Six of the seven candidates for council District 4 discussed the role of business and the value of art to the central city at a forum hosted by four business organizations Monday. The candidates – Steve Hansen, Phyllis Newton, Joe Yee, Michael Rehm, Terry Schanz and Neil Davidson – took the stage at the Cosmopolitan Cabaret Theatre on K Street Monday to answer a slew of questions about issues facing Sacramento’s recently reshaped District 4. Wendy Hoyt, local businesswoman and former president of the Downtown Sacramento Partnership, moderated the forum. Hoyt noted that the central city is made up of variety of businesses and asked how the candidates would handle potential conflicts betw

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

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

A downtown K Street businessman is turning to other nearby businesses and the community in an effort to jump-start the long-blighted area’s revitalization with the rallying cry: “It's your turn. It's my turn. It's OUR Sacramento.” Señor Ernesto Delgado de Tequila, owner of Tequila Museo Mayahuel at 1200 K St., wants to start a grassroots campaign encouraging people to come downtown to eat, shop and explore. “I want to put a call out to people to come here, take a walk and experience downtown,” Delgado said Wednesday. “There is so much here, and people should be part of it.” Delgado opened his restaurant six months ago on what is arguably the most vibrant section of K Street at the momen

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 fin

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 downto

A dramatic scene unfolded at Sacramento City Hall on Tuesday evening as more than 160 employees gathered for a press conference to protest proposed layoffs in the Police Department. The staffers held numbers up, signifying that they could be among the numbers of people laid off. They were part of a crowd of more than 400 people that gathered at City Hall around 6 p.m. for a Sacramento City Council hearing on proposed layoffs at the Police Department. About 80 sworn officers could be laid off if the City Council follows recommendations from Interim City Manager Bill Edgar and Interim Deputy City Manager Betty Masuoka’s proposed budget. An additional 38 community service police staffers c

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 levels. 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 Sacr

Mayor Kevin Johnson on Thursday sounded resigned to the idea Sacramento may soon lose its professional basketball team. A day after his first conversation with the Sacramento Kings' owners in more than a month, Johnson said Anaheim and its city-owned arena, the Honda Center, have this city beaten on too many fronts. Anaheim has a lucrative TV market and the Walt Disney Company’s Disneyland and other Fortune 500 companies that can buy sponsorships and luxury boxes and suites – critical revenue streams for basketball teams, in addition to ticket sales. Sacramento's economy is struggling and its arena is outdated, he said. "It's a business decision and the economics of Anaheim are better t

Struggling Westfield Downtown Plaza lost another key tenant Wednesday when Z Gallerie closed its furniture and home accessories store after nearly 20 years of business. On Thursday, the store at 545 L St. was empty of everything except wooden shelving units, the sales counter and light fixtures as District Manager Mike Jaeger and staff took care of remaining details. The Southern California-based company decided to close the store when its lease ended because the store wasn't making enough money at that location, Z Gallerie Public Relations Manager Gordon Andahl said. "The decline in sales no longer supported the cost of operating the store," Andahl said, adding that Z Gallerie had "pro

Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposal to slash redevelopment agencies spurred a protest and press conference at the Convention Center Friday, bringing together Sacramento leaders and about 100 officials from cities throughout the state. Chris McKenzie, executive director of the League of California Cities, said that cities may consider suing the state if it disbands redevelopment agencies. Brown’s office contends that local services, such as schools and public safety, could receive the funding currently used by redevelopment agencies if the agencies shut down. But city leaders in Sacramento and throughout the state argue that ending redevelopment agencies would seriously harm jobs and local develo

During his opening remarks at Tuesday's State of Downtown breakfast at the Memorial Auditorium, Downtown Sacramento Partnership Executive Director Michael Ault noted that this was the first State of Downtown in several years that wasn't taking place in a hurricane or a flood. That hyperbole was cold comfort to the several hundred movers and shakers assembled at tables on the auditorium's old hardwood floor. They had come out on a typically gray and bone-chilling January morning for the 15th year of the event. But that was certainly one apt way to sum up the overall feeling of the annual meeting: It could have been worse. Because the fact is, it has been worse. For a few years now. With

Sacramento starts 2011 with a new governor and many projects in the works. With the new year comes the opportunity for a fresh start, and many make New Year's resolutions to avoid past mistakes or better themselves in some way. We asked Sacramentans to share their resolutions with us. If you have one you'd like to share, add it to the comment thread below.  Janet Whalen Zeller, founder and co-director of Soil Born Farms: "To remember, moment by moment, that the life I want to live is the life I am creating now. To create positive change in our community by participating in the creation of a local food system that makes healthy food accessible to all."   Gerald Celestine, (pictured rig

