Newest articles on The Sacramento Press tagged as "roberta macglashan"

Arena, green tech, education: State of the City highlights

2012-01-31T02:20:44Z

A new program to raise $10 million for arena financing and turning Sacramento into an “Emerald Valley” were two key points in Mayor Kevin Johnson’s State of the City address Monday.

Johnson’s speech focused on boosting the local economy in three areas: building an entertainment and sports complex, green-sector jobs and reforming public schools to create a more competitive workforce.

“The economy is bad everywhere, but it’s worse here,” Johnson told the nearly 1,000 people in the audience.

“We have to take bold actions,” Johnson said. “We have to make the impossible possible.”

The mayor delivered the 20th annual speech at the Sacramento Convention Center in an event hosted by the Sacramento Metro Chamber of Commerce.

Johnson introduced a new program aimed at raising $10 million toward the cost of building the entertainment and sports complex.

The “Brick-by-Brick” program will allow individual supporters to buy bricks with their names engraved on them to be placed in the entryway of the new complex.

Johnson said after the event that the program is in the early stages and costs for the bricks have not yet been determined.

The first three honorary bricks were given to City Councilman Steve Cohn and two young Kings fans, Jack O’Brien, 11 and Gil Vechner, 12. The two boys caught Johnson’s attention when they started a lemonade stand last year to raise money for the arena.

“It’s time to finish what we started. It’s crunch time,” Johnson said, referring to the March 1 financing plan deadline to prevent the Kings from relocating.

Johnson turned the discussion to employment concerns, saying he believes one of the biggest problems Sacramento faces is a dependence on state government and real estate for jobs and revenue.

“This sets us up to be the hardest hit in a financial crisis,” Johnson said.

Bringing green technology and green industry jobs to the region is one solution to that problem, Johnson said.

Among the goals Johnson outlined for 2012 are plans to raise $100 million to retrofit schools to make them more energy-efficient and “green,” and joining the Edible Schoolyard Program to bring school gardens, cooking classes and healthy eating to local schools.

“Becoming the Emerald Valley is within our grasp,” Johnson said.

Although he doesn’t have a direct relationship to local schools as the mayor, Johnson said improving education has long been a focus for him – and it should be a focus for the city, he said.

As a way to keep schools accountable to parents – and to make it easier for parents to decide which schools are best for their kids based on performance – Johnson said he is working to establish “report cards” for local schools.

The new rating system will assign a letter grade to every school in the county based on a range of performance criteria including student test scores and whether the schools are meeting academic standards.

Johnson said his office will not be responsible for consequences to a school for getting a low grade – the consequences will come from parents who withdraw their students or choose not to enroll them in low-grade schools.

Some business and civic leaders at the event had a positive reaction to the mayor’s address – former State Assemblyman and current president of the Sacramento Metro Chamber Roger Niello said it was “completely on point,” and County Supervisor Don Nottoli said it was “very well-delivered.”

“I think (Johnson) was absolutely right about the region needing to diversify its economic base,” County Supervisor Roberta MacGlashan said after the event.

“I think that’s the most important point he made,” she added.

Michael Ault, Executive Director of the Downtown Sacramento Partnership, said the mayor did a good job of breaking down what needs to be done for the city into smaller, achievable goals.

“You just can’t have 30 priorities for the coming year. We have to narrow it to a few legitimately reachable goals,” Ault said.

“The sports and entertainment complex is clearly something we think needs to be accomplished in the short term and I think the mayor really highlighted that,” he added.

The current city charter does not require the mayor to give a state of the city address. Johnson has delivered the speech each year he’s been in office – four times.

If the mayor’s charter reform proposal gets on the ballot and is passed by voters, an annual state of the city address would become a requirement for future Sacramento mayors.

Melissa Corker is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @MelissaCorker.

Council likely to oppose state/federal facility site

2011-10-25T00:44:20Z

The Sacramento City Council is expected to join other local governments Tuesday in opposing an area adjacent to the American River Parkway near the Nimbus Dam as a proposed site for a federal and state joint operations center handling flood control.

Warren Truitt, president of the Save the American River Association (SARA), said the operations center, if built at Nimbus, would be a “visual blight” on the area.

“It’s absolutely outrageous to place this high-security facility next to the parkway,” he said, “and it needs to be in a higher area, not at 28 feet. If the dam were to break, this area would flood along with other residences in that area.”

Currently, three sites are under consideration for the operations center, which will employ about 600 people and open as early as 2015. The other two sites include Mather Field and a commercial center near Kilgore Road and Sunrise Boulevard in Rancho Cordova.

The center will be a partnership between the National Weather Service, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the California Department of Water Resources.

Workers at the center will be tasked with flood management and flood control, as well as emergency management during floods.

“We’re still early in the process. A decision hasn’t been made,” said Russ Grimes of the Bureau of Reclamation. He added that public opinion on the issue will “absolutely be considered.”

A resolution opposing the site adjacent to the American River Parkway is on the Sacramento City Council’s consent agenda for Tuesday, a portion of the agenda reserved for items not expected to be controversial among council members.

Councilman Steve Cohn said putting the three-story, 200,000-square-foot center next to the American River Parkway below the Nimbus Dam is a bad idea.

