The Bee Says Sac County Failed At Covid Relief - oh, duh.
On September 1st, Marcos Breton of The Bee penned an editorial excoriating Sacramento County for how it botched up the distribution of federal Covid-19 relief funds (CARES Act). He minced no words about the Supervisors’ decision to let the County Executive control the money and about the County Executive’s tone-deaf use of the money. Worse, he pointed to the City of Sacramento’s use of CARES Act funds as a much better example of how to spend public money.
"This is more than a breakdown, this is a disservice to the people we all serve."Supervisor Don Nottoli, at the Supervisors' meeting of 8/19/2020
Our take? Well, first off, there is no question that the pandemic has required public agencies to spend money protecting public health - in minority communities particularly - and has seriously impacted the local economy - especially small businesses. By not so doing, the County messed up badly. Further, it is acutely embarrassing when the County’s big/bumbling bureaucracy and less-than-stellar governing body is shown to be performing below the level of the City of Sacramento, which is also known for a big/bumbling bureaucracy and a less-than-stellar governing body. We’re not surprised, though, are we? Perhaps Supervisor Patrick Kennedy said it best:
"We set up a system and it didn’t work. We haven’t had enough information. We are confused up here."Supervisor Patrick Kennedy, at the Supervisors' meeting of 8/19/2020
