Community centers in Sacramento got a boost Tuesday when the City Council approved more than $459,000 in funding to close the gap between what the centers have and what they need to stay open until next year’s budget is passed. Council members voted unanimously to take $459,188 from the city’s Economic Uncertainty Reserve – money that initially came from cell phone tower profits in each district – to pay for labor, supplies and services necessary for the remainder of the fiscal year. The total funding necessary to maintain operation of the city’s 15 community centers was $917,000 in the 2010-11 fiscal year, according to Dave Mitchell, division manager for the Dept. of Parks and Recreatio

When City Council members approved the 2011-12 budget in June, they said that the city’s community centers would not be closed – but the centers won’t receive any city funding to keep them open, either. Now, a team of people at the city’s Neighborhood Services Department, along with the Department of Parks and Recreation, are trying to keep the 15 community centers in Sacramento open by partnering with nonprofit and community-based organizations. Late last year, Neighborhood Services had already begun looking for ways to make the idea work when it sent out “requests for proposals” seeking groups interested in overseeing the centers and providing the financial backing needed to operate th

The city’s Neighborhood Services Division is on the chopping block again this year after it lost its status as a department in last year’s budget cuts. In June, the City Council is expected to make major cuts to close out the city’s $39 million budget gap for the 2011/2012 fiscal year. The Neighborhood Services Division, which links neighborhoods to city issues and events and works with residents on local concerns, could lose two full-time employee positions to budget cuts. While two positions may seem like a low number, the division has only seven employees, according to Vincene Jones, Neighborhood Services manager. In last year’s budget process, the Neighborhood Services Department be

The city is addressing concerns about the Second Saturday Art Walk, Midtown nightlife and safety from a variety of angles, city officials said Monday night. During a meeting with the Neighborhood Advisory Group, City Councilman Steve Cohn and city staff from neighborhood services, police, parks, parking enforcement and community development discussed efforts to combat gang violence and other crime, rule changes taking effect for Second Saturday next month and parking issues. The measures are a first step toward tackling growing or ongoing problems that have been pinpointed by residents, businesses and the city. However, more steps may be taken down the road if needed, Vincene Jones, dire

A few more changes are in the works for the Second Saturday Art Walk in an effort to reduce problems and increase the focus on art, city and business leaders said Wednesday. The changes will take effect in April, when the event's crowds are expected to grow as warm weather returns to Sacramento. The city's Second Saturday safety team has come up with some modifications in the wake of a fatal shooting in September 2010. The biggest change is a requirement that vendors, musicians with amplified sound and other street performers who are set up on public property – primarily sidewalks or closed streets – operate from 4 - 8 p.m. Live music is part of a growing music scene that has emerged on

A group of nearly 40 residents and city staffers held an in-depth discussion on the city’s redistricting process Monday night at the Ethel Hart Senior Center. Residents explored a range of topics, including the role of race in the process. The city redesigns its City Council districts every 10 years by using U.S. Census data. The 2010 Census data that the city will use is expected to be released in April. The new districts must be drawn up and finished six months after the Census data is available, according to the city’s charter. The city’s deadline for the 2011 redistricting process will be Sept. 27. At Monday night’s redistricting forum, hosted by the Area 1 Neighborhood Advisory Gro

 The city’s youth development programs are diminishing after a slew of budget cuts. The Office of Youth Development was one of many city programs that suffered from cuts when the city resolved a $43 million budget gap in June. The office, which launched in 2007, was gutted. It is no longer an office — its programs are now part of the Parks and Recreation Department. An Aug. 8 document on the city’s website said the Office of Youth Development is not looking for new funding. And the position of director and two neighborhood youth resource coordinator jobs were chopped, leaving only one remaining staffer from the office.  “It’s not going to be the proactive group that it was,” Lori Harde

Sacramento’s city government is in the midst of a major overhaul. The merging of seven city departments and offices was among many cuts city leaders made to close out a $43 million budget shortfall. Consolidations of several departments, including Neighborhood Services and Parks and Recreation, are now under way. Neighborhood Services is no longer its own department. It’s now a division of the Parks and Recreation Department. The Office of Youth Development also lost its unique status — it now falls under the umbrella of Parks and Recreation. The consolidations include cuts to a few top positions. Vincene Jones, who was the director of the Neighborhood Services Department, is now the ma

The city’s $43 million budget gap means that the city’s Neighborhood Services Department won’t be a distinct department much longer. Neighborhood Services, which works with citizens on their concerns with the city government, will be moved into the Parks and Recreation Department to save money, according to a report from Interim Assistant City Manager Patti Bisharat. The Office of Youth Development will also join Parks and Recreation. Interim City Manager Gus Vina has scheduled the changes to be made in July, according to Bisharat’s report. But Neighborhood Services Director Vincene Jones isn’t leaving the city government. Jones will be the manager of Neighborhood Services under the Pa

There were several Earth Day celebrations and events Thursday. One of the biggest and most successful was the official City of Sacramento Earth Day Celebration. The event was held at Cesar Chavez Park and in the plaza of City Hall. An estimated 3,500 people of all ages attend this years' event. It was supported by Mayor Kevin Johnson and the City Council. The City of Sacramento Neighborhood Services Department organized the event.   I spoke with Neighborhood Services Department Director Vincene Jones. Jones and her staff started back in January giving early notice to Sacramento area schools, informing them of the event and its value as a field trip. Local media was enlisted to help get t

The staffers at the Sacramento Neighborhood Services Department are exactly the kind of people who will greet you with a root beer float. In a break between two shifts of hosting neighbors and providing root beer floats on Thursday, Neighborhood Services Department Director Vincene Jones talked with The Sacramento Press. The department, which works with residents to address issues in Sacramento communities, held an open house at its new digs at City Hall. Jones explained her priorities and also addressed the city’s recent budget cuts. In response to cuts, the department laid off an analyst and a neighborhood resources coordinator. The layoffs shrunk the size of the department to a staff

The local firefighters’ union is objecting to city management’s comments about Sacramento's budget crunch and possible layoffs for fire department staff. At the same time, the Downtown Sacramento Partnership and Sacramento’s neighborhood services department both expressed concerns Monday about the potential budget cuts being considered by the city. The proposed 2009/2010 city budget, released Friday, seeks to address a $50 million deficit. The City Council will address the proposed budget at its May 19 meeting. Among other cuts, the budget proposes to lay off 189 city employees. The budget calls for 387 positions to be slashed. Because 198 of those positions are vacant, the city would n

The City Management Academy, which educates residents and business owners about city processes, may be cut to save the city money. The money needs to be saved to balance Sacramento’s $50 million budget deficit. “That is one of the things that may be on the chopping block for this department,” said Vincene Jones, Neighborhood Services Department Director. She noted that the program, which began in 1995, always drew 25-30 participants each year. The program consists of a 10-week class in which residents and business owners learn about the city’s management approaches and visit various city facilities. Jones said the academy “empowers our community.” More than 280 residents and business