More than 50 neighborhood parties will be held Tuesday as Sacramento participates in the 28th annual National Night Out. It’s about crime prevention, said Sacramento Police Department spokesman Sgt. Norm Leong. “The idea is you get out, get to know your neighbors and show you’re visible to prevent crime.” Leong said the block parties allow neighbors to get to know each other in a fun way, and that helps with building a stronger community. There is no specific criteria that needs to be followed for a National Night Out event, since it is about getting neighbors together and having a good time. “It can be as simple as an ice cream social or a bunch of neighbors hanging out together,” he

The local media is abuzz about the city’s proposals to lay off 80 sworn Sacramento police officers, among other police staffers, to help balance the city’s budget. But while information on the proposed layoffs has been reported, many Sacramento residents may not know the basic facts and salary information for police officers in Sacramento. The City Council, which is wrestling with a $39 million budget gap, is expected to approve the city’s budget for the 2011/2012 fiscal year on June 21. The recommendation to lay off cops – as well as other cost-cutting measures – comes from the city manager’s office. Here is a guide to help residents understand the salary and benefits for the average p

More than 350 jobs, including those of 80 sworn police officers, could be cut to balance the city’s budget, Interim City Manager Bill Edgar said Friday. The city manager’s office released recommendations Friday on how to resolve a $39 million budget gap. The proposal released by the city is not set in stone: The City Council is responsible for making final budget decisions. “This is the budget that everyone has dreaded,” Edgar said. “(This is) the budget where the chickens come home to roost.” The city manager’s office proposes cutting 294 positions. In addition, Edgar said he is recommending that the City Council cut about 60 more positions to privatize maintenance of city golf courses

Almost six months have passed since Victor Hugo Perez Zavala was shot and killed at the September Second Saturday Art Walk, and no arrests have been made. According to police, gang-related crime like the Second Saturday shooting is hard to solve for a variety of reasons. “In a nutshell, (the case is) wide open,” said Sgt. Bob McCloskey of the Sacramento Police Department’s homicide division. “We’re still trying to run down every lead we have.” McCloskey said police are currently investigating leads, but declined to say how many or comment on how good the leads are, given that it’s an active investigation. “In each case, we’re going to take and fully investigate it,” he said. “On open c

The jury assigned to the case of local security guard Leroy “Pops” Fisher’s death is now deliberating, following a day of passionate arguments by both the prosecution and defense attorneys. At stake is the future of Michael Bruce Weisz of Sacramento, who faces charges of second-degree murder and felony hit-and-run with death or injury in the case of Fisher’s 2009 death. The prosecution and defense attorneys made final arguments in Weisz’ trial on Tuesday in Sacramento County Superior Court. Sacramento County Deputy District Attorney Sheri Greco contended that Weisz is guilty of both second-degree murder and felony hit-and-run with death. Donald Masuda, the attorney representing Weisz, a

Sacramento’s St. Patrick’s Day party will be held downtown this year instead of on L Street so the event can accommodate the thousands of expected festivalgoers, according to Lisa Martinez, director of outreach and marketing for the Downtown Sacramento Partnership. The downtown organization and de Vere’s Irish Pub are organizing this year’s de Vere’s St. Patrick’s Day Party in the Park at Cesar Chavez Park from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Thursday, March 17. “Our goal is to create a bigger footprint for the event,” said Martinez, Downtown Sacramento Partnership’s director of outreach and marketing. From 5 a.m. to midnight on March 17, Ninth Street will be shut down between I and J streets for

A friend of late Sacramento security guard Leroy “Pops” Fisher is urging the city’s gay community to attend the trial of the man charged with killing Fisher in 2009. The trial involving Fisher’s death started last week in Sacramento County Superior Court. Michael Bruce Weisz of Sacramento faces charges of second-degree murder and felony hit-and-run with death or injury in the case of Fisher’s death.  Steve Thompson, who was a friend of Fisher’s, has already used Facebook and e-mail messages to ask more than 150 people to appear in court to honor Fisher. “I want to bring as many people as can be allowed,” Thompson said. He said he is reaching out to the gay community about the trial bec

A local group that addresses homelessness is already preparing to count the county’s homeless population in January. Sacramento Steps Forward, a group formed by Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson to combat homelessness locally, is organizing the 2011 Homeless Street Count. While Johnson’s group is running the event, the information from the Jan. 27 count will be used by Sacramento County. The county is required by the federal Housing and Urban Development agency to provide information from a count every other year, said Michele Watts, program manager for Sacramento Steps Forward. The federal housing agency provides millions of dollars to Sacramento County’s homeless programs, Watts said. At

About 20 protesters – many of whom were in wheelchairs – were arrested Wednesday afternoon after blocking L Street in front of the Capitol to protest cuts to in-home care services in the state budget. “Those services provide the means for people to live independently and stay out of nursing homes,” said Peni Hall, who came from Berkeley to participate in the protest but who left the street before officers started making arrests. About 40 police and CHP officers arrived at the protest, said Sgt. Norm Leong, spokesman for the Sacramento Police Department. “We were notified of an improvised protest in the middle of L Street,” Leong said, adding that he believed the group had a permit to pr

When the Sacramento City Council resolved a $43 million budget gap last week, it also decided to hire 30 police officers during the following three fiscal years. The decision to create 30 new police officer positions was non-controversial among council members, even though the city is experiencing harsh cuts in its departments. “I think we felt that this was an appropriate measure to keep our police department at a level that can maintain public safety,” Councilman Steve Cohn said in an interview Monday. The city has figured out how to pay $3.6 million for the police officers during fiscal years 2010/2011, 2011/2012 and some of 2012/2013. Sheraton Hotel parking funds will cover $1 milli

