Remember those campaign trail promises? You know, the ones where candidates smiled, shook hands, and studiously avoided mentioning the fiscal elephant lurking in the room? Congratulations, voters - you've just witnessed the most impressive disappearing act since Houdini: the complete evaporation of campaign transparency.

The Pre-election playbook from Sparks Councilmember’s Anderson, Dahir, and Abbott, Reno Sparks Councilmember’s Anderson, Taylor, Martinez, and Reese, and Washoe County Commissioners Hill and Andriola was to stay mute about the financial woes the cities and county were facing in the next fiscal year. Assemblymember Natha Anderson didn’t tell voters she wanted to raise property taxes at all those campaign meet and greets in 2024.

Amid a $27 million budget deficit, Washoe County's funding of the Tahoe Prosperity Center raises serious questions about fiscal responsibility and potential conflicts of interest.

Key Concerns:

• Washoe County Commissioner Alexis Hill sits on the board of the Tahoe Prosperity Center

• The county previously allocated $47,500 in ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funds to the organization on July 18, 2023

• A proposed $10,000 funding allocation remains under consideration? Or is it?

Washoe County's telecommuting policy reads like a meticulous rulebook—except nobody seems to be following the rules.

The timing raises eyebrows: updated October 15, 2021, roughly nine months after Chief Information Officer Behzad Zamanian began working remotely. Was the policy conveniently rewritten to accommodate the person overseeing the county's digital security working from... somewhere else?

While Washoe County happily cashes your tax checks, they've blown past legal deadlines to answer a simple question: Where are your public servants actually working?

The public records request Picon made is straightforward asking about a specific employee. We are asking for a copy of County Manager Eric Brown’s approval for remote work. Much like the Washoe County IT Director Behzad Zamanian.

In a remarkable display of selective memory, a Washoe County Assistant County Manager is now assuring commissioners they're "staying on top" of the Tertiary Counsel Group program. This sudden vigilance comes due to Commissioner Mariluz Garcia's pointed questions at the March 11th meeting.

What the reassuring email conveniently omits? This is the same administrator who was supposedly "overseeing" the Alternative Sentencing/Justin Roper/Sober 24 program—you know, the one where US Marshals showed up with warrants and seized records. Apparently, federal raids fall outside Washoe County’s definition of effective oversight.

Look closely at Senator Daly and Taylor's SB-319, or you might miss the burning hole it's about to put in your wallet. This isn't just legislation—it's a blank check written in your name.

The bill creates a Fire Protection District with truly spectacular taxing power by the Washoe County Commissioners: no limits on property assessment values and the ability to keep raising taxes. Miss the first tax hike? Don't worry—there's always round two, three, or ten.

Just hours after we questioned Sparks councilmembers' panda-viewing trip amid an $18 million deficit, a reader provided us with an eye-opening document from Reno City Manager Jackie Bryant that reveals deeper regional tensions.

Bryant's letter to Washoe County demands an "equitable fiscal framework," exposing significant financial disparities between the county and cities. While the timing might raise eyebrows—with both cities facing deficits—Bryant's carefully constructed argument raises legitimate concerns that deserve attention.

Someone at the county is singing like a canary. What prompted the RGJ to suddenly request badge data for IT Director Behzad Zamanian? Our sources inside the 9th Street building tell all.

It seems Zamanian's IT staff have had ENOUGH of their boss's ghost routine. Five years in, and he's still playing the "remote work" card with zero effort to actually move to Nevada. But wait—there's more.

Hold onto your seats, Washoe County residents.

What in the name of governmental incompetence just happened? In a jaw-dropping turn of events that would make even the most seasoned political watchers spit out their morning coffee, the Washoe County Sober 24 program has collapsed.

Remember when Commissioner Alexis Hill was singing Justin Roper's praises like he was the second coming of rehabilitation management? "Amazing program!" she gushed. "Congratulations on the impact award!" Those words are now echoing with a haunting irony that could shatter glass.

FEDERAL MARSHALS. SEIZED. DOCUMENTS.

Washoe County's January 28th Strategic Planning Meeting wasn't so much a planning session as it was a carefully orchestrated performance. County Manager Eric Brown paraded his loyal appointees before the commissioners in what amounted to an elaborate puppet show—department heads and direct reports dutifully describing a county running like clockwork under Brown's exceptional leadership and planning for the future.

