Newest articles on The Sacramento Press tagged as "sacramento community development department"

Part 2: Interim city manager answers neighbors' questions

2010-04-14T04:11:23Z

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 and alcohol venues ... A prior city manager (Bill Edgar) stated as his management philosophy that a city is a collection of many residential and business neighborhoods, and a city is as healthy and strong as its unhealthiest and weakest residential or business neighborhood. Therefore he promoted engaging both when making decisions that affect these neighborhoods ...

Which of those two philosophies most closely reflect your management philosophy? If the former, what good has come of such a divisive philosophy?

If the latter, what role(s) do you see neighborhoods (business and residential) playing in your management approach, and how would you engage them, including staff working cooperatively with both?

Interim City Manager Gus Vina:
I would like to talk about Gus’ philosophy, rather than Ray's or Bill’s. And I think it’s probably a combination of both.

Who’s our community? (That is) the question. Our community is our residents, our visitors and our businesses. And, I do absolutely believe that we all have to work together.

And, the city (staff’s) role is to facilitate the vision that council sets out for us. And a lot of that vision is in the general plan ... And part of that facilitation is to make sure we understand who the stakeholders are and engage them.

Rarely will you get everybody to agree to everything. You’ve already failed if that’s the goal. So, the goal is good communication, great outreach, get people to participate and then decisions need to be made ... But I think we can do really well for our businesses and our neighborhoods when you have that kind of engagement, good communication and early communication — so they’re not finding out about it when the shovel goes in the ground and we’re already building something.

Question from Sacramento resident Michael Boyd:
The city could be working with neighborhood groups to facilitate discussions of the types of businesses needed in each neighborhood. Block by block. We should have a clear vision of what our areas should look like.

Another very easy tool to implement is a system of early notification. I know we have some semblance of one, but it is not nearly as effective as it should be. Residents should know what is being proposed as soon as it is proposed. Neighborhood associations should be the first stop for developers for true consultations, not presentations.

Do you agree, and if so, what, specifically, will you (do to) engage residents, businesses and developers to a truly consultative process?

GV:
I do believe that working with our neighborhoods is important. I believe we do a pretty good job of that. We have a Neighborhood Services Department (that) is very active in our neighborhoods. And we try our best to bring issues, concerns (and) the things that are being proposed in the city out to the neighborhoods as quickly as we can.

So, I’ll do my best to look for opportunities where we work with neighborhoods to understand better ... the business development that they think would be beneficial to that area.

I have several goals that I have committed to as interim city manager ... and the first one is to get a balanced budget in place. And so right now, that’s my most immediate focus, and it has a lot of priority. When I’m done with that, which should be in July, I plan to dive into our economic development strategies and make sure that I understand and can help lead the economic development process. Because that’s going to be the key to fixing our budget -- more so than just, "Where are we going to cut programs?" So, I’ll keep these thoughts in mind. And we should keep our neighborhoods in mind as we look at land-use opportunities and try to develop the city.

Neighborhoods and residents/citizens need to know that their involvement — their participation in any of these development projects — can occur in a number of ways. We have the Development Oversight Commission that looks at these plans as they’re being submitted. And those (plans) are public. We (also) have (opportunities for public comment) when the projects start coming to council ... So, certainly, what citizens can do is stay involved and come to council meetings and engage the council when those projects are being discussed.

Additionally, of course, we can make sure we’re getting out to neighborhoods — and I know the (city staff) do (that) now. The idea that we engage affected neighborhoods when we’re talking about a major project in an area: That happens today. So, it’s really nothing new for us.

Question from Sacramento resident Bill Burgua:
During the current budget crisis, Kerridge had experienced code enforcement officers laid off. Do you see the wisdom in the citizens' desire to bring in revenue while improving neighborhoods and bringing properties up to code? Will you boost code enforcement by reinstating experienced code enforcement officers that have been laid off?

GV:
Well, obviously, the challenge for us right now is our revenue. It’s at historic low levels. And we’ve been losing revenue for three years in a row now ... I don’t know that anytime soon we’re going to be able to increase code enforcement officers.

A little bit of clarity in that: The layoffs started with (the Community Development Department), not Code Enforcement ... So, (CDD employees) were laid off from CDD (and then) replaced people at Code. And then Code had to lay people off. There wasn’t a net reduction of code officers because of those layoffs. If not for CDD issues, we wouldn’t have been laying anybody off (at) Code Enforcement. That’s ... the technical piece of it.

