Newest articles on The Sacramento Press tagged as "neighborhoods"

Del Paso Boulevard is not Del Paso Heights

2012-02-09T03:51:47Z

There are many places in Sacramento city and county where a long roadway travels through numerous neighborhoods: Fair Oaks Boulevard, Watt Avenue and Sunrise Boulevard, for starters.

When the street name is very close to the neighborhood name – such as Del Paso Boulevard and Del Paso Heights – people unfamiliar with the area often confuse the road and the neighborhood.

Sacramentans take pride in their neighborhoods and, since the reputation of one neighborhood is not always carried on the roadway to the next, that confusion can get on a resident’s nerves pretty fast.

For example, a commenter on a recent Sacramento Press article about road improvements along Del Paso Boulevard had this to say after seeing a reference to Del Paso Heights in the article:

“The neighborhood that is affected by these changes is Woodlake, not Del Paso Heights. Why do journalists at Sac Press and the Bee constantly think that anything on Del Paso Blvd = Del Paso Heights? Del Paso Heights does not begin until much farther North,” Natalie Kuffel said Monday.

The ire is understandable – Del Paso Heights isn’t located on or adjacent to Del Paso Boulevard, and the nuances of Woodlake and Del Paso Heights are significantly different.

“It’s very confusing, and a lot of people think that they are the same,” said Jerry Kinglsey, president of the Woodlake Neighborhood Association.

Woodlake, as described by Kingsley, is a “nice, quiet community, secluded with lots of old trees.”

The community was established in 1924, and most of the Woodlake community was built in the early ‘30s, Kingsley said Wednesday. Some of the newer homes were built in the 1950s.

“There are people in Woodlake that were born there and raised their children and grandchildren there,” Kingsley said.

The neighborhood is known for its large, older homes and tree-lined streets, Kingsley said.

Woodlake is bound by Arden Way to the north, Hwy 160 to the south, Royal Oaks Drive to the east and Del Paso Boulevard to the west.

Del Paso Heights, on the other hand, is located about four miles north of Woodlake – and the neighborhood begins well past the point on Del Paso Boulevard where the road splits off to become Marysville Boulevard, Kingsley said.

Del Paso Heights is bound by Interstate 80 to the north, the Arcade Creek levee to the south, Marysville Boulevard to the east and Norwood Avenue to the west.

“It all started as part of the Rancho Del Paso land grant,” said Sondra Betancourt, lifelong resident and president of the Ben Ali Neighborhood Association.

Del Paso Heights is also an older neighborhood, and it was predominately a blue-collar/white-collar neighborhood, that "typified the hopes and desires and values of middle-class America of the 1950’s," added Brent Scott, a former Del Paso Heights resident.

“Over time, with use, the familiarity with the first two words become an all-encompassing term,” Betancourt said. “People have a common misconception that anything near Del Paso Heights is Del Paso Heights, but they don’t have any idea of what the map really looks like.”

Del Paso Boulevard travels through multiple neighborhoods after Woodlake – including Old North Sacramento, South Hagginwood and Hagginwood – before ultimately arriving in East Del Paso Heights.

“What most people think of as Del Paso Boulevard – with the art galleries and the finer restaurants – that is Old North Sacramento, which is close to Woodlake,” Betancourt said.

One of the key landmarks in “true Del Paso Heights,” according to Betancourt, is the Urban League building on Marysville Boulevard.

Del Paso Boulevard – the roadway – has been undergoing some transformations lately with streetscape improvements and business development along the corridor.

Meanwhile, Del Paso Heights – the neighborhood – could use some similar improvements, said Fran Barker, president of the Del Paso Heights Improvement Association Monday.

“The streets need lights for safety,” Barker said. “With crime the way it is, the city needs to consider safety projects first.”

Del Paso Boulevard is not Del Paso Heights – it's much more, and residents in the communities along that roadway would likely agree.

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

Traffic signals: Long waiting list for city intersections

2012-01-14T02:30:01Z

On a sunny afternoon in August, a group of kids made their way to Valley Hi Park to play. As they crossed the intersection of Arroyo Vista and Center Parkway, a vehicle driving through the intersection clipped the leg of a 4-year-old walking in the group.

The little girl was left with a fractured leg, and neighbors were left wondering if the accident could have been prevented if there had been a traffic signal in place.

What does it take to get traffic signals installed in Sacramento – especially if residents are seeing safety issues in neighborhood intersections?

Sacramento currently has approximately 800 signals in intersections, including nearly 50 flashing beacons, according to Shad Bennett, a technician in the signal operations division of the city Department of Transportation.

The cost of installing a traffic signal – including equipment, labor and materials – varies depending on the complexity of the project, Bennett said.

“They can be anywhere from $500,000 to a couple million dollars,” Bennett said. “Even the smallest signal is in the range of $200,000 to $400,000.”

Linda Tucker, spokeswoman for the city Department of Transportation, said traffic signals are prioritized according to several criteria, and the city can afford to install typically only one per year.

“If a citizen believes a traffic signal is warranted,” Tucker said in an email Friday, “they can contact 311 and request an investigation, and a traffic investigator will look into it and then determine if it does or doesn’t make the list.”

Some of the criteria needed to install a traffic signal include the impact of school crossings on the intersection, the amount of pedestrian activity and the number of vehicle crashes – fatal and injury-only – at the location.

City transportation engineers evaluate approximately 10-15 new intersections each year for traffic signals. Potential signal locations are suggested through a variety of ways, including traffic investigations, resident requests and council member requests.

Bennett said that, once an intersection is determined to qualify for a traffic signal the location is added to a waiting list.

There are more than 100 potential locations on the list of city intersections currently waiting for some form of traffic-calming measure – and it’s growing.

“Things change, circumstances change,” Bennett said, “so the list changes a bit, too. They try to narrow the list to the top 10 most qualified when it’s time to put in a new signal somewhere.”

The waiting list doesn’t apply to new developments, however, Bennett said.

New development projects that drastically change traffic patterns may require a signal installation, but each new development project typically has funding for the signals included, so those signals are not competing with the signals on the city waiting list.

In 2010, according to the program guide, only one new project was added to the city’s traffic signal list: 29th Street at R Street. Ten other intersections were evaluated, but not included in the list.

According to the Transportation Programming Guide – the document prioritizing the city’s transportation projects, the city first looks at an intersection to determine whether there might be ways, other than a traffic signal, which would improve safety at the intersection.

There are three lead traffic investigators in Sacramento who respond to requests for traffic-calming measures, and each investigator is assigned a territory covering roughly one-third of the city.

Investigation may take two to four weeks to complete, depending on complexity.

What can residents do to speed up the process of getting a traffic signal in a neighborhood intersection where they feel there are safety issues?

Tucker said that, for residential streets, the city offers a neighborhood traffic management program that allows neighbors to collect petitions and start the process of adding any number of traffic-calming measures to their neighborhood.

Speed bumps, new traffic markings or adjusting speed limits may be other ways to make an intersection safer, Tucker said.

Once an intersection is selected for a new signal and funding for the signal is in place, the installation – from groundbreaking to up-and-running, Bennett said – takes about six to eight months.

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.

Copper thefts hit city neighborhoods hard

2011-12-09T04:13:12Z

Some thieves steal cars, others rob banks. In Sacramento, the big-ticket item lately is copper wire, and local copper thieves have hit the central city hard.

Why steal copper wire?

“Because it’s easily accessible,” said Sacramento Police Department spokesman Sgt. Andrew Pettit Thursday, “and there is plenty of it.”

With miles of copper wire found in streetlights, electrical boxes, buildings and vacant foreclosed homes – places thieves won’t usually be deterred by watching eyes – copper wiring is easy pickings.

And, at roughly $2.75 per pound, copper theft can be a lucrative business.

According to a recent district letter from City Councilman Rob Fong’s office, copper wire thieves hit more than 175 neighborhood locations throughout the city over the course of the last several months.

Damage has been done to schools, irrigation systems, traffic signals and streetlights – often leaving entire blocks of homes in the dark.

Repairs to a single location can take from one to three days depending on the severity of damage by the thieves, the letter states, and at least three to five new sites are reported weekly.

The city’s Department of Transportation spent nearly $200,000 replacing copper wire so far this year, including $95,000 for contractor costs, $86,000 in copper wire stock and $90,000 in pull box security lids to repair the damage created by the thefts.

“Copper wire isn’t worth anything unless you’re remodeling your house,” Pettit said, “or you have a buyer.”

The most common buyers of copper wire are local recycling centers – collection sites that pay customers per pound for bringing in recyclable materials such as aluminum cans, glass bottles and scrap metal.

Many recycling centers also pay for copper – some take in as much as 2,500 pounds a week, according to Matt Braswell, yard manager at D.C. Metals and Recycling in North Highlands.

“We get (copper) in every day,” Braswell said Thursday.

Because recycling centers are the primary buyer of scrap copper, Pettit said, they are the main line of defense against theft of the valuable metal.

“There are laws in place that (recyclers) have to follow,” Pettit said.” As long as they do, it will go a long way to curb copper theft.”

The state laws Pettit referred to passed in 2008 and spell out fines and penalties for recycling centers that purchase stolen copper – or that allow employees to aid copper thieves.

According to state law, if a recycling center accepts stolen copper, the first offense nets a $1,000 fine. The second offense brings a $2,000 fine and a 30-day closure of the center. A third offense gets a $4,000 fine, and the business is closed for a year.

Any employee involved in any offense is fined $1,000 and gets three years’ probation.

“They are pretty stiff penalties,” Braswell said.

Some of the preventative measures recycle centers are required by law to take include verifying each customer’s current photo I.D., taking customers’ thumbprints and maintaining a detailed database of all transactions.

But the laws are not the real deterrent, Braswell said. Enforcing the laws is what will really make a difference.

“If the police would come out and enforce the laws,” Braswell said, “that would be the end of it. We wouldn’t have a problem.”

Braswell said that, although there are some recycling centers that willingly take stolen copper, there are plenty of centers that work hard to remain in compliance with the law.

If local law enforcement would focus on the centers that flaunt the law, Braswell said, there would be no market for copper and no incentive for copper theft.

“Public opinion is that the recycling yards are the fences. That’s not always the case,” Braswell said. “It only takes a few bad (operators) to make everyone look bad.”

Pettit said it’s not as easy to enforce laws as just showing up and arresting a recycler with a few pounds of copper wire in a bin.

“We have to prove that they knew it was stolen, or should have known it was stolen,” Pettit said. “Without having someone sharing information about the organization, or actually being there to monitor their every transaction, it’s really hard to catch them.”

Copper theft has increasingly become a problem in the city, and city leaders are encouraging residents to be on the lookout for suspicious activity in their neighborhoods.

“It appears that copper thieves are hitting our community hard,” said Luis Sumpter, Alkali Flat/Mansion Flats Neighborhood Association president in an email Sunday.

“If you see anyone/anything suspicious, always call 911 (emergency) or 311 (non-emergency),” Sumpter said.

Pettit affirmed that calling the police is the best course of action when residents think some activity on their street isn’t quite right, such as workers who aren’t wearing uniforms or don’t have a vehicle with the city seal on it.

“Definitely give us a call,” Pettit said. “People are apprehensive to call, but they can remain anonymous. The worst that will happen is the (suspicious) person is doing their job and will confirm (to officers who respond to the call) they are supposed to be there.”

Pettit said the Sacramento Police Department is working with other local agencies to crack down on copper theft throughout the city and county. The effort resulted in at least three arrests in the last three months – the most recent occurred on Nov. 30.

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

Crime rate down 18 percent in Sacramento

2011-09-22T00:50:50Z

Despite budget reductions and recent layoffs in the police department, serious crime in Sacramento has dropped 18 percent over the last three years – the second largest decline in California among cities of similar size – according to a report that Sacramento Police Chief Rick Braziel presented to City Council Tuesday.

Braziel told council members that the core mission of the Sacramento Police Department hasn’t changed since 2008 when he took charge. The mission, he said, is still “reduce crime, engage the community and provide excellent service.”

What has changed, however, is the number of police personnel – 81 sworn officers were laid off in July – and a department budget reduced by $12.2 million this year.

Over the past four years, police department budget reductions have resulted in $35 million in cuts and a loss of 372 positions, according city staff reports.

Still, Sacramento crime rates have been on a downward trend since 2007, Braziel said Tuesday.

