The Neighborhood Services/Special Events Division of the City of Sacramento will hold their first in a series of quarterly Community Partnership Meetings on Monday, January 9, 2012 at the South Natomas Community Center at 6:30pm. The meetings are held to facilitate broad communication between the City and the community on issues, policies & priorities. Top discussion topics include a presentation by the Department of Utilities regarding proposed water and sewer rate changes. Utilities has provided their own outreach through Rate Workshops and the "Your Utilities, Your Voice" website. Another top discussion topic is the update to the Special Events Ordinance, particularly changes regardi

This has been a big year for Sacramento and especially for South Sacramento, where development projects flourished and neighborhoods saw improvements on nearly every corner. “No one hears about South Sacramento unless there’s been a murder or a shooting,” said City Councilwoman Bonnie Pannell, who represents south area neighborhoods in District 8. “We have so much more going on, though.” Pannell has represented one of the two southern-most districts of the city since 1998, and in those 12 years she has been behind projects ranging from neighborhood beautification to housing to commercial development. “There was nothing at Freeport and Meadowview when I came on (to council),” Pannell sai

A group of nearly 40 residents and city staffers held an in-depth discussion on the city’s redistricting process Monday night at the Ethel Hart Senior Center. Residents explored a range of topics, including the role of race in the process. The city redesigns its City Council districts every 10 years by using U.S. Census data. The 2010 Census data that the city will use is expected to be released in April. The new districts must be drawn up and finished six months after the Census data is available, according to the city’s charter. The city’s deadline for the 2011 redistricting process will be Sept. 27. At Monday night’s redistricting forum, hosted by the Area 1 Neighborhood Advisory Gro

Organization leaders, educators, youth advisers and concerned parents met Tuesday at the Pannell Meadowview Community Center to hear Rayford Johnson speak on gang violence and the "thug" mentality. About 40 audience members came in from all over the Sacramento area to be a part of this presentation. This workshop was part two of six of the "Addressing Thug Life" workshop series held by the city of Sacramento and Faith Leaders Initiative. Johnson is a photojournalist-turned-youth correctional adviser. He is also a licensed minister, author of the book, Thug Mentality Exposed, and director of the anti-gang initiative website, thugexposed.org. Having spent time with inmates in California'

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