The charade of commissioners directing the county's future course? Pure theater. At Washoe County, the ship sails only in the direction Brown charts, regardless of what elected officials might prefer. These are the same Brown-selected officials who crafted Commissioner Alexis Hill's presentation to the Nevada Legislature's Senate Committee on Government Affairs—the one where she boldly claimed a 40% reduction in homelessness, a figure so dubious it deserves its own category of creative accounting.

At the Washoe County Board of County Commission Meeting on Tuesday, February 25, 2025 after the presentation from the newly appointed Registrar of Voter Andrew McDonald there were questions.

One asked by Commissioner Mike Clark wondered if he could be sent The Elections Group list of categories which was highlighted by McDonald on Page 11 of his presentation. Clark noted that some recommendations (96) have been completed, others are in progress, not started, or no action at this time. Clark asked if a list of the categories could be sent to him.

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.

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.

Commissioner Mike Clark forwarded us a Daily Media Report from January 30, 2025, regarding the restoration of hot meals to local seniors, and we found something concerning. While the news itself was positive - seniors finally receiving warm meals after a 14-day interruption due to unexplained "permitting issues" with the temporary kitchen - we noticed a glaring omission.

Despite Picon's extensive coverage of this situation, including detailed reporting on seniors receiving cold sandwiches and later cold salads, our outlet was conspicuously absent from the Daily Media Report. This exclusion comes despite our constant coverage compared to mentioned outlets like RGJ, Channel 8, Channel 4, 2 News, and Fox 11.

In 2012, Washoe County witnessed the consolidation of the Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District and Reno Fire Department, fall apart.

For years, political candidates campaigned fervently for regionalization, emphasizing the potential cost savings that could be realized through consolidating not just fire departments but also law enforcement, parks and recreation, and even the formation of a unified regional government.

Fast forward to February 6, 2025, where the City of Reno, City of Sparks, and Washoe County are once again embarking on the journey towards regionalization, specifically focusing on improving fire services. Interestingly, while the City of Sparks has demonstrated transparency by openly listing the meeting on their website, the City of Reno and Washoe County remain notably silent on the matter.

Could someone please point out to Washoe County Human Resources Staff that we are all able to count here in Washoe County. All you need to do is look at a “cal·en·dar” and you can see seniors were served cold meals for 14 days.

While watching the presentation yesterday by the Human Services team at the Washoe County Commissioner Strategic Planning meeting. Commissioner Mike Clark asked about the COLD MEALS seniors had been served for days, well actually 14 days. Adult and Senior Services, quickly answered 11. Really, 11?

In a performance worthy of a magician trying to make numbers disappear, Washoe County officials attempted to transform 14 days of cold meals into 11 through the magic of bureaucratic math. Spoiler alert: The seniors who endured two weeks of frigid fare aren't fooled.

In a masterclass of municipal mismanagement, Washoe County has transformed public service into a cynical shell game, with mental health patients and seniors as unwitting pawns.

Enter the “$32,000-Man” County Manager Eric Brown, maestro of magical thinking, preparing to perform his annual strategic planning workshop on Tuesday, January 28, 2025 - a thinly veiled fundraising plea disguised as governmental transparency.

In a display of bureaucratic bungling that would be comedic if it weren't affecting vulnerable seniors, Washoe County has managed to turn a planned renovation of the 9th Street Senior Center into a case study in administrative incompetence.

Despite months to prepare for the center's remodeling, the county's solution for its seniors? Cold sandwiches and subpar salads for ten days and counting. When caught serving cold meals, officials attempted to quietly slip these changes into TRIO's monthly meal calendar, hoping no one would notice. But the seniors noticed - and they spoke up.

You've got two types of seniors at these meal sites. First, there's the social seniors who come to chat, play cards, and enjoy some company (bless their hearts). Then there's the folks who genuinely need these meals to, you know, survive. But don't worry - the county's got it all figured out with their totally unbiased survey!

How unbiased, you ask? Well, they strategically cornered the dependent seniors in the food line for glowing reviews in 2023. Funny how they "ran out" of surveys for everyone else... until they spotted a press badge, then suddenly surveys materialized faster than you can say "damage control.”