Braziel’s report to the City Council included crime rate information compiled from department records and annual crime statistics from the FBI.

Braziel attributes the numbers to a “more focused effort” to achieve department goals, and an emphasis on working as efficiently as possible with the resources available.

“We have really focused on our 911 (call) center and operations in the field,” Braziel said. “We actually have more people answering the 911 line than (we had) three years ago.”

Braziel said staffing for field resources – patrol officers, traffic officers and officers on the streets responding to calls for service – has gone down 15 percent since July.

The investigations staff has been reduced by 35 percent, Braziel added.

“Those reductions are what necessitated a change in our dispatch protocols,” Braziel said.

In his last report to City Council in June, Braziel told council members that, with such a reduction in staffing, the department would no longer respond to some types of service calls, such as “cold” burglaries, where the suspect was no longer on the scene and the victims weren’t in danger.

“However, if we find a pattern or a series (of incidents) or something unique about an incident,” Braziel said, “we dispatch reports out to officers in the field and a patrol will go out to the scene to follow up.”

By prioritizing responses to nonviolent crime calls, Braziel said he is able to streamline operations and focus personnel where they are needed most at any given time.

Councilman Jay Schenirer told Braziel he was pleasantly surprised by the report.

“With budget cuts and an economy that is bad as it’s been in 40 or 50 years,” Schenirer said, “to see crime (in Sacramento) go down, that’s great.”

Schenirer said he would chalk it up to how well Braziel is running the department, and the continuous development of new ideas to reduce crime that are coming from the department.

Braziel told council members that violent crime is down 20 percent, and property crime is down 17 percent over the last year. All crimes together – excluding homicides – year-to-date crime rates are down 12.5 percent from last year.

“We are definitely continuing to trend down,” Braziel said.

The police department was able to bring back 35 laid off officers due to a grant waiver the department received in July.

One more grant request is pending, Braziel said, and he expects to have a result by the end of September or early October. If the city receives the second grant, it will restore another 35 officers to the police department.

“It’s a credit to the (police) department, and to the men and women on the front lines, so to speak, working every day and doing more with less,” Councilman Rob Fong told Braziel after hearing the report. “We obviously have very good people working on the force.”

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

Residents worry about local developments at September NAG meeting

2011-09-21T01:10:20Z

Neighborhood Advisory Group members expressed concern about the growing number of social services centers – and the type of people they attract – within the Alkali Flat, Mansion Flats and Boulevard Park neighborhoods at the NAG meeting Monday night.

A new Goodwill drop center is planned for the corner of 16th and G streets and none of the speakers at the meeting were in favor of the new development. Members said that these drop centers are often neglected and become a hub for vagrants.

Martha Domjanovic, a Midtown resident and representative for the Washington Park Neighborhood Association, shared her concerns at the meeting with the lack of knowledge she had of the proposed Goodwill drop center. She said it wasn’t until after the plans were finalized that the Neighborhood Advisory Group was notified of the development.

Domjanovic said she helped form a monitor group that will ensure the neighborhood isn’t negatively affected. The details of how this group will monitor the new drop center are still being determined.

“Our goal is to have a more hands-on approach to 16th Street and make sure the new drop center doesn’t become a garbage heap like many of the others that are around town,” Domjanovic said. “We just can’t tolerate something like that in these neighborhoods.”

“Goodwill is only interested in themselves,” said Midtown resident Robert Winger.

He added that he thought this development would be the last thing these neighborhoods need because of the types of people they attract and the mess that he believed they added to a space.

The Neighborhood Advisory Group went on to discuss that social services buildings like the Salvation Army, Loaves and Fishes, and the Boys and Girls Club have been overloaded in these neighborhoods. Goodwill is exempt from being considered an additional social service because they are categorized as retail.

The Neighborhood Advisory Group also discussed the growing number of marijuana dispensaries in the Midtown area.

Neighborhood Services Manager Derrick Lim, said, “A lot of applications for dispensaries are being submitted online. We need to pay attention to who the operators are and if it’s a good fit for that neighborhood.”

~~He explained that it is a highly competitive market and that the city has set a limit of 12 dispensaries that can be located in Sacramento~~ .

Members also voiced their growing concern for the number of media sources advertising and covering dispensaries and how this will increase dispensaries’ influence and voice in the neighborhoods they are located in.

“Media is growing in their coverage of dispensaries around Sacramento. First, the Sacramento News & Review, and now the Sacramento Bee. Even the Sacramento Press covered different dispensaries in the area,” said Don Knutson of Southside Park.

Some said that they don’t mind the dispensaries as long as they remain considerate and do not disturb the integrity of the neighborhood they are located in.

The next Area 1 Neighborhood Advisory Group agenda meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m., Oct. 5 at the City Hall located at 915 I Street, room 1104. The general meeting will be held 6 p.m. Oct. 17 at the Hart Senior Center, 915 27th St.

Editorial Note: Corrections have been made to this story after it was published. The incorrect information has been struck out and the correct information has been added.

Community centers get $459K to keep their doors open

2011-08-27T01:32:30Z

Community centers in Sacramento got a boost Tuesday when the City Council approved more than $459,000 in funding to close the gap between what the centers have and what they need to stay open until next year’s budget is passed.

Council members voted unanimously to take $459,188 from the city’s Economic Uncertainty Reserve – money that initially came from cell phone tower profits in each district – to pay for labor, supplies and services necessary for the remainder of the fiscal year.

The total funding necessary to maintain operation of the city’s 15 community centers was $917,000 in the 2010-11 fiscal year, according to Dave Mitchell, division manager for the Dept. of Parks and Recreation.

When the City Council passed the 2011-12 budget, there were more than $39 million in cuts, reducing or eliminating services throughout the city, including the funding needed to keep community centers open.

When department staff made their presentation to City Council in May, Mitchell said, they told council members that, by partnering with community organizations and re-assigning staff, they could come up with $457,812 of the $917,000 needed to keep the centers open.

“But we still needed $459,188 to keep the lights on,” Mitchell said.

Throughout the budget process, members of the public came to City Council meetings to express their concern for the fate of the community centers and public pools and to ask council members to minimize budget cuts that would affect those facilities.

“Our kids need safe havens, centers of collaboration and meccas of education,” said Mark Howard at the June 7 City Council meeting. Howard is the director of Target Resources, a youth and parent-focused nonprofit organization.

“If we close the centers, what is their alternative?” Howard said. “Closure is not an option.

Rick Jennings, a South Sacramento resident, told council members at a June council meeting that kids see the centers as “a place to play,” seniors see them as “places to socialize” and parents see them as “safe places” for their children after school.

“We’ve invested millions of dollars in these centers,” Jennings said. “As a community, we will find a way to keep the doors open.”

After much debate about center funding, the City Council ultimately directed Interim City Manager Bill Edgar to work with Jim Combs, director of the Department of Parks and Recreation, which oversees the city’s community centers, to find some way to keep all of the centers open – without the $459,000 of funding needed to fill the gap.

Edgar and Combs were faced with a dilemma.

“We were told to keep (the centers) open,” Edgar told council members Tuesday, “but you didn’t give us any money to do it.”

So, they had to get creative, Edgar said.

Combs and city staff from the Neighborhood Services Department began reaching out to private and nonprofit groups to create partnerships with the community that would keep the centers open.

Community partners such as charter schools, local charity organizations or nonprofits would pay rent on the facilities and provide services to the community such as classes and recreational activities, Combs said, and the city would pay the costs of operational needs such as electricity, maintenance and other basic services at each facility.

“It’s not reasonable to expect the nonprofits to pay for (that),” Combs told council members Tuesday. “So we’re going to need some money.”

Edgar and Combs recommended that the city augment the new community partner agreements with enough funds to pay for basic utilities and larger maintenance projects.

“We know you don’t like to spend money,” Edgar said, “but in order to comply with (your) request, we felt this was important at this time.”

Councilman Steve Cohn said the entire council is committed to keeping both pools and community centers open “as much as we can.”

Cohn said city staff is working on ideas to do that, so volunteers and community members who support and use the centers should “definitely not give up.”

The Parks Department is in negotiation on four leases and partnership agreements, Combs said, and with additional community outreach, staff will be able to find more businesses and groups interested in working with the city to keep the centers open.

“The Parks Department director has done a remarkable job in scrambling to line up lessees,” said Craig Powell, president of the local political watchdog agency Eye on Sacramento, at the council meeting Tuesday, “and several other (partnerships) that are in the incubation stage.”

As part of its mission to “look out for the public interest,” Eye on Sacramento monitors how City Council handles both revenue and spending, Powell said.

Powell congratulated council members for taking cell phone tower revenue out of council members’ discretionary funds and putting it into emergency fund for “just this sort of thing.”

The approved funding, along with the community partner support, will meet the minimum costs of keeping community centers operating for the remainder of the year – but not beyond that.

“It sets a baseline of operation until next year,” Councilman Kevin McCarty said.

Further funding will have to be approved in next year’s budget for the centers to continue operating beyond 2012.

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

DISTRICT 3 NEIGHBORHOOD & BUSINESS ASSOCIATION UPDATES

2011-03-03T22:01:46Z

Alkali & Mansion Flats Historic Neighborhood Association. Meetings are generally held on the Second Thursday of each month, 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Boys & Girls Club, 1117 G Street. For more details contact Luis Sumpter at luis@luissumpter.com
Ben Ali Neighborhood Association - Board Meetings are held the First Wednesday of each month at 6:30 p.m. at the Higher Learning Academy campus (formerly Ben Ali Children’s Center). For more information, contact Sondra Betancourt at 837-3339.
Boulevard Park Neighborhood Association (BPNA) - For BPNA updates, see www.boulevardparkna.org. For more information, contact Asha Jennings at ashajennings@gmail.com or call 803-7409.
Capitol R Street Association – Meetings held the Fourth Tuesday of each month, 7:00 p.m. at Hot Italian, 16th & Q Streets. For more information, contact Lynne Freeman at lfreeman@acis.com
East Sacramento Chamber of Commerce: Second Wednesday of each month at various locations, 12:00 noon to 1:30 p.m. Cost $15. For more information on the Chamber, call Lisa Schmidt at 457-2721 or visit http://www.eastsacchamber.org/
East Sacramento Improvement Association (ESIA) - Board Meetings are held the First Monday of the month at 7:00 p.m. at the East Sacramento Room in Clunie Community Center. Next General Membership Meeting: Wednesday, March 30th, 7:00 p.m. at David Lubin Elementary School, 3535 M Street. For more information, contact Paul Noble at Noblep5@comcast.net
East Sacramento Preservation, Inc. (ESP, Inc.) – Board meetings held the second Wednesday of each month from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. in the East Sacramento Room, Clunie Community Center, 601 Alhambra Boulevard. For more information, email Will Green at contact@eastsacpreservation.org.
Hagginwood Community Association: Next meeting – Wednesday, April 6th, 6:00 p.m. at the Kinney Police Station, 3550 Marysville Blvd. For more information, contact Jody Adcock, dale.a2@att.net or 922-8700.
Marshall School New Era Park Neighborhood Association – For information on upcoming meetings or events, contact mhefling@H2consultinggroup or julieamurphy28@gmail.com
McKinley East Sacramento Neighborhood Association (MENA): Board meeting open to the public held the First Wednesday of each month, 7:00 p.m. at Shepard Garden and Arts Center in McKinley Park. Contact: Nancy Cornelius at nancycornelius@sbcglobal.net
Midtown Business Association - Board Meetings open to the public and generally held the Third Wednesday of each month, 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at 1400 29th Street. For more information or confirm meeting date, call 442-1500.
Midtown Neighborhood Association – Board meeting held the second Wednesday of the month at 6:00 PM at the Chateau on Capitol Ave - 2701 Capitol in the first floor lounge/ lobby just inside the front door. MNA provides complimentary pizza and soda for attendees. For more information and for updates visit http://www.sacmidtown.org/

Mark Your Calendar for Pops in the Park and Screen on the Green

2011-03-03T22:01:29Z

Pops in the Park Concert Schedule:

Saturday, June 4th - Tom Rigney & Flambeau at McKinley Park
Saturday, June 11th - The Q-Balls at Glenn Hall Park
Saturday, June 18t h – SwingMasters at Bertha Henschel Park
Saturday, June 25th – Mercy Me at East Portal Park

For more information visit www.eastsacpopsinthepark.com

Screen on the Green Movie Schedule:

Saturday, August 6th – Despicable Me at Stanford Park
Saturday, August 13th – Shrek Forever After at Hagginwood School Soccer Field
Saturday, August 20th – Secretariat at East Portal Park
Saturday, August 27th –Toy Story (1995) Glenn Hall Park

For more information, visit www.sacscreenonthegreen.com

Mercy General Hospital Construction Update

2011-03-03T22:01:20Z

Construction is progressing on the Alex G. Spanos Heart & Vascular Center at Mercy General Hospital. To celebrate completion of structural steel, Mercy General hosted a topping off event on February 17, 2011, during which the last piece of steel was put in place.

