The Sacramento Bee
How the Sacramento Railyards continues to help fix trains
Sacramento’s most wellknown holiday train wasn’t due to run for three months, but Robert Smith was busy doing an electrical upgrade for it. Smith, a California State Railroad Museum Foundation employee, was inside the Southern Pacific Railway...
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Dominguez sent to state hospital as victims’ families confront loss
A Yolo Superior Court judge Wednesday assigned Carlos Reales Dominguez to a state hospital after declaring the former UC Davis student legally insane when he stabbed two Davis men to death during a 2023 knife rampage. Dominguez will be committed to...
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California nonprofits warn of federal funding uncertainty
U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla, DCalif., joined leaders from California nonprofits, universities and community organizations in Sacramento Tuesday to hear how federal funding cuts and policy changes are playing out on the ground. Across sectors, they...
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Sacramento fines homeowner for city-approved native garden
You could say this whole dustup was a case of mistaken identity: The “weeds” that Code Compliance objected to were pulchra, the official state grass since 2005 and a California native bunchgrass since long before any human involved in the kerfuffle was...
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Friends recall Xavier Becerra’s Sacramento high school years
It was not hard to find Xavier Becerra at Sacramento’s C.K. McClatchy High School in the mid-1970s. Every lunch, Becerra and half a dozen friends would gather around a picnic table, huddled over a deck of cards. Becerra was the one with long, wavy...
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Waymo clears hurdle for robotaxi service in Sacramento
Waymo’s robotaxi service is one step closer to offering Sacramento residents autonomous rides, which a city counciland member said could happen as early as this month. The California Public Utilities Commission approved Waymo’s application to operate...
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USDA denies $32M for glassy-winged sharpshooter control in California
U.S. Sens. Alex Padilla’s and Adam Schiff’s request for $32 million in emergency funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to combat California’s growing glassy-winged sharpshooter problem has been rejected. Glassy-winged sharpshooters were...
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New attacks on shipping as Iran war talks hit fresh impasse
The U.S. and Yemen’s Iranaligned Houthis reported separate attacks on shipping on Tuesday as prospects for ending the Iran war appeared to dim, with Tehran saying the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed unless Washington accepts its conditions. The...
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Dolores Huerta, other activists urge lawmakers to avert CalFresh ‘hunger crisis’
Civil rights icon Dolores Huerta joined a coalition of activists on Monday at the state Capitol to call on legislators and Gov. Gavin Newsom to take immediate action to prevent a “hunger crisis” for tens of thousands of Californians. HR 1 — also known...
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How Steve Hilton’s Crowdpac unraveled after backing Trump
2014, Steve Hilton — the Republican now running for California governor — was a barefoot tech executive with plans to change the world. Hilton’s company, Crowdpac, was a kind of Kickstarter for politics. The nonpartisan platIn form aimed to help...
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Canning peach yield down estimated 29% after Del Monte cannery closure
With the fall of Del Monte Foods’ Modesto cannery earlier this year, also comes the fall of the clingstone peach crop tonnage this harvest. The amount of canning peaches processed this year is expected to drop 29%, or roughly 61,000 tons, compared to...
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Winding Creek Elementary opens as Roseville schools expand
The Roseville City School District welcomed almost 500 students to campus Thursday morning as it celebrated the opening of its newest campus, Winding Creek Elementary. “To our students, we have worked tirelessly for the last five years to ensure that...
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Arrest made as Gann Fire spreads to 9,300+ acres in Calaveras
Cal Fire has arrested a Valley Springs man on suspicion of starting the Gann Fire, the fast-moving wildfire that has burned more than 9,300 acres in Calaveras County, forced hundreds of evacuations and was 10% contained Wednesday morning. Herbert...
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Waymo could begin driverless rides in Sacramento in August
Waymo autonomous robotaxis could pick up Sacramento riders as early as August, a city council member said, about six months after the company and the city’s mayor first announced a partnership. Waymo, a subsidiary of Google’s parent company Alphabet...
