Sandy Sheedy wants to take a hammer to police 'glass ceiling'

Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes

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Glass ceiling: Sacramento City Councilwoman Sandy Sheedy is blasting the Sacramento Police Department for its poor record of promoting women. "The process is broken and needs to be fixed," Sheedy said. "We are going to have to break the glass ceiling."

Sandy's concern follows the promotion of Dana Matthes to captain - only the second woman in Sacramento history to reach that rank. "You can't tell me there are only two qualified women in our history," Sheedy said. "I'm concerned about this promotion, because Captain Matthes doesn't have a command. It looks like window dressing." Police Chief Albert Nájera agrees the department should improve its career track for women. But Nájera said Matthes has an important job - helping remedy the "glass ceiling" dilemma. "I don't want to sound defensive, because we do need to do a better job," Nájera said. "Dana is working on several special projects, including ways to make us more inclusive in a profession that has been traditionally dominated by males." Nájera and interim City Manager Ray Kerridge promoted four lieutenants to captain last month. "We had other lieutenants who were highly qualified, and who thought they should have been promoted," Nájera said. "Unfortunately, we can't promote them all." Said Sheedy, "The city manager and police chief are fair people. We have to look at how these promotions are made." ...

OAS_AD('Button20'); Rainy day story: If south Sacramento residents see Larry Carr roaming their streets carrying an umbrella on sunny days, there's a reason. Larry is running for the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors. Like most local candidates, he knocks on doors and meets voters. And he deals with snarling, vicious dogs. "One benefit I have is serving on the SMUD board. I have access to our meter-readers. They are experts when it comes to dogs," Larry said. "They tell me to open an umbrella if a dog looks a little too interested in me. Popping open an umbrella will scare a dog." The election is nonpartisan, so Larry doesn't have to check whether the dogs react to blue or red. ...

Curtain raiser: There's something about Austrian hero Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart that attracts politicians. At least three Assembly members have seen the Sacramento Theatre Company presentation of "Amadeus," said show spokesman Adam Gottlieb. "Roger Niello, Betty Karnette and Wilma Chan have all been here for performances," Adam said. Not yet spotted is Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who was born in Austria. The Austrian Oak has until Sunday, when "Amadeus" closes. ...

Dress for success: The fact that students at Sacramento High School wear uniforms troubled John Taylor. He doesn't mind uniforms. He's concerned about this column's praise for Sac High students who wear coats and ties to class. "Too many people are caught up in convention and conformity," John said. Not all Sac High teens wear coats and ties. But they can wear a variation of tan or black slacks and purple or white shirts. "The uniforms let students concentrate on things other than clothes," said Ronnie West, a Sac High administrator. A reasonable goal. ...

Service with smile: The Department of Motor Vehicles has become devoted to public service. Pleasant clerks. On-time appointments. Even a helpful Web site. Now the agency is moving into its next realm - comedy. Lorie O'Donley noticed this T-shirt on a DMV employee in Folsom. "If you don't like my attitude, just stop talking to me!" the shirt read. This is exactly why Sac High requires uniforms.

About the writer: Reach R.E. Graswich at (916) 321-1087 or rgraswich@sacbee.com. Back columns: www.sacbee.com/graswich. Unique content, exceptional value. SUBSCRIBE NOW!