The Request for Proposal (RFP) for the residential housing project is expected to be released in late Spring 2011. Permitting is anticipated to be completed by the end of 2011 with construction starting in early 2012.

At the February 22, 2011, Neighborhood Advisory Committee (NAC) meeting held in Mercy General Hospital’s Main Auditorium, community members learned about, questioned and discussed a wide range of topics including but not limited to:

Catholic Healthcare West (CHW) mandated that as of January 1, 2011, all of their facilities were required to adhere to a smoke-free and tobacco-free campus. All patients, guests, physicians, staff and volunteers are not permitted to smoke anywhere on hospital grounds. I expressed concern to Denny Powell that the effect of the policy has been to push smokers onto its neighbors.

Mercy Hospital administration reports that they will be taking the following steps:

Offer a six-week smoking cessation program, “No Ifs, Ands or Butts” available at a reduced rate to employees and neighbors. Call 453-4268 for more information on this program.
Continue to have ongoing communication with staff about being respectful to neighbors and choosing alternative locations for smoking in public areas;
Employees are asked to remind each other should they see a fellow employee smoking in front of a nearby home;
Purchase of several concrete receptacles that will be placed in public areas on the perimeter of the campus but not near homes in the hopes that smokers will be directed to those areas.

I am not optimistic that the above actions will solve the problem, but we will continue to monitor the situation and ask Mercy to work on cooperative solutions with neighbors.

Neighbors also shared concerns about vendors utilizing the center turn lane on J Street for unloading and loading. Ron Yasui of the City of Sacramento’s Development Services Department noted that such usage is citable and the Sacramento City Police’s non-emergency number should be called to rectify any such violation.

Angie Louie of the City of Sacramento’s Traffic Engineering Division provided an update on the Neighborhood Traffic Management Project (NTMP) traffic calming measures enacted as a condition of approval for the project and are being installed and overseen by the City of Sacramento. In short, work is progressing and should be completed by this fall. Improvements include a pedestrian island on H Street at 42nd and Mission Way; five enhanced pedestrian crossing signs with pedestrian-activated flashing LED borders; and four-second crossing advance at the traffic lights on J and H Streets at 39th
Street. For questions or more information on the NTMP for the area, contact Debb Newton at 808-6739 or dnewton@cityofsacramento.org.

Shred-it, the vendor that comes to the Mercy General Hospital campus on a regular basis to shred private documents related to patient care had been performing its duties within the curtilage of the hospital campus on J Street. The act of shredding was loud; neighbors expressed concern about the noise it generated. In response, Mercy General Hospital has relocated the Shred-it truck to the interior of the hospital campus to alleviate the noise spilling over to private residences.

Standing water at the site of the old Sacred Heart Parish School was brought to the attention of Carmine Faro, CHW Area Manager, Design and Construction. Working with the Sacramento Vector Control, measures have been implemented to ensure existing standing water is filtered and discharged to the storm drain system, and as rains cause future puddling, the Team will work to drain any/all standing water.

The next NAC meeting will be held at a date and time to be determined in May, 2011. In the meantime, should you have any questions or concerns, feel free to call Mercy’s Construction hotline at 552-6931 or email mghconstruction@chw.edu.

Glenn Hall Park Volunteer Work Day – April 2nd

2011-03-03T22:00:46Z

The next volunteer work day at Glenn Hall Park will take place on Saturday, April 2, 2011. Work will begin at 9:00 a.m. and will be completed by noon. River Park resident Jeff Harris hopes to organize work days four to five times a year as needed for the next few years. To get on the distribution list for information about upcoming work days or if you have questions, contact Jeff at cadence@surewest.net

McKinley Park Work Day - March 12th

2011-03-03T22:00:28Z

The next volunteer work day at McKinley Park will take place on Saturday, March 12th from 9:00 a.m. to noon. The group will be working in the playground. This will include spreading new chips and evening out existing chips, sweeping the sand and chips from the toys and sanding the model of the Alhambra.

The April work day will take place on Saturday, April 9th with focusing the health of the trees (newer trees first and then moving on to the older ones). The group will be spading or aerating around each tree, laying weed cloth and then spreading a layer of mulch 2 to 3 feet around each tree.

East Sac residents Steve Swindel, Rich Clowdus and Patty Wait have organized a volunteer group for the Friends of East Sacramento to assist with landscape maintenance of McKinley Park. For more information, contact friendsofeastsac@aol.com or call 452-8011.

Hagginwood Community Association Receives Sacramento Tree Foundation/Cal FIRE Grant

2011-03-03T21:58:29Z

The Hagginwood Community Association (HCA) was awarded a $14,470 grant from the Sacramento Tree Foundation and Cal FIRE to beautify a spot in Hagginwood and to educate the community about the importance of green space and the urban forest. The grant will be used to plant shade trees, install irrigation and give us Sacramento’s first “community orchard”. The orchard will be a resource for people throughout the region to visit and see the type of trees that can be planted in our region and that the Sacramento Tree Foundation offers for free! The group has one year complete their project.

Several years ago, I worked with the group to clean up and plant trees in the “parklette” located at Del Paso and Ripley. The grant money will be used to do several things including installation of irrigation to be done this spring. The new irrigation system will save water and time as neighbors have been hand watering the site. About 10 to 15 shade and fruit trees will be added to the 16 fruit trees that were planted three years ago and the 25 shade trees that have been planted since 2005. A walking information map for the parklette will be created and information will be posted at each tree to identify the species of tree, leaf type, fall color, and other information about the tree. HCA hopes to enlist students from Grant High School to assist with the project. HCA also plans to hold composting training in the spring and fall as well as tree planting demos and fall pruning. Three newsletters will be done throughout the year to keep the community up to date as well as distribute information on gardening and tree care.

The progress of the group will be filmed by the Sacramento Tree Foundation, one of about three or four other projects selected for filming.

19th & Q Street Neighborhood Park Site Community Meeting – March 23rd

2011-03-03T21:57:45Z

Please join me along with City of Sacramento Parks and Recreation staff to begin discussion on the cleanup and future
design of the 19th and Q Street Neighborhood Park site. The meeting will be held on Wednesday, March 23, 2011 from 6:00
p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the CADA Courtyard, 1322 O Street. The meeting will include information on an EPA Brownfield Grant
that was awarded to clean-up the future park site and we will begin discussion on what neighbors would envision for the future park. We encourage you to bring children to this meeting! For more information, contact Tin-Wah Wong at 808-5540 or twong@cityofsacramento.org.

Redistricting Update

2011-03-03T21:57:11Z

The City Council revises Council district boundaries every ten years following the U.S. Census. Districts must be as equal in population as is practicable. The 2010 Census data will be released on or about April 1, 2011, Council must complete the redistricting process within six months of the release of the Census “block data” figures for the June 2012 election.

It is estimated that the 2010 census will show that the City’s population has grown from 407,000 to 470,000. District 1 in particular is expected to be 40,000 people over its pro-rata share. Given the anticipated significance of change to existing districts, the City needs to insure clear communication, encourage widespread participation, and provide tools and information to facilitate understanding throughout the process. To that end, on February 8, 2011, the City Council adopted a resolution approving a Sacramento Redistricting Citizens Advisory Committee (SRCAC) that will represent the diversity of Sacramento. The SRCAC’s purposes are to review, organize, analyze, and refine the redistricting proposals submitted to the City, as well as to recommend to the City Council preferred redistricting. The SRCAC will advise but not replace the Council’s responsibility for the final selection and adoption of district boundaries. The committee will be composed of thirteen-members. On March 8, 2011, the Mayor and each councilmember will announce their selected candidate. After that date, the remaining four (4) members will be appointed through the usual Personnel and Public Employee (P&PE) nomination process.

Public participation will be encouraged at the SRCAC meetings. Additionally, City staff has prepared a redistricting website at www.cityofsacramento.org/redistricting/ . The site is designed to provide general information, updates, and access to relevant redistricting data. Currently the site includes a high level description of redistricting, maps, and links to downloadable geographic (GIS) data such as 2009 population estimates. The website will continue to expand and will include more information, maps, and data as they become available.

The city held four community meetings in February about the redistricting process. Committee and Community meetings will be held again in April after the release of the final census data. Additional meetings will be held in May to answer technical and logistical questions and members of the public will be asked to submit their proposal to the Planning Department for review sometime in May. In June the City Council will be asked to select proposals for staff analysis. Then, in beginning in late July and through August, Council meetings will be held to discuss and ultimately approve boundaries in September.

Lights & Cameras & Signs... Oh My!

2011-02-13T04:46:24Z

The City Management Academy's 3rd weekly Wednesday evening class brought the diverse group of 30 community association, organization and agency leaders together for the first of several off-site meetings this week.

Who knew how vast the city's Corporation Yard (on 24th Street south of Fruitridge) actually is: 20+ buildings containing shops, offices, storage, and more are spread across acres abutting the neighboring Executive Airport.

Some factoids we learned from city department heads this evening included:

Our city owns 2000+ parcels of land, containing more than 400 properties to maintain.
The city's amazing 311 Call Center receives 30,000 - 40,000 calls every month.
They answer an average of 10,000 calls JUST on trash pick-up issues every month! And yes, that means every day more than 300 city residents call about their garbage service -- every day!
We're one of only a handful of municipalities who manufacture our own street signs.
As budgets and need permit, we're replacing outdated & costly traffic signals AND street lights w/ incredibly efficient LED-based lamps.
Sacramento's Dept of Parks & Recreation maintains more than 220 city-owned parks (without Amy Poehler!)

Informative & interesting presentations were made to the group about:

Utilities (our water, sewer, and garbage services)
Fleet Management (the purchase & maintenance of our police cruisers, fire engines, commercial service equiment, etc.)
The transportation department (paving, concrete, sidewalks, curbs, street lights, street signs, traffic signals, cameras, and computerized underground pressure-sensing devices at major traffic intersections which activate signals as vehicle traffic flow warrants!)
The 311 Call Center struggling to maintain service levels with rapidly shrinking budgets and staff.
Our park & pool facilities (many more likely to be closed this coming summer season, again due to the still tanking tax revenue base and resulting cuts another fiscal cycle in the offing).

Various departments on site hosted lively "insider" tours of the mechanics' & street sign making shops, hi-tech traffic signal controller equipment (those refrigerator-sized shiny silver boxes we see at traffic intersections) and more from truly enthusiastic folks who were clearly proud to share their work environments with us.

Lots of questions came from CMA members wanting to connect the information being presented with issues of concern in their individual neighborhoods and organizations. There's a clear sense from many in the group of using these unique opportunities to communicate with and improve understanding between our city's staff and the residents, workers and stakeholders they represent.

Next week: we're back on the 5th floor of New City Hall for two presentations by the City's director of Economic Development and the Housing & Redevelopment Agency executive director.

Mayor's Initiatives Pep Rally Squad

2011-02-07T19:35:10Z

A Perspective:

2011 City Management Academy's Class #2:

Mayor Johnson Presents with his Initiatives’ Pep Rally Squad

The second session of the 2011 City Management Academy (CMA) 12-week classroom for neighborhood association and other community & business leaders began with a 4-minute, professionally-produced video presentation complete w/ pulsing background music and splashy visual edits which highlighted some of Mayor Johnson’s accomplishments while in office.

As the video ended, Wednesday evening’s first speaker, the mayor (waiting in the wings -- poised in the doorway shadows of a 5th floor New City Hall conference room, standing very still & quiet, head bowed, anticipating the room’s re- lighting and, perhaps, applause) was introduced to the class of 30 by an alumna of a previous CMA, and applause.

