Newest articles on The Sacramento Press tagged as "vote"

Record number of residents speak out at City Council meeting

2011-08-24T07:08:00Z

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 attended and nearly 70 people spoke during public comment expressing outrage about the proposed redistricting map, even though the item was not on the agenda.

Representatives from the Oak Park and Med Center neighborhoods – which are the focal point of contention for the council at the moment – took center stage once again this week as speaker after speaker took council members to task on a decision that may change the way their community is represented for the next 10 years.

“We are speaking with one voice,” said Mike Boyd, president of the Oak Park Neighborhood Association. “We’re speaking about how it feels to a community like Oak Park to have the heart of our community cleaved from our neighborhood body.”

In a letter sent to Oak Park residents on Friday, Boyd encouraged people to “organize and mobilize” to keep the community “whole.”

“We will not allow our assets to be looted,” the letter stated. “Keep the pressure on!”

The Neighborhoods Together 2.0 map changes the district boundaries around Oak Park, placing the Med Center neighborhood – which includes Sacramento High School and the UC Davis Medical Center – from District 5 into District 6.

Strictly speaking, they’re talking about 1,053 residents, with all but six people living west of Stockton Boulevard.

Practically speaking, however, the discussion is about more than population – it’s about history, community, and the will of the people.

“You wouldn’t take the Statue of Liberty out of New York; or the White House out of Washington, D.C.; or the zoo out of South Land Park” said Junea Montoya, a senior at Sacramento High School, “so why would you take Sac High and the Med Center out of Oak Park?”

In response to public comment at last week’s council meeting, Councilman Jay Schenirer asked city staff to provide a map variation that places the Med Center neighborhood in District 5 rather than District 6, as it’s drawn in the current 2.0 map.

Schenirer said that he hopes the council will give serious consideration to his revision, “if we’re really about neighborhoods and keeping neighborhoods together.”

With the legal deadline looming to finalize a new district map for the city, council members are under the gun to make a final decision – and it’s a decision that has, so far, spurred an outpouring of emotion from people in every camp.

“Redistricting is not about moving assets from district to district,” said Andie Corso, an Oak Park resident and a member of Johnson’s Stand Up education initiative.

“It’s about evening out population,” Corso said. “We’re talking about two community assets being moved (because of) the 2.0 map, and it’s completely unnecessary.”

Councilmen Steve Cohn and Kevin McCarty each addressed the crowd to explain the rationale for the makeup of the 2.0 map, but their words were met with groans and head-shaking from the audience.

“We’ve collected more than 500 signatures in just 13 days,” said Oak Park resident Kristina Smith. “Fifty-four of these signatures are from your neighbors on your block, Mr. McCarty. Will you ignore the voices of your own neighbors?”

Before starting public comment, Johnson told the audience that a record 103 speakers had signed in – 24 supportive of the Neighborhoods Together 2.0 map, and 79 opposed to it.

“It’s clear by the showing here today – nearly three to one – how you feel about it,” Johnson said, referring to the number of people who asked to speak Tuesday.

One of the speakers in opposition to the 2.0 map was Sacramento County Supervisor and former Sacramento Mayor Jimmy Yee, who returned to council a second time in two weeks to reiterate his feelings about the division of his neighborhood, South Land Park.

Holding up a sign that read “Keep Oak Park whole,” Yee said, “I want to change this sign a little and have it read ‘Keep Oak Park and South Land Park whole.”

At a press conference earlier in the day, Johnson said he hoped Tuesday’s meeting would have at least one “happy surprise” for Sacramento – that of coming to a consensus about what the new map will look like.

“It’s about doing what’s right tonight,” Johnson said.

The council was set to vote on an ordinance finalizing the 2.0 map, unless someone on the council made a motion to amend the map in some way.

The ordinance stated that preserving existing neighborhoods was “a major focal point” during the deliberations by the City Council.

“The concern over existing neighborhoods made for difficult policy decisions,” the ordinance states, making it “impossible to satisfy” the wishes of all of the residents who voiced their concerns at public meetings.

More than three hours into the meeting – and after more than an hour of public comment – a final vote was yet to be taken at the dais.

The Sacramento Press will post an update in the morning on the result of Tuesday’s council meeting.

Melissa Corker is a Staff Reporter with The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @MelissaCorker.

