The Sacramento Press wants your neighborhood-related questions for Interim City Manager Gus Vina, the city’s highest-ranking official. What issues or concerns do you have about your neighborhood? What do you think the city government should do to improve your neighborhood? Write your questions in the comments section at the bottom of this article. Questions for Vina can also be e-mailed to kathleen@sacramentopress.com. The Sacramento Press will choose several questions from community members for Vina to answer. Vina was chosen as interim city manager by Mayor Kevin Johnson and the eight City Council members and will serve for nine to 12 months. He replaced Ray Kerridge, who resigned fr

The city auditor’s office — vacant for nearly a year — has been brought back to life. Mayor Kevin Johnson and three council members announced at a Tuesday morning press conference that Jorge Oseguera is the city's new internal auditor. Most recently, Oseguera was a senior program performance auditor for the city of San Jose. He began work at the city of Sacramento Monday. “I think the audit function is an essential element of the public’s accountability, and I look forward to meeting my objectives in meeting the public’s accountability,” Oseguera said. He also said he would participate in preparations for an upcoming audit of the Community Development Department. The investigation will

Councilwoman Bonnie Pannell said she plans to concentrate on key issues facing her South Sacramento district this year, including flood protection, a beautification effort on Meadowview Road and youth services. Pannell’s goals are explained as part of a series of articles on council members’ plans for 2010. Links to the articles are at the end of this story. The Sacramento Press made repeated request for interviews with two council members, Rob Fong and Ray Tretheway, but they were unavailable. Pannell represents District 8, which includes the Meadowview, North Laguna Creek and 63rd Street/Cromwell neighborhoods. Her primary focus this year is on 100-year flood protection for areas in h

News Analysis It’s a fact: Certain Sacramento city council members are angry with high-level city staffers about their role in current city scandals. The council members’ tense relationship with city staffers was apparent in several harsh remarks made at Tuesday’s City Council meeting. Councilwoman Lauren Hammond directed critical comments toward Utilities Director Marty Hanneman during a debate over issues outlined in a grand jury report. The Jan. 6 report claims the city may not be adhering to Proposition 218, a state law that mandates how city funds are to be used. “I have to tell you: I have no confidence in your cost allocations,” Hammond told Hanneman. “It’s not personal — I just

The City Council held a contentious discussion Tuesday night about a recent Sacramento County grand jury report that claims the city may have broken state law. The Jan. 6 grand jury report states that the city is not adhering to Proposition 218, a state law regulating city funds. Councilwoman Lauren Hammond made tough remarks to Marty Hanneman, director of the Utilities Department. “I have no confidence in your cost allocations,” Hammond said. She expressed the view that utilities monies over the years have not been managed properly. “We need to come clean and start over,” she said. Utilites Department spokeswoman Jessica Hess notes that the department will address 10 possible Prop. 2

A Sacramento city councilwoman said Sacramento’s municipal government has “gone wrong.” A second councilwoman blamed high-level city staff. And a councilman suggested that the city consider setting up a whistleblower hotline. During an intense meeting Tuesday night, the Sacramento City Council grappled with an investigation involving the city’s community development department. Council members wrestled with findings from an investigation into the department’s approval last year of 35 permits in a Natomas flood zone. The investigation was carried out by City Attorney Eileen Teichert’s office and a third-party law firm, Renee Sloan Holtzman Sakai. In a recent report, the offices of the ci

Sacramento City Councilman Robbie Waters wants to advance public safety in his district by bolstering neighborhood associations and watch groups. Waters, a former Sacramento County sheriff, said that public safety is his top priority for the year. The Sacramento Press is publishing a series on the 2010 goals of members of the City Council. Links to stories on other councilmembers’ goals can be found at the end of this story. Waters represents District 7, which includes the Greenhaven, Pocket and Valley Hi neighborhoods. He is running for re-election in June. His opponents in the race are Darrell Fong, who had a longtime career as a Sacramento police officer, and Ryan Chin, the strategic

City officials are supporting a proposed ballot initiative that aims to ban the state from taking or borrowing local government monies. Mayor Kevin Johnson stood with three city councilmembers and local public safety officials outside City Hall to publicize the initiative in a press conference Tuesday morning. California is in the process of borrowing $12 million of the city’s tax funds as part of last year’s state budget crisis, according to city finance director Leyne Milstein. By the end of the month, the city will have given that total amount to the state, she said. Don Cavier, finance director for the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency, said that the state plans to take $19

Councilman Kevin McCarty wants the city government to make it easier for residents to be environmentally conscious. Environmental programs — one program focused on energy efficiency measures and another on water conservation — are among his top three priorities for the year. At the same time, McCarty is emphasizing the importance of the city’s looming budget gap. He said the city budget will be his first priority for 2010. City leaders made major cuts to local services when they closed out last year’s $50 million budget deficit. “The budget is probably the single most important act that we do every year that affects ... the quality of life in our neighborhoods,” McCarty said. The city s

Councilwoman Lauren Hammond has the local economy on her mind. Two of her top three goals for 2010 relate to jobs and business. Hammond said her top goal for the year will be to seek passage of her initiative to give local companies an advantage over non-local companies when bidding for city contracts. Her other goal related to the economy is to save city jobs and services, which will be her third-highest priority of the year. Hammond, who represents several neighborhoods including Curtis Park, Hollywood Park and Oak Park, is running for Assemblyman Dave Jones’ seat against her City Council colleague Kevin McCarty. Sacramento County Supervisor Roger Dickinson is also running for the seat

