gangs and crime north of sacramento (Oakland, Roseville: live, estimate, money)

[KC6ZLV]

Originally Posted by kip60

The Union is the local newspaper and it includes a Police Blotter on it's internet site. You can read comments about crime and homelessness.
It is thought, by locals, that the Mexican drug cartels are rapidly coming into the foothills in Nevada County. You may be able to get more information from the DEA website.
Grass Valley is different than Nevada City (I live here). There is more crime, mostly theft for meth and other serious addictions. In Grass Valley, it is important to choose your neighborhood. It should be said that Grass Valley Police Department got a very good review by the public in a recent newspaper story; however, some of the chaos is more and more of a concern to the public.
Nevada City is having a serious problem with loitering homeless and kids smoking marijuana on the sidewalk in front of stores.
Me too. I feel very disappointed with the culture of this environment. As seniors, I would only feel safe in a gated community. As a younger person, I would do a lot of research with the police departments to see where most residential crime takes place.
It's very sad because this is such a beautiful environment and there is a quality of life, there but now you have to look a little closer for it.

Sounds just like everywhere else in California.

The Motherlode towns have always had transients (homeless). Most of them are a little different in that they travel up and down Hwy 49 and many of them are just the type of people who don't want to be bothered with paying landlords, bankers, and other conformist things that make other people rich.

[Goeser38]

I know it is not so near to Grass Valley, but did you hear that they spotted a Wolverine in Truckee. How cool is that? They no crap from any other predator, including Bears and Wolves. I don't know about Mountain Lions yet. Check out the vids on youtube.com awesome!

[stupid leanin]

such a good place ya 15 year old girl just got knifed down the street

[kip60]

The Union reported the stabbing but I heard about it first in the dental chair at Sierra Dental Clinic. The assistant was commenting that one of her friends was stabbed in downtown Grass Valley but she (her friend) had a big mouth, anyway.
I don't know about gangs but groups of young people are roaming Grass Valley's downtown on a nighly basis.
We were told to avoid several neighborhoods where drug dealing and breakins are common.
One day, we were checking out one Grass Valley neighborhood around S. Auburn Street and a police office was standing and watching the backside of a so-so motel. He had his hand on the handle of his gun. As we passed, we asked if this was a safe neighborhood and he said it was fine. One block farther down the street, his backup was parked. Later, locals told us it was a very bad part of town.
For a long time, people in Nevada City (3 miles from Grass Valley) have felt safe but this is changing. Nevada City does not have a loitering law and this has extended the problem.
With the surrounding forests being close to these towns, I always wonder about forest fires created by transients. I am sure the fire department is, too but with budget cuts, there don't seem to be enough services to protect even the small populations of these rural towns, so I cannot imagine how horrific cities are.
AARP just published an article about Vallejo - west of Sacramento that was shocking. There is almost no police department anymore.

[kip60]

Transients find Gold Country including Auburn, Grass Valley and Nevada City just as attractive as people with real lives do. Every spring new "campsites" are found along Deer Creek and Yuba Rivers, so if you're hiking on some of our glorious trails, be prepared.
Within the past year, people have been found spending the night in Nevada City public restrooms, one guy had his propane tank outside, while cooking inside. Two other restroom events included a pit bull jumping out and biting a passerby and just a few weeks ago, a homeless man jumped out with a knife. I believe the police have responded by locking the restrooms at night (duh!).
On Craigslist, there are more rentals in Nevada City and Grass Valley than I have seen in 3 years. This may be because of gas prices and people cannot afford to commute to jobs, which are mostly in Auburn and cities like Roseville, etc. Nevada County and city governments are laying off dozens of people every month. One county department head told me he had to laid off 12 people in one day and went home physical sick. He said he had 1 job opening and 104 qualifed people responded.
There are no jobs in this area, for those of you who would like to live here; rents are high, landlords take large deposits (1st, last and security deposit), which makes renting hard. (I hope California forces landlords to pay interest to their tenants whose money they keep, as other states do.)
There is hope for seniors, however. There is a large, Grass Valley developer who has bought 14 acres at the old County Adm buildings, about a mile outside Nevada City. His project is completely funded and he is ready to start building at least 100 senior apartments. My husband and I are at the top of the list.

[Big Tony]

There has been some tagging by street gangs in Grass Valley, the Grass Valley Police Department thinks it is vandals.

A new tag was done on the brick wall of St. Marys Catholic School very recently, S 13, Surenos 13 a So. Calif. Mexican Street Gang controlled by the Mexican Mafia in LA.

The Nortenos gang operates out of Yuba and Sutter counties (Linda, Marysville Live Oak and Yuba City. Nortenos and Surenos are rival gangs like the Bloods and the Crips.

You wrote your post in 2008 and noted your husband lived here 17 years ago, 1991? We moved here in 1996 and the area has changed big time.

Illegal Marajuana crops, Meth Labs are the big money makers and the street gangs and illegals are entering the market big time in Nevada County. They are low key for now but that will change once they get their feet in the door.

You might want to consider the City of Rocklin, their police department recently spent $15,000,000.00 on a state of the art facility and they have an excellent reputation. And it will cut 35-40 minutes off your drive time.

Good Luck

[rcclifford]

The new Nevada County Courthouse in Nevada City is going to be an interesting change to town.

It will affect quality of life for people who live and work in town.

If you are considering moving to downtown Nevada City or opening a business there, here are some up to date facts:

The state has determined the existing building is not habitable and cannot be remodeled as a new courthouse. If it's demolished, the noise, dust, reduced parking, etc will be a nightmare for many surrounding businesses, homes and apartments. This is a very compact residential and business neighborhood, with hilly, narrow streets. Just thinking about how the large construction equipment will move around gives me a headache.

If the new courthouse is built near the jail and juvenile hall on 49 (which makes sense to many), town businesses may lose important, off season business.

Some merchants are already saying they are happy with the cash that comes in, during the marijuana harvest in the fall because that is the best business they have. How that defines a community????? Lots of dreadlocks, for one visual effect.

Living near town is fun; walking to Miners Foundary for events and to downtown parades is a joy but not if the courthouse is demolished. If it's left empty, what will happen to this old, decaying monster?

I don't like to see people going into a situation blindly, when there's money or quality of life lost and I think this decision will be finalized in October, 2011 (next month).

Rentals in N.C. are already overpriced with maximum deposits (no interest paid by landlords who keep the money).

Homeless people do walk around town aimlessly and do steal anything not nailed down. It's still a beautifully restored town, with a declining economy (county and city layoffs being the worst).

[mountainrose]

We lived in Nevada City for many years, and yes, it has really changed. And, sadly, not for the better. I still have friends and a relative there, and they tell me that since the grape growing/wine industry has taken off in Lake Wildwood area, lots of illegals are being hired. This is bringing in more crime and some gang tagging. Both the towns of Grass Valley and NC have always had a hippie vibe, but now they seem more seedy with a dark/criminal element. Local druggies mostly involved with meth labs and marijuana gardens, not hard-core heroin or crack yet.

However, compared to Sacramento area, they are much safer and have better schools.

[ecvMatt]

Watch out for the clampers!


ECV!

[mountainrose]

A new report out with 2010 FBI statistics has Nevada City as the 5th worst city in CA for VIOLENT crime. Grass Valley is #18.
Most Dangerous Cities In California: Oakland Tops The List (PHOTOS)
So sad to see this.