Newest articles on The Sacramento Press tagged as "dave jones"

Veteran teacher hosts Wake for Public Education

2010-07-01T02:52:54Z

Close to 60 people converged on a home in the River Park neighborhood of East Sacramento Tuesday evening to mourn the reductions in the public education budget in the Sacramento area and to discuss what can be done to prevent further cuts.

Educators, students, parents, political figures and concerned members of the public were all in attendance to listen to speakers, hear poetry and voice their concerns and opinions on the state of education in the community.

The wake was hosted by Jim Harper, a teacher of American government and history at Laguna Creek High School and an occasional instructor at California State University, Sacramento. Harper has been teaching for 23 years and was involved with education at the state level prior to that. He said he has seen the cuts in education firsthand and wanted to do something about it.

"I'm not just going to go home for the summer and be on vacation," Harper said of his idea to have the wake.

In an interview after the wake, Harper said he thinks there needs to be three elements to promise a better future to public education in Sacramento and across the state: first, a zeal for reform in government and the community; second, using test scores and data appropriately; and third, connecting the school community with the surrounding community.

Those attending were encouraged to wear either pink or black to commemorate the California teachers that have been pink slipped this year and to symbolize the proverbial death of public education. A coffin filled with education paraphernalia resided in the front lawn as another symbol of education's grim future.

Towards the end of the wake, those in attendance brainstormed ideas to alleviate the issue and raise awareness. They consolidated these ideas into a compact of five points, which they are sending to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, members of the State Legislature and candidates running for statewide office.

You can read the compact and see more photos of the event on the Wake for Public Education's Facebook page.

Other community members included political staffers, teachers recently laid off and political candidates.

The current budget crisis does not hold a lot of promise for education funding, according to David Gonsalves, a staffer for Assemblyman Dave Jones.

"This being a year when we're $20 billion in the hole, everything is on the chopping block unfortunately," Gonsalves said. "Events like these help us to understand what the priorities of the community are," he said.

When asked if Jones has any plans to protect education funding in the state budget, Gonsalves said that while it is important for the Assemblyman, his influence only goes as far as expressing his priorities to the legislative leadership.

Ryan Chin, who will compete in a runoff election for City Council, said education has always been a priority for him in his District 7 race and he would look to local businesses to alleviate the funding shortfalls.

"You have a greater influence as a City Council member to reach out to (private business) and say, 'Come to the table. Education is important to the work force of Sacramento, so step up and help us fund it,'" Chin said.

Susan Cooper, education consultant to State Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, was the first to address the audience about the budget crisis and education.

"We need to raise taxes," Cooper said.

Cooper added that new taxes will be a critical source of revenue for an educational budget, but that it's not the only source.

"It would be a really smart thing to convince our friends on the other side of the aisle to extend some taxes that are about to expire," she said.

An audience member asked if there was sufficient political will for special taxes for educational funding.

"There is an appetite, but it's a partisan appetite," Cooper said.

Cooper encouraged members of the community to contact their legislators often and voice their opinions.

"You got Steinberg's vote, so work on the other (legislators)," Cooper said.

Ken Poppers from the Elk Grove Education Association spoke after Cooper with a message of solidarity for the teachers in attendance.

"We're all in this together, we're here to serve our students," Poppers said.

CHRIS GARLAND CAMPAIGN PICKS UP KEY ENDORSEMENTS IN NEW YEAR

2010-01-06T02:18:35Z

Democratic Assembly candidate Chris Garland is ringing in the New Year with his announcement that he has picked up the endorsements of key legislative leaders in his race for the Democratic nomination in the 9th Assembly District, including Senator Leland Yee, Assemblymember Anthony Portantino, and former Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez. For more information, contact Phil Giarrizzo, 916-737-9325.

Lots at Stake for Sacramento in May 19th Election

2009-04-29T22:49:35Z

It may be the best kept secret in politics: there's a statewide special election on May 19th that could have a greater impact on Sacramento's schools, fire stations, and budget than anything they're doing down at City Hall.

This special election is all about the state budget: the gaping $58 billion hole, and how the Governor and Legislature will go about fixing it. It includes new taxes, shifting of funds, the payback of funds to schools, and "modernizing" the state lottery so that it brings in more cash.

Led by Sacramento's own State Senate President pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, the California Teachers Association (CTA), and the California Professional Firefighters Association, the pro-reform forces http://www.cabudgetreformnow.com/splash.php?_c=xxzcw3j20w5zgp say these initiatives are a test of bipartisanship -- a compromise of both the left and the right that will keep the state afloat through tough times. Liberals won revenue increases, conservatives won a soft budget cap to prevent sharp rises in state spending, with the result being a balanced package that nobody seems to love but everyone can live with.

But there's plenty of opposition. On the right, the California Republican Party and the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association say any tax increases are acceptable. On the ultra-left, the California Faculty Association and some other labor unions say any cuts and a spending cap are unacceptable.

Meanwhile, the voting public is caught in the cross fire. According to some Field Poll numbers out today, all the initiatives except one are trailing in the polls. But these numbers might well be skewed because of what is expected to be a record low turnout.

