Newest articles on The Sacramento Press tagged as "mayor kevin johnson"

U.S. Transportation Secretary checks out intermodal facility

2012-02-10T01:44:17Z

Mayor Kevin Johnson toured the downtown railyards with U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood Thursday, showing off the site of the future intermodal facility and – if all goes well for Johnson and the Think Big Committee – the site of a new entertainment and sports complex.

LaHood stopped in Sacramento on a tour of California to discuss investments being made in job-creating infrastructure projects in Sacramento and around the country, according to a press release Tuesday.

LaHood spoke to a crowd of more than 50, discussing the importance of high-speed rail in California, as well as job potential from the future intermodal facility.

“This facility is what I believe is a national model for a transit-oriented development opportunity,” LaHood said. “(It will) not only create jobs for people in Sacramento, but create an opportunity to be a magnet – to draw people to a part of the city that many people never thought would be usable.”

Johnson said Thursday that the 245-acre downtown railyards will be home to “two crucial hubs” in one location: the intermodal facility and the entertainment and sports complex.

“We believe this will be one of the busiest intermodal hubs in the country,” Johnson said. “It gets at two things at once: transportation and economic development.”

The intermodal facility will be a transit center that will provide connections between nearly all modes of transportation: bicycle, pedestrian, bus, light rail, taxi and train, according to the city website.

Work on the first phase of the transit project began in May and is expected to be complete by the end of 2013.

The entertainment and sports complex is expected to generate more than $7 billion in economic activity over 30 years and nearly 4,000 jobs to the region, according to the Think Big Sacramento website.

“We believe the entertainment and sports complex is a game-changer for this community,” Johnson said.

“We’re talking about a project that will bring 3 million people to downtown. (We’re talking about) a project that will double the size of downtown and will bring $154 million in additional revenue to our region,” he added.

If a financing plan is worked out before the March 1 relocation deadline and the project comes to fruition, it will be a 700,000-square-foot complex in the southern section of the railyards.

Representatives from the Think Big Committee planned to unveil the newest artist renderings of the entertainment and sports complex at Thursday’s event, but the plan changed at the last minute.

“(The renderings) just weren’t as perfect as we’d wanted them to be,” said Kunal Merchant, Johnson’s chief of staff.

“Really, though, people aren’t as interested in what it will look like right now,” Merchant added, “they just want to know how we’re going to pay for it. That’s the priority.”

Melissa Corker is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @MelissaCorker.

Council: Parking lease issue won't reach June ballot

2012-02-08T22:01:48Z

The push to put a city parking lease to a vote fell flat Tuesday as the City Council rejected a motion to put the question on the June ballot.

It was City Councilwoman Sandy Sheedy who first suggested in November that the voters should have a say in whether the city leases its parking inventory to an outside company.

She conducted a city-wide poll on her website in October, which indicated that
70 percent of respondents favored a public vote on a potential 50-year lease, according to Sheedy.

“The (arena) plan hinges on leasing the city’s parking for 50 years,” Sheedy said Tuesday. “I think such a massive public investment warrants a public vote.”

Still, after almost an hour of public discussion, the council voted 5-4 Tuesday not to place the issue on the ballot.

Sheedy and Council members Kevin McCarty, Darrell Fong and Bonnie Pannell voted in favor of the measure.

Council members Angelique Ashby, Steve Cohn, Rob Fong and Jay Schenirer and Mayor Kevin Johnson voted against it.

The City Council is pursuing the possibility of leasing the city’s parking assets as part of a financing plan for a new entertainment and sports complex.

Opponents of a public vote on the issue said a ballot measure would occur after the March 1 deadline for the city to have a solid arena plan – without one, Sacramento Kings’ owners have threatened to relocate the team.

“We owe the NBA an answer by March. The election is in June. In the effort of being timely, I don’t think we should send it to ballot,” Ashby said.

Another point of opposition was the message a possible vote would send to the 13 companies that have expressed interest in leasing the city’s parking inventory.

“If the leasing of parking assets is put on the ballot it would send a signal to the NBA, AEG, and to the business community across the country that this council is indecisive and it would sabotage efforts to this point,” said Sacramento resident James Battle during public comment.

“It’s impossible to separate this issue from the impact of the vote,” City Councilman Steve Cohn said. “Let’s be clear: it would kill the arena deal in its tracks. If that’s what you want to do, then vote for it.”

Johnson said the list of 13 interested lessees would be reviewed and narrowed down to three or four before a financing agreement would be created.

“The goal is to have that term sheet in place before the March 1 deadline,” Johnson said at his weekly press conference Tuesday.

“We are doing all we can to make that happen,” he said.

Melissa Corker is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @MelissaCorker.

Police union halts labor talks with City Hall

2012-02-08T15:27:42Z

In the the wake of the City Council’s 5-4 vote Tuesday blocking the strong mayor initiative from going to the November ballot, police union leaders halted labor contract discussions with City Hall.

Mark Tyndale, president of the Sacramento Police Officers Association told City Manager John Shirey in an email just hours after the final council vote that he was “suspending all discussions between the city and the SPOA negotiations team.”

After voting down the strong mayor initiative, council members approved a ballot measure to create an elected 15-member charter reform commission.

Calling the cost of a charter commission “fiscally irresponsible,” Tyndale said in the email that he “can’t help but feel this was nothing but a tactic by some of them to once again publically (sic) display their contempt for the Mayor.”

Although the SPOA had engaged with city labor representatives in a series of “off the record” discussions, Tyndale said in the email, the council’s decision to create a charter commission caused him to reevaluate his position.

“I refuse to consider further concessions that will only be used to fund the Commission,” Tyndale said.

The cost of a charter commission is largely unknown, according to the City Clerk’s office. In a staff report to council Tuesday, a portion of the cost – the cost of putting the question to the voters of rather to create a commission – was estimated at more than $127,000.

Assistant City Attorney Matt Ruyak said Tuesday that the additional costs of staffing and maintaining a commission – beyond the cost of the election alone – were unknown at this early stage.

Tyndale asked Shirey and City Finance Director Leyne Milstein for a written estimate of the costs to the city for an elected charter review commission.

Neither Tyndale nor Shirey were available for comment at press time for this story. The Sacramento Press will give updates on the situation as they become available.

Melissa Corker is a staff reporter with The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @MelissaCorker.

Charter reform goes to November ballot – but not as 'strong mayor'

2012-02-08T07:03:40Z

Charter reform will be an item on the November ballot, but not in the form of a strong mayor initiative. Instead, voters will be asked if they want to elect a 15-member commission to review the city charter.

After more than 20 people spoke on the topic during public comment, the City Council voted 5-4 Tuesday to reject putting the Checks and Balances Act of 2012 – the strong mayor initiative – to a public vote in November.

Council members Sandy Sheedy, Rob Fong, Kevin McCarty, Darrell Fong and Bonnie Pannell were the majority votes.

Council members Angelique Ashby, Steve Cohn, Jay Schenirer and Mayor Kevin Johnson each voted in favor of the measure no .

Two governance-related considerations were on the agenda Tuesday night: a charter reform commission and the Checks and Balances Act, which had been revised from the last council discussion.

After the motion to put the strong mayor initiative on the ballot failed, the council voted in favor of a ballot measure to elect a 15-member charter commission.

McCarty suggested the charter reform commission as an option to the strong mayor initiative at the Jan. 17. council meeting.

The measure would be twofold: first asking voters if they want an elected charter commission, and second, asking voters to select whom they want to serve on that commission.

“I don’t like a charter commission because I don’t like how much it will cost,” Ashby said. “Between staffing and meetings and the elections – It’s too expensive.”

According to the City Clerk’s office, the county is currently unable to give a cost estimate for the “candidate” portion of the issue – the cost would depend largely on how many candidates were on the ballot.

The “question” portion of the issue, however, is estimated at $127,100 according to the City Clerk’s office.

Supporters of an elected charter commission told council members that it would be worth the time and expense.

“Democracy is messy, and a commission can be time-consuming,” Sacramento resident and former City Council candidate Henry Harry said, “but it will allow us to get it right.”

Many who opposed an elected commission, however, expressed concern that opening the city charter for review is akin to opening Pandora’s Box.

“(A charter commission) opens up doors to other issues that we’d rather not see open up,” said Mark Tyndale, president of the Sacramento Police Officers Association.

Roger Niello, current CEO of the Sacramento Metro Chamber and former State Assemblyman, said he believes an elected charter commission would pit competing city interests against each if the city charter is reviewed in its entirety.

“You would be creating the political equivalent of a food fight,” Niello said.

After the final vote, Johnson voiced his disappointment, saying simply, “I think a charter commission is a bad idea.”

Ashby said of the charter commission, “This seems like déjà vu. It looks like redistricting, and we all know how that turned out. I promise you that a year from now we will get hammered on this.”

If a charter commission is elected in November, the members will have two years to submit any proposal for charter reform to voters.

The City Council also considered creating a ballot measure Tuesday asking voters to weigh in on a potential lease of the city's parking assets to help finance a new sports and entertainment complex. The Sacramento Press will have the update on that story Wednesday.

Melissa Corker is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @MelissaCorker.

Editorial Note: A correction was made to this article after it was published. The incorrect information was struck out and the correction information added.

Mayor Discusses the Human Rights of the Homeless

2012-02-08T04:10:30Z

The possible human rights violations of the local homeless was a main topic of Mayor Kevin Johnson’s press conference Tuesday.

The conference was held to announce the expansion of Bank on Sacramento, a collaboration between local nonprofit organizations, banks and credit unions, to help people receive low-cost accounts and financial advice. Despite the announcement, the topic of homeless rights were heavily discussed.

Catarina De Albuquerque, a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council, recently sent a four-page memo to warn Johnson about the possible violation. The current policy of removing the homeless from tent cities denies the homeless safe drinking water and sanitation, which Albuquerque interprets to be a protected freedom pursuant to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Johnson said he is disappointed with what little the city’s done so far to help Safe Ground Sacramento, an allegiance of many different homeless organizations, on their efforts to solve the issue.

“No one has been more upset and disturbed (than me) by the lack of progress that we’ve had with this particular group,” Johnson said. “I think what these folks want is not too much.”

“We’ve made a lot of great strides with homelessness in general,” Johnson said. “We had a goal of 2,400 permanent housing units, we’ve accomplished that goal within a two-year span versus three year, so we’re ahead of schedule on that.”

Despite this achievement, Johnson still believes there’s more that the city and the county can do collectively to find a cite to be used to benefit the homeless.

“I understand their frustration,” Johnson said. “I certainly share it. It’s been one of the areas that keeps me up at night.”

Johnson was also asked about whether he was concerned about the current plan to lease the city’s parking for the next 50 years to one of 13 interested companies, in order to raise $240 million to finance an arena. Johnson replied that there were “no red or yellow flags” and that there is no reason to be concerned.

“We’re exceeding our own expectations to date,” Johnson said. “We didn’t think we’d get 13 people bidding on parking.”

Mid-year city budget update

2012-02-01T06:12:16Z

The city is spending more than it is bringing in, and even though that’s normal for this time of the year, officials need to make changes to keep spending under control and keep the budget on target.

According to the mid-year budget report presented to the City Council Tuesday, expenditures are at 50 percent of projections, and revenues are at 36 percent – about 14 percent less than anticipated.

This is typical for this point in the fiscal year, Finance Director Leyne Milstein told council members Tuesday – but adjustment is still necessary.

“Without these recommendations, we will not be able to balance our budget,” Milstein said.

It’s not all bad news, though.

The 2010-11 fiscal year ended with an unexpected $5.1 million surplus – largely due to savings from cutting back on expenses in a variety of city departments during the year, according to a city staff report.

That $5.1 million will be used to address a variety of budget needs including:

* $1.2 million to backfill General Fund revenue shortfalls;
* $1 million to the Police Department to cover a holiday pay budget shortfall
* $715,000 for unbudgeted utilities in the Department of Parks & Recreation
* $285,000 for payouts related to contracting out golf maintenance operations
* $750,000 for deferred maintenance projects at city-owned facilities

Another $3 million – left over from capital improvement projects that have been funded and completed ahead of schedule – will go into the General Fund Economic Uncertainty Reserve, bringing that “rainy day fund” balance to $20.7 million.

“Putting money into the reserve is wise, I think,” City Councilman Jay Schenirer said.

Staff also recommended adjustments – both up and down – to citywide revenues to keep the city budget balanced through the end of the fiscal year, including:

* $3.6 million reduction in property tax revenues, due to a greater-than-expected decline in property tax values
* $2.8 million increase in sales and use tax budget, due to a fourth consecutive quarter of sales tax growth

One adjustment to projected revenues comes from the closure of medical marijuana dispensaries in the city.

With eight of 33 dispensaries in the city now closed, business operating tax revenue from the dispensaries – initially estimated in the city budget as $1 million – will be reduced by $250,000 to $750,000.

The actual reduction amount will depend on how many more dispensaries close before the end of the fiscal year, June 30.

The City Council began the budget process for the 2012/13 fiscal year with a workshop Jan. 24. The city manager will present his proposed budget for the coming fiscal year on May 1.

The Sacramento Press discussed the first quarter budget report HERE.

Melissa Corker is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @MelissaCorker.

Editorial Note: A spelling correction was made to this story after it was published.

Making the Impossible Possible

2012-02-01T03:14:26Z

In the Mayor’s “State of the City” address he focused on two important and interconnected areas: jobs and education. The Mayor also spoke about making the impossible possible, a message that resonates with many citizens today. With unemployment at record highs (8.5% in the U.S., 11.3% in California and 11.1% in Sacramento) and prevalent low academic performance in the U.S. (compared internationally) and in California (compared to other states), the impossibility of the “American dream” is all too real for far too many people today. Still, all hope is not lost. There is a sense of urgency sweeping the nation and jobs and education are two very hot topics swirling in the media. There is a feeling that the will of the people is present; they simply need to know what to do to help usher in the change we all know is needed.

What is still lacking and hindering progress is a shared belief that education is the underlying issue of our economic woes.

In 2011, American manufacturing could not fill 600,000 skilled positions due to a lack of qualified candidates . Among a national sample of 1,123 executives, 67% experienced a moderate to severe shortage of qualified workers and 56% anticipate the shortage to increase over the next three to five years. These executives complained that the education system is not producing workers with the basic skills they need. A 2011 talent shortage survey of diverse companies across the globe cited the evermore specific skill sets employers are looking for and their frustration with finding people with both the technical competencies and business knowledge needed to be successful . Employers in the U.S. reported a 38 percentage point increase (from 14% to 52%) in difficulty filling jobs and 73% of all employers cited a lack of experience, skills or knowledge as the reason for this difficulty.

In the midst of economic crisis and record unemployment, many jobs are available. These jobs have the potential to fuel families’ personal economies which we know fuels spending, home ownership, and the like. So, what’s the disconnect?

Education is the missing connection and underlies the structural unemployment we are facing. While we have many people looking for jobs, the jobs that are open require skills our citizens don’t have. This is referred to as the middle-skill gap – skills in science, technology, math and engineering that will fuel our increasingly technological and global society are sorely lacking. It is estimated that the number of jobs for Californians with postsecondary education will grow 50% faster than jobs for high school drop outs between 2008 and 2018. By 2018, 60% of California jobs will require an education beyond high school and by 2025, there is a predicted workforce shortage of 1 million college graduates . Here in Sacramento, 57% of health care employers reported difficulty in finding registered nurses and 78% cannot fill medical imaging positions. Sacramento employers in the energy efficiency field, a booming field in the area as noted by Mayor Johnson, reported difficulty hiring workers in eight critical areas to clean energy.

There is a shortage of qualified employees, not just a lack of jobs.

Our education system is at the heart of this crisis. The U.S. ranks 15th in reading, 23rd in science, 31st in math, and 26th in overall educational quality among 65 countries . California is below average in academic performance compared to other states and schools in the Sacramento region boast similarly poor results with only half of the students being proficient in any subject . Those who make it to college are often still undereducated. Over 70% of California community college students required remediation in math and Englishiv. Similar results are seen in our state’s CSUs. With these types of results, achieving the American dream is becoming increasingly impossible – more a fantasy than a dream.

Amidst these bleak statistics, there are places to look for solutions. A recent Global Public Square special on CNN entitled “Restoring the American Dream: Fixing Education” profiled South Korea and Finland as two diverse examples of nations with very high student performance using very different approaches. South Korea relies heavily on testing and students spend an immense amount of time studying, in school and after school. Finland is a complete contrast spending less time in school with no standardized testing, but focusing instead on creativity and critical thinking. Both nations rank among the top three in reading, math and science. The special goes on to ask American industrialists what we can learn from South Korea and Finland and what is needed to transform public education in the U.S. The common message among the presenters and the common denominator between South Korea and Finland was teacher effectiveness. Among these commentators – national presidents, industry tycoons, and education reformers – there was agreement that effective teaching is a key ingredient in a strong educational system. In Finland it is more competitive to get into a teacher education program than medical school. Their teacher education system is rigorous and systematic, with layers of professional development and requirements for proof of ability to effectively shape young minds. By contrast, in the U.S. almost half of our teachers graduate in the bottom third of their college graduating class .

Two research reports were released this January on this very topic, one by the National Bureau of Economic Research and the other by The Education Trust–West (ETW). Both reports discussed the ways in which teacher effectiveness can be reasonably assessed and the impact a teacher can have on their students’ life outcomes. The economists found that students assigned to a more effective teacher were more likely to attend college, earn higher salaries, live in better neighborhoods, save more for retirement, and were less likely to become teenage parents. They also report that an increase in teacher effectiveness (replacing the bottom 5% of teachers) would add $250,000 of lifetime earnings per classroom into our economy. Researchers at The Education Trust–West found that effective teaching greatly impacts student learning, with an effective teacher adding half a year more learning in English-language arts (ELA) and four months more learning in math for their students. The ETW also reports that low-income students and students of color are systematically less likely to be taught by an effective teacher and more highly impacted by quality-blind layoffs. It is clear why we have such persistent achievement gaps.

These are not the first reports of their kind. There have been others before them discussing the importance of teacher effectiveness as well as other topics in education reform like fiscal responsibility and parent choice. Clear sets of solutions have been proposed. So, we are again left asking, what is the disconnect? Why do we not act on some of these suggestions and try something radically different?

You are the missing connection.

Your outcry is what we are missing – the voice of the people standing up and demanding a different course of action. In a democratic society, systems are transformed by the will of the people. No one can pretend to have the answer. There is no one magic bullet that will alter the course of education in this country. But we do know more of the same is not the answer. That is, after all, the definition of insanity. Democracy requires an educated citizenry. Our economy demands a quality education based in the future of science and technology we are all heading towards. Your future necessitates our children are prepared to run our nation, our state, and frankly, your affairs. Systems cannot reform themselves. You must require them to change, to become better, to meet your needs.

STAND UP for education Sacramento! With our state legislators in our backyard, what better place to begin than here. We can fix education. We can restore the American dream. Let us lead the way for the rest of the state to follow in making the impossible possible.

Sources:

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics for November 2011; presented on Google.com
“Boiling point: The Skills Gap in U.S. Manufacturing” sponsored by Deloitte and The Manufacturing Institute
The “2011 Talent Shortage Survey Results” sponsored by the Manpower Group, surveying nearly 40,000 employers across 39 countries and territories.
“Can California Compete?: Reducing the Skills Gap and Creating a skilled workforce through Linked Learning” sponsored by America’s Edge
http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/
http://dq.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/
A special edition of Fareed Zakaria’s GPS program, Restoring the American Dream: Fixing Education (November 6, 2011)

Disclosure: Aisha Lowe is Deputy Director of STAND UP, a local non-profit working to inform and mobilize the community for education reform, working to ensure every child in Sacramento has the opportunity to attend an excellent public school.

Mayor: Responses to parking lessee search ‘promising’

2012-01-31T22:58:21Z

Mayor Kevin Johnson said 13 companies have expressed interest in leasing the city’s parking system for the next 50 years – a move he described as “promising” as the city looks to bring in $240 million to finance an arena through the process.

“(The responses) show a lot of interest. That is consistent with what we expected,” Mayor Kevin Johnson said Tuesday at his weekly press conference. “It is really encouraging.”

The 13 “letters of intent” arrived after the city sent more than 100 letters to parking operators across the nation in early January. The deadline for interested parties to respond was Monday.

The names of the interested companies will be released Thursday, Johnson said.

Although there is yet to be a completed term sheet outlining the conditions of a potential lease, Johnson said suggestions of parking rate increases could be a deal-breaker for the city.

“Some other cities (that leased their parking) have seen their parking rates go sky high, and that is just not acceptable for us,” he said.

Johnson wouldn’t speculate about how much a final contract might bring the city, but he said he believes the responses create a competitive environment where bidding will be pushed to the higher end of the estimated $180 million - $240 million range.

City staff and parking representatives will review the responses to verify qualifications and shorten the list of potential bidders, Johnson said. That “short list” should be ready for the City Council to consider by Feb. 14, he added.

Melissa Corker is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @MelissaCorker.

Arena, green tech, education: State of the City highlights

2012-01-31T02:20:44Z

A new program to raise $10 million for arena financing and turning Sacramento into an “Emerald Valley” were two key points in Mayor Kevin Johnson’s State of the City address Monday.

Johnson’s speech focused on boosting the local economy in three areas: building an entertainment and sports complex, green-sector jobs and reforming public schools to create a more competitive workforce.

“The economy is bad everywhere, but it’s worse here,” Johnson told the nearly 1,000 people in the audience.

“We have to take bold actions,” Johnson said. “We have to make the impossible possible.”

The mayor delivered the 20th annual speech at the Sacramento Convention Center in an event hosted by the Sacramento Metro Chamber of Commerce.

Johnson introduced a new program aimed at raising $10 million toward the cost of building the entertainment and sports complex.

The “Brick-by-Brick” program will allow individual supporters to buy bricks with their names engraved on them to be placed in the entryway of the new complex.

Johnson said after the event that the program is in the early stages and costs for the bricks have not yet been determined.

The first three honorary bricks were given to City Councilman Steve Cohn and two young Kings fans, Jack O’Brien, 11 and Gil Vechner, 12. The two boys caught Johnson’s attention when they started a lemonade stand last year to raise money for the arena.

“It’s time to finish what we started. It’s crunch time,” Johnson said, referring to the March 1 financing plan deadline to prevent the Kings from relocating.

Johnson turned the discussion to employment concerns, saying he believes one of the biggest problems Sacramento faces is a dependence on state government and real estate for jobs and revenue.

“This sets us up to be the hardest hit in a financial crisis,” Johnson said.

Bringing green technology and green industry jobs to the region is one solution to that problem, Johnson said.

Among the goals Johnson outlined for 2012 are plans to raise $100 million to retrofit schools to make them more energy-efficient and “green,” and joining the Edible Schoolyard Program to bring school gardens, cooking classes and healthy eating to local schools.

“Becoming the Emerald Valley is within our grasp,” Johnson said.

Although he doesn’t have a direct relationship to local schools as the mayor, Johnson said improving education has long been a focus for him – and it should be a focus for the city, he said.

As a way to keep schools accountable to parents – and to make it easier for parents to decide which schools are best for their kids based on performance – Johnson said he is working to establish “report cards” for local schools.

The new rating system will assign a letter grade to every school in the county based on a range of performance criteria including student test scores and whether the schools are meeting academic standards.

Johnson said his office will not be responsible for consequences to a school for getting a low grade – the consequences will come from parents who withdraw their students or choose not to enroll them in low-grade schools.

Some business and civic leaders at the event had a positive reaction to the mayor’s address – former State Assemblyman and current president of the Sacramento Metro Chamber Roger Niello said it was “completely on point,” and County Supervisor Don Nottoli said it was “very well-delivered.”

“I think (Johnson) was absolutely right about the region needing to diversify its economic base,” County Supervisor Roberta MacGlashan said after the event.

“I think that’s the most important point he made,” she added.

Michael Ault, Executive Director of the Downtown Sacramento Partnership, said the mayor did a good job of breaking down what needs to be done for the city into smaller, achievable goals.

“You just can’t have 30 priorities for the coming year. We have to narrow it to a few legitimately reachable goals,” Ault said.

“The sports and entertainment complex is clearly something we think needs to be accomplished in the short term and I think the mayor really highlighted that,” he added.

The current city charter does not require the mayor to give a state of the city address. Johnson has delivered the speech each year he’s been in office – four times.

If the mayor’s charter reform proposal gets on the ballot and is passed by voters, an annual state of the city address would become a requirement for future Sacramento mayors.

Melissa Corker is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @MelissaCorker.

Council delays strong mayor decision, possibly until November

2012-01-18T08:05:02Z

The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday against putting a strong mayor initiative on the June ballot – but they opened the door for some form of charter reform to appear on the November ballot.

Council members directed the city attorney to return to council in three weeks with a “matrix layout” detailing two options for the council to consider.

One, the creation of an elected charter commission initiative, and, two, a revision of the Checks and Balances Act based on comments heard at Tuesday’s council meeting.

The City Council will have the opportunity to vote for either action at the Feb. 7 council meeting – “or to do nothing at all,” said City Councilman Kevin McCarty when the meeting concluded.

After more than four hours of public comment and discussion among council members, the City Council still hadn’t arrived at a decision by 11:30 p.m. Tuesday about whether to put a strong mayor initiative on the June ballot.

Council members heard lengthy and detailed reports on the proposed Checks and Balances Act of 2012 from both Kunal Merchant, the mayor’s chief of staff, and Matt Ruyak, assistant city attorney.

“We have an obligation to hold a vigorous debate,” Merchant said, “and you can’t have a vigorous debate until it is actually on the ballot and is a real issue, not just a concept or a draft of an idea.”

Merchant went on to outline the Checks and Balances Act, including new powers that would be granted to the mayor, powers that the mayor would be giving up, and items built into the charter reform measure not found in earlier versions.

“Tonight is a historic night,” Merchant said. “The time is right for fundamental change in our city.”

Council chambers were full for the entire meeting, with more than 300 people in attendance. Ten speakers took the podium during public comment, and another 55 spoke on the strong mayor item specifically.

Faith leaders, business leaders and union representatives told council members that the expectation was not to decide the issue, rather to put the issue on the ballot for the voters to decide.

“We will respect you to the level you respect us,” said pastor Rick Cole. “Respect the people by allowing them to vote on this important issue.”

The majority of the speakers were in support of the strong mayor initiative, and called on council members to allow for a vote on the June ballot regardless of any personal opposition to the initiative.

Opponents of the measure expressed disappointment, saying charter reform is not what the City Council should be spending its time on.

Shawn Donohoe, a representative of the Democratic Party of Sacramento County, questioned the “vagueness” of the proposal, saying, “This isn’t the time to spend our resources on a window dressing like charter reform.”

Ruyak discussed some potential shortcomings of the proposal, including ambiguous sections regarding sunshine ordinances, a proposed redistricting commission and a potential ninth council district.

“We have some concerns about the ability to create (a ninth council district),” Ruyak said. “The drafters feels there is not a problem, but this is a novel legal issue, and we don’t have a definitive answer right now.”

City Councilman Jay McCarty opened the debate on the initiative for council members, saying he would like to see the council explore an elected charter reform commission to consider – and ultimately, decide – the strong mayor issue.

“This (Checks and Balances Act) version is cleaner than the previous versions,” McCarty said, “but we can’t go about this willy-nilly. This is something we have to get right.”

City Councilwoman Angelique Ashby said she would like to see the issue resolved – one way or another – so the city can move on to other business.

“I don’t think we should just keep rehashing this,” Ashby said.

“I say, don’t make it about the person of the mayor,” Ashby said. “Make it about the issue. Let’s settle on some language and get it to a vote and put all this behind us.”

City Councilman Jay Schenirer said he agreed with Ashby and wanted to move the issue along.

“Lets take the personalities out of this,” Schenirer said, “Let’s look at the policy and decide if it works, no matter who the mayor may or may not be in the future.”

“Whats the rush?” asked City Councilman Darrell Fong. “I don’t think this should go to the ballot in June. The public needs more time to vet this out.”

City Councilwoman Bonnie Pannell agreed with Fong.

“This is not ready for prime time – yet,” Pannell said. “We need to tweak this for November, not June. Let the people vote on it, but let’s make sure they know what they are voting on.”

The city attorney will present a report on a possible elected charter commission and a further analysis of a revised Checks and Balances Act for consideration on the November ballot at the Feb. 7 City Council meeting.

Melissa Corker is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @MelissaCorker.

The Sacramento Press on 'Insight': Strong mayor initiative

2012-01-18T01:07:27Z

Tuesday on Capitol Public Radio’s “Insight” program, I sat down with host David Watts Barton and Sacramento Bee editorial board member Foon Rhee to discuss the Checks and Balances Act of 2012 – more commonly known as the “executive mayor” or “strong mayor” initiative.

The mayor’s office rolled out the latest version of the strong mayor initiative Dec. 21 by a coalition of supporters led by Mayor Kevin Johnson’s chief of staff, Kunal Merchant.

The issue was scheduled to be on the agenda for City Council discussion Tuesday, and Johnson said he is hopeful that council members will put the initiative on the June ballot.

Rhee pointed out that Tuesday’s meeting was the 16th time the issue has been discussed at City Council – the most recent time being June 2010 when the City Council voted 7-2 against allowing City Attorney Eileen Teichert to prepare a strong mayor ballot initiative.

Although the initiative has been rebranded as the Checks and Balances Act of 2012, Rhee suggested it is more like “strong mayor initiative version 3.0,” because of some similarities with the previous version.

After so much discussion over the last couple of years, it is fair to ask if finally putting the proposal on the ballot will put the issue to rest.

Before the proposal gets put on the ballot, however, council members may want to see some tweaks to language in the draft as suggested by the city attorney’s analysis – such as clarifying ambiguities about a sunshine ordinance and the potential for creating a ninth council district.

The city attorney’s analysis of the proposed Checks and Balances Act can be read HERE.

City Manager John Shirey indicated in November that he wants no part of a strong mayor form of government. If the strong mayor initiative passes at the June ballot, the city may lose yet another city manager – the fourth one in the last three years.

The good news for Shirey is his severance package – guaranteed by contract – that gives him six months’ salary if he leaves office before his three-year contract expires.

In the last couple of weeks, the Checks and Balances Act received some big-name endorsements including former Sacramento mayors Jimmy Yee, Phil Isenberg and Anne Rudin. Monday, Senate President Pro-Tem Darrell Steinberg added his name to the list of endorsements of the initiative, calling it “a solid and responsible proposal.”

Johnson has been something of a polarizing figure with the strong mayor initiative: Some people love the idea because of their affinity for the mayor, but others are opposed to it because of a fundamental opposition to Johnson himself.

Because of this, voters may welcome the chance to both vote for a new mayor and charter reform at the same time – an opportunity that wasn’t possible when the previous strong mayor initiative was floated for the 2010 city election cycle.

Read the entire Checks and Balances Act of 2012 proposal HERE.

Check The Sacramento Press Wednesday for a recap of the council meeting and strong mayor discussion.

Melissa Corker is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @MelissaCorker.

Candidate statements must meet strict guidelines

2012-01-17T01:36:35Z

As one of the first steps of preparing for the June primary elections, the City Council will adopt requirements for candidate statements Tuesday that spell out what candidates can say – in 200 words or less – what they must avoid and how much it will cost them.

Candidates vying for the offices of mayor and City Council Districts 2, 4, 6 and 8 in the June 5 primary will have the option of preparing a candidate statement to be included with the sample ballots voters receive prior to an election.

There is a fee for including the statements in the voter pamphlet. According to the staff report, the cost is an estimated prorated “share” of the total amount to cover the costs of translation, printing, handling and mailing the pamphlets.

Mayoral candidates’ cost for the statement will be $2,650. Each of the district candidates will pay between $350 and $500, depending largely on how many registered voters are in the district, according to the report.

The fees are deposited into the general fund and used to offset the overall costs incurred.

According to the requirements set by the City Council, here’s what the statements can include:
– candidate's name
– age
– occupation
– a brief description of the candidate's education and qualifications, expressed in his or her own words
– must be printed in type that is of uniform size and darkness, and with uniform spacing

And, the entire statement must be less than 200 words.

Any more than that and the statement will automatically be shortened by the registrar, the report stated, by removing words starting at the end of the statement until the word limit is reached. (For reference, the first six paragraphs of this article come to about 200 words.)

The City Council also outlines what cannot be in a candidate statement:
– party affiliation, or mention of membership or activity in partisan political organizations.
– no underlining
– no using ALL CAPITAL letters
– no italics
– no bold print
– no dashes (–); bullets, stars or other forms of emphasis
– no single-sentence paragraphs
– no multiple punctuation such as “....” or “------”, etc.

Those 200 words can mean a lot to a candidate, especially since no other materials can be included in the sample ballot package.

Once the statement is filed, it can be withdrawn – but not changed – any time during the nomination filing period up to one business day after the filing period closes.

Each candidate who chooses to file a statement must pay in advance his or her estimated prorated share cost as a condition of having his or her statement included in the voter pamphlet.

If the actual cost of translating, printing and mailing exceeds the estimated amount, the registrar of voters will bill the candidates who underpaid. If the estimate was too high, the registrar will reimburse candidates the difference.

The Federal Voting Rights Act requires the county to translate candidates’ statements into Spanish and Chinese as well as English, and voter pamphlets will include all three languages.

Melissa Corker is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @MelissaCorker.

'Strong mayor,' 'executive mayor': Taking a closer look

2012-01-12T05:26:20Z

The City Council will be discussing the latest version of an executive mayor initiative Tuesday, opening the door to putting charter reform on the June ballot.

A strong mayor initiative has been an on-and-off topic of discussion in Sacramento political circles since it was first brought up by Mayor Kevin Johnson shortly after his election in 2008. The executive mayor version was introduced at a press conference Dec. 21 by the mayor’s chief of staff and a group of supporters ranging from faith community leaders to the head of the local police union.

How is an “executive mayor” different from a “strong mayor”?

Strong Mayor

Initially – in a 2008/09 version of the strong mayor initiative – the city charter would give the mayor greater responsibility in some areas: He would create the budget, hire and fire the city manager and charter officers, and he would have some veto authority.

It also reduced the mayor’s responsibility in other areas: He would no longer be a member of the council, he would have no vote in council matters, and he would need council approval for appointments such as city manager and charter officers.

The 2008 strong mayor plan ultimately failed because the courts ruled that the changes it proposed were too broad to simply be amendments to the city charter, and therefore could not be put on the ballot by petition signatures.

In 2010, another attempt was made to get a strong mayor initiative on the ballot, but that attempt also failed. Proponents of the initiative wanted the city attorney to draft the formal language, but the City Council voted 7-2 to deny the request.

Aside from slight variations between the two, key aspects of the proposed strong mayor system include:
* Concentrates responsibility: one man, one plan – the mayor runs the city with the help of a city manager/administrator
* Concentrates authority: strengthens the influence of the mayor’s office
* Splits efficiency: council sets policy, but mayor takes all the heat if policy is not implemented efficiently
* Concentrates power: mayor is chief executive, city manager serves lesser role under the mayor

The 2008/10 versions would also have required a ninth council district to be added – which would most likely have thrown a wrench into the redistricting process.

Executive Mayor (a.k.a. the Checks and Balances Act of 2012)

The newest iteration of charter reform hangs on to some key provisions of the first versions and lets go of some others – an attempt, proponents say, to satisfy naysayers and create a broader appeal.

The Checks and Balances Act still proposes the mayor as chief executive – who would propose the budget, nominate a city manager and step down from the current voting position on the council.

The mayor would also get the limited veto power established in the first versions as well as being required to deliver an annual state of the city report.

Gone from the executive mayor proposal, however, is the power to hire and fire charter officers, such as the city attorney and city clerk, as well as hiring and firing assistant city managers and department heads – those powers would remain with the city manager as they do in the current manager-council system.

What’s new with the Checks and Balances Act? The creation of an ethics and transparency portion and the creation of an independent redistricting commission.

The ethics and transparency portion of the proposal still needs a little work – as in, specifics of how a new ethics review committee would be selected and what shape any “sunshine ordinances” would eventually take.

Still, the ideals are included in the proposal and proponents say the details would be hammered out with public input, which is more than the current charter specifies.

An independent redistricting commission – modeled after the state’s commission – would have another 10 years to take shape since the next redistricting process won’t take place until 2021.

But, proponents of the plan say it’s important to include the commission in charter reform measures now, while memories of the 2011 redistricting debacle are still fresh in voters’ minds.

Key aspects of the Executive Mayor/Checks and Balances Act:
* Streamlines responsibility: more direction comes from the mayor, more direct accountability for successes and shortfalls
* Realigns authority: mayor’s role becomes more administrative, but council has authority of approval
* Concentrates efficiency: mayor is executive branch, council is legislative branch, each with ways to “check” and “balance” the other
* Separates power: mayor and council have separate and different roles, each is accountable to voters

One thing the Checks and Balances Act offers that previous versions did not is a sunset date – voters would have to actively reaffirm their choice of a strong mayor government in the 2020 election. Otherwise, the system would automatically revert to the current manager-council system at the end of that calendar year.

Although prior versions of the strong mayor initiative failed, it could be said that they failed primarily to have an opportunity to face the voters. Had either of those proposals made it to a ballot, what would the outcome have been?

