Now that Eric Smith, (not real name) a 17-year-old foster child, has been declared a dependent of the court, he is on a mission to change the laws that regulate CPS. “No one should have to go through what I did,” he said, citing his nine months in CPS custody last year. “They treated me like I was a villain, instead of a victim. Why? Because they can.” Eric wants to see that stop. Just shy of 18, Eric is not yet able to fully tell his story. But that is not stopping him from writing letters to political officials and child welfare groups, recounting his experiences and proposing legislative changes. And what he can tell of his story, he does. On April 1 2011, an emergency CPS social work

Sacramento – At a press conference today at Sacramento City College, Assemblymember Roger Dickinson (D-Sacramento) announced he will introduce a bill to require all organizations that employ athletic coaches, administrators and directors to provide training on the identification of child abuse and neglect, inappropriate and illegal contact with a minor, and mandated reporting requirements. “As a former high school and collegiate athlete myself, I know firsthand the position of trust that coaches have with their athletes,” said Assemblymember Dickinson. “This close relationship and bond should never be exploited to hurt a child and we need to do all we can to prevent it. Closing the coachi

As Earth welcomed its 7 billionth child Nov. 1, international concern for diminishing world resources and mounting pollution are on the rise. This concern not only stems from the number of people on the planet, but how those people consume and dispose of their resources. However, depending upon how the international community prepares for that challenge, it could serve as an opportunity for positive change. The Sacramento City College’s Student Associated Council has recognized the international concern for its impact on the planet by creating a new position to help facilitate the campus’ desire to reduce its waste by welcoming plant biology major Michael Viscuso to the newly created posi

On November 19, Assemblymember Dickinson, along with Senate pro Tem Darrell Steinberg and U.S. Congresswoman Doris Matsui, is hosting a free Citizenship Fair at Pacific McGeorge School of Law Student Center in Sacramento to assist legal permanent residents in good standing with the citizenship application process. Currently, California has over 2.4 million eligible legal permanent residents. As immigration policies and procedures continue to change, it is increasingly important to apply for and to obtain citizenship. Benefits for legal permanent residents who obtain citizenship include the ability to vote, the opportunity to reunite with family members and the continuance of health care c

Q- I want to sue the State of California, the County of Sacramento, the City of Sacramento, and any other state or local government entity that was involved in depriving me of my civil rights in an incident last March. I was talking about my plans with my cousin, and she told me the statue of limitations was six months. I thought the statues were longer than that--years, not months. Irregardless, I'd better get started--so how do I sue the State? Trinity A- Thanks for your question. Bringing an action against a public agency or its employee presents special procedural requirements. Before a lawsuit or complaint can be filed with the court, the injured party must first file a claim with t

Is the city of Sacramento losing out on an opportunity to bring in more revenue? According to the most recent city audit, the answer is yes. In a report to the City Council Tuesday, City Auditor Jorge Oseguera outlined four areas for needed improvement in the Revenue Collections department of the city’s Finance Division, along with 12 recommendations for remedying the problem areas. The audit, which was started in late November 2010, found that the city could improve its cash handling procedures, that the performance measures for Revenue Division management lack efficiency and the process for collecting transfer tax revenue is inefficient. “(The Finance Department) does have good practi

John Shirey will take the job as Sacramento’s newest city manager Sept. 1 after being confirmed by the City Council in an 8-1 vote in closed session Thursday night. Mayor Kevin Johnson, who was the only “no” vote, said he and the council are “very excited” to have Shirey on board. He added at a post-meeting press conference that he and the council unanimously agree that Shirey is an honest person and the proper amount of vetting was done before hiring him. Shirey was called to the podium to make a few quick remarks during the regularly scheduled City Council meeting. “To be able to assume the position of city manager is a great highlight for me in my life and my career,” Shirey said.

The Internal Revenue Service announced June 10 that it revoked the tax-exempt status for more than 1,000 nonprofit organizations in Sacramento, though the majority of them were no longer in existence. Those that still exist, including several Sacramento-area organizations, will have to re-file for their tax-exemption status, said IRS spokesman Jesse Weller. “We believe that most of the organizations on the list are defunct, although some may still be in existence and just didn’t get the word,” he said. Nationwide, the number of nonprofit organizations whose tax-exemption status was revoked was 275,000. The revocation was an automatic action taken after the passing of a pension reform a

Nestled within the labyrinth of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) is the Office of Victim & Survivor Rights and Services, whose mission is to make victims whole by awarding financial restitution through efforts in locating victim information. CDCR collects more than $1.7 million in restitution every month for victims of crime throughout the state. However, when courts order CDCR to collect victim restitution, they do not always provide them with the victim’s address or phone number. This has left the Office of Victim & Survivor Rights and Services (OVSRS) with nearly $12 million sitting in a fund waiting to be disbursed to unknown victims. “A good amount

Eye on Sacramento, a nonprofit Sacramento-based government watchdog organization, has recently been launched in the city of Sacramento to maintain a watchful eye on the policies and actions of the city government. “We formed EOS because we believe that too little attention is paid to the broad public interest and too much attention is paid to special interests,” said EOS President Craig Powell. “The public has little inside knowledge of what really goes on in city government. We hope to change that.” “Eye on Sacramento was started by a core group of about nine people who were active in the Campaign for Common Sense Utilities Rates (the group that sponsored Measure B on the November 2010

