Mayor Kevin Johnson opened Monday night’s town hall meeting with a speech on his upbringing in Oak Park. The attendants quickly shifted the mood of the meeting with a flood of questions on issues in Sacramento, and many ethnic communities showed concern for lack of support and communication in the past. Johnson said that early on in his term he made the mistake of thinking that there was only one Asian/Pacific Islanders community (API) in Sacramento, when there are in fact more than 40 communities. Because of this, he said he didn’t attend many of the API meetings held last year. He told attendees that this is something he wants to change. “When I was talking to the API community, I said

Members of Sacramento’s Latino community gathered Thursday night to ask questions and voice concerns at the first of Mayor Kevin Johnson’s Town Hall meetings for his 2012 campaign. Education and lack of funding for city public schools took top priority in the discussions. “There is nothing more important than our public education system, and we must do a better job with our schools,” said Mayor Johnson. Approximately 150 people attended the Town Hall at La Familia Counseling Center in North Franklin. Seats filled quickly and dozens of concerned community members stood in the entryway and aisles. Affordable access to health care, racial profiling by police, support and funding for the art

A new children’s hospital, a high-tech business center and a television-film-video game industry complex were some of the ideas Natomas residents discussed Thursday as potential re-uses for the current arena site – if the arena is relocated. More than 80 residents and business owners met at a town hall meeting hosted by Assemblyman Dr. Richard Pan and City Councilwoman Angelique Ashby for an hour-long discussion and question-and-answer session about the arena’s future. Attendees expressed ideas and concerns about what the city should do with what has been a hub of sports and entertainment activity for more than 20 years. Power Balance Pavillion (formerly Arco Arena) has been home to the

Approximately 40 Sacramentans attended the Charter Review Committee meeting held at Sam Pannell Meadowview Community Center on Wednesday.  The committee drafted a report that recommends changes to the City Charter Committee. Committee members William Edgar, JoAnn Fuller, and Chester Newland presented an overview of the committee's purpose and tentative decisions reached, and took turns answering questions from the audience.  Handouts were distributed, delineating Charter Review Committee procedures, focus areas for review, and a time line for their work plan.   "The City Charter Committee was appointed by City Council in response to the 'strong mayor initiative,' Edgar said. "We were not

Greetings from City Hall. I've been on the job for about two weeks now. Fortunately I was able to hit the ground running with the help of a 100+ community members that were part of my transition team. They included the director of the 40 Acres Art Gallery, the director of Regional Transit, faith leaders, and bicycle advocates. As you may know, my campaign slogan was "A City That Works for Everyone," and we've started out exactly that way. One of the first products of the transition team's work is a policy paper on transportation, which you can view on my website, www.kevinjohnsonformayor.com. Its focus is to reduce traffic congestion and promote mass transit. I'd welcome your feedback. (