A town hall discussion of the new arena Thursday sparked debate between audience members and City Councilman Jay Schenirer about parking issues and the use of public funds to finance the arena project. Schenirer and Assistant City Manager John Dangberg fielded questions from the nearly 30 people in attendance after presenting an outline of project details, including an overview of the term sheet and financing framework. Schenirer said he held the town hall meeting for neighbors in his district because he wanted to make sure they had direct access to him to talk about whatever concerns they have about the arena project. Dangberg was included, Schenirer said, because he is one city staff m

The plan to construct a new I-5 interchange at Cosumnes River Boulevard – a key component to the 75,000-acre Delta Shores development project – got a financial jumpstart Tuesday. The City Council voted unanimously to swap funds between two long-term construction programs to get the new interchange started – a project that the city has had in the works for more than a decade. “I’ve been bugging people about getting this project started for 13 years,” City Councilwoman Bonnie Pannell said Tuesday. “I’m just so happy it’s going to happen.” The Cosumnes River Boulevard project will extend Cosumnes River Boulevard from Franklin Boulevard to an intersection with Freeport Boulevard – essential

The City Council approved $400,000 in funding from new sources Tuesday for upgrades to the Sacramento Intermodal Transportation Facility project, including energy-efficient lighting and new power cabinets that will help reduce air emissions at the new facility. The project is being built at the downtown railyards and is currently in the first phase of development. City officials say Phase 1 should be completed by mid-summer 2012. The project is planned to accommodate rail freight movement, heavy passenger trains, light rail transit and intercity and local buses, according to a city staff report. It will also provide facilities for bicycle and pedestrian transportation modes and – potenti

On Wednesday, City Councilman Jay Schenirer launched WayUp Sacramento, a community development initiative aimed at helping Sacramento’s youth live healthier and prepare for successful careers. The first stages of the program are set to be implemented in Oak Park by the end of this year. Schenirer held a conference on Wednesday to debut the program at the Effort/Oak Park Community Center, 3415 Martin Luther King Blvd. WayUp has been in development for 10 months, however Schenirer said that the ideas behind the project have been with him for much longer. “I’ve been doing community work forever,” he said. “I also believe that all kids should have the same opportunities that my kids have.”

With one last vote Tuesday, the Sacramento City Council approved a map that seals council district boundaries for the next 10 years, but the work of redistricting isn’t finished just yet. “The new map goes into effect Oct. 6, which is only 30 days after the final council vote,” said Scott Mende, principal planner with the Community Development Department. “After that, each council member has a different group of constituents.” New district lines for the city and new constituents for council members will have a ripple effect throughout city administration, and Mende said city staff has a lot of work to do to be prepared for it. The first step, Mende said, is a “massive outreach” to counc

About 150 people marched through Oak Park Thursday in a “unity march” to fight against the City Council’s proposed redistricting map that would move the UC Davis Med Center out of Oak Park’s council district. “The purpose for tonight is to try to find a hero in this whole controversy, and by that I mean someone who will find a real compromise,” said Michael Boyd, president of the Oak Park Neighborhood Association. The marchers Thursday night walked from the intersection of 34th Street and Second Avenue to the Med Center, chanting slogans and carrying signs along the way as police blocked the streets and kept a clear path. Residents of Oak Park have repeatedly made their voices heard at

With only one more opportunity remaining before the final vote on new district boundaries, more than 20 people spoke their mind Tuesday on an issue that has spurred conflict and concern with residents and community leaders across district lines – and an issue not on the City Council agenda. “Voter discontent is nothing to scoff at,” said Oak Park resident Kristina Smith. “Don’t ignore the voice of the voters.” Smith and about 100 others were in the council chambers for the City Council meeting Tuesday, and most wanted to talk about redistricting before the final vote is taken Sept. 6. At the Aug. 23 council meeting, members voted 6-3 in favor of a new district map that bisects the Med C

A few basics should be mentioned first. It does not matter where UCD Med is as far as balancing populations. Also, look on a map and you will see that UCD and the Medical buildings running down Stockton Blvd. have an impact on several neighborhoods not only Oak Park or Elmhurst. UCD has been in District 5 since the start of redistricting. Oak Park has also always been in District 5. So, for 40 years UCD and Oak Park enjoyed the same representative on the City Council. There are benefits that come with being a Council member representing such a large economic and community asset and with the relationships that are formed. Otherwise, it would not have been prized so highly by the players.

Local organizations focused on healthy communities are hosting an event in Oak Park on Saturday to educate the public about gardening and fresh food. The new coalition, Grow Together Sacramento, will create a few small gardens and teach the public how to set up gardens at the event. Paul Towers, state director of the environmental group Pesticide Watch, said the coalition will build gardens and focus on the question: “How do we get as much healthy food as possible into the hands and bellies of Sacramentans?” The Pesticide Watch Education Fund is a partner in the coalition, along with City Councilman Jay Schenirer’s office, Sacramento environmental group Ubuntu Green, the Sacramento Area

Anyone in the city can use the city’s online tools to carve up the eight City Council districts and present their redistricting ideas to city leaders. The mapmaking tool for the 2011 redistricting process is free to use, and the city welcomes maps from residents. Maps developed and submitted by citizens will be shared with the City Council, the council’s redistricting advisory committee and the general public, said Maria MacGunigal, the city’s Geographic Information Systems manager. Every decade, the city rearranges its council districts by applying U.S. Census data.The reordered districts should all have the same population, according to city staff. “The primary objective of redistric