That is the question proponents of the executive mayor plan want to have answered in June.

The city attorney and the mayor’s chief of staff, Kunal Merchant, are each slated to give an analysis of the Checks and Balances Act to the City Council Tuesday.

The council may vote to put the proposal on the June ballot, or they could ask for adjustments to the proposal and ask for staff to report back at a future date. In either case, Tuesday’s meeting will be a chance to see if – and how – government responds to a call for change.

Read the Checks and Balances Act proposal – including the draft language submitted to the city attorney for review – HERE.

Melissa Corker is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @MelissaCorker.

Communication issues addressed at town hall meeting

2012-01-11T01:05:52Z

Mayor Kevin Johnson opened Monday night’s town hall meeting with a speech on his upbringing in Oak Park. The attendants quickly shifted the mood of the meeting with a flood of questions on issues in Sacramento, and many ethnic communities showed concern for lack of support and communication in the past.

Johnson said that early on in his term he made the mistake of thinking that there was only one Asian/Pacific Islanders community (API) in Sacramento, when there are in fact more than 40 communities. Because of this, he said he didn’t attend many of the API meetings held last year. He told attendees that this is something he wants to change.

“When I was talking to the API community, I said that I’m willing to go to any event that you want me to go to… I thought I would have to go to two or three events a year to fulfill my obligation,” Johnson said. “After the first year, I did not realize I was not fulfilling my obligation.”

So far, Johnson said he believes his biggest accomplishment within the API community was “marrying into the family” when he married Michelle Rhee, a public figure in American education.

He encouraged the API community to be open with him.

“Anytime I can be helpful,” Johnson said, “you gotta let me know. I’m willing to fight and stand with you if it’s important to the community.”

The majority of those attending the meeting were different members from different groups of the many API communities. Most seats were filled and many hands filled the air when the time came to ask questions.

Sukh C. Singh, general secretary of Indus Valley American Chamber of Commerce, brought up how two deaths in his community were handled by Johnson.

He said that the Sikh community turned to Johnson for support when two of their own were randomly shot and killed last year, but that they received no support whatsoever.

“We did not see any active part made by the mayor of Sacramento,” Singh said. “In this kind of situation, (our community) really needs a word of confirmation that we have a representative who cares for us.”

Singh ended his statement with an apology, saying he didn’t intend to criticize.

“Don’t apologize,” Johnson said. “I want to be held accountable.”

Johnson said he did show support on this issue, and apologized for the fact that “his people” did not get back to Singh. However, this was not the only show of disappointment from present communities on his support in such cases, and Johnson said he would do better to show it this year and defend the rights of people in Sacramento.

“If we get all of our ethnic groups participating,” Johnson said, “we’ll have a stronger Sacramento.”

Another important issue brought up by many was education. According to Johnson, only 37 percent of third graders in Sacramento can read at grade level. Through the new organization Stand Up, he said he and Rhee hope to learn what changes the community wants and find a way to get better teachers and make school relevant to students.

“Nothing is more important to me than educating our children,” Johnson said. “You can’t have a great city without great schools.”

More and more hands rose with questions for Johnson, but the meeting started to run past the allotted time. The meeting ended with hands still in the air and Johnson asked those in attendance to “be relentless” in emailing him and thanked them for coming.

No date has been set for the next town hall.

2011: The year at City Hall

2011-12-30T06:20:29Z

Sacramento City Council members had their hands full this year – from balancing the budget to redrawing district lines to a citizen uprising that found its way to the doors of City Hall.

Here’s the city government year in review.

CITY MANAGER DRAMA
The year started off with interim city manager Gus Vina not being promoted to the open city manager spot. Vina replaced previous city manager Ray Kerrige when Kerrige resigned in February 2010.

Vina resigned two months later – just a few weeks before the budget was due to the City Council. He later became the city manager of Encinitas.

The City Council was criticized for making decisions about the city manager position in closed sessions before voting not to promote Vina and instead open a national search.

City Council members stalled the search for City Manager saying they wanted to define the qualities they were looking for in the next person to fill the job. Two weeks later, they announced the qualities and the search continued.

The door was open for a new city manager, and while the nationwide search was ongoing, what Sacramento ended up with was not one but two interim city managers: Bill Edgar and Betty Masuoka.

Edgar and Masuoka followed through with the budget plan and presented it to the City Council on time.

As the city got closer to finding its next city manager, Mayor Kevin Johnson expressed disappointment about the search process, saying he felt “the pool of candidates wasn’t as deep” as he would have liked.

By August, Sacramento had a new city manager – John Shirey, former head of the California Redevelopment Association.

Shirey’s three-year contract included a $258,000 base salary – a 16 percent increase in salary over the previous city manager – making him the highest-paid in city history and the first to receive a labor contract.

BUDGET BLOWUPS
The budget process was complete by the time Shirey took his seat at the dais alongside City Council members.

The 2011 budget brought more challenges to face, including a $39 million budget gap.

After months of discussions and negotiations with unions, advocacy groups, public comment and hours-long council meetings, a budget was finally passed.

The new budget included severe cuts to fire and police personnel and city employees – as well as the closure of community centers and public pools.

REDISTRICTING: MAPS AND MAYHEM
As if there wasn’t enough going on in City Hall with the annual budget process, 2011 brought redistricting – a redrawing of council districts that happens every 10 years.

This time, the mayor and City Council appointed a Citizens Advisory Redistricting Committee to do the heavy lifting of vetting a variety of proposed district maps.

After months of review and discussion, the committee presented a group of four maps for the council to consider. From there, the discussions and map revisions really took off.

One unexpected twist to the redistricting drama came when one map was revealed to have been anonymously submitted by advisory committee member Steve Hansen.

Discussions heated up further when two council members – Steve Cohn and Sandy Sheedy – submitted their own map for the council to consider.

A week later, Cohn submitted yet another map, a hybrid version of Cohn and Sheedy’s previous submissions, this time called “Neighborhoods 2.0.”

A boundary dispute between council districts 5 and 6 over which district would contain the UC Davis Medical Center and Sacramento High School created a huge outcry from residents.

In the end, after six months and a grand total of 45 map versions, a final map was selected and approved by City Council, and new district lines went into effect on Oct. 6.

REDEVELOPMENT
With the passing of the state budget in July came big changes for the way redevelopment agencies are allowed to work in California.

Cities throughout the state are given an option to “buy in” to a new redevelopment plan – which would require large annual payments to the state from local agencies. Sacramento decided to go along with the plan and keep the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency alive.

Other cities wouldn’t go down without a fight, and a lawsuit was filed against the state by the California Redevelopment Association. While the case was pending, the court issued a temporary reprieve so cities did not have to make the required “opt-in” payments until a decision was made.

Some redevelopment projects that were moved ahead in 2011 in Sacramento included a revamp of K Street, the La Valentina project and housing projects in the south area of the city.

OCCUPY SACRAMENTO: CITIZENS TAKE A STAND
What started on Wall Street in New York as a citizens’ uprising against corporate greed in America became a nationwide statement of discontent from coast to coast.

When the first Occupy Sacramento protesters stepped into Cesar Chavez Plaza on Oct. 6, it was unclear how long they would stay – or what their message was going to be.

Quickly, the calm protest of Sacramentans showing solidarity with other Occupy movements was stunted by a city park curfew ordinance that prevented protesters from remaining in the park overnight.

Protesters were arrested – more than 100 in October alone – and the uprising was strengthened by a common goal: get the city to make an exception to the rule.

Over the next 10 weeks, large numbers of Occupy protesters spoke at the public forum of City Council meetings to ask the city manager and City Council to allow the group to remain in the park to continue to exercise its First Amendment rights.

Protesters who had been arrested – including war veteran mom Cindy Sheehan – had their day in court, and charges were dropped against many.

Meanwhile, attorneys for the Occupy group filed suit in federal court against the city claiming First Amendment violations, and some Occupiers moved the protest to the lawns at City Hall.

As the year came to a close, the number of Occupiers dwindled at Cesar Chavez Plaza, but the movement was not disbanded completely. A lawsuit is still pending in federal court, according to attorney Mark Merin, one of the representing attorneys.

Despite the ups and downs at City Hall this year, more change and drama is expected in 2012. Between elections and yet another budget – and the ever-present discontent bubbling just under the surface from events in 2011 – the new year is bound to be worth watching.

Melissa Corker is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @MelissaCorker.

Mayor: City is at 'critical juncture' on the road to new arena

2011-12-28T01:41:33Z

Mayor Kevin Johnson spoke confidently Tuesday about the possibility of a new entertainment and sports complex becoming a reality for Sacramento – despite the challenges ahead.

“We are at a critical juncture in this process,” Johnson said. “On the court, our team needs to play well. Off the court, I feel good about the progress we’re making on the new entertainment sports complex and the financing.”

Johnson said that – on the public side of the equation – the city is moving forward with its “due diligence” on a plan to lease out the city parking system as part of the financial plan for a new arena.

“On the private side,” Johnson added, “AEG and ICON and all those folks are doing their part, and we are in negotiations now with the NBA and the Maloofs and all the parties involved. We’d like to be in a good position by the March 1 deadline.”

Proponents of a new sports and entertainment complex have until March 1 to solidify a plan to finance the new arena or the Kings owners will have an opportunity to file a request with the NBA to relocate the team.

At the Dec. 13 City Council meeting, Johnson and council members voted to gauge the interest of investors – through a process called “request for qualifications” – in taking over the city’s parking system as a key component of the finance picture for a new arena.

The RFQs were scheduled to be sent Dec. 22, but city consultants suggested holding off until after the new year, creating a delay in the process.

Johnson said that, despite the RFQs being issued later than expected, he has been assured by the city manager’s office that the delay will not affect the city timeline in a significant way.

“I was a little disappointed because I thought we could get (the RFQs) out even with the two weeks (of holidays) so people would know how things are going,” Johnson said Tuesday, “but I’ve been assured that it won’t slow us down at all.”

Once the city receives responses to the RFQs, the city manager and the City Council will have a better idea of how much the city’s parking assets may net. The initial analysis of the plan to lease the parking system showed a range of $170 million to just over $240 million.

Johnson said Tuesday, however, that he believes the gain from the parking assets for the entertainment and sports complex financing plan may be larger than anticipated.

“It’s not deeply rooted in science or empirical data,” Johnson said, “but I do think we can come in higher than we think – and that’s just my gut feeling.”

Johnson said he thinks the city and Kings fans have come a long way from April 13, when it seemed the Kings were about to play their last game in Sacramento.

“I think we are going to get it done, but there’s work to do,” Johnson said. “It’s going to be very challenging, and there are lots of moving parts (in the process), but I think council will step up, the NBA will step up and we will be able to create a win-win-win for all parties.”

The push for a new sports arena has been ramping up since the Sacramento Kings owners, the Maloof family, announced earlier in the year that they might move the team to Anaheim.

The Sacramento Press will take a more in-depth look Wednesday at how Sacramento has faced the possibility of losing the only major professional sports team in the city.

Melissa Corker is a staff reporter for the Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @MelissaCorker.

No swap for Sac High and West Campus – for now

2011-12-23T02:28:05Z

The potential West Campus/Sacramento High School “swap” is off the table, but the budget and facility use problems that spurred the proposal still exist – leaving open the question, is this really the end of the conversation?

“We have serious issues as far as our budget goes,” Sacramento City Unified School District trustee Patrick Kennedy said Monday. “We’ll have to look at all of our facilities. I won’t say there won’t be discussions of (school) closures in the future.”

In an effort to save money and make more efficient use of district facilities, the SCUSD board recently considered swapping two school programs – the charter school program at the Sac High campus and the program at the West Campus facility.

After much debate and community outcry, the proposal was tabled at the Dec. 6 school board meeting. No date was set to continue the matter at future board meetings – but it remains an open possibility for future consideration.

As the school district budget troubles continue, so will the need to consider cost-cutting alternatives such as school closures or program consolidations.

It is a possibility that Kennedy said is unlikely to be successful, however.

“I can speak for myself, not the board, in saying I feel confident that in the long term I don’t see anything happening as far as a move (for either campus),” Kennedy said.

The school district has been plagued with budget shortfalls for the past few years, and last year, the district faced nearly $18 million in cuts to the budget, resulting in class-size increases, a reduction of school counselors and nearly 350 staff layoffs.

One of the ways board trustees considered saving money was closing schools that were operating at low capacity or combining programs at under-utilized facilities into a single program. The West Campus/Sac High swap proposal was intended to be part of those cost-saving measures.

Although the issue of a potential swap appears to be resolved, Kennedy said the budget issues for the district are not – and that may mean more painful cuts for area schools in the coming year.

“We need to take care of our long-term viability for the next few years,” Kennedy said, “So, we expect there will be another round of cuts next year. We are looking at everything – we’ve even opened up the contracts with our unions to see about getting concessions there.”

For administrators at St. Hope – the organization that runs the charter high school program at the Sac High facility – the potential for the school board to move the charter program is a constant threat, regardless of the most recent board action to table the idea, because the school has a short lease agreement for the facility.

“When a (school) charter is granted, they usually get a five-year (facility-use) lease,” said Mayor Kevin Johnson, who founded St. Hope. “It is frustrating that we’ve been given only 1-year leases, where other charter schools got two years or longer.”

The school board determines which facility the charter can use and the term length of the agreement.

According to the district website, there are currently eight independent charter schools in the Sacramento City Unified School District, and two of those are operated by St. Hope.

Of those eight charter schools, five have two year facility agreement terms, and one has an agreement in perpetuity – it remains in effect for the life of the charter.

The two charter schools operated by St. Hope have one year lease agreements.

“What we are looking for is stability so the question doesn’t come up again next year and the year after and so on,” St. Hope schools superintendent Jim Scheible said Thursday.

“People want to be secure in knowing where their kids will go to school for the long term,” he added.

Scheible said St. Hope started the process for the annual renewal of its facilities use agreements with the district in November, and the agreements will be discussed at the Feb. 2 school board meeting.

If the school board agrees to multiple-year lease agreements, Scheible and Johnson both said that would lend important stability and security to the programs – and take some pressure off administrators.

“Why would you not want to give a successful program the stability and security they need to keep functioning?” Johnson asked. “Other places could learn from (the program) and then, hopefully, duplicate the success.”

City Councilman Jay Schenirer, the council representative for District 5 where Sac High is located, said Wednesday that he hopes the notion of a campus swap is off the table for good.

“They are talking about the two highest-scoring high schools in the area,” Schenirer said. “My hope is that they would leave it alone and let the schools do their business.”

Schenirer said a long-term facilities agreement would help stabilize the programs and allow administrators to focus on a more important work: the education of kids in the district.

“Having to fight that fight every year and worry about it – it’s time off task,” Schenirer said. “Their task is really about educating young people. The more time they have to worry about facilities, the less time they have to spend on the education aspect of their work.”

Scheible said the goal should be to work in partnership with the school district to get kids the best education possible, adding, “If we work in collaboration, we can come up with a good compromise that will benefit everyone.”

On Dec. 6, we asked our readers “What should the SCUSD board do about a West Campus/Sac High swap?” 482 people voted and here are the results:

Leave both campuses as they are – 399 votes
Make the swap and add a comprehensive high school – 61 votes
Put it to a vote in the district – 7 votes
Make the swap, but wait until the current students have graduated – 6 votes

Nine voters chose “Other” and gave the following responses:
“Make the swap period!”
“Make the swap next school year”
“Provide all children with modern, high quality facility they need to learn”
“Improve West Campus and leave Sac Charter alone”
“Leave them as they are separate schools”
“Leave both campuses as they are and look for an alternate site for WC”
“Build another school for West Campus”
“Put both schools at the Sac High location”
“Leave Sac High and move West Campus to one of the ‘adult’ school locations”

The SCUSD board meets on the first and third Thursdays of each month. Meetings are held at the Serna Center Community Room at 5735 47th Ave.

Melissa Corker is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @MelissaCorker.

Optimistic yet guarded response to Mayor Johnson’s gang prevention initiative

2011-12-22T08:44:45Z

Mayor Kevin Johnson was flanked by high-ranking law enforcement officials, community leaders, students and others as he officially launched his Gang Prevention Initiative at the Teichert Branch Boys and Girls Club of South Sacramento.

The plan was announced Tuesday morning after a year of gathering input from the community from neighborhood meetings throughout the Sacramento area and combining the results with the efforts of the mayor’s Gang Prevention Task Force.

The community came together in the aftermath of the murder of innocent bystander Monique Nelson following a gang-related gun battle at the Fly Cuts and Styles barbershop in the 6900 block of Stockton Boulevard on Dec. 14, 2010. Six other victims were injured during the barbershop shootout including Marvion Barksdale who subsequently died of his injuries.

Johnson emphasized his vision to create a “paradigm shift” toward prevention and away from law enforcement after the fact in an effort to discourage youth involvement in gang-related activities.

Johnson praised law enforcement officials for bringing all of the shooters involved in the tragedy to justice within four months of the incident.

“Law enforcement and the community must do better to build a relationship based on trusting one another,” Johnson said.

The community values at the core of the Mayor's initiative include holding youth accountable for their conduct, not trying to arrest our way out of the problem, and meeting community challenges with community responses. Johnson emphacized that the city will not give up on its youth because that are valued.

To implement his strategy, Johnson said “a school-based approach” to encourage literacy and discourage juvenile delinquency is necessary.

"85% of the juveniles that are caught up in justice system are functionally illiterate," said Johnson when explaining why it is so important to have all children reading at grade level by the third grade.

To counteract gang activity, Johnson wants to increase community empowerment. He specifically targeted the Neighborhood Watch program, the Problem Oriented Policing program and the gun buyback program as ways to help to make neighborhoods safer.

Johnson also emphasized the importance of workforce readiness and positive alternatives such as internships. He said the summer jobs program spearheaded by Councilmember Jay Schenirer needs to be “bigger and bolder.”

County Undersheriff Mark Iwasa announced that the department applied for and received two grants to fund gang prevention activities that will keep 25 officers on the streets in various roles related specifically to gang prevention.

Without the grants, Iwasa acknowledged that the positions would likely have been eliminated.

Isawa said the three-year program will focus on prevention and intervention through the use of school resource officers as positive role models, in addition to the more traditional activities such as intelligence gathering, crime analysis and enforcement.

The Sacramento police department also announced that it received a grant that will allow for 24 officers to remain on the beat specifically to target gang activities after those positions had been threatened by budgetary challenges.

Betty Williams, president of the Sacramento branch of the NAACP, said the national NAACP office recently awarded the local branch a grant to support its efforts to become more involved in the strategic effort to decrease youth gang activities.

Williams said Sacramento branch would probably not have received the award without the mayor's letter of support.

The award was only one of two granted throughout the country and will fund at least one, but possibly up to three, paid staff positions. Williams said the award will greatly enhance the Sacramento branch’s ability to develop more of a presence in the community in support of the mayor’s anti-gang efforts.

Johnson responded to a question about the use of current resources to further these efforts by acknowledging that the plan is not complete and that the financial struggles to fund the implementation team are a concern.

Johnson further acknowledged that city and county officials have been willing to work “outside of the box” and that they must continue to “work within the solution.”

Johnson made it clear that regional cooperation of all local law enforcement jurisdictions would be required to make the plan successful.

Isawa said the mayor's plan has encouraged law enforcement to work more closely together across jurisdictional lines, thereby creating savings by eliminating unnecessary duplication of efforts.

Isawa also said they will continue seeking grants before the current three-year awards expire.

Members of Monique Nelson's extended family were frequently acknowledged for the difficulties they have faced during the past year throughout the press conference. Most speakers that came to the podium remarked on the tragedy that brought the community together.

“Our family has been destroyed by gang violence,” said Richard Anthony Nelson, brother of the slain victim. “It's been a difficult year.”

Johnson also took time to acknowledge the “negative catalyst” that brought the community together before the formal press conference adjourned.

Members of the faith-based community joined together with community activists and individuals affected by gang violence to take turns speaking at a podium set up in front of the Boys and Girls Club to honor Monique Nelson and acknowledge others who have fallen as a result of gang violence.

“Use this day for gain, not loss, for the sacrifice that Monique made,” said Beatrice Bailey, an aunt of Monique Nelson who expressed to those gathered around how much she missed the close relationship she shared with her niece. “Don't let the support and concern end today.”

Labeeba Rahman attended the event after learning of it when she expressed an interest in becoming involved in direct intervention with at-risk youth. She was visibly moved by the comments of community activist Rhonda Erwin, who expressed her frustrations with gang violence when describing how one of her sons is serving a life term in prison and another mother's son was killed because of gangs.

“I remember the incident when the young man Rhonda mentioned was killed,” Rahman said. “I live in that neighborhood, and having her discuss it so openly brings up the horrible memories. It feels like it just happened yesterday.”

Erwin reserved some of her sharpest comments until after the memorial service was completed.

“Nothing stops a bullet like a job,” she said. “But it appears the jobs are going to law enforcement and not to the youth who need to be employed.”

Erwin continued on to indicate that she was disappointed that none of the other victims of the tragic shootout were acknowledged by name during the press conference. “The Barbershop shooting didn't just take the life of Monique, it also took the life of a 20-year-old youth,” Erwin stated in reference to Marvion Barksdale.

Others who were in attendance at the memorial expressed sentiments ranging from frustration to a call for action and accountability in the community.

“The challenge is to save our young people,” said Steve Streeter, a retired law enforcement official who now mentors young victims of violent crimes in his role as the case manager for the Wraparound Project at the UC Davis Medical Center. “These are our kids, and we’ve got to do everything we can to save them.”

“I work in the main jail,” stated Sacramento Sheriff Deputy Henry Harry during his time at the podium outside of the Boys and Girls Club.

Sheriff Deputy Henry Harry, who works in the main jail, said the best strategy for our at-risk youth is “not to lock them up, but to help them.”

The current reality is that many youthful offenders lose their lives to lengthy prison sentences at a very young age once it is charged and proven by the District Attorney in court that a crime was committed in furtherance of gang activitiy. Following a trend in legistation that has developed since the creation of the three strikes and you're out law, violent offenders now face severe consequences for crimes that involve gangs and guns, even if an offender is not facing a third strike.

“Our children are dying on our streets and becoming the walking dead in California state prisons because of the lengthy sentences that are being handed out based on enhancements for gang membership,” Erwin lamented.

Community activist Marta Rodriguez spoke about the difficulties of changing her life course and developing a positive lifestyle after spending part of her youth involved in gang activities.

“What are we going to do with former gang members?” Rodriguez asked, throwing up her hands with a very concerned look on her face. “It's very discouraging for many people when doors are shut because of (negative) background checks.”

”Not enough former parolees and probationers realize that they may be eligible for a certificate of rehabilitation or to have their felony convictions expunged,” criminal defense attorney Keith Staten said. “Also, the required filing fees may be waived if the individual is struggling financially. Often having one’s felony convictions set aside by the courts can make a tremendous difference to an ex-felon who is seeking employment.”

The very real struggles and frustrations with overcoming a history of bad choices were evident in the comments of some of the attendees who came to the event hoping to hear some words of encouragement and a message of hope for the future.

“I heard a lot of words today, and it sounded like the police were the only ones who received any money,” stated Brian M., a 31-year-old parolee in the process of changing his life around after years of gang activity, including multiple terms in prison. “It's difficult to understand how anything I heard today is actually going to benefit someone like me who is at risk.”

“It's all about people,” said Gregory King, president of Always Knocking Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to stopping youth and gang violence. “It's all about the daily struggle, and until our people get on board, we must keep pushing.”

Mayor's office unveils proposed charter reform measures

2011-12-22T04:56:11Z

An executive mayor, an independent redistricting commission and new ethics and transparency guidelines were the highlights of a new plan to reform city government introduced by representatives from the mayor’s office Wednesday.

“This (proposal) represents how to fundamentally restructure how City Hall works,” Kunal Merchant, chief of staff to Mayor Kevin Johnson said Wednesday.

Merchant said the new charter reform proposal is based on previous reform ideas and represents three years of discussion with members of the public and city and community leaders throughout Sacramento. The proposed legal language was prepared by Nielsen Merksamer Parrinello Gross & Leoni – a local law firm that specializes in government, political and initiative law.

“You can’t just let one group of people have all the power,” Merchant said. “There needs to be checks and balances. There needs to be accountability and transparency in Sacramento.”

The mayor had prior commitments that prevented him from attending the press conference, Merchant said, but the charter reform proposal "goes beyond the mayor," he added.

Some of the significant reforms in the proposal – called the Sacramento Checks and Balances Act of 2012 by supporters – include:

* an executive mayor who proposes the city budget and has limited veto authority
* an independent city council presided over by a council-selected president. The council would have authority to override mayoral vetoes
* a code of ethics for city officials and a citizen’s ethics committee to lead an ethics review every two years
* voter approval of salary raises greater than 5 percent in any year for the mayor and council members
* “sunshine ordinances” that require key public records (including council votes, budgets and audit information) to be immediately available after council takes action

For the city charter to be changed, the state constitution requires an initiative to be placed on the ballot by the City Council for a public vote – something the City Council has previously been hesitant to do.

A “strong mayor” initiative was considered in 2008 after Johnson was elected as mayor, but that proposal faced steep criticism – and a lawsuit against the city initiated by local labor leader Bill Camp. The initiative ultimately failed to reach the ballot for 2010.

Now, three years after Sacramento was introduced to the notion by Johnson and his staff, the newest version is being touted as a more thorough and more responsible proposal.

“This is arguably the most important potential vote facing people in the coming years,” said Jeff Dorso, a local attorney and member of the coalition that supports the charter reform measure.

“It’s put together with public input and reflects a lot of the positive changes that have been requested,” he added. “It deserves to be weighed by the voters in 2012.”

Merchant said that, over the past three years, the mayor’s office has received many phone calls and emails from city residents with ideas, suggestions and critique of previous charter reform measures. That public input was considered in the creation of the new reform measure, Merchant said.

Supporters from local business groups, a local law enforcement union and building and development organizations spoke at the press conference Wednesday to encourage the City Council to allow the proposal to go to the voters in June.

“Just let the people have their say on the matter,” Pastor Darryl Heath of St. John’s Missionary Baptist Church said Wednesday. “That is true democracy. That is what we want. Just let the people vote on it.”

Heath said that members in the faith community have been disappointed by the conduct of the City Council, and the time has come for a change.

“The time has come for a city governed by one vision,” Heath said. “Right now we have eight visions for one city – we can’t work with a monster with so many heads.”

The new proposal would also change the way the city handles redistricting – the process of redrawing district lines to equalize population among the districts – which happens every 10 years.

The most recent redistricting process ended in September after months of discussions and recommendations by a citizens advisory committee, and resulted in new boundaries for city council districts that were largely drawn – not by the advisory committee – but by council members themselves.

The process was highly contentious among residents and council members alike and led to hundreds of residents speaking out at council meetings over the course of eight weeks.

With the new charter reform proposal, redistricting would happen under the authority of an independent redistricting commission whose decisions – unlike those of the recent Citizens Advisory Committee – would be binding.

Merchant said that the most critical aspect of the charter reform initiative is that voters will have the opportunity to vote it into place, and they will have the ability to reconsider the reform measures after eight years.

If city voters do not re-confirm the charter changes at the November 2020 election, Merchant said, then the reform package sunsets – it would be automatically repealed – at the end of December 2020.

“That gives voters the chance to make sure (the changes) are working for them,” Merchant said. “It gives a little time to see if the city has benefited from the changes or not. Either way, it’s up to the voters.”

The full charter reform proposal can be read here.

Merchant said City Attorney Eileen Teichert is reviewing the legal language of the Checks and Balances Act and will give an analysis of the proposal to the City Council at its Jan. 17 meeting.

Council members have until Feb. 28 to put the initiative on the June ballot.

Melissa Corker is a staff reporter with The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @MelissaCorker.

Council agrees to seek lessee for city parking operations

2011-12-14T07:39:27Z

The City Council voted 7-2 Tuesday to pursue an agreement that could potentially bring in $250 million for a new arena by leasing the city’s parking system to a private operator.

“This is just one piece – a very important piece – in our ability to build an entertainment sports complex,” City Manager John Shirey said Tuesday.

Council members Darrell Fong and Sandy Sheedy were the only “no” votes.

A recent analysis of the city’s parking system concluded that the city could lease the parking system to a private operator for 50 years – releasing all revenue and control of the system for the life of the lease – and receive an up-front lump payment of nearly $250 million.

With an ongoing city budget shortfall of more than $20 million, a lump sum of more than 12 times that amount is appealing – but some council members expressed concerns.

Fong said he sees Sacramento carrying the biggest burden to get an arena financed, but he wants other cities in the region that will benefit from the arena to pitch in, too.

“I’d like (Sacramento) to make a real effort to see which other cities in the region would be our partners and would contribute to this in a real way,” Fong said.

“I just wonder why other cities in the region aren’t looking at monetizing their parking, or selling surplus land.” Fong said. “What’s good for the goose is good for the gander. We aren’t going to get anywhere without some real contributions from our partners.”

Sheedy asked staff to come back to the council in February with a measure to put on the June ballot for the voters to decide of they want the city to pursue a lease of the city’s parking system.

“We cannot continue to ignore the voice of the voters,” Sheedy said. “We are just sitting here not paying attention to that elephant in the room.”

According to a city staff report, a private operator does not face the same political constraints in raising parking rates or extending chargeable parking hours.

A private operator could also reduce staffing or employee benefits – a concern voiced at the council meeting by labor representatives.

“Some call it ‘monetizing parking’,” said Steve Crouch, district representative for the Local 39 labor union. “We call it stealing from the public treasury to fund an arena for the Maloofs.”

Crouch said letting go of parking revenue for years to come would deepen the city’s budget hole, forcing additional cuts to police, fire, parks and community centers.

“The numbers just don’t add up,” Crouch said. “To move forward with this absurd concept of financing is a mistake.”

Kunal Merchant, chief of staff to Mayor Kevin Johnson, said Tuesday that concerns about staffing, rates and other nuances of a lease would be hammered out once potential operators have expressed interest in taking over the city’s parking system.

The city’s parking system includes 7,200 spaces located in seven parking structures, 5,500 on-street metered spaces and revenue from parking citations from the city’s enforcement program.

With the council’s vote Tuesday, staff will start a “request for qualifications” process to gauge the interest of potential private operators.

“(RFQs) ask potential private operators, ‘Are you qualified to take over our parking, and what are you willing to pay?’ ” Merchant said.

Once interest is established, Merchant said, then the process moves forward to gathering proposals and looking for the best lease agreement for the city.

“If (a lease bid) makes economic sense, then the city should do it,” Merchant said. “If not, then, no, it shouldn’t.”

Merchant said it’s too early in the process to determine what the final terms of any parking lease might contain.

Dangberg told council members that RFQs will be sent out by Dec. 22, and responses will be expected by the third week in January.

City staff will return to council in February with recommendations for possible bid proposals, Shirey said.

Melissa Corker is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @MelissaCorker.

Wells Fargo ponies up for Winter Sanctuary

2011-12-13T22:40:38Z

On the eve of another cold night in Sacramento, Wells Fargo Bank stepped up to give $75,000 to help the city’s Winter Sanctuary program provide shelter for the homeless.

“People talk about ‘occupy this’ and ‘occupy that,’ but this is what people want,” Mayor Kevin Johnson said at a press conference Tuesday. “They want the corporate community to have values that are in line with the least among us in our communities.”

Wells Fargo representative David Galasso presented the $75,000 check at the press conference.

Winter Sanctuary provides shelter to the homeless during the winter months and is run by Volunteers of America, Sacramento Steps Forward – a regional initiative launched in 2010 to combat homelessness – and the faith community.

As of last week, the program only raised about half of its $150,000 budget for this year, threatening the availability of shelter for hundreds of homeless people in Sacramento this winter.

The donation from Wells Fargo Bank provided the final amount needed to support the sanctuary program through March.

“One of the unique things (in Winter Sanctuary) this year is we are seeing a lot of younger people who are experiencing homelessness for the first time,” Volunteers of America President Leo McFarland, said Tuesday.

“It’s not just the very generous donations like this one from Wells Fargo that mean so much (to the program),” McFarland said, “it’s also every $50 check that comes in, and every $500 donation that keeps hope alive. We are very grateful for this effort.”

Although the city provides hotel vouchers and winter shelter beds for a majority of the estimated 2,400 homeless in Sacramento, City Councilman Jay Schenirer said that many who are camping on the banks of the American River can still take advantage of the Winter Sanctuary program.

“We have to think about what the city can do next to make sure people have what they need to survive in this city,” Schenirer said, “and that the city has what it needs to thrive.”

A update on homeless issues in the city is scheduled to be heard by the City Council at Tuesday’s meeting.

Melissa Corker is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @MelissaCorker.

The California Museum Hosts Star-Studded Event

2011-12-10T01:45:46Z

Limos filled with celebrities lined J Street for the 2011 California Hall of Fame Awards Ceremony at the Memorial Auditorium Thursday.

The first ceremony in Sacramento was in 2006. The prestigious event was established by former California first lady Maria Shriver. The event was created to honor legendary people in California who encapsulate California’s “innovative” spirit.

Many of the inductees were no stranger to the limelight. Rob Lowe, Lucy Liu and previous inductee Clint Eastwood, among others, graced the red carpet this year. The crowd cheered for the diverse group of inductees as they made their way down the red carpet.

The 2011 inductees were astronaut Buzz Aldrin, The Beach Boys, Nobel Prize-winner Dr. Elizabeth Blackburn, community activist and author Father Gregory Boyle, entrepreneurs and Gap Inc. founders Doris and Donald Fisher, basketball superstar Ervin “Magic” Johnson, disability rights advocate Ed Roberts, Grammy Award-winner Carlos Santana, novelist Amy Tan, and California Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger Traynor.

Previous inductees have included James Cameron, Barbra Steisand, Levi Strauss, Harvey Milk, Theodor “Dr. Seuss” Geisel, Ansel Adams, Steve Jobs, César Chávez and Walt Disney.

Fans lined the streets to maybe catch a glimpse of a celebrity or two. Kids yelled, “Ma-gic! Ma-gic! Ma-gic!” as Johnson exited his limousine. While many of the event-goers avoided the red carpet, others posed for pictures and were whisked away for interviews.

Beach Boy fans had album covers and various memorabilia waiting to be signed. Although many were able to snap quick pictures of those in attendance, Santana was rumored to have entered through the back door, leaving many music fans disappointed.

Some of Sacramento’s dignitaries were also in attendance: Gov. Jerry Brown and first lady Anne Gust Brown, Mayor Kevin Johnson and, despite his battle with Parkinson’s disease, Wells Fargo regional vice president Chevo Ramirez, who is known for his charitable contributions to good causes in Sacramento.

During the ceremony, all inductees received the California Hall of Fame medal, named Spirit of California, created by the Los Angeles artist Robert Graham.

The California Hall of Fame exhibit opened today at the California Museum and will feature the newest inductees. The California Museum is a nonprofit organization and is funded by museum admission, facility rentals, gift shop sales and donations.

In order to attend the celebrated event, party-goers had to purchase a California Hall of Fame membership, with proceeds benefiting the California Museum.

Old questions resurface for City Council candidate Kim Mack

2011-12-03T02:02:33Z

Kim Mack’s announcement to run for City Council District 2 was met with some fallout related to an incident in 2009 that is still on the minds of many in the Sacramento area – an incident that could come back to haunt her in the race to unseat incumbent City Councilwoman Sandy Sheedy.

Mack officially joined the election race in October. Her previous campaign experience included managing a grassroots support effort for the Obama presidential campaign. In 2009 she was involved with the Sacramentans for Accountable Government effort to put a Strong Mayor Initiative on the ballot.

In January 2009, emails in support of the strong mayor initiative were sent to people on an email list that originated from an Obama campaign list. Recipients of the Strong Mayor Initiative emails claimed their personal email addresses were used without permission – and used for a purpose other than what was originally intended.

As that situation unfolded, Mack came under fire for allegedly providing the Obama campaign email list to the Sacramentans for Accountable Government group for their use – a claim Mack denies.

According to Mack, she was asked for access to the list by some members of the Sacramentans for Accountable Government group and she “flat out refused” to provide it.

“I said ‘absolutely not. Respecting people’s privacy is incredibly important to me,” Mack said.

The list of unsolicited emails, she said, could have come from donations records collected as part of the Sacramentans for Obama work – a list accessible to many within the Sacramentans for Obama network.

“Every time someone came into the office they filed out a form,” Mack said. “If they bought a button they filled out a form. A yard sign? They filled out a form – they were all listed as donations.”

The only other person who had the same access that Mack did to the Sacramentans for Obama email list was the data manager she worked with on the campaign, Mack said.

Mack declined to name the person – “not without his permission” – but said she does not believe he or anyone else in the Sacramentans for Obama group had anything to do with sharing the Obama email list.

As evidence that she did not participate in the email sharing scheme, Mack points to the fact that the unsolicited email addresses came from “Friends of Obama” – a name her organization was never called – and that not everyone on the Sacramentans for Obama email list received the Strong Mayor Initiative emails.

“Somebody made an assumption that I gave out the email list,” Mack said. “No one asked me if I did, they just made assumptions.”

