Elk Grove News Podcast

In this special edition of City of Elk Grove News Podcast, we cast two top city executives, Mayor Bobbie Singh-Allen and her four city councilmen, in perfectly suited COSPLAY cartoon roles for Halloween 2026.

Watch the YouTube video for this podcast.

The 2026 midterms are awash in campaign cash, and California’s 7th Congressional District is getting its share.

Democratic Rep. Doris Matsui is tapping her personal fortune to defeat fellow Democrat Mai Vang and secure an 11th term.

But can a barrage of attack ads reach a point of diminishing returns?

On NPR’s “Morning Edition,” Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics, questioned money’s influence in close races.

By Dan Schmitt |

If you have ever wondered how a desperate, cornered rat behaves, look no further than the recent actions of the current occupant of OUR White House, AKA the Flim-Flam Man of Mar-a-Lago.

The cats are drawing ever so close, and the rathas nowhere to go, except CRAZY!

This year there are three competitive races for the Elk Grove Unified School District Board of Trustees. The race for the Area 5 seat has three candidates including Rachell Reinwald.

On this edition Elk Grove News Podcasts, Reinwald will discuss why she is seeking this position, her wide ranging education experience and her views on a number of topics.

This interview was conducted on October 25th.

Elk Grove Mayor Bobbie Singh-Allen loves mass surveillance almost as much as social media selfies. Here's how she can monetize it for City Hall.

Elk Grove News Podcast connects The Sopranos, Oakland’s alleged garbage bribery scheme, and the importance of scrutinizing local government contracts.

Read and buy "Stalked by the Garbage Lady" for a satirical look at the confluence of garbage and local political corruption

This week, during a city council meeting, an Elk Grove resident asked a fair question that Mayor Bobbie Singh- Allen and her four city councilmen chose to ignore.

Today, the United States of America celebrates its 250th birthday.

Through our historic and ongoing American experiment in democracy, we have traveled through many peaks and valleys.

We have been inspired by great men and women who display for all the world to see our decency and humanity.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wants the execution of convicted Fort Hood mass murderer Nidal Hasan livestreamed for the world to watch. Is this justice or a return to public executions as entertainment? In this sarcastic Elk Grove News Minute commentary, we travel from America's frontier hangings to the Roman Empire and ask: Why stop at a firing squad? Why not crucifixion?

A pointed look at capital punishment, political spectacle and the meaning of civilization.

Make America great again, backward one century at a time. Now' that's MAGA!

More commentary at ElkGroveNews.net.

With just over three weeks until voting ends, the race for California’s 7th Congressional District is heating up. 

The race features two Democratic Party candidates; incumbent Rep. Doris Matsui and Sacramento City Councilmember Mai Vang.

In this edition of Elk Grove News Podcasts, Dan Gougherty meets with Ms. Vang. Aside from going over campaign rhetoric. listeners learn more about her.

Representative Matsui was invited for an interview on September 23, but as of October 8th, has not responded. 

The invitation remains open

By Dan Schmitt |

The homes in north-central Wisconsin where I grew up had basements. Ours was dark and dank. Two dim lightbulbs hanging from the basement rafters were all the illumination available at night when no sun entered the small rectangular windows perched atop the brick basement walls.

As a child, I was deathly afraid to go alone down into our basement at night. Because of its darkness, I was sure some dangerous boogeyman lurked, waiting to do me harm.

This describes California's Proposition 39

The race between Doris Matsui and Mai Vang is nasty, but through all the mudslinging, one issue has gone unaddressed.

That issue is the impending implosion of Social Security.

This week, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed significant legislation sponsored by State Senator Angelique Ashby.

Senate Bill 802 requires Sacramento County and its municipalities to form a joint powers authority to address homelessness as a regional issue. This landmark legislation carries risks and rewards, especially for Senator Ashby.

Something smells in the Sacramento suburb of Lincoln Grove.

And no, it’s not coming from somebody’s garbage can.

Well … not exactly.

A woman named Helga has been sniffing around town, and she’s picked up the unmistakable aroma of something rotten.

I was planning on writing a podcast on my vegetable garden today, and a very plentiful vegetable garden it is too, but STUFF just keeps happening. By STUFF I mean the unbelievable flow of nonsense spewing from the unhinged guy currently occupying OUR White House and pretending to be president.

 “What now?” you ask. 

If there is one thing every elected official wants, it is a favorable legacy. As we have often seen, however, that legacy is not what they hoped for.

Labor Day traditionally marks the end of summer—and the beginning of election season.

Midterm elections often cost the president’s party seats in Congress. But this election has an extraordinary dimension that will test American Democracy.

Years ago, an Elk Grove elected official threw shade at Elk Grove News and stated Elk Grove News has a whopping audience of one dozen readers. Ever since, we haveworn that as a badge of honor.

A media outlet being dissed by a politician is nothing unique after all. It was therefore with some amusement that an email for Representative Doris Matsui’s campaign landed in our email inbox.

