The City Council selected a new vice mayor Thursday: City Councilwoman Angelique Ashby will be running the show this year when the mayor is unavailable. City Councilman Steve Cohn nominated Ashby for vice mayor, saying it has been the council’s tradition to have the most senior council member who has not already served as vice mayor hold the position. Ashby was elected to the District 1 council seat in 2010. She has just one week seniority over Councilman Jay Schenirer. “There are more good reasons to nominate her than just tradition,” Cohn added. “She always smiles, and she’ll do a good job of running the meetings.” Ashby said she’s honored to hold the vice mayor’s seat, regardless of

The City Council on Tuesday selected Councilwoman Bonnie Pannell to be its second-in-command after the mayor. Pannell will serve as the city’s vice mayor for 2011. She replaces former City Councilman Robbie Waters, who held the vice mayor position in 2010. The vice mayor fills in for the mayor in certain circumstances. Assistant City Clerk Stephanie Mizuno said the duties of the vice mayor are spelled out in the city’s charter. “During any absence of the mayor from the city or a meeting of the city council, the vice-mayor shall be the acting mayor until the mayor returns,” the charter states. “In addition, if the mayor becomes incapable of acting as mayor and incapable of delegating dut

It took about thirteen extra seconds, but at the end of a rousing countdown Midtown got its own Christmas Tree. Here is the video of the countdown. Tonight the Midtown Business Association, The City of Sacramento, and California State Parks all helped light up the beautiful Christmas tree at Sutter's Fort on the corner of 26th and K streets. Vice Mayor Steve Cohn, California state assemblymember Dave Jones, and Mayor Kevin Johnson all had kind words for the crowd. There was plenty of cheer in the crowd. Sometimes living in Midtown it feels like there are no families or kids in the nighborhood, but at this event families and children were front and center. The kids running around playin