clara "Photo Op" Andriola, suddenly discovering seniors exist. Behind the curtain: Chair Alexis Hill, puppet master, and motivated to make sure Mike Clark is not reelected in 2026.

Microwave another bag of popcorn, folks. Sparks Mayor Ed Lawson is back on Facebook, and he's brought his signature mix of confusion, complaints, and unintentional comedy, at the expense of the residents of Sparks.

Reno City Councilmember Killjoy Kathleen is still pushing Renoites to use her campaign email (Kathleen@TaylorforReno.com) for official city business. Because apparently, proper government channels are just too... governmental?

In her eager attempt to dodge public records requirements, Taylor has actually created a legal face-plant for herself. Our legal eagles tell us that by publicly directing constituents to use her campaign email for city business, she's effectively turned those "private" campaign emails discoverable, AKA open to public record requests. Now we might have to sue, but it would be worth it.

Move over, reality TV, and for more City of Reno political theatre. The latest drama unfolding at Reno City Council has everything: surprise votes, heated exchanges, and an off-camera showdown that's got everyone talking.

Our story begins with Vice Mayor Kathleen "Killjoy" Taylor dropping a surprise "no" vote on Mayor Schieve's Redevelopment Board appointments. (You know, that board that's been collecting dust since 2017?) But wait - she was just warming up.

On February 3, 2025, Commission Chair Alexis Hill and County Manager Eric Brown made quite the presentation at the Nevada Legislature, claiming they've reduced homelessness in Washoe County by 40%.

Let's Talk About Déjà Vu:

• Haven't we heard this magical 40% number before? or was it 50% back in 2023?

• Wasn't it proven false last time?

• Where's the data to back up this recycled claim?

While reading today's Reno Gazette Journal, we couldn't help but cheer their coverage of the latest development debacle in the City of Reno - you know, the one Councilmember Devon Reese is championing from his million-dollar perch in Somersett.

Speaking of Somersett... Isn't it fascinating how Reese pushes for dense development everywhere except in his own upscale neighborhood?

Follow the Money: A quick peek at Reese's Secretary of State Contribution and Expense reports tells you everything you need to know. Developer dollars flow like wine into his campaign coffers, and surprise, surprise - he never met a development project he didn't love.

Remember when Alexis Hill swore up and down during her 2024 campaign that she wouldn't raise taxes? That promise had a shorter shelf life than milk left in the sun.

Hill spent three years, 2022, 2023, and 2024, playing political dodgeball with fire regionalization, we now know why - she was waiting until after reelection to drop the tax bomb. State Senator Skip Daly's email spells it out: your wallet is about to get lighter.

Just when everyone thought the Registrar of Voters carousel might stop spinning, Commissioner Jeanne Herman assured us all was well. The hand-picked candidate would be "wonderful." Take a deep breath, relax - the drama's over, right?

Plot twist: It's Andrew McDonald. Yes, THAT Andrew McDonald.

Remember all those Board of County Commissioner meetings where we were told no staff time was being used for Drag Story Hour? Well, a 2023 public record from the Washoe County Library just blew that story wide open.

The Smoking Gun: Library Executive Director Jeff Scott's public records show "Comp time/staff reassignments" for these events. Let's be clear - comp time is still staff time, and staff time is still paid for by taxpayer dollars.

While Chair Alexis Hill celebrates her "exciting" homeless programs and County Manager Eric Brown gives presentations, people have died on Washoe County streets. This isn't hyperbole - it's the brutal reality our community faces.

These aren't just statistics. These are human beings - someone's parent, child, sibling, friend - perishing in the shadows of our city while county leadership pats itself on the back for programs that clearly aren't reaching everyone in need, and claims to have reduced homelessness in Washoe County by 40%.

So Washoe County keeps telling us Commission Chair Alexis Hill and County Manager Eric Brown have homelessness under control. Hill just told the Nevada Legislature’s Senate Committee on Government Affairs yesterday, February 3, 2025, that Washoe County has reduced homelessness by 40%.

Really? Let's do a reality check:

✦ The Nevada Cares Campus is bursting at the seams

✦ Tent cities are popping up faster than new coffee shops

✦ It took community activist Lily Baran to step up and open warming centers because... where was the county?

Once again, Washoe County is playing fast and loose with taxpayer dollars, serving up a masterclass in how NOT to manage public funds. Let's break down the latest installment of "Who Benefits?"

Exhibit A: The Seven Magic Mountains Boondoggle Remember those rocks that Commission Chair Alexis Hill decided must be relocated Northern Nevada via the Nevada Museum of Art? A cool $500,000 of taxpayer money, and what do we get?

One of our “sleuthie” readers ran into the attached document the Washoe County FY21-25 Strategic Plan – FY25 Update and while reading through it identified two interesting notations about the Washoe County Library.