Mayor Kevin Johnson will have the attention of U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan on a regular basis. Johnson told reporters at a Monday press conference that Duncan selected him to co-chair a mayoral advisory council that will focus on federal education issues. The Duncan panel is one of two education panels to which Johnson was recently appointed: He will also lead a U.S. Conference of Mayors task force on K-12 public schools. Johnson described education as a key “civil rights issue” and said the majority of Sacramento schools are not keeping up with state standards. “The simplest thing I can do is make sure we do a better job of aligning our city programs and services with the s

 Mayor Kevin Johnson talked to residents about local issues including homelessness Monday night. Johnson spoke at a Neighborhood Advisory Group meeting at the Hart Senior Center in Midtown. He told residents about remarks President Barack Obama made in Washington, D.C. last week. During a trip last week to attend the U.S. Conference of Mayors in D.C., Johnson heard Obama make comments on regional economies and sustainability, Johnson said. Obama also stressed the importance of communities in neighborhoods, according to Johnson. Johnson said he learned from Obama’s remarks that local economies need to have a regional focus and that environmental sustainability will be critical to infras