Newest articles on The Sacramento Press tagged as "ray kerridge"

"Strong Mayor" Proposal at Secret Public Meeting

2012-01-09T08:47:34Z

On January 7, 2012, Sacramento city staff held a public meeting about the newest proposal to change the city charter, the “Checks and Balances Act of 2012.” However, this public meeting was not announced to the general public—instead it was directed at a small group of neighborhood leaders.

I found out about the meeting via the chair of the Midtown Neighborhood Association, who received an email on December 27:

From: Raihane Dalvi
Date: December 27, 2011 2:19:11 PM PST
To: Raihane Dalvi
Subject: Checks and Balances Act of 2012

Dear Neighborhood Leader,

I'm writing to request your participation in an important discussion before the city of Sacramento.

As you may know, a broad coalition of community leaders are working to update our charter to make government work better for the voters of Sacramento. Along with our office, they recently presented the "Checks and Balances Act of 2012” [attached], a new proposal to restructure city governance, promote higher standards for ethics and transparency, and create an independent redistricting commission to draw council district boundaries in the future.

The Mayor and Council will review this plan at the January 17 council meeting. In advance of this meeting, we would like to invite you and your members to a "Neighborhood Summit" on Saturday, January 7th from 8-10 am. The summit will provide the opportunity to discuss the plan and gather your ideas and feedback.

Please email me or call (916) 808-8827 if you and your members would like to participate. In addition, we are happy to organize separate small groups or one-on-one meetings if you feel that would be beneficial.

Thanks in advance, and happy holidays!

Sincerely,

Raihane Dalvi
Assistant to the Chief of Staff
Office of Mayor Kevin Johnson

Apparently, this email was only sent to a handful of neighborhood leaders, not a formal public announcement or meeting notice—nor were the media informed. I responded to the email, and forwarded it to our neighborhood’s email list (and a couple of other neighborhoods’ email lists and Facebook pages.) I responded to the email and was told I would learn the location in a later email. It kind of reminded me of underground “raves” where you had to call a phone number a few hours in advance to find out where the party was. A few days before the event, I got another email informing me of the location—the Boys and Girls Club at 1117 G Street. Ms. Dalvi encouraged me to share the meeting details, which I did, using mostly the same social media and email lists.
The meeting was somewhat sparsely attended—about 20-25 people showed up, including several neighborhood activists and a few local print and Internet media representatives. Mayor Johnson’s chief of staff, Kunal Merchant, ran the meeting, reviewing a PowerPoint presentation and responding to questions.

Merchant described adoption of a “Strong Mayor” form of government as a natural progression for cities, one adopted by cities once they reach a certain size, and a more modern form of government than the council/manager form. I asked him if he was aware that Sacramento already had a “Strong Mayor” charter, from 1893 to 1911, prior to the council/manager charter adopted in 1920. Merchant replied that the era of our old “Strong Mayor” charter was indeed an era of great corruption. However, he replied that the late 1890s and early 1900s was an era of high unemployment and economic instability, where a small percentage of the population had most of society’s wealth, and thus an undue influence on the political process. Such conditions simply didn’t resemble the present day.

The structure of the new city government would place the city manager under the direction of the mayor, who would select the manager. The city council would increase to nine members, and elect a council president. The mayor would submit a budget to the council, instead of the current system where the city manager presents the budget to mayor and council. Merchant spent much time discussing concerns about city managers, stating that a poorly performing city manager was difficult to remove, and that we had four city managers in the past year, an indicator of dysfunction in city government. A member of the audience asked if this was the case—one city manager left voluntarily, one interim manager was rejected by the Council, and two were a two-person team deliberately hired as short-term interim city managers until a permanent manager was selected. Merchant agreed that City Manager Kerridge probably left under duress, but insisted that this condition was not healthy for the city, and it was more important for the city manager to be responsive to the Mayor’s vision than to have to respond to the wishes of the City Council. He did concede that in large cities, there is a need for a professional city manager who is trained in working with the bureaucracy, freeing the mayor to advocate on behalf of the city and interface with the public, as Kevin Johnson currently does.

Merchant spent considerable time discussing the ethics provisions of the measure: a proposed Code of Ethics and an Ethics Committee. No details were included regarding exactly what this Code of Ethics should be—as with many portions of the proposal, Merchant states that these will be worked out in the near future. Another audience member asked Merchant why this Ethics Committee would be, as written in the proposal, advisory only, as opposed to other cities where an Ethics Commission has actual statutory power and authority. Merchant replied that several options were considered and this seemed like the best one.

Concerns were raised about the costs of adding a ninth council district immediately after redistricting. The new proposal includes redistricting be shifted to a redistricting committee that would not be selected by the Mayor or Council, but did not specify who would actually choose the committee. Other audience members asked why it was so important to shift the city budget from the City Manager to the Mayor. Merchant replied that people generally expect that the Mayor submits the city budget, and it is too much to expect voters to understand how the system currently works, so it would be best to re-arrange the system to reflect their expectations. Several audience members took issue with this point, because Merchant had mentioned several times earlier in the presentation that we should “let the people vote” and that voters were savvy enough to see through any attempt at manipulation by special interests. Are the voters smart enough to understand the new proposal, but not smart enough to understand the current system?

Merchant summed up his presentation by reiterating that the supporters of charter change over the past two years have been very patient so far (although he didn’t identify who those supporters were) and that it was time to let the people vote. But in 2012, corporations are “people” and money is considered “political speech” as a means to obtain votes. There are still few answers regarding exactly who these “people” are, and how many dollars they are contributing to the “vote.” Another term heard often during the presentation was “transparency”—however, “transparency” is another word for “invisibility,” and many of the factors behind all three Strong Mayor proposals are seemingly invisible to the general public.

There are some hints, however: in 2010-2011, a group called the “Sacramento 60” tried to persuade council members to adopt the second “Strong Mayor” initiative, and lost a vital ally when City Manager Ray Kerridge resigned:

http://www.sacbee.com/2011/08/12/3832880/business-groups-pac-may-boost.html

Members of this group have created a Political Action Committee, or PAC, called “Better Sacramento”, and while the website has no details about the organization, the article linked above is clear: they have formed in order to support Mayor Kevin Johnson and the Strong Mayor efforts, and to support opponents of any City Council candidate who chooses to directly oppose either one.

http://www.bettersacramento.org/

Currently the website is pretty bare, except for a link to donate money. According to the Secretary of State’s office, the contact phone number for this PAC is the law office of Bell, McAndrews and Hiltachk, the law firm of Tom Hiltachk, the author of the original 2009 “Strong Mayor Initiative.” The link to donate money is via a company called “DonateSafe,” a company founded by Shawn Callahan, who was active in “Sacramentans for Accountable Government,” the original “strong mayor” group.

http://www.newsreview.com/sacramento/snog/blogs/post?oid=1370763&fb_source=message

A second group, Sacramento2020, also has a website:

http://sacramento2020.org/

They don’t have a link to contribute money, but are encouraging people to send a form email to City Council to support the “Checks and Balances Act.” Sacramento2020 is registered to Danny Rentschler, owner of a PR firm that has done work to promote Mayor Johnson’s “For Art’s Sake” program (a program whose latest director just resigned, about a year after the previous one.)

http://www.midtownmonthly.net/blog/head-of-for-arts-sake-resigns/

Merchant’s final slide included some upcoming key dates regarding this issue. On January 12, 2-3 PM, there will be a panel discussion with public policy professors at One Capitol Mall, Suite 300. Mayor Johnson has called for a vote regarding this initiative at the January 17 City Council meeting. If a majority of the Council agrees, this measure would be on the June 5 ballot, the same ballot where Kevin Johnson will face re-election.

My question, as a neighborhood activist and Sacramento resident, is this: Who is writing the checks to support the “Checks and Balances Act of 2012,” and how big are their bank balances? If they are working for greater transparency in government, why hide behind the cloak of a PAC? And why hold a public meeting on the new charter without telling the general public about it?

Disclosure: William Burg is a board member of Midtown Neighborhood Association.

One-on-one with Gus Vina

2011-04-08T02:05:57Z

Much has been written about Gus Vina in the press over the past 14 months. After becoming Sacramento’s interim city manager, Vina faced a multitude challenges on various fronts. Budgets shortfalls, permit controversies, and varying levels of support from the City Council were just some of the hurdles Vina had to bear.

In the end, Vina tendered his resignation, effective today. I met with him late Wednesday afternoon as he finished cleaning out his office to talk about his time as interim city manager, his plans going forward and the possible future of Sacramento. Here’s what we spoke about:

Isaac Gonzalez: You took the position of interim city manager after Ray Kerridge resigned in February 2010. Mr. Kerridge was quoted in The Sacramento Bee saying Sacramento "isn't a good environment to be working in, and I need to get out." Now that you've tendered your resignation, would you say you agree with your predecessor’s remarks?

Gus Vina: I don't agree. A lot of the things that transpired over the last year or so, not the council’s fault. The Prop. 218 issues that put us in the grand jury, the permits that were issued up north, we just have had a number of issues that put council on the hot seat. And so, I never viewed it that way and I'm not leaving on a bitter note.

For me it's pretty simple. For me the issue is that I was given sort of the test run as city manager. I was obviously hoping to be appointed. The process itself, and the decision, which is council's prerogative, to do the search, also meant that I couldn't put all my eggs in one basket. I can't rely on, oh you know, I love to be that confident and just say, "Well, I'm going to apply here. I know I'm going to get it." But I don't know if that's the case.

So from a very personal perspective I had to keep my options open. So I've been applying at other places. Yes, I will say that there are some dynamics politically right now, a division if you would, on the council, that does make it a little trickier of an environment. Those issues are actually known. So for me to interview successfully and kind of move on, resigning is the right decision for me.