This observer experienced the next 3 hours as a press conference -- albeit a somewhat well-spun one. But instead of the typical professional spokesperson offering calm, carefully-scripted soundbites for the consumption of an equally professional audience of media, the eight speakers who presented on the Mayor’s “Vision & Initiatives” seemed at times to be on the verge of a pep rally cheerleading squad in their zeal and almost relentlessly positive enthusiasm. At moments during the evening, a more apt comparison might have been that of a pharmaceutical sales rep to a physician's medical office staff, meal included. The sell was on -- and even a hard sell, at times.

Johnson opened his remarks to the class by describing the just-watched video as much briefer than the 24 minutes of his annual State of the City speech given earlier in the week.

He reiterated the three most significant highlights of his “Think Big” vision concept:

Green Energy (the Emerald Valley) branding for the region’s economic growth
re-development of the J, K, L Streets downtown core district (including some version of an entertainment & sports complex known as the SacramentoFirst initiative)
a focus on improving educational resources and outcomes (perhaps initiating 3rd grade proficiency exams) and a "School Report Card" program for city schools

Several informed, specific questions from the room related to recent news including

the “Crash Tax” just passed by the Council
looming Housing & Redevelopment Agency (SHRA) funding cuts proposed by Governor Brown
county budget reductions affecting area social service agencies

got upbeat, non-specific, unsurprising responses from Johnson. For those wanting even more details of Johnson's currrent version of public speechifying, check out this great Sac Press article covering an appearance from the Mayor at the Oak Park Neighborhood Association the very next evening. Folks who saw both appearance noticed a strong similarity in content.

Following Johnson, we at the CMA were treated to a barrage of well-enough rehearsed spin-meisters hawking a variety pack of the Mayor's initiatives, some with the now-ubiquitous PowerPoint presentations so common to this style of efficient information and idea exchange:

- Anne Moore from Sacramento Steps Forward on the city’s homeless population challenges and solutions.
- Lauren Altdoerffer, Greenwise Sacramento, on the Mayor's branding push to create the "Emerald Valley" green initiatives.
- Andie Corso with STAND UP for Education, an education initiative to promote better city schools.
- Deborah Edwards of For Arts’ Sake on the "Any Given Child" & other programs to develop & promote Sacramento's arts and entertainment communities, venues and organizations.
- Keith Hart & MaryLynn Perry from Volunteer Sacramento on the push to make Sacramento's civic volunteerism "no longer nice but necessary" through various programs and agendas.

Others in the class may have gotten something in the way of new information, interesting ideas and, perhaps, encouragement from the presentations. The time constraints caused by a perhaps overly ambitious evening's agenda seemed to leave little opportunity for question-and-answer, or much more than rapidly moving through the speaker list.

What little time was available for questions drew mostly very specific, recent events-based attempts to get deeper explanations from presumptive key players, or at least those on the inside. But with few and brief noteworthy responses, and candor rarely in evidence, a gloss of urgent, near-keening optimism was the apparent substitute for a conversational exchange of ideas with the class.

Some might fairly call this writer a cynic, and only skeptical on my better days, but public relations -style mechanisms for outreach specific to a room of decidedly engaged civic leadership seems verging on contemptible to me. The evening’s lingering aura of non-inclusion of outsiders by the Mayor's "pep rally team" of initiative insiders, the result of so many superficial & slick presentations, left this participant feeling dissed and disengaged instead of welcomed and encouraged. And definitely not sold in any way. Grrrr...

Next week's class #3: a field trip to the city's 24th Street Corporation Yard & 311 Call Center Tour... so do stay tuned with this "storyline" as the 12 week odyssey continues. Next Sac Press update will be posted here online Friday night, fer shure!

Sac Re-Starts City Mgmt Academy

2011-01-29T08:46:39Z

After a few years of budget-induced hiatus, the city’s Neighborhood Services Department (NSD) revived a noteworthy community program Wednesday night.

The City Management Academy (CMA) http://www.cityofsacramento.org/city-management-academy// is an annual 12-week series of classroom presentations designed to educate community organizers to better understand how our city government operates. Wednesday evening's initial 3-hour session brought 30 eager, newly-appointed members of the "2011 CMA class" to their City Hall conference room home base, and the agenda and process for the next several months of presentations and city facility visits.

With substantial support from a core group of dedicated program alumni (more than 300 have “graduated” since the first class in 1995), and the ever-creative efforts of Vincene Jones and the NSD staff http://www.cityofsacramento.org/ns/ each week's agenda will offer the group access to top-level managers who'll explain & explore the current issues and challenges in various city departments, with the goal of facilitating better lines of communication between those citizens invested in community-issues solutions and the dedicated professionals working within the city administration tasked to do so in these economically challenging times. http://www.cityofsacramento.org/city-management-academy/what-is-it.cfm

Class members represent a mixture of Sacramento's engaged community leaderdship: neighborhood & homeowners association board members, non-profit agency staff, campaign ballot initiative organization leaders, and many others. An enthusiastic vibe from the room certainly indicated a strong level of commitment to active participation in this unique opportunity with access to Sacramento government officials for discussion of the issues and challenges facing the city's future.

**********

CLASS #1: After introductions and opening remarks, the group jumped right into its work with "Governnance Structure & Charter Officers". Candid, engaging presentations by three of Sacramento's city charter department leaders, Interim City Manager Gus Vina, City Clerk Shirley Concolino and Matt Ruyak from the City Attorney’s Office, will hopefully set the tone for subsequent class presentations.

First up was the wry wit of our current Interim City Manager http://www.cityofsacramento.org/cityman/index.html. In the city's recently somewhat of a roller-coaster "CEO" role, the timeliness of Gus Vina's presence was immediately understood by many in the class, since Tuesday's City Council meeting had just included the Council vote to fund a national candidate search process for a replacement for his job. Amidst the Council's atmosphere of presumed (a 5 - 4 vote) "no-confidence", Vina nevertheless said he'd been clear over time how much he does want the permanent position, and is contemplating whether to submit his resume for the job, versus choosing to "pursue other options".

Vina's good humor was evident as he transitioned into an excellent, mostly spin-free overview discussion of the basic structure and format of the city's governing bodies. Having encouraged the room to be candid, direct, and to interrupt wth questions, he comfortably fielded several challenges to some specific info he'd offered. More than a few times he described how much remains challenging in the coming budget cycles around balancing declining revenue while maintaining service levels vital to city residents, workers and businesses.

Never tedious or boring, several on-the-fly decisions kept Vina talking well past the scheduled time, with the class eager in agreement to delay a dinner break & continue the conversation w/ him. Some might see Gus Vina as a huge asset Sacramento could be well wise to avoid losing... among them me.

Shirley Concolino has spent nearly a decade streamlining and updating many operations of the City Clerk's office http://www.cityofsacramento.org/clerk/, often finding creative (and occasionally revenue-generating!) methods to handle staffing cuts while maintaining vital components of the city government's day-to-day workings. She rightfully boasted of various ongoing "green" changes which have substantially reduced the volumes of paper the city must generate in its legally-required documents and forms collection. Our city is on-track for eventual "digital signature" technology which will further reduce waste, and greatly improve turn-around timelines in all sorts of departments and processes. And many of the class were pleased to learn of the very efficient Passport service appointments the Clerk's Office offers, including photos, which are said to much less onerous than what's avalable at the US Post Office a block away!

The City Attorney's Office http://www.cityofsacramento.org/cityattorney// was represented by Matt Ruyak, currently Supervising Deputy City Attorney of the Transactional / Advisory Section, who did an excellent job of describing (to the nearly all non-lawyers in the class) the different aspects of counsel and advice the legal team (approx. 50) provides to a broad array of city government. Several class members were interested in learning more about the CAO's Justice For Neighbors Program, a state-funded pilot project which helps citizens rid neighborhoods of problem properties (tenants and landlords, evictions and foreclosures) through newly streamlined regulations and procedures.

**********

This contributor will offer Sac Press readers a wrap-up from each of the upcoming 11 week’s classes, with information and perspective for citizens (like me!) who are interested in how civic involvement in local government is vital to sustaining quality of life here in Sacramento.

Please follow this storyline for Friday evening articles on each week's class. Announced class topics http://www.cityofsacramento.org/city-management-academy/curriculum-highlights.cfm include public safety, housing & redevelopment, parks & recreation, census redistricting, code & permit compliance, and more. And we're scheduled to visit both the city's 311 Call Center http://www.cityofsacramento.org/generalservices/311/ & Public Safety Center as well.

COMING UP NEXT FRIDAY: Mayor Kevin Johnson and his team discuss various of his Sacramento's Vision & Initiatives including: Greenwise http://greenwisesacramento.org/, Steps Forward, STAND UP for Education, For Arts' Sake http://www.forartsake.org/.

Schenirer to focus on neighborhoods

2010-12-18T01:56:16Z

New Sacramento City Councilman Jay Schenirer said he wants to improve Sacramento’s neighborhoods. He’s approaching neighborhood groups because he believes local activism is essential for change.

Schenirer, who represents 19 neighborhoods including Oak Park, Curtis Park and Brentwood, hosted a driving tour for The Sacramento Press on a rainy Friday.

Neighborhood involvement was a topic that came up frequently as he talked about the troubles, successes and quirks of District 5.

“People have been here a long time,” he said, as he drove around the Hollywood Park neighborhood. “They take a lot of pride. They have a good neighborhood association.”

As Schenirer drove through South Oak Park, it was apparent that public safety concerns were connected with the neighborhood. Homes were surrounded by chain link fences. Two tough-looking dogs guarded a house in the front yard of one home.

Schenirer pointed out large industrial locks on chain fences that blocked visitors from entering homes. “You can’t get to a house here,” he said, commenting on the locks.

“This, right here, for the district (is) the greatest need,” he said. “There’s no neighborhood leadership. There’s nothing going on here that’s positive.”

Schenirer said he wants the Oak Park Neighborhood Association to expand its efforts southward. “I think the Oak Park Neighborhood Association is doing some great things. If you go to one of their meetings – 50, 60, 70 people show up – it’s great. It’s mostly North Oak Park people.”

He also said he wants to work with Habitat for Humanity on housing needs in his district.

Oak Park’s neighbor, Curtis Park, has an entirely different atmosphere. Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson lives in the well-kept neighborhood, a few doors away from California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones. Curtis Park is also home to Schenirer, KFBK 1530 radio host Kitty O’Neal and Mike McKeever, executive director of the Sacramento Area Council of Governments.

“An incredibly political neighborhood,” Schenirer said, referring to Curtis Park. “They go to war over tot-lots and street closures.”

Schenirer also drove through the tiny neighborhood of Fuller Town, which borders the east side of Sacramento Executive Airport. The neighborhood, which has only two streets, has a quirky feature – Schenirer pointed out airport hangars that are attached to homes. Some of the neighbors are pilots who own planes, Schenirer said. They can take to the sky from their backyards.

Schenirer said he plans to hold a meeting with neighborhood associations in his district on Jan. 27 in Oak Park. At the meeting, he intends to talk to the neighborhood groups about what they need from his City Council office. He said he views neighborhood pride in the context of public safety.

“It’s all about getting people to take pride in their neighborhoods,” he said.

“At the end of the day, we’re not going to be able to put a whole lot more cops on the street for a long time. We just don’t have the money. When you think about public safety, you have to think about neighborhoods really taking ownership,” he said.

View a map of District 5 here.

Photos of Schenirer by David Watts Barton, editor in chief of The Sacramento Press.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Community Forum Discussing Midtown Nightlife

2010-09-17T22:34:15Z

Office of the Mayor, Councilmember Steve Cohn and the City of Sacramento invite you to a

COMMUNITY FORUM DISCUSSING MIDTOWN NIGHTLIFE

When: Saturday, September 25, 2010

Time: 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM

Location: Ethel MacLeod Hart Senior Center, 915 27th Street, Redwood Rooms

For additional questions call (916) 808-6525

Budget cuts prompt neighbors to help maintain Land Park

2010-05-04T03:22:16Z

A group of 90 residents who are afraid of further budget cuts to city parks gathered Saturday at Land Park to take maintenance chores into their own hands.

Neighborhood activists recently formed the Land Park Volunteer Corps, which met at the park to trim bushes and beautify the grounds, according to Craig Powell, coordinator of the group.

“We’re doing our part in the community,” Powell said. “We’re responding with what we can do.”

