What is going on in North Natomas and where are the police???

Joe Sacramento has posted it best so I will not try to outdo his writing. North Natomas is currently plagued by a rash of home invasion and armed robberies. Please be careful, look out for your neighbors and be suspicious of anyone who looks out of place. I have personally seen two suspicious older teens behaving oddly this week (I know odd, I taught high school) and I did nothing because I didn't want to appear intolerant or perhaps racist. I'm kicking myself now for not making a simple phone call.

If you're in Natomas Park, call Paladin Security immediately if you see anything out of the ordinary. Do not hesitate, do not wait and do not intervene yourself. They have a much, much faster response time than the police in Natomas. Pathetic, disgusting and yet totally true.

Email Heather Fargo, anyone and everyone at the city and try the Sac Bee while you're at it. Then go outside and sit on your porch tonight. Knock on your neighbors' doors and get to know them. Share a cup of iced tea and chat about how smoky the air is. You need to know who stays home during the day, who is available in an emergency and who is watching your stuff when you're gone!

When you're done freaking out that your own garage is not safe and would like to stick your head back in the clouds, check out Rick Kushman's new column "The Good Life" all about life in Sacramento. While I appreciate his bubbly enthusiasm, I'm busy checking my backyard for armed robbers.

Join PunditMom and the $27 election revolution

$27 buys you about 7 Happy meals or grande iced lattes. It will buy you a half a month of cell phone service, two months of Netflix rentals, a good book from Amazon or a cheap dinner at a local ethnic food restaurant. It will put six gallons of gas in your 15 gallon tank.

Or you can change the world. Simple huh? Money talks in politics no matter how much hope, change, idealism or fanaticism gets pumped into the system. It's all about the money in the end.

PunditMom is working on just that idea. If women (and men and anyone who cares!) took just $27 and poured it into a candidate he/she believed in, we could really and truly change the world. Maybe you don't have a presidential candidate who has won your heart and you're not excited about whether it's going to be Johnson or Fargo for mayor. You don't have to be- you can find the one person that makes YOU excited about the world and gives you hope again. Perhaps it's a local school board candidate, an assembly candidate who is down in the polls or your next door neighbor who would be amazing at any office but doesn't think he can pay for it.

Cough up your $27. So you stay home from Target once this week. You can do it.

I did.

It's hot- you need ice cream!

It's supposed to be as hot as 103 this weekend- what a way to celebrate the beginning of summer in Sacramento! The coolest place to be in town tonight is the Crystal Midsummer Night's Dream and Ice Cream Fantasy at Fairytale Town. Head over there tonight from 6 to 9pm for all you can eat ice cream, food, beverages, crafts, entertainment and more.

Love the idea of all you can eat ice cream and want to do it again? The Sacramento Zoo's Ice Cream Safari is Saturday, July 26th from 4 to 8pm. This feast features all you can eat Baskin Robbins ice cream and Coke products, live entertainment and great bands, face painting and more fun for the whole family. Our favorite part of the Ice Cream Safari is the Giraffle- you can win some amazing and fun prizes all while supporting the zoo.

While we're on the all you can eat theme, adults will also enjoy the King of Feasts at the Zoo. Enjoy live music while dining on exquisite samples of delicious Sacramento food, dessert, wine and beer. Tickets are $50 for non-members and children are allowed but discouraged.

Save money and have more fun locally!

If you're still driving to San Francisco or Oakland to catch a baseball game, you've really got to get local! You're spending $30 in gas, plus bridge tolls and parking fees when we have local ball right here. It's time to check out the Sacramento River Cats and find out what you've been missing. Nearly every game has a special promotion, including fireworks on Saturdays, Nestle Drumstick giveaways, KCRA 3 giveaways and much more. The food is delicious, the company is fun and you may even win a flying dog from the hot dog cannon!

Got kids? Don't worry, the River Cats planned for that too and have lots of fun kids' packages, events and activities.