“The primary purpose of the parkway is recreation and nature, and so we don’t want a real large office structure within it,” he said. “Also, if we really have a major flood, you would want your emergency operations center to be outside the flood zone.”

Sandy Cooney, a spokesman for the Department of Water Resources, said the flood risk at the site is minimal, as it’s outside the 200-year flood protection zone.

“If that area would be in any way at risk for flooding, so too would the entire city of Sacramento,” he said. “The flood would have to be significant and catastrophic.”

He added that all three sites are being considered equally and echoed Grimes’ sentiment that public opinion will play a large part in the decision-making process.

The operations center is nothing new, as it has been located near Watt and El Camino avenues for the past 15 years, Grimes said. It was known at the time that the agencies would expand, and with leases expiring in 2015 and the current space being too small, it’s time for a move.

Several criteria were needed for the placement of the center, including a redundant power supply – power coming from multiple sources – a size big enough to accommodate the employees, a location outside of the 200-year flood plain and, ideally, it would be on government-owned property.

The Nimbus site met all the criteria, as it is on federally owned property, he said. It is bordered by the Nimbus Fish Hatchery, residences and Hazel Avenue.

Sacramento County unanimously adopted a resolution in opposition to the Nimbus site Sept. 20, and the city of Rancho Cordova adopted a similar resolution the same week, said Ted Wolter, chief of staff for County Supervisor Roberta MacGlashan.

“A building three stories tall with security fences and security lighting 24 hours per day is not appropriate for this space,” he said, adding that support from the city of Sacramento would be welcome.

“I think it just shows the region is united,” he said. “While we really want these jobs in the region – they’re there now, we want to keep those jobs – we want them to be compatible with the American River Parkway.”

Truitt said about 300 local residents and parkway users came to a Sept. 22 public meeting at the Sacramento State Aquatics Center on nearby Lake Natoma in opposition of the Nimbus site.

He said the other two sites under consideration are adequate, and SARA will continue to work with government officials to try to keep the Nimbus site from being chosen.

Sacramento City Councilman Jay Schenirer said the city is aiming to join with the county in opposing the Nimbus site even though it doesn’t fall within the city because it is a regional issue.

“I think if you look at the parkway and kind of Sacramento’s role, we have a lot of residents that use it,” he said. “I’m actually on the parkway every weekend. I think it’s a wonderful place to get away from everything, to enjoy the natural beauty Sacramento has. Putting something like that on there changes the focus.”

Though Sacramento might oppose the site, the city has no direct power the site, as it is federal property.

Cooney reiterated that the process is in its very early stages, and no decisions have yet been made.

“There are all kinds of discussions happening about the three different sites,” he said. “The comments people make are critically important to this process.”

To view the public website for the environmental process of the center, click here.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.

County redistricting draws to a close

2011-09-03T03:49:19Z

The County Board of Supervisors will meet Thursday for what they hope will be the final meeting on redistricting for the County. They still have 10 map variations to consider though – a number that has fluctuated since the redistricting process began in late March.

According to the 2010 census, the total population for Sacramento County is 1,418,788 – a 16 percent increase over the last 10 years.

Just as the state and cities are required to do, the county redistricts every 10 years to balance population numbers in all districts. This requires some adjustments in each supervisors’ district boundaries.

The process of making those adjustments began when Elections Department staff received the 2010 census data.

The most significant issue with redistricting at the county level, according to Supervisor Jimmy Yee, was not simply the amount of growth, but where the growth occurred.

Since the last census, North Natomas and Elk Grove areas saw the most growth, Yee said.

The largest adjustment for population affected county District 5, where Supervisor Don Nottoli “had to give up up 71,000 people,” Yee said.

Yee, on the other hand, had to add 33,000 people to his District 2 to keep population in each district as close to equal as possible.

The Department of Voter Registration and Elections is part of the Countywide Service Agency. Because redistricting is a means to equalize populations to make elections fair, the Registrar of Voters and the Elections Department staff oversee the redistricting process for the county.

Five redistricting maps were drawn by Elections Department staff, said Alice Jaboe, Sacramento County assistant registrar of voters.

“The maps were starting points for the redistricting discussion,” Jaboe said. “Then we went to the public for their input.”

Outreach to engage the public in conversation about the maps included “dozens” of community meetings, breakfast group gatherings and visits with neighborhood associations, Jaboe said.

“We were out almost every morning, eating waffles and pancakes and talking to people in every part of the county and in every district,” Jaboe said.

Department staff used public feedback and comments sent to supervisors’ offices to refine the five maps before submitting them to the board at the first public redistricting meeting on July 26.

One significant adjustment proposed to county districts has been drawing District 4 far enough south to include Rancho Murieta (moving it out of it’s current District 5), versus setting the boundary of Folsom along Highway 50, dividing it between Districts 4 and 5.

Andy Morin, Folsom city mayor, said in an Aug. 8 email to board supervisors that he favored a map that kept “Folsom and its potential growth area south of Highway 50” entirely in the 4th district.

Morin said the primary concern is “uniform representation throughout our community and continuity of representation” by current Supervisor, Roberta MacGlashan.