This year, the most meaningful locally based elections in Elk Grove will be for the Elk Grove Unified School District Board of Trustees.

In two Elk Grove geographic districts, two conservative candidates will challenge liberal incumbents.

Regardless of your thoughts about the Iran War, Americans agree service members deserve the best our country can provide.

The USS Abraham Lincoln has been deployed for more than 260 days, and reportedly there are food shortages, plumbing problems, and poor sanitary conditions. The Pentagon disputes these reports.

The names Stasi and SAVAK may not be familiar to many Americans, but they were the feared secret police agencies used by the communist East German government and the Shah of Iran, respectively, to crush political dissent and punish those who opposed the regime.

As we enter August, even though kids are returning to school, at least in California, we are in the dog days of August. This month is remarkable in that it is the only month with no official or unofficial holiday in the United States.

We have a solution perfectly suited to resolve this matter.

Sweetheart land deals and crooked politicians match almost as perfectly as bacon and eggs.

Longtime political observers will note real estate dealings have frequently ensnared elected officials.

That brings us to one of Elk Grove's most controversial events in recent years, the Oak Rose supportive housing project.

Leading up to his Thursday night address, Donald Trump promised "bombshell revelations" about voting fraud.

Instead, we got what CNN’s David Axelrod called "a big nothing-burger on a brioche bun." 

Calling it a nothing-burger is insulting to even the worst of fast food.

It was more like a greasy Jack in the box taco wrapper found in a parking lot.

With so much attention focused on debates over free speech, guns, and other constitutional rights, there was a quieter victory this week for a different kind of freedom: the right to fix the things you already own.

How do Elk Grove's elected officials use social media?

Are they communicating with constituents...or promoting themselves?

In this satirical edition of the Elk Grove News Podcast, publisher Dan Gougherty ranks the social media habits of Congresswoman Doris Matsui, State Senator Angelique Ashby, Assemblymember Stephanie Nguyen, Mayor Bobbie Singh-Allen, Vice Mayor Darren Suen, and Elk Grove City Council members Rod Brewer, Sergio Robles and Kevin Spease.

Using the Elk Grove News "Vanity Scale," we examine which politicians use Facebook to serve constituents—and which appear more interested in selfies, staged photo opportunities, and po...

This week, Elk Grove Mayor Bobbie Singh-Allen and her city council committed hundreds of thousands of taxpayers’ dollars to two lobby firms to advocate in Sacramentoand Washington DC.

One of the lasting effects of COVID-19 was a surge of public attention on school boards after pandemic-era school closures thrust education policy into the political spotlight.

That attention has cut both ways—some of it constructive, some of it sharply divisive, depending on your perspective.

University officials said in 2025 that financing for the project was nearing completion. What is happening now?

Eligible Elk Grove homeowners have until June 30 to apply for an EGUSD Mello-Roos tax exemption. The savings can be especially valuable for seniors on fixed incomes.#ElkGrove #ElkGroveNews #EGUSD #MelloRoos #PropertyTaxes #CaliforniaTaxes #TaxSavings #SeniorCitizens #FixedIncome #ElkGroveCA #SacramentoCounty #Homeowners #CaliforniaHomeowners #TaxRelief #LocalNews

Well, we finally have a DEAL!

Our current president, Mr. Art of the Deal, is crowing loudly this morning because he has a “tentative” deal with Iran to stop the war HE STARTED back on February 28, 2026.

Here are just a few of the details of the soon-to-be agreement made by Mr. Art of the Deal.

Elk Grove News readers will note that we have had several reports on the Kalshi prediction markets as forecast tools for the primary elections in California's Congressional Districts 6, 7, and 22.

So what are the preliminary results?

California’s 6th Congressional District was drawn under Proposition 50 to create a district more favorable to Democrats. However, early results suggest a very differentoutcome.

President Trump wants taxpayers to give $1.6 billion for January 6 thugs, creating America's first federal reimbursement program for convicted criminals. Why stop there?

This weekend Americans will celebrate Memorial Day. Even though it has become an excuse for retailers to promote sales, we would offer this advice to politicians who view it as an opportunity for self-promotion.

One of the best things to come out of President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal was Social Security. The program, which is nearing its 100th birthday, had two primary purposes. These politicians need to honor one of Social Security's original purposes.

Sorry, Mom, no Mother’s Day champagne brunch this year. No roses. No fancy desserts. Sacrifices must be made for the greater good!

Elk Grove Mayor Bobbie Singh-Allen won't let the face-planting of her scheme stop her quest for glory!

This week, Donald Trump suffered a battle loss in ONE of his wars when Virginia voters approved a redistricting map favoring Democrats, and that's not all!

Acknowledged as one of cinema's greatest productions, Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now is filled with memorable dialogue, which helped the film earn its well-deserved reputation. 
This week's resignations of former congressmen Eric Swalwell and Tony Gonzalez remind us of a specific passage in the movie, in which General Corman speaks about Colonel Kurtz.