Local community activist Steve Hansen announced Thursday that he will run for City Council in 2012, seeking the District 4 council seat currently held by Councilman Rob Fong, who announced Wednesday that he will not seek another term. At the moment, he is the only horse on the track for District 4, but Hansen said he knows others may join the race. The lack of – or potential for – other candidates wasn’t part of his decision to run, however. “I decided to run regardless of other potential candidates,” Hansen said. “I think competition is a good thing, and I hope for a constructive conversation during the race.” Hansen, 32, is a senior regional manager at Genentech, a biotech company, a

In an unusual move, the Sacramento Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO began its endorsement process for upcoming Sacramento City Council races four months earlier than in previous election cycles – this time, eight months ahead of the June 2012 elections. “The redistricting process stirred up a lot of interest in people, especially about who is running the city,” said Bill Camp, labor council executive secretary. “If people are interested, that makes this the best time to endorse (candidates).” As part of the labor group’s stated goal of “promoting a voice for workers through active participation in the political process,” the labor council endorses candidates for office in every election ye

The redistricting process became more complicated at Tuesday night’s City Council meeting as new maps were introduced and ethics accusations levelled. Councilwoman Sandy Sheedy called the integrity of the Citizens Advisory Redistricting Committee into question after finding out one of the committee members anonymously submitted a map. In a move Mayor Kevin Johnson called disappointing, both Sheedy and Councilman Steve Cohn submitted their own maps, adding to the final four recommended by the citizens committee. One of the final four maps recommended by the committee was listed as having an anonymous author, but it was revealed in the past few days that it was drawn by Steve Hansen, one

The Sacramento Redistricting Citizens Advisory Committee finalized its choice of four maps to present to the City Council and began discussion of suggestions for modifications. With council members on summer recess, the Citizens Advisory Committee worked independently at its Monday meeting on choosing the four maps and discussing the district line modifications to be chosen by the council July 13. “Bringing three to five maps to the council is what this committee was striving to do,” said Scot Mende, principal planner. “I’m very pleased to see it progressing.” The committee began its redistricting process on April 25, facing the challenge of choosing from 37 maps submitted. The committ

The City Council has appointed nine of the 13 members of the citizens’ advisory committee on redistricting. Each council member and the mayor selected one committee member. City Clerk Shirley Concolino announced the appointees at Tuesday’s City Council meeting. Their names are listed below. U.S. Census data helps shape the redistricting process, which occurs each decade. When new lines are drawn, each district should have the same number of people, according to city staff. In a Jan. 18 report, city staffers wrote that the following elements will be assessed in the redistricting process: topography, geography, cohesiveness, continuity, “integrity and compactness of territory,” community

Sacramento starts 2011 with a new governor and many projects in the works. With the new year comes the opportunity for a fresh start, and many make New Year's resolutions to avoid past mistakes or better themselves in some way. We asked Sacramentans to share their resolutions with us. If you have one you'd like to share, add it to the comment thread below.  Janet Whalen Zeller, founder and co-director of Soil Born Farms: "To remember, moment by moment, that the life I want to live is the life I am creating now. To create positive change in our community by participating in the creation of a local food system that makes healthy food accessible to all."   Gerald Celestine, (pictured rig

The local police union is reviving an effort to create a “strong mayor” form of government in the city, according to Det. Mark Tyndale, vice president of the Sacramento Police Officers Association. Tyndale said in an interview on Monday that SPOA is “actively talking” to other groups on how to move an effort forward. SPOA is in discussions with the Sacramento Metro Chamber, Sacramento Area Fire Fighters Local 522 and the Sacramento 60, a group of powerful business leaders, Tyndale said. Sacramento 60 and the Sacramento Metro Chamber backed last summer’s strong mayor proposal. The City Council and interest groups for and against a strong mayor government fought bitterly over previous cam

A prominent labor group in the Sacramento region has endorsed Mayor Christopher Cabaldon’s opponent, Greg Potnick, in the West Sacramento mayoral race. The Sacramento Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO, this week endorsed Potnick to become the city’s mayor. Potnick, a former City Council member of 12 years, said he will advocate for working families as part of his campaign. “I’ve been a union member and supporter my entire life,” Potnick said. Cabaldon said Wednesday that he had not yet heard from the labor council on its decision. He said he did not want to comment until he talked to the labor council and learned why it endorsed Potnick. Bill Camp, the executive secretary of the labor cou

A proposed measure to tax Sacramento property owners to pay for youth job training was derailed Tuesday night. Councilman Ray Tretheway removed the proposal from the City Council’s agenda, which means that it won’t be placed on the November ballot. Tretheway told reporters after Tuesday’s meeting he removed the plan from the agenda because council members were not interested in advancing it to the ballot. The City Council faced a Tuesday night deadline to move the proposal onto the ballot in November. “I think that the respect for the process trumped what I believe is a chronic problem of lack of resources and investment in our youth.” Tretheway said he thought his colleagues were conc

Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson has released a new chart on his “strong mayor” proposal, which includes plans for changes to the city budget and the veto powers of the mayor’s office. But local labor leader Bill Camp is saying the chart should not be considered a draft of Johnson's proposal. Johnson is referring to the new chart as a draft proposal, while Camp said it contains "ideas that we ought to talk about." In the lawsuit over the first strong mayor proposal, Camp was the plaintiff.  The City Council will weigh in on Johnson’s new plan June 15. Johnson’s office hopes the City Council will vote in mid-July to place the new proposal on the November ballot. Read Johnson’s new chart on