State Controller and Sacramento Mayor celebrate non-profit’s decade of success

2011-08-05T18:31:54Z

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,” Clinton said. “I brought a special gift from the White House, but, because of budget cuts, it’s only a key chain.”

The room roared with laughter until the next celebrity was introduced.

Assemblyman Roger Dickinson played Jerry Brown, NAACP Sacramento Branch President Betty Williams played Diana Ross and former Sacramento Monarchs’ player Ruthie Bolton played Oprah Winfrey, just to name a few.

Over 700 guests attended the 10th Anniversary Gala celebration of non-profit, non-partisan organization Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs Association’s (APAPA) Saturday, July 31 at Sheraton Grand Hotel.

The celebration included dinner, several speakers, a video about the organization and lots of dancing.

Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson began the ceremony noting how thankful he is for APAPA’s contributions to the community.

“I’m so proud to have APAPA based in Sacramento,” said Johnson.

Founded in 2001 by C.C. Yin and fellow civic-minded community members, APAPA’s goal is to empower Asian Americans in civic and public affairs through education, active participation and leadership development.

Keynote speaker California State Controller John Chiang is grateful for APAPA and its effort in helping create leaders who are willing to make the tough decisions.

“What APAPA has tried to do in the last decade is to narrow the divide between research and knowledge and good public policy,” said Chiang.

A video showcasing APAPA's successes of the past decade was played. Check out the video.

APAPA has given over $50,000 in scholarships and over 80 State Capitol internships. In 2001, there were no API state and constitutional office holders. In 2009, there were 15.

APAPA helped bring about API leaders into our government system.

Looking back at the past decade, Yin had high hopes for the future.

“Ten years from now, led by the younger generation, APAPA will be taken to the national level,” said Yin.

APAPA currently has four chapters throughout California: Collegiate, Bay Area, Central Valley and Southern California.

Yin invited everyone to the dance floor with the final words.

“See you in October,” said Yin.

Every September or October since 2005, APAPA has put together Voters Education and Candidates Forum free for the public to become more aware of the democratic process, register to vote, interact one-on-one with candidates and watch debates.

Last year, over 30 state and constitutional candidates spoke and debated with opponents for the some 2,000 attendees at California State University, Sacramento.

On Saturday, October 22, APAPA’s 2011 Voters Education and Candidates Forum will be held in San Francisco.

For more information, visit www.APAPA.org.

We Won the Vote! 100 Years of Equal Suffrage in CA Exhibit Inspires

2011-07-11T17:04:58Z

“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 true gems of a different time, including original letters from Susan B. Anthony, original artwork by Selina Solomons, a variety of women’s suffrage posters and many examples of anti-suffrage paraphernalia, which, from a modern perspective, seems humorous in its stereotypically pre-feminist ideology, but it serves as an important reminder of where modern day society has come from. One such example, a vintage valentine, affectionately inscribed, “Some long for votes & women’s rights, and shout with great ado; I’d be content with a cozy home, a fireside, and you.”

As you make your way through the many displays, you are faced with pictures of early feminist heroes: Alice Paul, Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady-Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, Sojourner Truth and many others. An original photograph from the Seneca Falls Convention of 1848 hangs in a case, immortalizing the women who began the over-70-year struggle to gain the right to vote. It is alongside original pamphlets, banners, sashes and buttons which accessorize the display beautifully.

While the entire exhibition is inspiring, perhaps the most moving displays are the audio bits from movement greats Helen Valeska Bary, general secretary for the Political Equality League of California during the 1910-1911 campaign; Jesse Haven Butler, investigator for the U.S. Department of Labor; Miriam Allen de Ford, a soap-box speaker from Philadelphia; and Ernestine Hara Kettler, arrested for picketing in front of the White House in 1917.

The recollections of the movement, told by voices affected by time, spoken by women who truly dedicated their lives to a movement, and in some cases martyred themselves for the cause, leave quite an impression.

This exhibition should serve not only as a visual history of the women’s suffrage movement, but also as a reminder that the freedoms we enjoy today and oftentimes take for granted, were won by the hard work and organization of many, the dedication of lives and truly the blood, sweat and tears of our foremothers and forefathers. See for yourself and be inspired.