IG: You've worked for the city for over a decade, and I've heard you say that you enjoy civil service and had even dreamed of having this position. Any regrets on taking on the role of city manager in an era of year-after-year budget deficits, which, while of course being out of your control, are less than an ideal economic situation for any city manager?

GV: No. When you decide that that's the career you want, then you have to be willing to face whatever the challenge is or that come your way. It is unfortunate that, as a nation and beyond, we're in this slump economically. I was hoping obviously to stay here long enough to help the city get through that, and then maybe enjoy a different kind of agenda in the future years.

IG: So much of what has been written about you in the press over the last 14 months focuses on controversies and council difficulties. However, you've worked for the city of Sacramento for 12 years. Tell me about something that most readers may not know about your career here, particularly, if you don't mind, something you're personally proud to have been involved with.

GV: I will tell you that, for me, at the very top of the list, as far as proud moments, is I created what I call "Direct Connect." Once a month — actually at the beginning when I was launching the program and kind of feeling it out to see how it was going to work, I did it more like three or four a month. I go out to work sites and it's my opportunity to spend an hour with employees. So they're invited, we post the location and the time. They get supervisor approval, but they could come. And I spend about a half-hour making sure they're current on city issues so they're up to speed, not just reading things in the paper, because they are a part of this organization.

Then I would give them a free-for-all Q&A. I told them from the very beginning: "Don't hold back." I'd rather hear the questions. It's given me great connection with employees, the Q&A especially. You get to manage rumors, and they feel like they're part of something. It really helped to build morale.

So I would say I was very successful at improving the morale in the city, in spite of the difficulties with the budgets and cuts and layoffs. I'm still trying to respond — I've got over 800 e-mails from the workforce saying, "Hey, best of luck, we're sad, we wish you would stay." That's huge. That's significant.

IG: You must have been disappointed when, after your one-year interim run as city manager was completed, not to have been immediately offered permanent placement. Was it difficult to continue to fulfill your duties knowing that you had less than the full support of council?

GV: I will say for any city manager, you want to know that the entire council has trust and confidence in your abilities. And, for a variety of reasons, I don't feel that way. It is a struggle to manage if you feel you don't have that confidence for all nine. Maybe it's well placed that they feel that way, I don't know. But it still makes it difficult to manage.

IG: The Jan. 25 meeting in which the council voted 5-4 not to promote you to the permanent position was closed to the public. City Attorney Eileen Teichert says that "personnel discussions" can be held in closed session without public oversight. However, the city can open these meetings if they choose, as some have even gone as far as to say that the public has a right to know the reasons behind the decision to retain or remove the person who is the most influential individual in the city structure.

Do you believe that this meeting and other closed-doors meetings like it deserve more transparency, or do they require to be held in closed-door sessions to protect the privacy of the individuals involved?

GV: That's a great question, and it's really both. You do have to take into account the privacy of the discussion for the sake of the individual. That's why closed sessions are actually allowed under the laws, so that you can evaluate, without embarrassment, if you will, evaluate the candidate, or the employee. All four charter officers are afforded that opportunity when they are evaluated. They go into closed session.

Like any other personnel issue, when you're evaluating a employee, you don't put it on TV. Once you've decided to recruit, this is what I would offer, if then they decide as a group, "OK, we're going to do a national search," they do always have an opportunity to involve the public in what they would like to see in their next city manager.

So that's maybe a better way to talk about transparency in what the community would like to see in a manager. If you think about that for a minute, the timing of that's important. If council would have decided, as an example, to invite the public in, to ask, "How is this guy doing? Would you do a search or is this the right candidate?" That's a nice little step.

IG: City accountants have to stay creative to keep the coffers flush with cash for payroll and payments on debts. Much of this is due to the fact that the city gets most of its money only twice a year, when property taxes are collected. Do you think that the city has a handle on its cash flow difficulties, and do you foresee any problems going down the road?

GV: The first answer is yes. Our treasurer has a responsibility in managing cash flow. They have a handle on cash flow and have made it very clear that we need these interim loans in order to keep up with all of our obligations, which is new to this city. We used to have plenty of cash flow.

Is it a concern in the future? Absolutely. We still have a $43 million deficit next year, and we have to reduce our costs. I think that pressure on cash flow will stay here for a few more years.

IG: KOVR Channel 13 in Sacramento ran a piece last February where they criticized you for giving out raises to three high-ranking city employees to the tune of $38,000. You were quoted as saying that the raises were part of an attempt of "employee retention."

Councilmember Sandy Sheedy criticized the raises, saying that the budget problems in Sacramento weren't conducive to giving out the pay increases. However, just a few weeks before, Sheedy voted to conduct a nationwide search for potential city manager candidates, a search that would have cost the city an estimated $35,000.

Does it upset you, or make your job harder, when news outlets promote sensational stories like this and fail to place them in a broader context?

GV: Sure. That's extremely frustrating. The rest of the story, as Paul Harvey used to say, is that I did a number of consolidations in the current year to save $4 million. Part of the consolidation meant that Max Fernandez, who was one of the people I gave the raise to, took on an additional 107 positions. He had a department of 90. He now has almost 200, with all kinds of issues related to the audit and the permits that were issues in Natomas, etc. Same thing with Gery Hamby ~~Jerry Handbe~~ . That was a consolidation.

I could have, in a very non-transparent way, combined the departments as part of the budget and put a raise in there for those two people. I chose to do two things. One, finish the consolidation, really make sure that the level of responsibility merited the increase, and then tell council about it.

IG: Did you tell that to the KOVR reporter?

GV: Yeah, they left a lot of stuff out. Even in the private sector, they've gone through difficulties no different than the public sector. I can give you plenty of examples, not from memory, but from having seen it, where they'll take their finance top person, because that's the focus right now, and give them a big bonus and a big raise, because those are the people you don't want to lose right now. Those are the people that have so much institutional knowledge. Our finance director was making $30,000 a year behind any other director. So now you're putting yourself at risk of losing somebody.

IG: And you didn't give any one person a $30,000 raise. So they're...

GV: ...still the lowest paid finance director. And you know what else I didn't talk about? There was a demotion that Ray Kerridge — he took one of our assistants of the city manager and sent him out as a director, and he never did what he should have done, which is to take the pay away. Now you're a director again. It was truly a demotion. That was part of my calculation, so that the net impact of all those raises versus the reduction was like $19,000 a year.

IG: And the overall hit to the budget then was kind of infinitesimal.

GV: Exactly. You can't even calculate it: $19,000 in a year on an $800 million budget.

IG: But it makes a nice blurb on a news promo.

GV: Exactly.

IG: Sacramento has faced a multitude of problems over the past few years: the housing-market crash, job losses due to the recession, state worker furloughs lowering the pay of the city's No. 1 employer, the Kings having one foot out the door, and an arguably dysfunctional city council.

What is it going to take for the capital of California to turn the tide of its current dilemmas, and does it take a "strong mayor" to get it done?

GV: (chuckles) Well, it takes leadership. Whether that's in the strong mayor form or the entire council, it includes the city manager. It really takes the absolute best leadership from all of us.

This is a serious problem. This is global. It's not unique to Sacramento. This state, unfortunately, is like one of five that's in the worst shape in the United States. And then Sacramento, as a region, is worse than the rest of California, with 13 percent unemployment.

This is a time for leadership to really stand up and stand out. Time for creative thinking. We can't wait for the feds or the state to offer some sort of solution. We're going to have to figure this out ourselves.

IG: Wow. OK, last two questions I have for you today are softballs.

GV: (laughs) Alright. Thank you!

IG: What does the future hold for Gus Vina?

GV: I am a finalist, like "final final," one of three, in two locations. I really can't give the locations out because I want to honor the fact that city council like to make those announcements themselves, but it is at the city manager level, which I hope to retire from that. I feel like I've got another eight or 10 years of it. I really enjoy the role and the job. So I have seven active applications, and of the seven, three have netted interviews, and two of three are "final final." So I'm hoping within a few weeks here, I'll have a choice.

IG: In between now and then, what are you going to do? What about for fun?

GV: For fun? I have some "honey-do's" at home to catch up on. I got a granddaughter to go visit. I've got to kind of reorganize and re-prioritize myself a little bit. Chances are the next move will be out of Sacramento, so logistically I have to think about that.

IG: Last, what advice do you want to share with you successor?

GV: Don't be afraid to lead. Be confident. It's hard work, but you've got to remember to keep your balance. It takes a lot of hours to do this job. People sometimes don't know or appreciate that. Whether you like to work out or play softball or what have you, do it. Don't leave family behind.

IG: Thanks a lot for your time.

GV: No problem.

Isaac Gonzalez is an independent writer who can be reached at sacramentoisaac@gmail.com

Vina resigns weeks before budget due date

2011-03-26T00:45:09Z

Interim City Manager Gus Vina’s resignation comes just weeks before the city must propose a budget for the next fiscal year.

In Sacramento’s city government, the city manager prepares a proposed budget and the City Council makes final budget decisions. Vina told the Sacramento Press on Friday afternoon that the proposed budget will be on time even though he is leaving April 8.

“We are very close to finishing the proposed budget,” Vina said. “It will be ready to meet the May 1 deadline … I committed to council that I would get the budget done and I will.”

He said he was leaving because he was not supported by the full City Council. “I need to move on and pursue other opportunities because I feel that for a city manager to be effective, you really have to have the confidence of the entire council,” he said. “I don’t feel that’s the case right now.”

The City Council voted 5-4 on Jan. 25 against promoting Vina to the permanent city manager position.

Council members Sandy Sheedy, Rob Fong, Kevin McCarty, Darrell Fong and Bonnie Pannell voted to conduct a national search for a new city manager.

Mayor Kevin Johnson said then that the council felt that Vina did a “great job” as interim city manager.

Vina said in February that he planned to compete in the national search.

