Neighborhood Alerts-Theft

We are passing two incidents along today from the Perrin Way area and Barrett Road area, respectively. Both have been reported to the Sheriff's Dept.:

"Some time last Sunday Evening (June 30) the back of my tundra was broken into and a box of items removed.  They opened the shell and grabbed a box near the back.  It only had bungees and ratchet straps in it but there was a lot of them.  I did not notice that the back end was open until I got to work and did not think much of it, until I looked in the back of my truck today and finally realized something was missing.  It was backed up to the side of our house near the bedroom.  I have multiple outside lights that are on but seemed to have no affect.  

A street coordinator fr  Barrett Rd. received a call from a neighbor saying someone came in through her side gate and got into her garage last night (July 7) sometime between 11 pm and 4 am.  They took belongings (CD's, wallet, keys..) but did not take the vehicles.  The family was inside the home so things could have been worse.  She thinks they may have been disturbed by someone/something.  Please everyone be aware, especially if you hear dogs barking, etc.  Investigate abnormal noises.

Heat safety-Dehydration is a killer!

Greetings all,

I hope you are all staying safe and cool indoors during this incredible heat wave. Please consider checking in on your neighbors and make sure everyone is finding ways to stay out of the sun and avoiding the health risks associated with heat exhaustion and dehydration. With temperatures ranging well above one hundred for the rest of the week, it's important that we all drink plenty of water, and protect ourselves from the heat. Please look over this symptom list from the Mayo Clinic to help fight accidental dehydration, and know what to do in case of an emergency.

Remember, if you are thirsty, you are already mildly dehydrated!

Dehydration

Symptoms

By Mayo Clinic staff

Mild to moderate dehydration is likely to cause:

• Dry, sticky mouth
• Sleepiness or tiredness — children are likely to be less active than usual
• Thirst
• Decreased urine output — no wet diapers for three hours for infants and eight hours or more without urination for older children and teens
• Few or no tears when crying
• Dry skin
• Headache
• Constipation
• Dizziness or lightheadedness

Severe dehydration, a medical emergency, can cause:

• Extreme thirst
• Extreme fussiness or sleepiness in infants and children; irritability and confusion in adults
• Very dry mouth, skin and mucous membranes
• Lack of sweating
• Little or no urination — any urine that is produced will be dark yellow or amber
• Sunken eyes
• Shriveled and dry skin that lacks elasticity and doesn't "bounce back" when pinched into a fold
• In infants, sunken fontanels — the soft spots on the top of a baby's head
• Low blood pressure
• Rapid heartbeat
• Rapid breathing
• No tears when crying
• Fever
• In the most serious cases, delirium or unconsciousness

Unfortunately, thirst isn't always a reliable gauge of the body's need for water, especially in children and older adults. A better indicator is the color of your urine: Clear or light-colored urine means you're well hydrated, whereas a dark yellow or amber color usually signals dehydration.

When to see a doctor
If you're a healthy adult, you can usually treat mild to moderate dehydration by drinking more fluids, such as water or a sports drink (Gatorade, Powerade, others).

Get immediate medical care if you develop severe signs and symptoms such as extreme thirst, a lack of urination, shriveled skin, dizziness and confusion.

Treat children and older adults with greater caution. Call your family doctor right away if your loved one:

• Develops severe diarrhea, with or without vomiting or fever
• Has bloody stool
• Has had moderate diarrhea for three days or more
• Can't keep down fluids
• Is irritable or disoriented and much sleepier or less active than usual
• Has any of the signs or symptoms of mild or moderate dehydration

Go to the nearest hospital emergency room or call 911 or your emergency medical number if you think a child or older adult is severely dehydrated. You can help prevent dehydration from becoming severe by carefully monitoring someone who is sick and giving fluids, such as an oral rehydration solution (Pedialyte, others) at the first sign of diarrhea, vomiting or fever and by encouraging children to drink plenty of water before, during and after exercise.

Heat Exhaustion

Symptoms

By Mayo Clinic staff

Signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion may develop suddenly, or over time, especially with prolonged periods of exercise. Possible heat exhaustion symptoms include:

• Cool, moist skin with goose bumps when in the heat
• Heavy sweating
• Faintness
• Dizziness
• Fatigue
• Weak, rapid pulse
• Low blood pressure upon standing
• Muscle cramps
• Nausea
• Headache

When to see a doctor
If you think you're experiencing heat exhaustion:

• Stop all activity and rest
• Move to a cooler place
• Drink cool water or sports drinks

Contact your doctor if your signs or symptoms worsen or if they don't improve within one hour. Seek immediate medical attention if your body temperature reaches 104 F (40 C) or higher.

