Newest articles on The Sacramento Press tagged as "re graswich"

Youth violence forum draws large crowd

2011-02-17T06:47:26Z

In the view of Sacramento community activist Kathy Jenkins, stronger parenting of youth is key to reducing gang violence. At a forum in Oak Park on youth and gang-related violence, Jenkins told a crowd of about 150 Sacramento residents, city staffers and police officers that assertive parents should influence the lives of young people.

“This is called parenting, this is not policing,” Jenkins said.

“If we could parent, and if we can raise,” she added, “and if we can encourage, and if we can take guns and give books, if we can give dolls instead of pimping ... If we could do these things, we could put (the police) out of work. I would rather see them writing parking tickets.”

Jenkins was one of many speakers at the forum, organized by Mayor Kevin Johnson’s office. Johnson had planned to attend the Oak Park event, said his special assistant, R.E. Graswich. But he canceled in order to accept an invitation from the White House to spend time on Wednesday with President Barack Obama, according to Johnson’s press office.

Police Chief Rick Braziel, Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones and Sacramento County District Attorney Jan Scully were among others who made remarks at the forum. Residents also participated in the forum by brainstorming ways to halt youth violence in the Sacramento area.

Braziel explained the police department’s Operation Ceasefire program, in which officers meet with youth involved with violence, he said. “We bring them in and give them alternatives,” Braziel said.

The department and local support service programs provide services to the youth so they can stop a violent lifestyle, Braziel said. Other partners in the program include the U.S. Attorney’s office and the District Attorney’s office, he said.

Jones emphasized prevention of gang violence and said it was part of his gang strategy. “What’s been long overdue is the prevention side,” he said.

One of the attendees, Malcolm Stone, 63, told The Sacramento Press that he recently moved to south Sacramento from Riverside County. He said he had earlier thought that Sacramento was somewhat “sleepy.” He and his wife are “shocked about all the violent crime in the news” in Sacramento, he said.

Assistant City Manager Cassandra Jennings wrapped up the event, telling the attendees that city leaders plan to create an action plan to address youth violence. She said focus groups will be organized in March, and another community forum will be held in April. In June, the city hopes to have an outline of a strategy, she said.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Mayor to hold crime forum

2011-02-15T01:47:59Z

In response to the December shootings at a south Sacramento barbershop, Mayor Kevin Johnson will host a public forum on crime and violence on Wednesday in Oak Park.

“That was the latest spark, if you will, that brought the call for this particular meeting,” said R.E. Graswich, Johnson’s special assistant.

City Police Chief Rick Braziel and Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones will attend the event, according to the press offices of the two law enforcement agencies.

Graswich said the forum will include sessions for community members to discuss the causes of crime and violence in their neighborhoods and how those problems can be addressed.

“Obviously, we can’t tolerate this,” Graswich said.

Six suspects face murder charges from the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department for the Dec. 14 shooting at Fly Cuts and Styles Barber Shop at Stockton Blvd. and Lindale Drive. Monique Nelson, 30, died at the site of the shooting. Gunshot wounds were the cause of death a second person, 20-year-old Marvion Barksdale, according to the Sheriff’s Department.

The department suspects that Barksdale was involved with the shooting.

One of the six suspects, Larry Dean Jones, 29, is at large. The other five suspects are in jail, according to the Sheriff’s Department.

The forum on violence will be held from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. at the Oak Park Community Center, 3425 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Arena task force meets next week

2010-11-11T02:10:15Z

Mayor Kevin Johnson is reassembling his arena task force next week to consider next steps in the effort to get a new arena built in Sacramento.

Mayoral Special Assistant R.E. Graswich and other staff from the mayor's office expect to meet Nov. 18 with at least 10 members of the original Sacramento First Task Force. Details for the private meeting at City Hall were still being finalized Wednesday.

Graswich will update the task force on the status of a proposal from their chosen developer, Sacramento Convergence Holding LLC, led by Gerry Kamilos and David Taylor. The developers’ exclusive negotiating period with the city ended late last month after they were unable to produce a viable plan on schedule.

The discussions will consider whether the city made mistakes with the Convergence team, what those mistakes might have been and what a logical next step might be, Graswich said.

"We want to have a frank discussion about where we're at," he said.

City staffers have also said they will propose a way to move forward with the process to the City Council. But that might not happen until January.

None of the seven teams behind competing arena proposals will be there. Five teams, including Convergence, have expressed interest in still being considered.