I think the real question there is: How much do we care about blight in our neighborhoods and quality of life? I would say that it is a huge objective for us — to work with our neighborhoods to eliminate blight. Those kinds of things introduce crime, and the whole quality of life in the neighborhood goes downhill. I think code enforcement is a very important part of what we do in the city. So, besides developing the city where we have opportunities, we can’t ignore the fact that we have 500,000 people (who) already live here in some neighborhood and need to be taken care of, as well.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Mayor, Waters praise Kerridge, blast "divisive" politics

2010-02-19T04:42:14Z

Mayor Kevin Johnson and City Councilman Robbie Waters praised City Manager Ray Kerridge, who announced yesterday that he was resigning on March 12, at a joint press conference Thursday.

Without naming anyone in particular, Johnson and Waters both blamed other council members for the negative atmosphere at City Hall. The other council members did not attend the press conference. However, Joann Cummins, district director for Councilwoman Sandy Sheedy, attended the event.

“I think the divisiveness has certainly played a role (in Kerridge’s decision),” Johnson said.

He said he was concerned that the work environment could cause “great talent” to leave.

Johnson also faulted himself for his part in the divisive atmosphere at City Hall.

Waters also used the word “great” to describe Kerridge.

“We’ve lost a great leader,” Waters said.

City spokeswoman Amy Williams answered questions from The Sacramento Press after the press conference. She said Kerridge was not available for questions Thursday afternoon. Williams responded to the question of whether Kerridge’s resignation is linked to the city’s problems with its utilities and community development departments.

A Jan. 6 grand jury report says the city may be breaking Proposition 218, a state law that mandates how city funds are used.

City officials are also confronting findings from an investigation into the department’s approval last year of 35 permits in a Natomas flood zone. The offices of the city attorney and city manager note in a Jan. 26 report that the department broke federal rules by approving the permits.

The report lists new issues, including possible violations of city planning rules, that involve the building services division of the development department.

“In any large organization, there will be issues,” Williams said.

She said Kerridge has dedicated more than 35 years to public service and felt this was a good time to transition to a private sector position. Kerridge felt the timing of his transition was good for the city, as well as for himself, Williams said.

Kerridge feels the timing of his resignation is good because of recent developments on the issues of the 35 Natomas permits and the city budget, Williams said. Kerridge said he felt there has been “significant movement” on the investigation into the city’s approval of 35 building permits in a Natomas flood zone, Williams said.

The City Council also came together at a Feb. 11 budget session — its first budget session of the year, Williams said. Kerridge said he viewed the council members’ unanimous agreement on the issue as a positive sign. The city manager’s office creates the proposed budget.

Williams further noted that Kerridge has a private sector job opportunity.

The city is facing a $35-40 million budget deficit for the 2010/2011 fiscal year, according to a Feb. 11 report.

Photos by Anthony Bento.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

City departments in trouble: What is the city manager’s role?

2010-02-02T04:50:28Z

News Analysis

City Manager Ray Kerridge oversees a city government that is struggling with major controversies in its Community Development and Utilities departments.

Council members are reacting to claims in a Jan. 6 grand jury report that the city may be breaking Proposition 218, a state law that mandates how city funds are used.

City officials are also confronting findings from an investigation into the department’s approval last year of 35 permits in a Natomas flood zone. The offices of the city attorney and city manager note in a recent report that the department broke federal rules by approving the permits.

The report lists new issues, including possible violations of city planning rules, that involve the building services division of the development department.

And the Sacramento Bee is reporting that Advantage Demolition & Engineering gained city contracts by allegedly turning in fake paperwork. The city has fired the firm, which was supposed to install water meters, the Bee reported.

While Kerridge runs the city government, Mayor Kevin Johnson and the City Council have not specifically discussed Kerridge’s role in the city’s troubles at recent public meetings.

In the spirit of accountability and transparency that Johnson, the City Council and Kerridge himself have championed, the Sacramento Press wonders: What is Kerridge’s role in current city problems?

The Sacramento Press asked city spokeswoman Amy Williams if Kerridge could answer that question and others in a phone interview on Friday afternoon or Monday morning. Williams said Kerridge was away from the office Friday afternoon and asked The Sacramento Press to e-mail questions to her. Kerridge e-mailed The Sacramento Press with a response Monday morning.

In his e-mail, Kerridge said that he is facing many issues that began before he became city manager in 2006.

“The greater majority of these issues like Proposition 218 predated my administration,” Kerridge said. “Because we have made it a priority to be transparent, when we have discovered these issues, we have addressed them and done it in public. When you do this, there are risks, and it can be very uncomfortable, but it is the right thing to do.”

Kerridge said that problems at city departments are being addressed.

“There are obvious areas that need to be improved and those improvements are being made,” he said. “For instance, multi-level checks and balances have been put in to place to address Community Development’s (front) counter operations. I have always been an advocate for systematic audits on all departments and I still am.”

City Councilman Steve Cohn said that while Kerridge may not have been city manager at the start of some of the Prop. 218 problems, the issues have been ongoing. “He’s certainly responsible for fixing the problem,” Cohn said.