The city is struggling with a $43 million budget gap for its 2010/2011 fiscal year. Powell said he is concerned that city parks may face a third consecutive year of extensive budget cuts.

Parks were hit with $8.3 million in cuts during the 2009/2010 budget process.

The group plans to meet and carry out maintenance tasks at Land Park monthly during nine of 12 months each year, Powell said.

Councilman Rob Fong has dedicated about $2,800 from his discretionary fund to the Land Park Volunteer Corps, Powell noted, adding that the group has received about $3,600 in private donations.

City officials released a draft budget Friday that does not contain breakdowns of the budget cuts to departments. Information on department cuts will be released near the beginning of June, according to city spokeswoman Amy Williams.

For information on how to participate with the Land Park Volunteer Corps, contact Craig Powell by e-mail at ckpinsacto@aol.com or by phone at 916-718-3030.

Photo of Craig Powell by Kathleen Haley.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Midtown Mixed Messages

2010-05-02T21:15:31Z

Midtown residents have been dealing for years with the impacts of a City led campaign to "Bring People Downtown" that ignored the fact that people are already here.

Media and Midtown Business Association boosters have contributed by consistently disparaging the existing mixed-use neighborhoods as a desolate, disgusting and scary wasteland; a "dead zone" with invisible/irrelevant residents.

Yet, Midtown's now-attractive and lucrative historic neighborhoods ONLY exist, due to the diligent, hard work and determination of residents, preservationists and neighborhoods associations, over the past few decades.

Residents met with the MBA and other stakeholders in 2009 as part of MBA's Regional Hospitality Institute process. A final report and meeting occurred in October. Follow up task force meetings were delayed by MBA, until a clamor from the neighborhoods and complaints to Councilmember Cohn's office brought them back on track.

We had a meeting on April 27 to regroup, with a reduced number of committed stakeholders. The very next day, the MBA unveiled new branding. Rob Kerth's (Business Journal) quoted claim of "reaching out to the community" rings hollow.

The logo, slogan and Kerth's comments reinforce the MBA agenda: that business and marketing plans include "visitors" and exclude residents. This contradicts the RHI process and conflicts with several topics and specific goals in the RHI consultant's report.

We don't need MBA continuing to promote Midtown as a transient party zone at the expense of residents. We don't need more and more visual clutter and aural overload assaulting the senses in historic neighborhoods.

Considering the value placed on "Cultural Creatives" and the state of the collapsed job market, the amateurish design of the new logo is another jab. Aesthetically-attuned (one reason we live in Midtown) residents would perhaps rather not be associated with it.

"Go Your Own Way" is exactly what the MBA has done, disregarding Midtown's sustainability and quality of life.

(This piece was written prior to an opportunity to ask Rob Kerth what he means by "reached out" and "community")

http://sacramento.bizjournals.com/sacramento/blog/inner_city/2010/04/midtown_states_its_identity_with_new_logo.html?surround=lfn

Jane's Walk May 1

2010-04-22T04:01:09Z

Sacramento is joining nearly 60 other North American cities by hosting its first Jane's Walk focusing on livable cities on May 1.

Jane's Walk began in 2007 in Canada as a community walk to get people talking about their neighborhoods and city planning that can increase quality of life.

The series of walks quickly blossomed and spread to this country. In 2010, Sacramento is among at least 29 U.S. cities, nearly as many in Canada and a few international ones scheduled to hold the free walking tours the first weekend in May.

The walks were created to honor the life and work of Jane Jacobs. An American author, activist and urban thinker, Jacobs promoted the idea of the urban village to maintain healthy, vibrant communities. She lived in New York's Greenwich Village until moving to Toronto in 1968. Jacobs died in April 2006.

A small band of Jacobs' supporters known as the Jane Jacobs Reading Group thinks it's time Sacramento offered a Jane's Walk. The group has been meeting regularly for at least five years.

"We never thought of ourselves as a book club," said the group's leader, community activist Kay Knepprath. "We're about urban design, city planning, quality of life and how neighborhoods function."

Jacobs' classic 1961 book, "The Death and Life of Great American Cities," remains her most powerful work. In the book, Jacobs argued for the preservation and promotion of integrated, walkable, mixed-use neighborhoods that retain their individuality — as opposed to the modernist urban planning of the 1950s and '60s that focused on separate areas for residential, commercial and industrial use as well as the "urban renewal" process.

"All planners seem to know it and these days, thank God, seem to be abiding by it," said Knepprath, who, as chair of the Save Our Rail Depot Coalition, led the charge to keep the Sacramento Valley Station in place and operating as a train depot.

Knepprath and the group have planned walks in four Sacramento neighborhoods. Knepprath, a Sacramento Old City Association (SOCA) board member, is leading a walk in her neighborhood, Winn Park. Walks are also being led in Alkali Flat, Oak Park and K Street Mall.

Walks may feature historic details, hidden features and a stop at a coffee shop or pub. Each host will lead a walking discussion about what makes the neighborhood livable from the observations made by the walkers and principles espoused by Jacobs, Knepprath said.

The walks start at 10 a.m. and last about two hours. They are co-sponsored by SOCA and WALKSacramento. Jane Jacobs Reading Group meets at WALKSacramento, 909 12th St.

For more information, call Kay Knepprath at 457-3793.

Jane's Walk Schedule
Winn Park Walk – led by Kay Knepprath, begins at Winn Park on 27th St., between P and Q streets.

Alkali Flat Walk – led by SOCA board member Luis Sumpter, begins at the Naked Lounge coffee house at 11th and H streets.

Oak Park Walk – led by California State University, Sacramento, faculty member Robin Datel, begins at Old Soul @ 40 Acres, 3434 Broadway.

K Street Mall Walk – led by SOCA board member Bill Burg, begins at Temple coffee house, 1014 10th St.

Part 1: Neighborhood questions for Interim City Manager Gus Vina

2010-04-13T06:10:15Z

The Sacramento Press has gathered questions from neighborhood activists for Interim City Manager Gus Vina. In an April 9 interview, The Sacramento Press asked Vina to respond to questions from six neighborhood activists.

Here are Vina’s responses to questions from three citizens involved in neighborhood issues. Check The Sacramento Press Wednesday for more of Vina’s responses to neighborhood-related questions.

Question from Sacramento resident Karen Jacques:
What can (Vina) tell us about the ongoing investigation of the Community Development Department? Does he know when that investigation will be complete and how much of it will be made public? (Are there) any other comments he can make about it?

Interim City Manager Gus Vina:
It’s really an audit now, not an investigation. And that audit is being managed by our new city auditor. (City Auditor Jorge Oseguera) [is] in the process of making a final selection on an audit firm. And how long it takes — I don’t know yet ... Whatever comes out of (the audit), obviously we’re going to get right on top of implementing any recommendations that make sense for the city.

Question from an Alkali Flat resident:
I would like to know if (Vina) supports and will help to implement a downtown exclusive franchise for commercial garbage hauling. Supporting such a bid for one hauler downtown will likely result in reduced commercial garbage service rates and provide more efficient service — such as one or two days a week service rather than the current pattern of heavy trucks on our roads five days a week.

GV:
First of all, I’m not going to get ahead of the mayor and council — and it’s really their policy call at the end of the day .... And, the issues we’re trying to solve are not hauling all the way to Nevada ... and all of the green issues that are related to that.

It’s still a little early in the process, and we’ll be going to the council with a recommendation on how can we save money — which translates into better rates for our customers — and it will include a very good discussion on the commercial side of the hauling.

Question from Sacramento resident LaTisha Lawson:
(The) elimination of so many programs and resources (is causing) stress and strain on my Sacramento families. How is the city working with other agencies or encouraging departments to partner to continue to provide needed services?

GV:
Obviously, the entire world is in a huge economic slump. I would say we really need to focus and understand that this is an issue not unique to just Sacramento — this is a global issue. The Sacramento region is suffering considerably — when you look at a 13 percent unemployment rate. So, we’ve got a lot of people out of work. We had one of the worst foreclosure rates in the nation. We’re one of five states that have the biggest budget problems at the state level.

So, we have plenty of challenges here that are going to have an impact on services. And, we will do our best to continue to provide (the) services that we can. But I can guarantee you, it won’t be everything that we’re doing today. We have a budget to balance as well.

In terms of working with other agencies, we are actively working with the county on any consolidations or efficiencies that we can develop by working together. Of course, the focus is to continue to provide services at the best level that we possibly can. But it is important for the community to understand that there will be service-level impacts.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

We want your questions for new interim city manager

2010-03-18T04:23:20Z

The Sacramento Press wants your neighborhood-related questions for Interim City Manager Gus Vina, the city’s highest-ranking official.

What issues or concerns do you have about your neighborhood? What do you think the city government should do to improve your neighborhood?

Write your questions in the comments section at the bottom of this article. Questions for Vina can also be e-mailed to kathleen@sacramentopress.com.

The Sacramento Press will choose several questions from community members for Vina to answer.

Vina was chosen as interim city manager by Mayor Kevin Johnson and the eight City Council members and will serve for nine to 12 months. He replaced Ray Kerridge, who resigned from the city manager position Friday. Vina told The Sacramento Press last week that he plans to apply for the permanent city manager position.

Vina leads a city government with about 4,300 employees. He will draft the city’s budget, which faces a gap of $35 million-$40 million for the 2010/2011 fiscal year. The City Council is in charge of reviewing and approving Vina’s draft budget.

Johnson spokesman Joaquin McPeek said Vina was asked to serve for a nine- to 12-month period so he could work continuously on the city's budget. In addition, the nine- to 12-month timeline allows any new City Council members to have a voice on the selection of a new city manager, McPeek said. Depending on the results of the June 8 City Council election, new members could replace current members.

One incumbent is not running for re-election. Councilwoman Lauren Hammond is not returning to the City Council — her District 5 seat will be filled by a new member.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Memorial honors Mary Brill

2009-11-22T00:15:41Z

More than 125 people gathered Saturday to honor community activist Mary Brill.

Brill died Oct. 24 from breast cancer. She was 59.

Friends, family, politicians and others active in the community met at Florence T. Clunie Memorial Auditorium to pay tribute to Brill, who co-founded and led the Sacramento County Alliance of Neighborhoods. She led work on issues that included affordable housing, living conditions, transportation and smart growth.

State Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg of Sacramento and former Sacramento Mayor Heather Fargo were two of the speakers at the memorial.

“She was the bravest person I ever met in my life. She was the strongest person I ever met in my life. And she was the most humble person I ever met in my life,” Steinberg said.

Even as she fought breast cancer, an inoperable brain tumor and multiple sclerosis, she continued to give to the community and to be concerned about the welfare of others, he said.

Inside the hall, guests said they were surprised to see a table full of awards including a Human Rights award from the Human Rights/Fair Housing Commission of the city and county of Sacramento and a Citizen of the Year Award from the Sacramento Area Council of Governments in 2005. She was recognized as Woman of the Year by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2005.

However, Brill had many more — at least 100 awards in all — that she kept hidden away and never mentioned to close friends until recently.

“The thing about these — we didn’t even know she had these. She was just so modest,” said Leslie Palmer, who became close friends with Brill after they met while Brill was working on issues involving South Sacramento’s Meadowview neighborhood.

“The other thing about Mary: There’s nobody like her in terms of community organization,” Palmer said. “That I know.”

Operation Sellout: How the Sky Box Trumps the Lunch Box

2009-11-01T06:41:22Z

From the lofty perches of the power players, in their skyboxes and bank towers, the public may look very small, almost antlike. Deal and decision makers are elevated and segregated from the little people, whose lives they influence.

On Thursday, October 29, Mayor Kevin Johnson announced his "Rules of the Game" plan to build an arena and entertainment complex in Sacramento. The press conference was held 25 floors up, with a hazy overview of the city, extending from the historic rail yards to Cal Expo: two potential sites for a new and lucrative sports/real estate venture.

In that same sweeping view, the mayor could look down on the central city neighborhoods. From Downtown, Midtown, East Sac, all the way east to River Park and southward to College Glen, Tahoe Park and back around to Oak Park -- all of these neighborhoods are being intentionally and systematically deprived of a comprehensive, traditional, public high school.

This mayor has claimed to want to be an education mayor for Sacramento, even though public education is outside the duties and jurisdiction of the mayor.

So why? Why is a task force and "Rules of the Game" for placing a sports complex in the central city, more of a priority for this mayor than providing a comprehensive, public high school for the majority -- and historic center -- of the city's neighborhoods and families?