Pundits say the main reason voters aren't getting excited about this election is because the ballot initiatives are complex and confusing.

But this much we know: if the initiatives fail to pass, there will be some immediate dire consequences.

As the newly-minted State Senate Republican leader told the Bee today, he will advocate for sharp reductions in state spending across-the-board. The CTA estimates that 75,000 teachers will lose their jobs in August. The California Professional Firefighters Association says it will lead to fire station closures. And health care providers would also be expected to see major cuts in services.

Sacramento's pols are near-unanimous in backing the initiatives. Mayor Kevin Johnson is expected to lead a press conference next week where he'll endorse the initiatives. Supervisor Roger Dickinson was at the California Democratic Party convention in Sacramento where he joined the overwhelming majority of delegates in supporting the propositions. Assemblymember Dave Jones supported the plan when it came to a vote earlier this year.

The Secretary of State's website features a guide to each of the initiatives -- well worth reading if you need to catch up with what's on the ballot. /www.voterguide.sos.ca.gov/title-sum/prop1a-title-sum.htm

(Full disclosure: I'm doing some work for the Yes! campaign)

Sacramento's Next Assembly Member: The Battle Begins

2009-04-04T06:11:47Z

Talk about election fatigue.

The last general election was just a few months ago. And though most voters aren't even aware of it yet, our tv's and mailboxes will be full of campaign propaganda for a statewide special election scheduled for May 19th.

Beyond that, however, the 2010 campaigns for governor and legislature are already underway, particularly here in Sacramento, where an all-out battle for the California State Assembly seat being vacated by termed-out Assemblymember Dave Jones has begun to heat up.

First, a bit of background. The District 9 Assembly seat, which encompasses the City of Sacramento and some Sacramento County turf, is safely Democratic. The winner of the June 2010 Democratic primary is a slam dunk to win the November election and, unless there is a political earthquake, hold the seat for the maximum six years allowed in the Assembly. That presumably will give the winner of the Assembly seat in 2010 a leg up to inherit the State Senate seat held by Senate President pro Tem Darryl Steinberg, who presumably will win re-election in two years and go on to hold the seat until his second term runs out.

So needless to say, this Assembly seat is a major prize. And that's why the competition will be intense.

Three main contenders already have emerged.

County Supervisor Roger Dickinson, who hasn't officially declared for the seat, is considered the front-runner. According to a recent poll, he holds a double-digit lead over his opponents. That's due largely to his name recognition; Dickinson has held office at the county level since 1994. He's known as a friendly, dedicated, dorky supervisor who is a liberal's liberal. He ran for the seat both in 1996 and in 2004, but fell short the last time around to then-City Council Member Dave Jones. Jones enjoyed strong labor support, and pummeled Dickenson for showing support for taxpayer funding of a new Kings arena. It wasn't a state issue, but Jones rode it to victory. Dickinson will need to run a more strategic effort this time around, and appeal to the hard-core Democratic voters who will make up the largest chunk of the electorate in this election. Dickinson's campaign will be run by local veteran Democratic consultant Paul Kinney, aided by long-time Sacramento consultant Richie Ross (whose most recent city client was Mayor Heather Fargo).

City Council Member Lauren Hammond also has thrown her hat into the ring. Hammond ran in 2004 as well, finishing third with 18 percent of the vote. She says she learned her lesson in the last go round, and will run a more aggressive campaign. Hammond, who represents Oak Park and Curtis Park on the city council, will be forced to give up her council seat to run. She is likely to be the most moderate of the Democratic candidates in the race, though her record on the city council is definitely progressive. As the only woman and African-American in the race, she will need to rally those constituencies to win. Her campaign will be guided by long-time Sacramento political consultant Jeff Raimundo.

Another city council member, Kevin McCarty, also will be running, though he won't have to give up his council seat. McCarty, who represents Elmhurst, Tahoe Park, and a swath of neighborhoods in southeast Sacramento, won re-election to the council in 2008 without opposition. He first won election in 2004 with a strong door-to-door campaign, and had Ross as his consultant. This time, he's employing the Sacramento-based firm of Acosta/Salazar. McCarty has worked his district well, and will no doubt run a strong ground campaign for Assembly. Positioning himself as the most progressive candidate in the race, McCarty is already seeking to lock up key Democratic constituencies in his run. For example, he recently named the head of the Stonewall Democratic Club to the city's charter commission -- even though he didn't even reside in his district. McCarty is trying to mold himself in the image of Jones, Steinberg and previous progressive city council members who made the move up to the legislature from city hall. He has the most in the bank of any of the candidates. And he'll need it: a recent poll showed his name ID far below the other two candidates in the race.

Others are said to be considering a run for the seat as well. More moderate interests continue to search for a candidate they can back, and several Sacramento business leaders apparently are testing the waters. Whether they take the plunge against this trio of long-time politicians remains to be seen.

Also a factor: will Mayor Kevin Johnson endorse any of the candidates and, if so, will his coalition that swamped the party machine last year hold up and show up in an off-year primary?

It's too early to know the answer to that question, and many others.

However, In any case, this election will likely be the marque local battle in 2010. Keep your eyes on future developments, and a campaign that is likely to get rough as it heads down the stretch.