“Folsom knows Roberta and Roberta knows Folsom,” Morin said in the letter. “Moving Folsom out of the 4th district would be an unnecessarily radical change to our connection with the County of Sacramento.”

The challenge of the process, said Supervisor Jimmy Yee, is that – due to Brown Act limitations – supervisors can’t discuss any maps “behind closed doors.”

“The only time we can talk together is at the board meeting,” Yee said, “and up to that time, we don’t know what anyone else (on the board) is thinking. So, we have quite a lot of discussion at each public meeting.”

Board of Supervisors meetings generally last from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., but the recent redistricting items on meeting agendas took up the majority of those hours.

With each public discussion, maps were added or eliminated, refined or removed – leaving at meeting’s end as many as 16 or as few as three maps.

Supervisor Don Nottoli described the redistricting process as “sometimes messy” in an open forum, but “that’s the way to do it, and the public has taken part all the way through the process.”

Despite the fluctuation in map counts, there has been “very little drama” in the process at the county, Yee said.

“Redistricting is not quite as dramatic (here) as it is in the city,” Yee said. “Each (county supervisor) represents about 285,000 people. It’s not like in the city, where a very little change makes a very big difference.”

“We’re not fighting over a little UC Davis hospital or a high school,” Yee said. “Our areas are very large – we’re talking about a lot of people at once.”

“We’ve put a real emphasis on keeping communities intact,” Nottoli said Friday. “(We’ve tried to) keep cities whole as much as we can – communities and neighborhoods, too – using logical boundaries wherever possible.”

Nottoli said one of the maps the board will consider Thursday is “kind of a hybrid of the starting base map,” which takes into account public comments and board member suggestions.

Nottoli said supervisors took a map that “seemed closest” to what the board wanted, and each supervisor added notes and changes to it. Staff was directed to make the revisions and bring back the new map at the next meeting for consideration.

The next meeting of the County Board of Supervisors will be at 9:30 a.m. Thursday at the County Administration Center, 700 H St.

Nottoli and Yee both said they expect the board to take final action on a new map at the Thursday meeting.

View all of the draft map plans here.

Melissa Corker is a Staff Reporter with The Sacramento Press. Follw her on Twitter @MelissaCorker.

New executive officer for Sacramento County

2011-06-16T03:25:40Z

The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors announced Wednesday that Brad Hudson has been selected to serve as the new county executive.

Hudson will be leaving his position as city manager for Riverside to accept a five-year contract in Sacramento County.

“We’re very pleased to have a candidate with such extensive experience and a hands-on attitude like Brad’s,” said County Supervisor Roberta MacGlashan in a press release on Wednesday.

According to the county board staff, Hudson was one of five candidates under consideration for the position in a process that began in early February.

“We wanted someone who was a leader and had a track record of stimulating economic growth, successfully balancing budgets as well as managing people,” MacGlashan said. “Brad has definitely delivered in Riverside, and we’re happy to have him join our team here in Sacramento.”

Former state Sen. John J. Benoit (R-Riverside) worked with Hudson at the local level when Benoit returned to Riverside as a member of the Riverside County Board of Supervisors and said that Hudson’s move will be “a great loss for Riverside, but a huge gain for Sacramento.”

Hudson is a "very progressive and thoughtful executive," Benoit said. “He reaches to the edge of the envelope to get things done.”

Benoit noted that Hudson’s approach “sometimes ruffles feathers, but it's worked for Riverside for the last six years."

According to McGlashan’s office, Hudson’s tenure at both city and county levels in Riverside gave him the opportunity to work on innovative projects that included joint city, county and school library and athletic programs and facilities; farm worker and homeless programs; and, a city, county and University of California research and technology park.

“I’m proud of what I’ve been able to accomplish in Riverside, but Sacramento is facing a lot of tough decisions,” Hudson said in a press release. “I’m excited to have the opportunity to take on those challenges by working hand in hand with the board to create some change in Sacramento.”

Hudson will begin as County Executive Aug. 14.

County approves budget, layoffs expected

2011-06-10T01:22:31Z

Sacramento County elected officials approved a budget Thursday that could result in more than 200 employee layoffs, according to county budget officer Tom Burkart.

These layoffs for the 2011/2012 fiscal year are in addition to the 1,299 layoffs the county has made since the 2008/2009 fiscal year, said county spokeswoman Chris Andis.

She added that 1,299 people were actually laid off as opposed to job positions being cut.

The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors balanced its budget for the 2011/2012 fiscal year on Thursday afternoon, closing out a $90 million shortfall. The county has a general fund of $1.9 billion and a total budget of roughly $3.5 billion.

The approved budget is a first version – the supervisors will pass a final budget in September.

While Burkart provided an estimate for upcoming layoffs, exact figures were unclear Thursday.

“As a board member and member of this community, it weighs heavily on me that over the past several years, we’ve laid off hundreds and hundreds of people,” Supervisor Don Nottoli said at Thursday’s budget meeting.

The people who will be laid off attend local churches, shop in local stores and send their children to local schools, he said.

Interim County Executive Officer Steven Szalay estimated that more than 300 job positions will now be removed. That number does not include lost job positions from the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department and the District Attorney’s office, Szalay said.

