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 INCLUDED IN THIS E-NEWSLETTER:

• Burr’s Fountain Celebrates Its 20th Anniversary – Today
• Charter Review Committee Town Hall Meetings
• My Views on Reforming the City Charter
• McKinley Rose Garden Master Plan Update
• SHPS/ Mercy Construction Update

UPCOMING EVENTS

• Alkali Mansion Flats Neighborhood Clean Up – October 3rd
• Ben Ali Neighborhood Clean Up – October 3rd
• Compost Seminar- October 3rd
• Sacred Heart Parish School Fall Festival – October 3rd
• Albie Aware Blues for Life Event – October 4th
• Friends of Grant Park Midtown Children’s Fair – October 4th
• Theodore Judah Harvest Festival – October 23rd
• California Montessori Project Harvest Festival – October 24th
• Friends of the River Banks – October 24th
• Midtown Halloween Trick-or-Treat – October 31st

NEIGHBORHOOD & BUSINESS ASSOCIATION NEWS

Burr’s Fountain Celebrates its 20th Anniversary – Today

On October 1st, Burr’s Fountain celebrates its 20th anniversary celebration. As a thank-you for all the years of customer loyalty, Jim Burr, founder and owner of the old-fashioned ice cream soda fountain is offering up opening day-priced kiddie cones for $0.75 and 20% off all dine-in bills on October 1st. Join me in congratulating the good people of Burr’s at 5:00 p.m. when I present a City Council Resolution.

It was the summer of 1989, when Jim Burr noticed that the shop on Folsom Blvd. and 49th street was vacant and inquired about the property. He wanted to sell Vic’s ice cream and have a similar-style shop to the Land Park landmark but also add a few things to the menu. Initially, he wanted to call the place “Vic’s” but someone told him to put his own name out front and to take pride in what he was doing. It was mere coincidence that his name happened to conjure up thoughts of all things cool. Since then, Burr’s Fountain has become a cornerstone of the East Sacramento community, acting for many families as a surrogate home kitchen. Most patrons are relatives, friends, and neighbors so it’s never a surprise to run into familiar faces. The friendly workers are an assortment of high school and college students who grew up with sunbursts and grilled cheese sandwiches, literally “Burr’s kids.” Burr’s gives back to the community, participating in community events including our very own Pops in the Park concert series. Burr’s has donated thousands of dollars in proceeds for improvements to our East Sacramento parks and neighborhood.

Charter Review Committee Town Hall Meetings

In February 2009, the Sacramento City Council adopted a resolution creating the Review Committee and directed them to review the current City Charter and make recommendations for possible amendments. The Sacramento Charter Review Committee has developed a Draft Report recommending changes to the Sacramento City Charter. They want to hear your input and have already held several Town Hall Meetings. Several more will be held in October. The meeting scheduled in Council District 3 will be held on Thursday, October 8th from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Caleb Greenwood School, 5457 Carlson Drive in River Park.

The Committee is scheduled to present their final report to Council on November 3, 2009. A first supplemental report with recommendations regarding the issues of Full Time Mayor, Full Time Council, and Ethics Commission will be presented to Council on December 1, 2009, and a second supplemental report regarding the Elections Process including ranked choice voting, instant run-ff voting and proportional representation will be presented to City Council on January 19, 2010. For more information about the Charter Review Committee or for additional meeting dates visit www.cityofsacramento.org/charter

My Views on Reforming the City Charter

Here in Sacramento, there has been a tremendous amount of public interest in reforming the City Charter. Similarly, an increasing number of people want to see major reform of the State Constitution. Two reform camps have emerged in both cases. Of course, all of this is taking place against the backdrop of tremendous economic upheaval and debate over fundamental policy issues like health care and climate change at the federal level.

At the local level, Mayor Johnson’s committee has collected enough signatures to qualify a so-called “Strong Mayor” ballot initiative for the June 8, 2010 Primary Election. Meanwhile, the City Council appointed a Charter Reform Committee, composed of citizens appointed by each Councilmember and the Mayor plus two at-large appointees, who are scheduled to make recommendations to the Council on a possible alternate charter reform ballot measure in November.