Gleaned Safety Info from Susan Peters News Bulletin

Just a few reminders from Susan Peters News Bulletin about safety on the water, the Sheriff's Vaction Watch program, alcohol bans on the American River, and keeping your animals safe for the 4th. Stay safe and stay cool!

PROTECT YOUR PETS

Remember fireworks can be very stressful for your pet possibly causing fear and anxiety.  The volume of missing pets significantly increases during the Fourth of July holiday.

Leaving a pet outside unattended even in a fenced yard or on a chain can lead to disastrous consequences. With fireworks occurring, in their fear, pets who normally would not leave the yard may escape and become lost, or become entangled in their chain, risking injury or death.  Also please make sure your pets are wearing identification tags so if they become lost, they can be returned home promptly. 

And to help reunite lost pets and their owners, the Department of Animal Care and Regulation is posting every 30 minutes on its twitter feed, SacLostPet, a link to a photo of all stray animals that come into the shelter.   Additionally, the department now updates its websiteevery 30 minutes where you can see all of the stray and available pets for adoption. 

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SHERIFF’S VACATION WATCH PROGRAM

Summer is a time when many of us leave town and travel on vacation which means our homes are unoccupied and vulnerable.  For residents of the unincorporated area, you can arrange to have your home be subject to regular security checks while you are gone through a special program operated by the Sheriff’s Department. 

Volunteers In Partnership with the Sheriff – VIPS -- are trained, dedicated and trusted volunteers who perform vacation watch assignments for the Sheriff’s Department.  In addition to having completed the required orientation and training, each VIP possess a clear criminal history and has passed a required background investigation as well as demonstrated good moral character and reputation.

Since 1993, the Sheriff’s Department has relied on these volunteers to assist with many various needs.  The Vacation Watch Program is just one and you can utilize that service by letting VIPS perform regular security checks on your home while you are away.

To participate, please contact Neighborhood Community Service Center, at 2500 Marconi Ave Suite 100, which is open Monday through Friday 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. or call 876-5700.

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KIDS DON’T FLOAT

Please practice water safety when around our area’s rivers this summer.  Local ordinances require all children under the age of 13 to wear a life jacket. 

Through a donation by The American River Parkway Foundation, the free life jacket loaner program will continue this summer. If you need a life jacket for a child during a visit to the river, there are several stations along the Parkway where you can borrow one and return it afterwards: Howe Avenue, Watt Avenue, Ancil Hoffman Park, River Bend Park, two sites within Discovery Park, Negro Bar, Folsom Point, Nimbus and Sunrise.

PARKWAY ALCOHOL BAN

This Fourth of July through July 7 there will be a complete ban on alcohol consumption and possession both on land and in the water within the American River Parkway between Hazel and Watt avenues.  An exception exists for Ancil Hoffman Golf Course. 

In past years summer holiday weekends had become major problems along the American River making the parkway less of a family friendly outing because of fights, public nudity, profanity and littering.  The problem was very apparent Fourth of July in 2006 when hundreds of rafters and partygoers consuming excessive amounts of alcohol created what one observer called a “chaotic scene” along a portion of the parkway -- one person filmed the goings-on and posted a video on myspace.com depicting half naked women and men wrestling in the mud.

The Board of Supervisors restored decorum beginning with the 2006 Labor Day weekend and the ban is also applicable for Independence Day as well as Memorial Day.  In addition, the Board last year delegated authority to the Director of Regional Parks in consultation with the County Executive the ability to prohibit alcohol in the Parkway on any additional days between Memorial Day and Labor Day when such a ban is needed to maintain order to address excessive alcohol consumption encouraged by social media.

Since the restriction has taken effect, families I have talked to have expressed appreciation for making these holiday weekends once again a time for everyone to enjoy the American River Parkway.

Followup on Homeless Bill of Rights: on hold till Jan 2014

The Homeless Bill of Rights we spoke about in a Lincoln-Barrett Neighborhood and Park Watch recent blog post has passed the Assembly's Judiciary Committee, but has been put on hold till next year by the Appropriations Committee.