District Attorney Jan Scully and Sheriff Scott Jones are responsible for calculating their departments’ lost positions and possible layoffs.

The loss of about 300 positions – which does not include the D.A’s office and the Sheriff’s Department – may translate to about 200 actual layoffs, Burkart said.

Positions are different from layoffs because they can include vacancies. The county also uses a complicated system of demotions as part of the layoff process, which can affect the number of actual layoffs.

The Sheriff’s Department had faced a $26.7 million shortfall, but Jones recently pared down that number to $9.5 million. Thursday, the Board of Supervisors brought down Jones’ budget shortfall to $4.3 million.

Jones was scheduled to hold a press conference late Thursday afternoon. The Sacramento Press will follow up on any information about possible layoffs at the Sheriff’s Department on Friday.

The District Attorney’s office is facing a $6.2 million shortfall in response to the Board of Supervisors’ budget approval. Scully’s office had a $13.3 million gap in February. She brought it down to $8.6 million. The supervisors restored about $2 million to the D.A.’s budget, leaving it with a $6.2 million gap.

In a press advisory released after the budget approval, Scully said the upcoming cuts to her office would hurt residents.

“Arrests take criminals off the street – only prosecutors keep them off the streets,” she said. “It is the responsibility of the Board of Supervisors to fund prosecutions for the entire county – the unincorporated areas and all of the cities.

“Most of the cases my office prosecutes come from the cities. By failing to take that into account, the board shortchanged more than 60 percent of our residents.”

Scully will speak publicly next week about how the cuts will affect her office, according to the news advisory.

While exact layoff figures are unclear, Andis provided statistics showing that the the departments of Human Assistance and Transportation are among other departments with filled positions slated to be cut.

The county’s drop in revenues since the 2007/2008 fiscal year has been a central reason for the county’s poor financial state, Szalay said in May. Since then, the county’s revenues from property, sales and motor vehicle taxes have dropped by more than $100 million, he added.

State budget cuts have also hurt the county, according to Szalay.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Historic Sutter Street Revitalization Project Completed

2011-05-10T21:33:46Z

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.

Folsom City Manager, Kerry Miller, welcomed those in attendance and gave thanks to many people who saw the project from beginning to end or who were involved in different ways.

Folsom Mayor, Andy Morin, came up to the podium to say a few words. At one point he said, “I’m in jeans today because I was prepared to go to work if we weren’t done yet. You folks are all very lucky because if we weren’t ready this was going to be one big work party. You all would have had hammers and paint brushes and we would have been finishing up the street.” As this day of celebration came closer I also had wondered if the Sutter Street Revitalization Project was going to be completed.

Andy Morin introduced a special guest saying, “A very special guest that’s here today, her name is Artie Davies. Artie Davies is 98 years old today. It is her birthday, May 7.” She has lived in Folsom for 90 years and served as Folsom City Clerk for 22 years.

Folsom Vice Mayor Ernie Sheldon, Kerri Howell and Steve Miklos, Folsom City Council members, also had some remarks for guests. Words of thanks again flowed from each of these Folsom officials as well as some humorous comments. This has been a long project that saw tenants come and go and businesses are now moving in. Businesses that have been on Sutter Street were well represented at the event and all are happy the project has been completed.

Steve Miklos started a rumor that Jim Snook was giving away free ice cream. The crowd cheered as they heard that. Later as I was inside Snooks visitors kept asking about the free ice cream even though the rumor had been dispelled.

California State Assemblyman Richard Pan and OJ Platt (representing Sacramento County Board of Supervisor Roberta MacGlashan) presented congratulatory plaques on the Revitalization Project. Candy Miller, Chair of the Historic District Commission and Jim Snook, President of the Folsom Historic District Association concluded the official remarks.

A ribbon cutting ceremony on Sutter Street followed and a photograph of the ceremony and all in attendance that could fit on a community photo posed for a historic picture. Shops on Sutter Street enjoyed visits from the many residents and visitors that came to celebrate the occasion.

Entertainment followed and informational booths were set up at every block that showcased many historic exhibits and displays. Included displays were available for the Founding of Folsom, Historic Totems were unveiled and the Folsom History Museum was open to the public. Rail history, the Murer House, Folsom Powerhouse, Sutter Street Secrets Exhibit, the Chan House (a proposed Chinese History Museum) and vintage vehicles were available for viewing.

The Revitalization Project was well attended and there was something for people of all ages. The Sutter Street project that has been going on for 15 to 16 months was finally completed much to the delight of businesses, shoppers and Folsom officials. Work is still going on around the parking garage, the Folsom Turntable and the Pioneer Village between Leidesdorff and Sutter Streets but businesses are no longer impacted.

Representatives from the Sutter Street Theatre passed out information and a schedule of future performances. Many neighbors came to enjoy the festivities that spanned along Historic Sutter Street.

Folsom’s Sutter Street gained a much needed facelift while preserving its historic background and character. The Revitalization Project will showcase Folsom’s history and continue to bring residents and visitors to the many quality shops, restaurants, pubs and hotels available on or near Sutter Street. Now it's time to rediscover Historic Folsom.

