Construction on de Vere’s Irish Pub in Davis is about two weeks from being finished, and as the bar, which was custom-built in Ireland and then shipped to California, nears completion, Davis residents said they are excited to see a business fill a long-troubled space. The pub is a new location spawned off the successful de Vere’s Irish Pub at 1521 L St. in Sacramento. “It seems like it’s going to be a pretty good business,” said Matt Johnson, a 25-year-old bartender from Davis. “I’m excited, and I hope they’re successful.” Johnson said the space at 217 E St. in Davis has long been something of a revolving door for businesses, which have had trouble staying open much longer than a year.

Building in the inner city – the old Midtown athletic club racquetball court – is headed toward becoming another of Sacramento’s popular inner city entertainment areas.   April Fools’ Day – what a day for a permit or project to begin.   The business owner had already posted her liquor license application about 60 days prior and received several letters in protest for which she had started the stressful mitigation process*.Once the conditions imposed by the Alcoholic Beverage Control were met, based on a few neighbors concerns living in one multi-unit Victorian apartment building— six units maybe – located behind the business in the predominantly commercial corridor of downtown. ( 1300

Despite uncertain election results, City Councilman Steve Cohn appeared to lead the pack vying for his District 3 council seat by a fairly wide margin of nearly 13 percent. Vote numbers stayed the same from shortly after polls closed at 8 p.m. to well after midnight. Late Tuesday night, Cohn and his closest challenger, East Sacramento Chamber of Commerce President Chris Little, said they were confused after not getting any explanation from the county. Throughout the night, Cohn was reported to have 1,716 votes to Little's 1,295. That would put Little, a realtor in his first political race, 421 votes behind, at 39.59 percent to Cohn's 52.46 percent. The 3,271 votes counted in District 3

11:21 p.m. UPDATE Angelique Ashby's supporters gather around the wide screen television to anxiously watch the results of tonight's election. With a lead of more than 10% on her closest competitor, incumbent Tretheway, Ashby supporters are anticipating the coming numbers. "We think we know the answer," volunteer Celia Hernandez said. "We just need it official!" Cheers, laughter and applause resonate throughout the police stationassociation, and tensions build as the night wears on, the final count looming closer and closer. "We're all excited," canvas coordinator Greg Pruden said. "Really looking forward to getting the final returns in and seeing what the final result is. We're reall

The Sacramento Press election team is pulling an all-nighter Tuesday to bring our readers City Council election results. We will continuously update our election coverage starting at 4 p.m. Tuesday until the Sacramento County Registrar of Voters stops releasing results late that night.  In addition to reporting the results from the polls, our staffers will be on-the-scene at election parties to cover the perspectives of candidates and their supporters. In Sacramento, polls will open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. Election results will start coming in after 8 p.m. "I'm out campaigning," City Councilman Steve Cohn said late Monday afternoon. "Tonight's the last time I'll be walking door-t

Top priority topics in the June 8 election for District 3 include the budget, creating more jobs and becoming more business friendly, according to the candidates. "Unless we grapple with (the budget), we can't get other things done," incumbent Steve Cohn said. Chris Little said creating jobs is the most important issue. "(Sacramento is) the Silicon Valley for medicine," he said. "(It's a matter of) taking what we have right here and leveraging it." Shawn Eldredge said that Sacramento needs to focus on business. "It's about re-creating a healthy downtown core that's business friendly, for not only large corporations, but all small business, too," he said. "We need to be a city that emb

On June 8, Sacramento residents will have the opportunity to cast their votes on a number of issues and elective offices, including party primaries for governor and attorney general as well as Sacramento City Council seats in districts 1, 3, 5 and 7. Many candidates are using online social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook to try to get their messages out and gain an edge over the other candidates. For example, in the race for the Republican primary for governor, candidates Meg Whitman and Steve Poizner have Facebook and Twitter pages with followers in the thousands, and the primary fight is widely seen to be between the two. However, even in the more local and community-driv

If you've never had the chance to try riding a mechanical bull, get ready to hold on tight. Downtown Sacramento will welcome a new Western-themed restaurant and bar called Bulls this summer featuring such an attraction. "The theme will be Western meets rock and roll," said owner Andrea Martin. "There's nothing like this in Sacramento." Construction continues at 1330 H St., where Bulls will be located. Martin pointed out an 18-foot-wide space where a mechanical bull will be installed, and the skeleton of the "horseshoe bar" being built. The indoor space and outdoor patio can hold 60 people. "(The mechanical bull) provides entertainment long after you have dinner or lunch," Martin said.

On April 17, 2010 Harlow's hosted a benefit concert for Shawn Eldredge who is running for City Council in Distrct 3(Midtown and East Sacramento)... Featured artists were Punk Rock Icon Kevin Seconds(with his wife Allyson), Greenhouse(featuring Gene Smith from Kai Kln), A special reunion performance by Sacramento Blues greats The Chrome Addict's, Shotblast and headling the show to a young entranced and very enthusiastic crowd was up and coming "indie" Rockers Lite Brite. To find out more more on Shawn Eldredge's positions on the issues go to www.shawneldredge.com or find him on facebook... All photos Copyright Jay Spooner Photography

Jay Schenirer’s City Council campaign has brought him face-to-face with Sacramento’s unemployed population. Joblessness in District 5, which includes Oak Park and Colonial Heights, is “horrific,” Schenirer said. The Sacramento Press is interviewing City Council candidates in advance of the June 8 election. Schenirer (sha-NEER-ur), 53, is competing against four other candidates for Councilwoman Lauren Hammond’s seat. Hammond is running for Assemblyman Dave Jones' seat against Kevin McCarty, her colleague on the City Council. Roger Dickinson, a Sacramento County Supervisor, is also running for the seat. Schenirer is an education policy consultant who has lived in Sacramento since 1981. H

