Cody Kitaura is the editor of Rosemont Patch.

E-mail: cody.kitaura@patch.com
Phone: 916-200-6496
Hometown: Shingle Springs
Birthday: May 30

Bio: Cody Kitaura is a versatile multimedia journalist and graduate of California State University, Sacramento (journalism major, music minor). He has freelanced for several local publications, and most recently worked as a city beat reporter at the Elk Grove Citizen. During his college years, he served as online managing editor of the State Hornet, the school's student paper. He's also a member of the Sacramento chapter of the Asian American Journalists Association.

Cody has lived in Rosemont since 2008, and can often be seen driving around singing along to his music much louder (and much more off-pitch) than he should. He plays bass and acoustic guitar, and occasionally plays in a rock band called Juliet Company. He is a pescetarian (a vegetarian who eats fish), motorcyclist and a native of El Dorado County.

Your Beliefs
At Patch, we promise always to report the facts as objectively as possible and otherwise adhere to the principles of good journalism. However, we also acknowledge that true impartiality is impossible because human beings have beliefs. So in the spirit of simple honesty, our policy is to encourage our editors to reveal their beliefs to the extent they feel comfortable. This disclosure is not a license for us to inject our beliefs into stories or to dictate coverage according to them. In fact, the intent is the opposite: we hope that the knowledge that our beliefs are on the record will cause us to be ever mindful to write, report and edit in a fair, balanced way. And if you ever see evidence that we failed in this mission, please let us know.

Politics
How would you describe your political beliefs?

Growing up, I had friends who were very conservative and very liberal. I would say I fall somewhat in the middle, but lean toward liberal views on social issues.

Are you registered with a certain party?

I am not registered with a political party.

Religion
How religious would you consider yourself?

I grew up attending and was baptized in a small Christian church in Shingle Springs, but would now consider myself to be non-religious.

Local Hot-Button Issues
What do you think are the most important issues facing the community?

The unincorporated community of Rosemont is sandwiched between the cities of Sacramento and Rancho Cordova. Its residents have watched nearby areas (like Citrus Heights in 1997, Elk Grove in 2000, Rancho Cordova in 2003 and Arden Arcade's failed attempt in 2010) incorporate, and as the county struggles to fund agencies that serve the area, likely can't help but wonder if Rosemont should be one of the next.

Businesses in the area have struggled - evident by the large number of vacancies in Rosemont's major shopping centers, and crime has become a concern as the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department has faced massive layoffs.

Rosemont finally has a high school, but aside from its parks, there are few activities for young residents.

Where do you stand on each of these issues?

Having recently spent time covering Elk Grove, I have seen how cityhood can insulate an area from county budget woes. In my opinion, Rosemont should stay under county control; it doesn't have a large enough local economy to be its own city and would lose much of its own identity if it were annexed into Sacramento or Rancho Cordova.

Businesses everywhere are struggling, but I think having a stronger sense of community will create more interest in local businesses and help support them. That same sense of community can help build strong neighborhood watch groups to combat crime.

Activities for young Rosemont residents should be provided by recreation and community groups in the area, but those groups should work closely with the schools to develop programs that will be well-attended.