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Renowned vineyard halves acreage, lays off most of staff
The renowned Beckstoffer Vineyards is dramatically scaling back its wine grape operations in Lake and Mendocino counties, with plans to pull out more than half of its vines. At its peak, Beckstoffer was farming around 4,000 acres of wine grapes in the...
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Millions in state are one setback away from crisis
This story is part of “The Poverty Line,” a new series examining poverty in California and profiling everyday people working to pay rent, buy food or get healthcare amid rising concerns about affordability. One number should stop Californians in their...
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Yes on Measure W launches Willowgrove campaign in Davis
The team behind the 1,250unit Willowgrove development proposal appearing on the November ballot as Measure W launched its campaign Wednesday at the Davis Farmers Market. The development requires voter approval under Davis’ Measure J-R-D, which...
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Abuse and intimidation have taken over city hall meetings
Sacramento Mayor Kevin McCarty lost control of Tuesday’s City Council meeting at 7:17 p.m. Public comment on a proposed Natomas infrastructure financing plan was interrupted by a man who accused the city of Sacramento of colluding with President Donald...
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Sacramento Railyards district financing agreement delayed
officials faced another delay Tuesday to a financing deal intended to spur development in the Railyards district, an effort that faltered last summer amid a protest by a union and residents of two apartment complexes in the district. The deal would...
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City’s street safety tax measure misses ballot
A proposed ballot measure that would have generated $75 million annually for safer streets in Sacramento failed to make the November ballot despite gathering 10% more signatures than required, organizers announced Friday. The ballot measure would have...
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Wine grape growers consider agave as industry changes
It was a Tuesday morning on Clear Lake. People congregated outside as the temperature remained mild. There were muffins and danishes, coffee and water. There were also alcoholic spirits for anyone who wanted an alternative morning boost featuring...
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Carlos Dominguez declared insane in deadly Davis stabbings
A judge has declared Carlos Reales Dominguez legally insane, and he will be committed to a state hospital following his conviction in the stabbing deaths of two men during a 2023 Davis knife rampage. Yolo Superior Court Judge Samuel T. McAdam ordered...
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Deadlocked jury leads to mistrial in Sacramento downtown shooting
In a stunning turn, a Sacramento Superior Court judge declared a mistrial Tuesday in the K Street mass shooting murder trial of surviving suspects Dandrae Martin and Mtula Payton after jurors failed to reach verdicts on the remaining charges. The...
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Facebook Marketplace helps area buyers find farmland
“This would have a significant impact on our students,” said Sonia Ortiz-Mercado, associate vice chancellor of the Los Rios Community College District, which serves the Sacramento area. “They could end up not pursuing their education.” A federal judge...
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Local woman clawed out of homelessness, faces eviction
Jocelyn Wright knew the numbers barely penciled out. Each month, the rent was $1,450, the car payment was $372.72, the insurance was $130, and her take-home pay from working full-time as a medical transporter was around $3,000 if she didn’t miss a...
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What Super El Niño charging ‘full steam ahead’ means for CA
El Niño is back, and it might be bigger than ever. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration declared in June that the threshold for an El Niño had been met in the eastern Pacific Ocean, and that it was likely to strengthen significantly...
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CA State Fair ultimate guide to food, rides, events and exhibits
Starting Friday, the 173rd California State Fair returns to Cal Expo for 17 summer days of corn dogs, coasters and rock concerts. This year’s theme is “Wish You Were Here,” inspired by the stories people tell about fairs past. “People fall in love...
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Trump says ICE won’t halt traffic stops after shootings
President Donald Trump on Wednesday said federal immigration agents won’t end vehicle stops, one day after officials announced a temporary pause in such stops after agents fatally shot two men in Texas and Maine. “We must be strong, tough, and smart,...
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Iran, US launch new attacks, battle over Strait of Hormuz
Iran fired ballistic missiles at a U.S. air base in Jordan on Tuesday and the United States attacked Iranian targets for five hours in a battle for control of the Strait of Hormuz that has pushed up oil prices to fourweek highs. U.S. forces launched...