It’s unclear at this point who will replace Vina as interim city manager, said city spokesoman Maurice Chaney. The City Council will decide the next steps, Chaney said.

“In terms of identifying who will fill that void, (that) has yet to be determined,” Chaney said.

The City Council selected Vina for the interim post one year ago. Former City Manager Ray Kerridge resigned in February 2010.

Read in-depth coverage of the impact of Vina’s resignation Sunday.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Editorial Note: This is an updated version of an earlier story.

Can Open Access to Municipal Data Work in Sacramento?

2011-02-01T00:17:51Z

The Greater London Authority has created a website called London Datastore. I learned of the GLA and the London Datastore in article in one of the January Time magazines titled “London: Turning Access into Apps” by Mark Halper. The article is part of a series titled “Intelligent Cities.”

It was this specific article that started me thinking. Although London, England, is a very different city from Sacramento in so many ways, would this open access to municipal government data work in Sacramento?

The GLA (a cross-borough agency) has directed all London government agencies and civil servants to dump all their data into the Datastore. The data is then available to citizens and groups to mine through for free.

Many of the apps (short for applications for the non techie) created simply make life easier, such as better bike routes, underground schedules, traffic routes, etc.

The ones that caught my eye were the ones that created more open government. Two cited in the article were Open Knowledge Foundation, which has created a site called WhereDoesMyMoneyGo.org, and Pushrod Ltd., which built OpenlyLocal.com. One of the direct financial gains is the reduction in the cost of government contracts when the data is public.

This begs the question: Would citizen access to municipal data in Sacramento help prevent such things as the very costly building and utility department scandals? These and other legal problems for the city occurred while Ray Kerridge was city manager. Many city residents consider Kerridge as notoriously restrictive of citizen access to any information, including municipal data.

Former city manager Kerridge and former council member Hammond Photo: Bento

The Time article actually starts with a quote from London Mayor Boris Johnson: "Sunlight is the best disinfectant."

As far as Sacramento is concerned, would there be resistance to opening city data to citizens? I can easily imagine there would be. Just to begin with, this involves change, including one of the most difficult, change of culture. It also has the potential to expose employees who are not doing their job.

Would the city of Sacramento do this voluntarily? I believe the initiative to do this would have to come from the mayor and City Council. Do any of them have the intestinal fortitude to push this much more open government, let alone find enough support for majority approval?

Mayor Johnson Photo: Darnell

Council members Cohn and Fong Photo: Darnell

Could this change be forced on the city? The initiative is a very powerful force in California. I am certainly not an expert on citizen initiatives and do not know if it could be used in this application. I am clear that there are forces within and outside that government that, for their own interests, would fight voter approval. (See building department scandals above.)

And finally, are there citizens and groups that would acquire this data and make positive use of it? I would answer unequivocally yes. There are groups and citizens that already use data now available, demand data under the freedom of information act and sue for data that have stopped or greatly altered major projects and policies. One example is changes to the construction of HOV lanes on US 50. Citizens reviewing data from the city parking division ended the practice of charging for visitor permits for residential parking permit areas.

There is also the financial incentive. While some techies might create apps from data for the fun of it, others would create apps that provide greater convenience to sell at what the market will bear. Undoubtably others would use the data to reduce the cost of government and therefore fees and taxes.

I would encourage SacPress readers to read the Time series online and learn how cities, big and not-so-big, are using their government data to improve the lives of their residents and make their governments accountable and think about what would work in Sacramento.

City officials here today, gone tomorrow

2010-12-23T22:18:39Z

The past year was a big one for resignations, promotions and elections of Sacramento city officials. Twelve personnel changes took place at City Hall involving elected and appointed leaders and city staffers in 2010.

A major change was in the city manager position, which was replete with drama and press conferences.

When former City Manager Ray Kerridge resigned in March, the city was wrestling with a host of issues. The Sacramento County Grand Jury had released a report in January saying the city may have broken state law Proposition 218. Utilities fees from ratepayers must correspond to the costs of delivering the utilities services, the law states.

At the same time, the city was dealing with a sticky situation over building permits that a staffer in the Community Development Department gave to a housing developer. The feds had barred the city from giving out permits in that area.

On top of that headache, more concerns with the development department had cropped up, such as claims that the department didn’t collect developer fees and even accusations of “potential quid pro quo,” according to a Jan. 26 report from the offices of the city manager and city attorney.

There were controversies surrounding Kerridge’s decision to resign. Mayor Kevin Johnson said a negative attitude among other council members in part caused Kerridge to pack his bags. Johnson held a press conference in which he described Kerridge as a “great talent.” Councilman Robbie Waters voiced support for Kerridge at Johnson’s press conference. Kerridge was also popular among businesspeople, who said he created a customer-service environment at the development department.

When Kerridge left Sacramento City Hall, he said he intended to take a job in the private sector. But he was picked up by Roseville in May to be its next city manager.

Shortly before Kerridge resigned, former development department director Bill Thomas resigned. Thomas and Kerridge had worked together in both the cities of Portland and Sacramento.

Responding to Kerridge’s resignation, the City Council promoted Gus Vina, who was an assistant city manager, to be interim city manager in March.

Max Fernandez, the former head of code enforcement for the city, was promoted to be the director of the development department in early July. With Vina and Fernandez in charge, the development department is undergoing a remodel to tighten its procedures.

The city auditor’s office faced a year of changes, as well. The City Council hired Jorge Oseguera to be the new city auditor in March, after that spot had been vacant for almost one year.

Oseguera hired deputy auditor Gerald Silva in March, but Silva resigned in July. Silva resigned after The Sacramento Press asked him to comment on a sexual harassment dispute that involved him when he served as the city auditor of San Jose.

It wasn’t just the city manager and development director positions that were in upheaval in 2010 – a big shake-up also occurred on the City Council.

Council incumbents Ray Tretheway and Robbie Waters both lost to newcomers in June, while Councilwoman Lauren Hammond didn’t run for reelection.

New councilwoman Angelique Ashby took Ray Tretheway’s District 1 seat in June, but two runoffs were required for the District 5 and District 7 seats. The runoffs featured newbies in both cases – the incumbents had already lost in June.

Darrell Fong won his District 7 runoff battle against candidate Ryan Chin, while Jay Schenirer beat opponent Patrick Kennedy in the November runoff for District 5.

Photos of Tretheway, Vina and Fernandez by Kathleen Haley. Photo of Kerridge by Anthony Bento. Photo of Ashby by Brandon Darnell.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Vina wants permanent city manager job

2010-12-15T06:29:27Z

Interim City Manager Gus Vina said Tuesday that he would like to serve as Sacramento’s next permanent city manager.

The City Council held a private meeting on Tuesday to discuss the council’s plans for hiring a city manager. The council did not discuss the details of the private meeting at Tuesday night’s City Council meeting. It’s unclear at this point if the council will search for a city manager outside of City Hall. The timeline for the council’s hiring process also remains unclear.

Meanwhile, Vina is expressing his interest in the permanent job.

“When I took the position, I understood it was interim and that they can discuss the interim status and appointment at any time up to March of next year,” Vina said in an e-mailed statement. “Should mayor and council decide to launch a recruitment effort, there’s no question I’ll apply.”

If selected for the permanent job, Vina said he would like to focus on recovery in the city. “That means focusing on three things: achieving long-term budget sustainability, pursuing economic recovery and keeping the community safe,” he said.

Former City Manager Ray Kerridge resigned in February, and the City Council selected Vina for the interim post in March.

Photo by Kathleen Haley.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Garbolino rosy about state of Roseville

2010-11-17T05:05:28Z

In her State of the City address Monday, Roseville Mayor Gina Garbolino acknowledged the punch the Galleria arson dealt the city last month.

“Certainly, the fire is a blow to the Galleria and city, but hardly a knockout punch. Roseville is tougher than that,” she said.

Roseville’s innovative city programs and services as well as its careful resource planning assure the city’s continued role as a regional leader, she said.

Garbolino said she oversaw the “second-best era” for Roseville. “I absolutely believe the very best is still to come.” Garbolino became mayor in 2008. She also previously served as mayor from 2004 to 2006.

With Macy’s and Nordstrom now open and JC Penney scheduled to open by Black Friday, Garbolino called on shoppers to patronize the Galleria.

Public Affairs and Communications Director Megan MacPherson said in an interview, “We’re looking at less than half a million (dollars) in terms of the sales tax revenue hit to the city’s general fund.”

She said it is not yet clear whether the city will need to make budget cuts or will decide not to move forward on new projects.

Roseville is a mixture of old and new. The shopping powerhouse of the Galleria contrasts with the quaint, 100-year-old city center.

Garbolino described prospects for continued revitalization of downtown Roseville through a nonprofit development corporation, a public and private partnership that would be able to compete for federal and state funds not currently available to the city.

“We’ve never been this close to remaking our downtown,” Garbolino said. “Before long, we will all see that vibrant downtown we’ve talked about for years.”

In March, the Roseville Redevelopment Department completed a $13 million streetscape upgrade project on Riverside Avenue, an exit off I-80 that leads to downtown Roseville. Improvements include streetlights, benches, new parking configurations, new curbs and sidewalks, improved pedestrian crossings, infrastructure and landscaping.

In addition, bright graphics depicting scenes from old Roseville adorn fourteen new signs, comprising a “History Mile.”

New housing projects under way at the city’s west end will make their imprint on the city’s next era.

The city has adopted two plans to add 2,700 acres and 9,000 new housing units to west Roseville, north of Baseline Road and west of Fiddyment Road. These communities will include the parks, shopping and open space that Garbolino said are hallmarks of Roseville.

Sixty percent of the city’s new housing exceeds the state’s standard for energy efficiency, she said.

