When Public Safety Becomes a Private Purchase: In a move that perfectly encapsulates the dysfunction of Reno's city leadership, the Reno Police Department has launched a "No Loitering Program" that asks local businesses throughout the city, including the struggling downtown businesses to pay $40 each for signs that give police permission to do their jobs. Yes, you read that correctly: businesses fighting to survive in a downtown that city officials claim they want to revitalize are now being asked to purchase the privilege of having police remove loiterers from their properties.

This isn't just another bureaucratic misstep. It's a stunning admission of failure by a city government that has consistently prioritized everything except the basic municipal services that businesses and residents actually need.