Would it help the mayor to see the big picture from up there, if there was a Sacramento High School Tent City, laid out in Fremont Park, Boulevard Park, McKinley Park and Bertha Henschel, Glen Hall Park and East Portal, Tahoe and McClatchy Parks?

A visit from Oprah's cameras might help draw his attention to the estimated 10,000 Central City students that have been displaced, abandoned and disappeared, since the closure of the real Sacramento High School in 2003. The disenfranchised are the rightful public school students and families of the Second Oldest High School West of the Mississippi.

How can it be so easy to overlook the reality that this student body, all these historic, central neighborhoods, do not have a comprehensive, traditional, public high school for their children to go to?

It helps if the local newspaper is complicit in crafting the story of how the public school was closed and reopened as a charter, in a continuous campaign of disinformation and incomplete reporting. Another puffy editorial was printed on Sunday, October 25 stating "On the scale of turnaround options, closing a school and reopening it as a charter is the most dramatic. It also is the most risky. But, as the Sacramento High experience has shown, it can bring big dividends for students in poorer neighborhoods, who too often are left behind."

Wait a minute. Who is being "left behind" here? 6 years later, -- after huge community outcry and advocacy, after a lawsuit and a consent decree of the court, ordering that the Sacramento City Unified School District provide a replacement -- half of the city of Sacramento's students still don't have their high school.

As the editorial said:

"Closing a school and turning it over to a nonprofit to run as a public charter school is not for the faint of heart" -- especially when it is done prematurely and illegally, as happened to Sacramento High School.

"It requires a strong school board willing to back an inevitably controversial decision" -- and complicit in the back room deals, dirty deeds, misuse of Federal funds and betrayal of the community will, all of which got that "strong" school board voted out of office.

"It requires a charter organization willing to withstand withering criticism in its sensitive startup years by those tethered to the status quo" -- the "status quo" being pesky, boring stuff like: the will of the parents, voters and taxpayers (who were forced to become litigants and WON), the history, traditions and needs of the whole community and -- oh yeah -- the law.

The editorial quotes, Tom Loveless, director of the Center on American Education at the Brookings Institution, who told The Bee when Sac High was closed, "It has never happened before where a large, existing high school closed in June and opened in September as a charter." The editor fails to mention that it will never happen here again. After the illegal handover of Sacramento's historic high school to Kevin Johnson, the resulting lawsuit led to a consent decree requiring a one year period in between.

This most recent in a series of misleading and enabling editorials continues. "Enrollment has stabilized at 1,000 students in the last two years and the school slowly seems to be getting beyond the intense conflict surrounding its founding. This is a school that could be even more successful if it had something more than a dismissive brush-off from influential parts of the community."

This is a school that is propped up with powerful media complicity and fudged statistics, packaged with the illegitimate use of the trappings of the historic public school: the mascot, the colors, team name, school name and the school nick name (which the SCUSD has unsuccessfully ordered St. HOPE to quit using). This sporty, peppy, purple and white sham of "Sac High," continues despite repeated public protests to the newspaper and the school board.

The sham, however, provided Kevin Johnson his springboard to the 25th floor press conference vantage and the Mayor's seat.

St. Hope operates "Sacramento Charter High School." It is not "Sacramento High School" or "Sac High." The only time the Sacramento Bee has consistently used the correct terms, were in the few unavoidable investigative articles, when alleged malfeasance by Kevin Johnson was too serious to gloss over. Then, the Bee referred to all the various other official entities of Johnson's St. Hope franchise and avoided any mention of him or of "Sac High."

"Getting beyond the intense conflict surrounding (St. HOPE's) founding," while pretending that central Sacramento should not have a comprehensive, public high school, is impossible. This fuzzy media blanket masking the truth and muzzling the public interest made Johnson's mayoral win possible.

This is a school that was paid for by the taxpayers, supported by the whole community for 147 years and valued for its diverse community-building aspect. This is a school that Sacramentans previously voted to approve bond funds, for renovations intended to serve the whole community, that ended up providing Johnson's boutique charter a $27 million renovation. This is a campus that belongs to the whole community, which is owed a consent decree high school after parents sued over the St. HOPE takeover.

This is a school that cannot justify its presence on the community's historic, upgraded, public high school campus without fudging the statistics, without cherry picking its student body, without the enabling of the local media and without excluding thousands of SCUSD students every year (including student families in Oak Park, who prefer a comprehensive, traditional public school to the St. HOPE charter). This is a school that owes the SCUSD $1,000,000 because it can't pay its bills.

So, who is really getting the "dismissive brush-off from influential parts of the community"? The highly insular, media fortified, privatized outpost of St. HOPE, squatting on the Sac High campus and the mayor with his lofty sky box view?

Or is it that vast, diverse Tent City of displaced high school students, spread out as far as the eye can see, spelling out the words, "Where's my High School"?

The bank tower skybox elites care about the bottom line. They are not accountable to -- or even aware of -- the community experience on the ground level.

It is up to the community to make sure that this mayor is not so blinded by the haze of powerful influence and the sport of politics, that he overlooks his duty to the the families and future of Sacramento.

Marshall School Closure Blow to Central City Renaissance

2009-10-29T19:05:14Z

The sudden directive by Sacramento City Unified School District that California Montessori Project must abandon the Old Marshall Elementary School has done more than disrupt the lives of the students, parents and faculty. It has the potential to strike a major blow to the renaissance of the central city. One of the primary reasons families choose where they live is what schools are available. CMP had operated successfully out of the Pioneer Church for eight years. The site did limit the size of the enrollment. When SCUSD deemed Old Marshall School safe for charter school and offered it to CMP, after careful consideration they accepted the offer. CMP was thrilled to have a beautiful building that could be used for it's original purpose and they could expand to meet the strong demand for more student enrollment. Central city neighborhood leaders also expressed their enthusiasm for Old Marshall School returning as an elementary school with a program that attracted more families to Midtown and the surrounding area. This accelerated the trend of families moving in and the stabilizing effect they create.

The directive to move out of Old Marshall includes help moving and an alternative site. Unfortunately this school is far removed from the central city. At Tuesday night's CMP emergency board meeting, the accepting environment of Midtown and the CMP school was cited by sexual and racial minority parents as a prime reason for where they live. Many other families are the “New Urbanists”. They choose to live in neighborhoods that are reviving old homes, are mixed use and walkable. Having an excellent school that reflected their values is a major component of the mix. Now having their children bussed or having to drive them themselves creates new issues of safety and convenience.

What is to become of Old Marshall School is also a great concern to central city neighborhood leaders. If it sets empty it becomes a magnet for graffiti and vandalism. Will other uses be compatible with the neighborhood? Frankly the administration of the adult education program previously housed in the school was outright hostile to the neighborhood.

Many of us believe that SCUSD, the City of Sacramento and the neighborhoods need to work together to return Old Marshall School to being a high quality elementary school. The deficiencies in the building need to be clearly identified, the cost to remedy these deficiencies set out, and a plan to carry out fixing the problem developed. This needs to be done for the sake of a high quality historic building and a liveable central city. The SACOG Blueprint identifies the central city of Sacramento as the area with the largest amount of infill. To be successful families need to be part of this infill. Without the option of an excellent elementary school this will be very difficult.

Councilmember Steve Cohn's Monthly E-newsletters - July 2009

2009-07-06T22:21:29Z

INCLUDED IN THIS E-NEWSLETTER:

• City 2009/2010 Budget Adopted
• Sidney Pope Memorial Orchid and Onion Awards Presented at Pops in the Park
• Screen on the Green – August
• McKinley Rose Garden Proposed Enhancements Update
• Free Hours of Bike Rentals
• SHPS/ Mercy Construction Update
• Sacramento Fire Department Open Houses

UPCOMING EVENTS
• Neighborhood Services Department Community Hours
• July 4th Fun and Run in River Park
• Friends of the River Event- July 11th
• Taste of East Sacramento – July 12th
• Friends of McKinley Park Tennis Tournament – August 1st and 2nd
• National Night Out – August 4th
• Blood Drive in River Park, August 9th
• St. Mary’s 78th Annual Festival – August 16th
• SOCA Home Tour – September 20th

NEIGHBORHOOD & BUSINESS ASSOCIATION NEWS

City 2009/2010 Budget Adopted

The City Council adopted the final budget for the fiscal year starting July 1, 2009. In closing a $50 million gap, the Council reduced expenditures by $41.7 million, used $8.3 million in one-time resources, and reduced staffing levels by 383 full-time equivalent (FTE) positions. By reaching agreement with the Sacramento Police Officers Association to extend their collective bargaining agreement by 3 years, the City was able to close its funding gap in the Police Department without reducing any police officer positions. Also, on July 3rd the Sacramento Firefighters, Local 522 approved a deal to freeze their salaries for 30 months and delay a 5 percent raise scheduled to take effect July 14 until January 2012, by doing this, they will save the city $10.8 million. Unfortunately, attempts to do likewise with the other union representing most non-safety departments, including Parks and Recreation, were unsuccessful, and as a result the City will be instituting layoffs.

Sidney Pope Memorial Orchid & Onion Awards Presented at Pops in the Park

We enjoyed unseasonably cool temperatures at the first three Pops in the Park concerts this year. Held each Saturday in June, record numbers of people enjoyed free family events with four different genres of music including oldies, blues, swing and country rock. The East Sacramento Improvement Association (ESIA) announced their annual Sidney Pope Memorial Orchid and Onion Awards at the Bertha Henschel concert on June 20th. The Orchid Award was given to 38th Street Neighborhood for their work on the new Setback Ordinance and their “diligence” in maintaining the historical context of the East Sacramento community. In the fall of 2008, a proposal was submitted to demolish an existing home on 38th Street (south of Folsom Blvd) and replace it with a new home that would have extended significantly closer than virtually all of the houses on the street. The new language proposed by the 38th Street neighbors and adopted by Council will trigger design review whenever a house is proposed to be built or expanded in East Sacramento that would be closer to the street than the average setback of the two houses on either side. Also nominated for the Orchid Award were the Neighborhood Retail Center at Alhambra and Folsom Boulevard, home of Peets Coffee and FedEx, which closely followed design guidelines and historical context for this boulevard, and the beautiful new townhomes that Dyer Construction built at the corner of Mission and J Streets, which look like they were built in the same 1930s era as the quads along I and J Streets.

The Onion Award was given this year for the third time to the blighted site of Express Furniture at 5108 Folsom Blvd. Also nominated was the site of Luis Mexican Restaurant building at 1218 Alhambra Blvd. This award is meant to be a good-natured nudge to folks to spruce up their properties.

Screen on the Green - August

Mark your calendars for Screen on the Green free movies in August at four of our District 3 parks.

August 1, 2009 – East Portal Park, 51st & M Streets - Babe
August 8, 2009 – Grant Park, 21st & C Streets – Bee Movie
August 15, 2009 – Babcock Park, 2498 Cormorant Way – Beauty and the Beast
August 22, 2009 – Glen Hall Park, Carlson Drive and Sandburg Drive – The Parent Trap (1961 version)
All movies begin at Sundown
For Details visit: www.sacscreenonthegreen.com

McKinley Rose Garden Proposed Enhancements Update

A second community meeting was held at the McKinley Rose Garden on Saturday, June 20, 2009, to present the proposed enhancements to the McKinley Rose Garden. The enhancements shared by Parks Staff were the result of suggestions and feedback received to date from a previous community meeting as well as many emails and calls. The plan will preserve the Frederick N. Evans Memorial Rose Garden as closely as possible to its existing, historic condition while updating the irrigation system, improving accessibility, and removing diseased or dying roses. The proposed enhancements include an accessible walkway from H Street to the Tiny Tots building, a new rose garden map (accessible), accessible benches with center armrest, wheelchair spaces, an additional (accessible) drinking fountain, concrete planter curbs, bubbler irrigation system and a new brick entry sign. Located in one of the most heavily used parks within the city, the last major known renovation to the garden was in 1973. After an initial meeting generated controversy, I was very pleased to see a renewed spirit of cooperation among neighbors, the City staff, families of memorial plaque holders, and the Sacramento Rose Society. I look for this to generate a renewed volunteerism to help restore the Rose Garden’s luster. Of course, we’ll need to raise most of the money for the renovations from private funds, including increased wedding fees. For more information, contact Jonathan Rewers at 808-7590 or jrewers@cityofsacramento.org

Free Hours of Bike Rentals

Bikes and Bites located at 1013 12th Street, rents bikes to locals and out of town guests to ride around and enjoy Sacramento and all it has to offer. Recently, the Sacramento Air Quality Air District agreed to underwrite 1000 hours of bike rentals. Renters will now receive one hour of free bike rental, when they rent a minimum of two hours. The bike rental programs will lower Sacramento's carbon footprint while creating economic stimulus in the local businesses. For more details go to www.BikesandBites.com

SHPS/ Mercy Construction Update

Soil remediation on the school site continues and is nearing completion. Upon completion, foundational footings will be dug for the new buildings. Tunnel work between the Medical Plaza and Hospital is expected to be complete by August 2009. This month the hospital intends to go out to bid for the structural steel to be used for the Heart Center building and this fall some preliminary foundation work is expected to begin. Future Neighborhood Advisory Committee (NAC) meetings are scheduled as follows: August 18, and November 17.

