Sacramento News

Lane closures

2009-04-07T03:18:45Z

A lane closure will be in effect on Q street between 6th and 7th streets beginning April 7 and lasting until April 26, according to a press release from the Sacramento Department of Transportation.

The closures will remain in effect 24 hours a day until work is completed on street and sidewalk improvements. The press release stated that the improvements were related to an unnamed state construction project.

According to the press release, the traffic patterns of morning commutes in the area may be affected by the closures.

Inquiries were made to the City in the hopes of identifying the project, but as of press time no calls were returned.

Nag, nag, nag

2009-03-17T06:26:33Z

Monday evening, a group of business owners, politicians and concerned citizens gathered at the Hart Senior Center for the March meeting of the Sacramento Neighborhood Advisory Group.

The Neighborhood Advisory Group is a monthly meeting for residents of Sacramento's Area 1 to discuss issues pertinent to residents and business owners in the area. It is a partnership between neighborhood leaders and the city's Neighborhood Services Department.

Monday’s meeting began with a brief speech from Mayor Kevin Johnson, followed by a question-and-answer period. Light on specifics, Johnson's speech focused on the idea of Sacramento as a city of neighborhoods, Johnson's commitment to making Sacramento a "world-class destination city," and his assertion that his administration would be responsive, transparent and accessible to citizens. Johnson committed himself to maintaining each neighborhood's distinct and unique character, saying that Sacramento's diversity was "a strength."

In the Q&A session following his speech, Johnson was asked about the centralization of homeless services in the Alkalai Flats neighborhoods, and the problems that it causes. He admitted that "there's a general consensus that there is an overconcentration of our homeless population in one area," and called for a regional approach to tackle the problem. Johnson also discussed the need to develop Sacramento's riverfront areas, mentioning the Railyards and Cal Expo as well, calling them "two of the biggest in-fill projects that could be developed anywhere in the country," and a tremendous opportunity for sustainable growth. He concluded the Q&A by calling for increased volunteerism among Sacramento citizens, encouraging them to use handsonsacto.org to coordinate their work.

Following Mayor Johnson, Lt. Mike Bray of the Sacramento Police Department presented the Area 1 Police Department activity report. He reported that the incidence of robberies had fallen by 10%. Bray announced "some great arrests" of several minors who had stolen cell phones, backpacks and laptops in the Downtown area, as well as the identification of a suspect in five burglaries also in the Downtown area. Bray urged residents to lock their doors and windows to "harden the target" against potential criminality.

After the police report, the meeting was opened to announcements from attendees. Residents were urged to attend a City Council meeting on the subject of a proposed streetcar system to connect West Sacramento and Downtown taking place next week. City Councilman Steve Cohn weighed in on the subject, saying the current plans would serve West Sacramento far more than Sacramento, and that they should be changed to be more useful for residents of the Midtown and Downtown neighborhoods.

The staff of the Finance Department spent much of the meeting presenting an update of the budget. They projected a 50 million dollar deficit, but Councilman Cohn said that half of the deficit could be managed by obtaining labor concessions, citing the decision by the Police Officer's Association to defer a five percent raise, which Cohn said allowed the Police Department to abstain from firing any officers. He went on to say that similar measures should be applied to other departments.

Director of Finance Leyne Milstein stated that "we are in the middle of a multi-year economic downturn," and that the city's capacity to generate revenue was limited by circumstances, with sales and property taxes both in decline. She proposed a "reduction-only budget," saying that Sacramento needed to "plan for the worst," hoping for concessions from unions to alleviate budget problems. She did note that city management was taking a one-day-a-month furlough.

Concerns were raised over the city's lack of adequate reserve funds to cope with crises, to which Milstein replied, "hindsight is 20/20," and "two years ago, no one saw [the housing crisis] coming." Sacramento had set up a reserve fund of 50 million, of which 10.5 million remains. Councilman Cohn commented that Sacramento was "prepared for a stormy day, even for a stormy year... but what we were not prepared for was a stormy decade." Despite the comments of Director Milstein and Councilman Cohn, one woman present said that "we were like a bunch of drunken sailors, spending every dime we had, and we overspent."