Terrence Johnson said he wants Oak Park and surrounding South Sacramento neighborhoods to have more clout in City Council decision-making. “I felt as though the (District 5) neighborhoods didn’t have a voice,” he said. Johnson, 58, is one of five candidates competing for the seat held by Councilwoman Lauren Hammond. In addition to Oak Park, District 5 includes the neighborhoods of Curtis Park, Colonial Heights and Tahoe Park West. The Sacramento Press is interviewing City Council candidates in advance of the June 8 election. Johnson is a 20-year Sacramento resident and the executive director of the Oak Park Business Association and the Stockton Boulevard Partnership. He is chairman of

City Council candidate Chris Little said his top goal as a council member would be to ensure that city business is transparent to the public. The Sacramento Press is interviewing City Council candidates in advance of the June 8 election. Little, 48, works as a Realtor in East Sacramento and is running for the District 3 seat held by Councilman Steve Cohn. The district includes neighborhoods in downtown, Midtown and East Sacramento. Little, who is a third-generation Sacramentan, earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Oregon. He is president of the East Sacramento Chamber of Commerce and chairman of the American River Parkway Advisory Committee, which advises the county. If

De Vere's Irish Pub held its inaugural St. Baldrick's event Monday, raising more than $81,000 for cancer research, $10,000 of which came from De Vere's. The pub's roped-off sidewalk was packed with spectators trying to get a glimpse of local participants shaving their locks to conquer kids' cancer. De Vere's had 221 shavees lined up for their turn to get snipped. Publicly displayed on the patio, shavees winced when they felt the cold steel clippers reach deep down to the scalp. The participants' reactions caused perpetual laughter, since there was a four-barber-rotation, and each head took only a minute to shave. The crowd stirred when Shawn Eldredge, a City Council candidate for Distri

For the past six years, $300,000 in city funds has remained untouched. The city currently has that amount in its public financing pot for City Council and mayoral candidates to use in their campaigns, according to Assistant City Clerk Stephanie Mizuno. But Rick Bettis, an active member of the Sacramento County League of Women Voters, said he thinks that many people don’t know the city’s public financing money exists. “It doesn’t really jump out at you,” Bettis said. Since the public fund was set up in 2003, only one candidate has used the money, according to Mizuno. In 2004, Craig DeLuz, a City Council candidate in District 2, used about $17,000 in public campaign funds, Mizuno said. I

All but four of 13 candidates running for a City Council seat in June received campaign contributions from sources outside Sacramento County from July to December 2009. It also should be noted that many of the candidates have received numerous contributions from individuals and groups in Sacramento. To provide information about contributions to candidates from sources outside the county, The Sacramento Press has prepared the following guide. The following contributions were made to candidates between July 1 and Dec. 31. DISTRICT 1 Angelique Ashby, City Council candidate Top outside contributions: Lewis Investment Company, Upland: $500 James Milliken, retired Superior Court judge, San

The Sacramento Press is reviewing campaign contributions for the candidates in June's City Council race. Here is a breakdown of the main contributions to the candidates in Districts 1 and 3 from July to December 2009. The July to December figures provide the most recent information on campaign contributions for City Council candidates. Look for the list of key contributors for Districts 5 and 7 on Tuesday in The Sacramento Press. DISTRICT 1 Angelique Ashby, City Council candidate Total monetary contributions for 2009: $26,452 Top five contributors, July to December 2009: Sacramento Police Officers Association: $2,550 Ken Stevenson, auditor: $1,500 Molly Fling, retiree: $1,500 Sha

While Sacramento City Councilman Steve Cohn expects dismal budget numbers for the city this year, he also thinks the local economy will begin to heal. In an interview about his goals for 2010, Cohn said the city budget will be his top priority. He said he doesn’t yet know a specific number for the city’s possible budget deficit this year, but he expects the figures to be daunting. The Sacramento City Council made major cuts to services last year to address a $50 million deficit. “In general, despite the tough economy, I’m actually very optimistic about the future,” Cohn said. “So I feel like we’re going to see things start to turn around in 2010.” Cohn said he expects job opportunities

It’s election season in Sacramento — do you know how to follow the money in the 2010 City Council campaigns? You can get the scoop on campaign contributions through the city of Sacramento’s Online Campaign Statement System.  The system, which is free and open to the public, provides information on contributions to City Council candidates. Assistant City Clerk Stephanie Mizuno gave tips Thursday on navigating the online system.   In the past, Mizuno said, the public would have to appear in person to request campaign information. “In this case, you can do it at home, at your computer.” There is a link to the online system at the city clerk’s website under the heading “Elections & Campaig

A Johnny Cash tune playing in the background, Midtown activist and former mayoral candidate Shawn Eldredge announced Friday that he is running for the 3rd District seat on the City Council held by Steve Cohn. Communities in the district include downtown, East Sacramento, Midtown and Arden Fair. Eldredge, a building contractor, took a break from a construction project at the MARRS building in Midtown to talk about his plans. Last year, he lost the race for mayor to Kevin Johnson. If elected to the City Council, Eldredge said his priorities would be “clean and safe” issues, noting that business growth is linked to people feeling comfortable in their environment. Business growth and develop

The Bloc Concert Series has been canceled. Paragary marketing director Callista Wengler confirmed today that the series will not continue. It was scheduled to run the last Saturday of each month through September. The Paragary Restaurant Group organized the and ran the first two concerts to earn money for the Marshall Park Fountain Fund Committee. "We'd love to keep doing it, but it's just really expensive, and the costs were just way more than was expected," Wengler said. "The synergy between the outdoor space and the restaurants makes a great entertainment venue for people." Problems such as a lack of communication and organization began before the concert's debut on May 30, the same