Two members like the idea. Two are opposed. A fifth thinks it’s not a high priority. These five members of the Sacramento City Council gave their views Thursday on a recommendation from an advisory group to make the council positions full time. The City Council has nine members because it includes the mayor. Currently, eight City Council positions are part time, while the mayor serves full time. Councilmembers earn $52,000 per year. The full-time recommendation comes from the city’s Charter Review Committee. Councilwoman Lauren Hammond asked the committee to study the topic. Council positions are  “full-time work,” Hammond said. Sacramento has become a big city and councilmembers shoul

Some members of the City Council said Wednesday they were unaware of the permitting program that played a key role in the recent controversy over the Nestlé company’s efforts to set up a water bottling plant in Sacramento. The city closed down its Facilities Permit Program Oct. 27 during the public debate over Nestlé’s plans. Nestlé’s project was greenlighted through the FPP. With the FPP, businesses that work with the city on an ongoing basis can receive quick approval for tenant improvements or remodeling of commercial and industrial buildings, said David Kwong, the city’s planning division director. In the case of Nestlé, the company and its contractors received verbal approval from

It’s election season in Sacramento — do you know how to follow the money in the 2010 City Council campaigns? You can get the scoop on campaign contributions through the city of Sacramento’s Online Campaign Statement System.  The system, which is free and open to the public, provides information on contributions to City Council candidates. Assistant City Clerk Stephanie Mizuno gave tips Thursday on navigating the online system.   In the past, Mizuno said, the public would have to appear in person to request campaign information. “In this case, you can do it at home, at your computer.” There is a link to the online system at the city clerk’s website under the heading “Elections & Campaig

Councilmembers clashed with Mayor Kevin Johnson over the usefulness of the Charter Review Committee’s work after the committee presented its final recommendations on city governance Tuesday. Johnson and Councilwoman Lauren Hammond questioned the value of the charter’s work, while Councilmembers Ray Tretheway, Kevin McCarty and Sandy Sheedy called for the 11-member committee to keep working past its deadline so that it can address additional issues. The 11-member committee is advising the City Council to keep the city’s current council/manager form of government. The committee’s recommendations oppose the strong mayor form of government that would be established if voters approve an initia

Mayor Kevin Johnson said the city’s order to halt construction work at the plant Nestlé plans to use for a water-bottling operation is bad for business in Sacramento. Johnson has praised the jobs that Nestlé will bring to Sacramento, while Councilman Kevin McCarty opposes the plant's plan to bottle and sell water from the American River. Councilwoman Lauren Hammond has also raised concerns about Nestlé's plans. The city’s Community Development Department placed a stop-work order on Friday on two phases of construction at 8670 Younger Creek Drive, the plant’s site. The city is checking to see whether Nestlé broke any of the city’s permitting and building laws. Nestlé said it has not viola

Mayor Kevin Johnson spoke favorably about the Nestlé company’s planned water-bottling plant and addressed other local issues at his weekly meeting with reporters on Tuesday. Nestlé water bottling plant Johnson praised Nestlé’s plan to set up a plant to bottle and sell water from the American River, saying the plant will create jobs.   “I knew that this would bring about 40 to 60 jobs in our community and that’s a good thing,” he said. Johnson also said he wished he could have been more involved in the process of bringing the plant to Sacramento, but noted that the city manager’s office has jurisdiction on the issue. But Councilmembers Kevin McCarty and Lauren Hammond disagree. They sai

Two Sacramento city councilmembers are raising concerns and voicing skepticism about the Nestle company’s plan to set up a plant to bottle and sell water from the American River. Councilmembers Kevin McCarty and Lauren Hammond are advocating for the City Council to get involved in the city’s negotiations with Nestle, which so far have been managed by city staffers. Nestle Waters North America’s plan to set up shop in Sacramento early next year is drawing attention. A group of citizens created "Save Our Water Sacramento" to oppose Nestle’s plans. The group is calling for the City Council to set a moratorium on beverage bottling plants in Sacramento. The company noted in a statement that

New digital billboards from Clear Channel Outdoor, Inc., may be placed at city-owned locations if negotiations between the company and the city are successful. The city is pursuing talks with Clear Channel as a way to earn revenue for the cash-strapped city government. The City Council unanimously decided Tuesday to start negotiations with Clear Channel for digital billboard placement. The city is undergoing severe economic problems and recently laid off 135 employees. The digital billboards would be placed at the following three spots: the area following the south side of Interstate 80 and east of Northgate Boulevard; the area of Interstate 5 and Richards Boulevard; and near Haggin Oaks

Sacramento City Councilwoman Lauren Hammond did not like what she read on the list. At Tuesday night’s City Council meeting, Hammond was scanning a list of property owners that owe the city money for fees and fines related to housing code violations. “There are so many bank-owned properties on this list,” Hammond said. Banks that have not paid the city for violations at properties include heavy-hitters such as Wells Fargo Bank, Wachovia Bank and Bank of New York. Many properties owned by individuals are also on the city's list.  The city needs to examine how it can require banks to take care of properties in the same way that real estate agents do, she said. The City Council approved

Local small businesses may be able to gain an advantage when bidding for contracts with the city of Sacramento if a new proposal by City Councilwoman Lauren Hammond is eventually approved by the City Council. Hammond is proposing a program in which local small businesses would be eligible for a 5 percent bid preference with the city. The purpose of the 5 percent discount would be to give local businesses a boost in the city's bidding process. Hammond told The Sacramento Press she would like to create the program because "there aren't enough companies getting contracts with the city of Sacramento." The city's other efforts to bring in more local companies have not worked because city staf