At the Feb. 7 City Council meeting, council members scrapped Mayor Kevin Johnson’s strong mayor initiative – dubbed the Checks and Balances Act of 2012 – in favor of an elected charter review commission. The move, initiated by Councilman Kevin McCarty and supported by six other council votes, paves the way for a costly November election and a tangled web of political intrigue and shenanigans. The cost for electing a charter review commission is still undetermined – it will depend largely on how many candidates line up seeking a spot, according to the city clerk’s office. Just placing the question of “Do you want an elected charter review commission?” on the ballot will cost an estimated

Charter reform will be an item on the November ballot, but not in the form of a strong mayor initiative. Instead, voters will be asked if they want to elect a 15-member commission to review the city charter. After more than 20 people spoke on the topic during public comment, the City Council voted 5-4 Tuesday to reject putting the Checks and Balances Act of 2012 – the strong mayor initiative – to a public vote in November. Council members Sandy Sheedy, Rob Fong, Kevin McCarty, Darrell Fong and Bonnie Pannell were the majority votes. Council members Angelique Ashby, Steve Cohn, Jay Schenirer and Mayor Kevin Johnson each voted in favor of the measure  no . Two governance-related consider

The 2012 election cycle is ramping up in Sacramento, and one topic that is sure to be on the table is a strong mayor initiative. Mayor Kevin Johnson brought the topic to the fore during his 2008 campaign for mayor shortly after his 2008 election win in his race against then-mayor Heather Fargo, but the idea didn’t fly with members of the City Council, and the initiative never got off the ground. With another mayoral race coming up in 2012, Johnson said he believes the idea of a strong mayor initiative is ripe for ballot consideration once again. “This is a topic that people are ready to take on,” Johnson said at a press conference Tuesday. “There are many people involved and interested

Mayor Kevin Johnson introduced a new member to his staff, Chief Service Officer Keith Hart. Hart is in charge of "working closely with the mayor's office to increase volunteer opportunities, encourage services and tailor volunteer efforts around city in most pressing challenging areas," Johnson said. The position is funded by a two-year grant that has only been issued to 10 cities in the nation. The Rockefeller Foundation grant is intended to assist the city with the upstart of the chief service officer position and volunteer efforts. Johnson's hope is that two years is enough time to prove the benefits of creating such a position and that the city will be able to sustain it without furth

I'm not a political analyst by trade [shocker, I know], but given the orotund "we shall overcome" flavor of Mayor Johnson's latest blog on his  collaboratively-named TEAMKJ.ORG web site, his opposition will be glad to know he has officially abandoned his fiery "Pot Roast of Public Anger" and retreated to the less flammable (and more familiar) "Passive Aggressive Soup." Only now, papa Johnson got a brand new bag : defender of voter rights. Hypocritically titled "your voice still matters," Mayor J's latest blog (which has attracted a whopping 66 views to date) attempts to paint the city council as a change-resistant band of oppressors, the voters as victims of some great miscarriage of just

Sometimes you can want something so much, and push for it so hard, that you end up creating the opposite of what you wanted. Which is perhaps how we've ended up with such a weak mayor. That was never more clear than on Tuesday night, when Mayor Kevin Johnson's dogged pursuit of a "strong mayor" remake of the city charter went down - spectacularly - at the hands of a city council united against him. Smart, driven, confident and somewhat charismatic, Johnson came into office on a tide of support that gave him what pundits like to call political capital. But he also came in at a difficult time, with a city government at its most stressed and dysfunctional, and with questions about his char

Much has been made over the recent quid pro quo allegations made by Sacramento City Councilmember Ray Tretheway. At a recent press conference, Tretheway said he was told he could garner the endorsement of Mayor Kevin Johnson if he voted in favor of placing a “strong mayor” proposal on the November ballot. On Tuesday, Johnson announced his endorsement of Tretheway’s opponent, Angelique Ashby, leading Tretheway to hold a news conference on Wednesday alleging six influential businesspeople unsuccessfully pressured him to participate in the quid pro situation. Tretheway later said only one of those people, Steve Ayers, is to blame. The underlying aspect of this controversy is the Strong May

Democrats will carry some momentum into the 2010 elections, thanks in part to the party’s central committee, the Democratic Party of Sacramento County. The number of registered Democrats in Sacramento County has increased by 23,000 since 2008, while Republican registration has dropped by 3,000. “It was going up before 2008, too,” said Devin Lavelle, communications chair for the Democratic Party of Sacramento County. “It’s been pretty clear over the past decade that the Democratic Party lines up with most Californians’ values.” Lavelle’s group serves as a central committee for the party as well as an umbrella organization for other affiliated clubs in the area, including the Young Democr

They walked out onto the stage at the gym at Genevieve Didion Elementary, each wearing suits and ties. They weren’t clammed up, having talked to various people in the crowd prior to taking the stage. Each of them was familiar with the neighborhood, and had a desire to represent it. Current City Councilmember Robbie Watters, retired Sacramento Police Captain Darrell Fong, and Sacramento State professor Ryan Chin all participated in Thursday night’s Sacramento City Council 7th District Candidate Forum, organized by the Didion-Lewis Park Recreation Center Committee. And once they took their seats, none of them could escape responding to questions about the Strong Mayor Initiative, acrimony a

Mayor Kevin Johnson has abandoned his effort to put his latest “strong mayor” proposal on the June ballot, saying there is not enough support from council members. Johnson said he now plans to start campaigning to place the proposal on the November ballot. He also cited the city’s budget deficit as a reason to delay the initiative to November. “There’s not a lot of appetite from council members to put it on the ballot in June,” Johnson said. “Secondly, we had a budget workshop last week on Thursday and we have some significant challenges that we need to deal with going forward.” He said he will ask the City Council at tonight’s meeting to consider placing the proposal on the November ba