Reaction to the unsolicited emails was immediately negative. Some recipients commented on news sites and community forums that they felt their emails had been stolen and that Mack and the Sacramentans for Obama group had acted unethically – if not illegally.

According to Lynda Cassady, division chief of the Advice Unit for the Fair Political Practices Commission, however, email list sharing does not violate any part of the Political Reform Act.

“(The Political Reform Act) has no provisions with respect to how campaigns get email addresses or share them,” Cassady said Friday. “We wouldn’t have any jurisdiction over any complaints about the practice.”

Cassaday said that so-called “robo-calls” are governed by the Public Utilities Commission because they occur over telephone lines. However, she said there isn’t anything in the elections codes to prevent political email spam.

Unsolicited emails – political spam – is not covered in the 2003 federal CAN-SPAM Act (Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing), either.

The CAN-SPAM Act – which preempts any state anti-spam laws – was designed to control unwanted electronic mail and applies to “commercial electronic mail messages.” Violations of the CAN-SPAM Act can result in fines up to $16,000 per email violation.

No other federal legislation directly addresses the issue of unsolicited email, according to a January 2003 article in the Duke University Law Review.

“Congress does not address political spam because a law that regulates political speech on the Internet likely would not pass judicial scrutiny,” the article states.

Political emails are considered a form of political speech – something well-protected under the First Amendment. Although courts have approved regulation of similar types of speech, such as commercial spam and prerecorded telephone messages (“robo-calls”), these are distinct from political spam and not considered as setting a precedent for regulation of political email.

The use of email communication in any campaign or political effort is not uncommon. It is a cost-effective means of reaching large audiences, according to Amir Zamanian, regional sales manager for Silverpop, a digital marketing platform that handles email marketing, marketing automations and lead management.

“Generally, if you’re sending email to anyone, they need to have opted-in in some way,” Zamanian said. “The best email marketing results come from sending to a small list of interested people.”

Anytime an individual or organization sends unsolicited emails, Zamanian said, they run the risk of those emails being marked as spam – and an abundance of spam complaints can create problems for the sender.

“Email service providers have thresholds for how many spam alerts a sender can receive,” Zamanian said. “(Organizations) need to keep the spam complaints low and a part of that is keeping the number of unsolicited emails low.”

Zamanian said that, if a sender exceeds those thresholds, service providers may permanently block the sender from sending emails.

Using an email list from one political campaign to support another political issue is not illegal, but could raise questions of ethics.

As the City Council races heat up in the coming months, Sacramento may see more of this.

Melissa Corker is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @MelissaCorker.

New city waste management provider may bring rate increases

2011-11-30T06:18:17Z

The City Council approved a change Tuesday to a controversial waste management contract that decreases the distance city trash travels for disposal, but increases the cost to the city – and, ultimately, to ratepayers.

Council members voted in support of the amended contract with an 8–1 vote. Councilman Darrell Fong voted against the agreement.

The service contract between the city and the current waste management provider, BLT Enterprises, sends 150,000 annual tons of city waste to a landfill in Lockwood, Nevada at a cost of $47.60 per ton.

Under the new service contract, USA Waste (a subsidiary of Waste Management, Inc.) would take the place of BLT as provider, and city waste will be sent to the county-owned Kiefer Landfill in south Sacramento at a cost of $55.85 per ton.

That $8 per ton increase for in-region disposal translates to an estimated $600,000 annual cost increase to the city for solid waste management and disposal, according to Steve Harriman, Integrated Waste General Manager with the Department of Utilities.

“The new agreement does not change any terms or conditions of the original contract,” Harriman said Tuesday, “it only assigns the service contract to a new provider, so those costs would be there regardless.”

The in-region disposal plan was added to the new service agreement as a way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, fuel consumption and traffic congestion associated with long-haul transfer of waste to Nevada, according to the city staff report.

BLT and USA Waste do not collect garbage on local street routes. Instead they are responsible for moving the collected trash from transfer stations – where the smaller garbage trucks dump it after collection – on to the final destination of a landfill.

The Lockwood landfill is located 15 miles outside of Reno – a 300-mile round trip for trucks to haul city trash for disposal.

The Kiefer landfill is 21 miles from BLT’s transfer facility in Sacramento.

“We will reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by 85 percent,” Harriman said, “which is 7.1 million pounds annually – a significant amount.”

Harriman said stopping the practice of long-haul trash disposal to the Nevada landfill will also reduce diesel fuel consumption by 500,000 gallons.

“It will keep the revenue local by using the Kiefer landfill and provide for local jobs, too,” Harriman said.

Revenue that keeps local facilities open, Harriman said, is revenue that provides for local jobs.

The original contract was approved by the City Council in November 2010.

At the Sept. 20 council meeting, the City Council considered the change to the service contract, but didn’t take action to approve it.

Instead, the council directed staff to get more information and assurances from BLT and USA Waste on issues related to the new contract, including protection against rate increases.

According to the city staff report, BLT agreed to pay the city a lump sum of $2.1 million as part of the new contract to stabilize monthly rates for residential solid waste customers due to the higher costs of in-region waste disposal.

That amount is estimated to alleviate the need for rate increases for two years.

Opponents of the contract with BLT – and subsequently USA Waste – spoke against the City Council’s action Tuesday during public comment, saying it was a bad deal for the city.

“It’s a horrible deal,” said Craig Powell, president of the local watchdog group Eye on Sacramento. “It imposes rates and fees above market levels and $2 million (for stabilizing rates) is inadequate.”

Powell said the new contract will impose an estimated $50 million burden on city ratepayers over the life of the 20-year contract.

That number represents the difference between what USA Waste pays for trash resources from the city and what they could sell it for at market rate – profit that Powell said the city should keep for itself.

“That’s approximately $500 a year per ratepayer, on average,” Powell said.

Councilman Darrell Fong, who wasn’t on the council when the initial contract was agreed to, expressed a concern that the new contact puts ratepayers at risk for increased fees.

Fong asked, “Past the two years that the $2 million mitigates rates, what will happen for the following 18 years of the contract?”

Harriman said that the goal of the Utilities Department is to keep rates stable “for as long as possible,” but it is the nature of utilities to increase in cost over time.

“Second-guessing what the council decided a year ago is a waste of time,” Councilwoman Angelique Ashby said. “It’s not a question of rather or not the original contract was good. What we have to work with now is a risk assessment going forward.”

Under the new agreement, the city’s solid waste disposal could start going to the Kiefer landfill as early as February.

Melissa Corker is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @MelissaCorker.

City considers consolidating Planning, Design Commissions

2011-11-19T03:39:41Z

In an effort to create greater efficiency and cut costs by more than $25,000 per year, the city will soon consolidate its Planning Commission and Design Commission into one planning/design oversight board.

Members of the Planning Commission heard the latest update Thursday on progress toward consolidating the two commissions. Members did not take any action on the report.

The City Council started looking at the city’s organizational structure in April 2010 after consultants from Management Partners Inc. suggested that city operations could be more efficient – and general fund money could be saved – if some boards and commissions were either eliminated or consolidated.

Two of the bodies that appeared to be ripe for consolidation were the Planning and Design commissions, according to Greg Bitter, principal planner for the city.

While the Planning Commission is in place to review the zoning, parking, site location and other planning-related aspects of proposed projects in the city, the Design Commission reviews the more technical structural, design and aesthetic aspects.

Some members of the commissions have said that consolidating the two bodies would dilute the individual strengths of each commission and valuable facets of review would be lost – but staff feels that can be avoided if the consolidation is handled right.

“The cost savings is expected to be at least $25,000 per year,” Bitter said Thursday, “just from the savings of setup, administration and staff time that two regular meetings require as opposed to one.”

Beyond that, Bitter said there are cost savings from staff time associated with a variety of projects that each commission undertakes each year.

Because the costs vary from project to project, Bitter said he could not give an estimate of the potential savings, other than to say it would be “above and beyond the meetings savings.”

City staff evaluated the workload, staffing and function of both commissions for the period of January 2007 – when the Design Commission became a standalone body – through September 2011.

According to a staff report, the Design Commission workload has dropped since 2007 with only three projects heard in 2010 and only five heard so far in 2011.

Compared to an average of 15 per year between 2007 and 2009 – that’s a 66 percent drop in workload.

Also, because items are often heard at both the Design and Planning commissions, Bitter said there is an overlap that can be reduced by merging both commissions.

Michael Notestine, a member of the Planning Commission since 1987, said Thursday that he supports the idea of bringing the two commissions together, but he sees potential for unintended consequences.

“Right now it makes sense (to consolidate) because business is so slow,” Notestine said, “but what happens when the economy turns? There may be enough activity to warrant separating again. How much trouble will that be?”

Planning Commissioner William Wong said Thursday he is concerned that the functional integrity of each commission might be affected by a combination.

“The work of each commission is different, and the philosophy of each is a little different,” Wong said. “If they were to combine it, you’d have to figure out how to make sure (the new commission) retained the technical expertise of the design aspect and still have the community emphasis of the planning aspect.”

According to Notestine, the ultimate success of a newly formed Planning/Design Commission will depend largely on its composition.

“If there is a formula for a certain number of technical positions on the new commission, then that diminishes the number of public positions,” Notestine said. “As it stands now, planning is oriented toward community needs. We listen to the public, and we learn from the public.”

The current Planning Commission consists of 11 members: eight appointed by City Council members, one appointed by the mayor and two appointed by the Personnel and Public Employees Committee.

The new commission is proposed to have a total of 13 members, which includes nine members selected by council members and four members with specific expertise selected by the Personnel and Public Employees committee.

City staff stated in their report that they felt concerns regarding consolidation could be resolved in the way the ordinance is drafted.

Planning Commission chairman Joe Yee said Wednesday he has complete confidence in city staff’s ability to prepare an adequate ordinance to resolve any issues.

“When you get down to the details (of the city code),” Yee said, “it’s good to have people who have been working with the system and see the pluses and minuses in all of it.”

Once the new commission is formed, it will take on the combined workload of both previous commissions already in progress, along with any new projects.

After the City Attorney’s Office writes the necessary amendments to the city code, a draft ordinance will go to the Law and Legislation Committee for approval and then to the City Council.

Bitter said an ordinance could be at the City Council in January or February.

Melissa Corker is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @MelissaCorker.

Emcees Announced for California Hall of Fame Ceremony

2011-11-15T17:46:23Z

It's been annouced that Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson and Journalist Lisa Ling will be hosting the 2011 California Hall of Fame in Sacramento next month.

Both natives of Sacramento, Johnson is more than thrilled looking to host star studded event according to a press release. Last year, Ling hosted the event that was broadcasted live on Comcast with a journalist from the E! network, that turned out to be a success.

This year the inducee's include The Beach Boys, Magic Johnson and Carlos Santana to name a few well known names. The others include people who've made a difference in California.

The event was started in 2006 by Maria Shriver to honor legendary people who have made a difference in our state and made their mark in history. The event was also started to help inspire others in their lifes that they too can accomplish their dreams.

This year, the Hall of Fame will take place at the Memorial Auditorium rather than the California Museum ~~Capitol Museum~~ where it has always been for the past six ~~four~~ years. This because of capacity decisions to fit in more community memebers and the public.

I believe this event has been able to display residents around Sacramento the truth of what our leaders/ prominent people have done for California. Not only does it bring a little Hollywood to Sacramento, but also adds a little spice of excitement in the city. The event could have easily been held in Los Angeles, just like any other but Maria Shriver wanted to bring these people to the capitol where everything starts. At Last years event people came as far away from Floria just to get a glimpse of their favorite celebrity.

Sacramento's only star studded event will take place on Thursday Dec. 8th at 6 p.m.

Editorial Note: The Sacramento Press made edits to this article after publication.

Disclosure: Writing about the assignment for class.

Education reform issues voiced at Latino Town Hall

2011-11-11T07:28:43Z

Members of Sacramento’s Latino community gathered Thursday night to ask questions and voice concerns at the first of Mayor Kevin Johnson’s Town Hall meetings for his 2012 campaign. Education and lack of funding for city public schools took top priority in the discussions.

“There is nothing more important than our public education system, and we must do a better job with our schools,” said Mayor Johnson.

Approximately 150 people attended the Town Hall at La Familia Counseling Center in North Franklin. Seats filled quickly and dozens of concerned community members stood in the entryway and aisles. Affordable access to health care, racial profiling by police, support and funding for the arts and concerns about community safety were also discussed.

Johnson also addressed the student achievement gap issue: of 1,000 Hispanic and Latino students in Sacramento, roughly 60 percent will graduate from high school on time, and only 13 percent will go on to college.

The mayor suggested a grading system that would allow parents to hold schools accountable, and charter schools as an alternative to sub-par public education.

Sandra Guzman, a counselor for the Puente Project at Sacramento City College, asked whether it were true that the charter schools supported by the mayor will not include ESL and ELL (English Language Learning) in the curriculum.

“They will and they should,” Johnson said.

The Town Hall was the first Latino-specific event to be hosted by the mayor since he took office four years ago.

The mayor’s website promoted the event as a “Listening Session”, and Johnson announced in his opening comments that his No. 1 goal for the evening was to hear from anyone in the audience who wished to stand up and speak.

The meeting was scheduled from 5:30 - 6:30 p.m., but one hour proved too short a time. Lengthy introductions and the need to translate dialogue between English and Spanish limited the number of questions that were addressed.

Roberto Lopez, a program coordinator at La Raza Galeria Posada in Midtown, barely had an opportunity to voice his concern about the lack of funding for Latinos in the arts sector.

The gallery, which has been operating in Sacramento for nearly 40 years, is on the verge of closing due to inadequate support. Lopez attended to ask Mayor Johnson how he intends to support La Raza Galeria Posada and empower artists in the Latino community.

According to the mayor’s campaign manager Steven Maviglio, Johnson kept his campaign promises from 2008, but will not rest on his laurels in next year’s election. The Town Hall meetings will play an important role in creating a blueprint for 2012.

"When most politicians go out, they speak to the public and not the other way around. We want citizens to know that their voices will be heard," said Maviglio Wednesday.

Vidal Gonzalez, who works as a youth specialist at La Familia Counseling Center, believes that Latinos in Sacramento are at more of a disadvantage today than they were 10 years ago. This is surprising in light of the fact that the Latino population has risen significantly.

“We know that we’re 27 percent of the population,” Gonzalez said. “Do we have to wait for the next census for them to notice it?”

He said he hopes to see strong Latino candidates running for City Council in the near future, and maintains that leadership is going to have to come from within the community itself.

Jenny Padierna Cortes, an eighth grader at the Language Academy of Sacramento, said she left the meeting happy. Following her question about vacant lots in her Oak Park neighborhood, Mayor Johnson invited her to the microphone and promised to pay her application fee to Sacramento State College, where she hopes to study writing.

The meeting closed on a high-energy note, and the mayor announced his intention to meet with the Latino community again in January or February to continue the dialogue.

The next Town Hall meeting will be a joint effort with the Sierra Curtis Park Neighborhood Association. Visit Mayor Johnson’s campaign website for more information.

Mayor Johnson's gang prevention initiative moves forward

2011-11-02T04:24:45Z

Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson unveiled the preview of his Strategic Plan for Gang Prevention (SPGP) this past Monday morning in the Hearing room of the Historic City Hall.

“I am committed to a paradigm shift away from only enforcement and incarceration with more emphasis put toward prevention and intervention,” stated Johnson during his opening remarks.

“There is a lot of frustration in the community,” stated Johnson as he referenced the recent community meeting in the Del Paso Heights neighborhood in response to the recent death of Tyrone Smith.

Smith died in the custody of the Sacramento Police Department in the aftermath of the shooting of a Twin Rivers officer after a routine traffic stop in Del Paso Heights.

Johnson invited members of the community whose ideas he incorporated into the formulation of the SPGP to the Historic City Hall for an update on the progress of his Gang Prevention Initiative (GPI).

The audience was filled with representatives from various community based social welfare agencies, community based advocacy groups, and was sprinkled with a few concerned citizens including former gang members who now serve as youth role models and participate in gang intervention activities.

The GPI was formed in response to several high profile gang related shootings that occurred in Sacramento during 2010.

Throughout 2011, community input was gathered at neighborhood meetings held throughout Sacramento. That input, the basis for the SPGP, combined with the participation of the Mayor’s Gang Prevention Task Force, resulted in a four-page draft document which contains a message from the mayor and lays out a framework that includes community core values, vision, strategic focus areas and sought after outcomes.

The plan also details six distinct goals along with strategies to implement them.

The three leading goals of the SPGP include increasing school based support and enrichment activities to facilitate student success, strengthening the community’s capacity to address gang involvement and provide positive alternatives, and developing the relationships between law enforcement agencies and the community throughout the region.

The three other goals detailed in the SPGP include plans to initiate a community campaign to develop neighborhood pride and vitality, to develop a coordinated approach to leverage, connect, and evaluate resources in implementing the Mayor’s Gang Prevention Task Force goals and objectives, and to establish an integrated method to effectively transition [former] inmates back into the community.

Johnson expects the plan to be finalized within the next 30 days, but wanted to preview its progress with stakeholders in order to obtain feedback and make any necessary revisions to the SPGP before it is put into final form.

The atmosphere of guarded optimism was tempered by an undercurrent of genuine concern regarding the plan's details.

As the lead of the Mayor’s Gang Prevention Task Force and the host of the event, Khaalid Muttaqi, had to cut off questions from the audience after each of the four presenters.

The event, which began at 10:00 a.m. and ended at 11:55 a.m., was intended to be a 90-minute formal presentation. Without Muttaqi’s efforts to hold off questions and comments from the audience, the event would have run well past noon.

“More successful ex-gang members need to be involved in this process,” stated community activist and American River College student Alex Hampton.

One of the community values included in the SPGP that was emphasized by Mayor Johnson during his presentation is that “We cannot arrest our way out of this problem.”

“It sounds good, but I’m the type of person who’s on the concrete,” said Barry Accius, motivational speaker and CEO of Voice of the Youth, a non-profit organization which provides mentoring services to youth ages 11 to 25.

“There has to be a strong component of prevention and direct intervention in the SPGP. Otherwise, the community will just continue its policy of enforcement and incarceration,” stated Accius.

Steve Streeter, a retired former law enforcement official who now mentors and refers community services to youthful victims of violent crimes in his role as the case manager for the Wraparound Project at the University of California Davis Medical Center, couldn’t have agreed more.

“Funding streams need to be developed from the community to support all of the programs included in the SPGP or kids will continue to fall between the cracks and perish,” stated Streeter.

Task Force Lead Muttaqi, who works at the City of Sacramento Parks and Recreation Department as one of its Neighborhood Resources Coordinators, admitted during his presentation of the details of the SPGP that there were no dedicated resources for the plan at this time.

In 2008, the Sacramento City Council voted 5-4 against a proposal for a quarter of a cent increase in sales tax for combating gangs. If passed by the City Council, the item would have been placed on the November ballot for voters to approve or disapprove.

Several audience members questioned the failure of the SPGP to formally address issues involving female gang members. Others expressed their concerns with the lack of focus on parental involvement in the overall plan.

Lt. Bill Champion of the Sacramento Police Department took the dais and touted the achievements of the SPD’s Ceasefire Strategy during 2011. He attributed the reduction of gang related violence in Oak Park, Del Paso Heights and the Mack Road area to the successful implementation of the strategy.

Noticeably absent from his remarks was any mention of traditional gang related criminal activities such as drug dealing, possession of weapons and theft related crimes including robbery and burglary, as well as gang related involvement with prostitution.

Outspoken and passionate community activist Rhonda Erwin directed several pointed and difficult questions to the speakers during their presentations.

Although Erwin is well known for being publically critical of various aspects of Mayor Johnson’s administration, after the meeting adjourned, Erwin stated simply, “Job well begun.”

To obtain a copy of the draft of the Strategic Plan for Gang Prevention, to provide input or for more information, contact Khaalid Muttaqi via email at Kmuttaqi@cityofsacramento.org.

Gang violence drops due to city’s new efforts, officials say

2011-11-01T03:30:52Z

Gang violence took what officials described as a drastic drop since July 2010, attributing the drop to Mayor Kevin Johnson’s gang-prevention programs initiated in June of 2010 and again after last December’s fatal barbershop shooting.

Since implementing some of the measures, Lt. Bill Champion of the Sacramento Police Department said that the results have been effective. The number of gang-related firearm assaults has dropped by 60 percent, and the overall rate fell by 39 percent. In addition, there has been a 75 percent drop in homicide rates, and a 100 percent drop in non-fatal shootings.

Community leaders gathered at City Hall Monday morning to discuss the mayor’s plan. Speakers, including Johnson and Khaalid Muttaqi, the head of the mayor’s gang-prevention task force, updated citizens on the new plan, explaining the problems they seek to solve, the methodology of their approach, and the results thus far.

“We asked the community what needs to happen,” Muttaqi said. “The community is obviously engaged.”

Champion spoke about the Sacramento Safe Community Partnership, known more commonly as Ceasefire, a program started by the Police Department to combat gang and gun violence in ways that are different and more effective than in the past.

“A traditional law enforcement response … has been to send a lot of officers into an area with gun violence or gang violence, and you have zero tolerance,” Champion said, adding that this kind of police crackdown not only stops the gangs, but builds distrust between the local community and the police.

“You end up enforcing the rules on the people that are crying out for help,” he said.

He said that Ceasefire is changing the the traditional methods by concentrating its efforts on finding out specifically who is causing the violence. The two primary gangs of the Mack Road commercial corridor, one of the worst areas in Sacramento for gang activity, were found to responsible for a majority of gun violence in the area.

Instead of waiting for a crime to occur, Champion said, the police identify prime suspects and have their probation officers reach out to them, asking them to attend community meetings. Faith-based organizations, health groups and community members are present, asking the gang member to not resort to violence. Champion said that this process is called an intervention, as labled in the graph.

“We have the community tell (the gang members), ‘The violence needs to stop,’ and now it’s very personal because we’re sitting there looking at them,” Champion said.

Muttaqi said that another important element of the task force is to provide alternatives to the gang members, such as educational opportunities, work training programs and other positive and productive options.

Leading the way for community-based efforts is the newly-planned Men’s Leadership Academy being put in place by the Sacramento City Unified School District and the Sacramento Violence Intervention Program, which is run by The Effort, a Sacramento-based health care provider that reaches out to lower income neighborhoods.

Adrian Williams of SCUSD said that the Men’s Leadership Academy is a 4-year program for high school students that is similar to programs such as AVID, a program for advanced high school students that has a class during the school day and additional responsibilities for the students to complete.

He said that a small number of students will be admitted to the program, where they will be closely mentored by teachers who are popular among the students. They will be taken on field trips to top colleges and be given opportunities that will move them away from gang life, such as being required to dress nicely on occasion. The program will begin in the spring.

SVIP is bringing services to struggling communities that were previously unavailable, said Melisa Bayne, who is in charge of the program. By providing services like counseling, addiction help and other medical services, Bayne said that the SVIP has seen drastic improvements in former gang members whom they reached out to.

Berry Accius, a 34-year-old teen mentor who lives in Natomas, attended the meeting and said that while he thought the effort was great, it was very important that people continue to come up with new ideas to combat gang violence.

“We need leaders who really identify with the kids,” he said. “You really need to engage them so they understand that people care about them.”

Muttaqi said that this is only the beginning of the mayor’s push for gang prevention, and that these ideas will continue to be implemented.

“We’re optimistic, and we hope it will continue,” Champion said.

'Occupy' protesters bring their message to City Hall once again

2011-10-19T06:04:15Z

Occupy Sacramento protesters told City Council members Tuesday in no uncertain terms – “Tyranny.” “Unconstitutional.” “Treason.” – that their First Amendment rights to freedom of speech and assembly are being violated by an ordinance that prohibits overnight camping in city parks.)

“We should not be here to teach you about the Constitution,” said Sacramento resident David Witkin, 28. “We are here to tell you what your constituents want.”

Protesters who have taken over Cesar Chavez Plaza for nearly two weeks showed up in force at City Hall Tuesday to ask council members – again – to consider an exception to the law allowing them 24-hour access to the park.

“The Constitution wasn’t drafted only during business hours,” said Sacramento resident Christina Kay Plumb, 25. “We need to occupy this park day and night to get officials to think about the issues day and night.”

Eileen Teichert, city attorney, told council members that the rights to freedom of speech and assembly are protected by law and honored by the city – but it’s not an “unfettered right.”

Teichert said there is longstanding precedent allowing government to exercise its police power to set “reasonable time, place and manner restrictions” on the use of its parks and other public facilities.

Vacaville resident and mother of a soldier killed in Afganistan Cindy Sheehan urged council members to consider the protesters’ requests for action.

“This movement is growing, and it’s not going to go away – no matter how much it is suppressed,” Sheehan said, “so you might as well start supporting it.”

The current camping ordinance states that Cesar Chavez Plaza – like all parks in the city – is closed from “dusk to dawn.”

Mayor Kevin Johnson said at a press conference Tuesday that he “wholeheartedly” supports the efforts of the Occupy Sacramento movement, but he feels the limits in the city ordinance are appropriate.

“I don’t think it is in our best interests to remove the existing ordinance,” Johnson said. “That’s my perspective, but I’m just one vote out of nine on the council.”

Johnson said the time limitations of the camping ordinance provide “ample time” for protesters to be speak and be heard.

According to a city staff report, an extension of park hours – or a temporary “exception” to the ordinance – would open the possibility of setting a precedent for exceptions to the rule.

Sacramento resident and Occupy Sacramento participant Anthony Gallardo, 27, said Tuesday that the group isn’t trying to “take over the park” to have a place to go camping.

“We are just trying to occupy it – to just be there, 24/7 and say our message,” Gallardo said.

Sacramento Police Chief Rick Braziel told council members that, despite the posted “dusk to dawn” park closure, the police department has allowed protesters to remain in the park until 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and until midnight on Friday and Saturday.

But that’s not 24-hour access – and therein lies the problem for Occupy Sacramento organizers and protesters.

“It’s not about the five hours or six hours (that the park is closed). It’s much bigger than that,” Gallardo said. “The Constitution gives us the right to peaceably assemble. It doesn’t specify a time or a place. This is about our freedom of speech and freedom to assemble.”

Braziel said there has been average of 40 to 250 protesters each day at Cesar Chavez Plaza.

Between Oct. 6 and Monday, the police made 58 arrests for unlawful assembly while participating in the Occupy Sacramento protests. Thirteen people have been arrested more than once.

According to Braziel, all of those arrests were peaceful, and none of them resulted in injury.

Organizers of Occupy Sacramento initially said local protests would come to an end on Oct. 15. Three days later, protesters remain at Cesar Chavez Plaza, with no new target ending date in sight.

“This event is set for an indefinite period of time,” said Sara Beth Brooks, 26, one of the Occupy Sacramento organizers. “We believe that limiting the time we can protest is an affront to our First Amendment rights.”

The occupation of Cesar Chavez Plaza has so far been peaceful, and Gallardo and Brooks said that is how it will stay.

“No violence, no threats of violence, no drinking, no drugs and no sexual harassment – those are the core values of this group,” Gallardo said. “If we all lived by those rules, it’d be a perfect world.”

More than an hour into public comment, the City Council had not yet taken any action on the item.

Melissa Corker is a Staff Reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @MelissaCorker.

Newly renovated 24 Hour Fitness downtown officially reopens

2011-10-03T23:59:06Z

The $10 million renovation of 24 Hour Fitness downtown is complete and doors opened early Monday morning for members to take advantage of 50,000 square feet of amenities including new basketball and racquetball courts and state-of-the-art cardio equipment.

“This expansion and remodel represents a reinvestment in our members and into the community,” said 24 Hour Fitness CEO Carl Liebert.

City officials, local business leaders, health club staff and club members were on hand for a ribbon cutting ceremony Monday marking the grand reopening of the facility, which – with 31,000 additional square feet of workout space – is now the largest 24 Hour Fitness location in Sacramento.

The newly renovated club, located at 1020 7th St., features an enlarged group fitness room updated with new flooring and lighting, and a dedicated spin/cycle room with new Schwinn stationary bikes.

The facility expansion project was completed in phases and took four years “from idea to reality,” Liebert said, nearly doubling the size of the health club.

The first phase focused on the first floor of the facility and the club was partially re-opened when that phase was finished in July.

The second and final phase expanded the club into the second story where members can workout with free weights or use a variety of state-of-the-art cardio equipment.

“We have been in this (downtown Sacramento) location since 1985 – that’s 17 years,” said 24 Hour Fitness Chief Development Officer Jim McPhail. “A lot has changed in the way people want to workout in those 17 years.”

McPhail said that fitness club members want “more opportunity and more variation” to their workouts.

In response to members needs, McPhail said the club now has better lighting, newer equipment – and more of it – and new cutting edge training options such as TRX Suspension Training.

“This club is a much different experience than before,” McPhail said. “It’s brighter, more open and has more room to workout now.”

Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson said that what sets 24 Hour Fitness apart is that it caters to a broad variety of people.

“You could be sitting on a bike working out with a CEO on one side, and the guy on the other side is looking for a job,” Johnson said. “All ages, all abilities, this place works for everyone.”

Just before the ribbon cutting to officially reopen the facility, Johnson presented a City Council resolution proclaiming Oct. 3 as “Healthy Sacramento Day,” in honor of the “many years of outstanding service that 24 Hour Fitness has provided in Sacramento.”

The remodel and expansion of the downtown location into a “flagship” club represents a $10 million investment in the downtown area, Councilwoman Anqelique Ashby said after the ceremony Monday.

“It’s one of the largest investments we’ve seen in many years,” Ashby said. “It’s a catalyst project for downtown for sure, and we’re excited to be partnered with Westfield to do more great things.”

Wendy Yellin, senior director of public relations for 24 Hour Fitness, said a flagship club is “a best in class experience, aimed at giving members every amenity they can think of.”

Yellin said even though childcare rooms are usually in more suburban facilities, project planners thought it was important to provide for the needs of downtown families who would use the facility.

“This club has it all,” Yellin said.

Liebert said the 24 Hour Fitness corporation spends approximately 70 to 80 percent of its capital investment by reinvesting in existing clubs instead of building more new facilities.

The downtown club currently has a membership of about 14,000 members, Regional Vice President Troy Croghan said – and that number is expected to grow.

“We expect to see our member base grow to somewhere near 17,000 to 18,000 members in the next couple of years,” Croghan said. “We have 50,000 square feet now, so we will still be under capacity at those numbers.”

Croghan said the club has given current club members access to the upgraded club without having to upgrade their memberships, and is offering free passes for more people to come in and try out the new facility.

Croghan said the improvements to the club will draw former members back to the club and bring new members in to see what it’s all about.

Michael Ault, president of the Downtown Sacramento Partnership said the expansion of the club is a significant addition to all that is happening for the K street area.

“This is a 50,000-square-foot-total project across the street from our ice rink and across the street from cars on K street,” Ault said. “Greyhound recently moved and 700 block is moving forward – it couldn’t be more exciting in a down economy to see a project like this happen.”

Like most businesses in the region, Westfield Downtown Plaza has suffered from economic downturn over the past few years. Westfield Plaza Senior Vice President of Development Anthony Rich said the improvements to the 24 Hour Fitness will have a “magnetic effect” for visitors and more businesses to come downtown and to Westfield Downtown Plaza.

“It really is an exciting time here,” Rich said. “The expansion (of 24 Hour Fitness) is a fantastic opportunity for people to come down here, to workout and to take advantage of all that is happening in downtown. There are great changes coming about and we’re excited every day to be a part of those changes.”

City Manager John Shirey agreed with Rich, calling the remodeled 24 Hour Fitness “another great activity center” for the downtown corridor.

“It’s a large enough facility that it will act as something of an anchor for other businesses,” Shirey said. “There will be more stores coming – that’s good for us.”

24 Hour Fitness is headquartered in San Ramon, Calif., and is the largest privately-owned fitness club chain in the United States, according to a press release Monday.

24 Hour Fitness has 420 clubs across the nation with more than 200 in California – 15 of those are in the Sacramento area.

Melissa Corker is a Staff Reporter with The Sacramento Press.. Follow her on Twitter @MelissaCorker.

Sacramento gets $100 million private investment for 'green' retrofits

2011-09-28T05:35:36Z

Mayor Kevin Johnson announced Tuesday that Sacramento has been selected as one of only two cities in the country to participate in a privately funded program for energy efficiency retrofits of commercial buildings.

English businessman and Virgin Records owner, Sir Richard Branson, and a consortium of businesses selected Sacramento and Miami for a private investment of $100 million for each city to retrofit city buildings with renewable energy, energy efficiency and water conservation improvements.

“This is a real game-changer for our city in terms of fulfilling out goal of reducing our environmental footprint,” Johnson said Tuesday.

The commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) program is a short-term private sector loan to provide up front cash for retrofits. Owners of commercial and industrial buildings who meet criteria established for he PACE program are eligible to apply for a PACE loan.

Johnson said the goal is to create a market for improving energy efficiency in existing buildings and creating more green jobs.

Retrofits are improvements to an existing property that bring the structure or energy use up to a higher or more current standard than what was in place at the time the building was originally constructed.

The benefit of the PACE program to property owners is no or very low upfront costs for building improvements and a savings in reduced energy and utility costs.

Additionally, unlike other types of loans that attach to the property owner, these loans attach to the property, so if the owner sells the property before the loan is paid off, the new owner – who will inherit the benefit of the retrofits when he purchases the property – will also inherit the remainder of the PACE loan.

The program is strictly voluntary and property owners would only pay for the cost of the improvements plus application fees. The 20-year PACE loans would be repaid through annual assessments on owners’ property-tax bills.

Ygrene Energy Fund, Inc., will fund PACE through a variety of sources including lending institutions such as Barclays Capital and Clean Fund.

“This is a five-year partnership with Ygrene,” Johnson said, “with $100 million in private investment and the opportunity to create 1,500 jobs over five years.”

Ygrene Energy’s role in the program will be ensuring that cost savings exceed the cost of improvements as well as marketing and outreach to property owners.

One of the city’s goals – as part of the mayor’s Greenwise initiative, which was started last year – is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions community-wide to 1990 levels by 2020, Johnson said.

“This (program) will kickstart our green economy,” Johnson said. “We want to be on the map both nationally and internationally for what we are doing in the green economy, and this is certainly a big step.”

Once the PACE program is approved and a PACE assessment district is established, Johnson said, program funding will be available for planning retrofits.

Councilman Kevin McCarty initiated a similar idea for a residential retrofit program in 2009. The program was stalled at the federal level because of conflicts with guidelines for federally backed home loans.

Now that a commercial PACE program is under way, however, McCarty said he wants to propose the residential program again – this time on a smaller scale.

“There are over 35,000 homes here that could sign on to this kind of opportunity,” McCarty said. “I want us to make a way for that to happen.”

McCarty said that one in four homes in Sacramento is not on a federally backed loan and is eligible for a similar residential PACE program.

“A year ago when we started this,” McCarty said, “we said we want to Go Green Sacramento. This is a great opportunity to do that and make a big difference for our city.”

The City Council will adopt a resolution Tuesday to establish a commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) district – this allows commercial property owners to have PACE loan payments collected as an assessment along with their property taxes.

An assessment "district" is not a geographical term in this case. It's a designation for accounting purposes – it groups certain assessments under one umbrella, as opposed to some other umbrella.

At the meeting, City Council members will also consider a five-year, $321,000 professional services agreement with Ygrene to administer and finance the city-sponsored commercial PACE program.

The agreement outlines the responsibilities of both Ygrene and the city of Sacramento including a minimum performance target for of $7.5 million – the amount of financing that Ygrene is expected to fund annually.

Melissa Corker is a Staff Reporter for the Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @MelissaCorker

City Council to vote on $550,000 in consultant fees for arena financing

2011-09-27T01:17:07Z

The City Council will consider approving $550,000 in fees Tuesday to bring in experts on sports finance, parking, investment banking and municipal finance to help dig through the details of a complex – and uncertain – arena financing plan.

At the Sept. 13 council meeting, City Manager John Shirey told council members that, in order to “proceed with due diligence” on the proposed arena project, the city would need the help of outside professional services.

“The City Council and the public deserve to have good information in order to make good decisions,” Assistant City Manager John Dangberg said Monday.

Members of the arena focus group, Think Big Sacramento, presented a much-anticipated 100-Day Report to the City Council on Sept. 13 that outlined a “menu” of financing options for the proposed entertainment and sports complex.

Although the report covered nearly 60 possible funding streams, it left many questions unanswered about specifics of the financing.

To get the needed answers, Shirey, Dangberg and city staff are turning to consultants – industry-specific experts in specialized fields related to arena financing and contract negotiation.

“We are in the process of trying to make a very big decision on a large piece of public infrastructure that will have lasting impact on the city if it goes forward,” Dangberg said.

If the City Council directs the city manager to negotiate the proposed contracts, Dangberg – who is taking the lead on the project for the City Manager’s office – and the consultants will have a lot of work ahead of them, Dangberg said.

“We will study the revenue and finance option streams that were identified in the Think Big (100-day) report,” Dangberg said, “including legal and policy issues and the capacity to carry debt.”

Consultants will also analyze the value of city parking assets and determine if the city can leverage those into a significant contribution to the project as outlined in the Think Big report.

Dangeberg said they will concurrently start discussing the “framework” for a feasible project with the ICON-Taylor group and the NBA.