Some teams are in the process of finalizing updates. Most are essentially the same plans they originally submitted.

Task force members may be especially interested in updates to two proposals they identified as runners-up to the Convergence proposal, Graswich said. One would be from Thomas Enterprises, which owned the former Union Pacific railyards until last month and also proposed building an arena on the adjacent city land. The other was a plan by Ali Mackani and a group called CORE to build the arena where Westfield Downtown Plaza is now located.

Thomas Enterprises' proposal is "problematic" because of the company's financial problems – it lost ownership of the 203-acre Railyards development site after defaulting on loans for the property, Graswich said.

"It just creates questions about their viability, really," he said. "But that proposal was on city property. So that proposal is still of interest."

On Tuesday, Johnson traveled to suburban Chicago to meet with Inland American Real Estate Trust, the new owner of the former Union Pacific railyards. Inland officials sounded "enthusiastic" about the possibility of constructing the arena on adjacent city-owned land, Johnson blogged after the meeting.

A report on next week’s meeting is expected to be released soon afterward.

Johnson is eager to get the task force working again, after the group made progress last spring with its first recommendations, Graswich said.

"Hopefully, we can regain some of that momentum," he said.

Graphic provided by Thomas Enterprises as part of its downtown arena proposal.

Ice skating rink opens

2010-11-05T23:03:57Z

Sacramento's holiday ice-skating rink opened downtown Friday with fanfare and free skating.

About 120 screaming school kids joined Mayor Kevin Johnson, Assemblyman-elect Roger Dickinson and Downtown Sacramento Partnership Executive Director Michael Ault at a noon ceremony to welcome the Westfield Downtown Ice Rink back to St. Rose of Lima Park.

The capital's outdoor winter skating rink was built in Midtown last year during a $4.5 million renovation of the park at Seventh and K streets, the 700 block of K Street and a light rail platform relocation.

"I think the ice rink is back where it belongs," Dickinson told the crowd shortly before he, Johnson and Ault cut a big red ribbon at the rink's entrance.

With a yell, kids in skates blasted onto the ice – where Johnson's Special Assistant R.E. Graswich was already trying his luck by skating for the first time.

"That doesn't mean I can skate. It just means I'm floundering around," said Graswich, who wore a red and white, candy cane-striped tie for the occasion. "They make it look so easy on television."

Neither the mayor nor Dickinson joined him on the 7,000-square-foot ice rink. But students from Washington and Earl Warren elementary schools and Sutter Middle School were more than happy to. They and everyone else who hits the ice Friday skate free until the rink closes at 10 p.m.

This year brings a few changes to the rink, which is operating downtown for its 19th season. Ticket prices for two-hour sessions have been raised from $6 to $8 for kids and adults. Skate rentals will still be $2.

The price hasn't increased in at least six years. But the fee had to be raised after vendor costs went up, DSP Marketing and Outreach Director Lisa Martinez said.

Also new this year are training skates for toddlers and skating lessons. Private skating instructors Chris Kinzer, Carrie Clarke and Holly Thompson will be available for lessons at 9 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. Saturdays. A half-hour lesson is $20 and three lessons are $50, according to DSP Events Manager Annie Stuckert.

People who own skates will need to get them sharpened beforehand, because the ice rink doesn't have a skate sharpener.

To offset the price increase, the rink will offer various specials, including Family Skate Night Tuesdays. One child skates free with each paying adult.

Except for Christmas, the rink will be open daily through Jan. 17, weather permitting. Hours are noon - 8 p.m., Sunday through Thursday and 10 a.m. - 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Sessions start on the hour.

One thing the ice rink doesn't have: training skates for adults.

"We don't, unfortunately," DSP Marketing Manager Megan Emmerling said. "But we do have lessons."

Lesson reservations must be made in advance by calling DSP at 442-8575. To contact the ice rink, call 442-5563.

Photos 1-3 by Kati Garner. Photo of R.E. Graswich skating by Suzanne Hurt, a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Photographer Barry Wisdom returned Friday night to capture the shots below.

Second Saturday meeting set

2010-09-16T05:48:00Z

Sacramento Police continued their search Wednesday for the suspect in a fatal shooting after the September Second Saturday Art Walk, while community leaders continued talks on possible solutions to the violence and problems plaguing the event.

