A major international bank that has generated controversy on the national level is being welcomed to Sacramento by the city’s mayor. At the same time, Goldman Sachs is being sued by a city councilman. Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson’s volunteer arena task force has applauded Goldman for volunteering to work with task force members to analyze proposals for a new entertainment and sports complex. Meanwhile, City Councilman Steve Cohn is suing Goldman as part of his day job. Cohn is the Chief Assistant General Counsel for the Sacramento Municipal Utilities District, which is fighting Goldman in federal court in New York. SMUD alleges that Goldman and 46 other financial companies together ch

It’s now common knowledge that Sacramento County is facing hardship with its finances. The county has a $180 million budget gap and two credit rating agencies recently lowered the county’s credit ratings. But for those of us who are not economists or budget experts, it may be difficult to get a grasp on the findings presented by the credit rating agencies, Moody’s Investors Service and Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services. The Sacramento Press asked Robert Wassmer, a professor and chairman of the public policy and administration department at California State University, Sacramento, to shed some light on the report issued by Moody’s. The Moody’s “A1” rating for the county has fallen to “A