I just received the following on my website. I'm not quite sure why because I normally write about fictitous crime and criminals. But I thought it interesting enough to pass on.  I know many Sacramento Press readers have no sympathy for landlords (You know who you are), but I thought I should pass this on anyway. «I need back-up on this!! Had my rental property inspected...by "Willie"...he listed items to be fixed and said to have my handyman call him when he was out to fix things and he'd go over it with him. He had him rig something under the sink in a way my guy thought was 'the dumbest thing he's ever done"; then he said "go ahead and do it like this" regarding a firewall around the w

An ordinance that bans for-profit businesses from renting Sacramento’s athletic fields could soon be a thing of the past in the Parks Department, which has seen numerous cutbacks and faces still more in the current budget. “It does prohibit the commercial use of our fields,” said Teresa Jackson, the Parks Department’s general recreation supervisor. The ordinance governs use of fields and, as it currently stands, does not allow commercial entities to rent fields unless they are taking part in a fundraiser for a nonprofit, Jackson said. Jackson said that the ordinance is being reviewed. “It has been brought up over the years that there are a number of groups that would like to rent the fi

On Wednesday, May 4th, the Center for Sacramento History, in association with the Sacramento History Foundation, will host a panel discussion with the authors of the recent book, Remaking California: Reclaiming the Public Good. The panel will delve into the causes of California’s governmental gridlock, the effects on its citizens and environment, and prospects for restoring a healthy democracy. The event, Remaking California: Breaking Political Gridlock, will be held at the Jean Runyon Little Theater in Memorial Auditorium (1515 J Street, Sacramento); doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the presentation begins at 7:00 p.m. The event is open to the public; a $5.00 donation is requested at the door.

The Committee to Save the Kings has gathered enough signatures in Anaheim to halt the issuance of $75 million in bonds that was approved by the Anaheim City Council to fund a Sacramento Kings move to Anaheim, pending voter approval. That’s according to Kellen Arno of Arno Political Consultants, which collected 11,000 - 12,000 signatures. The next scheduled election is not until June of 2012. The bonds will “absolutely have to” go before voters, he said. According to Arno, his firm is finalizing the signatures – making sure the ones sent are all legible names and real addresses – and will send them to government officials in the next few days. “We’re done,” he said, saying he is confid

May is just a few days from now, so tune up your bike, visit May is Bike Month.com, and get ready for a month of great events, promotions, and rides. Spend a few minutes today at Mayisbikemonth.com and register for 2011. Every week that you log miles in May, you'll be entered into a drawing for bike socks and gift certificates to local bicycle shops. Once you're on the website, click over to the calendar and see over 40 events scheduled. Check back whenever you visit the site, as we're adding new events every day. We'll have Bike Month gear to giveaway at many of the events, so come out and get yours. New this year, our Pedal Saver discount program will earn you freebies and discounts w

Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento) introduced a bill Monday that would require professional sports teams to pay off all debt involving taxpayer dollars to the municipality in which they are located before signing an agreement to move to another California city or county. bar one California city from issuing bonds to lure a professional sports team from another city in which existing bonds had not been paid. It would effectively require that the Sacramento Kings repay the city $77 million before the bonds approved by the Anaheim City Council could be issued. “It’s all about public dollars involved not just in the situation currently pending with regards to the (Sac

The City Management Academy's 3rd weekly Wednesday evening class brought the diverse group of 30 community association, organization and agency leaders together for the first of several off-site meetings this week. Who knew how vast the city's Corporation Yard (on 24th Street south of Fruitridge) actually is: 20+ buildings containing shops, offices, storage, and more are spread across acres abutting the neighboring Executive Airport. Some factoids we learned from city department heads this evening included: Our city owns 2000+ parcels of land, containing more than 400 properties to maintain. The city's amazing 311 Call Center receives 30,000 - 40,000 calls every month. They answer an

A Perspective: 2011 City Management Academy's Class #2: Mayor Johnson Presents with his Initiatives’ Pep Rally Squad The second session of the 2011 City Management Academy (CMA) 12-week classroom for neighborhood association and other community & business leaders began with a 4-minute, professionally-produced video presentation complete w/ pulsing background music and splashy visual edits which highlighted some of Mayor Johnson’s accomplishments while in office. As the video ended, Wednesday evening’s first speaker, the mayor (waiting in the wings -- poised in the doorway shadows of a 5th floor New City Hall conference room, standing very still & quiet, head bowed, anticipating the roo

After a few years of budget-induced hiatus, the city’s Neighborhood Services Department (NSD) revived a noteworthy community program Wednesday night. The City Management Academy (CMA) http://www.cityofsacramento.org/city-management-academy// is an annual 12-week series of classroom presentations designed to educate community organizers to better understand how our city government operates.  Wednesday evening's initial 3-hour session brought 30 eager, newly-appointed members of the "2011 CMA class" to their City Hall conference room home base, and the agenda and process for the next several months of presentations and city facility visits. With substantial support from a core group of ded

I am trying to hang on. Really, I am. I have not been sleeping regularly for a few weeks now and my psychiatrist just increased my anti-psychotic medication. I feel insanity is just a blink away. I don’t want to go to the mental institution. I never do. Every time I go, I get head lice. And I am afraid. Very afraid. I usually go to Sierra Vista Hospital on Bruceville Road in Sacramento County (I like their food). One time several years ago, I was quite psychotic and called them up before my mom forced me to go to the hospital and asked what they were having for dinner. I exclaimed on the phone how I loved their mashed potatoes. When I was finally dragged to Sierra Vista Hospital, the nurs