Crime · Elk Grove, CA
On October 16, 2026, a jury convicted Mark Andre Tomas Navarrete of two counts of first-degree murder in the June 28, 2024 killings of his parents at their Elk Grove home. Prosecutors established that Navarrete murdered his parents for financial gain after they paid debts he owed from a fake-investment scheme, and that he stood to inherit half their estate. The Elk Grove Police Department solved the case using Flock traffic cameras and DNA evidence found under his mother's fingernails. Sentencing is set for November 13, 2026, at 9:00 AM before Judge Michael Bowman; Navarrete faces a maximum of life in prison without parole.
Local Politics · Sacramento County
The Sacramento County Office of Education appointed B.J. Snowden as the Area 6 trustee on Oct. 14, filling a vacancy previously held by Heather Davis. The appointment avoids a special election estimated to cost $1.3 million and allows Snowden to serve until the next scheduled election in 2028. Area 6 represents neighborhoods including most of Elk Grove, Clarksburg, Clay, and Courtland.
Local Politics · Sacramento, CA
Sacramento City Council members held a meeting focused on the county's estimated 4,000 unsheltered homeless residents and failures in mental health treatment systems. Since CARE Court launched in Sacramento County in 2024, 50 petitions have been filed but none accepted, while law enforcement brought over 10,000 individuals to hospitals yet courts mandated treatment only 55 times. The county's Public Guardian rejected two conservatorship cases for every one granted in 2025. Council members voted to pursue state legislation to restore enforcement powers to CARE Court, and Gov. Newsom signed legislation in September directing the county to work toward a joint powers authority with Sacramento and other cities.
Local Business · Elk Grove, CA
Velly Pizza, a Sacramento-founded Indian-fusion pizzeria, opened a new location on Aug. 28 at 4720 Laguna Blvd. in Elk Grove's Laguna Creek Town Center. The restaurant serves Indian-flavored pizzas alongside American-style pies, pasta, salads, and chicken wings, operating daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Velly Pizza first opened in South Natomas in 2024 and has since expanded to seven additional U.S. storefronts, including six in California. The chain plans further expansion into south Sacramento, Woodland, and a second Natomas-area location.
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Community News · Sacramento County
California AB 1682 will require insurance coverage for machine-based scalp-cooling treatments, including DigniCap and Paxman systems, beginning in January 2027. Dr. Shahzad Siddique of Dignity Health Mercy Medical Group said cooling caps can reduce chemotherapy hair loss from approximately 90% to less than 50% for two-thirds of breast cancer patients. Elk Grove resident Rebecca Dierssen used a cooling cap during treatment at Dignity Health Mercy Cancer Center in Sacramento and said it helped her maintain a sense of normalcy. The law aims to save patients thousands of dollars in out-of-pocket costs, though Medicare already covers some scalp-cooling treatments.
Nearby · Local Politics · Sacramento, CA
SEIU Local 1000, representing about 100,000 California state workers, failed to reach a last-minute deal with the California Department of Human Resources before its planned one-day strike on Wednesday, Oct. 21. The union initially sought a 20% wage increase over three years and more flexible telework options amid stalled negotiations that began in late April after the contract expired at the end of June. Strike lines will be held at locations across California, including five in Sacramento and one in Fresno starting at 7 a.m. Workers will gather at CalHR headquarters, 1810 16th Street in Sacramento, for a strike line, guest speakers, and a march to the Capitol Annex Swing Space, with events running from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. and sign-in beginning at 6:30 a.m.
Nearby · Crime · Sacramento, CA
On Oct. 19, 2026, federal officials announced criminal charges against 28 California residents for allegedly voting illegally in U.S. elections, with 11 arrested that morning. Among those charged is Kamlesh Shah, a 68-year-old Sacramento resident who voted at a Sacramento County polling place in November 2024 while his citizenship application was pending; he faces a misdemeanor charge carrying up to one year in prison or a $100,000 fine and is due in U.S. District Court in Sacramento on Nov. 6. Giezell Viduya Adawag of Vacaville (Solano County) and Juan Antonio Rivas García, who oversees an asphalt business in Sacramento, were also among those charged. Six cases were filed in the U.S. Eastern District of California federal courthouse in Sacramento; at least 13 of the 28 defendants face felony charges.