Read the full list of questions and Kerridge’s response at the end of this story.

Johnson on Kerridge's Role

Meanwhile, Johnson is expressing multiple views of Kerridge. Johnson says he supports Kerridge but also says that voters should scrap the city manager position in favor of a strong mayor system.

Johnson acknowledges that Kerridge, as city manager, is ultimately in charge of the city departments facing problems.

He calls himself "a fan" of Kerridge but doesn't criticize him for controversies in the Utilities and Community Development departments under his control.

Johnson’s comments at a Tuesday press conference in Oak Park last week revealed his views of Kerridge.

Johnson openly acknowledges that the city government is facing multiple problems.

“There seems to be a pattern of mismanagement or poor judgement,” Johnson said. “What this does, it creates a sense of cynicism and lack of trust with the public.”

But despite the list of issues with two departments under Kerridge's authority, Johnson expressed his support for the city manager in response to a question from Capital Public Radio's Ben Adler.

“The utilities department falls under the responsibility of Ray Kerridge, so does the planning department,” Adler said to Johnson. “You’ve said repeatedly you’re a really big fan of Ray Kerridge. Has your position changed at all?”

“No, I’m a huge fan of Ray Kerridge,” Johnson responded. Then, in his next comment, Johnson conceded that “all of these things fall, in some shape or form, under his [Kerridge's] jurisdiction.”

“He’s not denying that,” Johnson said.

While Johnson said these problems have occurred under Kerridge's watch, and that Kerridge runs the city government, Johnson did not criticize Kerridge.

Instead, Johnson turned the discussion to argue in support of a strong mayor government. “That’s why I believe very strongly that we can change our form of government to an executive mayor form of government,” he said, noting that decisions and choices would then be made by someone elected by the public.

Johnson further said that a strong mayor would be held accountable by the public. In addition, he said in defense of Kerridge, the city manager must deal with competing visions of council members and the mayor, Johnson said.

“I think Ray Kerridge gets caught in the middle," Johnson said. “He has nine bosses. Who in here would want nine bosses? I mean, you can’t get anything done with nine bosses.”

Questions for Kerridge

The Sacramento Press asked Kerridge for comment on the Prop. 218 issue, the company that the city hired to install water meters and the problems with the Community Development Department. The list of questions follows:

What is your role in these issues?

How much responsibility do you feel you have for these problems?

Referring to current controversies in city departments, Johnson said this week that "all of these things fall, in some shape or form, under his [Kerridge's] jurisdiction." However, he is not publicly criticizing you or faulting you for these problems. Can you comment on that?

What are your plans to make sure these kinds of problems don't happen again?

When Johnson said these things fall under your jurisdiction, he then argued for a strong mayor form of government. In what ways, if any, has the form of government in the city affected these problems?

Are you retiring this year?

Kerridge’s Response

Kerridge provided the following e-mailed response to the questions Monday:

My style of leadership requires transparency and openness in our organization. I have created an environment that encourages change and
challenges us to look at our systems. The greater majority of these issues like Proposition 218 predated my administration. Because we have made it a priority to be transparent, when we have discovered these issues, we have addressed them and done it in public. When you do this, there are risks and it can be very uncomfortable but it is the right thing to do. Improvement is a continuous process and we should never be satisfied with the status quo.

There are obvious areas that need to be improved and those improvements are being made. For instance, multi-level checks and balances have been put in to place to address Community Development’s counter operations. I have always been an advocate for systematic audits on all departments and I still am. I am dedicated to serving this community and the City of Sacramento.

Photos by Anthony Bento.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Investigation: 'Potential quid pro quo' in city department

2010-01-26T06:40:11Z

An investigation into the city’s development department has brought to light several new issues, including “potential quid pro quo,” according to a new report from the offices of the city attorney and city manager.

The city attorney’s office and Renee Sloan Holtzman Sakai, a third-party law firm, have been working together on an investigation into the development department’s approval of 35 building permits in a Natomas flood zone.

The offices of the city manager and the city attorney acknowledge in a recent report that the city broke federal rules by authorizing the permits.

The report lists new issues in the building division of the department such as “potential quid pro quo,” “demolition without CEQA review,” “non-compliance with city’s planning requirements” and “non-compliance with fee-deferral program.”

The report will go before the City Council Tuesday. The City Council could decide Tuesday that its audit committee should address the new issues. Councilmembers Ray Tretheway, Lauren Hammond, Steve Cohn and Robbie Waters sit on the audit committee.

In November, City Attorney Eileen Teichert said that “additional issues” surfaced when investigators were examining the Natomas permits. She also said that one of the additional issues was the Facilities Permit Program, a city permitting program, but she declined to talk about other concerns.