One suggestion Cohn had to ease budget troubles was the institution of a tax on parking in garages and pay-to park lots to generate revenue from visitors to the city, including those who work downtown but live elsewhere. Councilman Cohn said a tax of 10 percent would generate 15 to 20 million dollars, and suggested that it be presented to voters as a way to offset other taxes on city residents. Response to this suggestion was generally positive from those in attendance.

The March Neighborhood Advisory Group adjourned following the suggestion of the parking tax. Meetings are held on the third Monday of every month, with the next taking place on April 20 from 6:15 to 8:30 p.m. Meetings take place at the Hart Senior Center, 915 27th Street.

Pro-Gaza Protests At Robert T. Matsui Courthouse

2009-01-09T19:55:28Z

Approximately 100 Protesters chanting "Free Free Palestine" and holding large Palestinian, American, and UN flags assembled outside the Robert Matsui courthouse on the corner of 5th and I Streets yesterday, in the latest of a series of gatherings to protest the ongoing Israeli incursion into the Gaza Strip.

Protesters said they were there to raise awareness of the aggressive actions of Israel, and the US policy of support for Israel in the form of arms shipments. Naseer Abboushi, of the Palestinian - American Congress, said "We want a diplomatic solution to end the fighting and get a long- term solution. We believe that this can be achieved diplomatically."

Not all protesters were Palestinian or Muslim. Kimberly Wenz, who described herself as "a true Christian American," said that the situation in Gaza was "unacceptable," that "true Israelis care about Palestine," and pointed out the large disparity between the modern military of Israel and the "starving and homeless" population of Palestine. She was accompanied by James Gregory, a Native American who said he saw many similarities between the history of Palestine and that of the American Indians.

Other protesters, when asked, said that the protest was organized by word of mouth, and many of the protesters did seem to know each other. About half of those present looked to be under the age of 18 (much like the population of the Gaza strip, incidentally), and several were wearing sweatshirts from Al Arqam College Prep, a South Sacramento Islamic private school.

One man, who declined to be named, compared the situation in Gaza to that of the Jewish ghettoes in Poland during the Second World War.

Did any readers see the protest? Was anyone involved? What do you think about these demonstrations?

Sacramento's Tea Party protest

2009-04-16T04:47:51Z

Approximately 5,000 people gathered at the State Capitol Wednesday in a "Tax Day Tea Party" protest organizers said was aimed at fiscal irresponsibility in the form of Bailouts, the stimulus bill, increased taxation, and government waste. Speaking at the event were a mixture of media figures, politicians, and organizers, including State Representative Tom McClintock, talk radio hosts Mark Williams and Armstrong & Getty and others.

The protest officially started at noon, but the crowd began gathering long before that. Many of the protesters were not Sacramento residents, traveling from Roseville, Grass Valley and other surrounding towns to be heard. The size of the crowd necessitated a giant-screen television to let more people see the speakers.

While a few protesters dressed in costumes of Revolutionary War soldiers or carried boxes full of tea bags, many expressed their displeasure with government policy through handheld signs, with messages ranging from, "Don't Tax Me, Bro" to "I Am not your ATM" to "Liberalism=Communism." Many of those in the crowd carried signs decrying what they viewed as a government slide into either socialism, fascism, or both.

One woman present, who gave her name as Diane, said that the protests were "an opportunity to bring some information to people that don't follow the news, don't follow politics, show them what sort of state we're getting into." She went on to say that she favored less spending and lower taxes on smaller businesses.

Another protester who did not give a name said that the protests were for the generations of Americans who would have to pay off the deficit. "I don't want taxpayers paying for my grandkids, I want to take care of my own family," she said. "I'll be long dead, and you'll still be paying for these spending programs."