The city’s green utility programs also include a “food waste to energy” program that will divert 3,600 tons of food waste annually from the landfill and convert it to “clean energy,” Garbolino said.

Additionally, the city will be able to fully utilize its Aquifer Storage and Recovery Program in 2011. Aquifer Storage Recovery is a system by which water is injected into ground wells for use at a later time.

Roseville this year once again has the only Class I flood protection rating from FEMA. According to the city’s website, less than seven percent of property within Roseville is affected by flooding, and most of that is open space.

Roseville’s fire department also received an “international accreditation,” rare among fire departments in California, Garbolino said.

She thanked city employees for their efforts at city improvement.

“There’s no magic involved,” she said. “Just hard work day in and day out.”

City manager Ray Kerridge was hired in June and has no shortage of work in front of him. With 1,100 full-time employees, 115,000 residents and a $447 million budget, the scope of Roseville’s government – including police, fire, parks, water, wastewater, garbage and electricity – is massive. No other city in the region runs an electric utility.

Kerridge previously was city manager for the city of Sacramento and worked for the city of Portland for more than 25 years prior to that.

Looking forward to the projects on Kerridge’s plate, Garbolino highlighted the city’s role as a regional leader.

“It’s vitally important that we continue to be good neighbors to our friends in South Placer, she said. “Roseville is not an island.”

Garbolino said Roseville needs to coordinate with its neighbors in land development, improving road systems, and water management.

She called bringing a four-year university to the area “a major component of our future.” She said, “The city is committed to working with any and every partner to make this happen.”

Garbolino closed what she said was her last speech in elected office with moist eyes, thankful for her career in public service and making her home in Roseville.

“Others will see Roseville as the jewel of Northern California. We will be the ones lucky enough to call it home,” she said.

Current and newly elected City Council members were in attendance at the State of the City address.

Susan Rohan and Tim Herman will be sworn in as City Council members on Dec. 2. Rohan will become vice mayor because she received the most votes for City Council in the recent election.

As current vice mayor and the highest vote getter in 2008, Pauline Roccucci will be sworn in as the next mayor, also on Dec. 2.

Roccucci now is serving a third City Council term after one term of reprieve per city code. Measure H to cap City Council terms at three in a lifetime failed on this year’s ballot. Roccucci is the only person now serving three City Council terms. She previously served as mayor from 1989-1991. Her husband, Richard Roccucci, served as mayor from 1982-1984.

Rohan will become mayor after the election for City Council in 2012.

Photos by Laura O'Brien

Kerridge to earn $237,300 in Roseville, starts work June 17

2010-05-22T02:11:11Z

Former Sacramento City Manager Ray Kerridge will earn $237,300 as city manager of Roseville. He also will earn $21,357 in deferred compensation.

His contract was approved by the Roseville City Council at a May 19 meeting.

“He brings with him a lot of experience that we all feel the city of Roseville can utilize as we go into our future,” Roseville Mayor Gina Garbolino said.

Kerridge, who earned $215,000 as Sacramento’s city manager, will start work in Roseville on June 17.

The city will save $65,000 with Kerridge’s contract in comparison to that of former City Manager Craig Robinson, Garbolino said.

Kerridge said in an interview earlier this month that he was recruited for the Roseville city manager position and applied in January. He resigned his Sacramento post in March.

After resigning from the Sacramento job, Kerridge said he had accepted a private sector position, about which he declined to provide details.

Kerridge said that Roseville's staff, City Council, business community and neighborhoods are a partnership. If a city is going to move forward, he said, “everyone needs to be pulling in the same direction.”

Kerridge was Sacramento's city manager during recent scandals in the Utilities and Community Development departments.

Photo courtesy of the city of Roseville.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Vina: Development department employees to be re-trained

2010-05-18T06:10:09Z

The city’s development department will face a culture change, according to Sacramento Interim City Manager Gus Vina.

Employees at the Community Development Department will go through a re-training process, Vina told residents Monday at a Neighborhood Advisory Group meeting in Midtown.

The development department has been immersed in controversies in recent months. Employees will be informed about the results of a third-party audit when it is complete, Vina said.

An outside firm is examining claims that the department let developers sidestep fee payments to the city.

“All the employees need to be very aware of the audit findings” and the culture for the department that the city wants, Vina said.

The city’s slogan, “Get the Customer to Success,” was “somewhat misunderstood” by the development department, Vina told neighborhood activists.

That slogan was promoted by former City Manager Ray Kerridge, who is transitioning to a new job as Roseville’s new city manager.

Outside the meeting, Vina added: "Customer service needs to be consistent with good policy."

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Roseville mayor on city's decision to hire Ray Kerridge

2010-05-07T01:55:33Z

After resigning from the city of Sacramento in March, controversial former City Manager Ray Kerridge did not travel far for his next major assignment: He’s now the city manager of Roseville.

The Roseville City Council chose Kerridge for the position Thursday in a 4-1 vote. Kerridge was the choice out of 63 candidates for the job.

Roseville Mayor Gina Garbolino said in an interview Thursday that Kerridge is the “right person for Roseville at this time.”

Various Sacramento officials offered differing reasons in February for why Kerridge decided to leave the city. Sacramento city spokeswoman Amy Williams said Kerridge resigned from his post because he had dedicated more than 35 years to public service and felt it was a good time to transition to a private sector position.

Meanwhile, Mayor Kevin Johnson said Kerridge’s resignation was in part due to a negative atmosphere at City Hall. At a Feb. 18 press conference, Johnson and City Councilman Robbie Waters blamed other council members for creating a hostile work environment and complimented Kerridge on his work for the city of Sacramento.

Johnson admitted to being partly to blame for the negative atmosphere among City Council members.

The city was also facing significant controversies with its Community Development and Utilities departments at the time of Kerridge’s resignation. When Kerridge was leading the city, Sacramento was in trouble with both the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Sacramento County Grand Jury. The city acknowledged it broke FEMA rules by allowing building permits in a flood zone in Natomas.

The Grand Jury has claimed that actions by the city’s Utilities Department violated state law Proposition 218.

And, the Sacramento City Council recently hired a third-party auditing firm to examine whether the city has been allowing developers to bypass fee payments in recent years.

Attempts to contact Kerridge through the city of Roseville Thursday afternoon were unsuccessful.

Reacting to Kerridge’s new move, Mayor Kevin Johnson said in an e-mail through his spokesman that the city of Sacramento is operating in a “broken system.” While Johnson did not specifically mention a “strong mayor” form of government would be the cure, he is leading an effort to give the mayor more power in Sacramento.

"Unfortunately, this news is the latest example of why we need to reform City Hall,” Johnson said. “Ray's resignation was a major loss to Sacramento, and I remain troubled by the atmosphere at City Hall that likely played a role in his decision. We can't afford to keep losing our best people because of a broken system.

“Our loss is Roseville's gain. Ray will further the city's already impressive work to create jobs and foster a positive business climate. I congratulate Ray on his new role and wish him well," Johnson said.

Roseville’s Garbolino acknowledged that Kerridge had faced controversies in Sacramento.

“We knew what was in the paper,” Garbolino said, noting that there are “other sides of stories.”

Garbolino said the Roseville City Council conducted an extensive search that included input from 150 city employees. City employees and community members said they wanted their new city manager to have vision, leadership skills and an attitude of quality customer service, Garbolino said.

Kerridge was the best candidate, Garbolino said. “Obviously, he has a reputation for customer service.”

Garbolino noted that her city adheres to laws. “Roseville has always followed the book,” she said. “We don’t veer from that. That’s non-negotiable.”

Councilman Waters said in an interview Thursday that Kerridge made major improvements to the city of Sacramento’s development department when he oversaw it. Kerridge’s move to Roseville is “a great loss to the city of Sacramento,” Waters said.

At its May 19 meeting, the Roseville City Council will decide Kerridge’s salary and determine his first day of work, according to Roseville's website. Kerridge earned $215,000 as Sacramento's city manager.

Photo courtesy of the city of Roseville.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Part 2: Interim city manager answers neighbors' questions

2010-04-14T04:11:23Z

Interim City Manager Gus Vina responded to questions from six neighborhood activists in an April 9 interview with The Sacramento Press. The following are Vina’s responses to questions from three neighborhood activists. Read Vina’s responses to questions from three other involved citizens in an April 12 story at The Sacramento Press.

Question from Sacramento resident Dale Kooyman:
(Ray Kerridge) felt residents did not know what was best for their quality of life when it came to communicating with city staff, historic preservation, streets, sidewalks, traffic, transportation, planning projects and related early notification, neighborhood-serving businesses, fiscal matters, entertainment and alcohol venues ... A prior city manager (Bill Edgar) stated as his management philosophy that a city is a collection of many residential and business neighborhoods, and a city is as healthy and strong as its unhealthiest and weakest residential or business neighborhood. Therefore he promoted engaging both when making decisions that affect these neighborhoods ...

Which of those two philosophies most closely reflect your management philosophy? If the former, what good has come of such a divisive philosophy?

If the latter, what role(s) do you see neighborhoods (business and residential) playing in your management approach, and how would you engage them, including staff working cooperatively with both?

Interim City Manager Gus Vina:
I would like to talk about Gus’ philosophy, rather than Ray's or Bill’s. And I think it’s probably a combination of both.

Who’s our community? (That is) the question. Our community is our residents, our visitors and our businesses. And, I do absolutely believe that we all have to work together.

And, the city (staff’s) role is to facilitate the vision that council sets out for us. And a lot of that vision is in the general plan ... And part of that facilitation is to make sure we understand who the stakeholders are and engage them.

Rarely will you get everybody to agree to everything. You’ve already failed if that’s the goal. So, the goal is good communication, great outreach, get people to participate and then decisions need to be made ... But I think we can do really well for our businesses and our neighborhoods when you have that kind of engagement, good communication and early communication — so they’re not finding out about it when the shovel goes in the ground and we’re already building something.