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GreenFire’s system boosts geothermal power potential
A new generation of geothermal technology proved itself in a Northern California field test, suggesting old and underperforming wells could provide a faster, lower-impact path to more clean electricity. A California Energy Commission report published...
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GOP senator was defense hawk, staunch Trump ally
Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican who went from a vocal critic of Donald Trump to one of his most loyal allies after Trump became president, has died, his office announced on Sunday. He was 71. The South Carolina lawmaker died after a “brief and...
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Newsom signs bill to boost special ed spending
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation Thursday that includes a $2.4 billion increase for special education programs in California schools, calling the budget a step toward improving services for students across the state. The event took place at...
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She sued after Sacramento trashed her homeless encampment
A homeless woman lost her $12,000 small claims lawsuit after a judge ruled that six or seven days’ notice for the sweep gave Sacramento officials license to destroy personal property left in and around her encampment. The lawsuit was unusual in the...
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Prosecutors present case against man accused in Kirk killing
A police officer at the university where prominent conservative U.S. activist Charlie Kirk was killed last year testified on Monday he observed what looked like a “sniper pad” atop the building from which the fatal shot was fired, as prosecutors began...
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America marks its 250th birthday with storms, sweat and fire
America’s 250th birthday party on the Fourth of July extended into the early hours of the Fifth, with an enormous fireworks display that began seconds before midnight in its capital. That capped a coast-tocoast celebration that featured fighter jets,...
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One year later, Esparto vigil honors men killed in blast
For Tiffany Nolan-Rodriguez, the past year has felt painfully quiet. On July 1, 2025, she lost her husband, Carlos RodriguezMora, in a fireworks warehouse explosion south of Esparto that also killed six others. Nolan-Rodriguez described her husband as...
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Workers: Long commutes, poor facilities mark 1st day of RTO
Wednesday morning marked the first day of the governor’s return-to-office order. State workers have been able to work primarily from home since the COVID-19 pandemic, but over the past two years Gov. Gavin Newsom has worked to incrementally increase...
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Court rejects Trump bid to restrict birthright citizenship
Handing President Donald Trump a stinging defeat, the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected his audacious attempt to restrict birthright citizenship in the United States – a right long woven into the fabric of American society – scuttling one of his...
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Robot dog Buster helps deputies respond to dangerous calls
Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office has a new member: a robot dog nicknamed “Buster” by deputies. Designed by Boston Dynamics and outfitted for public safety by FlyMotion, Buster recently completed its first deployment during a standoff in which...
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California Forever pushes lawmakers to fast-track megacity
Supporters of an initial plan to create a megacity in Solano County are pressuring Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Legislature to fast-track development via legislation, claiming failure to move quickly would cause California to lose a major shipyard...
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Thousands feared dead in Venezuela after 2 major earthquakes
Thousands of Venezuelans were feared dead on Thursday after two powerful earthquakes wreaked havoc in and around the capital Caracas, trapping people beneath the rubble of collapsed buildings and setting off powerful aftershocks. A magnitude 7.2...
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FANS CHEER KINGS DRAFT PICK
Thousands of fans at a NBA Draft watch party at Golden 1 Center react after the Sacramento Kings selected point guard Darius Acuff Jr. as the No. 7 pick on Tuesday, June 23, 2026.
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Sacramento opens 96-tent site to shelter homeless people
Nearly two years after closing a high-profile sanctioned homeless encampment, the city of Sacramento is now opening its own version. The new “safe camping” site, located in the River District just north of downtown, has space for 96 tents on raised...
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Vance: US-Iran talks lay ‘good foundation’ for peace deal
Vice President JD Vance said on Monday talks with Iranian officials in Switzerland had laid a “good foundation” for a final peace deal, despite tensions over the Strait of Hormuz and Lebanon. The two sides, trying to build on an interim deal signed...
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Strains quickly emerge on first day of US-Iran talks
Negotiators for Iran and the United States met in Switzerland for a little over an hour Sunday as they seek to turn a 60-day ceasefire into a lasting peace, but it was quickly apparent how far apart the two sides are. Iranian negotiators insisted on...