City Councilman Ray Tretheway has claimed that opponents of his re-election campaign have stolen his online identity. In a May 21 letter addressed to several local agencies, including the Sacramento County District Attorney’s office, Tretheway alleged that the Sacramento Police Officers Association illegally registered the website domain name raytretheway.com. The police officers’ union acknowledged that it has registered raytretheway.com but said it has not violated any laws. Campaign statements show that SPOA provides financial support to Angelique Ashby, one of Tretheway’s competitors in the District 1 City Council race.  “It’s identity theft, clear and simple,” Tretheway said in an

Braziel in Seattle Police Chief Rick Braziel will be in Seattle on Saturday to interview for a job leading that city’s Police Department, Sacramento Police Department spokesman Norm Leong said Friday. Braziel is competing with 10 other candidates for the job. Leong added that the city of Seattle is expected to narrow the group of candidates to three on Tuesday. *** Billboards and dollars The Sacramento City Council will decide Tuesday whether to sign leases with Clear Channel Outdoor for four digital billboards to be placed on city property. The city would garner $330,000 in signing bonuses, according to a report by Tom Zeidner, senior development project manager.  During the first f

When you live an hour from snowy mountains and an hour from the beach, the adventurous must find a daily alternative to get their "extreme" urges out. For many Sacramentans, skateboarding has been that outlet. For slightly fewer, it has become a passion, a lifestyle and even a career choice. No matter the individual's connection to skateboarding, it remains a steady part of Sacramento culture. But why? The Sacramento Press researched this question and spoke with some of those who hold skateboarding as a staple of life in this town. Location, Location, Location Sacramento's centralized location on the West Coast has had a big influence on skating in this area. Relative to other Californ

Last week’s fatal stabbing of 68-year-old Bernice Nickson took place at a downtown Regional Transit stop. While it would be hasty to let one incident determine RT’s entire reputation, the incident does beg the question: Are Regional Transit stops hubs for crime? Alane Masui, assistant general manager of communications for Sacramento RT, said no. She said that when crimes take place on the street, transit stops are just easy landmarks to associate with the incident. “It’s more of a perception than a reality,” she said. “When something occurs, people try to put the incident in context, and transit stops serve as regional landmarks.” There are about 3,800 bus stops and 47 light rail stati

Ongoing neighborhood feud escalates to shooting Wednesday afternoon East DelPaso Heights, Sacramento, CA February 10, 2010 Wednesday afternoon, an ongoing neighborhood feud escalated to somone being shot. A small portion of Conifer Way was taped off Wednesday afternoon as CSI collected evidence and officers untangled details. Just prior to this incident, a home invasion robbery took place nearby causing some confusion at first whether the two incidents were related or not. VIDEO> 

Do you know much about the local Homeland Security program? We reported recently that $3 million in federal funds will help fund the Sacramento Regional Office of Homeland Security. But we wanted to learn more about the local program and its dozens of training classes for local agencies. The Sacramento Press sat down with Sacramento Police Deputy Chief Sam Somers and department spokesman Norm Leong to delve into the details of the regional office’s work. Sacramento Press: Can you provide details on how the Sacramento Regional Office of Homeland Security will spend the $3 million in federal funds? Deputy Chief Sam Somers: The way that we spend that is in a couple different areas. [One a

The Sacramento Press is publishing a series of documents and e-mails about the city’s planned surveillance system. In May and June e-mails, city officials and staffers were preparing to defend the city’s planned surveillance system against criticism from the local chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union. The city plans to buy a $615,000 surveillance system with 32 security cameras, four mobile surveillance trailers and other related equipment. Sacramento officials announced in April that the city had been chosen to receive Federal Homeland Security grant funds to pay for the surveillance package. However, the city is still waiting for the California Emergency Management Agency to pr

The news that the Sacramento Police Department will receive $9.5 million in federal stimulus dollars means that the department’s specialized units may eventually receive a boost in staffing, according to department spokesman Sgt. Norm Leong. The department announced earlier this week that it had been selected to receive federal money under the Recovery Act Funding to Support Law Enforcement program. The money will be used to pay the base salary of 35 officers for three years, Sacramento Police Officers Association President Brent Meyer said. Meyer said he was “ecstatic” about the federal money, noting that the department thought it might have to lay off 67 police officers earlier this ye

The regional Homeland Security program will receive more than $3 million in federal funds for its training and preparedness efforts, as well as for staffing and operational expenses, according to Sacramento Police Department spokesman Norm Leong. The City Council earlier this week decided to move U.S. Department of Homeland Security grant money to the Sacramento Regional Office of Homeland Security. The regional office will allocate the money to a specific program known as the Urban Area Security Initiative. A July 14 report to the City Council from Sacramento Police Lt. Tom Sweeney said the $3,150,680 in funding “will be used to pay for equipment, labor costs and contractual agreements

City officials and civil liberties advocates are taking opposite positions on the city’s plans to set up security cameras at several locations in Sacramento. The two sides are presenting opposing views on the effectiveness of surveillance systems. Mayor Kevin Johnson said in April that the surveillance system would help decrease crime in Sacramento. While locations for the cameras have not yet been selected, Johnson has said that K Street and Regional Transit stations are the kinds of high-traffic and high-crime sites that could be suitable for surveillance. The city intends to purchase a $615,000 surveillance package that includes 32 security cameras, four mobile surveillance trailers a