A Buddhist church located at Broadway and Riverside Boulevard has recently raised concerns about a nearby recycling center, saying it has attracted problems such as trespassing at the church’s property and human urination. The center, MS Recycling, is located at a Valero gas station next to the Buddhist Church of Sacramento. The center leases from the property owner of the gas station, Vince Lera, according to city documents. “We've got community programs running from 9 a.m. - 9 p.m., seven days a week, that serve the very young and very old. And they deserve a safe and clean environment,” Kelvin Mark, president of the Buddhist church, said in an e-mail. Lisa Nava, district director for

Interim City Manager Gus Vina responded to questions from six neighborhood activists in an April 9 interview with The Sacramento Press. The following are Vina’s responses to questions from three neighborhood activists. Read Vina’s responses to questions from three other involved citizens in an April 12 story at The Sacramento Press.  Question from Sacramento resident Dale Kooyman: (Ray Kerridge) felt residents did not know what was best for their quality of life when it came to communicating with city staff, historic preservation, streets, sidewalks, traffic, transportation, planning projects and related early notification, neighborhood-serving businesses, fiscal matters, entertainment a

The staffers at the Sacramento Neighborhood Services Department are exactly the kind of people who will greet you with a root beer float. In a break between two shifts of hosting neighbors and providing root beer floats on Thursday, Neighborhood Services Department Director Vincene Jones talked with The Sacramento Press. The department, which works with residents to address issues in Sacramento communities, held an open house at its new digs at City Hall. Jones explained her priorities and also addressed the city’s recent budget cuts. In response to cuts, the department laid off an analyst and a neighborhood resources coordinator. The layoffs shrunk the size of the department to a staff