With the city still reeling in the wake of the killing, city officials will hold a public forum on the shooting on Sept. 25. And on Wednesday night, the Midtown Business Association agreed to spend $19,000 to fund a three-month pilot program using volunteer guides to assist people on Midtown streets weekend nights.

Officers in the homicide, gang, forensic and crime scene investigation units are working on the investigation of the shooting that left Victor Hugo Perez Zavala dead and injured three others early Sunday morning outside Streets of London Pub, 1804 J St. Police don't know if the suspect has fled the area, but they know which gang he's involved with, said Police Sgt. Norm Leong, spokesman for the police department.

The city, led by City Councilman Steve Cohn and Mayor Kevin Johnson’s office, has tentatively set a community meeting on the incident and related concerns for 9 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 25, at the Hart Senior Center in Marshall Park. Leaders from the police and code enforcement departments will be there, and residents, artists and business owners are invited.

"The purpose is to try to come up with the best ideas possible for going forward, not just in terms of Second Saturday and what changes might be needed (there), but also in terms of late-night entertainment and youth violence in particular," said Cohn, whose district includes Midtown, where the shooting took place. "It's really to start a dialogue with the community about what we can do better to address those issues."

Discussions are under way as police, business leaders, the arts community, residents and city leaders search for ways to combat late-night violence and other problems on Second Saturdays and weekend nights in general. Police and the mayor's and city manager's offices expect to create a framework for a plan, which would be followed by ongoing talks, within the next week, said R.E. Graswich, special assistant to Mayor Kevin Johnson.

"This is a tragedy we're responding to," Graswich said. "We're trying to find some solutions. It's difficult — there's no textbook on this."

Hundreds of people fled the scene of the shooting shortly after midnight Sunday. Some tried to hide behind dumpsters outside Lavender Heights bars. An employee at Headhunters at 20th and K streets said he was taking a break out back when he heard a “pop pop pop” that sounded like firecrackers. A horde of people then fled in his direction.

“All I could see were people running” he said. “They were pretty scared.”

The MBA on Wednesday night set up a partnership with the Sacramento Gay and Lesbian Center to provide three teams of "late-night courtesy guides." Working from 17th and 21st streets between I and Capitol Avenue, they could walk people to their cars, assist people with directions and find them cabs if they've had too much to drink, said MBA Executive Director Rob Kerth.

Midtown resident George Raya and others in the gay community came up with the idea about a year ago. They were prompted to create some kind of volunteer program in Midtown after a woman's jaw was broken when she was mugged while trying to find her car one night, Raya said.

A year-round program would be expected to cost about $60,000. While they may be called the Lavender Angels, they won't make citizen arrests like the Guardian Angels, who patrol streets and subways in Chicago, New York and other cities, Kerth said.

"These aren't guards," he said. "These are guides. They're not wearing red berets."

Although there are no hard numbers, another indication that police enforcement put a serious dent in problems last Saturday were that fewer empty liquor containers were found on the streets of Midtown Sunday morning, Kerth said.

A 10-person cleanup group that includes a staffer from the MBA, a volunteer meetup group and four Easter Seals workers usually picks up 400 to 800 gallons of litter on mornings when they clean in the J and K streets corridor. On second Sundays, their efforts and that of individual businesses is estimated at about 3,000 to 4,000 gallons, Kerth said.

The search for solutions will address such things as more ways to get minors off the streets after 10 p.m., unless they're accompanied by a parent or legal guardian, and tailgating. Last Saturday and early Sunday, police did a good job at eliminating tailgating and cutting down on the number of minors out after curfew, Kerth said.

Police are also concentrating on shutting down tailgating parties that have cropped up on numbered streets in Midtown primarily between I and P streets. Empty cans and bottles left as litter have pointed authorities to the most popular places for illegal public drinking, he said.

"This can't be a public drinking event on the street," he said. "We want to knock off the tailgating — particularly when people get out into the neighborhood, park away from J Street, open up a trunk and drink.

"When you find the one-shot plastic pop-off bottles versus a big bottle of Grey Goose, there are different things going on there," he said. "We tend to see larger bottles that we're pretty sure got shared by people. That's clued us in to where people are drinking and that they're drinking on the street, rather than inside where they should be."

On Saturday, 19 Sacramento police and six undercover officers with the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control issued more than 40 citations for violations including underage drinking and urinating in public during and after the art walk. Police based operations at the intersection of 20th and J streets, which gets the most crowds, with some officers doing traffic control. Other officers were stationed at busy corners or assigned to drive or walk around to areas known to have the most problems, Leong said.