Sacramento's holiday ice-skating rink opened downtown Friday with fanfare and free skating. About 120 screaming school kids joined Mayor Kevin Johnson, Assemblyman-elect Roger Dickinson and Downtown Sacramento Partnership Executive Director Michael Ault at a noon ceremony to welcome the Westfield Downtown Ice Rink back to St. Rose of Lima Park. The capital's outdoor winter skating rink was built in Midtown last year during a $4.5 million renovation of the park at Seventh and K streets, the 700 block of K Street and a light rail platform relocation. "I think the ice rink is back where it belongs," Dickinson told the crowd shortly before he, Johnson and Ault cut a big red ribbon at the ri

Downtown Sacramento will take the spotlight this week for the California Downtown Association's 2010 annual conference. The conference, which starts Wednesday and runs through Friday, marks the 15th anniversary of state legislation that allowed property-based improvement districts to finance improvements in business districts. The conference also marks the 15th anniversary of the Downtown Sacramento Partnership, created in 1995 as the first such district and led by Michael Ault, said DSP spokeswoman Lisa Martinez. Local speakers will talk about successes in downtown Sacramento and other nearby districts. Several walking tours will highlight the city's architecture and other elements of i

The Sept. 12 shooting has some Sacramentans wondering if the Second Saturday Art Walk is going to go the way of K Street’s Thursday Night Market. According to Michael Picker, The Thursday Night Market was inspired by an event in San Louis Obispo and was intended to be a small-scale street fair people could stop by on their way home from work, but it grew to attract crowds far larger than anticipated as people went home first, picked up their families and then returned to the market. Picker, who was chief of staff for Mayor Joe Serna Jr. when Thursday Night Market was introduced, both the Thursday Night Market and Second Saturday Art Walk became victims of their own success. “Everybody p

Valerie Mamone-Werder walked K Street Mall on a wet morning last week. Wrapped in a black trench coat, Downtown Sacramento Partnership's new retail recruiter didn't seem to notice the dark clouds bulging with the day's next rainstorm. She seemed too full of excitement. "I love all these old buildings," Mamone-Werder said, standing near a corner of 10th and K streets. She pointed out what's happening near that important spot: the sophisticated vibe The Cosmopolitan cabaret, café and nightclub have brought to a corner once inhabited by Woolworth's, and the work under way nearby to turn a former Hit or Miss clothing store into Dive Bar and Pizza Rock. She also discussed the potential for t

A Fortune 500 company is consolidating its regional office in Sacramento's central city. Although moving only two blocks, AECOM's choice to remain here and bring more workers to the city's core is cause for some celebration after many regional and divisional offices shrunk in the last two years, local business leaders said. "This is an indication that we're heading in the right direction," said Michael Ault, executive director of the Downtown Sacramento Partnership. AECOM, headquartered in Los Angeles, merged with the environmental, planning and design firm EDAW in 2006. AECOM added construction, engineering, architecture and high-level project management, as well as a global force of 4

De Vere's Irish Pub held its inaugural St. Baldrick's event Monday, raising more than $81,000 for cancer research, $10,000 of which came from De Vere's. The pub's roped-off sidewalk was packed with spectators trying to get a glimpse of local participants shaving their locks to conquer kids' cancer. De Vere's had 221 shavees lined up for their turn to get snipped. Publicly displayed on the patio, shavees winced when they felt the cold steel clippers reach deep down to the scalp. The participants' reactions caused perpetual laughter, since there was a four-barber-rotation, and each head took only a minute to shave. The crowd stirred when Shawn Eldredge, a City Council candidate for Distri

 The Hard Rock Cafe in downtown Sacramento is closing its doors after 12 years. The restaurant was an anchor of the troubled Westfield Downtown Plaza, and is the latest casualty of the poor economy, said Mayor Kevin Johnson. "The Hard Rock closing certainly reflects what is going on with this country and state. It's hitting us very hard," Johnson said at a press conference Friday. "We haven't hit bottom and we haven't come out of it yet, and that's very difficult for all of us." Michael Ault, executive director of the Downtown Sacramento Partnership, said he just heard about the closing Thursday. "We are disappointed," he said. "Hard Rock is an iconic property. The destination it repre