We keep scratching our heads over the newest little political friend group making the rounds in Reno.

At Wednesday’s Red Move debate featuring Mike Clark and Jon Killoran, a rather interesting trio showed up together: Grant Denton, his occasional sidekick Pat Cashell, and their apparent new buddy Ed Alexander.

Let’s stop pretending the current version of the Save Lakeridge effort is anything close to grassroots—because it’s not.

Back in 2021, many of us supported them when they took their fight to the Reno City Council. At the time, it felt like a real community-driven effort. Fast forward to today, and it’s hard to ignore what it’s become: a tightly controlled campaign driven by insiders, attorneys, and political maneuvering—not broad community engagement.

There’s a growing narrative being pushed that Washoe County Commissioner Mike Clark somehow failed to engage, failed to lead, or failed to represent his district on the Sierra Reflections project. It’s a nice talking point—but it doesn’t hold up under scrutiny.

Is Troy Regas a renegade… or a marketing genius?

Because what happened yesterday doesn’t look accidental.

While announcing his first major fundraiser against Mariluz Garcia — often seen in the same orbit as Devon Reese and his loyal following — Regas didn’t just launch a campaign.

He lit a match.

Well, it’s making the rounds again—another shining example of how the Washoe County Human Services Agency defines “care.”

Washoe County Human Services Agency runs the Sparks Senior Center, or they pretend to, because the services they offer are sort of lacking, and apparently when there is a medical emergency the seniors are left to fend for themselves per this Facebook post above.

So let’s talk about the Sparks Senior Center—because who doesn’t love a good trip down memory lane?

If politics in Washoe County is a card game, then Clara Andriola isn’t just playing—she’s going all in.

The problem?

No one’s quite sure what hand she’s holding.

Let’s start with District 2.

Andriola is no fan of Commissioner Mike Clark—that much is clear. So instead, she’s backing his Republican opponent, Jon Killoran.

Who remembers the great cannabis lounge rollout of 2022?

All the hype. All the vision. All the promises about a “community-driven” experience in Washoe County.

And yet—after all the applications, all the talk—only one proposal stood standing: SoL Cannabis.

It was supposed to be the future. Events. Outdoor experiences. Even cannabis weddings. The pitch from Alexander was nothing short of a lifestyle revolution—complete with crowds of eager supporters ready to show up and prove the demand.

Except… they didn’t.

Dueling fundraisers—because nothing says campaign season in Washoe County quite like competing invites and overlapping donor lists.

On one side, Mike Clark working his well-known network. On the other, Mariluz Garcia building momentum and testing hers.

Phil Tenneon you are a marvel breaking another Karma Box employee arrest.

Commissioner Mike Clark posted the recently released Washoe County annual summary of deaths connected to the emergency shelter campuses, and while the document checked every administrative box — dates, locations, causes, protocols followed — it missed something far more important: humanity.

Seven people died. Not “incidents.” Not “cases.” Not “data points.”
People.

Picon continues to marvel at the rare and mysterious presence of Her Highness, Commissioner Mariluz Garcia — a public servant said to possess the wisdom of Job, though she appears to keep most of it locked away from the very public she serves. Our humble observation is that she descends from the political mountaintop mainly when votes are required, and otherwise communicates through carefully polished statements and county staff intermediaries.

Let’s rewind the tape—because history matters, and so do facts.

Back in 2021, then–Washoe County Assessor Mike Clark had reached his limit. Public records that by law should have been readily available were anything but. District Attorney Chris Hicks’ office appeared unwilling—if not outright resistant—to produce them. So Clark did what citizens are allowed to do: he hired a private investigator and lawfully obtained public records tied to lawsuits, internal investigations, and court filings. Every document mailed to influential Washoe County figures already existed in the public domain.

We noticed Commissioner Mike Clark posted a list of Sun Valley properties in need of intervention — parcels where people appear to be living without maintaining the land and, in some cases, without even owning it.

That alone raised eyebrows.

What raised more eyebrows was the sudden urgency from Commissioner Mariluz Garcia, who made a bit of a public hoopla over the issue — despite saying she’s been “working on this problem” for the last three years.

Three years?

Washoe County has launched a new pilot program allowing people living in their cars a place to park overnight at the Our Place campus in Sparks, billed as a compassionate response to homelessness. The program offers six first-come, first-served parking spaces through May 15, along with access to showers, restrooms, laundry, and meals.

On paper, it sounds humane.

In reality, it raises deeply troubling questions — especially about where this program is being placed and who may be put at risk.

So let’s clear this up.

I’m being told the Republicans aren’t supporting me because I print articles calling them out.

Correction: the real Republicans are. The ones who open their homes, host fundraisers, knock on doors, make calls, and grind through campaign season without a title or a Facebook following. They’re with me.

Let’s rewind the tape.

In March 2024, Washoe County commissioners voted on an ordinance that effectively criminalized unhoused people for living in their cars. The split was clear — and telling.

• Commissioners Mike Clark and Jeanne Herman voted NO, opposing criminalization.

• Commissioners Mariluz Garcia, Alexis Hill, and Clara Andriola voted YES, supporting arrests and citations for people who are homeless.

Those votes are not a matter of opinion. They’re a matter of record.

We noticed something interesting (and a little weird) about the Washoe County Human Services Senior Breakfast on Friday, December 19 at the 9th Street Senior Center:
There are no photos online of the event — absolutely none we could find, until today.

After several weeks of driving Washoe County to view the parcels of land generously handed over by Washoe County to EDAWN for sale, we feel compelled to acknowledge what is now obvious: EDAWN is no longer just an economic development group — it’s a government-funded real estate operation.

Congratulations on the rebrand.

We so enjoy trolling social media posts and frankly can’t believe what elected officials put up online. Our favorites are Reno Councilmember Devon Reese and Sparks Mayor Ed Lawson, but Washoe County Commissioner Mike Clark is moving up.

We saw Commissioner Mike Clark’s post celebrating that Eddie Lorton ignored him and Larry Chesney (Picon’s Publisher and candidate for Washoe County Commission District 5) at Carole Fineberg’s goodbye luncheon.

Yesterday should have been a simple holiday gathering — the Washoe Republican Women’s annual party at a member’s home. Cookies, ornaments, political small talk. Instead, it turned into yet another snapshot of the GOP’s ongoing identity crisis, starring none other than Commissioner Clara Andriola, who was there holding court like the club exists solely at her pleasure.