Question from Sacramento resident Michael Boyd:
The city could be working with neighborhood groups to facilitate discussions of the types of businesses needed in each neighborhood. Block by block. We should have a clear vision of what our areas should look like.

Another very easy tool to implement is a system of early notification. I know we have some semblance of one, but it is not nearly as effective as it should be. Residents should know what is being proposed as soon as it is proposed. Neighborhood associations should be the first stop for developers for true consultations, not presentations.

Do you agree, and if so, what, specifically, will you (do to) engage residents, businesses and developers to a truly consultative process?

GV:
I do believe that working with our neighborhoods is important. I believe we do a pretty good job of that. We have a Neighborhood Services Department (that) is very active in our neighborhoods. And we try our best to bring issues, concerns (and) the things that are being proposed in the city out to the neighborhoods as quickly as we can.

So, I’ll do my best to look for opportunities where we work with neighborhoods to understand better ... the business development that they think would be beneficial to that area.

I have several goals that I have committed to as interim city manager ... and the first one is to get a balanced budget in place. And so right now, that’s my most immediate focus, and it has a lot of priority. When I’m done with that, which should be in July, I plan to dive into our economic development strategies and make sure that I understand and can help lead the economic development process. Because that’s going to be the key to fixing our budget -- more so than just, "Where are we going to cut programs?" So, I’ll keep these thoughts in mind. And we should keep our neighborhoods in mind as we look at land-use opportunities and try to develop the city.

Neighborhoods and residents/citizens need to know that their involvement — their participation in any of these development projects — can occur in a number of ways. We have the Development Oversight Commission that looks at these plans as they’re being submitted. And those (plans) are public. We (also) have (opportunities for public comment) when the projects start coming to council ... So, certainly, what citizens can do is stay involved and come to council meetings and engage the council when those projects are being discussed.

Additionally, of course, we can make sure we’re getting out to neighborhoods — and I know the (city staff) do (that) now. The idea that we engage affected neighborhoods when we’re talking about a major project in an area: That happens today. So, it’s really nothing new for us.

Question from Sacramento resident Bill Burgua:
During the current budget crisis, Kerridge had experienced code enforcement officers laid off. Do you see the wisdom in the citizens' desire to bring in revenue while improving neighborhoods and bringing properties up to code? Will you boost code enforcement by reinstating experienced code enforcement officers that have been laid off?

GV:
Well, obviously, the challenge for us right now is our revenue. It’s at historic low levels. And we’ve been losing revenue for three years in a row now ... I don’t know that anytime soon we’re going to be able to increase code enforcement officers.

A little bit of clarity in that: The layoffs started with (the Community Development Department), not Code Enforcement ... So, (CDD employees) were laid off from CDD (and then) replaced people at Code. And then Code had to lay people off. There wasn’t a net reduction of code officers because of those layoffs. If not for CDD issues, we wouldn’t have been laying anybody off (at) Code Enforcement. That’s ... the technical piece of it.

I think the real question there is: How much do we care about blight in our neighborhoods and quality of life? I would say that it is a huge objective for us — to work with our neighborhoods to eliminate blight. Those kinds of things introduce crime, and the whole quality of life in the neighborhood goes downhill. I think code enforcement is a very important part of what we do in the city. So, besides developing the city where we have opportunities, we can’t ignore the fact that we have 500,000 people (who) already live here in some neighborhood and need to be taken care of, as well.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Gus Vina to earn $215,000 as interim city manager

2010-03-25T01:36:38Z

Gus Vina will earn a salary of $215,000 for his duties as Sacramento’s interim city manager.

The City Council approved Vina’s salary Tuesday night. Vina’s salary is the same amount that former City Manager Ray Kerridge earned, said Geri Hamby, the city’s human resources director.

Vina will serve as interim city manager for nine to 12 months before the City Council hires a permanent city manager. He recently told The Sacramento Press that he plans to apply for the permanent city manager position.

The salary range for the Sacramento city manager position is $187, 357-to-$281,035, according to a March 23 report that Hamby sent to the City Council.

The city manager's salary is determined by the City Council, which consists of the eight council members and the mayor. Salaries for the city attorney, city clerk and city treasurer are also determined by the City Council, Hamby notes in her report.

The City Council chose to hire Vina for a nine- to 12-month term so that he could work on the current budget cycle, Johnson spokesman Joaquin McPeek said. In addition, the elected city officials were mindful of the June City Council election. They wanted to give any new council members the ability to help choose the permanent city manager, McPeek said.

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.

Post-Kerridge: Will development department change?

2010-03-14T22:11:39Z

Sacramento’s business community has said repeatedly that former City Manager Ray Kerridge established a customer-service culture in the city’s development department. At the same time, the department is wracked with investigations into possible breaches of laws. Now that Kerridge has left the city — March 11 12 was his last day of work — how will the culture of the Community Development Department change?

New leadership and the findings from an audit are two upcoming developments that may change the department. The recent resignations of Kerridge and department director Bill Thomas have created job openings.

At this point, both positions are being held by interim officials. Gus Vina is interim city manager; David Kwong is acting director of the Community Development Department.

A third-party audit of the department is on the horizon. An outside auditor will follow up on issues from an earlier joint investigation by City Attorney Eileen Teichert’s office and the law firm Renee Sloan Holtzman Sakai.

The auditor will analyze several issues identified by the Teichert/Renee investigation. They include possible violations of the city’s planning rules and possible decisions to bypass, delay or lower fees.

A Jan. 21 report from the offices of the city attorney and the city manager on the Teichert/Renee investigation also listed “potential quid quo” in the department as an issue that should be studied in more depth.

The Teichert/Renee investigation centered on another highly controversial issue: the 35 permits that the department approved last year for construction in a Natomas flood zone. The Jan. 21 report said a department employee broke federal rules by distributing the permits.

The city placed former department director Thomas on paid leave in October. He resigned March 1.

A Customer-Friendly Culture

The department had a poor reputation among developers before Kerridge’s arrival in 2005, according to a March 28, 2008 Sacramento Business Journal article. In 2003, members of the local building industry said in a Business Journal survey Sacramento's building department was the most problematic of all similar city and county departments in the area. Five years later, the industry said in the survey that Sacramento's building department was the area's best.

Kerridge served as assistant city manager for development before being promoted in 2006 to city manager.

Despite the department’s crises, Sacramento developers have praised Kerridge for his work to establish a customer-focused culture.

Developer Mark Friedman was one of the members of the business community who invited Kerridge to leave his job with the city of Portland and come to work for Sacramento.

“I think (Kerridge) did a great job,” said Friedman, whose company, Fulcrum Property, owns Arden Fair Mall. “He streamlined the building department processes and made the organization more customer-friendly than it had been.”

Richard Rich, development director for Thomas Enterprises, Inc., expressed a similar sentiment in a Jan. 25 comment on The Sacramento Press. Thomas Enterprises is developing the downtown Railyards.

“This department isn’t perfect but its people, including Bill Thomas, deserve credit for creating a culture of public service,” Rich said.

Elected Leaders Praise Customer-Service Attitude Toward Development

Mayor Kevin Johnson and several City Council members also applauded Kerridge for his customer-service framework at a March 9 council meeting. Their comments indicate that there is political support to maintain the customer-service environment at the Community Development Department.

“And this whole notion of ‘getting the customer to success’ is something I think we’re all proud of,” Johnson told Kerridge at the March 9 meeting. “And that’s going to be with us, Ray, for many years to come.”

Some council members, though, are running for re-election. Depending on the results of their races, they may not have much time to make decisions affecting the department. The City Council incumbents running for re-election are Ray Tretheway, Steve Cohn and Robbie Waters.

Councilwoman Lauren Hammond is running for Assemblyman Dave Jones’ seat against fellow council member Kevin McCarty. Sacramento County Supervisor Roger Dickinson also is running for the seat. Hammond will leave the City Council.

McCarty’s seat is not up for re-election.

Hammond and Waters praised Kerridge for his work revamping the culture of the department. Waters said Kerridge “turned (the department) around” in a short period of time.

Councilwoman Bonnie Pannell commented that developers were Kerridge fans. “It’s obvious by the developers — who really want to keep you here — that you changed the way Sacramento does business.”

Councilwoman Sandy Sheedy spoke of Kerridge’s view of city growth. “You taught us how to look at this city as something that could grow and be something bigger,” she said. “And it can be, and it will be.”

Cohn said Kerridge led the customer-service culture change in city government, which is a forward-looking approach.

The errors that people may point out in Sacramento’s government “have been errors of trying to be proactive,” he added.

In his speech to the City Council, Kerridge said the business community has been “a great source of strength” for him.

Like Johnson, Kerridge thinks greatness is in store for Sacramento.

“Sacramento has a destiny,” Kerridge said. “Its destiny is to become a great American city.”

How Do Top City Staffers View the Department?

Interim City Manager Gus Vina will run the department for nine months to a year, at which time a city manager will be named.

Vina told The Sacramento Press last week that he is interested in the permanent city manager position.

He said his priority will be on “best practices and a culture that gets the job done.”

Assistant City Manager John Dangberg said in a March 12 interview that the department can simultaneously help builders and abide by laws.

“Our level of customer service for people who want to invest in our city is of paramount importance,” Dangberg said.

The city wants to ensure that it’s adhering to laws and that buildings are safe, he said.

Meanwhile, Vina said in a March 9 interview that the upcoming audit of the department will be key to the next steps for the department. “We definitely need to regroup,” he said. “We don’t want to go to a bureaucracy that ... doesn’t deliver for the customer. But if the audit says, by the way, you got a little too loose on policy ... we’ve got to bring that back to the middle.”

He said the city needs to examine the audit’s findings, then ask: “Do we need to change rules? Are they too loose? Are they too tight?"