The We Won the Vote exhibition will be on display at the Sacramento History Museum through mid-September and will then move to the State Capital Museum, where it will be on display from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30, 2012.

Click a Button & Your Favorite Charity Could Earn $10,000

2011-02-16T20:16:08Z

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 Twitter pages.

Hurry! Voting ends tonight (February 16) at midnight!

In full disclosure, this article was written by a WEAVE employee in the hopes that you’ll pick YOUR favorite charity. I very much appreciate having a public forum to spread the word. If you’ve got some extra time on your hands, you can click the link to the voting page over and over and over and (you get the point) again! Go vote and help change our community!

Correction: Vote for Community!

2010-11-02T00:58:36Z

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 school board candidates reside.
We have a chance on Nov. 2 to create real community in Sacramento. Three people running for the Sacramento City Unified school board can make the difference. They need your support.

Ellyne Bell (Area 1), Jeff Cuneo (Area 2) and Darrel Woo (Area 6) are determined to continue the great leadership of the school district that is serving a majority of our community.

Nothing is more important to Sacramento's future than the education of our youngest citizens -- our children. As it stands, the Sacramento City school district is governed for the benefit of the community.

That's why our schools are keeping pace with progressive districts in the nation. And that's why parents who can get their kids in West High School, Sutter Middle School and Golden Empire Elementary School.

Bell , Cuneo and Woo will change the focus of leadership at Sac City, and make community the focus of our kid’s education.

Bell , Cuneo and Woo will bring community to city schools, giving parents voices and helping great teachers and administrators continue to improve Sac City schools.

You know why it's important to vote on on Election Day. But this time, your vote is more important than ever. The city's future and the future of our children is depending on your vote.

- Kevin

Of Course Mayor Johnson did not say exactly what is written above, this is a joke. But the election tomorrow is not a JOKE,

Vote for Community!

Polling places in Sacramento's central city and environs

2010-10-29T21:46:33Z

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 later, after you are confirmed to be registered, but your vote will count.

Happy election day!

Eskaton Monroe Lodge 3225 Freeport Blvd Sacramento, CA 95818-4267

All Saints Episcopal Church 2706 Sutterville Road Sacramento, CA 95822

Washington Elementary School 520 18th St Sacramento, CA 95814-1007

Trinity Cathedral Church 2620 Capitol Ave Sacramento, CA 95816-5905

Clunie Community Center Poll B 601 Alhambra Blvd Sacramento, CA 95816

Abundant Life Assemblies 6861 24th St Sacramento, CA 95822-4037

St Paul's Lutheran Church Poll B 2958 59th St Sacramento, CA 95817-1754

Sacramento Dream Center Formerly Capital City Dream Center 1516 C St Sacramento, CA 95814

Sacramento High Charter School Use ' Y ' Street Entrance 2315 34th St Sacramento, CA 95817-1211

Coloma Community Center Poll B 4623 T St Sacramento, CA 95819-4743

Twenty Fourth St Baptist Church 7510 24th St Sacramento, CA 95822

St Andrews A. M. E. Church Poll A 2131 8th St Sacramento, CA 95818-1227

Bethany Presbyterian Church 5625 24th St Sacramento, CA 95822-2233

Land Park Woods Apartments 2814 5th St Sacramento, CA 95818

New Saint Bethel Baptist Church 4201 8th Ave Sacramento, CA 95817

Museum For History, Women And The Arts 1020 O St Sacramento, CA 95814

Interfaith Service Bureau 2212 K St Sacramento, CA 95816

Cesar Chavez Intermediate School Adjacent to Edward Kemble School 7500 32nd St Sacramento, CA 95822

Sacramento County Admin Building 700 H St Sacramento, CA 95814-1216

Clunie Community Center Poll A 601 Alhambra Blvd Sacramento, CA 95816-3805

Pioneer Tower Enter P St 515 P St Sacramento, CA 95814

River Life Covenant Church Formerly New Hope Free Methodist Church 4401 A St Sacramento, CA 95819-2115