By the numbers*:

• 600 plus horse, ox and donkey shoes unearthed
• 1873 year stamped on a half-dime discovered along with other artifacts
• 150 feet of underground tunnels
• 900 Parking spots on and adjacent to Sutter Street
• 104 shops, restaurants, art galleries and other unique Historic District businesses open in 2011
• 100 shade trees
• 22 Annual special events on Sutter Street
• 1 priceless completion of the Revitalization Project

* (Thanks to Folsom’s Historic Sutter Street, Celebrating a Unique History & a Significant Revitalization pamphlet for the first 7 bullet provided in their Historic Sutter Street by the Numbers.)

County leaders pass budget with at least 725 layoffs

2010-06-18T03:20:44Z

At least 725 county employees will be laid off as a result of the county budget approved by the Board of Supervisors Thursday in a 3-2 vote.

The board has now balanced its the county's budget, which had a $181 million gap. The total budget for the 2010/2011 fiscal year is $3.5 billion. Of that amount, $1.9 billion makes up the county’s general fund.

Supervisors held lengthy meetings on the budget over the course of four days this week.

Supervisors Roberta MacGlashan and Roger Dickinson voted against the budget’s general fund allocations, offering different reasons for why they disagreed with the budget. Supervisors Don Nottoli, Susan Peters and Jimmie Yee voted in support of passing the budget, which led to its approval just after 3 p.m.

MacGlashan said she could not vote in favor of the budget because it did not put enough money toward public safety.

“This budget tells the residents of the unincorporated area they’re on their own,” she said.

Dickinson objected to the budget because he said he thought it did not make social services a higher priority. While public safety is the board’s top priority, he said, it’s not the board’s only priority.

“We have an obligation, a duty, particularly as a county, to address those who are the least among us,” he said.

Supervisor Don Nottoli said he felt he had a responsibility to pass a budget for the county, even though the budget includes compromises.

“The bottom line is that there’s not sufficient funding,” Nottoli said. “Yes, we prioritize and we make decisions.”

Major cuts to public safety and social services programs and departments are included in the budget.

Before the board passed its budget, it lessened the damage to some departments. Sacramento County Sheriff John McGinness said earlier this week that the department faced a $37.6 million budget gap.

Because the board moved additional dollars to McGinness’s department Thursday, the sheriff’s deficit was lowered to $19.8 million.

McGinness declined to estimate how many layoffs his department would need to make to balance out his budget.

“Everything’s on the table at this point,” McGinness said after the hearing. “We need to find a way to live within our new budgetary constraint, which just got constricted by another $20 million dollars.”

The layoff figures are not final at this point, according to Nav Gill, the county’s chief operations officer. However, there could be more than 725, he said.

The county refers to the budget that was passed Thursday as the “recommended budget.” That’s because it will look at its figures again in September, after hearing how the state’s budget will affect the county.

Ann Edwards-Buckley, director of the county’s Health and Human Services Department, said her department was cut in several areas, including public health services, public health nursing, Child Protective Services and in-home support.

“We’ll have significant reductions in health care services for the poor,” she said.

The public can watch Monday's meeting here. View Tuesday's hearings here. Watch the video of Wednesday's meeting here.

Photo of Supervisors Roberta MacGlashan and Don Nottoli by Anthony Bento.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

County of Sacramento Turning a Blind Eye and Deaf Ear to Youth violence

2010-04-14T11:47:02Z

On April 12, 2010, at 2:40 p.m., Sacramento County Sheriff’s deputies responded to Double Homicide at Howe Avenue and Bluebird Lane. The deputies found 27yr-old Stefon Mayers Jr, lying next to the car’s driver’s-side door. Mayers suffered multiple gunshot wounds. He was able to step out of the car but collapsed next to the car.

Deputies also located 18yr-old Jazzmye Sharnae Bruner sitting in the front passenger seat of the car, dead at the scene, with a single gunshot wound.

Will County Supervisor Sue Peters address the violence or the families suffering as a result of the violence in her district?

With the exception of Cortez Quinn, chief of staff for Supervisor Dickinson, who has continuously attended Youth Violence meetings and with the exception of County Supervisor Roger Dickinson who has held several Gang Task Force meetings

County Supervisors Jimmie Yee, Don Nottoli, Roberta MacGlashan and Sue Peters appear to turn a blind eye and a deaf ear towards the violence surrounding the County of Sacramento.

How can our County Supervisors truly be blind to the violence within the County of Sacramento? A 16yr-old is on trial for shooting and killing a Sacramento County Sheriff's Deputy. A 14yr old girl was arrested and sentenced to life in prison for her role in the murder of 17yr old Avid Chand. Youth are dying and youth are being sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Where are the County Supervisors during this crisis?

The violence, a crisis, which has existed for decades in both the City and County of Sacramento has never significantly or effectively been addressed. Below is just a portion of the deaths, arrests / sentences for MURDER over the last 16 months only since January 2009.
Families, friends and residents are mourning as our children are dying on Sacramento streets and becoming the walking dead in California State Prisons.

