Hours before Honduran President Manuel Zelaya was forcefully exiled to Costa Rica on June 27, he met with seven delegates from Sacramento. The seven were: Bill Camp, executive secretary for the Sacramento Central Labor Council (SCLC); Bud McKinney, a sheet mill worker; Chris Bender, a union representative; Greg Larkins, president of IBW Local 340 and a political organizer for the SCLC; Arturo Aleman, a consultant, Kate Allen, a graduate student at UCLA and summer intern for the SCLC and Dion Archuleta, a canner at Campbell Soup in South Sacramento. The following is an account of their experiences in Honduras over a three-day period in which an alleged coup d’état took place. Background

Clad in green clothing and ribbons, hundreds gathered at the west steps of the Capitol Friday, to bring awareness to the current unrest in Iran. Their signs called for freedom, nonviolent resistance and a plea, “Obama Please Help Us.” Speakers detailed the series of events over the past week in Iran, highlighting violence and the concern of Iranian voters. An enthusiastic speaker read a numbered manifesto in Farsi, listing desires for the future of Iran. Included in this list was the wish for a leader elected by the people. Many people voiced their concerns over the alleged unfair election. Others began a series of chants that called for “Freedom from Dictatorship,” that soon evolved int

Make no mistake about it, I love serving my community. As a City Council Member and Mayor in the City of Elk Grove, I get to do what I love most – serve people and neighborhoods. During my tenure on the Council, we have accomplished much. Just a few of these accomplishments include: reforming our entire city government, bringing good jobs to the community, reducing crime, strengthening our neighborhoods, and much, much more. Though I call Elk Grove home, I am proud to announce my candidacy for Congress in Rancho Cordova – my native community (and now City!). That’s right. I was born and raised in Rancho Cordova. Yes, I am a Lancer. Yes, I played football. Max Miler was my coach! I helped

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

Today's (Tuesday, March 31st) Sacramento city council meeting includes an item on the "consent calendar" (meaning a group of items expected to be non-controversial) that would eliminate portions of Sacramento's campaign finance law. This change would remove any fundraising limits for organizations called "independent expenditure committees"  and also raise campaign contribution limits for political candidates. What is an "independent expenditure committee," you might ask? Wikipedia defines them as: "In elections in the United States, an independent expenditure is a political activity intended to assist or oppose a specific candidate for office which is made without their cooperation, appr

 How do most people say 'thank you?' Postcards? Flowers? Expensive gifts? Not Kevin Johnson. Today, hours after winning the election for Mayor of Sacramento, he stood on the corner of 5th and I Street waving to fans and supporters to thank them for their votes. A chorus of "Thank you Sacramento, for electing Kevin Johnson as your mayor!" bellowed forth from a dozen supporters, giddy with the recent success. As John Parilo says, "This is the change we need...with [Johnson] as our spokesperson, it's going to bring a lot of exposure." Luckily, for the Sacramento Press, four of its interns were right there to witness it. "We came to this corner because it is a very busy intersection, we wan

City slickers will complain about the long lines at the polls, with people snaking out the door and around the parking lot. All the pushing, shoving and obnoxious anonymous strangers which make up the voting population can create a serious headache. Now I've never encountered a crowd this intense, but voting day crowds still aren't something I look forward to. In the several years since I've been of voting age, I've waited in lines at dormitories, schools, and other public buildings too nondescript to really remember. But this past election day, as I followed the makeshift signs reading "Polling Place," I found myself treading farther and farther away from the main road. A little confuse

Am I the only one? Okay. So I know what I am about to write may not have anything to do with Southside Park, or downtown. I don’t have a story about flooding on 9th and J Street, nor can I write about an old abandoned building that is scheduled for demolition in a few days time. I can, however, right about something that is truly going to affect everyone in this town and towns all across this nation. On Tuesday, November 4, 2008, millions of people will exercise the “hard-fought-for” right to vote for the President of the United States. I can’t control the excitement I feel inside. I have voted for a president four times in my life and only one of my guys won (two consecutive terms). Thi