Friends Community Church 4001 E St Sacramento, CA 95819-2739

Capitol Terrace Apartments 1820 Capitol Ave Sacramento, CA 95814-4123

Central United Methodist Church 5265 H St Sacramento, CA 95819-3538

Caleb Greenwood Elementary School 5457 Carlson Dr Sacramento, CA 95819

A Warren Mc Claskey Adult Center 5241 J St Sacramento, CA 95819-3941

Ethel Macleod Hart Senior Center 915 27th St Sacramento, CA 95816-4301

David Lubin Elementary School 3535 M St Sacramento, CA 95816-5403

Big Trees Apartments 2516 H St Sacramento, CA 95816-4162

St Mary's Catholic Church Giovanni Hall 1333 58th Street Sacramento, CA 95819

First Christian Church 3901 Folsom Blvd Sacramento, CA 95819-4048

Kit Carson Middle School Enter Rodeo Way 5301 N St Sacramento, CA 95819-4126

Fremont School for Adults 2420 N St Sacramento, CA 95816-5859

First English Lutheran Church Enter Parking On 39th St 3860 4th Ave Sacramento, CA 95817-2934

Shiloh Baptist Church 3565 9th Ave Sacramento, CA 95817-3530

Oak Park Community Center 3425 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd Sacramento, CA 95817-3648

First Church Of The Nazarene 1820 28th St Sacramento, CA 95816

12th St garage Between 2nd Avenue And Markham 2729 12th St Sacramento, CA 95818

California / Crocker Middle School Crocker Auditorium Foyer 1600 Vallejo Way Sacramento, CA 95818-3837

Bret Harte School 2751 9th Ave Sacramento, CA 95818

Fruit Ridge Elementary School 4625 44th St Sacramento, CA 95820-3909

Sam Brannan Middle School 5301 Elmer Way Sacramento, CA 95822-2414

Harbor Oaks Apartments 2234 Gateway Oaks Dr Sacramento, CA 95833

Sierra 2 Center 2791 24th St Sacramento, CA 95818-3255

Sacramento City Fire Station #16 7363 24th St Sacramento, CA 95822

More Propositions, No Thanks

2010-05-27T08:10:56Z

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 rewriting the state’s constitution, one in “pre-submission” – some of these 44 may yet qualify for November – and, finally, 30 withdrawn or missed the deadline (lucky us), covering such novel ideas as making it illegal, indeed a criminal act, to lie when campaigning (chortle), requiring legislators to (actually) read laws before voting on them, and prohibiting divorce (nuhh uhh).

The result of California’s century-old initiative/referendum (proposition) process is that the state’s constitution has been changed over 500 times (compared to the U.S.’ 27 times) – Proposition 13 (1978) the “game-changer” – and now is the 3rd longest constitution in the world: some distinction, eh?

We recalled Governor D who did nothing but raise money for political campaigns and elected Governor S who has done nothing but raise money for political campaigns and pass the "public policymaking buck" to voters via propositions. Lots of time, money and energy invested in the ballot box with no return or benefit.

Success rates for propositions this past decade show voters may be tiring of this problematic tool: 39 passed out of 63 during 2000-04, just 20 of 50 during 2005-09. In 2009, California voters rejected five initiatives (out of six) designed to fix the state’s budget crisis, but at an unnecessary cost of nearly $24 million in public election funds plus about the same in advocacy outlays.

Who has time for this nonsense and what’s a voter to do when seemingly credible observers argue diametrically opposed positions on most of these complex measures in the voters’ guide? Suggestion: try following the money. For example, PG&E has reportedly invested more than $40 million in Proposition 16, the “Taxpayers Right to Vote Act” (on the June ballot), to make local government produce a two-thirds vote for a public utility, thereby making PG&E’s area monopolies virtually secure – and therefore increase its profits. Or Proposition 17 (also June) where Mercury Auto Insurance has invested over $5 million to support an initiative designed, it argues, to “…lower auto insurance premiums…” and thereby reduce Mercury profits [my words] – a nonsensical position

For busy folks who haven't time to read the State Legislative Analyst’s excellent analyses of the propositions (most of us) or the propositions themselves (none of us), some advice: do NOT read or watch any political advertising for the propositions – all of it (even for the rare useful one) is purposely misleading – and simply vote NO on all of them. Why? Just a few of the major reasons:

• Every proposition carries the proposed agenda of a special interest group; thus, its content likely does not embody the interest of the public or community at large.
• Virtually every proposition is poorly written and most often the measure can't withstand legal challenge in the courts, so its issues go unresolved for years.
• The costs of these measures are generally uncertain or unknown despite the best efforts of the State's Legislative Analyst who determines their fiscal impact. Proposition authors have no incentive to be transparent and every incentive to mask the costs.
• The $ millions spent on misleading advertising about the propositions add NO value (zip, zero, nada) to public policymaking and are borne by consumers and taxpayers – only the “initiative industry” profits.
• These decisions are “all or nothing.” What if a proposition has three elements you favor and three you oppose? Or what if you’d vote for $5 billion in water bonds, but not the $10 billion proposed since you fear the state’s mounting debt load? A dilemma; you can only vote yes or no, not for what you really prefer.