"Part of the issue is the Second Saturday event itself goes very smoothly. But when you're talking about loitering or criminal elements that come in after the fact, it limits your ability to do something about it," he said. "It's really the gang members that are more prone to do violent type crimes in a public area."

Photo of Second Saturday at Beatnik Studios by Ron Nabity. Photo of Second Saturday night scene by David Watts Barton. Suzanne Hurt is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Fashion by Fong

2010-08-27T00:59:00Z

A green tie with white polka dots atop a pink dress shirt. White nubuck leather shoes, green pants and an orange leather belt. A purple tie with orange stripes paired with a mint-green shirt.

These combinations represent three wardrobe choices in three days for Rob Fong.

The Sacramento city councilman and legislative consultant doesn’t get dressed in the dark — the bright colors and jazzy details are all intentional.

Fong, 51, shared his fashion philosophy with The Sacramento Press this week.

“The way I started to express my sort of ‘Inner Rob,’ was I decided that my shirts and my ties can be my signature,” he said.

He said his 16-year-old daughter, Rebecca, has noticed that he tends to favor greens and oranges.

His style has not gone unnoticed at City Hall.

“He’s a very fashionable gentleman,” Councilwoman Lauren Hammond said.

Councilman Kevin McCarty said one of Fong’s coats reminds him of Ron Burgundy, the 1970s television newscaster character played by Will Ferrell in the 2004 movie “Anchorman.”

McCarty observed that Fong has “calmed down a lot” in his fashion. But, like Hammond, McCarty had kind words for his council colleague. Even though his wardrobe is constantly changing, “he never really looks bad,” McCarty said.

Councilman Steve Cohn was less tolerant. “He looks like he’s always ready to be out on the golf course,” Cohn said. And his style is more in line with “country club” golf courses, not the municipal ones, Cohn added.

That may be the last time Cohn burns Fong. In response to Cohn’s criticism, Fong alleged that Cohn wears bike pants and owns a mesh tank top.

The Sacramento Press asked Fong if he’s actually seen Cohn wear the bike pants. “Oh, everyone has,” Fong said. “Unfortunately, yeah, I still have a vivid memory of that.”

R.E. Graswich, the former Sacramento Bee journalist who is now Mayor Kevin Johnson’s special assistant, said Fong needs to go all-out with his style. “He’s like a guy who’s trying to get somewhere, but he just can’t quite break through,” Graswich said. “I think he should just give it up with the pink and the green, and just go ‘the full Cleveland,’ as we call it.”

Graswich defined “the full Cleveland” as a style consisting of white shoes, white belt, white pants and Hawaiian shirt.

Now that he’s working for the mayor, Graswich wears a suit to work. But the suit is not “Graswich’s style.”

“I’m the man with 243 Hawaiian shirts, give or take,” Graswich said.

Fong hates Hawaiian shirts.

“I think Hawaiian shirts are like a sign that says: I know I’m way past middle age, and I give up,” Fong said. “I think that Hawaiian shirts are this millennium's leisure suit.”

Fong does, however, give kudos to R.E. for creating a style. “On the other hand, I have nothing but love and respect for any man who has some idea about what he’s doing. Even if I don’t like the idea.”

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

City Hall at War: Tretheway, Johnson’s office accuse each other of lying

2010-05-20T00:24:46Z

The accusations are flying at City Hall.

Councilman Ray Tretheway is accusing Mayor Kevin Johnson of quid pro quo in his endorsement process, while Johnson’s Special Assistant R.E. Graswich said that Tretheway’s allegations are lies.

Tretheway held a press conference Wednesday to announce that some of Johnson’s most influential supporters told him that if he voted to place a strong mayor proposal on the November ballot, then Johnson would endorse him.

Johnson has endorsed Tretheway’s opponent Angelique Ashby.

“Threats and quid pro quo offers may be commonplace these days,” Tretheway said, “but I want no part of it.”

Tretheway named names at the press conference. He said the following people representing Johnson pressured him to vote for a strong mayor proposal: developer Mark Friedman, developer Mike Heller, steel businessman Steve Ayers, developer Steve Goodwin, developer Jon Bagatelos and attorney Jeffrey Dorso.

Tretheway said that he was pressured when he recently met with some of the city’s key business leaders. “I was specifically told that if I put the strong mayor initiative on the ballot in November, the mayor would be ready to give me his endorsement and make certain I am reelected,” Tretheway said. “I don’t trade votes regardless of political consequences,” he said.