The proposed consultant contracts total $550,000, including $75,000 for contingencies. The terms of the contracts will vary from two to six months, depending on the nature of the contract, Dangberg said.

One of the consultant contracts being recommended to the City Council is a $125,000 contract with Barrett Sports Group.

Barrett’s expertise is exclusively in sports finance consulting, Dangberg said, and the firm has been evaluating the sports complex proposal and providing advice to city staff since late June.

“The history and knowledge that (Barrett) has on the project is so valuable,” Dangberg said. “They have specific and specialized knowledge of this particular project, so it wouldn’t make sense to bring anyone else in at this point.”

Other consultants have not been selected yet.

$180,000 of the total funding will come from the city’s Parking Fund and the remaining $375,000 will come from the Capitol Improvement Project (CIP) Fund balance, according to city staff. The CIP fund is money left over from capital improvement projects that is made available for one-time uses.

One time funding is not something generally used to add staff or programs because it is not ongoing funding, city spokeswoman Amy Williams said Monday.

“Our guiding principal has always been protecting the taxpayers,” Jeremiah Jackson, Think Big Sacramento project manager, said Monday. “That’s what these consultants are being hired to do.”

“When you buy a house, you hire experts like roof inspectors, pest inspectors and home inspectors to make sure that you get what you’re paying for,” Jackson said. “If you don’t get experts then you’re negotiating from blindness.”

Jackson said that, when dealing with groups like the NBA and the Sacramento Kings’ owners who will have experts in their corners, it makes sense for the city to have experts in its corner too.

“We have great city staff, but they don’t do big stadium deals day in and day out,” Jackson said. “If we can bring in (people) who have that experience, we’re doing the smart thing.”

R.E. Graswich, special assistant to the mayor, said Monday that, from the mayor’s standpoint, the proposed entertainment and sports complex is a project worth 4,100 jobs and $7 billion in economic activity over 30 years.

“Is it worth the $550,000 to get to that point?” Graswich added. “We think so.”

The City Council will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday in council chambers at City Hall, 925 I St.

Melissa Corker is a Staff Reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @MelissaCorker.

Many Homeless in Sacramento, Out in the Cold This Winter

2011-09-21T19:24:48Z

On any given night in Sacramento 2,400 people are homeless in our County. According to the 2011 Sacramento Homeless Count, 955 of our neighbors are sleeping on the streets. As winter rapidly approaches, Sacramento Steps Forward (SSF) is seeking creative solutions to house those families and individuals who are forced to sleep outside due to overburdened resources. This harsh reality poses a dual risk to both the safety and health of those sleeping outside. Notably, Sacramento has been successful in reducing chronic homelessness by 50% in the last 3 years. However, family homelessness is on the rise; this year’s Homeless Count data shows an 11% increase.

Loaves and Fishes, which serves meals to over 800 homeless people each day recently surveyed 109 women (and 10 children) to find that 59% (66 women and 4 children) are sleeping outside or in a vehicle at night.

The recent release of the 2010 Census Bureau data paints a sobering picture of struggling Americans. According to the figures, nearly 1-in-6 adults and 1-in-5 children are currently living in poverty, the highest rate seen in 52 years. The national unemployment rate remains at 9%; in Sacramento County it has soared to almost 13%. As poverty rates increase, homelessness becomes the tragic reality for more children, families and single adults.

As the Executive Director of Sacramento Steps Forward, I urge readers to focus on the upcoming challenge of providing winter shelter for the most vulnerable in our community.

Historically public funding has funded the Cal-Expo Winter Overflow Shelter for homeless people during the severe winter months. In 2008-2009, this funding totaled just under $700,000 and last year these funds decreased to $250,000 for winter family shelters. Last winter when there was no public funding for winter shelter for single people, SSF and the Volunteers of America partnered with the Faith Community (22 churches and 2 Mosques) to open the Winter Sanctuary Program for 100 single homeless people. Winter Sanctuary is again planned for this winter.

Currently, there is no Public-allocated funding for additional shelter for the 2011-2012 Winter, which is sure to be wet and cold.

We are concerned that families will be out in the cold and lives may be in jeopardy, as those who are forced to sleep outside are at increased risk of illness, injury and even death.

Launched in 2009, Sacramento Steps Forward’s (SSF) public-private partnership is bringing together the ideas, insights, and skills of a broad range of passionate organizations, businesses and individuals from across Sacramento to transform the current system serving our homeless population. SSF focuses on addressing challenges in the existing system of care, and with the active support of political leaders such as Mayor Kevin Johnson and County Supervisor Phil Serna, we strive to ensure continued public participation in developing solutions.

Sacramento’s housing providers are ready and willing to provide their shelter and services to those in need however, funding must be made available in order for this to happen. SSF is dedicated to identifying each provider’s need and assisting in coordinating a system of care to house those who would otherwise have to sleep outside in the cold. This system will allow integration into mainstream services that will hopefully lead to a permanent solution to homelessness for many families and individuals. And amidst this bad news, a bit of good: the Sacramento Region Community Foundation has awarded $30,000 in grants to the community for winter shelter.

But your neighbors need more help. With only 61 days before winter shelter should begin (November 20, 2011) you can help provide these critically needed resources today by simply going to our website at SacramentoStepsForward.org. Click the ‘Donate’ button at the top right of the screen to make a secure, tax deductible donation.

It only costs $10 a day to house someone and provide them with a meal. Your donation could save the life of a vulnerable homeless person. In return, we will provide monthly updates as to how your contribution has been used to provide shelter during these critical winter months. We will also provide a report detailing the results of the program to the community at the end of winter.

Disclosure: Ben Burton is the Executive Director of Sacramento Steps Forward. Sacramento Steps Forward is committed to ending homelessness throughout the region.

Think Big announces Citizen Architect finalists

2011-09-16T22:19:39Z

Designs for an outdoor amphitheater, an open-air plaza and a walk of fame were announced Tuesday as the top three contenders in the Think Big Sacramento Citizen Architect competition – a contest to design a portion of the planned entertainment sports complex.

The contest, which began in July, has been touted by the Think Big Sacramento committee as a way for the public to “leave its legacy” on the new complex, according to a press release.

Ideas submitted by Troy Bedal, a sporting goods store manager from Roseville, Shaun Baland, a state worker from Lincoln, and Gary Bladen, a recent UC Davis graduate working on sustainable development, were chosen as the top three out of more than 20 submissions.

Think Big Sacramento Project Manager Jeremiah Jackson said the design competition was intended to give members of the public – people who aren’t necessarily artists, architects or actual designers – a chance to put a personal stamp on the arena project.

“It’s all about concepts and ideas,” Jackson said. “We wanted (a design) that could really become an iconic symbol for community engagement.”

When the contest began, Mayor Kevin Johnson said, he hoped it would encourage someone from the public to create a “symbol of Sacramento and the surrounding region” and to build on the “grassroots support that has kept the Kings in Sacramento.”

A panel of celebrity judges, including local artist David Garibaldi and mixed martial artist Urijah Faber, narrowed down entries to the three finalists. The final winner will be selected by members of the public who vote in an online poll on the project’s website.

“To have a new project like this where the fans get to have a hand in it is just awesome,” Faber said Tuesday. “It’s great to give people an opportunity to be involved.”

Garibaldi congratulated the finalists on using a “creative process” to understand that developing their ideas was “more than just having an idea – it’s the inspiration behind it, too.”

According to a press release, entries were judged on feasibility and viability, design and creativity, and regional pride and sustainability.

Baland’s idea of a small outdoor amphitheater draws on inspiration from Cesar Chavez Park as a place for a variety of pre- and post-event activities.

“I envision a place for fans to gather, have a good time and have free entertainment and converse with each other before big events,” Baland said.

Bedal designed a walkway of bricks – a “walk of fame,” he called it – as a simple yet cost-effective idea.

The pathway would extend from the curb at the edge of the street to the front doors of the arena. Walls along the side of the pathway would showcase busts of local heroes and sports figures.

“Each brick will be personalized for everyone (who supported) the idea of a new arena,” Bedal said.

Bladen, a self-described “lifelong Kings fan,” submitted a plan for an environmentally friendly, open-air plaza. It would feature a terraced garden and lights powered by rooftop solar panels.

“It’s a celebration of what I think are the region’s main attributes: land, sun, water and a unique ecology,” Bladen said.

“People are our biggest commodity,” Think Big committee member Greg Hayes said Tuesday. “We want this arena to be about the people of this region.”

Hayes said online voting began Wednesday, and polls will remain open until the first week in November.

See the finalists’ designs and cast your vote HERE.

Melissa Corker is a Staff Reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @MelissaCorker.

Metro PAC supports Mayor Johnson’s re-election bid

2011-09-16T18:53:09Z

Metro PAC, the Sacramento Metro Chamber’s political action committee, is supporting Mayor Kevin Johnson’s re-election bid as mayor of Sacramento.

Several weeks ago, Metro PAC gathered together more than 50 business leaders for a Coffee & Conversation in support of the mayor where chamber members could have a candid conversation about the city’s business climate.

“We believe Mayor Johnson is the right choice for Sacramento as we did in 2008,” said Metro PAC Chair Ardie Zahedani. “The mayor has the right idea of making Sacramento more business-friendly. This town was founded as a crossroads of commerce, and we need elected leaders like the mayor who understand that when businesses are able to prosper, the community is better for it.”

Zahedani noted that while the business community might hold a different opinion from the mayor on occasion, he has raised the national and international profile of Sacramento, which is vital to the city’s business attraction and retention efforts.

“Mayor Johnson is a champion for Sacramento—he is a champion for businesses and pro-business policies. Electing him in 2012 will be another opportunity for citizens to raise the profile of the city on a global stage,” Zahedani said.

Disclosure: Hal Silliman is communications director for the Sacramento Metro Chamber

Fashion's Night Out: Sexy Shoes, Swag, and Mayor Johnson

2011-09-10T05:46:43Z

The line between runway deities and real people was blurred on Thursday night.

That’s because the global Fashion’s Night Out show at Pavilions on Howe and Fair Oaks featured real people from all walks of life, not just magazine covers. Movers, shakers and other people of influence in Sacramento's community gathered to restore consumer confidence and support the UC Davis Children’s Hospital.

The night’s theme: When you look good, you feel good. When you have the feeling of fulfillment, you won’t have the tendency to give up. Whatever you decide to do with your life, do it with style.

For the 38 inspiring real-life role models on stage, how looking good, leads to feeling good, and being motivated is the common thread. Backstage, preparations were underway for the 100-foot plus catwalk lined with VIP spectators under the white sparkling lights of the trees. Photographers were ready for action. The synergy of a good life with style was infectious.

Here are some quotes from the models when asked how the clothing enhanced their lives:

• “I think it’s a great to gather new ideas using what you may already have in your own closet.” Skylar Mundy, 19, a fashion student and blogger who works part-time at Starbucks for survival in this tough economy.

• “I feel young, vibrant, and a true woman,” shared Ashley Andrews, 31, whose husband, Todd, runs a dental practice near McKinley Park.

• “I felt incredibly luxurious and special,” added Daniel Farley, 47, Vice President of Hamilton Jewelers.

• “I feel like a bohemian princess. Love the feathers. How you feel, your attitude is brought out in what you create for yourself,” said J.J. Fox, 42, a life coach; as she showed off the feather necklace she wore during the show.

• “I was comfortable with myself even with the ascot. It was great to support the cause,” said Sean O’Brien, 28.

• “It was lovely,” said a smiling Jodi Hicks, 40, VP of Governmental Relations for the California Medical Association. “I had a lot more fun than I expected, a really good time. I never had clothes, make up, hair done up before.”

Outfits coordinated by shops and stylists of Pavilions reflected personal style & attitude. The stores are Calla Lily, Franco Ferrini Shoes, Hamilton Jeweler, It’s a Small World, Pavilion Salon Shoes, Madam Butterfly, Patrick James, Julius Clothing, Daitaro, and Lucy. They were backed by Bella Bru, Piattis, and Ruth Chris Steak House who served appetizers and drinks for themore than two hundred VIP guests in the evening.

Those who came to cheer on friends and savor outfits paired with sexy shoes were just as fashionable as the models strutting on the catwalk. A short video clip of the finale can be viewed here.

“We came to support our friend Kara Turner, to shop one of our favorite boutiques Madam Butterfly, and hang out with Kevin Johnson,” says Stefania Aragon, 41 from Roseville.

On a girl's night out with Melinda Yodar, 43 from Fair Oaks and Stephanie Ferre, 41, from Roseville, the trio enjoyed the festivities and look forward to a glimpse of Fashion's Night Out in 2012.

Artober celebrates Sacramento artists

2011-09-03T02:21:20Z

October was officially declared as National Arts and Humanities Month by President Obama back in 2009. Artober is a month-long event starting Oct. 1 that highlights the talents and art resources in Sacramento and celebrates the meaning of the month. It will include local artists, businesses, art walks, festivals, workshops and other special events in Old Sacramento and the downtown area.

Last year, Mayor Kevin Johnson announced that the For Arts’ Sake Coalition would be introducing a new action plan for the Sacramento area. A team of 20 artists and art enthusiasts worked to bring resources together such as getting organizations and businesses involved in the process of making the public aware of the power of the arts. Last year, “Arts Open October” was held, which was a test run and smaller idea of what will be going on this year.

“This is our first year doing it quite like this (bigger than ‘Arts Open October’), and we are trying to rally everyone together, from individual artists to big names like the Mondavi Center,” Artober spokeswoman Veronica Delgado said.

According to Veronica, Sacramento alone holds about 30 museums, a professional ballet company and opera company, music groups and more than 125 theater companies.

“We have different stages of how people are involved,” Delgado said. “We've been sending out letters and making phone calls because we want small and big event supporters. We've also been offering businesses the option of doing an Artober indulge product such as a signature drink or meal.”

The businesses that agree to this will be donating 50 percent of the proceeds to the art organization of their choice, or giving a $200 minimum to it.

“We got enough positive feedback and support to come back and do it again,” Delgado said. “We started with two pages of scheduled events, and now we have almost seven full pages – it's really great that so many people want to jump in and help.”

Some big names that are sponsoring and involved are the Sacramento Convention and Visitors Bureau, For Arts’ Sake, Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission, Sacramento365, Downtown Sacramento Partnership, Midtown Business Association, the city’s Department of Convention, Culture and Leisure, The Sacramento Bee and the Sacramento News & Review.

“We want individuals to get active also, and we are giving them the option of doing artist 'hot spots.' They can team up with their biggest collector and have an in-home art show. The same goes for musicians. It doesn't have to be big, but if two people bring 10 friends and host it in their backyard, that is giving them a great opportunity to market themselves,” Delgado said.

There is a variety of ways to get involved, and every style of art is included. Fashion designers, singer/songwriters and private dance or theater companies are all welcome.

Clemon Charles, 47, is a local artist who moved from Barbados 20 years ago and has been performing in the United States ever since.

“I'm a very busy singer/songwriter, and I also play guitar,” Charles said.

Charles will be in the global village set up in Old Sacramento on the “Storytellers Stage” (set-up location not yet announced) doing Caribbean-style storytelling for children on Oct. 1 (he does not know his official time yet).

“Children are my favorite (audience), but everybody is welcome,” Charles said. “I do a lot of folk songs with Jamaican and Indian dialects that people won’t understand, so I tell them what I am singing about.”

The World Music and Dance Festival in Old Sacramento will be kicking the month off for the first two days of October.

On Oct. 9, there will be the Arts Open House, which is an entire afternoon of theater performances at the Community Center Theatre that will also include an art fair.

On Oct. 26, Synthia St. James will be the guest artist at the For Arts’ Sake Coalition Meeting at the Guild Theatre located on 2828 35th St. It will be an opportunity for the public to learn about the For Arts’ Sake implementation and hear what’s going on around the region with Artober activities.

The Artober calendar will be finalized in the coming weeks.

“We are not only raising awareness for art, but we are helping local (forms of the) arts build up their potential customer base and giving them the ability to take action into their own hands and make new opportunities for themselves,” Delgado said.

For more information, visit Artober's website or Facebook page.

Residents speak out once more on redistricting

2011-08-31T05:22:25Z

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 Center neighborhood right down the middle of Stockton Boulevard, separating the UC Med Center from Oak Park in District 5 and shifting it into District 6.

The vote created an uproar among the 500 people in the audience that night.

By 6 p.m. the next evening, a “unity march” was being organized for Sept. 1 to “send a message” to City Council, according to Oak Park Neighborhood Association President Mike Boyd.

“You’ve heard the dragon roar and you didn’t listen,” Boyd said Tuesday. “Let’s talk about how we can get ourselves out of this situation and still walk away looking good. Don’t make us come to your next elections and stop you there.”

Boyd suggested changing the most recent map configuration to keep the Med Center in District 5, and then “piggyback on the already-existing committee” from the Med Center that hears neighborhood issues.

Community leaders – including pastors from Oak Park churches and Betty Williams, president of the Sacramento chapter of NAACP – addressed council members to express their disappointment with the previous vote and to ask them to change their minds.

Reading a resolution from the Northern District Baptist Association, Pastor Darryl Heath said, “As a membership of upwards of 15,000 members, we stand united in firm opposition to the proposed dismembering of District 5 in Sacramento by removing UCD Medical Center and placing it into District 6.”

The resolution demanded investigation of the six council members who voted in favor of the map and asked for “formal indictments” against the council members if “any unethical actions that violate the role of council members" is found to have occurred.

Katie Roberts, an Oak Park resident for almost 20 years, echoed other speakers’ sentiments when she told council, “It’s not too late.”

“Please pull away from the pettiness,” Roberts said. “Be visionaries and have a little class. Don’t turn to back-room politics.”

Not every commenter was opposed to the new map, however.

Robert Waste, assistant director of government and community relations for UC Davis Medical Center, told council members that the Med Center organization “remains neutral on the issue of redistricting,” despite being in the eye of the storm.

Waste thanked Councilmen Jay Schenirer and Kevin McCarty for their individual “contributions and cooperation” on local projects in association with the Med Center and said the Med Center organization is pleased to be “a positive part” of Sacramento, and the region as a whole.

Council members who voted in favor of the most recent map – Sandy Sheedy, Steve Cohn, Rob Fong, McCarty and Bonnie Pannell – appeared unmoved by public comment Tuesday, until speakers directed some sharp words to individual members.

“I’m going to be here again and again to make your life miserable,” said one resident to Sheedy.

When Oak Park resident Chris Neilson asked Pannell if she “seriously” came to the same decision as the “other sneaky six,” Mayor Kevin Johnson intervened.

“I want to remind speakers making public comment to be mindful of the two-minute time limit on comments,” Johnson said, “and to please be respectful of council members.”

Redistricting was not an item on the agenda Tuesday, so council members could not respond to questions or discuss the issue.

At the close of public comment, Johnson told the audience that redistricting is an item on the Sept. 6 agenda and council members will be “prepared for discussion” on the topic at that meeting.

Melissa Corker is a Staff Reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @MelissaCorker.

Editorial Note: A correction has been made to this story after it was published.

Think Big says 'pay to play' is another way to go for arena financing

2011-08-25T04:11:51Z

At the upcoming meeting of the Think Big Sacramento committee Friday, committee members will discuss construction loans for a new arena/sports complex and yet another potential financing idea: user fees.

For a project that organizers believe will bring regional public benefits of $7 billion in revenue over 30 years and 4,100 new jobs, working out the kinks of financing everything is a challenge.

The Think Big committee has been under a self-imposed deadline to come up with a “menu” of financing options – essentially, a 100-day brainstorm session that committee members hope will result in finding a viable way to pay for the $387 million endeavor.

Think Big has already determined that financing will require public-private partnership, and committee members have focused that definition to include private participation, public participation and – according to a report released Aug. 18 – user fees.

“User fees are ways to identify revenue sources from entities that will be benefiting from the arena,” said Think Big Sacramento Executive Director Chris Lehane in an email Wednesday.

Entities such as attendees who will go to the arena and pay a ticket fee, Lehane said, or businesses in the proximity of the arena that will benefit from 300,000 more people coming to the city.

The reasoning for this, simply put, is that “the people who use it should bear the greatest responsibility of paying for it,” said Think Big Sacramento project manager, Jeremiah Jackson.

User fees could be arena fees that are included in the price of things sold at the venue, such as food, drinks and merchandise, or it could be ticket fees – a $1 to $3 surcharge on the price of a ticket, for example.

User fees could also come in the form of naming rights (think: Power Balance Pavilion, AT&T Park, Staples Center), or the creation of Business Improvement Districts (BID).

The core of a BID is self-assessment – businesses and restaurants agree to pay a certain percentage on top of whatever else they’re selling, because they know they’re going to get a certain amount of increased business from being near the arena.

“With 3.1 million new visitors to downtown each year,” Jackson said, “we’ll expect to see increased spending at all of the businesses nearby.”

This concept of a BID has seen some success in areas like Portland, where the BID contributed about $21.5 M to the construction of a streetcar system, and in San Francisco, where 11 BIDs funded a variety of downtown revitalization projects around the ballpark.

Michael Ault, president of the Downtown Sacramento Partnership, which represents 56 blocks in the downtown core including 800 property owners and merchants, said he is not entirely sold on the idea for Sacramento, however.

“If business and restaurant owners can readily identify an upside that justifies an assessment district,” Ault said Wednesday, “it could be a good thing.”

Ault said the the Downtown Sacramento Partnership hasn’t yet been engaged in any discussion of “real numbers” with the Think Big team yet, so he is hesitant to say how much support the idea would get.

“How much (fee assessment) are we talking about? For how long? At what level?” Ault said. “Until we know any of that, it’s hard to really say anything.”

According to a poll conducted for the Think Big committee, public support for user fees is strong.

Seventy-four percent of people polled said they would support the idea of charging for naming rights on the facility, and 57 percent supported a ticket surcharge and/or arena fees, the recent Think Big report states.

Ticket fees are common at similar entertainment and sports complexes, said Think Big representatives.

“Staples Center in Los Angeles has had them for years,” Jackson said Wednesday. “The Staples Center even has a contract with the NBA that allows them to raise it up to about $3 per seat.”

The Think Big report estimates user fees from ticket surcharges could total to about $20 million a year in revenue.

Naming rights have netted huge benefits for similar arena projects, too, arena representatives said.

For example, Amway Center in Orlando opened in 2010, and the city gets about $6.5 million annually from the naming rights contract with Amway. In Memphis, there’s the FedEx Forum that brings an average of $4.5 million annually.

“The name of the game,” Jackson said, “is to determine who are the parties that benefit from (the complex) and how can we spread some responsibility (for paying for it) across that group?”

Jackson said the Think Big committee is considering numerous ideas on financing, and incorporating user fees is just one part of that.

The 100-day summary report – including the full menu of financing options for a new sports/entertainment complex – is scheduled to be presented at the Sacramento Press Club luncheon on Sept. 8.

A follow-up report will be made to City Council at the council meeting on Sept. 13.

Read the user fees report here.

Melissa Corker is a Staff Reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @MelissaCorker.

Solomon-esque compromise moves Med Center into District 6

2011-08-24T18:26:14Z

In a King Solomon-like compromise, Oak Park lost one of its key components Tuesday when City Council members voted to divvy up the 100-year old neighborhood between two council districts.

District 5 gets to keep most of the Med Center neighborhood and Sacramento HIgh, but District 6 gets the coveted Med Center.

In a 6-3 vote, council members approved a variation of the “Neighborhoods 2.0” base map, drawing the boundary between Districts 5 and 6 – right down the middle of Stockton Boulevard.

“We have let you down as a council,” Mayor Kevin Johnson told the audience just before the vote. “We can say anything we want and make it all fancy, but you guys see right through it.”

Tuesday’s City Council meeting had more than 500 people in attendance and a record 103 speakers took to the podium to address the council before the final vote of the evening.

During the five-hour long discussion, members of the public spoke emotionally and emphatically about what their neighborhoods mean to them, asking council members to “put the people first.”

Quoting English poet William Wordsworth, Oak Park Pastor Darrell Roberts said, “ ‘It takes less time to do something right than to explain why you did it wrong. Wisdom is knowing what to do next. Virtue is doing it.’

“You’ve heard from the people,” Roberts said.

Councilman Steve Cohn defended the map he presented on July 26 and the merged map he and Councilwoman Sandy Sheedy developed and presented on Aug.4., saying it kept more neighborhoods intact than other versions, and resolved more problems than it created.

“In the end,” Cohn said, “I think everyone can agree there’s no perfect solution.”

The controversy that boiled over at the Aug. 16 council meeting – and continued at Tuesday’s meeting – was fueled by the shifting of the Med Center neighborhood out of District 5 and into District 6 with the Neighborhoods 2.0 base map, which the council approved on Aug. 9.

Oak Park residents and community leaders quickly mobilized opposition to the proposed new district boundaries and more than 60 people commented publicly at the Aug. 16 meeting.

Redistricting was not an item on the agenda at that meeting, so council members could not discuss the issue – they could only listen to the public comments, though there was some discussion at the meeting.
At Tuesday’s meeting, redistricting was the final item on the agenda and council chambers remained full to capacity throughout the entire discussion.

Many times, as speakers were addressing the council, the applause of the audience was loud and lingering and Johnson banged the gavel to restore order.

Speakers young and old approached the podium, sometimes giving a simple plea for keeping a neighborhood unified, and other times chastising council members for being “self-serving” and not “respecting the process” of redistricting.

At one point, Councilman Kevin McCarty addressed audience’s questions about ”Why the change” to the boundaries affecting Oak Park, the Med Center, and Sacramento High School.

“I think, Neighborhoods 2.0 is the right map and it is the least flawed,” McCarty said. “District 6 has been growing toward District 5 for years. (Toward District 5) is the only direction it can grow.”

While acknowledging that the Med Center in an “economic engine” for the city, he said “it is also a neighbor” that directly impacts the immediate vicinity more than anything else.

McCarty concluded that Med Center – and the area immediately surrounding it – should be part of District 6.

Tim Jordan, a business owner in Oak Park, said there wasn’t a “compelling reason” for the shift of the Med Center neighborhood out of Oak Park.

“North Oak Park is a positive example of investments made in the area over the years,” Jordan said. “The population is a small percentage of District 5, but they are the heartbeat. There’s no reason to move us.”

When public comment concluded, council members gave the audience their take on the process, the maps and the public outcry they witnessed both at council meetings and from people in their districts.

Cyril Shah, a local businessman and a former member of the Citizens Advisory Committee on redistricting, told council members there were three tenets he followed while working with the committee: listen to the citizens, focus on fairness and equity in every district, and focus on providing government services to those who need them.

“Listen to all of the citizens before you make a decision,” Shaw said. “It is my hope and, quite frankly, my expectation as a citizen that you will come to a conclusion than not only a few but all of the citizens can be proud of.”

Councilwoman Sandy Sheedy told audience members that the process has been “very challenging,” but the public had been “heard.”

“Don’t think we haven’t listened to you,” Sheedy said. “We have. We really have heard you.”

Council members Darrell Fong, Rob Fong and Bonnie Pannell made similar comments, pointing out the difficulties of balancing a requirement to equalize population with all of the community’s needs.

When Johnson called roll for the vote, Sheedy, Cohn, Rob Fong, McCarty, Darrell Fong and Pannell were all “aye” votes.

Angelique Ashby, Jay Schenirer and Johnson opposed the motion.

“When you think of assets that represent Oak Park, you think of Sac High and you think of the Med Center,” Schenirer said. “I think it would be criminal to take that away.”

The law requires the redistricting ordinance that the City Council approved Tuesday to be published for the public for one week before the final vote is taken Sept. 6.

The final ordinance will go into effect 30 days after it is adopted by the City Council, and then the current district boundaries no longer exist. Council members will still represent the district number they were elected to, but with the new boundaries in place.

Mayor Kevin Johnson discusses Third Grade Reading Campaign

2011-08-24T01:42:27Z

Mayor Kevin Johnson announced Tuesday at his weekly press conference that the Third Grade Reading Campaign to bring up Sacramento’s standard reading level will kick off Wednesday with a community resource fair and a press conference.

Sacramento County third grade reading proficiency rates are well below California standards, according to Stand Up, a nonprofit education program that is a featured initiative of Johnson. Statewide, 44 percent of third graders are reading at grade level, while Sacramento County is at 37 percent, based on the 2011 education statistics.

“When we think about Sacramento, our literacy rates are not what they need to be. We have far too many of our children that are not reading at grade level or proficient,” Johnson said. “This is our commitment: We want to be the first city in the country where we achieve literacy for all third graders. It’s big, it’s bold and we’re very excited.”

The Third Grade Reading Campaign will host a fair from 3 p.m. - 5 p.m. Wednesday at the 40 Acres Art Gallery and Courtyard followed by a press conference at 4:30 p.m.

Stand Up’s monthly meeting will be held at the Guild Theater to discuss the campaign.

Johnson said that five superintendents (of Twin Rivers, Roble, Natomas, Sacramento City Unified, and Elk Grove) are going to be a part of the campaign.

“We’re collectively going after it. It will be by 2020, so it’s an eight-, nine-year goal.”

The Education Resource Fair will include free activities such as the Sacramento Petting Zoo and story time to get kids interested in reading.

In a previous announcement, Johnson asked for volunteers to donate their time for tutoring, reading, and other volunteer activities including parent and community involvement to help kids gain and maintain an interest in reading.

Nik Howard, director of strategic partnerships for Stand Up, the mayor's education initiative, ~~the city,~~ said that even though it is a third-grade literacy campaign, the program is available to all children up to age 8.

“The reason that we’re targeting that age range is because kids are transitioning from learning to read in the third grade,” Howard said. “(Children) need to be able to get information on their own by comprehending their reading.”

Howard added that early child development provides a foundation for third grade, and that is why groups like Head Start and First 5 that provide programs designed to encourage and improve healthy living learning, are involved.

He said that up to age 4, the focus needs to be on building early literacy skills, and when children begin kindergarten, they need to be ready for school and ready for the education that will be provided to them.

“All-America City Award criteria for 2012 is going to be (city grade-level reading),” Johnson said. “If we can achieve and come up with a very concrete and comprehensive implementation plan, then Sacramento has an opportunity to be one of 10 cities selected as All-America city based on our commitment to third-grade reading.”

The All-America City Award is awarded to cities that achieve outstanding civic accomplishments through successful efforts to address pressing local challenges.

Howard said one of the most heartening things for him during the beginning stages of the campaign was the feeling of a broad base of support across the community.

“All elements in the communities are working on this, (from) the school districts to city government, and we’ve got local service providers in terms of great reading programs, (such as) Head Start (and) First 5,” Howard added. “This is really a community-wide effort that’s going to have to engage the community at all levels, and so far, they’ve really stepped up.”

Howard said the City Schools Collaborative, a program through the mayor’s office, is trying to bring together schools and city government to streamline and share facilities to do anything to help each other out in making Third Grade Reading campaign a priority.

For more information on the Third Grade Reading Campaign, click here.

Editorial Note: A correction has been made to this article after it was published. The incorrect information has been struck out and the correct information has been added.

City Finance Division audit finds lost revenue potential

2011-08-18T01:39:21Z

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 practices in place as far as safeguarding the city’s assets,” Oseguera said Tuesday. “We’d like to see better-documented procedures so we can be more in line with the city’s expectations.”

The fourth area that city auditing staff focused on was the Transient Occupancy Tax process, and this is where a large potential for increased city revenue was found.

Transient occupancy tax (TOT) is charged by hotel operators on hotel guests who stay for less than 30 days in a room. The tax is charged at a rate of 12 percent of the room charge, according to the audit report.

Hotel guests generally pay the tax directly to the hotel operator when paying the room charge. The operator then remits the full amount of the TOT collected each month to the city.

According to the audit, nearly $17 million in TOT revenue was collected in fiscal year 2009-10, representing 6.5 percent of city tax revenue and 2.1 percent of total city revenue.

Despite TOT being such a large source of city revenue with clearly outlined penalties for nonpayment or fraud, the audit reports, this revenue has not been audited since fiscal year 1996-97.

Instead, the city relies solely on hotels’ calculations of the TOT due.

With hotel operators self-reporting the TOT they charge to hotel guests and sending the amount collected to the city, it is possible that a hotel may be operating and not remit TOT collected to the city, or that a hotel could charge unsuspecting guests the TOT and retain the additional revenue, the audit states.

The audit findings recommend auditing the TOT process to better identify potential revenue increases from applying city code as it’s written – including penalties for late payments and interest on underpayments.

The city’s last audit of the TOT process was 15 years ago, Oseguera said, and in the year following that audit, the city saw an increase in overall tax collected of more than 20 percent.

According to projections in the revenue collections audit, a TOT audit would cost approximately $83,000 – but it could mean as much as a $2.4 million increase in annual city revenues if the results are similar to those following the last audit in 1997.

According to the report, an audit of TOT revenue was attempted in 2003, but the auditing firm raised concerns about confusion between the TOT policy and city code and the audit was stopped. Since then, the TOT policy has been updated.

Councilman Steve Cohn, chairman of the city Auditing Committee, said Tuesday that the recommendations in the recent audit report are items the city should definitely follow up on – especially the collection of hotel taxes.

“(That one) could be a big-money item,” Cohn said, “so we really need to follow up quickly.”

In a response letter to the city auditor, Leyne Milstein, finance director of the city Finance Division, said she agreed with the findings of the revenue collections audit report.

Milstein wrote that she was “very pleased” with the “professional efforts” of the city auditor and his staff.

Milstein said the work on a TOT audit is scheduled to start this summer and that, although there are mechanisms in place to adequately enforce the uniform TOT per city code, the division will take steps to document the process and keep it up to date for further review by the audit department.

Oseguera said the Revenue Division has already requested the firm Muni Services to do the TOT audit. Muni Services currently has a contract with the city to provide other analyses, Oseguera said, so this audit would fall under that contract.

Although there is not yet an established timeframe for completing a review and audit of the TOT process, Oseguera said he will include it as part of the followup process that he has for all of the city’s audits.

Oseguera said he follows up every six months with audited departments to evaluate how staff went about applying any recommendations.

“We do (the followup) to ensure that none of (the recommendations) get shelved,” Oseguera said. “We continue to report back on (them) until the risks that we identified and the remedies we recommended have been fully implemented.”

The city auditor is tasked with completing three to four audits per year, and the revenue collections audit was the third and final one in the 2010-11 fiscal year.

City audits are scheduled every year during the budget process, Cohn said, and the next audits scheduled include reviews of fire inspection fees, city-wide supplemental pay, city sidewalk repair process and a 3-1-1 call center audit.

Additionally, Cohn said Oseguera and his staff are working with an outside firm to review the city’s golf course maintenance.

Cohn said council members hope to have that audit completed by the end of 2011 so a decision could be made on contracting out golf course maintenance by the middle of 2012.

Mayor Kevin Johnson said at his weekly press conference Tuesday that he has been supportive of the audit process since he came into office, and he’s pleased to see the work Oseguera and his staff are doing.

“I felt there was waste and fraud and abuse and inefficiencies and things we could do to consolidate,” Johnson said. “We are finally at that point where we’re auditing different (city) departments and every month bringing one forward.”

Johnson said the next step for the council after reviewing the audit is to act on the recommendations as soon as possible.

“For us, you gotta find ways to do more with less, especially in a down economy,” Johnson said. “There’s certain things we can do to consolidate our effort that make us smarter and more efficient and cost-effective.”

Cohn agreed, saying he thinks the audits offer good insight into the efficiency of city government and how it handles practices and procedures.

“Generally, the audits point out things that really need to be done,” Cohn agreed. “We see how we can get additional revenues or reduce costs in the (auditor’s) suggestions. It’s good housekeeping.”

Cohn added that the Audit Department is “very professional” and the fact that it is doing these audits will “make staff a little more on their toes.”

Read the Revenue Collection Audit here.

Melissa Corker is a Staff Reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follw her on Twitter @MelissaCorker.

Public comment at Council meeting results in one more map

2011-08-17T08:14:06Z

City Council chambers were overflowing Tuesday night with residents lined up to voice their concerns about which redistricting map will – finally – be the final map, but the meeting didn’t end until one council member asked for one more map to be brought to the table.

With audience members behind them holding signs that read, “Just tell us why?” and “Keep Oak Park whole,” more than 70 speakers chastised, questioned and – at times – shouted at council members as they expressed outrage over the most recent development in the redistricting saga.

The outpouring of emotion from meeting attendees stemmed from a City Council vote last week on a proposed map to redraw city district boundaries – the eighth map to be discussed by council members since the citizens advisory committee sent its final recommendations to the council on July 12.

The map, designated “Neighborhoods Together 2.0,” was introduced by Councilman Steve Cohn at the Aug. 9 council meeting – after public comment had concluded and before some council members had an opportunity to review it. That map was ultimately passed on a 6-3 vote as the ‘base map’ to be considered for final approval later this month.

During two hours of public comment Tuesday, council members heard testimony from lifelong residents of Oak Park, Sacramento High School students and community leaders.

Some speakers accused council members of “back room dealings,” while others questioned council members’ intentions by “creating a charade that was the advisory committee” on redistricting.

“You’re going to sit there and rip off the economic arm of Med Center off of Oak Park with no regard for the community?” asked Betty Williams, president of the Sacramento NAACP. “Really? No!”

