Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson has not been deterred by two court rulings that prevent his strong mayor initiative from being placed on the June ballot. His latest strategy is to ask the City Council to place a new strong mayor proposal on the ballot. But Johnson’s new plan, which he announced on his blog Monday afternoon, cannot include the existing strong mayor initiative. That's because Sacramento Superior Court Judge Loren McMaster struck down the initiative last month, saying it broke state law. Johnson's blog entry does not explain the components of his new proposal. He described his new plan as a "collaborative executive mayor reform package." Joaquin McPeek, Johnson's spokesman,

In a day of twists and turns for the strong mayor initiative, the biggest event was summed up in five words: “Petition summarily denied by order." The 3rd District Court of Appeal earlier today published a ruling that prevents the measure from being placed on the June ballot. This means the Court of Appeal chose not to temporarily halt the Sacramento Superior Court decision that struck down the initiative. “I’m very disappointed by the decision, and that’s putting it mildly," Mayor Kevin Johnson said in a press statement. "At the same time, I’m inspired like never before to fight for the people of Sacramento. Today, citizens have been denied their right to vote and accountability has b