At the state level, one group is pushing a series of constitutional amendments geared towards resolving the perennial legislative gridlock. Key features include reducing the budget vote threshold from two-thirds to a majority or 55%, creating an open non-partisan primary, and taking legislative redistricting away from the partisan Legislature. A second group is pushing a more radical restructuring that would involve the convening of a State Constitutional Convention. The convention delegates would be determined randomly in the same manner that jury pools are chosen. Pretty much any and everything that does not violate the U.S. Constitution could be up for grabs at such a Convention.

Because I was elected as your City Councilmember, I’ll leave for another time and place the discussion of state issues and focus instead on City Charter reform. Besides, the Mayor’s proposal has generated enough controversy to fill this column and more. Even the question of when the initiative should be scheduled for a vote was controversial. But the state budget and state laws and regulations certainly have a major impact on local government and our communities, and cannot be ignored.

Because I voted with the Council majority to schedule the “Strong Mayor” initiative for the June 2010 ballot, some people mistakenly believed I support the initiative. That is not true. I do not support the current initiative because it does not provide adequate checks and balances on Mayoral power. In particular, I am concerned about the initiative’s giving the Mayor authority to hire and fire up to 800 City employees and to oversee all contracts. Another issue is term limits. Most cities with strong mayors, other than Chicago, have term limits for the Mayor.

But the merits of the initiative were not the issue before Council. Whether one agrees or disagrees with the initiative, it automatically qualified for the ballot by obtaining at least 32,433 (15%) valid signatures of duly qualified electors of the City. In fact, over 60,000 signatures were gathered, and the County Registrar verified that the petition exceeded the minimum threshold of valid signatures. Therefore, the only issue before the City Council was the timing of the election. The established process in California is for a qualified initiative, whether state or local, to be placed on the next scheduled election. This is a time-honored policy in a direct democracy state like California. The initiative supporters initially tried to gather signatures in time to put the initiative on a special ballot in 2009. However, given the high cost of a special election (roughly $1 million), the supporters slowed down their signature gathering process and instead turned in their petition with a request for the next regular election, which is June 2010. Meanwhile, initiative opponents argued that the initiative should not be scheduled until the November 2012 election.

Both the City Clerk and the City Attorney stated at the City Council meeting on August 6, 2009, that in the history of California, there was only one known example of a qualified ballot initiative that was not placed at the next regularly scheduled election. In that case, the Huntington Beach City Council placed a ballot measure on the next general election in November, rather than the primary election in June. Their decision was upheld in court as being legal because the timing of the election was not important to the initiative and there were valid public reasons for waiting 5 months until November. There were no known cases of a ballot measure ever being deferred four elections, as was recommended by initiative opponents.

Another reason for voting on the Strong Mayor Initiative in 2010 is that people should know what system is in place when they next vote for Mayor in June 2012 when the next Mayoral election occurs. At that time, Sacramento voters will know whether they’re voting on a strong Mayor or a traditional Mayor under the weaker, shared Council-Manager form of government. If we wait to hold the election until 2012, we won’t know when we next vote for Mayor which system will be in place.

Finally, if a ninth Council district is added as recommended in the Strong Mayor Initiative, we can use the 2010 Census numbers to develop district boundaries in time for the 2012 election.

In conclusion, I look forward to a vigorous debate at Council over the recommendations of the City’s Charter Review Committee. Hopefully, a community consensus can develop around an alternative measure to counter the Strong Mayor Initiative that has already qualified for the June 2010 ballot. After 100 years, I am sure there are some charter changes that are appropriate for Sacramento. After all, the City’s population was only a fraction of what it is now, and Oak Park, Curtis Park, Land Park and East Sacramento were the far-flung suburbs back when our current governance structure was created. I hope you will join me in that effort.