The protest was one of many across the country, and one of several attended by Fox News personalities. Neil Cavuto, host of the business news program Your World, hosted his show from the West Lawn of the State Capitol, in the midst of the crowd.

The Sacramento protest was organized by Mark Meckler, a local attorney and consultant. In addition to organizing, Meckler spoke at the event, calling those present patriots and stressing the importance of the Tea Party protests, calling them the "greatest citizens’ grass-roots movement in the history of the country."

Radio hosts Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty of the Armstrong and Getty show made numerous appearances at the podium over the course of the protest. They said attendees of the protests had been represented as wealthy "fat-cats," rather than average people. Getty described the crowd as being honest and hard-working, in contrast with the corporate recipients of government bailout funds.

While the speakers remained mostly focused on the theme of fiscal irresponsibility, many of those in the crowd promoted other messages, carrying signs or wearing T-shirts with anti-abortion slogans or religious messages. A small group of protesters were supporters of former Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul, while others handed out leaflets for causes as diverse as immigration reform, gun ownership and the abolition of the Federal Reserve.

Rep. Tom McClintock (R-4th District) remained on-message, saying, "You can't tax your way to prosperity," and, "The Obama budget relies on the biggest federal tax increase in our history."

McClintock cited California as an example of the failure of these policies, calling the state "a basket case." During his speech, the crowd frequently interrupted McClintock with chants of, "We've had enough."

Crime reporting at the touch of a button

2009-03-22T01:14:58Z

The Sacramento Police Department is urging citizens to use their cell phones to text information about crimes to the Sacramento Crime Alert program.

Citizens who see a crime and wish to inform police are instructed to text SACTIP and the details of their information to 274637, or CRIMES. Two-way conversation with an officer is possible, although it can be ended whenever the informer wants. Sacramento Police Sergeant Norm Leong said that no phone numbers were stored by the police department, and guaranteed privacy to anyone using the system.

The program is a way for people to anonymously inform law enforcement of illegal activity that they would otherwise be hesitant to reveal due to the fear of retribution. Rewards of up to $1,000 are offered to provide an incentive. In addition to texting, the Crime Alert program can be reached by calling either 443-HELP or 1-800-AA-CRIME, and by using the Webtips program to submit information online.

Sergeant Leong said that extending the Crime Alert system to include texting would hopefully encourage young people and others distrustful of police to become more involved with the process of keeping their neighborhoods safe.

The Sacramento Crime Alert website can be found here.

City's response to 10th and K development project comments

2009-03-20T04:19:17Z

Maurice Chaney, Public Information Officer for the City of Sacramento, had this to say in response to comments made by Cline Moore and Jim Knapp of the Build America nonprofit organization.

"In terms of the money that will be used to fund the 10th and K development, I think it's important to clarify that the Sheraton Hotel proceeds are legally obligated to David S. Taylor Interests and the CIM Group, and can only be used for downtown development projects.

"The City believes that this project builds on the momentum and number of investments made downtown, including the Citizen Hotel, the Crest, Ella’s, the Cosmopolitan, and Marilyn’s. The development of 1012-1022 K Street not only reinforces these investments, but will compliment business activity in Midtown.

With regard to the cost, the City of Sacramento is providing $5.7 million in assistance for the project; not $10 million as mentioned.

"It’s important to remember that the City of Sacramento did its due diligence as part of this project proposal. It met with many stakeholders and other interested parties, including the midtown businesses, over several months to ensure that full participation and outreach was conducted to understand the issues and concerns. Prior to the council meeting, an accord was made, whereby the Mayor, Councilmember Tretheway and several midtown businesses and restaurateurs agreed to move ahead with this project.

"As part of the provision of the agreement, it was agreed that a marketing campaign between the Midtown Business Association, the Downtown Sacramento Partnership and the Convention and Visitors Bureau be developed and implemented to effectively market Midtown and central city businesses. Additionally, the city has agreed to match the private dollars generated towards this effort."

