The questions aren’t going away—and neither is the timing.

In a recent opinion piece in This Is Reno, Tom Daly highlighted campaign contributions received by Washoe County Commissioner Mariluz Garcia shortly before a key vote. No formal allegations have been made—but the optics are hard to ignore.

The Washoe County Registrar of Voters has published legal notices regarding the retention and disposition of 2024 election materials, indicating that such materials may be destroyed on or after May 8, 2026, in accordance with applicable records retention laws.

In Reno, it seems some lessons don’t quite stick. The Karma Box Project—which previously had its nonprofit status revoked in 2023 for failing to file required tax returns—now appears to be behind again, with no publicly available filings for 2024 or 2025.

That raises an obvious question: how does this keep happening? Especially when the last lapse was quietly smoothed over, allowing operations to continue with little public accountability - thanks to Dana Searcy and Washoe County. For an organization that relies on public trust and community support, transparency isn’t optional—it’s the whole deal.

Take a drive along La Posada.

Campaign signs are coming down — like they’re supposed to.

So here’s the question:

Why are Chris Hicks’ signs still standing?

Is Troy Regas a renegade… or a marketing genius?

Because what happened yesterday doesn’t look accidental.

While announcing his first major fundraiser against Mariluz Garcia — often seen in the same orbit as Devon Reese and his loyal following — Regas didn’t just launch a campaign.

He lit a match.

Hey Phil Tenneson — you might want to take a closer look at what’s unfolding here.

Because if what we’re hearing is true, this isn’t just questionable judgment — it may rise to the level of not only state ethics violations you are stating are needed but this might require a Department of Justice look.

KUNR and Gianna Jacks—name a more predictable storyline.

At this point, it’s less “reporting” and more a recurring theme. Makes you wonder what’s really driving the coverage at KUNR - almost seems personal.

Ad buys = shoutouts.

Running for Public Administrator?
Apparently it helps when your family spends with KOLO-TV.

Who remembers the great cannabis lounge rollout of 2022?

All the hype. All the vision. All the promises about a “community-driven” experience in Washoe County.

And yet—after all the applications, all the talk—only one proposal stood standing: SoL Cannabis.

It was supposed to be the future. Events. Outdoor experiences. Even cannabis weddings. The pitch from Alexander was nothing short of a lifestyle revolution—complete with crowds of eager supporters ready to show up and prove the demand.

Except… they didn’t.

Dueling fundraisers—because nothing says campaign season in Washoe County quite like competing invites and overlapping donor lists.

On one side, Mike Clark working his well-known network. On the other, Mariluz Garcia building momentum and testing hers.

Bless his heart—someone finally found the nerve to ask questions. Kudos to Bob Conrad at This Is Reno. 

Because what’s unfolding around Washoe County District Attorney Chris Hicks isn’t complicated, no matter how polished the messaging tries to make it. The employment—and upward trajectory—of his wife, Nicole Hicks, isn’t some misunderstood bureaucratic quirk.

It’s the kind of arrangement that makes people use words like conflict—even if no one in power seems eager to say it out loud.

And yet, the bigger story might be the one they’d prefer you buy into:

The “dynasty.”

Yes, that word again. Dynasty.

There was an interesting sight at today’s meeting of the Community Homeless Advisory Board.

Former Washoe County Manager Eric Brown — yes, the same Eric Brown who recently exited county government and is reportedly looking for his next professional chapter — made an appearance in the audience.

According to those present, Brown didn’t exactly make a splash.

Memories of the 83rd Nevada Legislative Session came rushing back when we saw a notice for a Regional Fire Services Study meeting scheduled for March 19.

The meeting was pushed out by the City of Reno — which is interesting timing given the city is dealing with the ongoing issues surrounding the Reno Police Department.

This latest discussion stems from the fire services summit involving the City of Reno, City of Sparks, and Washoe County.

Sound familiar?

Washoe Valley Residents Speak — But the Votes Were Already Counted …

At the Tuesday, March 10, 2026 meeting of the Washoe County Commission, the setup on the dais appeared clear from the start.

A trio had formed.

Commissioners Alexis Hill, Clara Andriola, and Mariluz Garcia seemed poised to overturn the earlier denial of the Sierra Reflections development by the Washoe County Planning Commission.

But before that vote arrived, the meeting began with what Commissioner Hill hoped was a dramatic moment.

When Grant Denton talks about accountability in his recent This Is Reno opinion, it’s hard not to laugh — not because accountability isn’t important, but because the people who have been asking Denton for accountability since May 2024 know how little of it they’ve received.

Those were the women who spoke out publicly about concerns surrounding the Karma Box Project Executive Director. Since then, many say they have been dismissed, ignored, or pushed aside by the very community leaders who claim transparency and compassion as guiding principles.

And our readers made sure to point it out.

Specifically, residents of Red Hawk — many of whom oppose the newly proposed housing development — contacted Picon after our story ran to highlight something we should have connected.

Back in 2024, Washoe County Commissioner Clara Andriola reported“in-kind rent” for office space at Red Hawk Golf and Resort on her Nevada Contribution and Expense report.

Three individuals who have worked for the Karma Box Project have been arrested since November 2025. That alone should raise serious questions about oversight and accountability.

At the same time, rumors continue to swirl that Karma Box Project has been replaced at the county’s Safe Camp by either RISE or Volunteers of America. Yet so far, no one at Washoe County seems willing to go on the record to confirm what is actually happening.

Phil Tenneon you are a marvel breaking another Karma Box employee arrest.

Once, in the bustling City of Reno, there lived a Princess of the Law named Connie. She did not wear a crown of gold; she wore a robe woven from thirty-four years of truth, and her scepter was a pen that had signed scrolls of justice.

Commissioner Mike Clark posted the recently released Washoe County annual summary of deaths connected to the emergency shelter campuses, and while the document checked every administrative box — dates, locations, causes, protocols followed — it missed something far more important: humanity.

Seven people died. Not “incidents.” Not “cases.” Not “data points.”
People.