When I first heard that the Sacramento Kings would be offering “dollar beer night” on its nationally televised Wednesday night home game as a promotion to bring in more fans, it was surprisingly troublesome to learn on many levels. As someone who is a community advocate and supporter of the organization MADD, this to me has the makings of irresponsibility written all over it, similar to letting a drunk tend bar. The Kings for all that can be said about their play on the court and lack of home attendance, should not display such gimmicky promotions that will encourage people to engage in risky drinking behavior just for a quick buck. Granted buying beer is an option to fans and no one’s arm

There is no doubt that the Sacramento River Cats have brought an exciting and competitive brand of baseball to this city since they moved to Raley Field from Vancouver, Wash., in 2000. From the moment of arrival, the team performed and continues to perform well, winning four PCL championships and seven PCL southern division titles, as well as the Triple-A championship last season.   Another area in which this team has never struggled is putting fans in the seats. For the past nine seasons, the River Cats have led all minor league baseball in attendance, carrying about 10,000 fans a game during that span. However, attendance has dropped during the current season due to the economic situat

Sacramento-based McClatchy Co. on Tuesday announced a surge in second-quarter earnings following the latest round of company-wide downsizing. More cutbacks are still in the works to staunch a continued loss in revenue. Next week, members of the editorial employee union at The Sacramento Bee, the company's flagship, will vote on a proposal to use accrued vacation days rather than face unpaid furloughs this year. However, a small amount of hiring is still taking place. Net quarterly profit rose to $42.2 million, up from $19.7 million in the second quarter of 2008. Per-share earnings grew to 50 cents, up from 24 cents for the same period last year, according to the report released Tuesday

Walk through some of the region's newest neighborhoods and you'll discover hundreds upon hundreds of houses lying empty. Their owners, victims of foreclosure, have long since moved on. While only some of those are currently on the market, you'll find it next to impossible to come upon a foreclosed home for sale in Sacramento's central city. That's because there's currently only one. The desirability of living in the grid and of its housing stock have kept prices fairly stable and made the area nearly immune to the foreclosure crisis, unlike outlying areas of the city and fast-growing suburbs like Natomas and Elk Grove, according to local real estate agents. "Downtown has held its value,

Sacramento County officials began budget hearings Tuesday with an explanation of the county's poor financial state, noting that the county is expecting an ongoing pattern of poor sales tax revenues, among other problems. The county is also facing criticism about its budgeting practices from credit rating agencies, said Nav Gill, chief operations officer for the county. The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors is addressing a $180 million budget gap in budget hearings this week. Supervisors may approve a proposed budget next week. The county’s proposed overall budget is $4.3 billion for the 2009/2010 fiscal year. The proposed general fund budget is $2.03 billion. “This budget is the mos

The Sacramento Press is all about providing an outlet for everyone in the community. We recently hit the street to get people's comments on how they're coping with the recession. This week's question: How has the continued recession affected your spending habits? What are you buying and what are you not buying right now?   Regina LaFitte, 45 Analyst, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Elk Grove Resident "We're not going out as much. Most days, I bring my lunch. We get the essentials -- that's about it. I have a daughter who's in college. With the (student aid) cuts in education, I'm really feeling that one. As a state worker, we're doing a two-day furlough each

Sacramento County’s public safety and social service programs will be harmed if the state advances a proposal to borrow $2 billion from local governments, according to county spokesman Zeke Holst. The county is planning cuts to close its own $180 million budget gap. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has proposed borrowing property tax revenues from local governments as one of many ways to address the state’s $24.3 billion deficit. Holst noted that Sacramento County’s portion of the $2 billion would be $32 million. Lending $32 million in county revenues to the state “would directly impact public safety and social programs,” Holst said. “We are watching the state very closely to see what they ar

Mayor Kevin Johnson told media outlets earlier this week that possible layoffs of state workers may harm the city’s economy. Layoffs for about 5,000 state workers have been proposed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to address the state’s $24.3 billion deficit. Local governments throughout the state may be impacted by state budget cuts, Johnson said. But because many Sacramento residents are state workers, the city faces “a double whammy.” Sacramento is “very uniquely positioned as a state capital city to get hit twice,” Johnson said Tuesday. Johnson went on to say that if these workers are laid off, they may not be able to make their mortgage payments. In turn, these residents may foreclos

 A number of city employees received pink slips Monday that said their last day of work would be June 19. Though 168 workers received the layoff letters, city officials said the number of potential layoffs would go down if unions make concessions. The city is planning layoffs and cuts to services to address a budget deficit of more than $43 million. Sacramento began its budget planning for the 2009/2010 fiscal year with a $50 million deficit. The deficit figure dropped to $43.6 million in March after the Sacramento Police Officers Association made concessions on pay increases, said Gus Vina, an assistant city manager. The firefighters’ union, Sacramento Area Firefighters Local 522, made

The 36th annual Sacramento Jazz Festival pulled in about the same amount of money as it did last year -- an estimated $1.2 million -- but more people may have attended the festival this year than last year, according to a festival official. Gene Berthelsen, the executive director of the festival, said the troubled economy affected this year's festival. “The poor economy was a factor in why we didn’t do better,” Berthelsen said. The festival staffers will continue to crunch numbers for weeks to come, but preliminary estimates show that this year’s festival drew somewhere between 65,000 and 70,000 people, Berthelsen said. Festival-goers paid an estimated $1.2 million to the festival for t