Asked by a reporter if the business leaders said they were acting on behalf of the mayor, Tretheway responded: “Yes, sir.”

Tretheway said he was not planning on making complaints about the matter, noting that Johnson was not directly involved. "I don't think there's anything illegal for somebody to speak on (Johnson's) behalf," Tretheway said.

After the press conference, Graswich said that Tretheway was lying. Graswich referred to a group of key Sacramento business leaders as “the group of 60.”

“He’s lying if he thinks the Sacramento 60 are somehow being directed by the mayor,” Graswich said. “It’s absolutely not true.”

Graswich said that Tretheway has lost the endorsement of the city’s public safety unions and the business community. Faced with the possibility of “losing his political career,” Tretheway is making up a story.

Graswich also pointed out that if Ashby wins office, she won’t begin until November. That would mean that she couldn’t vote to put a strong mayor decision on the ballot.

“If you think about it, why in the world would the mayor endorse Angelique, who, when, if ... she wins, won’t be taking office until the end of November?" Graswich said. "Why would he do that, unless his motives were to simply move the city forward?”

The fight isn’t limited to Tretheway and the mayor’s office: local politicians and powerful groups are taking sides. Council members Sandy Sheedy and Kevin McCarty, the Sacramento County Democratic Party and Bill Camp, the executive secretary of the Sacramento Central Labor Council, are supporting Tretheway’s claims and stood behind him at the press conference.

Sheedy said before the press conference that she believed Tretheway’s claims.

“Ray Tretheway is one of the most honorable men I know,” Sheedy said. “If he says it happened, it happened.”

Representatives from the Sacramento Police Officers Association and the Sacramento Area Firefighters Local 522 — two public safety unions that support Ashby — turned out for the press conference. SPOA Vice President Mark Tyndale rebutted Tretheway’s claims in comments to reporters.

In a phone interview Wednesday, developer Mark Friedman said Tretheway’s claims were false.

Friedman said he met with Tretheway and four others Tuesday morning. At the meeting, Friedman said he and the others discussed the strong mayor proposal and its merits, and talked about why they thought it should be placed on the ballot in November.

“We didn’t offer any promises and we didn’t make any threats,” Friedman said.

Friedman said the discussion did not include any mention of Tretheway’s City Council race or an endorsement by the mayor.

“It smells to me like some last-ditch act of political desperation,” Friedman said.

Jon Bagatelos also said Tretheway’s comments were lies. If Tretheway claims there was quid pro quo or that the group of business leaders said they would give him the mayor's endorsement that's a "total unequivocal lie,” Bagatelos said.

Bagatelos said that if Tretheway is referring to the meeting at which Bagatelos attended yesterday, then Tretheway is making defamatory comments.

Steve Ayers and Steve Goodwin also said they did not tell Tretheway that backing the strong mayor proposal could lead to an endorsement from Johnson.

Both Ayers and Goodwin described themselves as supporters of Tretheway. "I'm amazed and shocked," Ayers said.

Goodwin spoke positively about Tretheway, saying he was the best candidate for the District 1 City Council seat. "I have not heard what Ray said," Goodwin said. "But as far as any tit-for-tat — I wouldn't do that to Ray. I would hope he would know that."

Attempts made to contact Mike Heller and Jeffrey Dorso were unsuccessful.

Managing Editor Colleen Belcher contributed to this report.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Graswich moves from mayor's critic to mayor's advocate

2009-08-22T04:33:21Z

Longtime Sacramento journalist and City Hall newcomer R.E. Graswich has harshly criticized Mayor Kevin Johnson, going so far as to describe Johnson as a “power-hungry pol” in a Jan. 28 column published by The Sacramento Press. Now that Graswich is working for the mayor’s office, how does he explain his move from Johnson critic to Johnson advocate?

Graswich made the “power-hungry” remark in the context of the debate over whether Johnson should take more power as a “strong mayor.” But Graswich told The Sacramento Press in an interview Wednesday that he also questioned Johnson’s ability to lead the city.

“I wasn’t also sure, frankly, in January, that Mayor Johnson could be mayor,” he said.

But after watching Johnson’s performance as mayor over the last several months, Graswich said he is now certain that Johnson has what it takes. “He’s a visionary,” Graswich said, adding that Johnson is one of the remarkable men in Sacramento who come along “once every 20 or so years.”

