by Cosmo Garvin, cosmog@newsreview.com
R.E. Graswich, former Sacramento Bee columnist and former special assistant to Mayor Kevin Johnson, really doesn’t like Councilman Darrell Fong. Mostly because of Fong’s skepticism on the King’s arena deal, but there’s probably more.
Graswich took to Twitter last Saturday to savage Fong for some nasty-looking garbage that had accumulated in a canal in part of Fong’s district in the Pocket area.
Where is this stinking mess? A, Tijuana; B, Mumbai; C, Sacramento Greenhaven pic.twitter.com/Aea1RTihh0
— R.E. Graswich (@REGraswich) June 28, 2013
Getting warmer? Not Tijuana; not Mumbai. pic.twitter.com/7fYYMVmsom
— R.E. Graswich (@REGraswich) June 28, 2013
And the arena deal. “Sac Councilman D Fong has made stopping Kings top priority, while people in his district live with disgusting condition,” Graswich tweeted.
These pics were taken in Sac, just off Greenhaven Drive, about 100 yards from Rite Aid. Homes just a few feet away.
— R.E. Graswich (@REGraswich) June 28, 2013
It is true that most city council districts have problems with illegal dumping. The avenues off
And it’s true that Fong’s office contacted the city utilities department in early May, asking for the canals to be cleaned, and was told they would be done “ASAP.”
On Saturday afternoon following Graswich’s tweet attack, Fong’s district director Noah Painter again made contact with the utilities department, asking why the cleanup hadn’t occurred.
Around that same time, high-school teacher and Pocket resident Will Cannady, seeing Graswich’s rant, bought himself a pool skimmer and went to clean the canal alone, even though the temperature was above 100 degrees.
Just posted the results of my first day of cleaning up the canal here in the Pocket. http://t.co/C39P6tFN47
— Pocket Pride (@PocketPride) June 29, 2013
After several hours of cleaning, Cannady went home, determined to finish the next morning. City crews finally showed up that evening to finish the job.
Came back to finish cleaning and the job was finished! Thank You! pic.twitter.com/eyqAd8TJXL
— Pocket Pride (@PocketPride) June 29, 2013
At that point, Graswich claimed victory—and credit. “Twitter followers: Let me know what outrage you want resolved next,” he wrote.
This Tweet gets results! City crew now cleaning rotten garbage from Greenhaven canal. pic.twitter.com/3Qjw7Rmr4T
— R.E. Graswich (@REGraswich) June 29, 2013
This and other heroic tweets were dutifully retweeted by many of Graswich’s 1,347 followers.
As for Cannady, “It just felt good to do my part.”
