Flood protection – particularly in the Natomas area – is a top priority for the city going into the new year as the City Council Law and Legislation Committee approved the city’s legislative priorities at last week’s meeting. “I wonder what New Orleans’ priorities were a year before Hurricane Katrina hit?” asked City Councilwoman Angelique Ashby Tuesday. “Was it working on that levee? Probably not.” Ashby’s District 1 includes the Natomas Basin – an area surrounded by 42 miles of levees and vulnerable to floodwaters. There has not been a significant flood in the Natomas Basin since the levees were constructed in the late 1800s, Rick Johnson, executive director of the Sacramento Area Flo

Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento) introduced a bill Monday that would require professional sports teams to pay off all debt involving taxpayer dollars to the municipality in which they are located before signing an agreement to move to another California city or county. bar one California city from issuing bonds to lure a professional sports team from another city in which existing bonds had not been paid. It would effectively require that the Sacramento Kings repay the city $77 million before the bonds approved by the Anaheim City Council could be issued. “It’s all about public dollars involved not just in the situation currently pending with regards to the (Sac

With his security detail watching the surroundings, Mayor Kevin Johnson answers a question about an earlier incident that involved a reported threat to his safety. To accommodate the media, the Mayor took a momentary break in a day-long series of meetings with the mayors of eight other California cities and several State officials, including Governor Jerry Brown. The "Big 10 Mayors" were in Sacramento in an attempt to keep redevelopment funds from being completely absorbed back into the State budget.

Nine mayors representing California’s largest cities met with Gov. Jerry Brown in a closed session Wednesday to urge him not to eliminate redevelopment agency funding. Speaking to reporters after the meeting on the West Steps of the Capitol, mayors from Sacramento, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Anaheim, Oakland, San Jose, Santa Ana, Fresno and San Diego explained their reasons for wanting to keep redevelopment agency dollars in the city budgets. “Every one of us understand the magnitude of the budget challenges we face in the state,” said Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. He added that all mayors understand the need to shoulder their share of the budget cuts necessitated by the rece

One of Sacramento’s iconic landmarks, Tower Bridge, celebrates its 75th anniversary Wednesday. At its inauguration on Dec. 15, 1935, the opening was heralded with the release of about 100 homing pigeons, who carried the news throughout the state. Although it’s now a lot easier to spread news, Caltrans spokesman Mike Dinger said the bridge operates with the same basic equipment it has for the past three quarters of a century. “We’ve made some upgrades for safety, but it’s almost all the original equipment,” he said. Bridge construction began in July of 1934, using some of President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal funds for the project, which was estimated to cost $700,000. The final price

Sacramentans driving past Sixth and Q streets might be wondering what the towering building is that resembles a nuclear cooling tower mated with a jungle gym. If they say it’s “cool,” they’d be on the right track. The multistory tower is part of the state of California’s rebuilt Central Plant, which provides heating and air conditioning to all 23 state buildings in the city. “It’s all for heating and cooling the state buildings,” said Project Director Joel Griffith of California’s Department of General Services. “We serve three functions: steam, chilled water and compressed air. It’s all sent through underground piping.” Most functions are currently on line, but some final tests need t

      Members of the Westboro Baptist Church plan to picket May 2 and 3 at the California State Capitol Building, the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, Shalom School, McClatchy High School and the Jewish Federation of Sacramento.       The Westboro Baptist Church regularly pickets funerals of soldiers and homosexuals and has recently gained media attention because of the United States Supreme Court Case they are involved in regarding a demonstration that members of the church made at a marine’s funeral.       McClatchy High School Principal Greg Purcell said that the administration is meeting next week to discuss how they can minimize the effect of the protest.       Regarding McClatchy

Navigating a newspaper is tricky. I avoid reading state government news early in the morning so as not to start my day feeling hopeless and impotent. Bring on the funnies. Who is accountable for state governance? Thursday night marked a new voice in state news and a new set of eyes narrowed on the Capitol. About fifty people gathered at Pyramid Ale House to celebrated the launch of CalWatchdog.com, a new journalism venture with a mission of “holding the government accountable for its spending and regulatory programs by exposing government waste, fraud and abuses of power.” I sat down with Steven Greenhut,, CalWatchdog editor in chief, amid beer, rain and power suits. Q: What inspired

In a recent article in the Sacramento Bee, dated February 26, 2009, The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation announced that the death of an inmate in their Pleasant Valley State Prison in Coalinga was being investigated by the Fresno County Sheriff’s Department. My question to CDCR is simple: Why does the largest law enforcement agency in the western United States, with over 30,000 sworn peace officer personnel, allow a county sheriff’s office to conduct their criminal investigations? CDCR is, bar none, the biggest cop-shop in California, yet they are running on decades-old policies and doctrine, mainly that they (CDCR) are not really law enforcement, but are actually

Several hundred hardhats gathered at the southwest corner of the Capitol grounds this morning to protest the budget deadlock that has thrown hundreds of labor brothers out of work. In fact, said Jarad Donabedin, a member of Laborers Local 185, “Everyone here is out of work. This is real life.” Called by the California Alliance for Jobs, speakers from operating engineers, carpenters and laborers locals spoke in a highly-charged atmosphere to repeated cheers from those gathered. The most common chant was “What do we want?” “A budget!” “When do we want it?” “Now!” chanted as the protesters circled around the area, holding picket signs reading “LEGISLATORS DO YOUR JOB SO WE DON’T LOSE OURS!

Lt. Governor Garamendi, Chief Justice George, President pro Tem Steinberg, Speaker Bass, Senate Republican Leader Cogdill, Assembly Republican Leader Villines, Members of the legislature, ladies and gentlemen, we meet in times of great hope for our nation. Although we hear the drumbeat of news about bailouts, bankruptcies and Ponzi schemes, the nation with great anticipation is also awaiting the inauguration of a new president. Our nation should be proud of what President-elect Obama's election says to the world about American openness and renewal. President Reagan used to tell about the letter he got from a man who said that you can go to live in Turkey, but you can't become a Turk. Yo