Eye on Sacramento, a nonprofit Sacramento-based government watchdog organization, has recently been launched in the city of Sacramento to maintain a watchful eye on the policies and actions of the city government. “We formed EOS because we believe that too little attention is paid to the broad public interest and too much attention is paid to special interests,” said EOS President Craig Powell. “The public has little inside knowledge of what really goes on in city government. We hope to change that.” “Eye on Sacramento was started by a core group of about nine people who were active in the Campaign for Common Sense Utilities Rates (the group that sponsored Measure B on the November 2010

Sacramento residents won't see monthly utility rates drop next summer after voters overwhelmingly rejected Measure B at the polls Tuesday. The initiative to roll back the city's rates for water, garbage and sewer services was failing by more than two to one late Tuesday night. With 287 out of 355 precincts counted, 41,328 – or 68 percent – of voters chose to stick with higher fees as of 10:55 p.m. More than 19,000 voters, or nearly 32 percent, had voted for the Utilities Rate Hike Roll Back Act of 2010 sponsored by the Sacramento County Taxpayers League, according to Sacramento County's elections department. The measure's opponents believe a rate decrease would have been a "risky approa

A fight over campaign signs broke out Tuesday between supporters and opponents of a measure to cut city utilities rates. The group that backs Measure B sent out a news release that claimed campaign signs have been stolen and hidden in Natomas. Measure B would cancel a 9.2 percent utilities hike that started in July, and connect the Consumer Price Index to utilities rates. Craig Powell, chair of the group that supports Measure B, accused the measure’s opponents of stealing 30 signs and hiding 27 others behind other signs. Powell claimed that his group’s signs are hidden from view because “No on B” signs have been installed in front of them. He further claimed that the problems with the

   In a rather blatant effort to suppress a campaign message, opponents of Sacramento’s "Yes on Measure B" campaign" - also known as the Utilities Rate Rollback Initiative - have been engaging in wholesale theft and obscuring of campaign signs of the "Yes on Measure B" campaign in North and South Natomas, the same area as an infamous sign theft incident this past June involving campaign operatives of Natomas Councilmember Ray Tretheway.    At an 11:00 a.m. press conference today at the intersection of Del Paso Rd. and Natomas Blvd covered by local TV stations, "Yes on Measure B" campaign chair Craig Powell detailed the theft and/or cover-up of nearly 60 yard signs displayed in the Natomas

Mayor Kevin Johnson released his endorsements for several Nov. 2 political races on Friday. He named his candidates in local, state and federal elections in a post on his blog.  In the Sacramento City Council runoff in District 5, Johnson endorsed education policy consultant Jay Schenirer. He had endorsed Schenirer for the first time in May, when the City Council candidate was running against four other candidates. Schenirer is competing against attorney Patrick Kennedy in the November runoff. The winning candidate will replace current City Councilwoman Lauren Hammond. Johnson decided not to endorse a candidate in the District 7 runoff. Ryan Chin, a communications director at Sacramento

Two Sacramento City Councilmen are leading a campaign against a November ballot measure that would overturn a 9.2 percent utilities rate increase.  Councilmen Kevin McCarty and Steve Cohn are heading the recently formed campaign to oppose Measure B, the Utilities Rate Rollback Act of 2010. Opponents also created the No on Measure B committee to raise funds for its efforts. “We don’t think (Measure B) is a good idea for the city of Sacramento,” McCarty said Tuesday. “The bottom line is, it’s going to blow a big hole in our budget.” The 9.2 percent utilities rate hike began July 1. Council members approved the increase last year. Measure B would eliminate that rate hike and also link cit

A citizen’s group that advises the Sacramento City Council on utilities rates voted to oppose a November ballot measure that would reverse a 9.2 percent rate hike. Four of the seven members of the Utilities Rate Advisory Commission voted to recommend that the City Council oppose Measure B, the Utilities Rate Rollback Act of 2010. Commissioners Melvin Johnson and Tess Kretschmann were absent from the meeting. Commissioner Ernest Lehr abstained from the vote after saying he had “many problems with the rate-setting process.” He criticized the Department of Utilities’ budgeting practices. The City Council voted to increase rates on residents’ utilities bills last year, and the 9.2 percent s