For updates on the Neighborhood Traffic Management Plan (NTMP) visit
For more information on the NTMP, visit www.cityofsacramento.org/transportation/traffic-engineering/mercy-ntmp.html or contact Debb Newton at 808-6739 or dnewton@cityofsacramento.org. For questions or concerns regarding construction, please feel free to call the construction hotline at 552-6931.

Sacramento Fire Department Open Houses

The Sacramento Fire Department invites you to come by to meet your firefighters and take a station tour. They are holding several open houses throughout the city. Open Houses still to be held for District 3 residents are:

August 29th – Station 4, 3145 Granada Way (off Alhambra)
September 12th – Station 19, 1700 Challenge Way
September 19th – Station 8, 5990 H Street, 2pm-5pm

For more information call 808-1347 or visit www.sacfire.org

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Neighborhood Services Department Community Hours

For your convenience, Neighborhood Services continues to hold community hours in the neighborhood. Feel free to drop by to ask questions, raise concerns and discuss city issues. The following dates and times are scheduled:

Tuesday, July 14th
2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Clunie Clubhouse, 601 Alhambra Blvd.

Tuesday, August 11th
2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Hagginwood Community Center, 3271 Marysville Boulevard

For more questions, please contact Janine at 808-8193 or jmartindale@cityofsacramento.org

July 4th Fun and Run in River Park

Start your morning with the 33rd Annual Free 4th of July Fun Run in River Park. This is a 5-mile run that winds its way through the River Park neighborhood. The runs starts and ends near Glen Hall Park. There is a half a mile kids run (under 10) that starts at 7:45 a.m. and then the 5 mile runs begins at 8:00 a.m. Registration begins at 7:15 a.m. Then mid-morning enjoy the Fire Cracker Parade, the Mere Mortals band, food, games and prizes from 10:00 a.m. until Noon. The parade begins at Caleb Greenwood School at 10:00 a.m. (arrive at 9:30 a.m. to line up). Hot dogs, ice cream and sods will be sold. RPNA is still looking for volunteers for that day. If you are interested in volunteering or would like more information about the event, contact lcortez916@yahoo.com.

Friends of the River Event – July 11th

Friends of the River Banks sponsors a gathering at the American River each Second Saturday at 9 am at Sutter's Landing to encourage people, especially families and children, to enjoy and appreciate the wildlife and to spend a little time with nature. On Saturday, July 11th, Greg Kareofelas will lead a “Dragonfly Walk” where you may also see damselflies and butterflies. Binoculars and insect nets will be available for use. Greg will give pointers on how to use nets properly – a useful skill for budding entomologists of all ages. Recommended pre-walk reading: the “California Natural History Guide on Dragonflies” by Tim Manolis. For more information, contact Laurie Litman at llitman@pacbell.net

Below is an inspiring piece written by one of our 10-year old Midtown neighbors:

Come With Me
by Paloma Freitas

What are you doing on this hot summer day? If you like exploring and having fun, get off that couch and come with me to the American River.

We can swim in the cold water, take a hike, play on the beach, and look for baby clams. If we go on a hike, we can look at all of the beautiful plants. If we go at night, we may spot a coyote, if we are lucky. If we take a hike in the daytime, we might see otters, turtles or birds.

If you go swimming, you will have a lot of fun, but you'll have to be careful. Some parts of the river are deep. If we play in the shallow water, we can look for clams under the sand.

The American River is a great place. It's the best place in Sacramento to have fun. So what are you waiting for? Let's go.

Taste of East Sacramento – July 12th

The East Sacramento Chamber of Commerce presents “Taste of East Sacramento” on Sunday, July 12th from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Shepard Garden and Arts Center. The event will feature wine tasting along with a taste of some of the best food East Sac has to offer. Tickets can be purchased in advance at Selland’s Market Café, 5340 H Street for $25 or at the door for $30. Proceeds will benefit Pops in the Park. For more information call 452-8011. (note: Limited tickets are available for the event)

Friends of McKinley Park Tennis Tournament, August 1st and 2nd

Support efforts to raise funding for the resurfacing and upgrades to the McKinley Park Tennis Courts. A tournament will be held on August 1st and 2nd at the McKinley facility. Your $75 tax deductible donation includes tournament fee, lunch and a shirt. Checks should be made payable to Friends of McKinley Park Tennis and mailed to PO Box 19463, Sacramento, CA 95819-0463. For more information about the tournament call (209) 483-8430.

National Night Out – August 4th

Join your neighbors and be a part of a nation-wide event against crime on August 4th. National Night Out is a community-police partnership held the first Tuesday of every August. It aims to increase awareness about police programs in communities, promote neighbor to neighbor interaction, and send a message to criminals that they are being watched! If you would like to organize a celebration with your neighbors, please contact Officer Alana Henley, Crime Prevention Specialist, at ahenley@pd.cityofsacramento for more information.

Blood Drive in River Park – August 9th

A Blood Drive will be held in River Park on Sunday, August 9th from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at 5458 Carlson Drive across from the school. Join the group for coffee, donuts and a BBQ.

St. Mary’s 78th Annual Festival – August 16th

St. Mary’s 78th Annual Festival will take place on Sunday, August 16th from 10:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. with lots of attractions for the whole family including arts and crafts, festival booths, bingo, rock climbing, laser tag, water slides, shopping mall, chicken/pasta dinner and other great foods as well as two popular bands, the Q-Balls and Miller Hi Lites.

SOCA Home Tour – September 20th

This year’s SOCA home tour will be held in historic Boulevard Park on Sunday, September 20 (10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.). Tickets may be purchased in advance at several local businesses ($18.00) or at the street fair on the esplanade on 21st Street between F and G Streets on the day of the tour ($20.00). Bicyclists will get a dollar discount ($19.00). Ticket-holders will be given an illustrated brochure with detailed information about the homes and the neighborhood. As in past years, the street fair will feature artisans and information booths. Restored antique cars will be on display throughout the tour’s neighborhood, courtesy of the Sacramento Capitol A’s Model A Club.

The Boulevard Park neighborhood incorporates a mix of late nineteenth and early twentieth-century homes, ranging from single-family residences to the distinctive courtyard-style arrangement of cottages that can be found throughout the city of Sacramento. The homes also vary in size, having served a wide cross-section of Sacramento society, ranging from railroad and cannery workers to doctors, bankers, and businessmen. The core of the neighborhood is a development by a local building firm, Wright and Kimbrough that was constructed on the former site of the city’s race track in the early 1900s. In fact, 2009 marks the centennial for many of the houses in the original Boulevard Park neighborhood, which was bordered by B, H, 22nd, and 20th Streets. The greater Boulevard Park neighborhood also includes some handsome Victorian and Queen Anne residences from the late 1800s. Several homes from the original and greater Boulevard Park neighborhoods have been selected for the 2009 tour. Tickets may be purchased in advance at Joann's Elegant Gifts (1019 L Street), Collected Works Books & Other Fine Gifts (4524 Freeport Blvd.), 57th Street Antique Mall (875 57th Street), and The Avid Reader (16th & Broadway). For more information visit http://sacoldcity.org/?cat=10

NEIGHBORHOOD & BUSINESS ASSOCIATION NEWS

Alkali & Mansion Flats Historic Neighborhood Association. Meetings are held on the Second Thursday of each month, 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Boys & Girls Club, 1117 G Street. For more information contact Sean Wright at (916) 806-8198.

East Sacramento Chamber of Commerce: Second Wednesday of each month at various locations, 12:00 p.m.-1:30 p.m. Cost $15. For details call Lisa Schmidt at (916) 457-2721.

Hagginwood Community Association: Celebrate National Night Out on Tuesday, August 4th , location tba. Next meeting: Wednesday, September 2nd at Joe Mims/Hagginwood Community Center, Tower Room, Meeting Room 1. For more information contact: Bill Maynard, Chair, 508-6025, sacgc@ulink.net or Barbara Stanton, Vice Chair, 927-7446, barbs992@earthlink.net.

McKinley East Sacramento Neighborhood Association (MENA): Board meeting open to the Public, First Wednesday of each month, 7:00 p.m. at Shepard Garden and Arts Center in McKinley Park. Contact: Joe Chavez at chavezjoseph@comcast.net

Midtown Business Association (MBA) Board Meeting – Third Wednesday of each month - 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. – 1400 29th Street. For more information, call 442-1500.

River Park Neighborhood Association – Third Thursday of each month, Block Captains 6:30 p.m., RPNA Board 7:30 p.m. at Geneva Room in the Fremont Presbyterian Church at Carlson Drive and H Street. See www.riverparksacramento.net

Midtown Neighborhood Association (formerly WPCANA) – For Updates visit www.sacmidtown.org

Area 1 NRT – Next meeting: Monday, July 20th, 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. (preceding NAG) at Hart Senior Center, 915 27th Street.

Area 1 NAG – Next NAG meeting: Monday, July 20th, Pizza at 6:15 p.m. at Hart Senior Center.

Area 4 Community Partnership Meeting – Next meeting: Monday, July 13th, 7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. at Robertson Community Center.

Area 4 NRT – Monday, July 13th, 6:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m. (preceding Community Partnership meeting) at Robertson Community Center.

Midtown neighborhoods alarmed by unsafe activites at event.

2009-06-29T19:10:10Z

Kings fans welcomed their new players to Sacramento. This was in a small neighborhood Midtown park. Attendance was reported as a few hundred. Pretty low turnout for such an event. The event was arranged at the last minute and in a venue that had never been used by the Kings before. Another regionally advertised event, The Block Concert Series, was occuring at the same time.

The neighborhood was freaked out when high powered pyrotechnics were illegally fired into the neighborhood at the end of this event. This was callous disregard for the safety of the lives and property of this neighborhood. To understand the full implications of what occurred, speak with Niko King or Jim Doucette in the fire department regarding the extreme risk of fires spreading rapidly through the densely crowed neighborhoods of Midtown. The one city park employee monitoring the event was pretty much helpless in dealing with the situation. There were police there. They aided and abetted the illegal action by closing 28th Street (with no permit) and standing around while pyrotechnics were fired. There was no firefighting equipment present.

The on going concern is that this follows a pattern that has gone in regard to special events in and around Marshall Park. There is a last minute request for an event. Approval is always given. Something goes wrong. No one is held accountable.

When is the City of Sacramento officials going to learn that this massive overuse of a small nieghborhood park is to the benefit of a few and the detriment of many?

Locals want light at 16th & U

2009-05-27T04:19:03Z

One week after a truck wrecked the front of a historic midtown building, some residents and business owners are saying they'd like a traffic signal for what they say is a dangerous intersection.

Several people sitting at Harry's Cafe, a popular sidewalk cafe next door to the damaged building, narrowly escaped serious injury when an Icee truck and an SUV collided at 16th and U Streets and ran up onto the sidewalk. Locals say last Tuesday's accident was one of many that have threatened people visiting businesses or on foot on the busy one-way street.

"It's dangerous. I really want to see the city put a stoplight right there," said the cafe's owner, Harry Luong, 53.

However, police accident reports indicate the intersection hasn't had more than an average number of accidents, said Sacramento Police Sergeant Norm Leong.

Police report numbers don't indicate the total number, because reports aren't filed for many.

The truck rammed the corner of a vacant brick building at 2030 16th St., where one of Sacramento's earliest Safeway stores originally stood. The building’s front collapsed and only three quarters remained intact.