If State Demands City Funds, City Will Have the Money Schwarzenegger’s recent proposal to borrow $2 billion from local governments has angered cities and counties, including the city of Sacramento. The proposal aims to help the state cope with its budget deficit -- the latest number for the state’s deficit is $24.3 billion. At first, Sacramento reacted to the state proposal with alarm. But Mayor Kevin Johnson’s recent comments indicate that the city’s fears have somewhat dissipated. The city has a way to pay up if the state asks to borrow its money. The city can use up to $12 million in its “risk funds” to pay the state, Johnson said Friday. A May 22 report by city staffers explained t

Special to Sacramento Press By Dena Kouremetis It may seem like an anomaly, but it really comes as no surprise to REO expert and Re/Max agent Ray Ponce.  Housing in Sacramento’s ‘grid’ – surrounded by freeways in all directions, has simply not become a casualty of foreclosure crisis. “It’s just a matter of supply and demand,” says Ponce. “There has always been, and will continue to be a demand for housing in this area.  Most of the homes in this area were built during the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s during a period of time when quality of craftsmanship and individual style were important for homeowners.  These homes are built well and possess charm and character that today’s modern homes simply

A group of residents is continuing a campaign against proposed budget cuts to local parks after city staffers this week did not support the group’s proposals. The group, called Rescue Sacramento Parks, has pitched the City Council several proposals to sustain parks services as the city addresses its projected $50 million deficit for the 2009/2010 fiscal year. Among many other proposed budget cuts, the city is proposing to slash about $8.3 million and 145 positions from its Department of Parks and Recreation. Rescue Sacramento Parks is worried the proposed cuts to parks will lead to blight and public health and safety problems. Craig Powell, the group’s chairman, said some of the group’s

Catherine Baird has attended the Sacramento Jazz Festival in years past, but her experience at the festival this year was different. Though Baird was enjoying the jazz party atmosphere in Old Town Friday afternoon, she didn’t buy passes to this year’s festival because she wanted to save money. Still, Baird and her friend Cynthia Garcia, who are both from Sacramento, participated in the Jazz Fest scene and contributed to local businesses. “We spent because we wanted to,” Garcia said, noting that she didn’t feel pressured to buy anything. The Sacramento Jazz Festival, also known as the Sacramento Jazz Jubilee, brought in about $8 million last year to the local economy, according to the Sa

The Sacramento City Council discussed its 2009/2010 budget Tuesday, but the news of the night was the city’s forecast that it will have a $30 million projected deficit in the 2010/2011 fiscal year. Sacramento’s proposed budget for the 2009/2010 fiscal year would resolve the city’s current project $50 million deficit, but a new deficit is on the horizon. Leyne Milstein, the city’s finance director, said the city is balancing its books for the 2009/2010 fiscal year in part by using $8.3 million in one-time funds. She predicts the $8.3 million projected deficit already expected for 2010/2011 will jump to $30 million. “Gap will grow to $30 million as revenues continue to decline and expense

John Canfield is a World War II veteran who values Sacramento County’s contributions toward a veteran’s center on Stockton Boulevard. But the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 67, of which Canfield is a member, faces difficult economic times. The county, too, is in a financial crisis and faces a projected $180 million deficit. One of its numerous proposed cuts would halt $16, 476 in funding for VFW Post 67 during the 2009/2010 fiscal year. Canfield, 85, told the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors Thursday that the VFW post’s revenues have declined “drastically.” Many of the post’s members served in World War II and the Korean War, Canfield said, and these veterans are reaching the

The Sacramento office market experienced a year-over-year decline of up to 13 percent for key submarkets as landlords began lowering prices and offering incentives in order to attract tenants. In addition with businesses downsizing or closing offices altogether, more space has come on the market which has helped to drive down prices even further. The following section shows the year-over-year declines for the average price of space in key Sacramento submarkets. (The price range factors in specific location and class of space) : Downtown - 2009 rates are 8 to 11 percent lower El Dorado Hills - 2009 rates are 7 to 11 percent lower Elk Grove - 2009 rates are 8 to 11 percent lower Highway

Ever heard the term “mash-potato manipulator?” Or would you ever believe you could learn to love the “F” word, failure? And what exactly does mash potatoes and failure have in common? They are surprising and irreverent ideas expressed in a fun, new workshop developed by the co-authors of the book Second Bloom: 10 Steps to Reinvent, Rejuvenate and Realize a New Life. Along with creative and interesting stories about women who took bold and daring steps to reinvent their lives, the three-hour interactive workshop guides, helps and supports women as they develop a plan for change. “We like to have fun and explore seemingly offbeat but actually common women’s issues during our workshops,” sa

Over the past fall, the nationwide economic downturn has definitely been felt in Sacramento's small boutiques. While some have gone out of business completely, and others have been forced to close some locations, many shops are adapting to leaner economic times by diversifying and changing their businesses. Recently, the Sacramento Press talked to Liz Liles, owner of 21st street's Buffcastle boutique, asking her about the recession's effect on her business and others.   Was it hard opening in this economic climate? Well, we opened in about July, during the summer, so all the kids were out and about. It wasn't bad when we opened at all, actually suprisingly good. So we were excited about