These propositions represent a breakdown of representative government and simply let those elected, who should be making public policy, "off the hook." The answer? Vote out incumbents who operate this way and elect new representatives who will legislate and secure solutions to our problems. Better yet, vote to improve or eliminate the proposition process – it’s obviously not working.

Chuck McIntyre
Sacramento economist and writer,
some of whose other work can be seen here.

Second Round, and the Talent Wins!

2009-08-09T07:21:36Z

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 of this fun event, everyone gets a vote and everyone has fun...it's the best $5 for 12 act show in Sacramento on a Tuesday...Ha! The show features Singers, Comics, Musicians, & More!

Come early because Tommy T's has a full food menu and amazingly good food...well, for a comedy club.

Final Preliminary is Here!

2009-08-01T04:12:01Z

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.

Reminder: VOTE!

2009-05-19T02:57:17Z

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 Information Guide that contains impartial analyses of the law and potential costs to taxpayers prepared by Legislative Analyst Mac Taylor, arguments in favor and against all ballot measures prepared by proponents and opponents, text of the proposed laws proofed by Legislative Counsel Diane F. Boyer-Vine, and other useful information. The printing of the guide was done under the supervision of State Printer Geoff Brandt.

Voting is easy, and any registered voter can vote by mail or at a polling place. The last day to request a vote–by–mail ballot is May 12.

There are more ways to participate in the electoral process. You can:

Be a poll worker on Election Day, helping to make voting easier for all eligible voters and protecting ballots until they are counted by elections officials;

Spread the word about voter registration deadlines and voting rights through emails, phone calls, brochures, and posters; and

Help educate other voters about the issues by organizing discussion groups or participating in debates with friends, family, and community leaders.

For more information about how and where to vote, as well as other ways you can participate in the electoral process, call (800) 345-VOTE or visit www.sos.ca.gov.

It is a wonderful privilege in a democracy to have a choice and the right to voice your opinion. Whether you cast your ballot at a polling place or by mail, I encourage you to take the time to carefully read about your voting rights and each ballot measure in this information guide.

Thank you for taking your civic responsibility seriously and making your voice heard!

See if you are registered in Sacramento.

Find your local polling place.

You can track the election night results for Sacramento County.

You can also track the precincts in Sacramento.

Citizens Rally to "Stop the Power Grab"

2009-01-23T07:07:34Z

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", said Bryant. "If passed, Sacramento will be a city with one mayor who will have two votes. Instead of appointing five political positions, the mayor will have over five hundred political appointments". The proposal would amend the city charter so that the mayor would vote on issues as a city council member and then have the ability to sign or veto them as mayor. In addition, the proposal would allow the mayor to appoint all department heads and city supervisors and single handedly fire the city attorney, city treasurer, city clerk and city manager. This proposal also gives the mayor the authority to spend taxpayer money without the approval from the people or their duly elected local representatives. "This measure is unnecessary and costly," Bryant continued. "In this time of economic hardship and budget deficits, when we are discussing laying off people, we will spend over one million dollars on a dangerous ballot initiative."

Over the past several weeks, paid signature gatherers have been collecting signatures to put the "strong mayor" measure on the ballot. Grassroots opponents have begun circulating a petition to oppose this measure.

I Voted! In My Neighbor's Garage...?

2008-11-05T23:32:49Z

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 confused, I checked the iPhone again and was thankful that Apple knew how to make devices which compensated for my lack of directional abilities. Yes, I was going the right way.

Finally, bright lights in the distance told me I was at the right place...I had reached a garage about two blocks from my house, where five tiny polling booths looked quite out of place sandwiched in between garage shelves and a folding table where a handful of volunteers smiled and waited to take names. Maybe there was more of a line earlier in the day, but at 7 p.m., myself and my roommates made up the entire line.