Sacramento: Energy-efficient light bulb capitol of the nation

2009-04-01T02:12:29Z

According to a study conducted by the plastics manufacturer Nalgene, Sacramento leads the nation in the use of energy-efficient light bulbs.

The study, called America's Least Wasteful Cities, questioned 3,750 people living in America's 25 largest cities. Participants were asked about how much garbage their households generated, their shopping and transportation habits, and other sustainable behaviors.

Mayor Kevin Johnson said, "I'm proud that Sacramento tops the list in using energy-efficient light bulbs but there's still plenty more work to be done to move us up the list in other categories. Particularly with the challenging economic conditions we're in, we should not reduce our efforts to reuse and recycle."

Besides being number one in the use of energy-efficient light bulbs, Sacramento also received high marks in the purchase of bulk foods to avoid extra packaging, and choosing not to drive for short trips.

Sacramento received its lowest scores in the amounts of garbage its homes generated and the reuse of Ziploc bags and tinfoil.

Out of the 25 cities, Sacramento was ranked 17th overall, after Cleveland but before Miami. San Francisco captured the number one spot, while Atlanta was ranked last.

The study concluded that while many Americans were making small changes, like turning off lights and saving food to make their routines less wasteful, larger steps were generally not being adopted. The study recommended that more Americans air-dry their clothes instead of using electric dryers, take public transportation, and use rain barrels to conserve water.

The full study can be found here.

What do Sacramento Press readers do to conserve?

Community organizers demand oversight of stimulus funds

2009-03-20T04:24:32Z

Community Organizers called for increased oversight of the spending of national stimulus funds in Sacramento this Wednesday at the Green Living Center in Sacramento's Boulevard Park neighborhood. The organizers were a small group of real estate developers, members of nonprofit organizations, and others who had gathered to discuss the formation of the Economic Opportunity Commission, a group devoted to using funds provided by the stimulus to develop Sacramento's poorer neighborhoods.

Jim Knapp, a longtime community organizer and Director of Development at the nonprofit organization Build America, said that such an organization was necessary to combat corruption in the city's handling of stimulus funds. Knapp inveighed against the close connections large developers have with city government, saying that it allowed graft and criminal circumvention of regulation on a large scale. He said that a small group of developers, including David Taylor and Angelo Tsakopoulos, had become billionaires over the past two decades by exploiting their connections to city government.

Knapp called a recent city council decision to give David Taylor $10 million dollars for the construction of three bars on K street "obscene." He went on to say, "We can't get them (the city council) to allocate money for homeless services, for transitional housing, for neighborhood job programs, for youth, but they will give $10 million dollars of redevelopment money away for bars."

Cline Moore, a local businessman and Executive Director of Build America, also commented on this decision, saying that it "takes normal market forces out of the picture and says, this person gets a hand up, a favor, because he's the city's golden boy." He described the city council as a "rubber stamp" that ignored the opposition from local business owners to the subsidy of Taylor's developments.

Both Knapp and Moore stressed the importance of keeping political pressure on the city government, saying that the EOC would be committed to "keeping their feet to the fire," to prevent further abuse of power by the council and others.

Moore said that the EOC would be an inclusionary group that would include green building firms, youth groups, homeless programs, elder care, and other interests. By combining these interests to lobby together, Moore says said they would be more effective at creating sustainable urban development guided by "a policy-driven, research-based plan."

According to Moore, "Sacramento is one of the regions hardest -hit by the housing crisis." He cited the hundreds of foreclosed and vacant properties in the Oak Park, Del Paso Heights, and South Natomas neighborhoods and went on to say, "These areas have been targeted for rehabilitation by SHRA." However, Moore then said that the SHRA plan neglected several vital issues related to what he called "neighborhood stabilization," a key phrase at the meeting.