 This bill would allow for:

"The bill would bar discriminating against homeless people while they seek or maintain tax-funded benefits. It would also assert a right to be in public places, safeguard personal property, guarantee use of public facilities, protect confidentiality of medical records and provide legal representation in low-level criminal proceedings, not just those that rise to the level of misdemeanors."

For more information  See : http://sfpublicpress.org/news/2013-05/state-homeless-bill-of-rights-put-on-hold-until-next-year#sthash.8zIXcMnQ.dpuf

There was also a recent article in the Sac Bee blog: http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2013/05/ammianos-homeless-rights-bill-fails-in-assembly-committee.html

If you have opinions about this bill coming back up next year, please consider contacting our local state representatives, Ken Cooley in the Assembly and Jim Nielsen in the Senate.

Keeping Up Appearances

This is part of our reports to Carmichael Recreation and Park, as well as other enforcement entities that help us enjoy our neighborhood and park. Keep calling in suspicious behavior and reporting vandalism to the Sheriff's Dept. Keep being involved and taking an active approach to safety, and we'll keep doing our best to share everything we can with our local helpful agencies. Thanks so much to all our neighbors!

Item	Description	Action Taken	Status
1	Graffiti (photos attached)	We’ve cleared most of the graffiti last week and again this weekend.	Done – No Action Needed
2	Jan Drive dry vegetation cleared	BHNA went out this Saturday to clean out the vegetation along Jan Drive—looks good	Need Help  – Piles on Jan Drive
3	Picnic Tables under shade – someone used some type of salts and spread the salts on tables.	I called the maintenance shop to report several items last Monday, this being one of them. I called to see if there was a way to connect a water hose to clean the salts off. I checked the tables this weekend, the salts are still there and there is now rust on the tables.	Need Help – Need to clean tables and paint over rust (I already purchased the paint for the tables). Do we need to sand tables first?
4	Drinking fountain clogged (medium)	I called last Monday to report. One of the neighbors tried to unclog drain but the medium drain is still clogged. There is standing water in the medium fountain.	Need Help -  Need to unclog fountain.

People in park at night every night this week

We are seeing a rise again of people coming to our neighborhood park at night, tagging the playground equipment, moving benches, drinking alcohol, and possibly involving narcotics. Sac Sheriff Dept has been very slow to respond, if at all, and I do end up making personal contact with people occasionally (which is a no no!) in an effort to move them out of the park.

It's important that we keep this lovely neighborhood gem as just that, our neighborhood park. Please call law enforcement on any suspicious behavior you see or hear, and thank you to the vigilant Park Watch neighbors across from the park who make the calls and keep our park safe.

4th of July Fun in Carmichael-Note from Susan Peters

Dear Friends,

This year there will be two local parades held on Independence Day, the Fourth of July.  Enjoy the celebration by either viewing the fun as a spectator or joining in as a parade participant. 

Arden Arcade’s 12th annual parade will start at 10:30 a.m. beginning at the Sacramento County Building, 2700 Fulton Avenue.  The route goes south past El Camino Avenue and turns on Cottage Way continuing west to Bell Street where it will turn north and finish at Howe Park.   Afterwards there will be food, fun and family activities at the park.  The Fulton-El Camino Recreation and Park District is coordinating the event.  For more information and an entry form, please visit the Fulton-El Camino Recreation and Park District’s website. 

Carmichael’s celebration kick-offs with a pancake breakfast sponsored by the Kiwanis Club from 7 to 11 a.m. at Carmichael Park followed by the 55th Annual Elks Club Parade on Fair Oaks Boulevard starting at 10:30 a.m. at Marconi Avenue and continuing to Manzanita and Cypress Avenues. The parade features floats, antique automobiles, marching bands, equestrian entries, and much more.   And fireworks will later light up the evening sky over Carmichael at the La Sierra Community Center,5325 Engle Road.  The first sky rocket is expected to go off at approximately 9:30 p.m. but before the big show you can enjoy plenty of free activities starting at 7 p.m.  To learn more about all the Carmichael fun, including parade entry information, please visit the Carmichael Recreation and Park District’s website. 

Happy Fourth of July! 

SUSAN PETERS
Supervisor, Third District