The SUV swerved right, crushing a sidewalk table and chairs outside the cafe at 2026 16th St. before stopping just short of the restaurant's front wall.

Harry's Cafe was able to reopen the following day after a crew from the Housing & Dangerous Building Division of the city’s Code Enforcement Department removed damaged sections and stabilized the remaining walls of the unreinforced masonry building.

Luong's business has been slow since the accident, despite a loyal following. But he and his wife, Lynn Luong, who owns Lynn's Beauty Salon next door, are worried about people's safety. Their son and his friends had to run from an outside table when the SUV rushed at them. They escaped with cuts and bruises. Another patron was injured by flying glass.

Standing outside his cafe, Harry Luong pointed skyward and said "someone up there" must have been watching to prevent worse injury.

"My son is very lucky he didn't get killed," Luong said. "That's the main thing I'm concerned [with] right now."

Just then, North Sacramento resident Jim Young stopped his car in front of Luong and yelled out, "I'm really glad your son's okay."

The surrounding neighborhood is home to many elderly people and families with children. High school students and senior citizens often cross three-lane 16th Street at U Street. They may be visiting one of the intersection's three businesses -- the cafe, a 24-hour taco place called La Garnacha, or Quickly, an Asian fusion cafe/drink shop.

The posted speed limit is 35 mph, but the street can be dangerous when drivers on 16th rev up to catch a green light at T Street, people said.

Quickly's co-owner Doug Holdren, also a newscast director at KCRA, said the intersection is "absolutely" dangerous.

"People can't drive. They're talking on the phone, they're texting, not paying attention. And they're trying to go through an intersection that possibly needs a light," he said.

Even drivers living in the neighborhood have a hard time crossing 16th when cars are parked illegally right to the corners.

"If cars park on 16th Street, I can't see anything," said retiree Betty Fong, adding there’ve been many accidents in her 35 years at U and 19th Streets. "We need a signal here."

Holdren agreed.

"You get 20 feet [of curb] that says 'No parking here to the corner.' When people park there, the people who [drive] up on U Street can't see up 16th. So when they pull out -- boom! There you go," he said. "There's a lot of old Chinese ladies who walk around down here. I feel sorry for 'em because nobody wants to stop for 'em."

A previous accident sent a car flying onto the front porch of the intersection's only house, at 2031 16th St. The car destroyed the front steps and part of the porch and could have killed someone if they'd been on the porch at the time, said 92-year-old Lucille Forrester, who's lived on that corner for 39 years.

"I was taking my nap on the davenport and my kitty was with me. All of a sudden, we heard a noise and my kitty jumped up," she said.

Sacramento Police accident records for the last five years indicate no fatal accidents or pedestrian injuries at the intersection in that time, said Leong.

From January 1, 2004, to May 1, 2009, the intersection has seen four injury accidents and four non-injury accidents, said Leong. However, police reports for non-injury accidents are limited. Accidents must meet certain criteria for reports to be filed, he added.

"Based on the number of accidents, I wouldn't say it's any higher than any other intersection for a five-year period," said Leong.

Only drivers were injured -- including a mountain bike rider who rode into a parked car. Parked cars often suffered in accidents. Last Tuesday, the SUV hit a car parked in front of the café. Some believe that that helped prevent more injury.

Business owners and residents believe they're not likely to get a signal because one exists at T Street. At least one person suggested making 16th two-way. Holdren questioned whether a remedy would come through for this intersection when a lot of one-way-street intersections are dangerous.

"Yeah, I think it's bad. Is there anything the city can do? Who knows. You can't put that kind of money into every blind corner we have," he said.

The damaged building -- and the street -- have played major roles in the neighborhood's life for decades. Three years after the Safeway grocery store chain began operation in 1926, a Safeway opened at the spot, said Pat Johnson, a senior Sacramento Archives and Museum Collection Center archivist who tracked down the original building permit card.

Traffic has grown considerably on 16th Street. People now say they're worried another accident could take someone's life.

"Right now, the main thing is we need to do something to stop the accidents," said Luong.

Suzanne Hurt is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Midfest: Special events guidelines

2009-05-26T03:17:05Z

Special events like the Midfest Summer Celebration must meet general guidelines available on the city Department of Parks and Recreation website.

Applicants are required to notify residents at least seven days before the event. Sending out a team to notify people at their homes or leave information on doorsteps and doorknobs is OK, said Hindolo Brima, spokesperson for the city Department of Parks and Recreation.

Residents must be notified in the most heavily impacted areas, which are determined based on how loud the event is expected to be and what kind of parking issues and restrictions there will be, he added. For this event, the residents who have to be notified live in the area between J and G streets and 26th to 29th streets.

The city's "Special Event Planning Guide" advises organizers to make sure the city approves of the event before any promotion is done. However, conditional approval can be given by city staff after an initial screening of the request.

A special temporary license or permit is required to sell alcohol at such events. Getting such a license requires the Sacramento Police Department and the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control Organizers to review alcohol management strategy and event plans.

Beer gardens must be fenced, and entrances must be staffed by people who check IDs. Amplified sound in a park can't exceed 86 decibels 25 feet from the source, or 55 decibels on any residential property.

Planned street closures must allow a 20-foot lane of clearance for emergency vehicles. Signs notifying neighbors of the closure in advance may also be required. Organizers also must make plans to ensure adequate parking is available, which could include the use of shuttles.

Suzanne Hurt is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

City staffer at Hart June 2

2009-05-25T01:23:34Z

Got questions about what's going on in your 'hood? Got a problem that needs fixing? A city neighborhood resources coordinator just might be able to help.

Central city residents will get a chance to discuss concerns and get information close to home next month when the city's Neighborhood Services Department sets up new "community hours" in Midtown.

Neighborhood coordinator Janine Martindale will be available at Midtown's Hart Senior Center, 915 27th St. (I and 27th streets), from 2 to 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 2. The department has scheduled drop-in hours throughout the city. East Sacramento residents can visit Clunie Community Center, 601 Alhambra Blvd., from 2 to 6 p.m. Tuesday, July 14.

The city agency set up these sessions so residents can voice complaints, get personal help with city-related problems or more information about their neighborhoods.

"Sometimes it's easier for folks to get introduced to city services if they see a real, live person and they have an opportunity to talk to someone (in person), as opposed to talking to someone over the phone or email," said Neighborhood Services Department Area Manager Derrick Lim. "Technology is great. But sometimes there is no substitute for personal, face-to-face interaction."

Martindale will take any question or concern, no matter how specific or general. She's also there to help people make connections to other city departments that can best assist with a particular issue.

Neighborhood Services staff spend a lot of time out in the field during the day, evenings and weekends, Lim said. Still, the department has been searching for a new way to be accessible to city dwellers.

So the department wants to try neighborhood-based drop-in sessions in areas with high foot traffic to see if that works better for some people who need help from the city but don't know how to get it, Lim said.

"We don't want people to forget that we're here for the residents. That's why we're making a special effort," he said.

To find out more about the Neighborhood Services Department's scheduled community hours, call 808-6789. To get help with an issue, go to www.cityofsacramento.org/ns/need-help or call 808-6789.

For after-hours city assistance (for example, to report things like a fallen public tree, street flooding or broken water main), call 264-5011.

Feburary 09 NAG

2009-02-24T15:27:13Z

Last Night's NAG proves to be informative and contentious.

Last night's Neighborhood Advisory Group (NAG) meeting started off with a low key police report and not much news on issue updates. The general plan goes to City Council for review on March 3rd. There will be a session of the Preservation Roundtable on March 14th,

The primary announcement was the merger of Marshall School Neighborhood Association and the adjoining New Era Park Neighborhood Association.

A presentation by Doug Huston a Program Analyst with the Solid Waste Division on E-Waste removal was the first agenda item. The city has programs to collect batteries, cfls and other florescent lights that can not go into land fills by law. They and other E-Waste material (computers and accessories and TVs etc.) Can be recycled with the neighborhood clean-up program, at the City of Sacramento Household Hazardous Waste Facility and at E-Waste drop off events. Contact 311 for more information. E-Waste along with appliances can also be recycled at commercial businesses including Appliance Distribution (916-497-0274) and Advanced Computer Recycling Inc. (916-387-9988) where free pick-up appointments can be made.

Next was three presentations by developers vying to be selected by CADA for a project at 16th an N Streets. A presentation was made to the NAG August 07 meeting on this mixed use development. The project was shelved due to the bad economy. It has been restarted. There were complaints about the bulk of the building. The developers stated that this was due to the parameters set out by CADA. For information on public comment contact CADA.

What was probably the most contentious item was a presentation by Bill Thomas, Director of Development, on the merger of the Planning Commission and the Design Review Commission. Mr. Thomas stated that this is being done as a cost saving measure. He also took the position that this was going to happen and then there would be public comment on any other changes. To view Mr. Thomas's presentation material contact Vjones@cityofsacramento.org if you are not on the NAG mailing list. Several attendees loudly if not angrily voiced their concern not only with the commission merger but with the whole process. It was described as un-democratic by several persons. The creation of three commissions, Design Review, Planning and Preservation Review was done only two years ago after more than two years of public participation. There was a compromise that created a balance between citizen, city staff and developer input. Many voiced the concern that this merger changes the balance much more in favor of developers at the expense of the citizens. Expect a strong turnout when this reaches City Council. See City Council agendas and reports at http://www.cityofsacramento.org/clerk/.

The last item dealt with another issue that has raised a great deal of concern with affected neighborhoods. McKinley Village: Neighborhood Views was presented by the East Sacramento Preservation Task Force & McKinley East Sacramento Neighborhood Association. A presentation was made to NAG in 08 by the developer. That presentation did not address key concerns such as traffic impact to the surrounding neighborhoods, flood control and sewage removal problems. It became a heated exchange between attendees and the presenters at times. Last night's presentation covered much the same concerns. Requested mitigations included more access including a second tunnel at Alhambra Street, flood control gates, creation of a transportation district and an independent review of sewage distribution problems. Interested parties can attend another presentation of this information tonight, Tuesday February 24th at Theodore Judah Elementary School, 7:00pm.

A reminder that persons interested in having items on the NAG agenda can contact Janine Martindale, 916-808-8193 or jmartindale@cityofsacramento.org. Anyone can also attend the NAG Agenda Committee which meets the first Wednesday of the month, 12 noon at the Clunie Community Center, East Sacramento Room.

Save our school

2009-01-18T19:42:51Z

I recieved this article by email from Martha Damjanovic:

On Wednesday January 21, 2009 there will be a meeting at the Washington Elementary School located at: 520 18th street from 6pm to 8pm

This school has been placed on a hit list to be closed.

The down/midtown neighbourhoods cannot afford for this to happen. How can we become a 24hr family city if we do not have schools for our children to attend. We need to really take stock and find out why the enrollment is down at this school and why at other schools parents are standing in 30 degree weather to get their children enrolled? This school has received several academic awards. The new principal at the school Marilyn Collins has reached out to the community for help. I fear we are dealing with a 30 year old mentality.

Neighborhood Summit 2009

2009-01-16T03:52:56Z

The City of Sacramento Department of Neighborhood Services announces:

Good Neighborhoods = A Great City

The City of Sacramento's Neighborhood Services Department is proud to present the Neighborhood Summit 2009, a first of its kind here in Sacramento!

When: Friday, March 6, 2009
Time: 8:30-4:00 PM (Continental Breakfast/Lunch Provided)
Where: Sacramento Convention Center - 1400 J Street

Purpose: The mission of the City of Sacramento Neighborhood Summit is to promote communication and partnership between city staff, residents, neighborhood associations, and business owners to help maintain, revitalize, and promote healthy communities.

Free Admission: There will be no cost to attend the Neighborhood Summit event, thanks to the generous support and sponsorship of:

Nehemiah Urban Ministries Initiatives
Common Sense California
Sacramento Consolidated Charities
Sierra Health Foundation

Event Registration: We have a limited number of participant slots for the event. Please register online using the following link : http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=0XkyB9AVc61bjWoX_2fgiLSQ_3d_3d

The deadline for registering is February 6, 2009. Registration is first-come, first-serve and we have a limited number of slots available. Hurry while we still have room!

Please mark your calendar now. You don't want to miss this event!

For more information, please visit our website at www.cityofsacramento.org/ns or call 808-6789.