Some Sacramento City Council members say the city could be harmed if voters halt California’s global warming law in November. A handful of council members have publicly opposed Proposition 23, a ballot measure that would block state regulations relating to global warming.  Backers of Prop. 23 want to freeze AB 32, the state’s global warming law, arguing that it hurts businesses in California. When the state’s unemployment rate drops to 5.5 percent or lower over four continuous quarters, AB 32 would go into effect again, the ballot measure states. The title of the measure is the “California Jobs Initiative.” The state’s unemployment rate was 12.3 percent in June, according to the federal

A controversial ballot measure to halt a 9.2 percent city utilities rate hike is causing tension between city staffers and backers of the measure. Two local groups, the Sacramento County Taxpayers League and the Campaign for Common Sense Utilities Rates, have gathered signatures to put an initiative on the Nov. 2 ballot that would stop the rate hike. The Sacramento County Registrar has found that 5,420 signatures presented by the groups were credible, according to a June 22 report from the Utilities Department. The registrar required proof of 5,420 legitimate signatures to place the measure on the ballot. The City Council voted to increase rates on residents’ utilities bills last year, a

A group of 90 residents who are afraid of further budget cuts to city parks gathered Saturday at Land Park to take maintenance chores into their own hands. Neighborhood activists recently formed the Land Park Volunteer Corps, which met at the park to trim bushes and beautify the grounds, according to Craig Powell, coordinator of the group. “We’re doing our part in the community,” Powell said. “We’re responding with what we can do.” The city is struggling with a $43 million budget gap for its 2010/2011 fiscal year. Powell said he is concerned that city parks may face a third consecutive year of extensive budget cuts. Parks were hit with $8.3 million in cuts during the 2009/2010 budget p

A local group that watches public funds hopes to take its complaints over utilities rates to the polls.  The Sacramento County Taxpayers League's new ballot proposal seeks to stop a 9.2 percent city utilities rate increase scheduled to start in July.  The proposal follows a Jan. 6 grand jury report saying that the city’s use of utilities funds may conflict with Proposition 218, a state law that dictates how city funds should be used.  The grand jury report claims that money collected from residents' utility bills may have been used to fund other municipal programs. Prop. 218 states that cities can use funds from utilities bills in one way: to cover the costs of delivering utilities servi

A committee recommending that the city maintain its current City Council/city manager system is taking its ideas to the public in a series of town hall meetings. The Charter Review Committee’s draft recommendations object to the “strong mayor” system that is being proposed in a 2010 ballot initiative. The committee’s nine town hall meetings will be held at various locations from Sept. 23 to Oct. 15. Each meeting will be held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. The locations are listed at the end of this story. While the committee has been receiving public input, members now are reaching tentative decisions that they want to explore with the community, said Bill Edgar, Charter Review Committee chairma

The heated debate over the “strong mayor” initiative drew a substantial crowd to Thursday’s City Council meeting. A total of 36 people filled out forms in order to speak on the strong mayor issue. The following comments from nine speakers provide a range of views about the initiative. Tamie Dramer, Wellstone Progressive Democrats of Sacramento: “I am president of the Wellstone Progressive Democrats of Sacramento, which has, as a body, voted to take an opposing position to the intiative. [We] are especially opposed to bring such an initiative during the middle of the mayor’s term.... The way this initiative campaign has been run has made a lot of people uncomfortable.” Thomas Hiltachk, At

A group of residents is continuing a campaign against proposed budget cuts to local parks after city staffers this week did not support the group’s proposals. The group, called Rescue Sacramento Parks, has pitched the City Council several proposals to sustain parks services as the city addresses its projected $50 million deficit for the 2009/2010 fiscal year. Among many other proposed budget cuts, the city is proposing to slash about $8.3 million and 145 positions from its Department of Parks and Recreation. Rescue Sacramento Parks is worried the proposed cuts to parks will lead to blight and public health and safety problems. Craig Powell, the group’s chairman, said some of the group’s

A group of Sacramento residents is fighting the city’s proposed cuts to its parks system and providing suggestions for maintaining park services. The city’s proposal to cut parks services is one of many possible reductions council members are considering as they deal with a $50 million budget gap.   About 15 members of the group, which is calling itself Rescue Sacramento Parks, attended Tuesday’s City Council meeting to voice their concerns about cuts to parks. Members of the group are involved in neighborhood associations.   Craig Powell, the group’s chairman, told the City Council that the proposed budget cuts to parks have “deeply alarmed Sacramento’s neighbors, neighborhoods and cit