At the outset of the City Council meeting Tuesday, Mayor Kevin Johnson promised a robust discussion on the subject of redistricting, and robust is what he got. It was another full house Tuesday with nearly 500 people crowding into City Hall, filling every seat in the council chambers and overflowing to makeshift seating areas on the second floor – everyone with the same agenda item on their minds: redistricting. Neighbors, schoolchildren and spokespeople for Latino and African American communities of interest lined up – more than 100-deep – to give their two minutes’ input on where new district boundary lines should be drawn. At the council meeting on Aug. 16, more than 200 people atten

Before guests could hit the dance floor and mingle with friends at a non-profit organization’s 10th Anniversary celebration, local community leaders gave a “Celebrity Show” posing to be celebrities of the last decade to say a few words. The emcee introduced the first celebrity – Hillary Clinton. Walking and gracefully waving to “Stand by Your Man” by Tammy Wynette from the back of the ballroom to the podium is Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg’s (D-Sacramento) District Director Susan McKee. Guests stood up from their seats to take videos and photos while others clapped and laughed. “I told the President that C.C. Yin has always been my man and all of you know I stand by my man,

“Freedom has not come as a gift, but as a triumph.” –Alice Paul The 1911 victory for California women made California the sixth state to win equal suffrage for women. The California win doubled the number of women who could vote in the United States, building electoral power and support for the 1920 passing of the 19th amendment, which would give all women in the country the right to vote. The Sacramento History Museum has unveiled a unique and wonderfully elaborate exhibition detailing the long struggle women fought to win the vote, not only in California but in all of the United States, aptly titled “We Won the Vote! 100 years of Equal Suffrage in California.” The exhibit displays tru

  Want to help end violence against women in our community? Maybe you want to help feed the hungry? Right now, it’s as easy as clicking a button. Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento created an innovative campaign in honor of their 10th anniversary to help raise $10,000 for a deserving charity. 17 nonprofits are vying for the prize. Among them are WEAVE, River City Food Bank, Society for the Blind, and a host of others. By clicking a single button to cast your vote online, you can help your favorite charity earn this critical grant. You can make a difference in three easy ways: 1) cast your vote online; 2) tell all your friends to vote; and 3) share the voting link on your Facebook and Twi

Dear Mr. Mayor, I know that you have been busy with the election and all, and then the wedding plans, and  finding a place for Sacramento’s homeless, and keeping the Kings in town, the rail yard deal,etc. etc. etc. But Dude; you gotta proof read the emails your vast media machine puts out. They got some of it wrong. I did a quick Big Education Ape touchup: what do you think? your pal, Mike Correction: Vote for  Community! Dear Neighbor, This email isn't going to bore you with the standard "here's why Election Day is important to democracy" lecture. If you're reading this, you know Election Day matters. What you may not know is why Tuesday means so much down the ticket -- where the sch

If you can't find a place to vote on Tuesday, you're not looking very hard. They're all over the place, and the address of your polling place should be on your ballot. But we thought it would be interesting, and perhaps useful, to list all of the polling places around Sacramento's central city.  As you can see below, there's no shortage, from churches to garages, schools to retirement homes.  There's really no excuse, now is there?  Note well: If you know you are registered, but don't know your polling place, go here.  If you know you're registered, and you go to your polling place but they don't have you on the rolls, you can still vote with a "provisional" ballot. It will be counted

What with the excitement of Sacramento city council and county supervisor races – competition, deals, drama, controversies, strong/weak mayor, and the like – and even some interesting regional and statewide races, who really has time to study and vote intelligently about the propositions that also are on our ballots? Once again Sacramento voters are faced with the usual array of statewide propositions this year: five on the June ballot and another three qualified for November, three pending at the Attorney General’s Office, signatures filed for seven, the Legislature considering nine, 24 gathering signatures for topics like taxes, abortion, pensions, human trafficking, redistricting and r

Ok, we have been updating you all along with the success of the "Sacramento Has Talent" Competition being held at the "New" Tommy T's Comedy Cluib; well, the Second Round is about to start this Tuesday Aug. 11th at 7:30. All good acts, but only half make it on to the Finals. The audience is always the best judge, and that's why with this competition it's the audience who decide which acts have what it takes to represent our area. Come join us and help pick the Best, because we got rid of the Rest!  Starting with this next round of shows, all the acts win because TV cameras will be taking it all in and soon these talented people will be seen on your local TV screen. Come out and be a part

This coming Tuesday August 4th is the Final preliminary level show in our "Sacramento Has Talent" Competition. Held at the "New" Tommy T's Comedy Club (above the ole' Spaghetti Factory on Hwy 50 & Hazel) Tuesday at 7:30 (out early) and only a $5 cover. A whole lot of fun because the audience votes the talent through to the next level, some come out and vote! Ages 16 & over welcome for this special Local Talent Event. Anyone that wants to sign up for this last opportunity to perform should visit www.sactotalent.com for details.  

Tuesday, May 19th, polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. for a statewide special election for six budget-related propositions. For those Sacramento Press readers who already registered, the following is a resource guide to make sure your vote gets counted: Statewide, the Official Voter Information Guide is a great place to read a summary of the issues 1A-1F in a number of different languages, and it includes the following forward from Debra Bowen, Secretary of State:   Dear Fellow Voter: By registering to vote, you have taken the first step in playing an active role in deciding California’s future. Now, to help you make your decisions, my office has created this Official Voter Inform

Sacramento citizens gathered, at the South Natomas Community Center, to oppose the proposed costly mayoral power grab. Joan Bryant, co-chair of the grass roots coalition "Stop the Power Grab", was joined by former Sacramento Mayor Anne Rudin, to speak to the crowd. "We are here today as a group of ordinary citizens who want to keep the doors of city hall open and accessible", said Rudin. "I applaud this group of citizens for coming together to do the right thing to stand against this." Bryant announced that the formation of this coalition, "Stop the Power Grab", is intended to make sure that the voice of the people is not shut out of city hall. "This measure is an unnecessary power grab",

City slickers will complain about the long lines at the polls, with people snaking out the door and around the parking lot. All the pushing, shoving and obnoxious anonymous strangers which make up the voting population can create a serious headache. Now I've never encountered a crowd this intense, but voting day crowds still aren't something I look forward to. In the several years since I've been of voting age, I've waited in lines at dormitories, schools, and other public buildings too nondescript to really remember. But this past election day, as I followed the makeshift signs reading "Polling Place," I found myself treading farther and farther away from the main road. A little confuse

Am I the only one? Okay. So I know what I am about to write may not have anything to do with Southside Park, or downtown. I don’t have a story about flooding on 9th and J Street, nor can I write about an old abandoned building that is scheduled for demolition in a few days time. I can, however, right about something that is truly going to affect everyone in this town and towns all across this nation. On Tuesday, November 4, 2008, millions of people will exercise the “hard-fought-for” right to vote for the President of the United States. I can’t control the excitement I feel inside. I have voted for a president four times in my life and only one of my guys won (two consecutive terms). Thi

 I am from Mississippi and have been living in Sacramento for a year attending school. My father arranged to have the absentee ballot sent to me here. Disappointingly, the ballot was the only straight-forward document of the bunch. The instructions were convoluted to say the least. The envelope required to mail the ballot was even more confusing. What was clear was that I had to fill out my ballot in front of a witness. The witness could be a notary public, postmaster, asst. postmaster or postal clerk. In the last general election, the directions were very clear cut. It stated that a notary should be the witness and there was room for their seal. In the new and improved procedure, there