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Obama Presidential Center celebrated as civic hub in Chicago
Thousands of invited guests, led by former presidents and heads of state, converged on a lakefront Chicago park on Thursday to dedicate the Obama Presidential Center, a sprawling campus of granite, nature and art designed as a hub of civic life and...
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Sac supervisors approve controversial Upper Westside Project
Lugo announced to the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday that she knew they’d already made their mind up about the Upper Westside Project. So Lugo made a symbolic gesture, displaying a $75 check that she gave to former Sacramento Mayor...
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Inside partisan battle over America’s 250th celebrations
A decade before America’s 250th anniversary, Congress created a bipartisan commission to coordinate the festivities. The commission, named America 250, was supposed to build infrastructure projects, produce educational materials and facilitate “all...
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US, Iran reach agreement to end war, signing set for Friday
U.S. and Iranian officials said they had agreed on a framework to end their war, halt the U.S. blockade of Iran and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a preliminary pact that sent oil prices falling but leaves the fate of Iran’s nuclear program to further...
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Sacramento Pride 2026: Parade honors unity, community, love
Sacramento came out Sunday — to the pride parade, that is — and it wanted the world to know. This weekend was the 2026 Sacramento Pride festival and parade celebration, and pridefilled attendees of all ages lined the streets of downtown Sacramento...
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SACRAMENTO FANS CHEER ON THE WORLD CUP
Jorge Jimenez, center, cheers with other fans as Mexico scores the first goal of the World Cup during a watch party at Garden at the Line in Sacramento on Thursday.
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CK McClatchy held its first graduation at Golden 1 Center
For the first time, Sacramento City Unified School District high school graduates crossed the stage at Golden 1 Center on Monday as the district moved all commencement ceremonies to the downtown arena. C.K. McClatchy High School became the first SCUSD...
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Sacramento LGBTQ+ runners find community for over 30 years
An ever-growing group of activewear-clad gay runners has met up beside Sacramento’s “mini Golden Gate Bridge” every Saturday for years, and it is getting stronger than ever before. The Sacramento FrontRunners and FrontWalkers, the California capital...
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Four moms fear families will live outside after program change
Four mothers with young children were afraid they would be sleeping outdoors starting Wednesday, due to an issue that occurred when the city of Sacramento made a change to its longstanding homeless motel shelter program. The City Motel Program, which...
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Hilton, Becerra hold leads in gubernatorial primary
Republican Steve Hilton has 27.3% of the vote, compared to 25.6% for Democrat Xavier Becerra and 19.7% for Democrat Tom Steyer, in the California gubernatorial primary, according to initial results from the Secretary of State’s office as of 11:24...
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California governor race remains too close to call
After months of twists and turns, hundreds of millions of dollars worth of ads and a bombshell scandal that rocked the race, California voters cast their ballots Tuesday in the state’s closely watched gubernatorial primary. Democrats Xavier Becerra...
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Pioneer congregation holds grief, hope as it sells 177-year-old church
Beneath stained-glass windows glowing with biblical icons from 1926, the pastor of Pioneer Congregational Church United Church of Christ reminded the congregation of God’s presence as more than 50 mourners filled the pews. Tears welled in the eyes of...
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New city historian thrived at railroad museum — how it could help Sacramento
Ty Smith’s ability to make the improbable happen goes back to his days as a community college student. Smith, 49, starts Monday as Sacramento’s new city historian following a nine-year run as director of the California State Railroad Museum in Old...
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West Sacramento gears up for MLB expansion pitch
Regional officials thrust West Sacramento into the national competition for a Major League Baseball expansion team Thursday, making a case that, armed with public funding, $800 million in land and private investment and an unconventional audition of...
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Steyer’s real estate holdings complicate his populist pitch
an avowed progressive candidate running for California governor, Tom Steyer has pledged to build 1 million new homes to address a dire housing shortage. At times, he’s directed some blame at “corporate landlords” who he says profit as Californians...
