Organization leaders, educators, youth advisers and concerned parents met Tuesday at the Pannell Meadowview Community Center to hear Rayford Johnson speak on gang violence and the "thug" mentality. About 40 audience members came in from all over the Sacramento area to be a part of this presentation. This workshop was part two of six of the "Addressing Thug Life" workshop series held by the city of Sacramento and Faith Leaders Initiative. Johnson is a photojournalist-turned-youth correctional adviser. He is also a licensed minister, author of the book, Thug Mentality Exposed, and director of the anti-gang initiative website, thugexposed.org. Having spent time with inmates in California'

The City of Sacramento Department of Neighborhood Services announces: The Sacramento Police Department is developing a Law Enforcement Youth Development Program (YDP). They are seeking a diversified group of young adults between the ages of 13 – 18 years old. These selected students must meet minimum requirements, such as a 2.0 GPA, leadership skills, school attendance, citizenship, and be interested in a possible career in law enforcement. Potential candidates must fill out an application, receive permission from their parents (if under age 18), and pass an interview. Upon acceptance into the program, students will be assigned a law enforcement employee to help guide them through the pr

The City of Sacramento Department of Neighborhood Services announces: Good Neighborhoods = A Great City The City of Sacramento's Neighborhood Services Department is proud to present the Neighborhood Summit 2009, a first of its kind here in Sacramento! When: Friday, March 6, 2009 Time: 8:30-4:00 PM (Continental Breakfast/Lunch Provided) Where: Sacramento Convention Center - 1400 J Street Purpose: The mission of the City of Sacramento Neighborhood Summit is to promote communication and partnership between city staff, residents, neighborhood associations, and business owners to help maintain, revitalize, and promote healthy communities. Free Admission: There will be no cost to attend the

If your street has a pothole, who fixes it? Recently, Mayor Kevin Johnson's initiative campaign mentioned potholes as an example of how proposed changes to the city charter would work. A document on the initiative's website reads: "Here's an example: if you want a pothole on your street and you call the Mayor's office to get it fixed, the Mayor's office would not take action. It would have to ask the City Manager's office to take action. Then the City Manager would decide whether to fix it. Under the new system, your call to the Mayor's office would result in the Mayor ordering the pothole fixed." Are decisions as mundane as pothole repair actually made by the mayor or the city manager?

The City of Sacramento Department of Neighborhood Services announces: The City of Sacramento Neighborhood Services Department wants to help you prepare for the digital conversion. We will be assisting with the online application for a T.V. Converter box discount coupon. What’s happening? The Digital Television Transition and Public Safety Act of 2005 requires full-power television stations to cease analog broadcasts and switch to digital after February 17, 2009. WHEN: Saturday, January 17, 2009 TIME: 10:00 AM -12:30 PM WHERE: South Natomas Community Center, 2921 Truxel Road Who will be affected? Anyone using a television set that is not connected to cable, satellite or other pay telev

From the City of Sacramento Department of Neighborhood Services newsletter The Bridge. By Yvonne Riedlinger, Program Analyst serving Council District 4 It’s the little thing we do in Neighborhood Services that can make such a big difference. It’s often difficult to highlight just one project or event that we assist residents with because there are so many little things we do to support our neighborhoods. Neighborhood Services staff attends community, neighborhood, and business association meetings to lend support and to answer questions about the City of Sacramento. We refer and listen to complaints of every nature and do our best to resolve those issues or make sure they get to the depa

The City of Sacramento Department of Neighborhood Services announces: The City of Sacramento, Office of Youth Development (OYD), Sacramento Police Department, and U.S. Attorney’s Office are working together on the campaign. The campaign is designed to divert youth from gangs. The campaign consists of billboards throughout the City of Sacramento, public service announcements aired on local television stations, and hundreds of posters. Research has shown that effective, community based programs can keep at-risk youth from joining gangs, and rehabilitate those already in gangs. Accordingly, the campaign links parents, adults, and young people to the City of Sacramento’s information line, 3-

From the City of Sacramento Department of Neighborhood Services newsletter The Bridge. By Brit Irby, Neighborhood Resources Coordinator serving Council District 1 During the busy autumn season, where can you find your Neighborhood Resources Coordinator? You can find her coordinating City Department booths and bringing helpful information for your neighborhood special event such as the Alkali Mansion Flats Celebration, the Creekside Community Fair, or Celebrate Natomas. Or maybe you’ll catch her working with business representatives and the City to help revitalize Chinatown Mall. You’ll likely sit next to her at a neighborhood meeting for Gardenland/Northgate, Valley View Acres or the Na

From the City of Sacramento Department of Neighborhood Services newsletter The Bridge. By Derrick Lim, Area Manager serving all Council Districts Neighborhood Services has engaged in a great deal of community outreach this year. Upon reflection, several themes come to mind in relation to levels of service and customer service. Neighborhood Services can do a better job of articulating outreach levels of service, which in turn results in better customer service to the public. Using Olympic medals as an analogy, outreach can also be categorized into three major categories: gold, silver, and bronze. Gold is the highest level because the objective is not only to get the word out, but to als

From the City of Sacramento Department of Neighborhood Services newsletter The Bridge. A message from the Director of the Department of Neighborhood Services, Vincene Rogers Jones: Hello neighborhoods! I'd like to ask you a question, but one I'm sure you will help me answer. If I may be perfectly honest with you, we can do more than we have done in listening to and learning from each others’ cultures. Acknowledging that anything less is to be satisfied with things as they are. What am I trying to say? If a picture paints a thousand words, why haven't we seen a broader multi-cultural connection, like a train as it picks up passengers headed to the same destination? I am writing of our cu