Sacramento news: Elk Grove police probe, GoldenSky’s return and ballot tips

Sacramento-area readers are tracking three developing stories this Monday, from a state legislator weighing new police transparency rules to the comeback of a major country music festival. Here’s a quick rundown of what’s happening and what it means for residents.

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• Assemblymember Nick Schultz, D-Burbank, said he is “strongly considering” introducing state legislation to require departments to release footage and disciplinary records for compression or asphyxia deaths — a response to the June 2025 Elk Grove case of Scott Saetern, 37, who died after being placed in a constraint device and spit hood. Two statewide mental health advocates are calling on Attorney General Rob Bonta to investigate the Saetern death independently, arguing the AG’s Office should examine restraint deaths and not just police shootings of unarmed people.

• The GoldenSky country music festival is officially returning to Sacramento’s Discovery Park on Saturday, Oct. 9, and Sunday, Oct. 10, 2027, following a two-year hiatus, producer Danny Wimmer Presents announced Monday. GoldenSky’s 2027 lineup will be released Thursday at 10 a.m., with tickets going on sale Friday in three waves — text alert subscribers at 10 a.m., email subscribers at 11 a.m. and the general public at noon.

• California voters have up to three chances to fix a mistake on their ballot, including by exchanging it at the county elections office or indicating the correction directly on the original ballot without initialing it. The 2026 general election is Tuesday, Nov. 3, and the last day to register is Monday, Oct. 19 — though same-day conditional voter registration is available at county elections offices, polling places and vote centers on Election Day.

This story was originally published October 12, 2026 at 4:00 PM.