-April 12, 2010- Double Homicide 18yr old Jazzmyne Sharnae Bruner and 27yr old Stefon Maye rs Jr shot and killed on a County of Sacramento Street

-April 2010- Victor Ortega convicted of killing 18yr old Marcus Mayes whose body laid dead on a County of Sacramento Street

-March 2010- 26yr old Salvador Heredia-Arriaga shot and killed 2600 block of River Plaza Drive in South Natomas

-March 2010 - 19yr old shot and killed at Bowling Alley Country Lane

-March 2010- 17yr old Marque Alexander Johnson shot and killed on a city of Sacramento street

-March 2010- 20yr old Lan Anh Le arrested for the violent struggle and death of 26yr old Monica Anne Anderson- Greenback Lane

-February 2010- Trial begins for 16yr old Jimmy Siackasorn for shooting death of SSD Detective VI Nguyen

-February 2010- 17yr old Rebecca Layson murdered. 18yr old Anton Johnson arrested, 17yr old Tyler Espinoza arrested. - Citrus Heights

-February 2010- 22yr old David Blanks killed 3600 block of No Freeway Blvd. 21yr old Sean Joyner arrested, 20yr old Nicholas Newsome arrested

-February 2010- Dominick West convicted of killing 21yr old Mary Ourk on 12th & W street in the city of Sacramento

-January 2010- 18yr old Richard Hall in custody for shooting death of Mathew Maurizzio- County of Sacramento, Dixieanne Ave

-January 2010- 22yr old shot multiple times in Sacramento County restaurant in the County of Sacramento

-January 2010- 26yr old Shawn West lying in pool of blood shot and killed in the County of Sacramento at Jack in the Box. 21yr old Cort Milgrim, 19yr old Joel Satchell, 21yr old Andre Powe arrested charged with murder facing life without parole.

-January 2010- 27yr old Amber Manoa shot and killed in the County of Sacramento. 27yr old Albert Dennis arrested for murder

-January 2010- Two dead, one injured in Arden Arcade shooting 18yr old Marcus Thompson, 29yr old Eleea Langley shot and killed. 18yr old shot/ injured

-January 2010- Navarro sentenced to life without parole in the city of Sacramento shooting death of 21yr old Adrian Hutchins

-January 2010- James Winters sentenced to 40yrs to Life for the murder of Alfredo Perez in the County of Sacramento

-January 2010- 19yr old Perell Marquise Waters shot and killed. Three arrested, 20yr old Marcus Scott, 19yr old Ronald Grant, 20yr old Jumal Gray

-December 2009- 21yr old Emmanuel Pickens killed outside nightclub on Del Paso Blvd

-December 2009- 21yr old Michael Wiesz charged with homicide of security guard/ bouncer at city of Sacramento midtown night club.

-December 2009- Arrested at 17yrs old Anh-Tuan Dao Pham is sentenced at 19yrs old to 39yrs to life accused of shooting/ killing 17yr old Dominique Hickman and wounding 2 others less than an hour before killing Hickman.

-December 2009- Bobby Chiu at 22yrs old is sentenced to 26yrs to Life for killing 15yr old Roberto Treadway. Chiu was 16yrs old when arrested for the shooting.

-December 2009- 17yr old arrested for killing 23yr old Carlos Cervantes Jr. Cervantes died from a single gun shot wound in the county of Sacramento Fruitridge Neighborhood.

-December 2009 Two arrested, 26yr old Dominique Givens and 21yr old London Shaw for the County of Sacramento shooting of Sevon Boles near Florin Road and Sunnyslope

-December 2009- 19yr old Perell Marquise Waters an expectant father is shot and killed on the 1900 block of San Juan Road in the County of Sacramento.

-December 2009- 20yr old Jonah Simms shot and killed. 23yr old Arthur McCall arrested for city of Sacramento homicide on Bowles Street.

-December 2009- 23yr old Carlos Cervantes shot and killed gunshot wound to upper body in the County of Sacramento, Fruitridge area.

-December 2009- 21yr old Francisco Medina-Tomas gun downed in County of Sacramento street. 21yr old Jose Gutierrez, 20yr old Juan Gonzalez arrested and charged with murder

-December 2009- 22yr old Vardan Abramyan and three other youth in early 20's Arthur Battle, Jason Dillingham, Isaiah Barron sentenced to life without parole in pay for hire murder in the County of Sacramento

-November 2009- 21yr old Juan Carlos Sanchez shot and killed behind Ross on Zinfandel Dr and Folsom Blvd in County of Sacramento 19yr old Deandre Brooks arrested and charged with murder

-November 2009- 21yr old shot and killed in county of Sacramento, North Highlands, three 24yr olds arrested and charged with murder

-November 2009- 21yr old Curtis Chapman sentenced to Life without Parole plus 25yrs, 20yr old Richard Hundley sentenced to Life without parole both charged with shooting/ killing 33yr old in County of Sacramento.