McKinley Park Rose Garden Master Plan Update

The McKinley Park Rose Garden Master Plan is scheduled to be heard by the Parks and Recreation Commission on Thursday, October 1st, 7:00 p.m. at Historic City Hall Chambers. The item is tentatively scheduled to go to Council on Tuesday, October 27th, 6:00 p.m. For more information about the Master Plan, visit http://www.cityofsacramento.org/parksandrecreation/parks/sites/mckinley_rg_plan.htm

Mercy/SHPS Construction Update

Soil remediation of Chlordane and Dieldrin on the school site was completed in
mid-September. Classroom building rough in of electrical, mechanical and fire
sprinkler system took place. Site underground utilities and framing and rough in
of the Multipurpose Building started at the end of September, and winterization of the site will begin soon in preparation for the rainy season. At Mercy General Hospital, tunnel work between the Mercy Medical Plaza and Hospital is expected to be completed November, 2009. An Ambulance Canopy on the northeast corner of the Hospital also is expected to be completed November, 2009. Excavation for the south part of the Alex G.
Spanos Heart & Vascular Center basement will begin shortly thereafter.

The last Neighborhood Advisory Committee (NAC) meeting for 2009 is November 17th at 5:30 p.m. at the SHPS Cafeteria.

For updates on the Neighborhood Traffic Management Plan (NTMP) visit
www.cityofsacramento.org/transportation/traffic-engineering/mercy-ntmp.html or contact Debb Newton at 808-6739 or dnewton@cityofsacramento.org. For questions or concerns regarding construction, please feel free to call the construction hotline at 552-6931.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Alkali Mansion Flats Neighborhood Cleanup – Saturday, October 3rd

The Alkali Mansion Flats Neighborhood Association are also sponsoring a clean up On Saturday, October 3rd from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Volunteers will meet at Globe Mills between 8:45 am & 9 am. Coffee and donuts will be provided by the neighborhood. For more information, contact Janine Martindale at 808-7186.

Ben Ali Neighborhood Clean Up – Saturday, October 3rd

The Ben Ali Neighborhood Association will be sponsoring a cleanup on Saturday, October 3rd at 9:00 a.m. The meeting place is the Plover School. Neighbors will focus on cleaning up around the school as well as debris and trash in the ditches around the neighborhood. For more information, contact Verlene Castoreno at funyun501@juno.com

Compost Seminar – Saturday, October 3rd

A free Compost Seminar will be held on Saturday, October 3rd, 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. at Southside Park Community Garden (5th & W Streets). Learn how to turn yard waste into compost and improve the health of your soil. This free seminar includes a how-to lesson, a special compost recipe and the ability to purchase a Biostack compost bin for $65 (retails for $129). The seminar will also feature a special lecture on various topics that will help your garden continue to flourish all year long. Composting is great for flower and vegetable gardens and can help conserve water and recycle yard waste. No reservations are required for the seminar.

Sacred Heart Parish School Fall Festival – October 3rd

The Sacred Heart Parish School Fall Festival will take place on Saturday, October 3rd from 11:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. at 3933 I Street. The festival features games for people of all ages, musical entertainment, great food and a raffle.

Albie Aware Blues for Life Event – October 4th
Join the Albie Carson Breast Cancer Foundation celebrate 10 years of helping women diagnosed with breast cancer by attending the Blues for Life Event, on Sunday, October 4th from 2:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. at the Torch Club, 904-15th Street, Sacramento and adjacent parking lot in the rear. The event will feature 10 live bands, Pasta Cook Off with Local Italian families, Celebrities, professional Chef Judges, People's choice Awards, Raffle, and Silent Auction. Tickets can be purchased for $15.00 in advance and $20.00 at the Door. For ticket information, call 443-2797 or 927-1592.

Friends of Grant Park – Midtown Children’s Fair – Sunday, October 4th

The Midtown Children’s Fair in Grant Park will include crafts, music and a show presented by an exciting puppet troupe, “Voice of the Woods” and will be held on Sunday, October 4th, 12:00 noon to 3:00 p.m. For questions, contact friendsofgrantpark@yahoo.com

Theodore Judah Harvest Festival, October 23rd

The Harvest Festival at Theodore Judah Elementary, 3919 McKinley Boulevard, will take place on Friday, October 23rd from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. and promises to be more exciting and bigger than last year! There will be carnival games, scarecrow contest, live entertainment, balloons and face painting and plenty of other activities for the kids of all ages. This is a fun family event to share with the family, neighbors and friends. Roxie Deli will be selling grilled premium aged steak sandwiches as well as hamburgers and hot dogs. This year there will be community services information to benefit all families. All the teachers’ booths will be offering different games to play. Admission is free. All the games cost 25¢ or 50¢ each. The proceeds will go toward the student’s classroom supplies and classroom field trips.

