Another city budget, another crisis, another standoff with employee unions over pensions and givebacks. Sacramento’s budget crisis is a predictable story, and just as predictable is that when a city has to make cuts, the first ones to feel the pain are those without power or the money to hire lobbyists. People like Brittany Willeford, the mentally disabled 22-year-old woman the Sacramento Press covered earlier this month when she had the courage to address City Council about pending cuts to Access Leisure, a city program that provides social and recreational activities that more than 3,000 disabled young adults in Sacramento have come to rely on. The amount of money in question to save p

Growth on K Street, mobile businesses and the mayor’s race were all subjects I discussed today on Capital Public Radio’s “Insight” program with guest host Rick Kushman.   K Street is defying the image it’s had in recent memory as a blighted area that’s largely deserted on nights and weekends as about a dozen new businesses have opened on or adjacent to the downtown stretch in the past 18 months. Starting with the much-touted Dive Bar, Pizza Rock and District 30 trio on the 1000 block, the newest addition is the combination Cafe Bernardo and KBar, which replaced Cosmo Café a couple of weeks ago. The Sacramento Press’ community has been active on the story, discussing the benefits or l

For the never-say-die Kings fan, Jan. 9 was an important day. It was the premiere of Small Market, Big Heart at the historic Crest Theatre in Downtown Sacramento. A documentary designed, as their promo states, “to share the compelling 26-year story of the people of Sacramento and their battle to get and keep a professional sports franchise” The film played once more on January 21, on KXTL FOX 40, but then went silent. On Tuesday, May 15, the outstanding documentary and collective vision of producers James Ham and Blake Ellington as well as director Tobin Halsey, will finally be available across the nation by way of the Small Market, Big Heart website (www.smallmarketbigheart.com) for th

On Tuesday’s Capital Public Radio’s ‘Insight’ program, I discussed the lingering questions over the downtown arena effort and Chef Billy Zoellin’s new restaurant with host Beth Ruyak. Despite the deal between the city of Sacramento and the Maloof family falling apart last month, there are still odds and ends to be tied up, and Assistant City Manager John Dangberg gave an update to the City Council on what the city learned from the process and possible future steps. Opening May 20 is Bacon and Butter, a restaurant to be run by Chef Billy Zoellin, whose food was featured when the Food Network’s “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives” came to The Golden Bear, where he used to work. The new restauran

Edgar Garcia has decided – again – to join the race for mayor, but this time he will campaign as a write-in candidate. Garcia, a tax preparer in Oak Park, returned to the city clerk’s office Wednesday morning to complete paperwork for a write-in candidacy for mayor in the June 5 primary election. He originally jumped into the race in November, but the momentum was short-lived: Just six weeks later, reports were surfacing in the media that he was dropping out of the race. When the March 9 filing deadline passed, the city clerk’s office reported that Garcia had in fact submitted all of the required paperwork to remain in the race, but his candidate petition fell short of the required 20 v

Tuesday on Capital Public Radio’s “Insight” program, I talked to host Beth Ruyak about the arena deal, a local business’ history, a new bicycle event and the upcoming SactoMoFo 4. With Friday’s dissolution of the arena deal as it was planned, all parties involved are trying to figure out what to do next. While the Maloofs discussed the possibility of renovating Power Balance Pavilion, city leaders and Think Big Sacramento said Monday that they are still looking into placing an arena in the downtown railyards. A local grassroots group, Sacramento Taxpayers Opposed to Pork (STOP), is trying to gather the approximately 21,000 signatures required to place an initiative on the ballot that wou

With the City of Sacramento, the Maloof Family and sports and entertainment developer AEG on what looked like a set deal on bringing a brand new sports and entertainment facility, came to tumoltuous end these past couple days.  The aftermath of the whole ordeal has now left us with a shouting match between both the Sacramento City Mayor Kevin Johnson and George Maloof.   Both of the key figures representing their respective parties are accusing one another as the reason this whole deal has faultered. Let's break this down piece by piece. For years and years the Maloof family has constantly spoken how the current area is inadequate and that a new sports and entertainment complex is needed

Think Big Sacramento Executive Director Chris Lehane said Monday that Friday’s spat with the Maloof family does not spell the end for an arena deal in downtown Sacramento, but that it was a setback that can be overcome. “First of all, we’ve continued to believe that a downtown-based entertainment and sports complex makes tremendous sense for the city and the region for jobs creation and economic development,” Lehane said. “All of that continues to exist, and I think we need to explore alternative ways to move forward.” Lehane said one option would be to follow the model of Kansas City, in which an arena was built without having a professional sports team as a partner. Another way could b

Sacramento Taxpayers Opposed to Pork (STOP) announced Monday that they will continue gathering signatures on a petition that would require large public expenses on a project in the downtown railyards such as an arena to be approved by a public vote. “We’re going to get this thing qualified for the ballot,” said spokesman Richard Tolmach. “A lot of people are stepping up and want to help us.” The group began gathering signatures over the weekend, and Tolmach said there are currently about 1,000 signed petitions. To qualify for placement on a ballot, the petition must have about 21,000 signatures. Placement on the November ballot was previously a top priority – and STOP would have needed

Friday’s news that the deal for an entertainment and sports complex is essentially dead isn’t stopping a grassroots effort to ensure large public expenditure on private ventures be vetted through a public vote. Sacramento Taxpayers Opposed to Pork (STOP) announced their goal of collecting enough signatures to give the public a vote on the arena financing last month, and they now have the petitions in-hand to start gathering signatures. “We’re still concerned that even if this plan’s dead, there may be another plan that’s either as bad or worse to spend public money on a private venture at (the downtown railyards),” STOP spokesman Richard Tolmach said Friday afternoon. The grassroots org

