Come along and be a part of the FREE fun at the City of Sacramento’s 2011 Earth Day celebration! Earth dwellers of all ages are invited to come celebrate and learn about our majestic world, and the Sacramento community’s role in helping to make our area a green and even more environmentally friendly city. The Earth Day celebration takes place on Thursday April 21st, at the City Hall Plaza located at 915 I Street, and Cesar Chavez Park located just across tthe street in downtown Sacramento. Our celebration kicks off with lively entertainment at 9 :00 AM with the festivities continuing until 2:00 PM. The green fun includes interactive learning, complete with clean air demonstrations, ring-

The city’s $43 million budget gap means that the city’s Neighborhood Services Department won’t be a distinct department much longer. Neighborhood Services, which works with citizens on their concerns with the city government, will be moved into the Parks and Recreation Department to save money, according to a report from Interim Assistant City Manager Patti Bisharat. The Office of Youth Development will also join Parks and Recreation. Interim City Manager Gus Vina has scheduled the changes to be made in July, according to Bisharat’s report. But Neighborhood Services Director Vincene Jones isn’t leaving the city government. Jones will be the manager of Neighborhood Services under the Pa

Overcoming the life and lure of crime was one of multiple topics discussed by Antwone Fisher and Ricky ‘Freeway’ Ross at the “Sacramento Youth Gets Up Close & Personal with the ‘Real’ Antwone Fisher” event at the George Sim Community Center. “I had to find protection,” said Fisher as he described his days of being emancipated and entering a men’s shelter. “Butch, this guy who was my protector, gave me a job and my job was to collect money from the prostitutes who worked for him.” “He was the first person, that I felt, who really cared about me.” Fisher discussed his time with Butch, and how it came to an end. “He also had these cards that had addresses on them, and people he would send

Screenwriter, author and film producer Antwone Fisher will be in Sacramento Friday to speak to adolescents. Fisher's most notable works include the self-titled movie based on his life, written by Fisher and directed by Denzel Washington, and "Finding Fish," the follow-up autobiographical book. The event, held at the George Sim Community Center from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., is offered free of charge Sacramento's Neighborhood Services Department. "We know lots of children will be at risk, roaming around this summer with little to no summer school being offered," Neighborhood Services director Vincene Jones said. "The idea is to bring in a positive role model who can tell the kids how to succeed

This year's Neighborhood Summit, "Healthy Neighborhoods = A Sustainable City," was held Friday at the Sacramento Convention Center. The meeting was sponsored by the city's Neighborhood Services Department, and had three categories of workshops: Sustainability and Wellness; Maintain, Promote and Revitalize Neighborhoods; and Community Resources and Partnerships. Registration, a continental breakfast and opening session were held before the workshops began. The Sustainability and Wellness portion was held from 9:40 to 10:45 a.m. and had seven workshops. Maintain, Promote and Revitalize Neighborhoods went from 10:55 a.m. to noon and had six workshops. A networking lunch included "resource p

Should the Neighborhood Advisory Group change its name to avoid the acronym “NAG”? That’s one of the questions neighborhood activists raised at Monday’s NAG meeting. Sacramento neighborhood leaders are mulling possible changes to the functions of their community group, as well as engaging in a more light-hearted discussion of their name. But it’s not like the neighbors didn’t realize the humor in the acronym. Margaret Buss of the Boulevard Park Neighborhood Association explained the name to other neighborhood leaders at the NAG meeting, which was held at the Hart Senior Center in Midtown. The group’s acronym was “definitely tongue-in-cheek,” she said, while its full name was formal. “

"Jobs, jobs, jobs, jobs," said Kunal Merchant, Mayor Kevin Johnson's chief of staff. "One issue everyone is focused on is jobs." Merchant, speaking to the group of 20 at the new Valley Hi - North Laguna Library Wednesday night, gave an update on the mayor's top four priorities, which included central city revitalization, specifically on K Street; the city's new green initiative; a new sports arena and charter reform of City Hall. Each priority comes with the intention of creating jobs and creating a stronger city, Merchant said. He spoke of the need to make the downtown mall stronger to attract and retain business and help local businesses on K Street thrive. He also explained the holdup