Photo of Mayor Kevin Johnson and city council members by Anthony Bento.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Vina to be interim city manager for 9-to-12 months

2010-03-10T23:40:43Z

Gus Vina, already serving as acting city manager, has been selected to be the interim city manager for the following nine-to-12 months.

City Manager Ray Kerridge resigned last month and will leave his post Friday. Kerridge has said he’s taking a private sector position, but has not yet announced where that position will be.

Mayor Kevin Johnson and several council members held a press conference Wednesday to announce Vina’s new position.

“And I think it’s very clear to all of us that (Kerridge) has very big shoes that we need to fill,” Johnson said. “And we feel that we found the right person to fill his shoes in a very short timeframe.”

Johnson and the council members unanimously chose Vina. They also interviewed Assistant City Managers John Dangberg and Cassandra Jennings.

Johnson explained that the City Council will hold a private meeting Tuesday to formally complete Vina’s new contract. The City Council wanted Vina to serve as interim city manager for nine to 12 months, Johnson said.

Vina previously held one of three assistant city manager positions. He supervised the police, fire, finance, human resources and labor relations departments, among others. He is also a former budget manager for the city.

Vina earned his master’s degree in public administration from the University of San Francisco. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from California State University, Sacramento.

Councilwoman Sandy Sheedy said Vina “is motivated for the city.” She added that he works well with neighborhoods, business and labor.

“We have challenges,” Vina said at the press conference, “but those challenges are opportunities.”

Johnson said that he and the council members were looking for many attributes in an interim city manager including expertise in local government issues, budget matters and labor relations.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Kerridge says goodbye to development commission, comments on Bill Thomas' resignation

2010-03-02T07:08:13Z

Members of the city’s Development Oversight Commission said goodbye Monday night to City Manager Ray Kerridge, who has resigned from his position and will leave the city March 12.

The commission examines development in Sacramento and presents its views to the City Council.

Kerridge said the DOC has shown “guidance and leadership,” and he added that he “could not have worked with a better group of people.”

DOC members praised Kerridge’s work to advance development in Sacramento. Kristina McBurney said Kerridge’s vision for the city was “amazing.”

Holger Fuerst said Kerridge was a facilitator with a “can-do attitude.”

***
Kerridge reacted Monday night to the news that Community Development Director Bill Thomas is resigning. Kerridge and Thomas worked together at the city of Portland before taking positions in Sacramento.

“He’s done a lot of good work for the city of Sacramento,” Kerridge told The Sacramento Press outside the DOC meeting.

In October, the city put Thomas on paid leave. Thomas was director of the department when a staffer approved building permits in a Natomas flood zone last year. The city has said the staffer broke federal rules.

Photo by Anthony Bento.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Mayor, Waters praise Kerridge, blast "divisive" politics

2010-02-19T04:42:14Z

Mayor Kevin Johnson and City Councilman Robbie Waters praised City Manager Ray Kerridge, who announced yesterday that he was resigning on March 12, at a joint press conference Thursday.

Without naming anyone in particular, Johnson and Waters both blamed other council members for the negative atmosphere at City Hall. The other council members did not attend the press conference. However, Joann Cummins, district director for Councilwoman Sandy Sheedy, attended the event.

“I think the divisiveness has certainly played a role (in Kerridge’s decision),” Johnson said.

He said he was concerned that the work environment could cause “great talent” to leave.

Johnson also faulted himself for his part in the divisive atmosphere at City Hall.

Waters also used the word “great” to describe Kerridge.

“We’ve lost a great leader,” Waters said.

City spokeswoman Amy Williams answered questions from The Sacramento Press after the press conference. She said Kerridge was not available for questions Thursday afternoon. Williams responded to the question of whether Kerridge’s resignation is linked to the city’s problems with its utilities and community development departments.

A Jan. 6 grand jury report says the city may be breaking Proposition 218, a state law that mandates how city funds are used.

City officials are also confronting findings from an investigation into the department’s approval last year of 35 permits in a Natomas flood zone. The offices of the city attorney and city manager note in a Jan. 26 report that the department broke federal rules by approving the permits.

The report lists new issues, including possible violations of city planning rules, that involve the building services division of the development department.

“In any large organization, there will be issues,” Williams said.

She said Kerridge has dedicated more than 35 years to public service and felt this was a good time to transition to a private sector position. Kerridge felt the timing of his transition was good for the city, as well as for himself, Williams said.

Kerridge feels the timing of his resignation is good because of recent developments on the issues of the 35 Natomas permits and the city budget, Williams said. Kerridge said he felt there has been “significant movement” on the investigation into the city’s approval of 35 building permits in a Natomas flood zone, Williams said.

The City Council also came together at a Feb. 11 budget session — its first budget session of the year, Williams said. Kerridge said he viewed the council members’ unanimous agreement on the issue as a positive sign. The city manager’s office creates the proposed budget.

Williams further noted that Kerridge has a private sector job opportunity.

The city is facing a $35-40 million budget deficit for the 2010/2011 fiscal year, according to a Feb. 11 report.

Photos by Anthony Bento.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Press release: City Manager Ray Kerridge resigns

2010-02-18T01:51:03Z

Sacramento City Manager, Ray Kerridge announced his resignation today, effective March 12, 2010.

"After much thought and consideration, I will be resigning on March 12, 2010," said City Manager Ray Kerridge. "The City of Sacramento is a great organization with outstanding employees, and I am honored to have had the opportunity to serve this community."

After 35+ years in the public sector, Mr. Kerridge will be taking a private sector position.

In February 2006, Mr. Kerridge was appointed City Manager by the Mayor and City Council. He has been the catalyst behind significant culture change in City Hall bringing customer service to the forefront of City government.

He joined the City of Sacramento in January 2005 as the Assistant City Manager for Development and over saw several departments including Development Services, Utilities, Transportation, and Economic Development.

City Manager Ray Kerridge Significant Successes:

* Lead the organization through historic budget challenges
* Improved and enhanced relationship with business leaders
* Negotiation and Approval of first ever City/County Tax Sharing
Agreement
* Fostering better Citywide communication and a team atmosphere
* Development Services Department went from last to first in
customer service
* Citywide culture change - transparency, customer service,
accountability
* General Plan Updated and Approved
* Sustainability Master Plan Developed and Adopted
* Memorandum of Understanding with CSU, Sacramento State
* Memorandum of Understanding with Sacramento Municipal Utilities
District
* Recently, Council unanimously approved budget strategies and
principles for FY2010-2011
* Development and adoption of Downtown Urban Guidelines
* New department head leadership

This press release was sent via email from Amy Williams, City PIO, 808-5014

City departments in trouble: What is the city manager’s role?

2010-02-02T04:50:28Z

News Analysis

City Manager Ray Kerridge oversees a city government that is struggling with major controversies in its Community Development and Utilities departments.

Council members are reacting to claims in a Jan. 6 grand jury report that the city may be breaking Proposition 218, a state law that mandates how city funds are used.

City officials are also confronting findings from an investigation into the department’s approval last year of 35 permits in a Natomas flood zone. The offices of the city attorney and city manager note in a recent report that the department broke federal rules by approving the permits.

The report lists new issues, including possible violations of city planning rules, that involve the building services division of the development department.

And the Sacramento Bee is reporting that Advantage Demolition & Engineering gained city contracts by allegedly turning in fake paperwork. The city has fired the firm, which was supposed to install water meters, the Bee reported.

While Kerridge runs the city government, Mayor Kevin Johnson and the City Council have not specifically discussed Kerridge’s role in the city’s troubles at recent public meetings.

In the spirit of accountability and transparency that Johnson, the City Council and Kerridge himself have championed, the Sacramento Press wonders: What is Kerridge’s role in current city problems?

The Sacramento Press asked city spokeswoman Amy Williams if Kerridge could answer that question and others in a phone interview on Friday afternoon or Monday morning. Williams said Kerridge was away from the office Friday afternoon and asked The Sacramento Press to e-mail questions to her. Kerridge e-mailed The Sacramento Press with a response Monday morning.

In his e-mail, Kerridge said that he is facing many issues that began before he became city manager in 2006.

“The greater majority of these issues like Proposition 218 predated my administration,” Kerridge said. “Because we have made it a priority to be transparent, when we have discovered these issues, we have addressed them and done it in public. When you do this, there are risks, and it can be very uncomfortable, but it is the right thing to do.”

Kerridge said that problems at city departments are being addressed.

“There are obvious areas that need to be improved and those improvements are being made,” he said. “For instance, multi-level checks and balances have been put in to place to address Community Development’s (front) counter operations. I have always been an advocate for systematic audits on all departments and I still am.”

City Councilman Steve Cohn said that while Kerridge may not have been city manager at the start of some of the Prop. 218 problems, the issues have been ongoing. “He’s certainly responsible for fixing the problem,” Cohn said.

Read the full list of questions and Kerridge’s response at the end of this story.

Johnson on Kerridge's Role

Meanwhile, Johnson is expressing multiple views of Kerridge. Johnson says he supports Kerridge but also says that voters should scrap the city manager position in favor of a strong mayor system.

Johnson acknowledges that Kerridge, as city manager, is ultimately in charge of the city departments facing problems.

He calls himself "a fan" of Kerridge but doesn't criticize him for controversies in the Utilities and Community Development departments under his control.

Johnson’s comments at a Tuesday press conference in Oak Park last week revealed his views of Kerridge.

Johnson openly acknowledges that the city government is facing multiple problems.

“There seems to be a pattern of mismanagement or poor judgement,” Johnson said. “What this does, it creates a sense of cynicism and lack of trust with the public.”

But despite the list of issues with two departments under Kerridge's authority, Johnson expressed his support for the city manager in response to a question from Capital Public Radio's Ben Adler.

