Tahoe Park pool didn’t make the list for the Save Mart “Save Our Pools” campaign, so, faced with the possibility of a dry pool during a hot summer, neighborhood leaders joined forces with a city councilman, a county supervisor and the Sierra Health Foundation to plan their own rescue effort – and succeeded. “The neighborhood just wouldn’t take no for an answer,” City Councilman Kevin McCarty said. “I’m proud of everyone for that.” While Save Mart grocery stores were working with the city of Sacramento to raise $1 million to save six city pools from closure this spring, a contingent of Tahoe Park volunteers and neighborhood association leaders were diligently stuffing envelopes and knocki

Incumbent City Councilman Kevin McCarty ran unopposed in the 2008 election, but in June he will face business technology manager Mitch Netto in the race for City Council District 6 – a seat McCarty has held for eight years. “I’m not a career politician,” Netto said Friday. “I’m a pro-business fiscal conservative who thinks the fiefdoms at City Hall need to end.” Netto, 44, has lived in the Elmhurst neighborhood of District 6 since 1995, and he said his deep respect for the community made him want to run for the office. “I think someone from the community should always have enough interest in where they live to compete for the office with an opposing view,” Netto said. He said he consid

The Sacramento City Clerk’s Office released the final ballot list of candidates for the June City Council elections Thursday, showing crowded fields for the District 2 and 4 races – and some expected candidates not appearing on the final ballot. Mayor Kevin Johnson will face three contenders in the race for his seat: bounty hunter Leonard Padilla, insurance broker Richard Jones, and Parks and Recreation Commission member Jonathan Rewers. Padilla has run for mayor four times before, most recently in the 2008 race against then-Mayor Heather Fargo and Johnson. Two candidates who filed for candidacy in the mayoral race – Edgar Hilbert-Garcia and Andrew Lewis – did not qualify for the ballot

Part of gearing up for elections is knowing what to expect – and when. Here is a quick overview of important dates and details leading up to the Sacramento City Council elections in June. Who’s running? For 2012, the races are for council districts 2, 4, 6 and 8 and mayor. All people interested in running for office in districts 6 and 8 have until Thursday Friday to turn in their candidacy forms to the city clerk’s office. The city clerk's business hours are Monday-Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and closed Fridays. Candidates for districts 2 and 4 have until March 14 to turn in their forms because the incumbents for those districts – Sandy Sheedy for District 2 and Rob Fong for Distr

When it comes to talking about how to run a city, local developer and City Council District 6 candidate Jon Bagatelos is all business. Bagatelos, co-owner of Bagatelos Architectural Glass Systems and Bagatelos Development, LLC, was recruited to join the City Council race by business, community and public safety groups who are “tired of the way things are going with the city,” Bagatelos, 44, said Wednesday. Bagatelos has not officially filed notice of his candidacy, but said he expects to select a campaign manager within the next couple of weeks. He will be running against incumbent Kevin McCarty for the City Council District 6 seat. One of the main reasons he decided to consider the cou

With four council districts and the mayor’s seat up for grabs in 2012, the upcoming elections may bring new faces to City Council and – potentially – significant changes to the way Sacramento’s government operates. Although there is still time for new candidates to emerge, here’s a look at the election landscape for Sacramento, so far. When Mayor Kevin Johnson announced in September that he is running for reelection, he had no opponents and enjoyed the endorsement of both Region Builders – a building industry coalition – and the Sac Metro Chamber political action committee. In November, local tax preparer and community activist Edgar Hilbert announced his candidacy for mayor and a desir

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

The City of Sacramento along with the Greater Sacramento Vietnamese American Chamber of Commerce and Stockton Boulevard Partnership hosted a business walk Thursday. The walk focused on businesses located in the “Little Saigon” area of South Stockton, which runs from Florin Road to Fruitridge Road. The city’s Economic Development Business Visit Program serves to check on the needs of businesses and to connect them with the proper resources so they can flourish. Terrence Johnson, the executive director of the Stockton Boulevard Partnership said the focus is to address the issues affecting businesses. The Little Saigon district is home to many small businesses, particularly Southeast Asia

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

It is a gorgeous day in Sacramento as I stroll through the crowd of revelers celebrating ice cream shop Gunther’s 70th anniversary. Mayor Kevin Johnson stops to say hello to me, and then I am stopped by a handsome, well-dressed young man in jeans and a button-down dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up. He's wearing trendy aviator sunglasses and is surrounded by a large group of young people in Marcel 2010 T-shirts. “Are you Erin," he asks. "I’m Marcel and I believe we have an interview.”   Marcel Weiland is not the typical politician -- he's young and never has been elected to a position. He's quick to remind me that he will turn 20 in November, but seems older. While many of his friend