Williams chastised council members for the “political theft of Oak Park,” and – with no subtle implication about the future of council seats – she added, “You are not the only ones who will take something away.”

All who spoke Tuesday opposed the boundaries in one district area or another, but the majority specifically opposed the shift of the neighborhood that includes Med Center and Sacramento High School from District 5 into Councilman Kevin McCarty’s District 6.

“My mother told me never to call folks ‘stupid,’ “ said Oak Park resident Joe Debbs, “so I’ll just say you are ‘unwise’ to break up Oak Park.

“It’s not too late to fix your mistake,” he added.

The impact of the outpouring of public comment seemed to sink in with council members right before the council adjourned.

District 5 Councilman Jay Schenirer asked city staff to re-analyze the most recent map and bring it back to council for consideration at the Aug. 23 meeting – this time redrawing district lines to return the contested area surrounding the Med Center to District 5.

“We’ll see if this (map) changes anybody’s mind (on the council),” Schenirer said after the meeting.

Although redistricting was not an item on the meeting agenda, the opportunity for public comment is a regular part of every council meeting. Speakers are limited to two minutes to address council members, and council members do not usually respond from the dais to public comments.

Tuesday’s meeting was anything but “usual,” however.

As the council chamber filled with people and stacks of speaker requests were handed to the city clerk, the first to step up to the podium was County Supervisor and former Sacramento mayor Jimmy Yee.

Yee told council members that he was speaking to them for one reason only – to plead for the South Land Park neighborhood to be kept together.

“I know how hard this (redistricting) process is and, as a county supervisor, I’m going through it now,” Yee said. “But what you simply have to do is try.”

Yee encouraged council members to consider the history of South Land Park and try to keep the neighborhood together.

Councilman Rob Fong, who represents the South Land Park neighborhood where Yee lives, thanked Yee for addressing the council but said there might not be any solution to dividing that neighborhood.

Yee suggested drawing the district boundary line at Sutterville Road instead of at Fruitridge, where the latest map shows it.

“So, you don’t care what district it’s in,” Fong asked, “you just want all of South Land Park together?”

“I love having you as my councilman, Rob,” Yee responded, “but I’ll love Jay Schenirer, too, if he’s my new representative. I’m not here for politics – I’m here for my neighborhood. Don’t split South Land Park.”

Michael Boyd, president of Oak Park Neighborhood Association, referred council members to an email sent to Elmhurst residents from McCarty that asked for support of the newest map and called Oak Park a “treasure.”

“Of course you see (it) as a treasure,” Boyd said to McCarty. “One that belongs in District 5.

“It smacks of elitism that cannot be ignored,” Boyd said of the new map boundaries.

At the end of the meeting, after the chambers had emptied, Schenirer said he asked for the new map revision so there would “at least be something on the table” when the council returns next week and takes up redistricting as a discussion item on the agenda.

“If we’re really about neighborhoods and keeping neighborhoods together,” Schenirer said, “and there’s no detrimental effects or musical chairs with other districts around (the changes), then I would hope the council takes it into consideration.”

Schenirer’s map revision will be brought before the City Council at its next meeting Aug. 23. A vote for final approval of a redistricting map is expected before the Sept. 6 deadline for submission to the state.

Melissa Corker is a Staff Reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @MelissaCorker

Sacramento Steps Forward hires first executive director

2011-08-17T04:38:47Z

Mayor Kevin Johnson introduced Ben Burton, the first executive director of Sacramento Steps Forward, Tuesday at the weekly press conference held at City Hall. Burton and Johnson spoke about future plans for Sacramento Steps Forward, which is a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to ending homelessness and building a supportive community.

According to Johnson, Sacramento Steps Forward was launched in 2009 as a response to the Oprah Winfrey show that highlighted issues in Sacramento.

“We wanted to lay out 2,400 permanent housing units in a three-year period, and we are well on our way to achieve that goal,” Johnson said.

According to Johnson, Sacramento Steps Forward was officially created in February with a vision that it would be a national model for ending homelessness by providing resources to people in need.

With Johnson and Burton at the meeting were local business, political and religious leaders.

“After a lot of debate and time and effort, we think that we have selected the person who is right for this particular job at this time and who is going to do tremendous work in moving Sacramento forward,” Sacramento Steps Forward Board Chairman Chet Hewitt said.

According to Hewitt, Burton officially started Aug. 1, and he has had nine years of experience as an executive director working for the Miami Coalition for the Homeless, Inc. In the last five years, there has been a 25 percent decrease in homelessness in Miami. He also has 25 years’ experience working in nonprofits and received his bachelor’s degree in biology at Emery University and his master’s of science degree in clinical psychology from Eastern Kentucky University.

“It’s really exciting to be here and to be in a city that is trying to come together and to do something important about a serious issue,” Burton said

According to Hewitt, the selection process in choosing Burton was a national search for about four months including 40 candidates, in which eight were brought to the Sacramento area to be interviewed.

“One of the things that I think Sacramento Steps Forward stands for is really about getting people what they need in the community, and that is world-class services, access to permanent affordable housing (and) making sure there is an advocacy voice in the community.”

According to Johnson, in the last two years, homelessness has been reduced in Sacramento by 15 percent, and chronic homelessness (someone who has been homeless for a year or more or been homeless at least four times in a three year period) has been reduced by 50 percent in the last four years.

Some of the future goals for the organization include trying to be more efficient when it comes to delivering items to people and utilizing funding, whether it is through grants, public or private funding.

“Our success to date is not enough,” Hewitt said. “We believe that the folks here in Sacramento – the citizens as well as those who are facing homelessness – deserve better, and we are positioning ourselves to deliver on that particular promise.”

Johnson also spoke about efforts to continue to move forward on getting a new sports complex by March, 2012. He also spoke briefly about the new partial packages coming out that will allow fans to customize the way they can get their season tickets. For more information go to the Kings website.

City Council approves salary contract for new city manager

2011-08-10T08:25:58Z

Sacramento’s new city manager will get a 16 percent increase in salary over the previous city manager, making him the highest-paid in city history and the first to receive a labor contract.

John Shirey’s three-year contract, which includes a $258,000 base salary was approved by the City Council with a 7-2 vote Tuesday.

According to the staff report on the contract, Shirey’s annual salary is within the city’s current salary pay range of $187,357-$281,035 for the position.

The staff report also notes that Shirey’s benefit package is essentially the same as for city charter officers such as city attorney and city clerk, with two exceptions: Shirey will pay his own 7 percent contribution to PERS and, instead of the typical 4 percent contribution to a 401(a) plan, the city will contribute $15,000 to a deferred compensation plan.

These changes give the city a net savings of nearly $13,000 – approximately $10,000 for the PERS contribution and approximately $18,000 for the 4 percent contribution to a 401(a) plan.

The new contract includes a severance clause that provides for payment of six months’ salary and medical benefits if Shirey or the council terminates his employment before the contract expires.

A recent press release from Eye on Sacramento, a local political watchdog group, criticized the contract as “fundamentally wrong” for the 16 percent pay hike the contract includes.

“The (pay increase) for its city manager is immensely insensitive to city taxpayers and city employees who have seen their pay cut or jobs eliminated in the current recession,” the release states. “The council's extravagance with its top manager's pay cannot help but make future relations and negotiations with (the) city's unions more difficult and probably more costly to city taxpayers.”

Earlier this week, Local 522, the union representing 550 city firefighters, voted to defer a five percent payraise until 2013 and give six percent to their pensions, according to a labor leaders.

Jaymes Butler, municipal vice president for Local 522 and a captain in the department, told council members Tuesday that, when asked to “do their part” despite being the lowest paid in the region, “our (union members) stepped up to do it.”

Had they known what the city manager’s salary package would look like, Butler said, his union membership would likely not have voted for labor concessions as they did.

“The last time I checked,” Butler said, “none of these (city managers) save lives.”

Councilwoman Angelique Ashby said she’s looking forward to working with Shirey, though she is disappointed with the compensation package.

“It’s unfathomable to grant the largest compensation package in the history of Sacramento during one of the worst economic times in the history of Sacramento,” Ashby said. “It’s counterintuitive.”

Ashby said she could not support the contract “in the same week that firefighters step forward and help us initiate true pension reform for the first time” in the city of Sacramento.

“I just feel like there is no reason to make an exception to the standard of everyone working for the city to pull their weight and do more with less,” Ashby said.

Councilman Rob Fong supported the contract and welcomed Shirey to the position.

“The salary is within the range for the position,” Fong said, “so, yeah, he’s going to get more than we gave (the previous city manager). (Shirey) has an impressive wealth of experience. We are fortunate to have him.”

Mayor Kevin Johnson said he assumed the contract was supported by the majority of the council, but he reiterated concerns about the recruitment process that he expressed in a recent press conference.

Johnson said that the process could have been “more comprehensive,” and he was disappointed that there wasn’t any public input.

The recruitment process wasn't as transparent as it should have been, Johnson said, and he objected to granting a contract that makes Shirey the highest-paid city manager in the city’s history.

“This defies logic, in my opinion.” Johnson said.

With the new contract in place, Shirey will begin work as city manager Sept. 1.

Melissa Corker is a Staff Reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @MelisaCorker.

City Council chooses surprise new redistricting map

2011-08-10T07:35:37Z

The city of Sacramento will have new district boundaries by the end of the month, but the lines won’t be familiar to anyone who has followed the process so far.

In a 6-3 vote, the City Council passed a motion Tuesday to use a new map submitted by Councilman Steve Cohn as the ‘base map’ for new district boundaries – much to the surprise of advisory committee members, meeting attendees and Mayor Kevin Johnson.

“I am extremely disappointed and sad,” Johnson said. “This is the worst-case scenario. It’s the council putting self-interest above all else, and that is disappointing.”

The map – which Cohn named “Neighborhoods Together 2.0” – was submitted just minutes before the council meeting was set to begin Tuesday.

Cohn said he felt the new map was necessary because it addressed concerns that the previous maps did not, including keeping districts more compact and cohesive and allowing for better representation of communities of interest.

Although the agenda item on redistricting included opportunity for public comment, the new map wasn’t introduced until after public comment had concluded.

The goal of the new map, as described by Cohn, is to “keep neighborhoods together,” and it is intended to address concerns expressed about the previous maps submitted by he and Sheedy at the July 26 council meeting.

One of those concerns was that the population deviation in the merged Cohn/Sheedy map released Friday was 11.9 percent, exceeding the city-mandated maximum of 10 percent. The total population deviation of the new map is 9.92 percent.

Another concern expressed to the council was the division of Latino communities across multiple districts thereby “diluting their voting power,” according to Eric Guerra, a representative of the Latino Redistricting Working Group and the president of the Tahoe Park Neighborhood Association.

“What this map does that no other map does,” Cohn said, “is provide Latino representation greater than 30 percent in four council districts.”

“I think it’d be undershooting (for the Latino community) to look at only one (council) seat when you could be looking at four seats,” Cohn added.

Discussion of the merits of the new map became heated as council members argued about what district the UC Davis Medical Center and the surrounding neighborhood, including Sacramento High School, belongs in.

Councilman Jay Schenirer noted that, although the Med Center neighborhood has historically been part of District 5, the 2.0 map assigns it to District 6.

“For the past 40 years they’ve been in District 5,” Schenirer said. “I’d like to know what is the rationale for moving it?”

Cohn said the primary effort of the new map is to keep neighborhoods together, but added that moving the neighborhood into District 6 compensates for the addition of the railyards to District 3.

“District 3, with the railyards in it, has potential for growth,” Cohn said, “but District 6 doesn’t have that same potential.”

Schenirer stood his ground, saying “we could argue how long that growth would take,” and told Cohn that the council should “put the Med Center neighborhood back with Oak Park, where it’s been for 40 years.”

The council passed a motion to accept the new map without the adjustment of shifting the Med Center neighborhood back to Oak Park and District 5.

Although Councilwoman Angelique Ashby ultimately voted against it, she initially expressed her support of the new base map, saying that a new map being added by the council – even at this late date – does not contradict the work of the advisory committee.

“I’m offended by the notion that if we don’t take one of the four maps submitted by the advisory committee, that we are somehow being less than transparent,” Ashby said. “This is a process: the community submitted maps, the committee vetted them, and now (the council) looks at them.”

Ashby said it has always been the prerogative of the council to make refinements to any map as part of the redistricting process and in addition to the work of the advisory committee.

Councilman Rob Fong agreed, saying, “I don’t think there’s any disrespect to the advisory committee here.”

Fong said everything the council has done is a “derivative” of the advisory committee’s work, and having refinements done by the council was something the council had always considered.

“I don’t know that there are any perfect solutions for any district,” Fong said. “This process is like having a lot of Jell-O in a big sack. Wherever you push or pull, it’s going to affect all the other districts.”

Johnson was visibly upset by the submission of yet another new map.

“It’s clear that politics took over the process,” Johnson said. “I do not think elected officials should choose their voters. We throw the word transparency around a lot, but I don’t think anything we’ve done here has been transparent. There’s no way the public is fooled by it.”

“We get a map at 5:55 p.m. today, and we’re supposed to vote on it today without the public weighing in on it at all?”Johnson said. “I think it’s ridiculous, and I think our priorities are upside-down.”

Johnson and Schenirer voted against the proposed new map, along with councilwoman Ashby who disagreed with the way the new map shifted large portions of neighborhoods from her district into a new district.

City staff will prepare an ordinance based on the new map for the council to adopt at the earliest opportunity, according to city clerk, Shirley Concolino.

The new map is expected to be passed for publication on Aug. 23 and adopted by the end of the month.

Melissa Corker is a Staff Reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @MelissaCorker.

Editorial Note: A correction has been made to this article after it was published.

State Controller and Sacramento Mayor celebrate non-profit’s decade of success

2011-08-05T18:31:54Z

Before guests could hit the dance floor and mingle with friends at a non-profit organization’s 10th Anniversary celebration, local community leaders gave a “Celebrity Show” posing to be celebrities of the last decade to say a few words.

The emcee introduced the first celebrity – Hillary Clinton. Walking and gracefully waving to “Stand by Your Man” by Tammy Wynette from the back of the ballroom to the podium is Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg’s (D-Sacramento) District Director Susan McKee.

Guests stood up from their seats to take videos and photos while others clapped and laughed.

“I told the President that C.C. Yin has always been my man and all of you know I stand by my man,” Clinton said. “I brought a special gift from the White House, but, because of budget cuts, it’s only a key chain.”

The room roared with laughter until the next celebrity was introduced.

Assemblyman Roger Dickinson played Jerry Brown, NAACP Sacramento Branch President Betty Williams played Diana Ross and former Sacramento Monarchs’ player Ruthie Bolton played Oprah Winfrey, just to name a few.

Over 700 guests attended the 10th Anniversary Gala celebration of non-profit, non-partisan organization Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs Association’s (APAPA) Saturday, July 31 at Sheraton Grand Hotel.

The celebration included dinner, several speakers, a video about the organization and lots of dancing.

Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson began the ceremony noting how thankful he is for APAPA’s contributions to the community.

“I’m so proud to have APAPA based in Sacramento,” said Johnson.

Founded in 2001 by C.C. Yin and fellow civic-minded community members, APAPA’s goal is to empower Asian Americans in civic and public affairs through education, active participation and leadership development.

Keynote speaker California State Controller John Chiang is grateful for APAPA and its effort in helping create leaders who are willing to make the tough decisions.

“What APAPA has tried to do in the last decade is to narrow the divide between research and knowledge and good public policy,” said Chiang.

A video showcasing APAPA's successes of the past decade was played. Check out the video.

APAPA has given over $50,000 in scholarships and over 80 State Capitol internships. In 2001, there were no API state and constitutional office holders. In 2009, there were 15.

APAPA helped bring about API leaders into our government system.

Looking back at the past decade, Yin had high hopes for the future.

“Ten years from now, led by the younger generation, APAPA will be taken to the national level,” said Yin.

APAPA currently has four chapters throughout California: Collegiate, Bay Area, Central Valley and Southern California.

Yin invited everyone to the dance floor with the final words.

“See you in October,” said Yin.

Every September or October since 2005, APAPA has put together Voters Education and Candidates Forum free for the public to become more aware of the democratic process, register to vote, interact one-on-one with candidates and watch debates.

Last year, over 30 state and constitutional candidates spoke and debated with opponents for the some 2,000 attendees at California State University, Sacramento.

On Saturday, October 22, APAPA’s 2011 Voters Education and Candidates Forum will be held in San Francisco.

For more information, visit www.APAPA.org.

Mayor encourages National Night Out: drinks and food with the neighbors

2011-08-03T01:49:46Z

Sacramento Fire Chief Ray Jones said at a press conference Tuesday that National Night Out is an important event for fire and law enforcement, especially amidst the budget crisis, to improve public safety.

“We want to make sure that we have a presence in our neighborhoods – finding out from the people we serve how we can make changes,” Jones said.

More than 50 events are scheduled for the 28th annual National Night Out Tuesday night in Sacramento.

Each neighborhood decides how it will celebrate with barbecues and potlucks being a common way to bring everyone together.

Sacramento Police Chief Rick Braziel said he expects to see crowds from dozens to 500.

This opportunity will allow neighbors to get to know each other and become organized to keep neighborhoods safe, Braziel said.

“It is really the community taking matters into their own hands,” Mayor Kevin Johnson said about the importance of neighborhood watch groups, which do their part to engage the community and get involved in crime prevention.

Johnson, Jones and Braziel will visit a number of community events Tuesday to highlight public safety in areas such as Natomas, Midtown and Oak Park.

Braziel said that amidst budget cuts and the layoffs of 42 sworn officers, it is important for the public and communities to call and help report crimes or suspicious activity.

“Without the eyes and ears of the public, we are just officers in uniform,” Braziel said.

At his weekly press conference Johnson also emphasized his discontent with the way two City Council members – Steve Cohn and Sandy Sheedy – introduced two new redistricting maps that weren’t put through the citizens’ redistricting committee. Read more about the redistricting here.

“The premise of the citizens advisory council is to take the politics out of it and not let elected officials draw their own boundaries, because when you create that environment, it is impossible for elected officials to do what is right for the city without regard to their self-interest,” he said.

Johnson added that the addition of the two maps “discredits the whole process in my opinion,” and offered a commitment to “change our city charter to have an independent redistricting commission so we can avoid that.”

Referring to the trillion dollars in federal cuts that will incur after President Barack Obama signed the Budget Control Act Tuesday, a reporter asked Johnson how Sacramento is being affected by the monetary cuts.

Johnson said, “not at this point, but I will tell you I’ve had conversations with folks that get federal dollars, and they’re concerned.”

“As mayors what we are talking about is jobs. We are talking about economic development,” Johnson said.

“That is why, we as a city, are taking matters into our own hands. We can’t wait on anybody. We’ve got to reduce our unemployment rate,” he said and added that the construction of a new sports complex will create 37,000 construction jobs.

Johnson also said that he is optimistic about having a full NBA season this year, and that he hopes “to make sure that we can create a public/private partnership and build a new entertainment sports complex that is worthy of Sacramento, and protects the taxpayers (and) creates jobs.”

Think BIG committee looks at revenue potential of public assets

2011-07-29T01:59:49Z

Think Big Sacramento committee members met at the West Sacramento City Hall Thursday to review a report identifying publicly owned assets that could potentially increase in value with the development of an entertainment/sports complex.

The “Public Synergies Report,” prepared by the Think Big executive committee, outlined four asset areas with potential for increased revenue: the use of existing parking structures, new billboards and digital signage near the facility, the sale or development of some publicly owned land and the placement of cellular phone towers near the facility.

“We are identifying revenue that would not otherwise exist if not for the development of this facility,” said Think Big Sacramento Executive Director Chris Lehane.

The committee has been exploring ways to fund the new complex using a variety of public and private options, public-private partnerships and the use of new development to leverage the ability to get construction bonds.

“There are 1,900 property assets that the city controls,” Lehane said. “We are specifically looking at 19 or 20 properties that have some real value.”

Lehane said that the properties being considered were selected because of their proximity to the proposed downtown complex site and because they have the greatest overall potential for value increase and creating consistent revenue.

Lehane said the committee is looking at assets that are owned by the city that will increase in value “because of the very fact that the arena will exist downtown.”

Lehane added that maximizing publicly-owned assets such as parking structures, billboards and new cell towers, would not increase costs to the public or have any impact on other funding because revenues would result from increased use – the more cars parking in available spaces, the more money that comes from parking fees paid.

Sen. Ted Gaines (R-Roseville) said that the real focus of discussion for the committee is exploring options without resorting to new taxes or tax increases for the public.

“We don’t want to burden taxpayers throughout the region,” Gaines said. “The question is how to find the sweet spot where (we are) generating enough revenue to justify the bonds to complete the construction.”

Gaines said there is “a lot of solid evidence” indicating that non-tax-related revenue options are possible, and the committee is making it a priority to find them.

Tom Friery, former Sacramento treasurer and head of the Think Big Sacramento finance committee, said the completed financing picture for a new entertainment/sports complex will not be “just one big pie,” but a variety of revenue streams put together to create a sustainable project.

“We’ve looked at eight different revenue sources so far,” Friery said, “and we’ve got seven weeks to go and 49 more (options) to look at. When we finish that, we’ll be focusing on which ones make the most sense.”

In June, the committee released a 37-page report on the expected impact to the region of a new entertainment/sports complex. According to that report, the new complex could draw 3.1 million visitors to the Sacramento area each year and bring the region more than $7 billion over 30 years.

The 72-member Think Big Sacramento committee is about halfway through a 100-day research timeline established in June, during which committee members hope to organize funding options and secure funding sources for the proposed entertainment/sports complex.

The committee is preparing for a March 2012 deadline when Sacramento Kings owners are expected to decide whether to relocate their organization.

Read the “Public Synergies” report here.
Read the previous “Economic Engines” report here.

Melissa Corker is a Staff Reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @MelissaCorker.

Business, civic leaders to examine New Orleans' remarkable recovery

2011-07-25T23:00:19Z

Named as one of the country’s best sites to relocate a business and called the “coolest place” to start a business, New Orleans’ economic recovery six years after disaster struck has been called a miracle by many.

Driving New Orleans’ comeback are the connections and new economic ecosystems created by business, community leaders and nonprofits. This is what the Sacramento Metro Chamber’s annual Study Mission, Oct. 4-7, will explore for means to grow the Sacramento region’s battered economy and for lessons in flood protection and disaster preparedness.

This year, Site Selection magazine, a journal targeting economic development professionals who choose where businesses are established, named the greater New Orleans region to its Top 10 Metros list for Corporate Facility Location. Inc. magazine called New Orleans the “coolest start-up city in America,” noting that each year from 2007 to 2009, 450 out of every 100,000 adults started up businesses in the New Orleans metro area—well above the national average of 320 and more than double the number six year ago.

Because of active incentives and tax credits developed in collaboration with state and local governments, film companies have flocked to New Orleans, and the New Orleans region is now host of more motion picture productions than any place in the country outside of Los Angeles and New York City.

“The story we are going to investigate in New Orleans is how leaders coalesced to create a new economic ecosystem,” said Martha Clark Lofgren, Metro Chamber interim president & CEO. “Similar collaborative efforts can help Sacramento rebound from economic adversity and also teach us how to avoid the economic consequences of natural disasters. The Study Mission will have a first-hand look at these proactive strategies.”

Helping lead the 2011 Study Mission to get a first-hand look themselves at New Orleans’ recovery and reinvention will be Sen. President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg and Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson.

“For those of us living in California’s ‘River City,’ at the confluence of two great rivers and near the fragile Delta, the New Orleans tragedy certainly served as a wake-up call,” said Sen. Steinberg. “The Metro Chamber’s Study Mission to New Orleans will give us an on-the-ground look at the lessons learned there. The result will help us improve our disaster preparedness and gain valuable information on how to best meet the challenges of recovering in the event of natural disaster.”

Noting that the people in the city of New Orleans have practically had to start over, Johnson commented, “New Orleans has taken a catastrophe and turned it into an opportunity. The prospect of learning how their government, business and community leaders collaborated—and in the process forged a new entrepreneurism—compels me to help lead this year’s Study Mission.”

Over the last 13 years, Study Missions have visited other cities like Austin, Texas; Atlanta, Ga; Charlotte, N.C.; Denver, Colo; Indianapolis, Indiana; Portland, Ore.; Salt Lake City, Utah; San Antonio, Texas; San Diego and Seattle, Wash. For more information, visit metrochamber.org/study mission or contact Susan Harris at 916-321-9144 or sharris@metrochamber.org.

Disclosure: Hal Silliman is communications director for the Sacramento Metro Chamber.

City council calls for 'neighborhood-friendly' bridges

2011-07-20T06:46:21Z

The Sacramento City Council was asked to accept a feasibility study on new river crossings Tuesday night, but council members put off taking any action until they get an acceptable definition of a “neighborhood-friendly bridge.”

The nine-month study was a collaborative effort between the city of Sacramento and city of West Sacramento that reviewed alternatives for new river crossings to improve connectivity between the two cities.

But the study did not specify a particular design for the proposed bridges, and council members – and residents who came to the meeting to voice their opinions – were concerned that the end result would be a “commuter bridge” that floods residential neighborhoods with unwanted traffic congestion.

“We need more connectivity (to West Sacramento) – that much is clear,” said Councilman Rob Fong. “But we have to have something that works (for people) on both sides of the river.”

Two potential areas were highlighted in the study as having the greatest feasibility. One would be located in a “north market” area, spanning the Sacramento River from Township 9 and Richards Boulevard area to south Natomas.

The other potential location would be in a “south market” area and would link the southern part of downtown at either Sutterville Road, Broadway or Miller Park to West Sacramento.

Currently, there are three bridges that cross the Sacramento river from Sacramento to West Sacramento: I Street bridge, Tower Bridge and Pioneer bridge.

The feasibility study, conducted by city staff along with an advisory committee, concluded that new river crossings would “increase economic activity, reduce transit delays and increase riverfront public access and recreation opportunities,” according to a city press release sent Monday.

But residents of the neighborhoods where the proposed bridges would be built aren’t convinced.

Mark Abrahams, president of the Land Park Community Association, said he opposes bridges that are “out of scale” to the neighborhoods they are located in.

“No effort should be spared to create a bridge that is smart, small and takes the neighborhood into consideration,” Abrahams said.

Building new river crossings is not a new idea, but Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson said now is the right time to make it happen.

“Our city has grown,” Johnson said at a press conference Tuesday. “If you go back 10, 20, 30 years, (Sacramento was) much smaller. Now that we’ve grown to 470,000 (people), we need more connectivity outside of downtown.”

Johnson said that, if Sacramento builds a new entertainment sports complex and revitalized the Railyards project, there will be a definite need for “more ways to get in downtown and more ways to get out.”

“I’m not opposed to growth, but not at the expense of our neighborhood,” said Susan Sidhu-Manuel, a retired analyst from Land Park. “Don’t make this about West Sacramento’s transportation needs.”

The Sutterville Road location received the most opposition from residents at the council meeting, and council members took note that it was the least likely to reach final approval.

“I don’t think we should spend any money studying something no one wants,” said Councilwoman Angelique Ashby. “Take (Sutterville Road) off the table completely and be done with it.”

Ashby asked Mike McKeever, chief executive officer of the Sacramento Area Council of Governments, if a “commuter bridge” is necessary to achieve the goals of the study, but McKeever suggested using different terminology.

“I think (the term) ‘commuter bridge’ is being used to conjure in people’s minds something like the Pioneer Bridge with thousands of cars.” McKeever said. “Nobody – nobody – is talking about building that sort of bridge.”

New bridges that include both pedestrian and vehicular capacity are estimated to cost between $40 million and $270 million depending on location, design and other variables, according to city staff.

Council members directed staff to return in three weeks with a definition of a “neighborhood-friendly bridge” before the council would consider approving any further studies on the potential river crossings.

“I think we’ve heard enough testimony and description tonight,” said Jerry Way, executive director of the city’s Department of Transportation. “When we come back in open session we’ll be ready to have a conversation about what the definition of a ‘neighborhood-friendly’ bridge is.”

See the possible river crossings here.
See the study executive summary here.

Melissa Corker is a Staff Reporter for The Sacramento Press. Foller her onTwitter @MelissaCorker.

For Arts' Sake Sacramento & the survey all local artists need to take

2011-07-20T05:29:07Z

If you are a local artist, Dancer, choreographer, photographer, filmmaker, etc...Sacramento For Arts’ Sake may invest in your future. For Arts' Sake is a regional initiative to strengthen the arts in Sacramento, especially concerning its investment in creative talent. Currently For Art's Sake, is seeking input about what artists NEED to be successful in Sacramento. They also want to know more about what it’s like to be an artist here and what might be helpful as you build your craft and your career.

For Arts’ Sake Sacramento has three main goals; Strengthen our cultural infastructure, Improve access to the Arts & Arts Education and Invest in Creative Talent.

The purpose of this survey is to determine what you need to succeed as an artist in the Sacramento region. Specifically, For Arts' Sake wishes to identify what barriers and unmet needs/resources you have encountered that may have impeded your professional development or ability to earn a living as an artist, as well as to identify what factors have benefited you or been helpful to your artistic career. The data collected from this survey will help to address the unmet needs of our artistic community.

To that end, the hope is that you will be thoughtful and as complete as possible in your responses to the following questions. Please note the information provided is solely for the purpose of this survey . All responses are confidential. The results will only be published in summary form to prevent identifying any responses to any one individual.

ANSWER THIS SURVEY FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE AS A PROFESSIONAL ARTIST. The survey should take about 20 minutes of your time. If you have difficulty, please contact Deborah Edward, Project Manager of For Arts Sake, at Deborah.edward@forartsake.org or by phone (916) 808-8848.

If you are in the Sacramento Region and involved in the arts, please take time to fill out this survey. This is giving us the opportunity to build a stronger community and help our local artists flourish!

Take Survey Here http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/sacartistsurvey2011

For more info on For Arts’ Sake visit http://www.forartssake.org

Disclosure: Gabriel Thomas is the founder of dancersglobal.com, which is partnered with For Arts Sake Sacramento to distribute their survey.

Arena bus tour rolls out to region

2011-07-15T01:15:02Z

The arena campaign committee, Think BIG Sacramento, hosted a four-county bus tour Thursday to spread the message that a new sports and entertainment facility will benefit not just the city of Sacramento but the entire region.

The group released a "Capitol Corridor Impact Report" showing 55 percent of the people going to basketball games and other events at the Sacramento Kings' current facility come from outside Sacramento County. And almost 75 percent live outside the city, committee Executive Director Chris Lehane said Thursday at a press conference in El Dorado Hills.

The report was compiled using three years' statistics from the National Basketball Association. Actual numbers of arena customers weren't provided, Lehane said.

In addition, new funding concepts are being considered by the group’s finance committee. One might tie agreements for corporate sponsorships, ads and luxury seats with contracts for those businesses to sell regional products such as wine, fruit or nuts at the facility, committee member Kevin Nagle said.

"Remember to 'Think BIG,' buy regional and fight on so we can make this a reality," said Nagle, president of Ohio-based Envision Pharmaceutical Services, which has a location in El Dorado Hills.

The press conference was held in front of the tour bus, pulled up outside the El Dorado Hills Chamber of Commerce in the El Dorado Hills Town Center. Thursday morning, about 30 people took the black limo bus from the Kings arena, Power Balance Pavilion, in Natomas to El Dorado Hills.

The group was made up of Lehane and one other Think BIG member, Kings sponsors, community and business leaders, Mayor Kevin Johnson's staff, a Maloof Sports and Entertainment employee, Kings dance team members and two new members of the committee's citizens' initiative, dubbed "citizen architects."

The figures provided in the report show many people who live outside Sacramento would benefit from a new arena. People living outside the city are also expected to get a large share of the 3,700 construction jobs that would be created, because local construction companies will be used, Lehane said.

Power Balance Pavilion draws about 55 percent of its customers from 15 counties outside Sacramento County.

About 29 percent live in the other five counties in the six-county region. However, a large number come from elsewhere in Northern California. Residents of San Joaquin, Solano, Stanislaus and Contra Costa counties make up 22 percent of the people at games and other events, according to the report.

Johnson and other elected officials, as well as arena campaign committee members, believe more people will be drawn from outside the region if a new arena with more plush facilities is built, Lehane said.

A ticket fee is being considered as one of many options to help fund the arena through a combination of public and private investment, Nagle and Lehane said.

One of the newest ideas is to showcase products and services from businesses located throughout the region at the new arena in exchange for financial support. That financial support might be given by businesses that advertise or become corporate sponsors at the new arena, or that buy club seats or luxury suites, Nagle said.

Arena contracts for products and services could lead to more jobs throughout the area, he said.

Lehane described Nagle as a "key" member of the arena campaign committee – someone who stepped up to offer financial support to keep the Kings in Sacramento at the start of the effort last winter, when Johnson went before the NBA. Nagle was one of the first to view a new arena as a regional asset, and he has encouraged community support at arena meetings, Lehane said.

“Not only has he talked the talk. He has walked the walk,” Lehane added. “This is someone who, in and of himself, has helped make a huge difference in this effort. (He) and the mayor have run a pretty good two-man game over the course of this process."

Two people on the bus were "citizen architect" Troy Bedal and his 8-year-old daughter, Saraya. The Roseville residents were celebrating birthdays Thursday.

A Sports Authority store manager, Bedal said he's been a Kings fan since birth 30 years ago. His parents were Kings fans who watched games on TV and took him to his first game at Arco Arena when he was just 6 or 7. He talks about the need for a new arena to friends and coworkers all the time, he said.

City officials have initiated an effort to integrate plans for a new arena with an adjacent future regional transit center.

The bus later stopped at a construction site at UC Davis, the Fountains at Roseville shopping center and Vision Service Providers in Rancho Cordova. A town hall meeting was held there late Thursday afternoon.

The arena campaign committee will hold more meetings, a design contest and a town hall meeting in Natomas later this summer to continue reaching out to people about the impact an arena could have throughout the area, Lehane said.

“At the end of the day, it’s obviously critical to keep the Kings in Sacramento because they are a lynchpin to hopefully being able to develop this facility,” he said. “But this has always been much more than just about a single professional basketball team or a single professional sports franchise. This has been about an economic opportunity to transform the region.”

Suzanne Hurt is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @SuzanneHurt.

City officials merging plans for arena, transit center

2011-07-14T01:22:16Z

Sacramento officials believe a new arena can be integrated with a future regional transit center in the historic downtown railyards – making this one of the country's most eco-friendly sports and entertainment facilities, Assistant City Manager John Dangberg said Tuesday.

At Tuesday night's City Council meeting, Dangberg gave council members a status report nearly halfway into a 100-day technical review of a proposed arena. The $387 million project is on an expedited schedule to be in operation by May 2015.

One of the most critical issues being reviewed is the need to coordinate construction of an arena with the previously planned transit center. Both structures would be built on a site constrained by railroad tracks to the north, the freeway to the west, I Street to the south and downtown buildings to the east.

Building two "very intense pieces of infrastructure" on the 33-acre site poses challenges, partly because they are both so big, Dangberg said.

"We believe we can integrate these two," he said. "If and when we successfully do that, we have the opportunity to create one of the most sustainable, green, interesting entertainment and sports facilities in the country, if we can successfully integrate these uses and have transit right there at the facility and many modes of transit right there," Dangberg said.

The city has set up technical review teams that are focused on the site itself. The teams are looking at transportation and transit issues, community development issues, economic development and how to reuse the Power Balance Pavilion site.

A town hall meeting on the future of the Natomas site is scheduled for Aug. 11, at a time and place to be announced.

Mayor Kevin Johnson's office and his arena committee, Think BIG Sacramento, are working on financing options with support from a consultant, Barrett Sports Group, and a finance team made up of staff from the city treasurer's office and Goldman Sachs.

The city is also looking at urban design issues with the goal of preserving and playing up historic assets at the site, such as the Sacramento Valley Station historic train depot, the Railway Express Agency Building and the historic Southern Pacific Railroad central shops.

City staff wants to create a legacy project that uses urban design elements to connect to those assets and new opportunities for downtown revitalization, he said.

"We have a very, very rich history on the site as the terminus of the Transcontinental (Railroad). And we need to treat it in a very special way that creates a development that is uniquely Sacramento and distinctly Sacramento," Dangberg said.

"It is not another disposable arena that we see in so many cities, but something that will be here for many, many decades or a hundred years as our central shops have remained in place and really a permanent part of our urban fabric and history,” he added.

For example, city staff wants to keep key site lines between the central shops and the depot and take other steps to ensure historical compatibility throughout the project, he added.

A downtown location without a large addition of surface parking on-site will allow the city and businesses to create a "street-to-seat" experience. By using existing parking located away from the site, people will see restaurants, bars, shops and establishments with entertainment on their way to the facility. This would provide more opportunities to stay downtown before and after games and other events. This is expected to help revitalize and activate downtown, a key element of the project, he said.

"If we don't achieve that with the amount of investment that we're putting into this, we might as well not bother putting it in the downtown," Dangberg said.

City staff will present the 100-day technical review on Sept. 13, rather than Sept. 6, because of the Labor Day holiday.

At that time, staff will discuss predevelopment costs the city will incur and provide a critical path and preliminary schedule to the City Council. Dangberg also has been talking with the city attorney about the process to select a development team. Think BIG Sacramento will provide a list of financing options.