Graswich completed his first week Friday in his new job as special assistant to Johnson. He spent all but two years of his 37-year career in local journalism at the Sacramento Bee. Most recently, he worked as a co-anchor at KFBK and commentator KOVR CBS 13.

At City Hall, he will have roles in the areas of policy-making, media communications, community dialogue and communications between City Council members and the mayor’s office. He said he is taking a pay cut for his City Hall position, which has an $80,000 salary.

Johnson and Graswich have known each other since Johnson was 17 years old. Their reporter/source relationship has had tense points. Still, Graswich’s love for the city and willingness to fight hard for it were the reasons why he was selected for the special assistant job, Johnson said.

“He didn’t always write and say good things about me,” Johnson told reporters Tuesday. For example, Graswich didn’t believe Johnson could make it to the National Basketball Association, Johnson said.

“But he’s a man who deeply loves Sacramento,” Johnson said.

More recently, in the Jan. 28 column for The Sacramento Press, Graswich challenged the mayor’s goals to change the city from its current council/manager format to a strong mayor system. In a strong mayor government, Johnson would have more authority than he does in the current system. Graswich came down hard on Johnson in the column, writing that the strong mayor push could have been Johnson’s undoing.

“The drive to give Kevin more power and rewrite the city charter with an off-year ballot suggested arrogance and irresponsibility on Kevin’s part,” Graswich wrote. “Indeed, it could have been grounds for removal from office.”

But Graswich said earlier this week that he has “changed his tune.”

Referring to his earlier description of Johnson as a “power-hungry pol,” Graswich said: “I certainly believed that as I wrote it. And I think we’re all able to change our minds on things.”

Graswich said he objected to the strong mayor campaign because he thought the budget-crunched city couldn’t afford a strong mayor election this year. “In this economy, it would not have been right for the city to do that,” he said. “I was hoping to do whatever I could to stop that momentum behind that.”

While the strong mayor initiative is not going on the ballot this year, it will be on the June 2010 ballot.

As a reporter for the Bee, Graswich covered Johnson’s high school, college and NBA careers. “I knew [Johnson] was an overachiever,” Graswich said. “And I knew he was tenacious. And I knew that you could never underestimate the guy.”

Graswich also said he admired Johnson for returning to Sacramento and for the work he's done with his nonprofit organization, St. HOPE. At City Hall, Johnson is showing tenacity and leadership, he noted.

The former journalist’s move to the mayor’s office has drawn criticism from some quarters. Graswich said that journalists told him he had gone to “the dark side.” There has also been speculation and criticism about Graswich on the “Joe Sacramento” blog. Joe Sacramento, who declined to provide his true name, said it was a “flip-flop” for Graswich to go from harshly criticizing Johnson to praising him as a leader.

“As recent as six or seven months ago, Graswich was lambasting Johnson on your site, and now he suddenly thinks Johnson is the ‘greatest Sacramento leader in the last 30 years'?,” Joe Sacramento wrote in an e-mail. “Really? On what grounds is Johnson a ‘great leader’? Because he has rallied a bunch of college kids to intern for him? Because he wants more power? How do those things make him a great leader?”

But Graswich’s fans include journalist R.V. Scheide, the news editor at the Sacramento News & Review. “I have always admired R.E. Graswich, especially after he said nice things about me once in his column,” Scheide said. “We also both shop at Swanberg on J’s, which has the best Hawaiian shirts in Northern California.”

Scheide also observed that Graswich’s move to City Hall is one of several major career changes. “Throughout his career, Graswich has demonstrated an almost chameleon-like ability to transform himself: from sports columnist to city columnist to radio personality to KJ spokesperson,” Scheide said.

What will Graswich do at City Hall?

As Johnson’s special assistant, Graswich will have several jobs to do at City Hall. His roles could change, he said, but there are a few key duties that have so far been set aside for Graswich.

He said he will be an “emissary” in negotiations and discussions between the City Council and Johnson. Graswich will work with the public, but he said the specifics of that role haven’t yet been ironed out. He said he will also weigh in on media communications issues and strategies, while noting that he is not the mayor’s press contact.

On the policy level, Graswich will work on K Street issues and public safety matters. He said he would work with City Manager Ray Kerridge’s office, developers and the community on K Street policy. “Anything we can do to make K Street whole, I’m here,” he said.

