The Tale Behind Vallejo's Brush with Bankruptcy

The SF Chron takes a closer look at Vallejo's woes in an in depth piece on how the city neared the unthinkable: becoming the first California city to declare bankruptcy.  The story traces the city's struggles from closure of its naval base through a crime wave, over stretched pension agreements and up to the recent housing slowdown.  The story is well worth a read, and not just for a story about a local businessman who: "bought a freshly butchered pig's head, mounted it on a Weber barbecue grill and wheeled it into a packed City Council meeting last week," before announcing the city's finances had been "hogtied." 

The Gadfly Hall of Fame is loathe to admit it had missed this episode, and tips its hat to the Chronicle.