Residents of District 5 phoned in for the monthly “Neighborhood Conversations” conference call Wednesday night to discuss their issues, concerns, and questions with City Councilman Jay Schenirer. One of the first discussions of the call centered around the crime and vandalism issues Oak Park faces. One resident from the area was the main speaker for this topic, he asked whether it was getting worse or improving and what the neighbors could do about it. Schenirer commented that crime has gone down throughout the city and that it was mainly gang rivalries between Oak Park gangs and those in the surrounding areas. In relation to gangs, he said the city is using strategies to rehabilitate g

New Sacramento City Councilman Jay Schenirer said he wants to improve Sacramento’s neighborhoods. He’s approaching neighborhood groups because he believes local activism is essential for change. Schenirer, who represents 19 neighborhoods including Oak Park, Curtis Park and Brentwood, hosted a driving tour for The Sacramento Press on a rainy Friday. Neighborhood involvement was a topic that came up frequently as he talked about the troubles, successes and quirks of District 5. “People have been here a long time,” he said, as he drove around the Hollywood Park neighborhood. “They take a lot of pride. They have a good neighborhood association.” As Schenirer drove through South Oak Park, i

The Sacramento City Council underwent a makeover Tuesday night when two new council members were officially sworn into office. The swearing in of Jay Schenirer and Darrell Fong is the last step in the City Council’s changing of the guard. Schenirer’s ceremony had an element of star quality because state Senate President Darrell Steinberg administered the oath of office for the new councilman. Angelique Ashby, the other new council member, was sworn into office Nov. 23 to represent District 1.  Schenirer replaced Lauren Hammond as the District 5 council member, while Fong took the District 7 reins from Robbie Waters. Also on Tuesday night, Steve Cohn was sworn in for a fifth term as t

With a 528-vote margin and large numbers of unprocessed ballots, Sacramento City Council District 5 candidates said Wednesday they're waiting for a final count in the race. City Council races won't be updated for two weeks. As of Wednesday, an estimated 108,000 vote-by-mail ballots and 12,000 provisional ballots must still be processed in the county.  The number of ballots still to be counted in District 5 may be known as early as Friday, but possibly not until Tuesday, said Brad Buyse, campaign services manager for the Sacramento County elections department.  As of election night, candidate Jay Schenirer (pronounced "Sha-neer") had captured 4,309 votes, while the tally for Patrick Kenn

After counting everything except absentee ballots turned in on election day, Darrell Fong is leading by 373 votes. As of 11:20 p.m., District 7 City Council candidate Ryan Chin said the results were way too close to call. The most recent update he had to reference showed Chin at 49 percent and Fong with 51 percent. “There are lots of other ballots to be counted still,” Chin said. If Chin does lose, he said he’ll go back to doing what he’s always done: “I’ll make sure I’m working in the community, making sure that I’m raising funds for scholarships for kids going into college or vocational training, or helping with our youth conference and lending my talents and abilities to the commun

Just five months ago The Sacramento Press covered its first primary election. We covered Districts 1, 3, 5 and 7 for the City Council race, sending someone to each of the 13 campaign parties and posting hourly updates on a live blog. And we did it with eight people: an editorial staff of five, two interns and a community contributor. This election won’t be much different in terms of staff. We’ll have our editorial team of five, four interns, two community contributors and a social media component. There are quite a few ballot choices that won't be on our live blog, but we will provide you with comprehensive coverage of the issues we do report on: Measure B, Measure C, Measure D, City Cou

Andy Pugno drafted the California law that prohibits gay marriage, but his Assembly campaign website does not mention Proposition 8. Pugno, a Republican and the attorney for Prop. 8 supporters, is competing in a tense race with Democrat Richard Pan for the District 5 Assembly seat. Read a profile of Pan here.  In an interview on Friday, Pugno said he’s not running on the issue of same-sex marriage. Rather, the Folsom resident said he is focusing on the issues of state spending, job creation and local governments’ relationship with the state. The Sacramento Press asked Pugno if he’s trying to distance himself from Prop. 8 by not mentioning it on his campaign website. “I’m not trying to

Physician Richard Pan supports gay marriage. Attorney Andy Pugno is the author of Proposition 8, which prohibits gay marriage in the state. Democrat Pan and Republican Pugno, the top two California Assembly candidates seeking to represent Sacramento and its surrounding areas, don’t have much in common. Voters will go to the polls Nov. 2 to choose a winner for the District 5 seat. Roger Niello, who formerly held the District 5 seat, is now a candidate for state Senate. Pan, a North Natomas resident and pediatrician at the University of California, Davis, Children’s Hospital, sat down with The Sacramento Press last week to explain his ideas and priorities. The Sacramento Press will featu

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

The Sacramento City Council on Tuesday night unanimously gave final approval to the contentious Curtis Park Village project, which had drawn criticism from many Curtis Park neighbors. Councilwoman Lauren Hammond, who represents Curtis Park in District 5, expressed her satisfaction with the project’s conclusion by singing the words: “This is it.” Developer Paul Petrovich’s Curtis Park Village has raised concerns among neighbors because it involves the cleanup and development of a contaminated area. A Sept. 28 report from city staff noted that the project could include 259,000 square feet of commercial and office space, 527 residences and a 6.8-acre park. Rosanna Herber, president of the