Johnson's chief of staff, Kunal Merchant, gave a presentation on the mayor's arena committee, Think BIG Sacramento, and an update on the group's work.

Think BIG Sacramento is a 72-person committee brought together to facilitate arena development before the National Basketball Association's March 1, 2012, deadline for teams to file for relocation next year, he said.

An estimated 3,700 temporary construction jobs and 400 jobs for facility operation are expected to be created by the project, he said.

However, Sacramento resident Mac Worthy, one of two people who provided public comments on the issue at City Hall Tuesday, called into question the number of jobs the project would bring and predicted civil unrest if more people don't get jobs and improve their living conditions soon.

"We need jobs here. This thing ain't going to give us no jobs," he said. "The next two years (are) going to be the critical part, here…. Wake up, people. People (are) tired of being down, without a roof over their head, without enough money to go to the grocery store and buy food, can't even buy gas."

Think BIG Sacramento will host a four-county bus tour and town hall meeting Thursday to tell regional residents about the possible benefits of a new arena. A "Capitol Corridor Impact Report" will also be released.

The tour will start at 10 a.m. at the California Welcome Center, 2085 Vine St. in El Dorado Hills, then make stops in Davis and Roseville. A town hall meeting at 3:30 p.m. at Vision Service Plan, 3333 Quality Drive in Rancho Cordova, will be the last stop, according to a press advisory sent out Wednesday afternoon.

Suzanne Hurt is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @SuzanneHurt.

Taking the politics out of redistricting

2011-07-13T06:36:18Z

When the Citizens’ Advisory Committee on Redistricting handed over its final recommendations to the City Council on Tuesday, the real work began on shaping the city for the next 10 years.

Council members were given four maps to choose from, two of which potentially pit council members against each other for control of a single district.

Whatever decision the council members make, they won’t have another opportunity to change district lines until the redistricting process begins again in 2021.

In January, the advisory committee began reviewing 37 maps submitted by Sacramento residents for redrawing district lines. By the end of June, the committee members narrowed the field to the final group of four.

“We’re going to have some tough conversations,” said Councilman Steve Cohn in an interview Monday. “It isn’t going to be easy, but it will get done, and it will get done right.”

Cohn, who represents District 3, is one council member who faces the possibility of a district line shift that would combine his district with that of another council member, Sandy Sheedy.

“It’s not about what I want for me,” Cohn said. “It’s about what’s best for the people I represent. Do I want to stay on the council? Yes, I do. We all want to keep representing the people in our districts. But we have to look at all of the options and see what’s best.”

In the other potentially contentious scenario, Districts 4 and 5 would be redrawn, putting either Rob Fong or Jay Schenirer out of a council seat.

“I think that we actually have a very collegial group,” said Fong, “and I can’t imagine that we’d be looking to adopt any map that would ‘redistrict out’ any of our current colleagues, but we haven’t really had any discussions about it.”

Fong said the biggest challenge will be honoring redistricting laws as well as the neighborhoods and the communities of interest to see if they can make everyone happy.

“I don’t know if we can,” Fong said. “It’s a bit of a Rubik’s cube, but that’s the challenge in front of us.”

Mayor Kevin Johnson praised the work of the advisory committee at his press conference Tuesday and said that having a citizens’ advisory committee “removed the politics” of redistricting from council members and let the citizens do what they think is in the best interests of the community.

“That’s good government,” Johnson said. “That’s transparency.”

Johnson said at the council meeting that the final recommendations from the advisory committee show an attempt to keep neighborhoods “whole,” or as close as possible without a lot of deviation.

“(The advisory council) did it with a blind eye,” Johnson said. “They didn’t care who was incumbent, and they didn’t care about (district) lines. It was only about neighborhoods and communities of interest.”

Maya Wallace, 33, is an auditor for the Bureau of State Audits who served as an at-large appointee on the Citizens’ Advisory Committee.

“It was fairly challenging,” Wallace said. “I felt that we needed to ensure that the process was open and transparent, and we wanted to do this in a way that was objective.”

Wallace said she wasn’t prepared, however, for the lack of knowledge she had about the politics behind the process.

“We really needed to be sensitive to the community’s concerns, especially their concerns about the process,” Wallace said.

Bill Magavern, 51, an advocate from the Southside Park neighborhood, asked the council Tuesday to choose the final map from the among the four maps the committee recommended.

“If you were to throw out (the committee’s) maps and cobble together one of your own,” Magavern said, “I think you would lose a lot of credibility with the public.”

Johnson said he hasn’t yet formed an opinion for his preference of any of the maps, but he said that he is “all in favor” of choosing one of the maps from the advisory council.

“It will validate all of the time and effort that we asked (the advisory committee) to put forward.

“If we start tampering with it,” Johnson added, “then that dilutes the process, and it’s not as authentic as citizen involvement should be.”

The questions is: Will the final decision reflect the community’s best interests – or the council’s?

“Hopefully we’ll do what’s true and respectful to the work that (the advisory committee) has done,” Johnson said.

The City Council has until Aug. 26 to make a final decision on how the new city district lines will be drawn.

Melissa Corker is a Staff Reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follwer her on Twitter @MelissaCorker.

Immense railyards project gets manager

2011-07-09T00:56:46Z

New Sacramento Railyards Project Manager Fran Lee Halbakken said she became a civil engineer because she loves solving problems.

Halbakken is now tackling challenges with one of the city's and country's largest redevelopment projects after starting in her new role June 27. At nearly 240 acres of combined private and city land, the railyards project is so big it will virtually double the size of the central business district.

The key position was created at a critical stage of the massive undertaking. The private portion of the site has a new owner and the projects’ housing plan must be revised in light of the recession. Also, plans for a new regional transit center must be coordinated with efforts to make serious headway on financing an adjacent arena by next spring.

Halbakken got her civil engineering degree at Sacramento State. After college, she went to work with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and found working in the public sector suited her.

"I always knew I was going to be a public servant," said Halbakken, sitting in her City Hall office. "That was a huge appeal, knowing you could make the world better."

She’s worked for the city for 25 years.

Since 2004, she'd worked as operations manager for the city's Department of Transportation. In that post, Halbakken oversaw transportation policy development and planning. Key projects included co-managing development of a strategic plan for Sacramento River crossings and managing development of the central city parking plan.

She also played a key role in obtaining $225 million in local, state and federal funding for railyards infrastructure such as bridges, roads and railroad track relocation. The funding was gathered after the city and private railyards developer Thomas Enterprises developed the project's land use plan in 2006 and 2007. The money will finance work that will continue into 2015.

After Inland American Real Estate Trust took possession of most of the railyards site last fall, Halbakken led the transfer of ownership and agreements of the property, according to transportation department spokeswoman Linda Tucker.

In her new position, Halbakken has been loaned out to the City Manager's office to work on the railyards project full-time. She now oversees all aspects of the city's end in the enterprise, including planning, funding efforts and coordination with private developers.

Urban development experts recommended smaller-scale, market-driven development of the railyards in January.

The city needed to create the new post at this time because city staff must now work with Inland to revise plans for housing that must be built as a requirement of some of the funding already acquired.

Much has changed in the housing market since the land use plan was approved by the Sacramento City Council in December 2007. The start of housing construction hasn't been scheduled, but should be within five years, Halbakken said.

The new post was also created as an attempt to build a new sports and entertainment complex downtown is kicking into high gear at the mayor's office. Halbakken is overseeing coordination of plans for a future transit center with the developing plans for a Sacramento Kings arena.

The two facilities are expected to sit adjacent to each other on 33 acres of railyards land the city bought from Thomas Enterprises. She's working with a city-wide team to answer questions about how to ensure both facilities are high-quality, she added.

They're also looking at how to promote secondary development around the site, from downtown to the historic Southern Pacific Railroad central shops and the area to the east.

Halbakken is already working to keep current railyards infrastructure projects on schedule. Those include track relocation, which is phase 1 of transit center construction, and construction of bridges to extend Fifth and Sixth streets over the tracks north of H Street.

She's not directly involved, but the city is now gearing up for infrastructure work that will improve highway access to the site and nearby Township 9: a $10 million off-ramp and road expansion and improvement project at the Richards Boulevard interchange at Interstate 5 slated to start next week.

Off ramps will each gain another lane. Richards Boulevard will be expanded with two more lanes in the interchange. Other improvements will be made to Richards Boulevard, Jibboom Street and Bercut Drive, which will be extended into the railyards site.

Bike lanes, sidewalks and planter strips will be added to Jibboom Street and Bercut Drive. The work on the I-5/Richards to Railyards Access Improvements project is expected to be done in the fall of 2012 and will prepare the area for the first phase or two of railyards and Township 9 development.

Tucker said in 10 to 20 years, the intersection will be redesigned to accommodate more traffic.

Halbakken is also starting preliminary planning for other aspects of the railyards project that are at least five years away, such as the transit center's second phase – improvements to the adjacent historic Sacramento Valley Station train depot.

City officials are still trying to determine the impact California's new state budget may have on the railyards finance plan, Tucker added.

The budget may cause an $80 million funding gap for the railyards' planned $745 million in infrastructure if redevelopment agencies are no longer allowed to keep tax increments – the extra property tax revenue generated by development of the site, Halbakken said.

The Sacramento native worked as an engineer managing and designing facilities and high-level engineering projects with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers until joining the city’s Department of Public Works in 1986.

She said she feels lucky to work on a legacy project that will lay the groundwork for the growth of her hometown's central business district in years to come.

"I think this is really important to the city," she said. "One of the reasons I left the federal government was to work for the city where I was born and raised – and to give back."

Suzanne Hurt is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @SuzanneHurt.

Arena committee kicks off community rallying effort

2011-07-08T01:18:21Z

Think BIG Sacramento launched an effort Thursday to recruit 1,000 people from Merced to Redding to rally support for a new arena.

The arena campaign committee also announced plans to hold a public design contest for a space adjacent to the new facility as part of that effort.

The committee is asking regional residents and community leaders to help spread information and gather supporters for the drive to build a new sports and entertainment complex, state Senate staffer Greg Hayes, a member of the arena committee, said in a Thursday morning press conference outside the MARRS Building at 1050 20th St.

Later this month, the committee will announce full details of a contest that could enable the winner to design something for an open, public space adjacent to the new arena.

Those who volunteer to rally support will be dubbed "citizen architects" for their role in helping to construct a new arena to replace Power Balance Pavilion, Hayes added.

"It is their support and momentum that has been built that will make this new sports and entertainment complex a reality," he said. "Ultimately, this sports and entertainment complex is, in effect, the civic center for this region – a gathering place for events, meetings and conventions."

During the press conference, Sports 1140 KHTK host "Carmichael Dave" Weiglein, also an arena committee member, applauded the mayor, his staff and the committee for listening to Kings fans' "grassroots efforts" to support an arena and allowing input from the community.

"These promises are being fulfilled, and the trust that is so difficult sometimes to have between citizens and city leaders that was given out in the last few months – that trust is absolutely being backed up by the actions and also the listening to the counsel of the grassroots efforts," Weiglein said.

The committee created by Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson wants to attract a diverse group from throughout the six-county region to be part of the citizens' initiative. The deadline to apply online is 5 p.m. July 18. People began signing up on the Think BIG Sacramento website before the announcement, said Hayes, communications director for state Sen. Kevin de León.

Kings fans and others have approached Weiglein to ask how they can support a new facility for National Basketball Association games, concerts, ice skating shows and other events. The citizens' group will be a "fantastic conduit" for people to get involved in a project that will make the area a better place to live, Weiglein said.

"It's something that just expands on the quality of life in this lovely city, (and) it's very difficult to put a dollar amount on," he said.

The NBA and the Maloofs, who own a majority share of the Kings, have given the region until March 1 to undertake a serious effort to build a new arena.

Hayes said residents' most important contribution would be to take part in a design competition, which the committee believes has never been used at another sports or entertainment facility in the country.

Details haven't been fully worked out. However, the contest will be open to everyone, including residents, architects and artists, when it’s officially announced near the end of July.

The committee will ask participants to design some type of feature in an open space set aside next to the arena. Residents will then vote on three design ideas.

Just what that component will be – public art or something else – will be up to participants, Hayes said.

"This truly must be reflective of what the people in this region decide, because this movement was really born out of the grassroots, and as Dave said, it got the leaders' attention," he said.

Keeping community centers open without city funding

2011-07-06T01:49:43Z

When City Council members approved the 2011-12 budget in June, they said that the city’s community centers would not be closed – but the centers won’t receive any city funding to keep them open, either.

Now, a team of people at the city’s Neighborhood Services Department, along with the Department of Parks and Recreation, are trying to keep the 15 community centers in Sacramento open by partnering with nonprofit and community-based organizations.

Late last year, Neighborhood Services had already begun looking for ways to make the idea work when it sent out “requests for proposals” seeking groups interested in overseeing the centers and providing the financial backing needed to operate them.

But the responses the department received weren’t quite what staff had hoped for, said Vincene Jones, a director with Neighborhood Services.

Some of the responses involved a single organization taking over, while others were just not financially feasible, Jones said.

“We want an organization to take the lead, perhaps a (nonprofit),” Jones said, “but we also need other partners who will bring additional services to the centers. No one group can do it all for any center.”

Jones said the department has had to review its criteria and “be more specific” about what it is looking for in public-private partnerships for the centers.

“It’s not an easy process. There’s a lot of pieces necessary to make it work,” Jones said.

Jones said she and Sylvia Fort, parks and recreation program manager, and Dave Mitchell, parks and recreation operations manager, are reviewing the proposals received so far, and they will continue to look for “innovative” ways to save the community centers from closing.

“We want it to be a success,” Jones said, “not hurry into something that just falls flat later on down the road.”

Jones said the centers may end up with reduced hours or fewer open days each week, but the goal is to continue providing services as they have always been delivered at “the same or better” level.

Some of those services include after-school tutoring, computer training, classes and social opportunities for seniors and facilities for neighborhood gatherings.

According to Jones, the community centers in the greatest danger of being closed are George Sim, Hagginwood, Oak Park and Southside Park centers because of challenges in finding either enough support – or, in the case of George Sim center, finding properly skilled support.

George Sim is a difficult center to find community partners for, Jones said, because the center is has a lot of new equipment and systems in the facility that require specialized training.

“It’s not a center that we can send just anyone into and expect them to know how to do things,” Jones said.

So far, though, Jones said efforts to keep the centers open are progressing well, and the department has “good prospects” for volunteer involvement that will make continuing services more likely.

“We’ve found some good (partners), and everyone is hopeful,” Jones said.

In Oak Park, Pastor Jones and the Oak Park Methodist Church have come forward to help the center in that neighborhood remain open.

“(Pastor Jones) has strong ties to the community,” Jones said, “and he’s well-respected. (Oak Park Methodist Church) may not be a leading (support), but they really want to help, and they can do a lot for the center and the people there.”

No permanent agreements for operating the community centers have been made between any of the interested organizations and the city, Jones said, but “we’re all working together and we will see what can be done.”

Keith Hart, chief service officer for Mayor Kevin Johnson, said that when it comes to projects involving public and private collaboration, a volunteer effort is going to be essential.

“It’s not so much about money,” Hart said. “It’s about new ways of working together. (It’s about) private citizens (and) nonprofit organizations volunteering their time and energy and talent to help keep (community) centers going.”

With so many budget cuts and the shifting around of staff positions that came with it, Jones said she is uncertain “who will be where” until “the dust settles from all the changes.”

For Jones and volunteer coordinators working with the community centers, this means July will be a month to “reset” and take stock of what the city and the parks department have to work with before they really see what they will be able to do with the centers.

Hart said there is not a timeline in place for reorganizing the way the centers are operated, but without any collaboration with outside sources, a decision will eventually have to be made.

“If nothing happens soon, there will be a time when we have to say, ‘The doors are closed,’ ” Hart said. “But right now, the city is keeping as much open as they can.”

See a map of community center locations here.

Melissa Corker is a Staff Reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @MelissaCorker.

Start of fiscal year means end of jobs for some

2011-07-01T01:04:59Z

Friday marks the first day of the new fiscal year for the City of Sacramento – and the last day of work for more than 200 city employees, including 42 sworn police officers.

The final city budget, which passed on June 21, included deep cuts to parks, libraries and public safety agencies and filled a $39 million budget gap.

The budget did not pass without contention, however.

Council members Angelique Ashby and Steve Cohn and Mayor Kevin Johnson each went against the budget, calling the cuts to public safety “drastic” and creating a 6-3 split vote.

“These cuts to public safety are too big. They’re way too big,” Ashby said. “Why would we cut more than we have to?”

During the proceedings at the June 14 council meeting, Cohn proposed a motion to use nearly $4 million earmarked for other purposes (including shoring up the city’s anemic reserve fund), in return for matching concessions from police and fire unions to restore cut positions.

That proposal failed 3-6, with the only “aye” votes coming from Ashby, Cohn and Johnson.

Critics of the new budget, particularly the Sacramento Police Officers Association, (SPOA), have said that Cohn’s motion was an effort at showing good faith toward the labor unions and would have eased the way to talks between union and city representatives for alternatives to layoffs.

Ashby, Cohn and Johnson agreed.

“We found a way to save as many (positions) as possible,” Ashby said during the council meeting. “I don’t understand why this council would walk away from that opportunity.”

Johnson said he feels the city has done everything it can up to this point.

“We’ve cut $200 million from our general fund over the past four years, and we can’t keep cutting,” Johnson said at a press conference Tuesday.

Johnson encouraged police and fire unions to consider concession discussions and said that “if some of our (police) officers can be saved, we should look at (Cohn’s proposal).”

Cohn said he believed his proposal was “reasonable and necessary” to restore dangerous cuts to public safety without jeopardizing the city’s contingency reserve funds.

“(It) also called for shared sacrifice,” Cohn said, “by making these funds contingent on permanent, ongoing labor concessions.”

Cohn added that his proposal relied on “added savings” developed during the budget process including keeping management staff on furloughs to pay for the public safety restorations.

“Unfortunately, a majority of the council did not agree, so I was on the short end of (the) vote,” Cohn said.

“Our police department is comprised of intelligent, compassionate people. They know how much we value them,” Johnson said. “We’re reaching out to them to have real discussions going forward.”

Although Ashby, Cohn and Johnson were not supportive of the final budget, Johnson said at the press conference that, now that the budget is in place, “We are all committed to find solutions.”

The city faces some serious financial problems over the next few fiscal years, according to a city manager staff report, including a “structural deficit (that) will persist unless additional permanent corrective actions are implemented.”

A structural deficit is when the budget has more expenses than income.

2011-2012 will be the fifth year in a row that the city has faced a budget shortfall, despite major reductions in prior years to services and personnel.

Cohn, however, is trying to stay positive.

“I’m encouraged by possible talks with SPOA and local 522 (the firefighters union),” Cohn said. “Stay tuned.”

Report: Arena could bring $7 billion

2011-07-01T00:43:32Z

A new downtown arena could draw 3.1 million visitors to the central city each year and bring the region more than $7 billion over 30 years, according to a report released Thursday by an arena campaign committee.

The 37-page report on an arena’s expected impact to the region was released to reporters at a press conference at the Sheraton Grand Sacramento Hotel.

"In downtown Sacramento, there's a considerable economic boost, just by the fact that there really isn't a facility like that," said Cathleen Dominico, author of "The Economic Engine Report: An Economic Analysis on the Regional Impact of an Entertainment and Sports Complex," during the press conference.

"If you can create a downtown core that is a destination, it boosts not only the downtown itself but trickles out to the outlying regions," she added.

Dominico, managing partner at Capitol Public Finance Group, was joined at the press conference by arena committee Chairman Chris Lehane, who also chaired the mayor's arena task force; committee members who included City Councilman Rob Fong, City Councilwoman Angelique Ashby, state assemblymen Roger Dickinson and Richard Pan, Downtown Sacramento Partnership Executive Director Michael Ault; and past DSP Chairman Kipp Blewett of Rubicon Partners.

The press conference was held after a report summary was first presented to members of Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson's arena campaign committee in a closed-door meeting at the hotel. The meeting was announced two weeks ago as one of seven public meetings set this summer for the committee.

The number of visitors was estimated with an average 17,300 people attending 45 Sacramento Kings events and an average 15,000 people at more than 155 other events annually.

Visitors would be expected to spend an average of $20 each, before and after events, on food, drinks, travel and other retail. About 10 percent of them could spend another $102 to stay overnight.

Total spending outside the sports facility, before and after games and other events, was estimated at $93.6 million annually, according to the economic impact report called for by Johnson.

However, after subtracting spending by existing residents and annual spending at the Kings' current arena, net annual spending in the six-county Sacramento region is expected to total only about $24.6 million, according to Dominico and the report.

The arena's operating costs would be covered by revenue generated inside the arena, according to the report, which did not look at arena revenue.

ICON Venue Group President Tim Romani and Sacramento developer David Taylor estimate an arena facility would cost $241 million, with a total project cost of $387 million.

The cost of arena construction will be financed by a combination of public and private investment, which is expected to include Sacramento Kings annual tenant fees.

The ICON-Taylor group is developing an arena financing plan with input from Johnson's 70-member regional arena campaign committe e. The group was introduced a month ago as the Here We Build coalition. The committee's name was changed this week to Think BIG Sacramento.

The ICON-Taylor group was given a late-May deadline to present an arena financing plan to the Sacramento City Council. But that didn’t happen after the Kings’ owners didn’t provide revenue information in time.

The arena campaign committee was then given until Sept. 8 to provide the council with a plan.

The Maloof family, which owns a majority share of the Kings, agreed on May 2 not to move the team if the region would undertake a serious effort to replace Power Balance Pavilion, which was constructed in outlying Natomas in 1988. The National Basketball Association and the Maloofs gave the region until March 1, 2012, to do so.

The drive to build a new arena also creates an opportunity to redevelop the existing arena, Ault said.

"We feel very strongly that this is not about a downtown versus Natomas issue," Ault said. "This is about an opportunity to activate and engage the central city. It's an opportunity to make sure that we're doing everything we can to develop something that is a replacement in Natomas that keeps them whole.

"This is something I think the region will look back on as we finally are having the right discussions and the right opportunity to really engage in a facility that's going to make a difference in this region," he said.

Suzanne Hurt is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @SuzanneHurt.

Mayor talks about pension reform as budget solution

2011-06-29T01:08:49Z

Mayor Kevin Johnson spoke about the need for representatives of the Sacramento Police Officers Association (SPOA) to meet with the city to explore ways to save police officers from impending layoffs at a Tuesday press conference.

“All of us on the council – the six that voted one way and the other three of us that didn’t – are reaching out to the SPOA asking for a meaningful dialogue,” Johnson said.

The City Council passed a budget on a 6-3 vote on June 21 that included more than $12 million in cuts to the Police Department and paved the way for more than 40 sworn police officers to be laid off July 1.

“We are at a difficult crossroad,” Johnson said. “(The City Council) said public safety is a priority ... and here we are now in a position where 108 (officers and civilians) are being laid off.”

Johnson said the city is not asking for SPOA to open up its contract, rather to “reboot and recommit to looking at opportunities that we have before us.”

The greatest of those opportunities, Johnson said, is for SPOA and the city to come to terms with a pension imbalance and make gradual changes to the current system that will lead to cost savings for the city in future years.

“We have to acknowledge that (SPOA) were the first ones to come to the table before,”Johnson said. “They gave us labor concessions, and they feel the city didn’t do its part, and I can respect that.”

Still, Johnson said the need for discussion about pension reform cannot be ignored, and the City Council has opened the door to discussion once again, if the union is interested.

“If (SPOA) are having honest discussions with their membership and no one is interested (in coming to the table), then we have to just cut officers and move forward and talk about pension reform next year or the year after,” Johnson said.

For most city employee positions, contributions to the employee retirement system come from both employers and employees.

Currently, however, city police officers do not have to pay a percentage of their earnings to their retirement benefits. Instead, the city picks up the full cost.

Johnson said that “pension reform is not the end-all,” however.

“If the police contributed 9 percent, that’s a $5.2 million savings (to the general fund). That doesn’t solve all of our problems.”

While noting that changes to pensions are necessary, Johnson emphasized that the city is not looking for the SPOA to “contribute it all back at one time.”

“If SPOA contributes their share, over time, we believe as a city we can still do our part and continue to be fiscally smart and move forward where everyone wins,” Johnson said.

Johnson said the City Council sent what it felt were “key points of discussion” to the SPOA, and he hopes the union is considering those points and talking to its membership about engaging in discussions about pension reform.

So far, Johnson said, he’s waiting for a response from the SPOA.

“I think it’s unrealistic to think that, in this economy, that there’s not going to be real discussion about pension reform,” Johnson said. “There HAS to be.”

Det. Mark Tyndale, SPOA representative, responded in a telephone interview Tuesday, saying that the SPOA is “constantly in conversation” with its membership, but the relationship with city leadership is strained right now.

Tyndale said the council members made their intentions toward the SPOA clear with the vote on the budget, and now there is a real sense of mistrust from the police union toward the council.

“We’re not unwilling to go (into a discussion),” Tyndale said. “We just don’t feel like we will be treated with good faith.”

It’s going to take more than a simple “please come talk” invitation from Johnson to bring the SPOA to the table, Tyndale said.

If the City Council as a whole – and Interim City Manager Bill Edgar – were to come together to discuss pensions with the SPOA, “I’d be in that room,” Tyndale said.

City Council passes final budget

2011-06-22T06:51:12Z

More than 300 city positions will be eliminated in the coming year after the City Council passed a finalized city budget Tuesday night.

Despite impassioned pleas from members of the Sacramento City Crime Scene Investigation unit and local union representatives, the 14-member CSI unit and 45 sworn police officers are on the chopping block.

The budget passed on a 6-3 vote, with Council members Angelique Ashby, Steve Cohn and Mayor Kevin Johnson each voting against the measure.

The new budget incorporates $4.6 million in one-time resources to close the gap for fiscal year 2011-12. It also funnels $3.36 million into the city’s economic uncertainty reserve fund.

Betty Masuoka, assistant interim city manager, noted that discussions with labor organizations to work toward concessions are under way, however no concessions have been formalized that would impact adopting the budget.

“The budget before you is balanced, and we are asking the council to adopt it tonight,” Masuoka told council members.

According to city manager staff reports, the budget meets the City Council’s goals of developing a sustainable budget plan, carefully using one-time resources and balancing the impact of any layoffs with the benefit of service level decisions.

Masuoka said the city manager and the finance department staff will meet with the council over the next few months to discuss policy questions and strategies that arise from implementation of the budget.

The nearly 70 people in the audience were silent when the council took the final vote.

“I’m just appalled,” said Marcia Mooney, representative from the International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 39. “This really hurts our CSI people and, in the end, the City is going to be worse for it.”

Arena coalition studies financing options

2011-06-17T02:06:56Z

The Sacramento region will have to get creative to come up with a public-private financing plan that might work to build a new arena – possibly coming up with funding sources never tried in other cities before, a prominent sports financing expert said Thursday.

Sacramento will need a unique financing model, partly due to the community's "limitations" in size and past efforts to gain voter support for public arena funding, Barrett Sports Group owner Dan Barrett told a crowd gathered for a town hall meeting at the Central Library.

The media market is relatively small, which makes it less lucrative, and there aren't a lot of potential corporate sponsors here. Other challenges come from difficulties getting sports facilities built in California and the lack of more than one sports team tenant for the building, he added.

A regional Here We Build arena coalition has been given until Sept. 8 to come up with a funding plan that appeals to the public and the Maloofs, the Sacramento Kings’ majority owners. The coalition held its first public meeting Thursday.

City Councilman Steve Cohn, a member of the arena coalition, asked whether any successful financing models have been used to build new sports facilities since the recession began.

"There's no cookie-cutter model, unfortunately. You've got to be real creative, particularly in California," Barrett said.

Barrett did not share what new options are being considered. It's "too early in the process" to say what even some of those might be, he said.

The coalition will be working with sports facility gurus, city staff, Mayor Kevin Johnson's arena task force finance subcommittee, the ICON-Taylor Group, the Maloofs and others. At least 65 coalition members and others from the community turned out for the presentation.

Their work follows on the heels of the ICON-Taylor Group, which was given until late May to present financing options as part of a feasibility study. The group told the Sacramento City Council May 26 that it had not been able to include financing in the analysis after the Maloofs didn't turn over financial information soon enough.

Barrett and coalition chair Chris Lehane led a meeting on public-private partnerships to fund arena construction downtown. Barrett explored a range of options that have been used to build facilities in other cities.

Public funding options that have been used include sales tax, hotel tax, rental car tax, food and beverage tax, tax increment financing, land sales, and parking revenues and surcharges.

Private funding options have included equity and cash or facility-related revenue streams such as naming rights, club seats, advertising, sponsorships and corporate investment, he said.

The Maloofs announced earlier this week they have given up controlling interest in the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas to private investment firms, Texas-based TPG Capital and Leonard Green & Partners. The Maloofs agreed to turn a $400 million debt into equity by giving up a controlling share in the resort, according to various sources.

The Maloofs did not respond to requests for comment.

On the East Coast, some have used EB-5 money, which trades temporary visas for the financing of American ventures by foreign investors.

Barrett said they don't know if any of those options will be viable in this region.

Broad-based tax increases haven't been used in California. Public financing for sports facilities in this state tend to be targeted taxes, such as hotel or rental car taxes, he said.

The coalition is now trying to identify public funding options that wouldn't require a vote, said former city Treasurer Tom Friery, a member of the coalition's executive committee who helped lead the town hall presentation.

Arenas and stadiums in bigger markets – the Giants' AT&T Park in San Francisco and the Lakers' Staples Center in Los Angeles – have been paid for entirely by sports team owners. That hasn't worked for smaller markets, because the teams don't see as much revenue coming in from media deals and corporate supporters once the facilities are built, Barrett said.

"It's critical to structure a deal that makes sense financially for both parties," Barrett said. "Both parties need to come away with a deal that works."

The Here We Build Coalition and Mayor Kevin Johnson's office will hold public meetings roughly every two weeks throughout the summer. Most meetings will be held at the Central Library, 828 I St., probably at 11 a.m. But exact times and locations are still being determined, according to the arena coalition and the mayor's office.

Economic Impact on Downtown : Thursday, June 30, Time and Location TBD

Regional Impact Event : Thursday, July 14, Time and Location TBD

Leveraging Existing Assets To Create Jobs : Thursday, July 28, Time and Location TBD

Town Hall: The Future of Natomas : Thursday, Aug. 11, Time and Location TBD

Job Opportunities Directly Related to the Project : Thursday, Aug. 25, Time and Location TBD

Release 100 Day Report : Thursday, Sept. 8, Time and Location TBD

Suzanne Hurt is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @SuzanneHurt.

Layoffs of 35 city cops avoided

2011-06-15T05:37:18Z

Thirty-five police jobs were saved from proposed layoffs after the Sacramento Police Department received a waiver on a federal grant that funds officer positions, spokesman Sgt. Norm Leong confirmed late Tuesday night.

The number of proposed layoffs in the 2011/2012 budget for Sacramento police officers has dropped from 81 to 46.

The City Council will vote next week on proposed budget cuts that include layoffs of cops and other Police Department staffers. Council members were weighing whether to lay off 81 police officers, but the grant waiver means they will decide whether to lay off 46 officers. The council will also choose whether to lay off 68 civilian police department staffers – those proposed cuts were not affected by the federal grant waiver.

The city is facing a $39 million budget gap for the 2011/2012 fiscal year.

"This grant exemption is a positive in an otherwise difficult budget year,” Police Chief Rick Braziel wrote in a Tuesday night press statement. “We are thankful for the quick approval of this grant exemption, which would not have been possible without the efforts of Bernard Melekian from the Department of Justice, the support of Congresswoman Doris Matsui and the hard work of our police staff.”

Meanwhile, Interim Deputy City Manager Betty Masuoka told the City Council at a Tuesday night budget hearing that she had no update on any labor concessions from city unions. Despite the standstill, “staff continues to have an open door” to negotiations with city unions, she said.

In addition, the city could still negotiate with the unions for possible concessions after the budget is approved, Masuoka said.

While Councilman Darrell Fong, a retired police captain, has said he intends to vote for the police cuts, he announced at Tuesday’s council meeting that he would redirect his City Council salary for the 2011/2012 fiscal year to the Police Department’s budget.

The base pay for Sacramento City Council members is $60,800 annually.

“I’m hopeful as we continue between now and next week to keep having discussions and hope to get to a better place,” Mayor Kevin Johnson said at the meeting.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Arena coalition members named

2011-06-14T01:35:04Z

Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson released the names of his regional arena coalition Monday, amid hopes the Here We Build campaign will be able to figure out financing options.

But the absence of a representative of Natomas, where Power Balance Pavilion sits, raised protests from the Natomas Chamber of Commerce.

Johnson announced the members of a bipartisan, 15-member executive committee Monday morning. The remaining 45 members of the community coalition were expected to be announced Monday evening, according to the mayor’s office.

No one from the Natomas Chamber of Commerce, which has led a campaign to keep the arena there, had been asked to be part of the coalition as of 5:30 p.m. No Natomas representatives are expected to be in the coalition, Johnson spokesman Joaquin McPeek said.

Sacramento County Supervisor Phil Serna was named to the executive committee. He lives in Natomas and represents the area in his supervisor role. But he hasn’t represented Natomas economic interests in the arena process, Natomas Chamber President Ed Koop said.

"He's never been the voice of anything we've been trying to do here, as far as the economic impact,” Koop said. "In my opinion, that's not a good representation of what we've got going on here."

Frustrated chamber members are refusing to provide a letter of support for the arena effort after Johnson recently asked for one. To be asked for support is "absurd," because building a new arena downtown will "cannibalize" Natomas, said Koop, adding chamber members feel their community has been ignored throughout the arena process.

"Natomas seems to be constantly put in the back seat. We're not asked to participate in any of these things going forward," he said.

Chamber officials want the city to set up a task force to focus on reuse of the Natomas site. But no one from the mayor's office has reached out to talk about the site's future, Koop said.

"I don't believe anyone's seriously looking at what's going to happen to Natomas if this arena leaves," he said.

Johnson asked for letters of support at a regional chamber coalition meeting at Sacramento Metro Chamber headquarters on June 3 – a few days after officially announcing the coalition's formation. Representatives of all six counties were there, Koop said.

The mayor and the mayor's office followed up last week with emails asking to get the letters, which were to be addressed to the city, by June 17.

The Here We Build executive committee will be chaired by state Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, a Democrat from Sacramento, and State Sen. Ted Gaines, a Republican from Roseville.

Other members of the committee include state Assemblyman Roger Dickinson, West Sacramento Mayor Christopher Cabaldon and Sacramento City Councilman Rob Fong.

Also on the committee is San Francisco investor Darius Anderson. He told Johnson at the National Basketball Association team owners' meeting in April he and billionaire Pittsburgh Penguins co-owner Ron Burkle wanted to buy the Sacramento Kings or bring another team here if the Kings left.

The full coalition will consist of stakeholders from around the region: elected officials, labor leaders, corporate and small business owners, grassroots organization leaders, developers and religious leaders.

Johnson said in a press conference Monday that the coalition was put together to equitably represent the metropolitan area.

“We knew if we had 22 cities and six counties, we knew we had to have about 30 electeds and maybe 30 non-electeds,” he said. “So, when it came down to the executive committee, we knew we wanted 12 to 15 members – half elected, half non-elected.”

The mayor's office cast "a wider net" to involve a broad base of the community, McPeek said.

"We want to make sure we have a nice cross section, across the board," he said.

The mayor's office is setting up the arena coalition's first public meeting for Thursday. The time and location are still being determined.

The group will be meeting to explore arena funding options and determine the "critical pathway" to financing a new arena, McPeek said.

McPeek could not say what work the ICON-Taylor group is doing to come up with arena funding options, which were due at their presentation to the City Council in late May. It's not clear how the arena experts will work with regional Here We Build coalition members to answer the funding question.

The Roseville Chamber of Commerce has sent in a letter of support commending the mayor for reaching beyond his borders to promote a regional discussion on a new arena, Roseville Chamber Chief Executive Officer Wendy Gerig said.

"It's not just about the Kings and basketball. It's about economic development and the jobs that will not only go to businesses in Sacramento, but to El Dorado, Placer, Yolo, Yuba and Sutter counties," she said. "Our region is deserving of such a facility."

A link to the other coalition member names will be added in the comment section below.

Sacramento Press staff reporter Kathleen Haley contributed to this report. Suzanne Hurt is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @SuzanneHurt.

'Here We Build' arena campaign announced

2011-06-01T00:35:54Z

A regional campaign to finance a new arena officially launched Tuesday.

A coalition called "Here We Build" will work within a tight, 100-day deadline to evaluate what kind of financing mechanisms, fees or taxes might be used. While the list of 60 leaders is still being finalized this week, the coalition is expected to meet for the first time within about two weeks.

The group will be co-chaired by state Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, a Democrat from Sacramento, and State Sen. Ted Gaines, a Republican from Roseville. Steinberg called on the region to unite behind the campaign to boost jobs, economic development and pride in the greater Sacramento area.

"It's time for everyone to get on board," he said in a press conference Tuesday. "It's time after a decade of talk and of work to finally get this done for the future of our great region."