Moore said "Neighborhood stabilization is not just about building houses, not just about putting up frames and selling them to speculators. Neighborhood stabilization is about lowering crime rates, increasing property values," and creating a close-knit business friendly community with a solid infrastructure.

The meeting was also addressed by former California Secretary of Health and Human Development Grantland Johnson. Johnson cautioned against focusing too much on one issue, saying, "if you're focused on one issue, that's OK, but it's hard to sustain, it's hard to make other people see what your common, underlying interests are." He also said that the overriding issue in Sacramento politics today was "a lack of transparency and forthrightness when it comes to public policy," an opinion shared by many of the meeting's other attendants.

At the meeting's conclusion, Moore reiterated the importance of quick action, saying "We are never going to get an opportunity like this again. We are never going to get these gifts from the government again, free money to do the right thing, and if we let these developers come in and build another martini bar, we'll just be scraping by with whatever crumbs are left."

Responses were solicited from the offices of Angelo Tsakopoulos and David Taylor, however as of press time no comments have been received. Maurice Chaney, Public Information Officer for the City, did release a response to the comments made by Moore and Knapp about Taylor's K street developments, saying "It’s important to remember that the City of Sacramento did its due diligence as part of this project proposal. It met with many stakeholders and other interested parties, including the midtown businesses, over several months to ensure that full participation and outreach was conducted to understand the issues and concerns." The full text of Chaney's response can be found here.

Creek Week

2009-04-18T05:05:56Z

As pleasant springtime weather becomes more and more common, many Sacramento residents head outside for relaxation and fun, especially to city waterways. This Friday, April 17, marks the begining of Creek Week, an event intended to make sure those waterways are still serviceable.

Creek Week is an event sponsored and organized by the Sacramento Area Creeks Council, to draw attention to the condition of Sacramento's creeks. A week of activities, including tours of the Mather Field vernal pools and a "river-friendly" landscaping workshop, culminates in a day of volunteer cleanup work on Saturday, April 25.

The Creeks Council emphasizes the benefits of well-maintained creeks, citing their usefulness as a source of drinking water, flood control and relaxation spots.

Alta Tura, President of the Creeks Council, said that the primary goal of Creek Week was "to give everybody in the community the opportunity to do some service work, to clean up man-made garbage out of our urban creeks."

Tura said that the volunteers would be working mainly on Steelhead Creek, Arcade Creek and the American River, but efforts would also be made in various other local streams. Cleanup work will entail the removal of garbage and recyclable materials, in addition to targeting Red Sesbania, an invasive plant, for removal, and planting native flora.

After their work, volunteers are encouraged to gather at American River College for a celebration of clean creeks. Free food and drink will be provided, and attendees can participate in a number of activities, from interactive exhibits about creek health to a "junk and gunk" sculpture contest where contestants will be judged on art made from garbage and recyclables pulled from creeks. Prizes will be awarded by a panel of judges to the best sculpture.

Readers looking for more information on events, or on how to sign up for volunteer work, should visit creekweek.net.

Sacramento Union stops publication

2009-03-10T22:07:21Z

After two and a half years in its latest incarnation as a weekly news magazine, the Sacramento Union has ceased publication once again.

In a statement to Union readers, editor-in-chief James Dutra blamed the closure on "the difficulties so many local businesses are encountering," likely a reference to the economic hardships imposed by the global recession.

The closure of the Union comes amidst news of further cuts and layoffs at the Sacramento Bee, fueling concern among newspaper employees over the industry's future.

The Union, which was originally founded in 1851, was published as a daily newspaper until its closure in 1994. When it resumed operations in 2006, it was a changed publication. Eschewing the traditional daily paper format that had proven uncompetitive against the Bee, the new Union was published as a free weekly news magazine, much like the Sacramento News & Review.

For much of its history, the Union was regarded as a conservative news source. From 1977 to 1989 it was owned by billionaire publisher Richard Mellon Scaife, a member and financier for many conservative organizations, like the Heritage Foundation and the Hoover Institute. More recently, the Union was edited by Joseph Farah, who would later found World Net Daily, a rightward-leaning news and commentary website.