For his public safety assignment, Graswich will work with Kerridge’s office, Police Chief Rick Braziel’s office and Fire Chief Ray Jones’s office. Graswich noted that public safety was one of Johnson’s campaign goals and promises. Between the police and fire departments, Graswich has participated in more than 100 ride-alongs, he said, adding that he gained insight into the departments. While he is not a police officer or firefighter, he is an informed civilian, he said. “In other words, there aren’t civilians that can match me on that front."

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

R.E. Graswich on why he left journalism for City Hall

2009-08-21T02:48:28Z

Sacramento journalist R.E. Graswich is not sad to leave his 37-year journalism career for a new job as special assistant to Mayor Kevin Johnson.

“I figure I got one last shot in life here to do something worthwhile as opposed to what you guys do,” he joked while addressing reporters Tuesday.

Graswich, 54, left a 35-year career at The Sacramento Bee in 2007. In the two years following his departure from the Bee, he took up “wonderful chances” to work as a co-anchor at KFBK and commentator at KOVR CBS 13, he said. Now, though, he wants to work in the political arena. This is his first week working as a staffer at City Hall in the special assistant position with a salary of $80,000.

At Johnson’s office, Graswich will hold several roles. He will be a point-man in negotiations and discussions between the City Council and Johnson. While he won’t be the mayor’s contact for the media, he said he will provide assistance on communications issues and strategies. Graswich will work on policy issues relating to both K Street development and public safety in the city. In addition, he will work with community members on behalf of Johnson’s office.

Graswich told The Sacramento Press in an interview in downtown Sacramento on Wednesday that he achieved his goals as a Bee columnist covering city issues. “I ended up writing what I think was the top column in town. It was the most popular, the most widely-read column.” Additionally, he spent several years writing a sports column.

He also wanted to leave the Bee because he felt it had changed for the worse. “When you look at the decline of the traditional media -- and the Bee in particular -- I just didn’t want to stay around and watch that,” he said.

“I was there during the glory years,” he added. “I was there when it was a wonderful, viable, vital place to work. I thought it was a job for life, frankly...And here we are at this situation where it’s just not the same anymore. And there are a million reasons for it. But I just thought, it’s time to step away.”

Graswich noted that some people have told him that his move to Johnson’s office from journalism is like going to “the dark side.” But he argues that private sector media outlets are “the dark side” because they’re working for the sake of profits rather than for the public.

“The dark side?” he asked rhetorically. “I’m getting paid by the people. I’m working for the people.”

“You’re on the dark side,” he said, laying out his response to journalists critical of his career move. “Your boss is trying to make a dollar... Clear Channel and McClatchy — those are the two people I’ve worked for. They’re in it for the money. There’s nothing wrong with that. I’m working for the people now. And they’re paying my salary. And by God, they’re going to get their money’s worth.”

He also said that he is taking a pay cut to work for Johnson's office.

Graswich freely acknowledged he has a hankering for politics. Though he’s considered running for local political office, he said he’s not able to run in the 2010 elections.

“In the back of my head, I always thought — if I could get into government,” he said. “I love the city issues; I love policy issues. There was some thought about me running for office.”

He said he would have needed three things to run for a City Council seat in 2010. One of those things was the backing of Councilman Robbie Waters. Graswich, who lives in Waters’ district, would have considered running for office if Waters decided not to run.

Graswich also said he would have needed the support of his wife, as well the backing of Mayor Kevin Johnson.

But Waters is running for office again in 2010, and Graswich’s spouse, Elizabeth, put her foot down. “Honest to God, I think it was that she didn’t want to be married to a politician,” Graswich said. “There was also a period of fund-raising -- the rubber chicken circuit, the stuff that you got to go through as a politician to get yourself elected...There’s a significant loss of income because I couldn’t work while I was campaigning.”

While Graswich denies plans to run for office in the 2014 local elections, he indicated that the issue could be raised again in a couple years. “It’s too far out there,” he said. “Talk to me in 2012.”

He also said he made an eight-to-10 year commitment to work with Johnson as a staffer. “In many ways, it’s better than being a politician,” he said. “You don’t have to run for office -- you’re already in there. You get to deal with all the same issues...I think it could potentially be more fun, though. All of that’s conjecture at this point because it’s only three days into it.”

Read The Sacramento Press Friday to learn more about what Graswich will do in his special assistant position and how he accounts for his changing views of Johnson’s performance as mayor.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.