Steinberg, Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson and nearly 20 supporters – including Gaines and many others who will serve in the coalition – gathered at the California State Railroad Museum to make the announcement.

The event was held in a cavernous exhibit hall with huge locomotives serving as a backdrop to symbolize the same attitude that built the first transcontinental railroad with Sacramento as the western terminus, Johnson and other speakers said.

Participants will be recruited from throughout the six-county region and represent a range of political, government and business interests on what Steinberg described as a nonpartisan issue.

"This is an issue that brings Democrats and Republicans together. That connects organized labor and business. That brings together the city of Sacramento and the six-county region – because it means something to all of us: Jobs, civic needs and sports, which brings us all together," Steinberg said.

San Francisco political strategist Chris Lehane, who co-chaired a mayoral arena task force, will serve as the entity's executive director. He'll oversee public outreach and organize community forums on the issue.

Regional supporters first gathered on the issue in April during Sacramento's effort to keep the Kings from moving to Anaheim. Those at Tuesday's press conference included Sacramento County Supervisor Phil Serna, Yolo County Supervisor Jimmie Yee, West Sacramento Mayor Christopher Cabaldon, Downtown Sacramento Partnership Executive Director Michael Ault, Pat Fong Kushida from the Sacramento Asian Chamber of Commerce, Willie Pelote of AFSCME International, arena task force co-chair Lina Fat, Sacramento City Councilman Steve Cohn and Sacramento City Councilwoman Angelique Ashby.

On May 2, the Kings' co-owners, the Maloofs, announced they would give Sacramento until next March to make real headway on an effort to build a new arena.

The coalition's task will be to determine within about three months how to fund a new arena in order to keep construction on track for a 2015 completion date presented to the City Council last week.

The coalition will need to identify revenue streams and how much of a public contribution would need to be made, while staying away from any type of general tax increase, Steinberg added later.

Its members will work with an arena development team headed by ICON Venue Group and David Taylor, the National Basketball Association and the Maloofs, Johnson said.

"The clock is ticking," he said. "We know there is a deadline looming of March 1, 2012."

Suzanne Hurt is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @SuzanneHurt.

Kings owners, NBA await arena next steps

2011-05-27T02:03:57Z

The Sacramento Kings' majority owners reacted positively to a new plan for a proposed $387 million arena project unveiled Thursday, but admitted they're anxious to see whether the plan can be turned into reality.

Developers told the Sacramento City Council a $241 million arena, with a total project cost of $387 million, could be built by early 2015 if a mix of public and private funding can be pulled together.

During a two-and-a-half-hour presentation, ICON Venue Group President Tim Romani, Sacramento developer David Taylor and others on an arena development team provided the public with many details of the plan.

Afterward, team co-owners Gavin and Joe Maloof told reporters they have a "very positive reaction" to the current prospects for building a new home for the Sacramento Kings.

"We have a lot better feeling now than we have in the past," Joe Maloof said in a press conference in the lobby of City Hall.

Acknowledging the plan as "a great first step," Gavin Maloof said the family is "anxiously looking forward to the next steps." He called on the region to help see the project get financed and built, rather than leaving an arena-building campaign to the city and Sacramento County as in earlier efforts.

"Hopefully we can get it done," Maloof said. "We need everyone's help. We need every single county to come forward to help in this effort. We need every city in this region to help out and come forward for this effort. It can't be done by one city and one county alone.

A 675,000-square-foot arena with 18,594 seats, 74 luxury suites, 2,080 premium and club seats and other amenities could be constructed, Romani said when the arena team presented an arena feasibility report at a special council meeting Thursday afternoon.

"We designed a building that we believe is right-sized for the market," Taylor told the City Council.

Power Balance Pavilion in Natomas, the current home of the Sacramento Kings, can seat up to 17,317 and has 30 luxury suites and 712 club seats.

The team also recommends that the public own the facility, Taylor said.

“We've got to make sure we protect our interests as a community,” he said.

The arena's construction is estimated to cost $241 million. Total project costs are estimated at nearly $387 million to include start-up expenses, sales and marketing, land acquisition and site development, design and other professional services, project administration, and more than $16 million in fees and permits applied by the city and other entities, Romani said.

Most arena projects around the country see permit costs of 1 percent, said Romani, adding the team was surprised to discover that.

The cost per square foot in 2013 would be $358, compared to an average of $362 per square foot for 12 other NBA arenas built recently, said Dale Koger, vice president and general manager of Turner Construction Sports.

“This building is exciting, it's efficient and it's very cost-effective," he said.

The developers couldn't provide the council with a list of financing options developed specifically for the Sacramento region Thursday after the Maloofs didn't turn over financial information until recently.

A location on city land in the downtown railyards is preferred. But city land in Natomas could also hold a new entertainment and sports complex where the National Basketball Association team would be the anchor tenant. About $3.4 million in site work costs could be saved if the facility is built in Natomas, Romani said.

Only three out of 30 NBA teams play in arenas that aren't located in downtowns.

"Every other team in the NBA does, in fact, play in a downtown-located facility. Clearly, the trend is there," Romani said.

The NBA-compliant arena has been designed to be compact and intimate and to comply with National Hockey League guidelines. The facility would also be integrated with plans for a regional transit center the city plans to build on adjacent railyards land, according to the team.

The arena's size, amenities and on-site practice facilities could change following dialogue with the Kings' owners, the Maloof family, and other stakeholders.

The owner of the arena would be a public entity, most likely a joint powers authority. Officials, developers and the Maloofs still need to discuss whether the Maloofs, the city or someone else would be the arena developer and/or operator. By including a third-party developer or operator, the possible sources of private funding would be bigger, according to the report.

Developers proposed Power Balance Pavilion be turned into an office complex. An appraiser hired by the team determined the 185 acres of city land there is worth between $8.5 million to $11.6 million today, but may double in value within three years, Taylor said.

Council members also reacted positively to the plan. Councilman Rob Fong noted he and others on the council have worked "long and hard" to get a new facility built.

"This is a great day for the city of Sacramento," Fong said. "We have never been (nearly) this far down the road."

The developers have put together a list of possible financing sources. They used information from five similar NBA markets to create the arena's design and programming.

In order for the arena to be completed by early 2015, the environmental review of the project must begin this summer and be completed by the summer of 2012, design must begin in September and construction must begin by January 2013.

The focus will now shift to how the facility will be paid for, Mayor Kevin Johnson said.

Under a 100-day plan, developers and government officials must come up with the financing model and funding options by August. Funding must be secured by the March 2012 deadline set by the NBA and the Maloofs, who agreed to keep the Kings in Sacramento until then to give the city time to work on the arena effort.

Several people applauded Johnson, the city and developers for their work on the feasibility study during the public hearing portion of the meeting. Downtown Sacramento Partnership Executive Director Michael Ault, Sacramento Convention & Visitors Bureau President Steve Hammond and Sacramento Metro Chamber President Matt Mahood were among a handful of people who made comments.

The NBA also reacted positively to the feasibility report. League officials are "encouraged" by the process that's been undertaken and the support for a new arena that's come from Johnson, business leaders and fans, NBA Commissioner David Stern later said.

"The focus now is moving forward in developing a public-private partnership financing model that will bring a new arena to fruition," Stern said in a prepared statement. "That is priority No. 1 in Sacramento for all of us.”

The facility could be finished in time for the 2014 NBA season if enough funding becomes available to speed up the process, Romani said.

"I'm here to tell you that all the key ingredients are here in Sacramento," Romani said. "Power Balance Pavilion has served the city well for the last 26 years. But clearly, its best days have come and gone."

Suzanne Hurt is a staff reporter at The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @SuzanneHurt.

Arena report set for Thursday

2011-05-25T01:26:23Z

A new arena for Sacramento is likely to cost nearly $400 million and will likely have the Kings as tenants but not operators, the mayor said Tuesday.

The cost of the entire project, which would build a new arena from the ground up, is expected to be far lower than the $600 million proposed to build an arena in 2006 – partly because the recession has lowered construction costs and partly because the plans will call for a "smaller but yet world-class venue" of less than 700,000 square feet that fits the region's needs, according to Mayor Kevin Johnson.

Power Balance Pavilion, the Kings’ current home, is 442,000 square feet.

"The viability of this project happening in Sacramento is real," Johnson said in a press conference at City Hall. "We have the best in the business right now looking at it."

In a special City Council meeting set for Thursday afternoon, arena developers will present a report on a feasibility study that will outline the options that exist for building a new facility. The presentation will give council members and the public a first look at the study’s results.

The cost is still being finalized before the meeting, but the price will be under $400 million – somewhere between $350 million to $395 million, said Johnson, who dispelled recent reports the arena price tag will be $370 million.

"I don't think 370 is accurate. I actually haven't seen the final number. I've been told that's not an accurate number," he said. "I do think it will be under $400 million, which is important."

The ICON-Taylor development team will reveal the expected cost, possible revenue streams, financing options, location analysis, design, facility programming and timelines at 2 p.m. Thursday at City Hall. The developers have been working on the study since early February.

Johnson reiterated that a public-private partnership will be needed to pay for a new arena. Developers are putting together a variety of public financing options and types of partnerships to be considered.

After the feasibility study is presented to the council Thursday, developers and officials must start work to determine how much private money will be available to help pay for an arena and how much of a gap remains that may be filled by public financing.

Maloof Sports and Entertainment, which co-owns and controls the Kings, is likely to make a contribution to that partnership by being just the major tenant – and not the arena's year-round operator. If so, the city will need to find an arena operator, Johnson said.

Johnson said he's been talking with everyone who may be interested in playing a role in the arena effort, including Tim Leiweke, president of AEG, which owns and operates the Staples Center in Los Angeles, the Sprint Center in Kansas City and many other sports facilities.

City officials will be asked to decide whether to contribute land the city owns – most likely a site at the downtown railyards.

Next week, the mayor will announce a regional commission being pulled together to spearhead a campaign to build the arena. Johnson said it is too early to talk about what kind of contribution might be made from cities and counties in outlying areas.

The Maloofs announced May 2 that the Kings will remain in Sacramento another year. At that time, the Maloofs and the National Basketball Association set a March 1 deadline for the region to make a substantial effort to provide the team with a new home.

City officials hope to have arena financing and other issues solved by November or December, Johnson said.

Suzanne Hurt is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @SuzanneHurt.

Race for the Ring fundraiser brings adventure to Sacramento

2011-05-23T07:29:24Z

About 600 people wearing blue T-shirts walked and rode bicycles, searching for clues in downtown Sacramento at the Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services’ third annual Race for the Ring event Saturday.

Food Bank communications director Kelly Siefkin said the money raised will help support all eight programs, from providing food and clothing to education and women’s resources.

“I think it’s a way to involve part of the Sacramento community and people who don’t really know about the programs,” Siefkin said. “We make it a fun day. They want to come back with their families, volunteer and be motivated about the programs.”

The event provides a fun way for people to get an “Amazing Race” experience locally.

The race kicked off with a countdown from Mayor Kevin Johnson, and participants made their way from Raley Field to downtown.

Partners Hope and Rena Richards said it was their first time doing any type of race.

“I’m a little concerned – it’s a lot of riding,” Hope Richards said. “But you’ll never know until you try.”

Individuals or pairs received clues via text message about where to find answers to trivia questions. Each team traveled on bike or on foot to specific destinations and could not use any vehicles or outside help.

Teams traveled to places like Old Sacramento, the Tower Bridge and around the Capitol to search for the answer. Every team had a different path to follow and received a different set of text messages.

If the team answered correctly, they earned points. If a team made three incorrect attempts to a question, they had to move on. Teams with the most total points won prizes.

Several teams were in high spirits during the race.

San Tsan and Brian Herman of the Magic Sticks team dressed in matching shirts with their team name.

“Magic Sticks is going to win!” Tsan said.

Husband and wife team Jessica and Steve Donaldson parked their bicycles to look for a historic landmark sign.

“(The race is) easy, because we live here,” Jessica Donaldson said.

Calvin Curtin, the marketing director for Rogers Jewelry, said the store donated prizes for the event for the top 10 teams.

“There are prizes for early entry, best team name and best costume,” Curtin said.

The big prizes for the top three places included a $3,200] Hearts on Fire pendant called Beloved for third place, a $5,700 Hearts on Fire double halo solitaire ring called Transcend for second, and a $8,600 Hearts on Fire diamond ring, for first.

City Council aims to lessen police budget cuts

2011-05-18T15:46:54Z

The Sacramento City Council members made it clear Tuesday night that they do not want to make the $12 million in cuts to the Police Department recommended in the proposed budget. But it’s unclear at this point how the council will lessen the cuts to the department.

A crowd of police staffers and supporters, which swelled to about 400 at its high point early Tuesday evening, turned out for the City Council’s budget hearing.

The city is grappling with a $39 million budget gap for the 2011/2012 fiscal year. A total of 149 department staffers, including 80 sworn cops, would be laid off in the proposed budget, according to police spokesman Sgt. Norm Leong.

The city currently has 701 sworn cops.

“Twelve million (dollars) in cuts is too much for public safety to share this burden,” Councilman Darrell Fong, a retired police captain, said.

At the end of the City Council meeting, which ran longer than four hours, six City Council members voted not to move forward with the current proposed budget of $12 million in cuts proposed by Interim City Manager Bill Edgar and Interim Deputy City Manager Betty Masuoka.

The city manager’s office is responsible for proposing the amounts of budget cuts, while Police Chief Rick Braziel is responsible for divvying up how to make the proposed cuts at the department.

The City Council makes final budget decisions.

Six of the nine council members rejected the proposed budget because three were absent.

Mayor Kevin Johnson was at the NBA draft lottery in New Jersey, representing the Sacramento Kings. Councilwoman Bonnie Pannell was mourning the recent death of her mother and Councilman Rob Fong was in Los Angeles on a business trip, according to Councilman Steve Cohn.

RE Graswich, the mayor’s special assistant, presented the following statement on behalf of Johnson:

“In Sacramento, we’re in the fourth year of a devastating budget crisis and we continue to face difficult challenges. When I ran for mayor in 2008, I said public safety would be my top priority.

“That continues to remain true today,” Graswich said. “Public safety is a core function of city government. It plays a critical role in how we operate as a full-service city.

“It’s critical that as we move forward, we continue to practice fiscal responsibility, eliminate wasteful practices, capitalize on efficiencies and make collective sacrifices to provide the service our residents expect and deserve. I look forward to continuing to work with my council colleagues and finding the best solutions to solving the budget crisis.”

Greg Galliano, a 25-year-old Sacramento police officer, was one of many department staffers who urged the council not to make the cuts. He said the department is currently dealing with “massive call volumes.”

“If we take these cuts,” Galliano said, “we’re going to experience something that we’re not going to be able to protect you from.”

Leong explained the breakdown of the proposed layoffs: Sworn cops, 80; Community Service Officers, 38; Crime Scene Investigators, 14; Supervising Dispatchers, 6; Records Supervisor, 1; Administrative and Clerical, 10.

At a press conference before the City Council meeting, police staffers held up numbers that signified they could be among the numbers of people laid off.

Read the schedule of budget hearings here. Learn about the debate over cuts to the Parks and Recreation Department here.

The City Council is scheduled to adopt the city’s budget for the 2011/2012 fiscal year on June 21.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Chamber leader's legacy may be collaborative region

2011-05-18T00:41:20Z

Sacramento Metro Chamber President and CEO Matt Mahood leaves behind a more unified business community as he moves on to take over the helm of the San Jose chamber this summer, colleagues and associates said Tuesday.

Mahood, 45, has a reputation for being upbeat and optimistic, even as he's guided the chamber through the recession. He served as a dynamic leader for the organization and a spokesman for the region on local, state and national level s.

At 6 feet 7 inches, he towers over many of those he works with in business and politics. He's known for being thoughtful and having an even-handed way for approaching issues in the job he's held for nine years.

His most lasting legacy in Sacramento may be his work as a collaboration builder garnering support for crucial policy decisions and economic development efforts.

Mahood became a prominent leader in the effort to stop the Sacramento Kings from leaving and to rally regional support for a new arena. He led a push that gathered more than $10 million in financial support for the Kings from regional businesses if the team stayed another year.

"Matt was a force of nature," said PRIDE Industries President Mike Ziegler, who chaired the chamber's board when they hired Mahood in 2002. "He became a driving force to make this region a better place to live, work and play."

The San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce board voted Friday to hire Mahood as president and CEO of that organization. He will remain with the Sacramento Metro Chamber until at least the Fourth of July weekend.

An interim CEO will be chosen to guide the Sacramento Metro Chamber during the search for a new top executive.

As a 36-year-old hired by the chamber in 2002, Mahood didn't have any experience working at a chamber of commerce. But that was seen as an advantage by the chamber's search committee, Ziegler said.

Mahood had worked previously as vice president and general manager of grocery business Webvan.com and district manager at the shipping company BAX Global, as well as with UPS and FedEx.

He lived in Carmichael for four years as a child but mostly grew up in Pleasanton in the East Bay. Mahood is taking the job in San Jose partly so he can live closer to his mother, who just turned 80, and his three sisters. He said he'll miss taking his ski boat and wakeboard out on Folsom Lake with friends and family on hot summer days.

However, Mahood said he also wants to pursue fresh opportunities.

"Nine years is a long time to be in one place, especially at a chamber of commerce," he said. "I am ready for some new challenges in a new community."

Mahood was a champion for the region's economic development. He was instrumental in forging a good working relationship between the chamber, the Downtown Sacramento Partnership and the Sacramento Convention & Visitors Bureau, as well as area businesses and other business organizations, and then collaborating on mutually identified priorities, DSP Executive Director Michael Ault said.

"Matt did a tremendous job of not only managing and growing the chamber, but really building a coalition amongst area business organizations," Ault said.

Mahood will help launch the search process for his replacement. He said he's proud of the Metro Chamber's hard-working staff and volunteer leaders and their ability to reach the chamber's goals each year.

Although he'll be leaving, he said he'd like to see the Metro Chamber and its partners build a stronger, more positive "sense of self" and brand for the region after its image has been pummeled by being included on Forbes' list of "most miserable cities" and from stories about high foreclosure rates, unemployment and other government problems.

Mahood said he thinks cities and counties and some nonprofit organizations should collaborate more and even consider consolidating functions to become more efficient and bring taxpayers and other funders more return on investments. He said he'd also like to see the Metro Chamber and partners finalize and put out a regional economic development strategy based on good data, followed by an action plan that will create jobs.

"Housing and construction are not coming back anytime soon, and the state budget mess will continue to hit this region hard," he said.

Many people expressed sadness at Mahood's departure. Mayor Kevin Johnson described Mahood as a "champion" for the business community during the worst economy since the Depression.

"It's worth noting that his final achievement was playing a lead role in organizing the corporate and business community in the successful drive to keep the Kings and NBA in Sacramento," Johnson said in an emailed statement Tuesday. "Our community would not have been able to over-deliver on support and sponsorships without Matt's work, and we will surely miss his leadership."

The San Jose chamber is eagerly awaiting the new opportunities and direction a new president will bring, said the chamber's current president, Pat Dando.

"We also think Matt will bring strong leadership to the chamber – just looking at what his time with the Sacramento chamber produced," she said. "He seems to have a real knack for achieving a collaborative effort in the business community toward the common good."

Suzanne Hurt is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @SuzanneHurt.

Local artist features Kings faithful in 'Be Heard' mural

2011-05-17T03:30:59Z

Hundreds of Sacramento locals gathered at the corner of J and 20th streets in Midtown Sacramento late Saturday afternoon as world-renowned performance painter David Garibaldi showed appreciation for Kings fans by featuring them in his “Be Heard” mural.

Garibaldi requested photos of fans via Facebook and Twitter last week, and he chose 10 of the photos to display on his massive mural.

“I’ve never done anything quite like this,” said the Sacramento artist. “I was honored to give something back to the Kings fans, who are the ones responsible for the team staying in Sacramento.”

DJ Joseph One’s music echoed off the buildings and through the streets as crowds of people watched in awe and gossiped amongst each other over Garibaldi’s newest piece.

“I’ve heard a lot of good things about him and have seen a couple videos, but this is the first time I have had a chance to see him in person,” said Kings fan Greg Maurantonio. “It was truly amazing to watch his idea unfold from start to finish.”

One of the lucky fans chosen to be displayed was Jarrad Hicks, who posted photos of himself, his mother and his uncle on Facebook on Friday.

“It really looks like me,” Hicks raved. “David called me a few hours ago and left a voicemail asking if it would be okay with me if he used my photo. By the time I called him back it was already 4:00, so I was happy he put me up there.”

Duane Hicks, Jarrad’s uncle, was also chosen and appears just below his nephew on the mural.

As Garibaldi finished his tenth and final portrait, he got on the microphone and asked fans to gather close as he put the finishing touches on the mural. “Be Heard,” the phrase that has gained praise through Twitter over the last few months, was spray-painted over the center of the group of portraits. Fans cheered as Garibaldi signed his finished piece and greeted a group of media to talk about his latest work.

Maloof Sports and Entertainment employees and Sacramento Kings ticket representatives were also onsite giving away “Be Heard” paraphernalia. Fans had the chance to ask questions first-hand and were encouraged to put down $100 deposit for 2011-2012 season tickets.

Garibaldi has performed at numerous venues and events over the last five years. He was invited to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in July, 2006 where he painted a portrait of Mick Jagger. In September of 2008, he opened for the Blue Man Group’s tour in Canada and the United States. He also opened for Snoop Dogg during halftime at a Golden State Warriors game in November of 2007.

The Sacramento native and life-long Kings fan was honored to give something back to the community.

“I was contacted by the Kings and was asked if I would want to paint something, and of course I said yes.” Garibaldi said. “I wanted to paint something to show the diversity of the city, and I wanted each portrait to be distinctive.”

The last couple of weeks have given Kings supporters hope after fearing the loss of their beloved team since the closing weeks of the season. Starting on May 3 with Mayor Kevin Johnson’s announcement that the Kings would be staying in Sacramento, followed by the “Here We Rally” gathering last Tuesday in Cesar Chavez Park, Garibaldi’s performance capped off one of the happiest stretches in recent memory for Kings fans. No doubt the fans have been heard and will be reminded each time they pass the corner of J and 20th.

Sacramento mayor stands in for Kings at NBA draft lottery

2011-05-17T00:58:35Z

The first time Kevin Johnson was involved in the National Basketball Association draft, he was passed over by the Sacramento Kings. Now mayor of Sacramento, Johnson will represent the Kings at the NBA draft lottery Tuesday.

The lottery will be televised on ESPN during a pregame show just before Tuesday night's playoff game in Dallas, when the Oklahoma City Thunder takes on the Dallas Mavericks in game one of the Western Conference finals. The draft lottery portion of the show, which determines the order for the NBA draft June 23, could begin as early as 5:10 p.m. Pacific time.

In 1987, Johnson was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers, who got the seventh pick in the draft. The Sacramento Kings had the sixth pick and could have chosen him. Instead, they drafted Kenny Smith, now a commentator on TNT’s “Inside the NBA.”

Last week, the Maloof family, co-owners of the Kings, asked Johnson to stand in for the team after the former NBA All-Star-turned-politician led a full-court press to stop the team from moving to Anaheim. Johnson was honored to be asked to stand in for Sacramento when the league announces the draft pick order at the NBA Entertainment studio in Secaucus, N.J.

"He feels it's an exciting opportunity to not just represent the Kings, but to represent the city of Sacramento and the entire region," mayoral spokesman Joaquin McPeek said.

Johnson left for the East Coast over the weekend and could not be reached for comment.

He was asked to take part out of respect for him and the office of mayor, Kings co-owner Joe Maloof said Monday via spokesman Alex Sigua.

“We hope that he can bring some luck to New Jersey and get us that first pick, so we’re depending on him to get it done,” Maloof said.

The 14 teams that didn't make it into this season's playoffs participate in the NBA draft lottery.

The Kings tied with the New Jersey Nets for the fifth-worst record in the 2010/2011 season. The Kings won a coin toss and now have the fifth-best standing for getting one of the top three picks, team spokesman Troy Hanson said shortly before flying to New Jersey for the event.

The actual lottery will be held in a back room, with one person from each team sitting in to watch the process. John Kehriotis, a limited partner in the Kings, will represent the team in those proceedings.

During the televised portion, NBA Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver will then unveil the draft order in reverse from 14 to one. Johnson will take a ceremonial role and sit in the Kings' position during that part of the process.

Teams are usually represented by the team president or general manager. However, a player or former player, team owners, executives and coaches have also held the honor. But team owners can choose others to represent the teams as well.The Kings recently had a season ticket holder represent them at the draft lottery.

A draft lottery event for season ticket holders will be held at the Crest Theatre, 1013 K St., Tuesday. Joe Maloof, guard Marcus Thornton, Head Coach Paul Westphal and Player Personnel Director Jerry Reynolds are expected to take part. Doors open at 4:30 p.m.

For luck in the draft lottery, the Catholic Maloof said he’s doing a nine-prayer Novena.

“A good friend of mine in Memphis, Tenn., calls me every day and we do a prayer each day for nine days,” Maloof said. “My mother taught me about the prayers many, many years ago. I’ve used them ever since and every once in a while, those Novena prayers come through.”

The team’s dismal standing this year will also help.

"All the teams have chances based on the win-loss record. The more losses you have, the better odds you will have a better pick," NBA spokesman Jon Hammond said.

Suzanne Hurt is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @SuzanneHurt.

4th Annual Sacramento Homeless Connect this Saturday, May 21 at Sacramento City College

2011-05-16T21:19:36Z

The 4th Annual Sacramento Homeless Connect event will take place this Saturday, May 21 at Sacramento City College from 10:00 am-3:00 pm. It is hosted by Sacramento Steps Forward, with support from presenting sponsor The Salvation Army. Speakers at the event include Assemblymember Roger Dickinson, Mayor Kevin Johnson and Supervisor Phil Serna. Over 1,000 homeless guests are expected; additionally the event hosts 500 community volunteers and over 60 different service providers.

Project Homeless Connect is a national Best Practice model for bringing services directly to homeless folks. Started in San Francisco, it now occurs in over 150 communities across the country. Homeless Connect events are one-day, one-stop, 100% free resource fairs that bring a myriad of services all to one location, thus eliminating many of the barriers homeless folks face in accessing the services they need. Transportation is provided for guests that day (a major barrier for many homeless people), as well as pet care and childcare. Homeless folks get to meet with providers face-to-face, in a warm, hospitable environment. Additionally, the Salvation Army provides BBQ chicken meals for the guests, and bands Guitar Mac and BluSoul Band will be providing all-day entertainment.

500 community volunteers will be donating their time that day, helping with a number of different projects.

This year, over 60 different agencies and service providers will be in attendance, including:

Community housing and shelter providers, including: Sacramento Self-Help Housing; Volunteers of America; Transitional Living & Community Support; Lutheran Social Services, Resources for Independent Living; St. John’s Shelter and Sacramento Area Emergency Housing
Health Services including: the UC Davis Willow Clinic rapid HIV-testing by CARES, Hep-C, STI testing and harm reduction services by Harm Reduction Services and Oak Park Outreach Services; dental screenings by Dr. Charles Newens, and ocular exams by the Lion’s Club Vision Van and UC Davis eye doctors
Free California State IDs provided by the DMV, with help from Francis House
An Employment Triage Station, run by Women’s Empowerment, with an interview-ready clothing closet and help with resume-writing and interview skills
A new Wellness Area, including: free yoga all day, by the Yoga Seed Collective, 20-minute mini-chair massages by the Healing Arts Institute, foot washing & clean socks by Christ Church, Davis, an art therapy station (staffed by AmeriCorps NCCC members) and a Story Table (with professional portraits by Lynette Falls of Three One Photography)
A Mental Health services station, staffed by Guest House Homeless Clinic, Genesis, Social Security Administration, SMART (a brand-new pilot program that helps folks receive SSI), and Clean & Sober
Veterans Services, staffed by the California Department of Veterans Affairs, the Sacramento Veterans Resource Center, the Sacramento Veterans Support Network, the Sacramento County Veterans
Sacramento County General Assistance and CalFresh (Food Stamps)
Bike repair provided by Cycles4Hope, who is also raffling off 10 adult bikes
Free haircuts by Federico’s Beauty Institute Salon
And amazing giveaways, including: The Sacramento Public Library is giving away 200 free books; the Bra Recyclers donated 1,300 bras; Restoring Vision provided us with 300 pairs of reading glasses; a Sac State student is giving away 150 pairs of shoes; 2 clothing closets and exit gift bags for each guest.
Other elements: free transportation all day provided by Regional Transit, Paratransit, Volunteers of America and Sacramento County. Free all day pet-care provided by WOOFF and free childcare provided by the Mustard Seed School!

The Salvation Army is our presenting sponsor, for the 2nd year in a row, and they’re providing at least $20,000 of in-kind support.

Additional sponsors: The City of Rancho Cordova, Wells Fargo Bank, Golden 1 Credit Union, Sutter Health Sacramento Sierra Region, Sacramento Housing & Redevelopment Agency, Loaves & Fishes, Sacramento Mutual Housing Association, Councilmember Steve Cohn, The Merchants National Bank, CARES, UC Davis Health System, Sacramento Housing Alliance and Councilmember Jay Schenirer.

Last year's Sacramento Homeless Connect had over 800 homeless adults and 170 homeless children in attendance.

For questions about the event, please contact Kate Towson, ktowson@communitycouncil.org

Kate Towson is an Americorps VISTA serving with Sacramento Steps Forward.

Residents fight to keep community centers

2011-05-13T15:29:44Z

Sacramento residents packed into a Sacramento City Hall meeting room Thursday night to protest proposed budget cuts to community centers and other local parks programs.

About 45 citizens addressed the City Council, according to Mayor Kevin Johnson’s count. Citizens waited in lines for a seat in the the meeting room and to speak to the council.

The hearing on the Parks and Recreation Department was part of a series of meetings on how the City Council can resolve a $39 million budget gap for the 2011/2012 fiscal year.

Proposed budget cuts would slash hours at the Hart Senior Center in Midtown by half.

Some of the speakers contrasted the proposed community center cuts with city leaders’ efforts to bring a new sports arena to the area.

“You just knocked out all the senior people, so you better get us some seats up at your new arena,” Helen Blatta, a supporter of the Hart Senior Center, told Johnson.

Recommendations from Interim City Manager Bill Edgar and Parks Department Director Jim Combs would shutter the following community centers and clubhouses: Oak Park, Sim, Hagginwood, Robertson, Clunie, East Portal, Belle Cooledge, Evelyn Moore, Southside, Woodlake and Slider Centers and Clubhouses.

Clunie’s library at McKinley Park would keep operating.

The South Natomas, Coloma and Pannell Meadowview centers would stay open, according to a report from the Parks Department.

Jamillah Kirk, an office manager at Bret Harte Elementary School, was one of many speakers who urged the City Council to save the Oak Park Community Center. The community center provides positive activities for young people, she said.

“If you think Sacramento Police Department is busy now, you wait,” said Kirk, 39. “We are asking for trouble.”

After hearing from the public about the community centers, the City Council asked staff to study ways to put $1 million back into the parks budget.

The Sacramento Press will continue to follow the debate over proposals to cut community centers.

Slashing community centers would help the city save a little more than $400,000, but it is only one piece of nearly $1.8 million in cuts proposed to the parks department.

Also on Thursday, about 80 local high school students who participate in a law-enforcement training program attended the City Council’s public comment period to oppose proposed cuts to the Criminal Justice Magnet Academy. Budget cuts would end the Sacramento Police Department’s role in the program, according to police spokesman Norm Leong.

“You have role models that you can look up to,” Timothy Chang, a 17-year-old Grant Union High School student, told the City Council. “This academy has changed my life. It’s another family away from home.”

Read information about upcoming budget hearings here.

Mayor tapped for NBA draft lottery at Kings rally

2011-05-11T05:49:27Z

Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson will represent the Kings at the National Basketball Association draft lottery next week, team owners and the mayor announced at a Tuesday rally.

Johnson and developers representing the ICON-Taylor arena team will meet in Las Vegas Wednesday with George Maloof, whose family controls a majority share of the team, to discuss the arena project. The Maloof family owns the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas.

On stage at a Kings rally in Cesar Chavez Plaza, Gavin and Joe Maloof asked the former NBA All-Star player to step up for them next Tuesday at the draft lottery at the NBA Entertainment studio in Secaucus, N.J.

"I accept! I accept! I accept!" Johnson yelled into a microphone, his shouts reverberating from speakers and echoing off the walls of the Citizen Hotel, California Environmental Public Agency headquarters, Park Tower and historic City Hall in downtown Sacramento.

Sacramento’s mayor led a regional effort to keep the Kings in Sacramento – making a case to keep the team to the NBA Board of Governors in New York and persuading the league to send a team to gather more information in April. The Maloofs announced May 2 the team would stay in Sacramento for at least another year.

State Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, Kings Head Coach Paul Westphal and former star Kings players including Doug Christie, Bobby Jackson and Scot Pollard joined Johnson and the Maloofs on stage at the rally's climax.

As many as 6,500 fans turned out to support the Kings and catch glimpses of the players, according to figures provided by the NBA.

Fans like Laurie Fredricks of Midtown, Anna Ampania of Roseville and Edward Leon of Sacramento said they'd like to see a new arena replace Power Balance Pavilion and would even support a tax increase to see that happen.

"I'm a major Kings fan," said Fredricks, who had never been to an NBA game until moving to Sacramento in 2000. She fell in love with the Kings and pro basketball after seeing them play at Arco Arena.

"This town cannot lose the one major sports franchise we have," she said.

Fans who gathered in the park heard Christie, Jackson and Pollard tell stories about games and watched game clips on a 20-foot by 12-foot screen. Kings mascot Slamson, Kings PA announcer Scott Moak and many more also entertained the crowd.

Many on stage spoke about Sacramento Kings fan loyalty and the need to push ahead to get a new arena built. Kings legend Chris Webber, who has said publicly he's working on a plan to get private investors for the arena, riled up the crowd with a videotaped appearance shown just before the mayor and the Maloofs took the stage.

"The world heard you," Webber told fans. "Let them know we will not lose our team. Go Sacramento!"

The meeting in Las Vegas will be the first between the ICON-Taylor team, which is preparing an arena feasibility study for the city, and George Maloof, who is overseeing the arena effort for the family. NBA attorney Harvey Benjamin and Johnson will take part in the meeting.

The city needs hard data from the Maloofs for the arena feasibility study. The brothers said previously they would share revenue information if the team stayed in Sacramento for the 2011/12 season. However, Johnson's staff could not say whether Maloof will turn over financial statements at the meeting Wednesday.

The NBA and the Maloofs are planning special events to promote the team and ticket sales in May and June. An event may be held during the Second Saturday Art Walk and possibly the draft lottery.

Current season ticket holders have until June 3 to renew their season tickets. An open house to allow new season ticket buyers to choose their seats will be held June 8 and 9. New season ticket buyers must make $100 deposits per seat, said Chris Granger, executive vice president of the NBA's Team Marketing and Business Operations.

Suzanne Hurt is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @SuzanneHurt.

Kings rally planned during ticket drive

2011-05-10T01:06:19Z

The Sacramento Kings' owners hope to build team fever this week with a ticket sales drive and a rally Tuesday.

Kings co-owner Gavin Maloof is expected to join Head Coach Paul Westphal and stars such as Bobby Jackson, Doug Christie and Scot Pollard at a Kings rally at 5 p.m. Tuesday at Cesar Chavez Plaza, Ninth and I streets. Fireworks and a concert by Sacramento rock band Tesla are also planned for the rally, which is co-sponsored by local radio station Sports 1140 KHTK.

Maloof Sports and Entertainment also has hired 30 new sales employees to help with ticket sales after the Maloofs announced May 2 the team would stay in Sacramento for at least another year.

Most of the new employees started work Monday at Power Balance Pavilion. More people needed to be hired to handle a deluge of season ticket renewals and sales to the general public that began last week. Hundreds of season ticket holders have called to renew, Maloof Sports and Entertainment Public Relations Manager Alex Sigua said.

"It's been heartwarming and overwhelming and incredible," he said. "We've definitely eclipsed our pace at this time last year."

Season ticket buyers had until 8 p.m. Monday to purchase season tickets and choose their exact seats at the same time. To do so, fans must make deposits of 17 or 34 percent and agree to a six-month or three-month payment plan, respectively.

Two choice seats near the visiting team’s bench, in Section 112 Row J, would cost $8,624. Under the six-month plan, the fan must make a $1,466 deposit by Monday night. Those fans will be invited to an event in June where they’ll have a chance to check out their seats and switch if needed.

At the Tuesday rally, Maloof Sports and Entertainment officials are expected to announce a second season ticket program allowing fans to make $300 deposits per seat and get on a waiting list to choose their seats at an open house at a later date in mid-June. Fans will be able to choose their seats in an order based on when they made deposits.

Exact numbers of renewals and season ticket holders in the 2010/2011 season were not available.

The sales staff were hired part-time to work with ticket buyers online and by phone. About 300 people applied for the jobs. Interviews were held late last week.

The Maloofs are still taking applications for full-time ticket services positions, Sigua said.

The company did not provide information about pay levels and whether employees are being hired on a temporary or permanent basis.

Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson met Friday with Gavin Maloof at the arena. They primarily discussed the need to stabilize the team, whose owners had been considering moving the Kings to Anaheim until last week.

The team's revenue statements from the last four years apparently have not yet been turned over to the city of Sacramento and the ICON-Taylor team, which is conducting an arena feasibility study. The study is expected to be completed by May 26.

The study's financial analyses have so far been based on figures from comparable teams in the National Basketball Association.

Suzanne Hurt is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @SuzanneHurt.

Chris Webber, NBA amp up aid for Kings and arena

2011-05-04T00:58:03Z

Forces now allied behind the Sacramento Kings gathered steam Tuesday in their collective bid to build a more successful team and move the region closer to constructing a new arena.

That effort will be aided by retired Kings player Chris Webber, who said on television Monday night he's lined up private investors to fund a new arena in place of taxpayers.

"Within the year, we're going to make some special things happen," Webber said on TNT's "Inside the NBA." "The goal is to keep the team there."

Webber hinted about his involvement on Twitter Monday after the Kings' owners announced they'd leave the team here for at least one year to give Sacramento more time to pursue building a new sports and entertainment facility.

"SACRAMENTO! It's true! One more year!" Webber tweeted. "But trust me! We are working to make it a lifetime!"

Webber has told Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson in recent conversations he wants to be involved. But they're still figuring out what form that might take, Johnson said in a press conference at City Hall Tuesday.

"He's going to play some role," Johnson said.

Nine staffers from the National Basketball Association arrived in Sacramento Tuesday. They immediately began working at Power Balance Pavilion on the Maloofs' priorities: season ticket sales and corporate sponsorships, Kings spokesman Troy Hanson said.

"They hit the ground running in assisting with all avenues of business operations," he said.

Maloof Sports & Entertainment launched a hiring blitz of more than 20 people as sales kicked off for season tickets Monday night. Demand has been strong since then, said Hanson, who did not provide details.

Meetings are being set up with the NBA, the Maloofs, arena developers, regional elected officials and Kings’ corporate sponsors to continue building on the momentum and energy unleashed in Sacramento in the effort to keep the team from moving to Anaheim, Johnson said.

"Our attitude today is we can't let up," Johnson said.

He expects to meet with the NBA this week. The mayor also said he plans to meet this week or next with the Maloofs. His top priority: getting financial statements from the Kings' last four years. The city of Sacramento and the ICON-Taylor development team needs the information for an arena feasibility study due to be completed by May 26.

They've sought the information for months, but the Maloofs held off while making a decision about whether to move to Anaheim.

That meeting couldn't be confirmed by Hanson.

Support from NBA staff on the ground in Sacramento helps the Maloofs' organization fill holes left by staff who jumped ship over the last year, and especially in the last month or two, before the decision was made about Anaheim.

NBA personnel will give the Maloofs the capacity to be "aggressive" with ticket and suite sales and corporate sponsorships for the 2011/2012 season, which begins in October, Johnson said.

Some NBA staff may work here for just a week or two, while a few may stay far longer, he said.

The NBA has agreed to support a move by the team if sufficient progress isn't made on replacing Power Balance Pavilion by March 1, 2012.

The arena study should be able to propose contribution levels and pinpoint possible gaps in available funding as soon as May 26 but no later than July, Johnson said.

The NBA will be involved in establishing the level of contribution by the Maloofs. Many basketball teams contribute financially to new arenas by signing long-term leases, as NBA Commissioner David Stern said Monday.

Johnson said he will tell the Maloofs they'll need to participate in "a real way" in the public/private partnership that’s expected to be needed to finance a new arena.

"It's got to be real, where our community feels it," he said.

NBA officials could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

Suzanne Hurt is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @SuzanneHurt.

Sacramento Kings to stay another year

2011-05-03T01:03:12Z

The owners of the Sacramento Kings announced Monday the team will stay put for at least one more season – giving the region and the National Basketball Association time for one final push to build a new arena.

NBA officials quickly announced a commitment to make one last effort over the next 10 months to pave the way to replace Power Balance Pavilion. The league is sending nine people to Sacramento Tuesday to provide expert support in the regional effort to construct a new arena and to help the Kings' owners, the Maloofs, lead the team to a successful next season, NBA Commissioner David Stern said in a teleconference Monday afternoon.

Kings fans, elected officials and business leaders reveled in the news after such an outcome seemed impossible roughly two weeks earlier, when Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson appeared before National Basketball Association team owners to argue the case for keeping the Kings here. At that time, the team's move to Anaheim seemed certain.

On Monday morning, more than 125 people turned out for a celebratory press conference outside City Hall.

"This is one of the proudest moments in my life because the community believed when no one else did," Johnson said. "This was our playoffs. And Anaheim: We won!"

Video by Brandon Darnell.

An outpouring of support for the team from Johnson, state Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, regional elected officials, the business community and Kings fans convinced the NBA and the Maloofs to give the region until March 1, 2012, to make a substantial effort to provide a new home for the Kings, Stern said.

"We came away with a strong sense that this was worth the additional year because it seemed to us to be so important that the leaders of Sacramento ... would not allow the opportunity to pass without getting it done," said Stern, who had talked personally with Johnson and Steinberg about the current level of support for a new arena. "We are feeling pretty good about the prospects here."

Sacramento officials will need to present solid information about design, funding and timelines by then. However, if regional support for arena construction can't be galvanized and a plan isn't finalized by next spring, that will be the league's last effort to get an arena built here.

NBA officials, including members of the league's Relocation Committee, told the Maloofs the league would then support their decision to move "wherever they choose to go" in 2012/13, he said.

The Maloofs had a deadline to file a request to move the team by 5 p.m. Eastern time Monday.

In an announcement emailed shortly after 9 a.m. Monday, the Maloofs said fan support and Johnson's push to get a new arena built were instrumental in their decision not to ask the league for permission to move.

"The fans’ spirit and energy, specifically our season ticket holders, has been remarkable and we are truly thankful for their loyalty," they said in the prepared statement. "We also are greatly appreciative of the support from our corporate sponsors as well as other local businesses that have come forward in recent weeks."

The Maloofs weren't available to respond to questions following the announcement, a Kings spokesman said.

Local business leaders committed more than $10.2 million in financial support for the Kings if the team stayed another year.

The NBA didn't have to do any "arm-twisting" to get the Maloofs to stay one more year. Relocation Committee members suggested to the Maloofs that they'd support a move in a year if they agreed to stay but the effort proved unsuccessful, Stern said.

The decision to keep the team in the state capital came after an NBA fact-finding visit here in the last two weeks. Billionaire Henry Samueli, whose company Anaheim Arena Management manages Anaheim's Honda Center, upped the ante in his bid to lure the team to Anaheim.

He offered to provide a personal loan of at least $75 million to the Maloofs and personally invest more than $70 million for improvements at the Honda Center.

Officials with the city of Anaheim and Anaheim Arena Management, owned by Samueli, are disappointed by the decision. But they will continue their effort to bring the NBA there soon, they said in emailed statements.

“The bottom line is this: The final chapter has not been written," Anaheim Mayor Tom Tait said. "Anaheim will continue to move forward and we remain optimistic to one day welcoming professional basketball to Anaheim.”

Anaheim Arena Management Chairman Michael Schulman added, "We are continuing our pursuit of an NBA team for our venue.... We look forward to securing a franchise for area fans in the very near future.”

Billionaire Ron Burkle's interest in buying the Kings to keep the team in Sacramento – or buying another team if they left – helped keep the region in the game in the eyes of the NBA, Johnson said.

Burkle and the Burkle Group are still interested in being part owners of the Kings. No discussion has been set up with the Maloofs since the decision to remain in Sacramento was announced, but the family knows how to get in touch with the group, San Francisco investor Darius Anderson said following the press conference.

"We would love to be here as part of the ownership group," said Anderson, who took part in the press conference.

In one year, the Maloofs will want to see a "critical path" laid to build a new arena. But ground doesn't need to be broken by then, Johnson said.

Building a new arena for Kings games, big concerts and other events would be catalytic for development downtown, especially in the railyards, Westfield Downtown Plaza and K Street Mall, said Johnson, describing the issue as “bigger than basketball."

"If we go forward and build a sports and entertainment complex, it's going to prove to all of us that we can find a way to make big things happen," he said. "We always felt like this could be a turning point for our community and our region working together.”

Johnson wasn’t the only person who appeared to be all smiles at the press conference. Developer David Taylor, who is working on an arena feasibility study for the city, Assistant City Manager John Dangberg and Sacramento Metro Chamber President Matt Mahood also beamed.

Johnson described Steinberg, also at the press conference, as a “scrappy fighter” who worked “in the trenches with us all along the way.” The two leaders communicated constantly throughout the weekend.

Sacramento City Council members are ready to start meeting to determine how to build an arena, Councilman Rob Fong said at the press conference.

The Maloofs called Johnson early Monday morning to tell him about their decision and say they’re committed to working with the city for the next year. The mayor will meet with the Maloofs this week to talk about how to move forward.

The arena feasibility study is expected to be completed by the end of May. Officials will then present options for public/private financing of the arena to the community so an arena can be built and the Kings never leave, Johnson said.

Chris Granger, executive vice president of the NBA's Team Marketing and Business Operations, senior NBA communications advisor Brian McIntyre and seven others from the NBA will arrive in Sacramento by Tuesday. No meetings have been finalized with the mayor’s office, Johnson’s staff said.

They will provide all the support they can to the Maloofs. They will work in “all aspects” of team operations, including marketing, finance, ticket sales and corporate sponsorship. They’ll also work with politicians, planners and others during a campaign to build a new arena, Stern said.

Stern said he considers it a failure for the NBA to lose any market, especially one as supportive as Sacramento.

It would be fair if the Maloofs and anyone else who’s watched the team’s efforts to build a new arena over the last 10 years are skeptical that it can get done this time. Still, NBA officials and staff will provide all the support they can to see if this “shared vision” can become reality, he said.

"If not, then it will be our shared failure,” Stern said.

Suzanne Hurt is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @SuzanneHurt.

Kings to stay in Sacramento – for now

2011-05-02T16:32:28Z

The owners of the Sacramento Kings have decided to keep the team here for at least the next season, they announced Monday morning.

The team's owners, led by the Maloof family had a deadline of 2 p.m. Monday to file a request to move the team.

In an announcement emailed shortly after 9 a.m. Monday, the Maloofs said fan support and Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson's push to get a new arena built were instrumental in the decision.

National Basketball Association officials have indicated they will support the team moving next year if a new arena cannot be built to replace Power Balance Pavilion.

"However, if an arena plan cannot be finalized in a timely fashion, the NBA’s relocation committee has assured Maloof Sports and Entertainment that it will support an application to move the franchise to another market starting in 2012-13,” the statement said.

The team's owners have no plans to hold a press conference, said a Kings spokesman.

Johnson said Friday local officials hoped a regionally coordinated effort to build a new arena would make enough of a difference that the National Basketball Association and the Maloofs would not move the team to Anaheim for at least a year, giving the region a chance to move forward with the city's arena effort.

Johnson has scheduled a press conference for 11 a.m. at City Hall, 915 I St.

The decision to keep the team in the state capital came after an NBA fact-finding visit here in the last two weeks.

Last week, billionaire Henry Samueli, whose company manages Anaheim's Honda Center, upped the ante when he offered to personally invest more than $70 million for improvements at Anaheim's Honda Center and provide a personal loan of at least $75 million to the Maloofs.

The Sacramento Press will report on the mayor’s press conference later today.

Kings decision coming down to wire

2011-04-30T00:52:29Z

With just three days to go before the Kings' deadline to file for relocation, Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson said Friday he's not sure who has the ball – but Sacramento officials hope a regionally coordinated effort to build an arena will make enough of a difference that the National Basketball Association and the Kings' owners keep the team here another year.

Billionaire Henry Samueli, whose company manages Anaheim's Honda Center, upped the ante Wednesday when he offered to personally invest more than $70 million for improvements at the Honda Center and provide a personal loan of at least $75 million to the Maloofs.

Samueli, who owns the Anaheim Ducks hockey team, also revealed $30 million - $40 million in corporate commitments for the Kings and a six-year TV contract worth $144 million from several networks, an Anaheim Arena Management spokesman confirmed.

Since then, billionaire Pittsburgh Penguins co-owner Ron Burkle hasn't come forward with any additional financial incentives to keep the team in Sacramento. Johnson said he thinks the Maloofs haven't "engaged" with Burkle to discuss his desire to buy the Kings, but he doesn't know if the Kings' majority owners might be interested in talking with Burkle if the team stays in Sacramento.

Friday afternoon, Johnson described himself and other officials as "hopeful" and "cautiously optimistic" the team will remain here. The Kings' owners, the Maloofs, are facing more of a fight in their effort to relocate the team than expected, he added in a press conference after a meeting with regional elected officials.

"I think it's pretty clear that they're in a situation where it's not as easy to go to Anaheim as maybe they thought it would be before, and that Sacramento has put forth an attractive alternative or counter-proposal," Johnson said after the meeting at Sacramento Area Council of Governments headquarters. "Money can't buy you the love that I think our community has shown this franchise over the last 26 years."

The Maloofs have a deadline of 2 p.m. Monday to file a request to move the team, Kings spokesman Troy Hanson said.

Samueli and other Anaheim Arena Management officials haven't talked with the NBA since Wednesday, when a conference call was held with the Maloofs.

The NBA's Relocation Committee, chaired by Oklahoma City Thunder owner Clay Bennett, has gathered information about both Sacramento and Anaheim as markets for the Kings. Some of that information was collected by Bennett and others on a fact-finding mission that began here last week.

The committee will report its finding to the NBA Board of Governors only if the Maloofs file a relocation request. The board then has 120 days to vote on relocation, sources said.

NBA officials would not discuss the relocation request process.

About 30 people – the majority of them elected officials – gathered at SACOG Friday morning to get an update from Sacramento's mayor on Kings developments. Attendees included Sacramento County Supervisor Phil Serna; mayors from Folsom, Elk Grove and Yuba City; Sacramento City Councilmen Steve Cohn, Rob Fong and Jay Schenirer; Downtown Sacramento Partnership Executive Director Michael Ault; and representatives from state and U.S. elected officials.

Sacramento Developer David Taylor also attended the meeting. He told the elected officials Friday that his company and ICON Venue Group have "all the pieces in place" to finish an analysis of how to build and finance a new arena, but they need another month to complete it.

If the Kings stay, regular regional meetings will be held to focus on replacing Power Balance Pavilion with a bigger arena.

Taylor discussed the need to build an arena that fits the Sacramento region’s market. That may mean a 650,000-square-foot arena. That would replace Power Balance Pavilion, which seats up to 17,317 people in 442,000 square feet. Originally called Arco Arena, the facility opened in 1988 at a cost of $40 million.

Johnson said he believes a collaboration by the region's six counties and 22 cities give Sacramento an advantage in a new effort to build an arena.

"It's the regional leadership and coordination of us working together (that) will be one of the things that is going to help us get the ball across the finish line as it comes to a new sports and entertainment complex," he said.

Suzanne Hurt is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Folllow her on Twitter @SuzanneHurt.

NBA considers Kings' fate

2011-04-29T00:42:23Z

The National Basketball Association apparently continued weighing Sacramento and Anaheim as markets for the Kings Thursday.

Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson jumped off a stage to take a phone call at a groundbreaking ceremony for railyards railroad track relocation Thursday morning. He later said he wouldn't comment on whether the call came from NBA Commissioner David Stern.

Shortly after finishing the call, Johnson told reporters he didn't have any word on a Kings decision, from either Stern or Oklahoma City Thunder owner Clay Bennett, who chairs the league's Relocation Committee.

"I have not gotten an update," said Johnson, who described the call as "private." "I haven't heard from Clay Bennett."

Johnson said he believes the Relocation Committee met Wednesday. NBA representatives also reportedly had a conference call with the Maloofs and Anaheim Arena Management officials Wednesday. NBA officials would not confirm either the meeting or the call. Anaheim city officials weren't involved in the phone call. Kings representatives and Anaheim Arena Management could not be reached for comment.

However, the mayor said he was aware NBA representatives are "still talking to both sides" before making a decision that's expected to be announced by Monday. That's also the deadline for the Kings' owners, the Maloofs, to file a relocation request with the NBA.

The mayor has invited regional elected officials back for an update on the Kings at 11 a.m. Friday at the Sacramento Area Council of Governments, 1415 L St.

NBA officials won't comment on whether the Maloofs still have a choice about staying in Sacramento for at least a year following a successful signature collection drive by politically connected Sacramentans.

A firm hired by Sacramento political consultant Rob Stutzman and former City Councilman Robbie Waters on behalf of the Committee to Save the Kings said this week enough signatures have been gathered to stop Anaheim from issuing $75 million in bonds to help the Kings move for at least a year. The bonds can't be issued until approved by voters in a special election or the next scheduled election in June 2012.

On Thursday, the sentiment and uncertainty in Anaheim echoed that of Sacramento. Officials in both cities used nearly the same words to say they’ve done everything they can and now are just waiting for a decision.

"You can't do any more than we've done," Johnson said, standing in the railyards near what could be the future site of a new arena. "It's in the league's hands at this point."

Suzanne Hurt is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @SuzanneHurt.

Regional meeting on Kings expected Friday

2011-04-28T03:29:37Z

Regional leaders are expected to meet Friday for an update on efforts to keep the Sacramento Kings here, but talk about financing a new arena will be postponed until the National Basketball Association announces whether the team will stay, it was reported Wednesday.

An invitation to a status update meeting was sent to elected officials late Wednesday afternoon. The meeting is tentatively set for 10 a.m. Friday across from the Capitol, at the headquarters for the Sacramento Area Council of Governments, 1415 L St., sources said.

The meeting is being held to inform leaders from the six-county region, city of Sacramento and state on progress made with the NBA this week.

The meeting will include an update about the discussion Tuesday between NBA staff and 30 businesses that agreed to make deposits on more than $10.2 million in financial support. The meeting will also include anything else that develops with the NBA Thursday or Friday.

The league is expected to make a decision by Monday about where the team will be based for the next year. That's also the deadline for the Kings' owners, the Maloofs, to file a relocation request with the NBA. No reports of an early decision have surfaced yet.

Officials won't discuss how to finance a new sports and entertainment center in downtown Sacramento and the possible creation of a joint powers authority unless the NBA makes a decision by then.

"We put (talk about financing an arena) on hold right now because we're trying to give the NBA time to make their decision on whether the Kings will be staying here," said Yuba City Mayor John Dukes, one of the effort’s organizers. "Nothing is being done right now until we hear from the NBA."

The NBA's Relocation Committee, chaired by Oklahoma City Thunder owner Clay Bennett, will meet by Monday to make a decision following an NBA fact-finding mission that began here last week.

Mayor Kevin Johnson's office hadn’t gotten any word on a decision by late Wednesday afternoon. NBA officials would not comment on when a decision is expected or when the committee meeting had been scheduled.

In recent weeks, Kings fans, elected officials and business leaders from throughout the area rallied support to keep the team rather than lose the Kings to Anaheim.

The effort to build a new arena may expand to seven counties after Nevada County officials expressed interest in joining an effort that includes representatives from Sacramento, the six-county region, the state and federal government. The six counties in the region are Sacramento, Placer, Yolo, El Dorado, Yuba and Sutter.

"It's good that (more) people are wanting in," Dukes said.

Also this week, a political consultant group hired by politically connected Sacramentans said enough signatures have been gathered to stop Anaheim from issuing $75 million in bonds to help the Kings move for at least a year. However, billionaire Henry Samueli, who manages Anaheim's Honda Center, could possibly replace the bond issue with a personal investment.

The bonds can't be issued by Anaheim until approved by voters in June 2012 or in an expensive special election. The firm, Arno Political Consultants, was hired by Rob Stutzman, a Sacramento political consultant, and Robbie Waters, a former city councilman, on behalf of the Committee to Save the Kings.

NBA officials would not comment on the impact of the signature drive Wednesday.

Representatives from throughout the region were brought together last week by Johnson to show public support for keeping the Kings and building a new arena to replace Power Balance Pavilion. The mayor's office and those regional leaders will be involved in the effort to finance a new arena.

The effort will gather information from an arena feasibility study being done by Colorado arena builder ICON Venue Group and local developer David Taylor.

If the Kings remain in Sacramento, the group will initially focus on setting up a joint powers authority that will likely need to be approved by each of the counties, Dukes said.

"If we can get everyone in the region to agree on it, I think we'll move forward with it," he said.

Editorial Note: This is an updated version of an earlier story.

Suzanne Hurt is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @SuzanneHurt.

Sacramento awaits word on Kings

2011-04-27T01:23:12Z

Sacramento Kings fans, officials and business leaders are waiting to hear in the next few days whether the team will stay here for at least a year after businesses ponied up deposits on more than $10.2 million in financial support Tuesday.

The National Basketball Association's Relocation Committee, chaired by Oklahoma City Thunder owner Clay Bennett, will meet between now and Monday to make a decision. Sacramento officials have asked to learn sooner than May 2, if possible, whether the Kings will remain in Sacramento rather than move to Anaheim.

May 2 is the deadline for the Kings' owners, the Maloofs, to file a relocation request.

There has been little public discussion of the impact an Anaheim signature collection drive has had in blocking a Kings move for at least a year – forcing the NBA and the Maloofs to keep the team here.

Arno Political Consultants, working on behalf of the Committee to Save the Kings and organizers Rob Stutzman, a Sacramento political consultant, and Robbie Waters, a former city councilman, said Monday they've gathered 11,000 - 12,000 signatures.

While the signatures must still be certified, there are more than enough to block Anaheim from issuing $75 million in bonds to help the Kings move unless that's approved by voters in June 2012 or in a special election.

Tuesday morning, Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson distanced himself from the signature drive. In the bid to keep the Kings, Johnson promised NBA officials Sacramento leaders would concentrate on doing what they could to prove the region is a viable NBA market.

"We have focused on what we can control here in Sacramento. That has been our commitment from day one. We knew if we stepped up from the corporate community, we'd be in the ball game. That was our offensive play," he said in a press conference outside Golden One Credit Union, 845 Cal Center Drive. "What's happening in Anaheim – that's somebody else's fight.... We weren't involved in that."

Representatives from 30 businesses made deposits on more than $10.2 million in pledges in a meeting with seven staff members from the NBA's Team Marketing and Business Operations department at Golden One, said Johnson, who named businesses and later released a list of those who have pledged financial support.

Johnson had asked Sacramento Metro Chamber President Matt Mahood; political strategist Darius Anderson; special events planner Sharon Gerber, who owns Six Degreez; and Warren Smith, who helped bring the River Cats to West Sacramento; to gather support from the business community to pledge money to buy corporate sponsorships, Kings tickets and luxury suites.

Anderson, a San Francisco investor, and billionaire Pittsburgh Penguins co-owner Ron Burkle emerged two weeks ago as possible investors willing to buy the Kings or bring another team here if the Kings left.

Bennett and an NBA attorney were in town last week for the first set of NBA meetings with local elected officials and business leaders. Their visit was set up following Johnson’s appearance before Bennett’s NBA committee and the NBA’s finance committee April 14.

On Friday, an NBA official confirmed the league had no plans to send anyone to Anaheim for a similar fact-finding mission.

NBA staff members met with the mayor at the end of the day Monday and told him they'd need deposits on those pledges, Johnson said.

"Today, they have put their money where their mouth is – demonstrated to the NBA that we are for real and we're here to support the NBA, support the Kings – not just this year, but for many years go come," Mahood said during the press conference.

Six people from the Sacramento groups Blackramento Cali Africans (BCA) and All Things Are Possible (ATAP) stood on Golden One's palm tree-filled plaza to protest during the NBA meeting and press conference. The group held signs reading, "We need education, not recreation" and "Invest your money in the youth of tomorrow."

They questioned why the public wasn't informed in advance of Tuesday's NBA meeting and others the NBA and mayor's office have set up in Sacramento in the last week.

"There shouldn't be secret meetings," ATAP Chief Executive Officer Olatunji Richards said. "It seems to be going through the back door."

They said they would like to see more money spent on school programs, job training and job creation rather than keeping the Kings.

"They're finding millions of dollars out there to save the Kings," BCA President Keon Johnson said. "The conditions in my community don't reflect the millions that (should) trickle down from the Kings."

Suzanne Hurt is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @SuzanneHurt.

NBA may not visit Anaheim

2011-04-23T01:41:25Z

Sacramento has gotten no word from the National Basketball Association that the Kings are staying in town – but the league doesn't have plans yet to visit Anaheim, an NBA official said Friday.

League staff members will be in Sacramento Monday to collect more detailed information about financial support for the Kings and a new arena following a two-day visit Thursday and Friday by an NBA attorney and NBA Relocation Committee Chair Clay Bennett, who owns the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Bennett will report back to his committee next week, said Tim Frank, the NBA's senior vice president of Basketball Communications.

However, NBA officials have not scheduled a similar fact-finding mission to Southern California, Frank said.

"No trip planned at the moment for Anaheim," he wrote in an email.

The Kings' owners, the Maloofs, said Friday they have not yet made a decision about whether to file a relocation request to move the team. The deadline is May 2.

On Thursday, Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg and other elected official asked the NBA to give the region a year to show they will be able to replace Power Balance Pavilion with a new home for the Kings.

The Los Angeles Times reported Friday afternoon NBA officials said they expect the Kings to stay in the state capital for the next year. However, the NBA has not told this to the city of Sacramento, Mayor Kevin Johnson said in a late-afternoon press conference.

"I have not heard that from David Stern's mouth. I have not heard that from Clay Bennett," said Johnson, who called the claim "too premature."

"I haven't heard anything close to that, by any means."

Still, Anaheim didn't sound like the happiest place on earth Friday. Mayor Tom Tait issued a brief statement saying he didn't want to respond to "unconfirmed reports."

“As we have said all along, Anaheim is an NBA-ready city,” he said in a prepared statement. “We put forth a great presentation at the NBA Board of Governors meetings in New York. And we are confident that we have established this region as a stand-alone market and that the NBA looks favorably on our city, our arena and our fans."

Anaheim city officials didn't wish to comment on the NBA having no visits scheduled for Anaheim, said Ruth Ruiz, spokeswoman for the city manager's office.

"That would be a decision for someone in the NBA to make," Ruiz said late Friday afternoon.

George Maloof told Johnson early this week they want to let Bennett and the NBA gather information before further discussing a possible move with the NBA or the city of Sacramento. The Maloofs repeated that in a prepared statement sent out Friday in response to reports the NBA has decided keep the Kings in Sacramento.

"We await the results of the fact-finding visit that the NBA made to Sacramento the past two days," according to the statement. "We have not made a decision with regards to relocation filing, and will not make that decision until we have more information from the NBA."

Johnson thanked Kings fans, the business community and other elected officials for their help in fighting "tooth and nail" to help keep the Kings in Sacramento.

By Friday, the Sacramento Metro Chamber, city and others had raised more than $10.2 million in pledges of financial support for the Kings if they stay.

"Clay Bennett got a chance to sit down and look face to face with the people who made these pledges, and they didn't flinch," Johnson said at City Hall.

NBA officials dined at Ella Thursday night and met from 9 a.m.- noon Friday with the Maloofs. Johnson said he rode to the airport with Bennett.

"They felt that our community had stepped up," Johnson said.

The mayor said NBA officials indicated they will say next week when they expect to make a decision, after meeting with the Kings and the Sacramento region's corporate community to discuss those pledges.

City officials and business leaders will have to wait until late May when an arena feasibility study is complete to start determining how new arena construction might be financed, he said.

Using a basketball analogy, Johnson said he no longer feels like Sacramento is behind in the game by 20 points. But he also doesn't yet feel like Sacramento has won the fight to keep the Kings.

"We've shrunk that lead to something manageable," he said.

Suzanne Hurt is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @SuzanneHurt.

Region asks NBA for another year with Kings

2011-04-22T01:35:14Z

Sacramento leaders asked National Basketball Association officials visiting Thursday to keep the Kings in Sacramento for at least another year while the region proves a new arena can be built – and an answer is expected May 2.

In a closed-door meeting at the state Capitol Thursday morning, Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg and other elected officials from the city and state asked the NBA to give the region a year to show they will be able to replace Power Balance Pavilion with a new home for the Kings.

Kings supporters also did their best to paint the town purple – waving purple-lettered signs outside City Hall, hanging Kings banners on buildings and dressing in the team's color. Oklahoma City Thunder owner Clay Bennett, who chairs the NBA Board of Governor's Relocation Committee, even wore a purple tie to the NBA meetings in Sacramento.

An NBA delegation led by Bennett and Harvey Benjamin, an attorney, met with about 20 people, including Sacramento City Council members and state officials, in Steinberg's office. NBA officials, who will also be here Friday, didn't indicate which way they're leaning.

"We haven't got a commitment yet," Mayor Kevin Johnson said in a press conference outside the U.S. Bank Building Thursday. "The quicker we get word that (the) team is here for another year – that is a big statement. I think that will happen no later than May 2, as I understand it today."

In a second NBA meeting Thursday – this time with business leaders at the U.S. Bank Building – Bennett and Benjamin asked if the region's corporate community is ready to "sign on the dotted line" to provide $9.2 million in financial support if the Kings remain in Sacramento another year, Johnson said.

"Clay Bennett wanted to make sure these were hard commitments," he said, adding that corporate leaders responded, "Yes."

Pledges were raised in the last two weeks during an effort spearheaded by Sacramento Metro Chamber President Matt Mahood and the mayor. Businesses and corporate leaders came "out of the woodwork" to pledge money – including owners of small and medium-size businesses whose smaller pledges haven't been tapped into yet, Mahood said during the press conference right after the meeting.

ICON Venue Group President Tim Romani and others from the ICON-Taylor development team later gave NBA officials an update on the financial feasibility study they're doing for a new arena.

No Kings rallies were held Thursday, said Kings blogger Blake Ellington, who founded the Here We Stay movement to keep the Kings in Sacramento.

But he and other supporters of the effort to keep the team wore plenty of purple. Members of the SEIU labor union waved signs saying workers support the Kings being here at the corner of 10th and I streets, outside City Hall.

Artist Anthony Padilla spray painted a large statue of a book in Natomas with the words "Here We Build" in purple.

Tim Ahmadzai, owner of the Hometown Favorites sports store at Sacramento International Airport's terminal A, decked out the front of his store with purple balloons and Kings paraphernalia to welcome the NBA to town.

Renee Viehmann of Rancho Cordova and her weimaraner, Roxie, both dressed in purple and stood outside the U.S. Bank Building where they hoped to catch a glimpse of NBA officials.

"I just wanted to come down and show the purple and hopefully show the NBA we don't want them to go," she said.

About 20 people who were out and about on J, K and L streets in downtown and Midtown late Thursday afternoon were spotted wearing purple. There weren't many people walking around the grid at that time, but some Kings fans expressed their loyalty through purple shirts, ties and Kings jerseys.

On Friday, 28-year-old Alex Kramers, a financial analyst in New York, said he will lead 10 to 20 Kings fans to NBA headquarters at 645 Fifth Ave. at 1 p.m. EDT. Dressed in purple, they will rally outside and drop off letters asking NBA Commissioner David Stern to keep the Kings in Sacramento.

Kramers has never lived in Sacramento. He became a Kings fan in the early 1990s watching Mitch Richmond play. He's been a "fan correspondent" writing on the Kings website this year.

He discovered other Kings fans also live in New York when he showed up outside last week's NBA meeting at the St. Regis Hotel. They decided to rally together this week, he said.

"We've got some passionate fans," Kramers said.

West Sacramento Mayor Christopher Cabaldon also said the meeting with the NBA went well.

"They were asking the right questions, and anytime they tuned in to the radio or turned on the TV or even went outside, they can't help but see the support for the team," he said as he stood inside Capitol Bowl in West Sacramento.

"They're here getting our business strategy.... We may not have our I's dotted and our T's crossed, but we know how to make this work, and they see that the whole region is coming together."

Bowling alley Manager Chris White said the Kings have always been part of this region and she will be sad if they go. Kings players have been loyal customers, she said.

"I bought size 16 and 17 (bowling) shoes because the Kings would come here and bowl," she said Thursday afternoon. "Mike Bibby and Bobby Jackson used to come here all the time and bring their friends and families."

But not everyone wore purple Thursday. Sacramento State student Jon Haas decided not to when he went into his internship at the Board of Equalization in the U.S. Bank Building Thursday.

"To be totally honest, I'd like the Kings to stay. But I'd like the Maloofs to go," he said, noting the Kings owners still owe the city millions of dollars. "It just seems like more trouble than it's worth."

After his morning meeting, Steinberg said NBA officials were "keeping their cards close to their chest" but he and others thought the meeting was very positive, said Steinberg spokeswoman Alicia Trost.

NBA officials are scheduled to do more fact-finding in town Friday, but no details were available.

Johnson and others appeared hopeful Thursday that the NBA wouldn't approve the Kings moving to Anaheim in early May.

"If we win today and if we get one more year, it's going to really boil down to our ability to build a new entertainment-sports complex," Johnson said. "People are going to want to know what's different. I think this is the beginning of hopefully something very positive going forward."

Staff reporters Brandon Darnell and Kathleen Haley contributed to this report. Suzanne Hurt is a staff writer for The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @SuzanneHurt.

Fans, leaders roll out purple carpet for NBA

2011-04-21T01:20:32Z

A day before National Basketball Association representatives arrive in Sacramento, regional leaders gathered in the state capital Wednesday to show their support for what has until now been the city's effort to keep the Kings and build a new arena.

Kings fans and business leaders have launched a campaign called "Here We Purple" in anticipation of the NBA's arrival. The movement grew on Facebook and Twitter, where organizers are encouraging everyone in the city to paint the town purple and wear purple clothes Thursday and/or Friday.

Elected officials from as far away as Loomis, Yuba City and Yolo County joined Mayor Kevin Johnson for an hour-long meeting and press conference he held to drum up support for the team.

Johnson will meet with Oklahoma City Thunder owner Clay Bennett, who chairs the NBA Board of Governor's Relocation Committee, and NBA Executive Counsel Harvey Benjamin on their two-day fact-finding mission here Thursday and Friday.

The Kings and the arena where they play have been regional assets that have brought jobs, business, marketing opportunities and a national identity to the six-county region – which includes Sacramento, Placer, Yolo, El Dorado, Yuba and Sutter counties, several leaders said.

"The NBA and the Kings span the entire region. They are not simply part of the city of Sacramento. They are one of the region's most important assets," West Sacramento Mayor Christopher Cabaldon said during the press conference.

"We want to make it clear to the NBA that the entire region is standing behind Mayor Johnson, the city of Sacramento and the Kings to assure that the NBA remains a critical part of this community and this region," he said.

Late Wednesday afternoon, Kings fans and businesses used social media to get the word out on efforts to swathe Sacramento and its residents in purple.

Grange Restaurant and Bar will put the "Kings Preservation" cocktail on the menu Thursday. The Midtown bar Alley Katz is offering $1 purple beers Thursday. Restaurants, bars and a movie theater are offering freebies and special deals for customers dressed in purple. The Esquire IMAX Theatre will give away free popcorn to anyone wearing that color.

On Wednesday morning, about 36 people representing all six counties, six to eight cities and four chambers of commerce met with Johnson at the headquarters for the Sacramento Area Council of Governments, across from the Capitol. City Councilmen Steve Cohn and Jay Schenirer took part. Representatives were also sent by state Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, state Sen. Ted Gaines and U.S. Rep. Doris Matsui.

Yolo County Supervisor Jimmie Yee said he wants to work with leaders from throughout the region to figure out how to build a new arena to replace Power Balance Pavilion and keep the Kings in Sacramento.

"An entertainment center, not just for NBA basketball, but for all entertainment, is a regional asset," Yee said.

On Wednesday, Johnson did not mention another option he raised before the NBA team owners last week: that a group led by billionaire Pittsburgh Penguins co-owner Ron Burkle buy the Kings to keep them here or bring in another team.

Neither Burkle nor his investment partner, San Francisco political strategist Darius Anderson, have been available for more comment on their plan since the NBA meeting.

On Friday, NBA Commissioner David Stern indicated Johnson's "businesslike" approach and presentation to team owners were critical in getting the league to postpone the team's relocation request deadline to May 2.

No details were available on the NBA's visit or meeting with the mayor.

Several at the press conference outside Meridian Plaza, 1415 L St., credited Johnson with turning the conversation around in the last two weeks to refocus on a desire to keep the Kings and continuing the efforts to stop the team from moving to Anaheim.

In that time, Johnson has led a drive that's raised at least $8 million in pledges of financial support for the team in the form of corporate sponsorships, luxury suite sales or next season tickets. He made a pitch to stop the Kings from leaving the city or at least protect Sacramento's reputation as a viable NBA market when he appeared before NBA Board of Governors committees last week.

"It's really critical and I think it's phenomenal that we have been able to turn around that sentiment that, two weeks ago, felt like it was a done deal," Sacramento Hispanic Chamber of Commerce President Steve Gándola said. "Today, I really feel we have a strong shot at keeping them here."

The Sacramento Press will turn its website purple Thursday. Kings supporters can post photos of people dressed in purple and other creative ways people show support for this effort at www.sacramentopress.com.