Folsom residents joined Sutter Street businesses and City of Folsom officials to celebrate the completion of the 16-month Historic Sutter Street Revitalization Project. The commemoration was held on Saturday May 7, 2011. Thousands of Folsom residents and visitors enjoyed a ribbon-cutting ceremony that was followed by live entertainment. Live entertainment was provided by the Outlaws Dance Team, Sutter Street Theater, Cynthia’s Dance Studio, Crystal Image Band and the James Garner Johnny Cash Tribute Band. The Eastern Ways Martial Arts Lion Dance Team was scheduled to provide the opening entertainment as well as a Wells Fargo Stagecoach Arrival ceremony but I missed these two events. Fo

Four Sacramento State University students are facing disciplinary actions from the college for their participation in the three-day sit-in sy Sacramento Hall, which ended April 16 at 3:30 a.m. with police in riot gear. Last Thursday, the students – Nora Walker, Yeimi Lopez, Amanda Mooers and Mildred Garcia – had their first hearing inside Lassen Hall with a disciplinary officer, as many of their supporters stood in front of the building wearing tape across their mouths and carried signs with messages like “Defending education is not a crime” and “Silence is the quest before the storm.” In recent weeks, the protesters ignited a proverbial flame on campus that spread across an estimated 1,

Assemblyman Richard Pan (D-Sacramento) led a town hall meeting for the Natomas Unified School District community at Inderkum High School on Thursday night where he and Superintendent Bobbie Plough laid out a plan to help the district prevent a state takeover, or “receivership.” The town hall meeting came on the heels of a prediction made by County Superintendent David Gordon that NUSD would end up with a negative fund balance in the coming years. If that projection comes true, then the district would lose local control with a state-appointed receiver in place and a disempowered school board. As the state legislator for the governing district, Pan said he is required to ask the Legislatu

Andy Pugno drafted the California law that prohibits gay marriage, but his Assembly campaign website does not mention Proposition 8. Pugno, a Republican and the attorney for Prop. 8 supporters, is competing in a tense race with Democrat Richard Pan for the District 5 Assembly seat. Read a profile of Pan here.  In an interview on Friday, Pugno said he’s not running on the issue of same-sex marriage. Rather, the Folsom resident said he is focusing on the issues of state spending, job creation and local governments’ relationship with the state. The Sacramento Press asked Pugno if he’s trying to distance himself from Prop. 8 by not mentioning it on his campaign website. “I’m not trying to

Physician Richard Pan supports gay marriage. Attorney Andy Pugno is the author of Proposition 8, which prohibits gay marriage in the state. Democrat Pan and Republican Pugno, the top two California Assembly candidates seeking to represent Sacramento and its surrounding areas, don’t have much in common. Voters will go to the polls Nov. 2 to choose a winner for the District 5 seat. Roger Niello, who formerly held the District 5 seat, is now a candidate for state Senate. Pan, a North Natomas resident and pediatrician at the University of California, Davis, Children’s Hospital, sat down with The Sacramento Press last week to explain his ideas and priorities. The Sacramento Press will featu

In a statement Tuesday on his blog, Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson made his endorsements for candidates competing in the June 8 primary election.  A KCRA reporter asked Johnson at a Monday press conference if Johnson would endorse candidates who oppose a “strong mayor” form of government. Johnson is leading an effort to bring more authority to the mayor’s office. In response to the reporter’s question, Johnson said: “I think that’s not really the issue before people. I don’t think that people have had to make a decision on that. So, there’s not a litmus, in general, for that right now.” Johnson said the candidates he is supporting are not content with the status quo. He explained that h

On Saturday, over 30 Democrats and friends helped build a house for a Sacramento family. When the team arrived, they found an empty lot, with only a concrete foundation and piles of lumber that would soon become the walls of a home. By the end of the day, the structure of a home had replaced the empty lot. Event organizer, James Schwab said, "We helped to build a house but we also built friendships and relationships that will help us build a better Sacramento in the future." The cold, foggy morning did not dampen the volunteers' spirits. After touring a recently completed nearby home, the team received instructions from site supervisor, Terry Hardin and set to work building a new, LEED ce