California Montessori Project Harvest Festival – October 24th

The California Montessori Project 3rd Annual Harvest Festival will take place on Saturday, October 24th from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at 2718 G Street.

Friends of the River Banks – October 24th

This month Friends of the River Banks will meet on Sunday, October 24th at 10:00 a.m. at Sutter’s Landing Park to welcome the salmon back to the American River. Special guest, Rick Adams, a tribal historian and museum cultural specialist from the Maidu Interpretive Center, will entertain with story-telling and Native dance, song and music. There will also be river craft activities. As always, remember to dress appropriately for waterside activities and bring a snack and bottled water. For more information, contact Robert Sewell at rlsewell@earthlink.net

Midtown Halloween Trick-or-Treat – October 31st

The Midtown Business Association will sponsor the annual Halloween Trick-or-Treat event around Sacramento’s Midtown shops and businesses on Saturday, October 31 from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Look for posters displayed designating businesses as a place to stop to trick-or-treat in the area from J to L Streets, 16th to 27th Streets. Entertainment and activities will located at Relles Florist at 2400 J Street and the 1801 L Street Lofts courtyard (enter through the stairs at the middle of the block on L between 18th and 19th Streets). The City has provided a parking “freeze”: free parking at metered spaces and no time limit enforcement. However, red and loading zones, fire hydrant and handicap spaces WILL be enforced. Fore more information visit www.mbasac.com

NEIGHBORHOOD & BUSINESS ASSOCIATION NEWS

Alkali & Mansion Flats Historic Neighborhood Association. Meetings are held on the Second Thursday of each month, 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Boys & Girls Club, 1117 G Street. For more information contact Sean Wright at (916) 806-8198.

Ben Ali Neighborhood Association – Next meeting: General Membership on Tuesday, November 24th, 6:00 p.m. at Plover School Cafeteria.

Boulevard Park Neighborhood Association (BPNA) and Marshall School Neighborhood Association – Board Meeting – Second Thursday of the month, 7:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. For more information, contact Rob Sperling at 444-8147.

East Sacramento Chamber of Commerce: Second Wednesday of each month at various locations, 12:00 p.m.-1:30 p.m. Cost $15. For details call Lisa Schmidt at (916) 457-2721.

Hagginwood Community Association: Next meeting: Wednesday, September 2nd at 6:00 p.m. at the Joe Mims/Hagginwood Community Center, Tower Room, Meeting Room 1. For more information contact: Bill Maynard, Chair, 508-6025, sacgc@ulink.net or Barbara Stanton, Vice Chair, 927-7446, barbs992@earthlink.net.

McKinley East Sacramento Neighborhood Association (MENA): Board meeting open to the Public, First Wednesday of each month, 7:00 p.m. at Shepard Garden and Arts Center in McKinley Park. Contact: Joe Chavez at chavezjoseph@comcast.net

Midtown Business Association (MBA) Board Meeting – Third Wednesday of each month - 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. – 1400 29th Street. For more information, call 442-1500.

River Park Neighborhood Association – Third Thursday of each month, Block Captains 6:30 p.m., RPNA Board 7:30 p.m. at Geneva Room in the Fremont Presbyterian Church at Carlson Drive and H Street. See www.riverparksacramento.net

Midtown Neighborhood Association – For Updates visit www.sacmidtown.org

Area 1 NRT – Next meeting: Monday, November 16th, 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. (preceding NAG) at Hart Senior Center, 915 27th Street.

Area 1 NAG – Next NAG meeting: Monday, October 19th, Pizza at 6:15 p.m. at Hart Senior Center.

Area 4 Community Partnership Meeting – Next meeting: Monday, November 9th, 7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. at Robertson Community Center.

Area 4 NRT – Monday, November 9th, 6:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m. (preceding Community Partnership meeting) at Robertson Community Center.