Today the Mayor pushed the City Council to put a new Strong Mayor Initiative on the ballot within the next two weeks. Rushing a proposal to the ballot without time for vetting or community involvement is bad government and bad politics. If we change the way our government operates, it should be focused on more community involvement and more open, transparent government. The process through which we pursue change should reflect those values. Changing our City’s Constitution is not something we should take lightly. The process matters. An open, transparent, process that involves the community and all stake holders will lead to a sound, responsible policy that reflects our community and our

In a day of twists and turns for the strong mayor initiative, the biggest event was summed up in five words: “Petition summarily denied by order." The 3rd District Court of Appeal earlier today published a ruling that prevents the measure from being placed on the June ballot. This means the Court of Appeal chose not to temporarily halt the Sacramento Superior Court decision that struck down the initiative. “I’m very disappointed by the decision, and that’s putting it mildly," Mayor Kevin Johnson said in a press statement. "At the same time, I’m inspired like never before to fight for the people of Sacramento. Today, citizens have been denied their right to vote and accountability has b

After months of exhaustive review, the League of Women Voters of Sacramento County has announced its opposition to the so-called “Strong Mayor Initiative” that Mayor Kevin Johnson is pushing for the June 2010 ballot. “SAVE Sacramento is proud to have the League of Women Voters join us in opposition to the Strong Mayor Initiative. This independent, non-partisan organization is extremely well-respected by most voters for its thoughtful, reasonable review process and the resulting positions it takes on the issues. We are pleased that the League came to the same conclusion that we did – that the Strong Mayor Initiative would grant the mayor an unprecedented level of power, opens the door to

The judge considering a lawsuit in Sacramento County Superior Court over the “strong mayor” initiative has released an initial ruling saying that the initiative should not be placed on the June 2010 ballot. This is not the judge’s final decision on the case. The strong mayor initiative would give Mayor Kevin Johnson many new powers. Judge Loren McMaster noted that he analyzed the argument that the public has a right to participate in initiatives. “The Court recognizes the right of the people to vote on initiative measures,” the judge wrote. “The Court does not lightly dismiss such, and has taken this very important right in consideration in ruling on the matter.” But the judge wrote th

The Stonewall Democratic Club of Greater Sacramento’s voter forum on the Strong Mayor Initiative served as the unofficial kickoff to the 2010 June Election season. Monday, over one hundred Sacramentans listened as the pros and cons of the Strong Mayor Initiative were debated and the majority and minority perspectives on the Charter Review Commission’s report were discussed. “I’m ecstatic about the turnout. It once again shows Sacramentans are committed to civic engagement," Stonewall President Chris Moore said. "Far too often very substantial changes to public policy are made via the ballot box without appropriate vetting. Tonight we’re trying to give more opportunity for folks to conside

The union that represents Sacramento police officers is supporting Mayor Kevin Johnson’s “strong mayor” initiative, saying it would give the mayor the power to guarantee sufficient public safety funding. Meanwhile, Bill Camp, the plaintiff who challenged the initiative in a Dec. 1 lawsuit, said a strong mayor form of government could lead to job insecurity for police department employees who are not represented by unions. Camp is the executive secretary of the Sacramento Central Labor Council. He filed the lawsuit as a private citizen. Sacramento residents will vote on the initiative on June 10. The initiative would give the mayor many new powers and would change the city’s existing coun

When a group of opponents to the “strong mayor” initiative talked to reporters earlier this month, a spontaneous debate over the initiative took place between two local veteran politicos. Steve Maviglio, public affairs consultant and Mayor Kevin Johnson’s unpaid spokesman, sparred with Phil Giarrizzo, a political consultant who is working for the camp that opposes the strong mayor initiative. Johnson, who leads the campaign for the initiative, would attain new powers if it passes. He would assume the duties of the city manager and create the city’s budget, among other responsibilities. Johnson's campaign says that more than 50,000 people signed petitions to put the initiative on the ball

The Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce on Thursday endorsed the strong mayor initiative going before primary election voters next summer. Following study by a task force, the business association voiced support for an executive mayor with more power than the current city charter allows. The initiative's passage would change the form of city government that was established in 1921, according to the chamber. "The city of Sacramento deserves a government structure that is effective and accountable," said Matt Mahood, president and chief executive officer of the chamber, in a press conference at chamber headquarters. The press conference was held about a week after several local u

Former Sacramento Mayor Heather Fargo said she has been considering running for re-election. In news that would be welcome to many who still call her by her honorary title, Fargo said Friday she has thought about running for the seat she lost a year ago to former NBA star Kevin Johnson. "I have," she said. "Mainly because I'm asked all the time. "It was clearly a great honor to be elected mayor. It was very painful, very challenging and incredibly rewarding at the same time," she said during one of her first media interviews since leaving office. It's far too soon to say whether she will run in the 2012 mayoral election, Fargo said. However, she may want more challenge than the behind-

Michelle Smira, a Republican strategist and consultant to mayor Kevin Johnson, resigned from her position on October 22. Below is her letter of resignation: Dear Mayor Johnson, It has been a pleasure and an honor to serve as a volunteer in your office, the Office of the Mayor. The opportunity to serve as your liaison to various organizations and to meet with constituents on your behalf has been very rewarding. Thank you for this opportunity. I believe strongly that the people of Sacramento voted overwhelmingly for you to represent us as Mayor because we wanted change. What has become apparent is that we desperately need change. I will be stepping away as a volunteer in your official offic