-November 2009- Four youth in 20's wanted for city of Sacramento shooting/ killing on 3300 block of V Street

-November 2009- Arrested at 18 and 19yrs of age, 22yr old Dontae Stirgus and 23 yr old Tommie Hall face 21yrs to Life for the County of Sacramento shooting of Domikos Kantrell Jones

-October 2009- 24yr old Michael Thames shot and killed in his home. Several teens are sought for the city of Sacramento shooting

-October 2009- 19yr old Anh-Tuan Dao Pham arrested at 16yrs old, for shooting/ killing Dominique Hickman and wounding two others after he gun down Hickman in the city of Sacramento

-October 2009- 19yr old Doshmen Johnson arrested at 18yrs of age sentenced to Life without parole plus 25yrs plus 10yrs for the murder of a 27yr in the County of Sacramento

-October 2009- 20yr old Nicholas Newsome arrested for the shooting death of 22yr old David Blanks in the City of Sacramento

-October 2009- 24yr old arrested for double homicide in the County of Sacramento of 23yr old Tamil Robbins, 24yr old Shawn Cope.

-October 2009- 19yr old Frank Abella sentenced to Life without Parole for the death of disabled man in the County of Sacramento

-October 2009- 19yr old Daniel Russell and 20yr old Calvin Pearson sentenced to life without Parole. They were arrested at 16yrs of age for the killing of a 90yr old woman

-October 2009- 21yr old Dominic Campos body found dead in Florin Road parking lot in the City of Sacramento

-October 2009- 18yr old William Virdee fatally shot in his car in the County of Sacramento

-October 2009- 16yr old boy shot and killed walking down street in County of Sacramento

-September 2009- 21yr old Darryl Jackson acquitted. His co defendant, Jim Cage, arrested at 27yrs old and sentenced to 50yrs to life for the City of Sacramento murder of 27yr old Michael Barron

-August 2009- Youth sought in Arden Arcade Apt homicide

-July 2009- 22yr old Freddie Rimpson, Jay Pierce sentenced to Life without Parole for County of Sacramento homicide/ robbery attempting to raise bail money for their friend.

-July 2009- 20yr old Anthony Race arrested for murder of 19yr old Issac Bartkovsky in the County of Sacramento

-July 2009-26yr old Tersha Brown fatally shot in the head in the city of Sacramento

-June 2009- 26yr old Sevon Boles shot and killed in city of Sacramento

-June 2009- 14yr old Ronald Kenoly killed. 13yr old suspect turns himself in. 14yr old arrested 8000 Block of Heritage Hill Drive

-June 2009- 23yr old Roy Houston arrested for city of Sacramento murder of 21yr old Donald Mc Call. Houston was 19yrs old when suspected of the shooting.

-June 2009-Andre Pulido arrested at 24yrs of age sentenced to Life without Parole for city of Sacramento death of 21yr old Rodrigo Rodriguez

-June 2009- 23yr old shot and killed in city of Sacramento - downtown

-May 2009- Eight in custody 22yr old Corey Carmicle, 21yr old Charles Ferrell, 19yr old Willie Harris, 22yr old Willie Toliver, two 17yr olds,15yr old and 23yr old Leighni Hall for County of Sacramento homicide of 24yr old Patrick Razaghzadeh

-May 2009- 20yr old Christopher Montejano shot and killed in City of Sacramento - Oak Park

-May 2009- 19yr old Frederick Howard body found behind a County of Sacramento garbage bin

-May 2009- 21yr old Phillip Cousins shot to death in Valley Hi, 19yr old also shot gunshot in torso in city of Sacramento

-May 2009- 22yr old Michael Scott sentenced to Life without Parole, 21yr old Ian Clark Johnson sentenced to 15yrs to Life both charged with murder of 18yr old Shanneel Singh in the city of Sacramento (arrested at 18 and 19yrs of age)

-April 2009- 22yr old Lavelle Chapman convicted of shooting death of 18 yr old Pasha Voskoboinik in County of Sacramento

-April 2009- 22yr old Cristo Lopez, 23yr old Andrew Lynch, 31yr old Rebecca Brousseau arrested in homicide of Khet Saelee in Fruitridge area alley

-April 2009- 19yr old John Faavesi (arrested at 16yrs old) convicted of manslaughter sentenced to 36 years 8 months for death of 26yr old Sylvia Guerrero

-April 2009- 18yr old Emanuel Michel shot and killed on 57th Avenue in the city of Sacramento

-April 2009- 21yr old Hung Tround arrested for homicide

-April 2009- 22yr old Oscar Ceballos arrested charged with shooting death on MLK Blvd in the city of Sacramento

-April 2009- 20yr old Curtis Anderson shot and killed gunshot wound to the head. 25yr old Jamaral Smith arrested

-April 2009-23yr old Leopoldo Velasco III shot and killed on the 3900 block of 17th Avenue

-April 2009- 17yr old Jarrell Tyes arrested at 15yrs old sentenced to life in prison for the county of Sacramento shooting/ death of 16yr old Jelisa Office

-April 2009- 23yr old Ceron Hill convicted to 52yrs to Life for the shooting death of 18yr old Jack Lawrence

-April 2009- Arrested at 20yrs of age 22yr old Rashad Mack, arrested at 19yrs old 21yr old Ulysses Walker sentenced to life without parole plus 25years for city of Sacramento robbery/ shooting.