15th Annual Sacramento Jewish Film Festival March 10-11, 2012 The Crest Theatre again plays host to the Sacramento Jewish Film Festival this weekend, with two feature films and one short film on Saturday evening and two features and two more shorts on Sunday afternoon. This year’s films are diverse in both subject matter and tone. Opening Night Films “Holy Land Hardball” This feature length documentary (screened with a supporting short film) recounts the challenges associated with one man’s dream to introduce professional baseball to Israel. This might have been an easier task if it didn’t also involve introducing Israel to professional baseball, as it’s a sport that many Israelis simp

The March 6 City Council meeting was the place where the possible future of Sacramento's downtown was to be decided. The vote on the current proposal to move forward with plans for an Entertainment and Sports Complex could have historic implications.  After hours of discussion by the public and members of the City Council, and with the roll call vote standing at 6-2 in favor of proceeding with the plan, it was Mayor Kevin Johnson's turn to voice his vote. As he added a resounding "yess!", his emotions of the past year, the agony and the ecstacy of the lows and highs, were on display. While the tv cameras covered the crowd reaction, I was unable to turn away from the man who many believe i

City officials released two new conceptual images of the proposed entertainment and sports complex at the downtown railyards Friday. Populous, the architectural firm that is part of the ICON-Taylor development team for the arena, completed the renderings, according to a press release. “These images show just how much potential the (arena) and railyards have to revitalize downtown,” City Councilman Steve Cohn said in the press release. ”We’re a long way toward making final design decisions, but I love how these images preview the kind of smart design and transit-oriented development we are striving for at the railyards.” Cohn opposed previous arena deals but supported the current plan at

Mayor Kevin Johnson’s late-night triumphal return from Orlando was followed by a 5 p.m. press conference Tuesday in which scant new details were released, but local business, labor and political leaders confirmed their backing of the arena deal announced Monday. “We have a handshake agreement – we have the framework of a deal,” Johnson said. “There’s still a lot of work to be done ... (City) Council has to ask the tough questions.” He said the plan to build the entertainment and sports complex will be made available on March 1 to the public, and a crucial City Council vote March 6 will determine whether the arena will become a reality. “We’ll have a very robust and energetic conversatio

Mayor Kevin Johnson and NBA Commissioner David Stern released a joint statement today outlining an updated timeline for finalizing terms of a new arena deal for Sacramento. According to the release, the city of Sacramento and the NBA are continuing “constructive discussions” on the details of a financing plan for a new entertainment and sports complex. Johnson said at his weekly press conference Tuesday that details of a completed financing term sheet were expected to be available to the public by Thursday, in advance of a Feb. 28 City Council discussion and vote on the plan. Wednesday’s press release, however, offers an adjusted timeline in an effort to “ensure adequate time for public

Marriage rights activists will deliver a petition asking Mayor Kevin Johnson to join other mayors in support of same-sex marriage Tuesday morning at City Hall in a move they said they hope will cause him to consider endorsing Mayors for the Freedom to Marry. “We’re not trying to force anybody’s hand or be aggressive in any way,” said Neil Pople, communications director for the Stonewall Democratic Club of Greater Sacramento and author of the petition. It has more than 300 signatures and is posted here. “We want to positively encourage the mayor and let him know that there are people who want this to happen.” Last week’s ruling by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals against Proposition 8 –

East Sacramento residents and businesses succeeded in preventing the closure of the Clunie Center at McKinley Park, which was scheduled for later this year, Mayor Kevin Johnson announced Tuesday. The center was slated for closure in June because of budget shortfalls, with the McKinley library likely to follow.The Friends of East Sacramento, a nonprofit organization, set forth a plan to take over management of the facility three years ago, Johnson said. He added that under nonprofit management, the facility will save $20,000 in operating costs each year. “Sometimes you have to draw a line in the sand and not let something you truly value disappear,” said Cecily Hastings, publisher of Insi

San Francisco Giants President and CEO Larry Baer compared Sacramento’s efforts to build a new arena to the campaign to build Pac Bell Park in San Francisco, telling a collection of businesspeople and government officials that there is “tremendous opportunity” for Sacramento going forward. Baer’s remarks were part of the 2012 State of Downtown address at Memorial Auditorium Tuesday morning, in which Mayor Kevin Johnson, State Senate President Pro-Tem Darrell Steinberg and other officials stressed the “why” of building a downtown entertainment and sports complex. Baer said efforts to build the downtown ballpark in San Francisco were under way as early as the 1960s, with four attempts at u

On January 7, 2012, Sacramento city staff held a public meeting about the newest proposal to change the city charter, the “Checks and Balances Act of 2012.” However, this public meeting was not announced to the general public—instead it was directed at a small group of neighborhood leaders. I found out about the meeting via the chair of the Midtown Neighborhood Association, who received an email on December 27: From: Raihane Dalvi Date: December 27, 2011 2:19:11 PM PST To: Raihane Dalvi Subject: Checks and Balances Act of 2012 Dear Neighborhood Leader, I'm writing to request your participation in an important discussion before the city of Sacramento. As you may know, a broad coaliti

The City Council selected a new vice mayor Thursday: City Councilwoman Angelique Ashby will be running the show this year when the mayor is unavailable. City Councilman Steve Cohn nominated Ashby for vice mayor, saying it has been the council’s tradition to have the most senior council member who has not already served as vice mayor hold the position. Ashby was elected to the District 1 council seat in 2010. She has just one week seniority over Councilman Jay Schenirer. “There are more good reasons to nominate her than just tradition,” Cohn added. “She always smiles, and she’ll do a good job of running the meetings.” Ashby said she’s honored to hold the vice mayor’s seat, regardless of