Read the report from the offices of the city attorney and the city manager here.

Photo by Anthony Bento.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Councilwoman Sandy Sheedy on her 2010 goals, hot issues

2010-01-21T04:58:50Z

Sandy Sheedy is ready for controversy.

The Sacramento city councilwoman plans to focus on a set of contentious issues this year. Her top citywide goals for 2010 are to address the budget and respond to concerns involving the development department and utilities funds.

The Sacramento Press is publishing a series on the 2010 goals of city council members. Links to stories on the goals of other council members are included at the bottom of this story.

Sheedy represents District 2, which covers neighborhoods north of the American River such as Del Paso Heights, Strawberry Manor and North Sacramento.

Unlike many of her council colleagues, she is not running for re-election or higher office. Her district seat is not up for election this year.

The City Council expects this year’s budget situation to be rough. To address last year’s $50 million deficit, council members made significant cuts to services.

Sheedy said when she considers this year’s budget top priority will go to “essential services that make the city run.” In her view, essential services are police and fire, code enforcement, solid waste, and streets and roads.

Sheedy also said she wants to work on the city’s Community Development Department’s permitting processes. The department’s Facilities Permit Program came under fire last fall during a public debate over Nestlé Waters North America’s move to Sacramento.

The program was halted from Oct. 27 to Dec. 15. In December, City Attorney Eileen Teichert said the program broke city laws. It was changed last month to conform to city laws, according to Teichert.

“I’d like to get the Community Development Department up and running again like it should be,” Sheedy said.

In addition, Teichert is examining the department’s decision to authorize 35 building permits in a Natomas flood zone last year. In a Dec. 15 letter to the Oakland office of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the city attorney’s office acknowledged that the city broke federal rules by green-lighting the permits.

Teichert said in November she found “additional issues” with the department as she investigated the 35 Natomas permits.

Legal issues surround another of Sheedy’s top goals for the year — she plans to respond to a Jan. 6 Sacramento County grand jury report. At issue is the city’s adherence to Proposition 218, a state law regulating city funds.

“The Grand Jury found that, at best, the city has not done enough to determine whether the city is violating the law and, at worst, has shifted millions of dollars in costs from the general fund to utility enterprise funds,” the report states.

Sheedy said she will focus on the issues raised by the grand jury.

“Let’s find out what went on, and let’s fix what we need to fix and move on. We’ve got to get back to the business of the city.”

Sheedy also has goals for her district this year. They include making street and infrastructure improvements from Arden Way to Highway 160; ensuring that operations at a teen center at Robertson Community Center continue; and completing parks in Strawberry Manor and Del Paso Heights.

Read the Sacramento County grand jury's report on the city’s financing here.

Learn about Councilman Kevin McCarty’s plans for the year here. Councilwoman Lauren Hammond’s priorities are explained here. Read about Councilman Steve Cohn’s 2010 goals here. Councilman Robbie Waters’ objectives can be read here.

Photos by Anthony Bento.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Mayor: Facilities permit program "effective"

2009-11-11T03:54:39Z

Mayor Kevin Johnson said Tuesday the outcome of the audit of the Community Development Department will be important to how he views the future of a permitting program that has drawn controversy in recent weeks. At the same time, Johnson said he thinks the Facilities Permit Program has been “very effective.”

The FPP, which is part of the Community Development Department, was shuttered Oct. 27 in the midst of public debate over the Nestlé company’s move to establish a water bottling plant in Sacramento. Nestlé’s plant had been approved through the city’s FPP program.

City officials investigated the Community Development Department’s approval of Nestlé’s construction work and temporarily shut down the FPP program. At issue was the approval that Nestlé and contractors received from a city building inspector to start construction work. While the company and its contractors had verbal approval from the city, they did not have a building permit or a “start-work authorization.”

Nestlé said that it has complied with city laws.

The city attorney’s office recently decided that it is illegal for the city to greenlight construction for a project that does not have a building permit, said David Kwong, the city’s planning division director.

Johnson told reporters at his weekly press conference Tuesday that the third-party audit underway on the Community Development Department will affect how he thinks about the FPP. “For me, I want to know what went wrong the first time,” he said. “We need to conclude that investigation.”

The third-party audit is in response to the city's approval of permits to build in the Natomas flood zone. The Federal Emergency Management Agency had prohibited the city from building in the flood zone.

Johnson talked of resuming the program, with possible changes. “I think people feel, by and large, it has been one of the best things that our city has done,” he said. “So, this would be an example that you can’t throw out the baby with the bath water.”

Through the FPP, businesses that work with the city can receive quick approval for tenant improvements or remodeling of commercial and industrial buildings, Kwong said.

Photo by Anthony Bento.

Sacramento Press staff reporter Suzanne Hurt contributed to this story. Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.