Public Safety · Live Oak, CA
The Live Oak City Council voted unanimously Wednesday night to reduce law enforcement coverage by half effective December 1, citing a $1.9 million general fund deficit. The new agreement with the Sutter County Sheriff's Office cuts patrol staffing from two deputies on duty at all times to one, saving approximately $1 million annually. Under the reduced contract, non-emergency calls including hit-and-runs without injuries, traffic violations, theft reports, and welfare checks will not receive responses unless deemed warranted by the sheriff. City Manager Ben Moody said fire service contracts also need renegotiation, likely resulting in further reductions. Council members discussed Measure G, a 1% county sales tax on the November 4 ballot expected to generate $750,000 to $800,000 for Live Oak.
Public Safety
A California State Auditor report warns that nearly one-third of local agencies responsible for flood control levees in the Central Valley have been performing "unacceptable routine maintenance," some for years. The audit found the Department of Water Resources has not followed state law requiring it to take over maintenance when local agencies fail, putting more than a quarter-million people, 133,000 buildings worth nearly $40 billion, and hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland at increased flood risk. DWR disputes the audit's methodology, arguing that routine maintenance is not the sole or always most effective factor in reducing flood risk. The report also notes that since 2012, state water managers have been unable to complete repair projects for 14 of 48 critical sites as of August 2026, and Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill earlier this fall that would have created an annual repair fund for 1,100 miles of aging Delta levees.
Community brief · Yuba City, CA
Yuba Sutter Arts & Culture and the Yuba Sutter Rotary Night Club are hosting an Art & Oysters fundraiser on Saturday, Nov. 14 at 6 p.m. at Yuba City's historic Sutter Theater to raise proceeds for a new 299-seat Main Stage. The evening features all-you-can-eat oysters in multiple preparations, chicken, side dishes, and a no-host bar, along with live music by cover band THORKAT and an artists' showcase with a live auction including oyster-…