“The utilities department falls under the responsibility of Ray Kerridge, so does the planning department,” Adler said to Johnson. “You’ve said repeatedly you’re a really big fan of Ray Kerridge. Has your position changed at all?”

“No, I’m a huge fan of Ray Kerridge,” Johnson responded. Then, in his next comment, Johnson conceded that “all of these things fall, in some shape or form, under his [Kerridge's] jurisdiction.”

“He’s not denying that,” Johnson said.

While Johnson said these problems have occurred under Kerridge's watch, and that Kerridge runs the city government, Johnson did not criticize Kerridge.

Instead, Johnson turned the discussion to argue in support of a strong mayor government. “That’s why I believe very strongly that we can change our form of government to an executive mayor form of government,” he said, noting that decisions and choices would then be made by someone elected by the public.

Johnson further said that a strong mayor would be held accountable by the public. In addition, he said in defense of Kerridge, the city manager must deal with competing visions of council members and the mayor, Johnson said.

“I think Ray Kerridge gets caught in the middle," Johnson said. “He has nine bosses. Who in here would want nine bosses? I mean, you can’t get anything done with nine bosses.”

Questions for Kerridge

The Sacramento Press asked Kerridge for comment on the Prop. 218 issue, the company that the city hired to install water meters and the problems with the Community Development Department. The list of questions follows:

What is your role in these issues?

How much responsibility do you feel you have for these problems?

Referring to current controversies in city departments, Johnson said this week that "all of these things fall, in some shape or form, under his [Kerridge's] jurisdiction." However, he is not publicly criticizing you or faulting you for these problems. Can you comment on that?

What are your plans to make sure these kinds of problems don't happen again?

When Johnson said these things fall under your jurisdiction, he then argued for a strong mayor form of government. In what ways, if any, has the form of government in the city affected these problems?

Are you retiring this year?

Kerridge’s Response

Kerridge provided the following e-mailed response to the questions Monday:

My style of leadership requires transparency and openness in our organization. I have created an environment that encourages change and
challenges us to look at our systems. The greater majority of these issues like Proposition 218 predated my administration. Because we have made it a priority to be transparent, when we have discovered these issues, we have addressed them and done it in public. When you do this, there are risks and it can be very uncomfortable but it is the right thing to do. Improvement is a continuous process and we should never be satisfied with the status quo.

There are obvious areas that need to be improved and those improvements are being made. For instance, multi-level checks and balances have been put in to place to address Community Development’s counter operations. I have always been an advocate for systematic audits on all departments and I still am. I am dedicated to serving this community and the City of Sacramento.

Photos by Anthony Bento.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

City attorney answers questions about investigation

2009-12-24T18:17:32Z

While local media outlets have reported on the third-party investigation of Sacramento’s development department, the details of the investigation are complex.

City Attorney Eileen Teichert shed light on the investigation’s details in a phone interview with The Sacramento Press last week.

The city, together with the third-party law firm Renne Sloan Holtzman Sakai, is investigating the Community Development Department’s approval this year of 35 building permits in a Natomas flood zone.

Teichert’s office acknowledges in a Dec. 15 letter to the Federal Emergency Management Agency that the city broke federal rules when it approved the permits.

The city has placed Community Development Director Bill Thomas and department staffer Dan Waters on administrative leave.

During last week’s interview, Teichert addressed why the city and the third-party firm are working together on the investigation. She also provided a response to the question of whether City Manager Ray Kerridge was being investigated on this issue.

Teichert said she does not have an estimate on when the investigation will be complete.

The Sacramento Press: As I understand it — and correct me if I’m wrong — but the investigation into the Natomas building permits is being carried out by the third-party firm [Renne Sloan Holtzman Sakai] and the city. Is the city partnering with the third-party firm?

City Attorney Eileen Teichert: Yes. Of course someone has to provide the interface between how the city operates and is organized, how to reach people, how to get documents and so on. Pursuant to the direction that we’ve received from the City Council, my office, along with the city manager’s office, is providing that coordination.

SP: Why is the city participating in the investigation if a third party was hired? Wouldn’t city participation then make the investigation less objective?

Teichert: Again, as I indicated, someone has to coordinate. My office had to serve as the conduit to hire the outside law firm. We’re the only ones pursuant to the charter authorized to retain outside counsel. So, that was why we did that.

And, in order to preserve attorney/client-privileged communication, those communications go through our office. And, we have to be able to ... obtain records and documents for [independent investigator Tim Yeung’s review] in order to be able to conduct [a] fair, objective investigation and interviews. Based upon his own opinion that he arrives at, as a result of reviewing records and meeting with witnesses without being influenced by staff ...

We agree it’s of the utmost importance that the investigation be conducted fairly and impartially.

SP: Was City Manager Ray Kerridge being investigated as part of the investigation into the Natomas building permits?

Teichert: We are not targeting any individual and I cannot comment on personnel matters. But again, we are using a fair and objective process and not starting into the investigation with any preconceived notions about who’s being targeted or what we expect to achieve.

SP: What is the status of Community Development Director Bill Thomas? Do you know if he’s coming back?

Teichert: The status of Bill Thomas is as it has been for the last number of weeks — that he is still on administrative leave.

Photo by David Watts Barton.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Veteran politicos debate strong mayor initiative

2009-12-23T03:37:42Z

When a group of opponents to the “strong mayor” initiative talked to reporters earlier this month, a spontaneous debate over the initiative took place between two local veteran politicos.

Steve Maviglio, public affairs consultant and Mayor Kevin Johnson’s unpaid spokesman, sparred with Phil Giarrizzo, a political consultant who is working for the camp that opposes the strong mayor initiative.

Johnson, who leads the campaign for the initiative, would attain new powers if it passes. He would assume the duties of the city manager and create the city’s budget, among other responsibilities. Johnson's campaign says that more than 50,000 people signed petitions to put the initiative on the ballot.

The Sacramento County Registrar of Voters has confirmed that the initiative received the required 32,433 signatures.

The initiative goes to the polls June 8.

The group that Giarrizzo represents is Support Accountability, Voice & Ethics in Sacramento (SAVE Sacramento), which opposes the initiative and backs a lawsuit that was filed against it on Dec. 1 in Sacramento County Superior Court.

Bill Camp, executive secretary of the Sacramento Central Labor Council, is the plaintiff who is suing the city government, the City Council and Thomas Hiltachk, the attorney who wrote the strong mayor initiative. Camp does not represent the labor council in the lawsuit; he filed it as a private individual.

Camp argues in his lawsuit that the initiative breaks state law because it would cause changes to the city’s charter, which is the city’s version of a constitution. While an initiative can be used to amend a city charter, it can’t be used to make major changes, Camp contends.

The city’s current system includes a powerful city manager. Hiring department directors and drafting recommendations for the city’s budget are two of City Manager Ray Kerridge’s many responsibilities.

Maviglio and Giarrizzo hashed it out after SAVE Sacramento's Dec. 1 press conference, which aimed to draw attention to Camp's lawsuit.

Steve Maviglio (reacting to criticism from opponents that the initiative was written by a “lawyer in a room”): An initiative by its nature is written by a lawyer in a room. We had more than 50,000 people sign it. I can’t imagine more public participation. The charter committee that [opponents of the strong mayor initiative] defend had about 250 people in about 10 rooms over the series of a few months. That’s not my idea of public participation. When people want something on the ballot, then they deserve the right to do it. And special interests shouldn’t charge taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars because they don’t want to see it on the ballot. It deserves to be on the ballot and the people have the right to be heard.

Phil Giarrizzo: And any reaction to the tens of thousands of dollars you’re spending on running a campaign [and] paying lawyers to draft initiatives? Yet, you criticize other people who disagree with your position ... The lawsuit is only one part of the campaign. Whether or not the courts find it technically appropriate to take the measure off the ballot is one part. The other part is: If it does go to the ballot, the people of Sacramento are going to vote this measure down because it’s not necessary, it does give more power to any mayor and there [are] no checks and balances. It’s an unnecessary measure at a time when the city should be focusing on jobs, helping to revitalize schools and focused on the task at hand. This is not a way that you run government.

Maviglio: I find it particularly amusing that [democrats] like Phil Giarrizzo, who’ve worked for good democratic mayors like Gavin Newsom and Jerry Brown, Antonio Villaraigosa — all of who’ve worked in a strong mayor system — have an objection to this [strong mayor proposal] by our democratic mayor here.

Giarrizzo: There is no comparison. There is no comparison in those cities. And when you ... bandy about those names, you have to look at the structures of government in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and there’s no comparison to how the cities are run.

Maviglio: I think that’s the difference here. They don’t want to have [a] debate; the mayor wants to have that debate over the charter. He wants the people involved — not a few hand-selected politicos and inside hacks that had a meeting.

Giarrizzo: Oh, he must be talking about the people who wrote his measure.

Maviglio: Well, I guess you’re never going to vote for an initiative again, Phil? Is that true? Are you never going to vote for an initiative again?

Giarrizzo: You know what, there could be a time, yes...

Maviglio: You can’t really use that argument if you’re getting paid for people to work for initiatives ...

Giarrizzo: We believe differently that ...

Maviglio: We believe there should be things on the ballot — you apparently don’t. And you’re willing to charge the taxpayers of Sacramento to prevent [from] doing that.

Giarrizzo: No, we’re not charging the taxpayers.

Maviglio: You are — you filed the suit.

Giarrizzo: You’ve just moved the debate.

Maviglio: You filed the suit.

Giarrizzo: The issue here is: Should there be a debate by the way you and your advisers constructed this measure with no public opinion, misstating the intent of the [California] Constitution. That’s what the court will decide.

Maviglio: Well, the 50,000 people ... who signed the petitions ...

Giarrizzo: ... I know that when you go to the ballot box, you’ll have had a change of heart and seen the light. And you’ll be saving Sacramento with the rest of us over here.