The accusations are flying at City Hall. Councilman Ray Tretheway is accusing Mayor Kevin Johnson of quid pro quo in his endorsement process, while Johnson’s Special Assistant R.E. Graswich said that Tretheway’s allegations are lies. Tretheway held a press conference Wednesday to announce that some of Johnson’s most influential supporters told him that if he voted to place a strong mayor proposal on the November ballot, then Johnson would endorse him. Johnson has endorsed Tretheway’s opponent Angelique Ashby. “Threats and quid pro quo offers may be commonplace these days,” Tretheway said, “but I want no part of it.” Tretheway named names at the press conference. He said the following

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,

A prominent supporter of the strong mayor initiative has appealed a Sacramento County Superior Court judge’s decision to ban the initiative from the June ballot. Thomas Hiltachk, the attorney who wrote the initiative, appealed Judge Loren McMaster’s ruling on Monday to the Third District Court of Appeal. In the strong mayor government outlined in the initiative, the mayor would assume the city manager’s powers and create the city budget. Mayor Kevin Johnson has led efforts to put the measure on the ballot. "We expect that the Appellate Court will side with the people," Hiltachk said in a press release Monday afternoon. In December, Bill Camp challenged the initiative in Sacramento Coun

Developments affecting Mayor Kevin Johnson’s strong mayor initiative have been highly controversial and complex. Several entities have weighed in on the initiative, including the Sacramento City Council, the Sacramento County Superior Court and the Sacramento Charter Review Committee. Government officials, attorneys and citizens have interpreted the initiative in a variety of ways. Here’s a road map to make sense of some of the key events in the strong mayor debate: Johnson’s Day One Plan: Before taking office, Johnson promotes a strong mayor form of government in his “Day One” plan. An executive mayor system would mean that one leader would be accountable, Johnson says. “Explore a cha

A lawyer defending the “strong mayor” initiative made arguments Friday in an effort to convince a judge to throw out a draft ruling against the initiative. Judge Loren McMaster heard arguments from lawyers representing the plaintiff and defendants at Sacramento County Superior Court but did not issue a final ruling Friday. McMaster did not announce when he would release his final decision. He issued a tentative ruling Thursday that said the initiative should not be placed on the June ballot. Bill Camp is the plaintiff who is challenging the initiative through a lawsuit. Camp, the executive secretary of the Sacramento Central Labor Council, filed the lawsuit as an individual.  The defend

The union that represents Sacramento police officers is supporting Mayor Kevin Johnson’s “strong mayor” initiative, saying it would give the mayor the power to guarantee sufficient public safety funding. Meanwhile, Bill Camp, the plaintiff who challenged the initiative in a Dec. 1 lawsuit, said a strong mayor form of government could lead to job insecurity for police department employees who are not represented by unions. Camp is the executive secretary of the Sacramento Central Labor Council. He filed the lawsuit as a private citizen. Sacramento residents will vote on the initiative on June 10. The initiative would give the mayor many new powers and would change the city’s existing coun

A measure to provide funding for jobs and other services for young people in Sacramento has been proposed for an upcoming ballot. The funding for youth would come from a $29 annual tax on parcels of property in the city, which would be paid by property owners. The Youth Jobs and Opportunity Act is endorsed by the Sacramento Central Labor Council, said Bill Camp, the council’s executive secretary. The proposal was filed with the City Clerk's office Dec. 22. “We’ll come out of this recession,” Camp said. “The point is: Do we come out of it with young people prepared to go after the jobs that are going to be created in this new economy?” The proposed initiative aims to deliver services to

When a group of opponents to the “strong mayor” initiative talked to reporters earlier this month, a spontaneous debate over the initiative took place between two local veteran politicos. Steve Maviglio, public affairs consultant and Mayor Kevin Johnson’s unpaid spokesman, sparred with Phil Giarrizzo, a political consultant who is working for the camp that opposes the strong mayor initiative. Johnson, who leads the campaign for the initiative, would attain new powers if it passes. He would assume the duties of the city manager and create the city’s budget, among other responsibilities. Johnson's campaign says that more than 50,000 people signed petitions to put the initiative on the ball

Sacramento residents can read the new lawsuit challenging the strong mayor initiative here. Bill Camp, executive secretary of the Sacramento Central Labor Council, is the plaintiff who is suing the city government, the City Council and Thomas Hiltachk, the attorney who wrote the strong mayor initiative. Mayor Kevin Johnson, who leads the initiative campaign, would have many new responsibilities if voters approve the initiative. In a strong mayor position, Johnson would attain the responsibilities of the city manager and create the city’s budget. The city currently uses a council/manager system. City Manager Ray Kerridge’s many powers include the ability to draft recommendations for the

In a sign that the opposing camp to the “strong mayor” initiative has significant union support, three local union leaders turned out for a Tuesday press conference to support a new lawsuit against the initiative.  The group SAVE Sacramento, which is chaired by local union leader Matt Kelly, is publicizing a lawsuit that aims to take the strong mayor initiative off the June 2010 ballot.   The plaintiff in the lawsuit is Bill Camp, the executive secretary of the Sacramento Central Labor Council. Camp filed the lawsuit as a private citizen — he is not representing the labor council in the legal battle. The defendants named in the lawsuit are the city of Sacramento, the Sacramento City Counc