City of Sacramento Neighborhood Services Department Community Partnership Meetings Important Information . . . Neighborhood Networking . . . Civic Engagement Got questions? We have the answers . . . Neighborhood Services Department Meeting Dates & Locations Monday, May 10, 2010, 7:00 – 8:30 PM Joe Mims Hagginwood Community Center 3271 Marysville Blvd. (north Sacramento area) Wednesday, May 12, 2010, 7:00 – 8:30 PM Valley Hi – North Laguna Library 7400 Imagination Way (south Sacramento area) Wednesday, May 19, 2010, 7:00 – 8:30 PM Coloma Community Center 4623 T Street (east and central Sacramento area) HOT MEETING TOPICS: • Meet Interim City Manager Gus Vina • Updates from Senator D

Save the Date! City of Sacramento’s Neighborhood Services Department presents: The Neighborhood Summit 2010 Healthy Neighborhoods = A Sustainable City FREE Friday, May 21, 2010 8:30 am – 4:00 pm Sacramento Convention Center, Grand Ballroom 1400 J Street Workshop topics offered at the Neighborhood Summit include: • Sustainability and Wellness • Maintain, Promote and Revitalize Neighborhoods • Community Resources and Partnerships The Neighborhood Summit would not be possible without our generous sponsors: • The Nehemiah Corporation of America • JB Management, Inc. • Sierra Health Foundation • UC Davis Campus Community Relations • Sacramento Consolidated Charities For additional inform

Hundreds of children came to Cesar Chavez Park to learn about the environment at today's Earth Day Celebration. Now in its 40th year, Earth Day was founded in 1970 by Senator Gaylord Nelson as an environmental sit-in. Today, the annual event is celebrated nationwide with a various activities. In Chavez Park, children were taught gardening techniques, took an exercise challenge, played games, and watched a magic show. Radio Disney also provided an interactive performance focusing on the environment, all with a surprise visit from Wun "The Shot" Versher from the Harlem Globetrotters. Radio Disney's act was followed by a performance by the Fall of "X", though this did not stop the kids fro

Interim City Manager Gus Vina responded to questions from six neighborhood activists in an April 9 interview with The Sacramento Press. The following are Vina’s responses to questions from three neighborhood activists. Read Vina’s responses to questions from three other involved citizens in an April 12 story at The Sacramento Press.  Question from Sacramento resident Dale Kooyman: (Ray Kerridge) felt residents did not know what was best for their quality of life when it came to communicating with city staff, historic preservation, streets, sidewalks, traffic, transportation, planning projects and related early notification, neighborhood-serving businesses, fiscal matters, entertainment a

The City of Sacramento, Neighborhood Services Department is hosting bi-monthly Community Partnership Meetings beginning in January 2010.  The Community Partnership Meetings are an opportunity for City staff, neighbors, business owners, and other agencies to exchange information and have open dialogue discussing issues, policies, and priorities for Sacramento's diverse neighborhoods. Important Information . . . Neighborhood Networking . . . Civic Engagement Got questions?  We have the answers . . . Neighborhood Services Department Meeting dates and locations: Monday, January 11, 2010, 7:00 - 8:30 P.M., Robertson Community Center, 3525 Norwood Avenue Wednesday, January 13, 2010, 7:00 -

On Monday night, the city’s budget crisis came close to altering the date and location of the monthly meeting of the Area 1 Neighborhood Advisory Group (NAG). The NAG meets in the evening, 6:15 – 8:30 p.m., on the third Monday of each month at the Ethel MacLeod Hart Center, a community center administered by the city’s Parks and Recreation Department. The attendees are representatives from neighborhood associations, businesses, and citizen-activists. They all assemble in the Center’s Redwood Room to hear city officials speak on issues relating to city policies and services, developers present building plans, and other issues of interest. Due to the city's budget crisis, the Neighborhood