Tea Party Protest at the Capitol

2009-08-29T03:12:59Z

About 1,500 people gathered on the west steps of the State Capitol Friday afternoon to express their anger with state environmental regulations, which they said were responsible for increased unemployment in the state.

Present at the event were talk radio hosts Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty, Congressman Tom McClintock and Mark Meckler, head of the Sacramento Tea Party Patriots and the event's organizer, as well as several business owners and a representative from the National Tea Party Patriots organization.

In addition to the protesters on the west steps, many tractors, big rigs and other trucks carrying signs and honking in support of the protest were on the streets around the Capitol.

Speakers at the event condemned state laws designed to protect threatened species of fish by reserving portions of the water supply, saying that the laws would ruin productive farmland and put farmers in the San Joaquin valley out of business. They also spoke against government regulation in general, with Meckler leading the crowd in chants of "Government is the problem," and "No more government." Speakers also cited the impact that environmental regulation has had on the timber and mining industries as evidence in favor of deregulation. Environmentalists were characterized as radicals who did not speak for the population, with one speaker saying, "Today's environmentalists were yesterday's communists."

Environmental regulation was not the only topic addressed – several speakers also inveighed against health care reform, calling it socialism, and congratulating the protesters and attendees of town hall meetings for slowing down any changes.

Members of the crowd carried signs reading "Farm water = jobs," and "If you like foreign oil, you'll love foreign food." Others carried posters calling the Obama administration communist, describing the United States as a Christian nation and advocating the deportation of illegal immigrants.

Also present at the event were representatives of the American Independent Party, the John Birch society and many other causes, including tort reform, tax relief and the legalization of marijuana.

The Tea Party Patriots organization also organized national protests on April 14, calling them 'Tax Day Tea Parties.' Many of Friday's speakers were also present at Sacramento's Tax Day Tea Party protest. While Friday's demonstration was not national, the group is planning another round of nationwide protests on Sept. 12, with a march on Washington, D.C., as the day's centerpiece.

The California Republican and Democratic parties were contacted, but as of press time neither had responded with a statement on the protest.

Photos courtesy of Ed Fogle, Maverick Photography www.maverickphotography.us.

City to use stimulus funds for street repaving

2009-03-26T04:15:07Z

Five Sacramento streets will be resurfaced with money provided by the federal economic stimulus package, according to a press release from the Department of Transportation.

The streets to receive the overlays will be:

Truxel Road, from Del Paso Road to Gateway Park Boulevard
Arena Boulevard, from East Commerce Way to Gateway Park Boulevard
Arden Way, from Del Paso Boulevard to Evergreen Street
Florin Road, from 24th Street to Franklin Boulevard
Calvine Road, from Franklin Boulevard to Bruceville Road

Bids for the project, which is expected to cost $8.1 million, will be posted in late May. Work is anticipated to start in late June.

Additionally, the following streets will also be resurfaced should the city be awarded additional stimulus funds:

San Juan Road, from Azevedo Drive to Zenobia Way
T Street, from 16th Street to 30th Street
14th Avenue, from 65th Street to Power Inn Road
El Camino Avenue, from East Levee Road to Business Loop 80

In addition, the Department of Transportation has announced four streets targeted for the annual overlay program. This work will be paid for by the half-cent sales tax enacted by Measure A.

Arden Way, eastbound only, from Ethan Way to the railroad track bridge deck, just past Blumenfeld Drive
T Street, from 30th Street to 34th Street
Riverside Boulevard, from Park Riviera Way to Deer River Way
Intersection of Stockton Boulevard & Broadway, 600 feet in each direction

Further information can be found at the Department of Transportation's website.

Inquiries made by the Sacramento Press to the city about how long the roads had been waiting for resurfacing and the safety benefits provided by resurfacing roads were unanswered as of press time. Updates will be posted should any further information be received.