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US launches fresh strikes on Iran as talks to end war proceed
U.S. forces on Monday conducted strikes in southern Iran against targets, including boats attempting to lay mines and missile launch sites, in what it described as defensive actions. The strikes came as Iran’s top negotiator and its foreign minister...
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UFW’s legislative clout in CA is tested by Chavez revelations
Long before findings that Cesar Chavez sexually abused women and minors for years, the California-based labor union he co-founded had already endured a long and painful decline in its organizing power. At its peak in the early 1970s, United Farm...
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Not all war deaths are heroic. All are remembered
Jim Gines wasn’t sure what led his brother to a second voluntary stint in the Vietnam War or, nearly 60 years after it happened, the exact circumstances of his death. Gines’ brother Manuel Gines, a United States Army Specialist Fourth Class from...
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Sacramento considers pop-up strategy for vacant stores
Sacramento City Council, looking to fill vacant storefronts and energize struggling commercial corridors, may borrow a page from San Francisco’s downtown playbook. Civic leaders across the country have struggled for years to revitalize office-heavy,...
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Family, friends identify 2 teen girls killed in fiery crash
The two high school students killed in a fiery crash Sunday near Rancho Murieta in southeastern Sacramento County were identified by family and friends on social media ahead of a planned community vigil. Social media posts identified the victims as...
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Camron Lee arrested in Angelica Bravo killing case
Lee is in custody in a San Diego jail and will face murder and weapons charges in Sacramento as early as Thursday in the killing of Sacramento mother Angelica Bravo. The two children the fugitive father spirited away to Mexico after Bravo’s slaying...
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5 dead, including shooters, in attack on SD’s Islamic center
Three people were fatally shot at an Islamic center in a San Diego neighborhood on Monday morning, including an armed security guard who confronted two gunmen, authorities said. The two suspected shooters were later found dead from self-inflicted...
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Tax auction bargains can come with boarded doors and secrets
Diane Hill was deciding if it was worth it to her to clean the mess at 8932 Florin Road. The south Sacramento property, which sold at tax auction in May 2025, was in a foul state as of March. Trash was strewn about the nearly 1-acre property. Inside a...
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Ex-Newsom aide admits to bank fraud, false tax return
former top aide to Gov. Gavin Newsom pleaded guilty in Sacramento federal court Thursday to bank fraud, filing a false tax return and lying to the FBI in a corruption scandal that rattled California politics last fall and still threatens to upend the...
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Homeless count increases 13% from 2024, report shows
There were more people experiencing homelessness in Sacramento County than in 2024, but fewer than in 2022, according to a new survey released Wednesday. The federally-mandated Point-in-Time count, which officials released Wednesday, found there are...
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Becerra surges in polls, draws cheers at hometown event
Six weeks ago, Democrat Xavier Becerra’s campaign for governor was running on fumes, struggling to raise money or stand out in a crowded field. All of that felt like a distant memory on Monday night, when Becerra, now the leading Democrat ahead of the...
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Matsui says she opposes any funding for ICE. What does her record say?
Over the last several months, as immigration debates have intensified across the country, Rep. Doris Matsui has repeatedly told Sacramento-area voters that she opposes giving any money to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Take Matsui’s post on...
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Passengers begin evacuating cruise ship hit by hantavirus
Groups of passengers and crew disembarked Sunday from a cruise ship hit by a hantavirus outbreak to be evacuated to their respective countries in a process overseen by global health officials and expected to last until Monday. The passengers, none of...
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Sacramento nonprofits raise millions on Big Day of Giving
region nonprofits had raised more than $9.5 million on the Big Day of Giving by Thursday afternoon. The annual event, a Sacramento region tradition launched by the Sacramento Region Community Foundation in 2013, has raised more than $117 million since...
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Rivals target Becerra in combative CNN debate for governor
The debate knives were out for Democrat Xavier Becerra Tuesday night as four Democrats and two Republicans attempted to chip away at the former state attorney general’s momentum in the race to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom. Moderated by CNN...
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