-February 2009- 25yr old shot and killed in City of Sacramento Altos/ Eleanor Avenue

-February 2009- Arrested at 21yrs old Sirtice Melonson is sentenced to life without parole for shooting death of Navid Chand. Arrested at 14yrs of age 17yr old Sarah Weeden sentenced to 27yrs to life for murder of Navid Chand in the County of Sacramento

-February 2009- Jury convicts 20yr old Jonathan Hampton who was arrested at 18yrs old for the death of 19yr old Jonathan Giurbino in city of Sacramento - South Land Park

-January 2009- 21yr old found multiple gunshot wounds, 27yr old shot and killed in the County of Sacramento

-January 2009- 20yr old Kyle Ray Smith killed in the city of Sacramento - Pocket area. 18yr old Nicholas Moreno arrested

*** This is not a complete list of youth death/ arrest/ sentences within the last 16 months. This list does not include youth shot who survived nor does it include youth facing life in prison for crimes which do not involve murder. Hundreds have been buried in Sacramento and hundreds more will live and die in California prisons.

How can the County of Sacramento turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to a crisis? Is it possible our elected officials value money more than they do the lives, freedom, quality of life, peace of mind,... of some Sacramento residents?

Tensions mount over county funding for public safety, social services

2009-06-11T02:46:36Z

The Sacramento County Sheriff’s testimony to the Board of Supervisors Wednesday revealed tensions over funding for the sheriff’s department and county human services programs, with Sheriff John McGinness saying that the county must put more funding toward public safety.

The county sheriff’s department told the board that planned cuts to the department would lead to major public safety problems. The sheriff’s department presented to the board in its second day of budget hearings to address a $180 million budget gap. Supervisors may approve a proposed budget next week.

McGinness said the planned $80 million in budget cuts to the department would mean that the “basic level of protection and security cannot be provided.” Proposed cuts would endanger the public, as well as discourage developers and business people from investing in the county, he said.

“How can the economic condition turn around in Sacramento County when the only thing a property owner can expect to get from their tax dollars is social services?” McGinness asked the board.

Supervisor Roberta MacGlashan asked county staffers to prepare a proposal that would fund the sheriff’s department with an additional $20 million. Supervisor Susan Peters also asked staffers to examine the possibility of more funding for the department.

The board uses a set of principles in its budgeting. Its first priority is to fund programs that are mandated by federal, state and county laws, according to the proposed budget document. The document notes that the county's other top priorities are to allocate money for programs "that provide for revenue collection" and to pay off county debts.

After the board addresses its top priorities, it uses a guide for its discretionary funding. Discretionary public safety tops the list, followed by social "safety net" services. Funding for programs that create a "sustainable and livable community" is the board's next goal. General government funding is the board's fourth focus. Prevention and intervention programs are the fifth and final priority.

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.

The board’s budget hearing on county social services departments begins at 9:30 a.m. Thursday. For more information, read The Sacramento Press’s guide to the county budget hearings.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

District Attorney: budget crisis means justice won't be served

2009-05-14T03:02:32Z

Elder abuse. Major narcotics. Community prosecution.

These are just a few of the key units in the county district attorney’s office that would be eliminated if the office has to make $13.1 million more in cuts to help balance the county’s budget.

Sacramento County District Attorney Jan Scully gave the Board of Supervisors a dire outlook Wednesday of how the public would suffer from proposed cuts to the D.A.’s office.

The county’s most recent figure for its budget deficit is $180 million, said Kerri Aiello, a county public information officer.

“Rest assured, with these kind of cuts, if I have to close a $13.1 million gap, justice is not going to be served in this community,” Scully said.

The department would need to make 109 layoffs and remove entire units to fill the $13.1 million hole, she said.

Units that would be entirely removed include major narcotics, community prosecution, special investigation, statutory rape, elder abuse and child abduction.

Scully said other units that would not be eliminated but have already been cut or will be cut include homicides, gangs, domestic violence, adult sexual assault, victim witness advocates, juvenile hall, and special assault and child abuse.

“It’s not a pretty picture,” Scully said.

She explained that the D.A.’s child abduction unit prosecutes cases in which a non-custodial parent violates the law by taking a child from the custodial parent. The proposed budget cuts mean that those particular child abduction cases “likely would not be prosecuted,” Scully said.

She told the county supervisors that serious or violent cases under the major narcotics unit would still be prosecuted by the D.A.’s office. However, she noted that cases involving major narcotics would be folded into a “general felony” category. This means that a major narcotics case “now becomes one case in a caseload of a smorgasbord of crimes,” she said.

Supervisor Roberta MacGlashan asked Scully if she has reason to believe the D.A.’s office would receive federal stimulus funding.

Scully said the office has applied for $10 million in federal stimulus dollars. However, she explained outside the meeting that the she didn’t think it was likely the office would be awarded the entire amount for which it applied. She said the stimulus funds were “too uncertain.”

Two more workshops on the county’s budget crisis will be held this week at the Board of Supervisor’s chambers at 700 H St. Workshops on both Thursday, May 14, and Friday, May 15, will begin at 9:30 a.m.

Here’s a breakdown from Scully on the 109 layoffs:
46 attorneys

18 investigators
6 victim advocates
12 investigative staff
3 criminalists
24 support staffers