As Mayor Kevin Johnson prepared for a Thursday night meeting to discuss new arena options, his chief of staff talked with Sacramento State students about the issues currently facing Sacramento -- namely, the arena, public safety and who’s in charge. Kunal Merchant joined the Mayor’s office in Dec. 2008 and has had a lot to manage in his year of service. Despite the furloughs and layoffs surrounding him, however, he is hopeful about Sacramento’s future. “We feel really optimistic about sacramento's prospects,” he said. “This is a moment in time where we have a chance to get things really right that can have positive consequences for decades.” Getting things right, he said, includes improv