Maviglio: I look forward to that day (laughs).

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

McCarty: Questions must be answered

2009-11-13T05:15:33Z

Sacramento officials need to know a lot more about the Community Development Department's construction approval process and a suspended commercial building program before any action should be considered, Sacramento City Councilmember Kevin McCarty said Thursday.

Renne Sloan Holtzman Sakai, a law firm hired by the city to investigate the Community Development Department, must investigate how construction on a Nestlé water-bottling plant began in McCarty's district without building permits, how home-building permits were issued for a Natomas flood zone, when these practices began and how pervasive they are, he said.

Two weeks ago, the department's Facilities Permit Program was suspended after questions about the approval process for the plant revealed that Nestlé and contractors began construction work with verbal approval only. McCarty called the problems with the FPP and the practice of allowing construction without building permits the "second strike" against the department.

"We're investigating the department for wrongdoing in the Natomas Permit Program. We've asked that they look at this FPP process as well to see what was going on there as far as any wrongdoing," McCarty said. "By looking at Nestlé, we were able to bring to light some illegal activity that's been done maybe for a very long time."

The FPP is intended to speed approval for tenant improvements or renovation of commercial and industrial buildings involving businesses that do a lot of business in Sacramento and have established relationships with the city. The program may have "improved the city's relationships with developers," McCarty said, "but at what cost? At what expense to taxpayers? To residents?"

David Kwong, acting head of the Community Development Department, said last week that staff will ask the council to amend city code to allow FPP construction projects to start before building permits are issued — as long as a business has a written start-work authorization from the building division. The longtime practice, which predates the program, helped bring about the suspension of the FPP two weeks ago.

Any proposal involving the FPP is premature before the conclusion of the investigation, McCarty said.

"We owe it to our residents to make sure that our development department follows the law," he said. "We need to evaluate what's been going on with this FPP process and how long it's been going on. Then, and only then, should we talk about Mr. Kwong's proposal going forward."

Department staff want to "pull the program back, take a temporary pause" and bring to the City Council a "retooled FPP," department spokesperson Maurice Chaney said Thursday.

Retooling would happen "in concert with council just to make sure that the program is vetted thoroughly through the City Council and that they understand what the program is about," he said. "So, not only getting the appropriate info out to them, but just making sure that we’re transparent and open during that whole thing.”

The main question is whether the program is legal, said McCarty, who is proposing to change city code to require Planning Commission and City Council oversight of proposals for new water-bottling plants or any industrial facilities that use water for resale purposes.

Other cities allow construction with a start-work authorization only and the practice was incorporated into the FPP when that program was brought here from Portland several years ago, Kwong said. Sacramento City Manager Ray Kerridge developed the FPP for Portland 10 years ago when he managed that city's commercial inspections. Phoenix was the only other city in the country known to have a similar program at that time.

Meanwhile, Councilwoman Sandy Sheedy said the FPP's role has expanded over time. When the program started, it provided businesses a way to make tenant improvements quickly, she said. Now, it’s not being used in the way it was designed, she added.

“It morphed into something else that was completely different,” Sheedy said.

The city doesn’t want to be “unfriendly” to businesses, she said, but needs to be “cognizant” of how it works with them. Sheedy noted that she hopes the program can be made workable.

McCarty said he would like water-bottling facilities to require conditional use permits. Environmental reviews and public hearings are required for proposed development projects only if there's a request for a land-use change or a conditional use permit, he said. Neither were required for the renovation of the warehouse Nestlé is leasing.

The council was supposed to consider McCarty's proposal as an urgency ordinance on Oct. 27. But City Attorney Eileen Teichert said Nestlé hadn't done anything illegal. However, she determined that the department's practice of allowing construction to start without a building permit violates city and state codes.

"We screwed up so bad handing out building permits through this crazy FPP program, no court of law would find they (Nestle) did anything illegal," McCarty said.

Plenty of million-dollar projects never go before the council if there are no requests for zoning changes or conditional uses. Developer John Saca's failed 53-story Towers at Capitol Mall project never went before the council, he said.

McCarty and other councilmembers have said they knew nothing about the plant until a grassroots organization, Save Our Water Sacramento, contacted them in September. Councilmembers Rob Fong, Steve Cohn and Lauren Hammond said Wednesday they did not know about the program until after a stop-work order was posted on the door of the Nestlé plant Oct. 23.

On Thursday, Sheedy said she was unaware of the program until it was debated during the Nestlé controversy. Councilwoman Bonnie Pannell also said she had been in the dark.

“I knew nothing about the Facilities Permit Program before the Nestlé company’s move to Sacramento,” she said in an e-mail Thursday. “I’m looking forward to learning about how the program works. I will keep an open mind.”

There's much more the council needs to learn about the program, McCarty said, adding, "I'm proud that by bringing this Nestlé issue forward, we uncovered this very inappropriate activity in the city of Sacramento."

Staff reporter Kathleen Haley contributed to this report. Photo by Anthony Bento. Suzanne Hurt is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

City staff seek building code changes

2009-11-10T05:27:54Z

The Sacramento City Council soon may be asked to amend city code to legalize a longtime practice that helped bring about the suspension of the Facilities Permit Program.

In the next few weeks, city staff want to ask the council to allow FPP construction projects to start before building permits are issued — as long as a business has a written start-work authorization from the building division, said David Kwong, the city's Planning Division director.

Staff is working with the city attorney's office to learn if the practice and the building code amendment would be legal, Kwong said.

"What I'd like to do is vet that form with the city attorney's office, make some tweaks and take that to the council," said Kwong, who is also serving as head of the Community Development Department, which oversees the planning and building permits divisions.

The department's director, Bill Thomas, and department supervisor Dan Waters, son of Councilman Robbie Waters, are on paid leave while the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the city and an outside law firm hired by the city look into the department and home building permits approved for the Natomas flood zone despite a ban.

The FPP is intended to speed approval for tenant improvements or renovation of commercial and industrial buildings involving businesses that already have established relationships with the city, Kwong said. If the change were approved, the FPP could resume within about two months, he added.

The city suspended the FPP on Oct. 27 after questions about the program arose in relation to the Nestlé Waters North America water-bottling plant. A stop-work order had been posted on the plant's door Oct. 23 while Councilman Kevin McCarty and other city officials inquired into plant construction.

That's when city officials learned that Nestlé and contractors had begun the first phase of construction work without a formal building permit or start-work authorization. A building inspector who coordinates the FPP had given verbal approval only.

A Nestlé official said at the time that the company had complied with the city's building laws.

The city attorney's office, led by Eileen Teichert, determined the practice was not legal, and that allowing construction to start without a building permit violates city and state codes, Kwong said.

Teichert was out of town and not available to comment.

The use of start-work authorizations rather than building permits for some commercial construction predates the FPP in Sacramento.

"We found there was a common practice dating back to 1992 or 1995," Kwong said. "It seemed like an acceptable practice for 14 years, and they went forward with that."

The practice is used in other cities and was incorporated into the FPP when that program was brought to Sacramento from Portland about four years ago, said Kwong. "It's not something we invented," he said.

As planning division director for four and a half years, Kwong was not involved in building services until three weeks ago.

Sacramento City Manager Ray Kerridge, hired in 2004 as an assistant city manager in charge of development, brought Thomas with him from Portland after developers criticized Sacramento's development application and building permit processes as laborious and confusing.

The two have developed programs to speed the application process and encourage development in Sacramento.

Kerridge began his career in Portland as a building inspector in 1979. After becoming manager of commercial inspections, he developed Portland's Facilities Permit Program and the Commercial Combination Inspection Program.

Portland's FPP was designed to match one building inspection team with a building or group of buildings. That team would do all plan review, permitting and inspections of interior tenant improvements to speed improvements or renovations. Phoenix was the only other city in the country known to have a similar program when Portland's began in 1998.

In Sacramento, an inspection team may be replaced by one building inspector certified in several areas, Kwong said.

According to the city of Sacramento's website, "The FPP facilitates a rapid approval process for tenant alterations and improvements of commercial and industrial facilities, (including) minor tenant improvements, including maintenance, repair and minor alterations; and major interior tenant improvements and remodels. This includes tenant improvements to new and existing structures.

"The FPP is available to owners of commercial and industrial buildings, building management companies, and/or their tenants. The program best serves customers who have on-going interior tenant improvements and where facility maintenance, upgrade and renovation is frequent. A good example is a large shopping center with multiple tenants."

As a newcomer to Sacramento, Nestlé would not fit the program. However, Buzz Oates Real Estate Co., which is leasing the warehouse to Nestlé, or Panattoni Construction, which is overseeing the work, would fit the program as established customers, Kwong said.

Nestlé is the building permit applicant. Panattoni received a start-work authorization for the plant renovation's second phase on Oct. 7.

This is the first time the City Council has been asked to weigh in on the FPP.

State building codes must be reviewed to see if FPP practices would be in violation, or to align new city code with the state. City staff also will look for precedents in other cities and counties that use the start-work authorization form, Kwong said.

Suzanne Hurt is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

City/police e-mails describe planned surveillance system

2009-08-04T18:05:26Z

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 provide the federal funds.

The Sacramento Police Department and the Sacramento County chapter of the ACLU have sparred over the cameras: The ACLU argues that they do not counter crime, while police department spokesman Norm Leong contends that they are a helpful tool.

Police department managers and staffers at the offices of Mayor Kevin Johnson and City Councilman Rob Fong discussed the ACLU’s criticism of the cameras in May 19 and June 1 e-mail messages.

Documents that provide details on the planned surveillance system are available here.

Read about the formal procedures that Sacramento police personnel will follow when working with surveillance cameras.

The California Public Records Act request submitted by the Sacramento County chapter of the ACLU to City Manager Ray Kerridge can be read here.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.