Around this time last year, I came at you with the top ten concerts of 2010 – and oh boy, were there some gems on that list. 2011 was also a fine year for concerts here in Sactown (Davis Music Festival, Dawes, Trampled By Turtles, the Silent Comedy, Blind Pilot, etc.), but right about now, I feel like I might go all Ndamokung Suh on the next “2011 Year in Review” list I happen across. Seriously, at this point we could probably put together a Ten Worst Ten Worst Lists List. So, here’s a better idea: Let’s look ahead to some 2012 concerts on the books that you can’t afford to miss. Because guess what, our calendar is loaded heading into the New Year. (Yes, a ton of these shows are at Harl

Sacramento’s city and county governments confronted grim budget situations throughout 2010. The city faced a $43 million budget gap, while the county struggled with a $181 million hole. Local government employees felt the pain of budget cuts: Sacramento County laid off about 380 employees during the summer. The county also slashed 29 positions in its engineering department in September. The county will no longer hire engineers for those spots. City officials laid off 12 workers represented by Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 447, city spokeswoman Amy Williams said in September. The layoffs occurred after talks between the city and the union failed. However, the city’s job loss situation

Gina Knepp has worked in high-stress city government jobs for more than two decades. But even though she spent nearly 20 years at the city’s 911 call center and now heads the 311 call center, her sense of humor remains intact. Knepp, 48, is the division manager of 311. She reflects her humor in certain activities – designating a day to wear tin foil hats – and in her office décor, which includes a sign that reads: “Dumb should hurt.” The 311 center, which handles a wide variety of queries about city services, has lost about 65 percent of its budget to cuts in the last couple years, she said. Though her division is understaffed and 311’s budget is tight, Knepp conveyed great enthusiasm a

New budget cuts will cause the city’s popular 311 call service to shut down for all requests except emergencies for two Fridays per month, according to city officials. The budget cuts result from the new contract for union employees represented by Stationary Engineers Local 39. As part of the union’s deal with the city, each member of Local 39 must take 88 hours of furlough time in the 2010/2011 fiscal year, and 96 furlough hours in the following fiscal year. Some of the union’s members work for 311, and they will be on furlough the two Fridays each month, according to city spokeswoman Amy Williams.  The call center’s new schedule with furloughs starts Sept. 17. “We are unfortunately as

 In an abandoned corner of City Hall that formerly housed the planning department, four auditors are digging for information about the city’s rules and finances. Jorge Oseguera, the new city auditor, has narrowed down the top four areas of municipal government he will investigate first: the city’s health benefits, citywide policies, revenue collections and the vehicle fleet. In addition to those audits, he has four more in the hopper. The next set of audits will cover the city’s 311 information center, purchase cards, fire inspection fees and the city’s sidewalk repair process. The City Council gave Oseguera permission to move ahead with the audits in June. Oseguera said his goal is to

 "The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes." -- Marcel Proust "Victim trees are located outside, near to or within a block of bars and nightclubs. The damage consists of twisting, cutting them in half or breaking off at any point newly planted trees of all species, ripping out the stakes and battering the trees and trying to break a tree by bending it over so far that it damaged the root system so much it could not stand straight without city arborists’ attention and help." -- Tree Vandalism, Dale Kooyman http://www.sacramentopress.com/headline/27950/Tree_Vandalism Photos: 1. Vandalized tree. 2. Stunted growth of vandalized tree. 3. Grow

Mark Tyndale, vice president of the Sacramento Police Officers Association, sent the following statement to media outlets Tuesday: My concerns regarding the ethics of Dan Roth from Councilmember Tretheway’s Office continue grow as it seems he is weaving a series of dishonest explanations to justify his behavior on the morning of Friday, April 9th. On the YouTube video, he is with Tretheway’s campaign manager from Capitol Campaigns, Corin Choppin, as he pulls Angelique Ashby’s political signs out of the ground and throws them behind the bushes. Apparently, Corin is not only Tretheway’s campaign manager, but is also married to Tretheway’s Chief of Staff, Randi Kay Stevens.  It seems that R

Choosing bins for green waste instead of on-the-street pickup saves each eligible resident $3 per month. But if residents want to put their green waste into bins instead of on the street for pickup, it’s not guaranteed they’ll receive bins from the city. That’s because the city is using two separate green-waste pickup systems and bins are not currently available to all residents. However, residents can use the following information to encourage the city to bring bins to their neighborhood. How do I tell the city I want to use bins? Call 311 to inform the city that you want to put your green waste in containers, Utilities Department spokeswoman Jessica Hess said. You can also make a requ

When the Utilities Department recently explored changes to Sacramento’s green waste pickup system, some residents expressed intense opposition to scrapping on-the-street pickup. They said they prefer that method to the use of bins. The city's current methods of green waste pickup are on-the-street pickup and a voluntary bin system. Councilman Steve Cohn and a staffer for Councilman Rob Fong said recently that they support giving all residents the choice of bins over on-the-street pickup. Residents can continue on-the-street pickup and the following information will help. How to opt-out A city employee may leave a green waste bin at your house if your neighborhood has been selected for

I love the rain. It reminds me that we are heading toward a cozy and pleasant time of year. And it sure has rained in the last couple of days. So much so that not 50 feet from my front door, I've witnessed the first flood of the year. Admittedly that flood is just a stopped up storm drain, but it reminds me of all the floods we have had in Sacramento and makes me feel at home. Beyond the fun of a few stopped storm drains, the current weather has allowed me to test out a new service available in Sacramento, 311. This was my first call to 311 and it was by and large a great success. A chipper person answered the phone and I was able to find out that the city of Sacramento already has peopl