City Council members voiced support of a possible sales tax increase that could bring as much as $13.5 million to city coffers, but won’t act on it until after this year’s city budget is finalized. They mayor said he opposes the proposal, and his campaign manager called it "regressive." The tax increase was recommended by Parks and Recreation Commission Chairman and mayoral candidate Jonathan Rewers in response to the results of a poll commissioned by the city that showed 71 percent of city voters would favor a sales tax increase to support city services, especially if the money is used to offset cuts to city police, fire and youth services. “Despite what I think, a sales taxes seems to

At the Feb. 7 City Council meeting, council members scrapped Mayor Kevin Johnson’s strong mayor initiative – dubbed the Checks and Balances Act of 2012 – in favor of an elected charter review commission. The move, initiated by Councilman Kevin McCarty and supported by six other council votes, paves the way for a costly November election and a tangled web of political intrigue and shenanigans. The cost for electing a charter review commission is still undetermined – it will depend largely on how many candidates line up seeking a spot, according to the city clerk’s office. Just placing the question of “Do you want an elected charter review commission?” on the ballot will cost an estimated

A citizen’s group that advises the Sacramento City Council on utilities rates voted to oppose a November ballot measure that would reverse a 9.2 percent rate hike. Four of the seven members of the Utilities Rate Advisory Commission voted to recommend that the City Council oppose Measure B, the Utilities Rate Rollback Act of 2010. Commissioners Melvin Johnson and Tess Kretschmann were absent from the meeting. Commissioner Ernest Lehr abstained from the vote after saying he had “many problems with the rate-setting process.” He criticized the Department of Utilities’ budgeting practices. The City Council voted to increase rates on residents’ utilities bills last year, and the 9.2 percent s

Some Sacramento City Council members say the city could be harmed if voters halt California’s global warming law in November. A handful of council members have publicly opposed Proposition 23, a ballot measure that would block state regulations relating to global warming.  Backers of Prop. 23 want to freeze AB 32, the state’s global warming law, arguing that it hurts businesses in California. When the state’s unemployment rate drops to 5.5 percent or lower over four continuous quarters, AB 32 would go into effect again, the ballot measure states. The title of the measure is the “California Jobs Initiative.” The state’s unemployment rate was 12.3 percent in June, according to the federal

Jeanne Larsson is worried that the city government may not give her East Sacramento medical marijuana dispensary a permit to operate. The Sacramento City Council agreed last week that it would not place a cap on the number of medical marijuana shops in the city. But it also supported proposed rules that could possibly lower the number of dispensaries. Currently, there are 39 medical marijuana shops in Sacramento, including Larsson’s. So, does this mean the city will allow the 39 facilities? Judging by comments from city staffers and operators of medical marijuana shops, the answer to that question is yes and no. Since the City Council has said it doesn’t want to cap the number of fac

A proposed measure to tax Sacramento property owners to pay for youth job training was derailed Tuesday night. Councilman Ray Tretheway removed the proposal from the City Council’s agenda, which means that it won’t be placed on the November ballot. Tretheway told reporters after Tuesday’s meeting he removed the plan from the agenda because council members were not interested in advancing it to the ballot. The City Council faced a Tuesday night deadline to move the proposal onto the ballot in November. “I think that the respect for the process trumped what I believe is a chronic problem of lack of resources and investment in our youth.” Tretheway said he thought his colleagues were conc

Plans for local regulations on marijuana will share the spotlight with Mayor Kevin Johnson’s strong-mayor proposal at City Hall this month. The City Council will tackle marijuana proposals at its July 13 and July 27 meetings. Before the meetings, the public is invited to weigh in on two proposed medical marijuana rules. A meeting to gather input will be held in the second-floor hearing room of Historic City Hall, 915 I St., on Tuesday at 6 p.m. The city also held a public meeting last month about plans for a medical-marijuana ordinance. At its July 13 meeting, the City Council is scheduled to address a proposal to tax marijuana dispensaries. The idea to tax pot dispensaries is part of a

Life. It's good, but it hasn't exactly been all rainbows and butterflies, what with the failing economy, record unemployment, escalating gas prices and health care 'reform'---oh, and lest I forget, Tax Day, which is mere hours away. Nevertheless, no matter how bleak the headlines read with my morning Fruit Loops, I rely on my nightly glass of  'vinous panacea' to ease the sting of the bureaucratic fingers digging deeper into my shallow pockets. Until now, that is. Adding insult to my fiscal injury, a couple from Southern California have proposed an initiative which would levy a massive 12,675% tax increase on alcoholic beverages. No, this is not a belated April Fool's joke. Kent and J