I imagine this is what voting must have been like in the olden days, where families travelled five miles by horse and carriage to reach the only polling place for miles around.

Okay, so maybe I exaggerate a little.

What was your voting experience like in Sacramento? Did you experience long lines, or was it pretty quiet? Would you be willing to offer up your own garage as a polling place?

Local Excitement for the 2008 Presidential Election

2008-11-04T00:50:34Z

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). This time, I might be in for a real treat.

Am I the only one who is so excited about this election, that I think it should be a national holiday? Am I the only one who thinks this is the single, most, important election of my lifetime? Am I the only one asking myself, “Angela, when have you ever looked at poll numbers and speeches and political debates with such obsessive vigor in your life?

One day, driving home from work, I was listening to 103.5 The Bomb on the radio. The DJ was asking for people to call in and express whether voting truly makes a difference. A young woman called in and said, “Voting doesn’t make a difference, ‘cause politicians are going to do what they want anyway (paraphrasing).” She went on to admit, “that’s why she [isn’t] voting.”

My 75-year-old, stepfather grew up in Mobile, Alabama during the Jim Crow era, where black people couldn’t walk on the same sidewalk as white people. He couldn’t go to the same schools, or drink out of the same faucets. He couldn’t look a white person in the eye if he was walking on the same dirt road. He was called “boy” up into his late 20’s. These things are tangible for me. This isn’t ancient history.

I know we’ve all heard stories like this before, but to think these things happened to not just one, but many of family members and friends, who are still alive, makes me think how fortunate I am to have the right to vote. My family makes it that much more necessary to be a believer in the voting system and not a cynic like that caller on the radio.

So, am I the only one who is super, fantastically, crazy excited about this election
? No!

Oh! And, on election night, if you happen to see people partying in the street like it’s New Year’s 2000, all over again, you’ll know why.

Adventures in absentee voting...

2008-11-03T05:54:12Z

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 was no space for the seal. Despite this fact, I went on a search for a notary. After calling several places, I found a notary I could see immediately at Downtown Mail and Shipping.

He was equally confused by the ballot instructions. It was clear he had to sign the envelope, attesting that he saw me vote without any aid from others. However, there was only room for a signature and not a seal. He scratched his head and said that he was reluctant to sign because he would have to also send a form to put his seal on. This, he worried, may factor against my vote (the instructions were very specific that only the ballot should be in the envelope) and he said he would hate to aid in not making my vote count. He recommended that I go to the post office on 801 I St. It was only a couple of blocks away and he felt I would have no problem.

His kind advice proved wrong. I waited nearly twenty minutes in line, frantically filling out the parts of the forms that I was allowed to without a witness. Finally, I was called to the clerk. I explained to her that I am an absentee voter and that I needed here to watch me vote as well as sign the sealed envelope. She, then, would sign the envelope as my witness.

She said that her boss was not there. I replied, "Oh, no. The asst. postmaster or a clerk could sign."

"I won't sign." She waved her hand dismissively.

I rifled through all the government documents in my hand, taking out the directions. I pushed the instructions toward her saying, "The directions clearly state that you are totally qualified to sign."

She did not look at the paper but at me with disgust, as if I was trying to con her. "I'm not signing anything."

I asked if she would at least look at the directions. She said, "You can wait as long as you want. I won't sign."

Dejected, I returned to Downtown Mail and Shipping and told my tale of woe to the notary. He was aghast that she had turned me down so blatantly and seemed to genuinely feel bad for me. He looked over the directions for the ballot and discovered that a clerk in charge of a contract postal station could sign as witness. He signed free of charge. I mailed the letter overnight, hoping that it meets the 11/03 deadline. I was glad to support his store and him, as well.

Most of the people I have told this story to are outraged and feel that the postal clerk was leaving me disenfranchised by not only refusing to sign, but refusing to read the government mandated instructions. I really do not believe that was her intent. I think she was clueless regarding absentee voting. What she should have done is to say that she did not feel comfortable signing any government documents and would prefer that I come back at a later time to talk to her manager.

Have any other absentee voters had similar problems out there? Or, for that matter, do any postal clerks have some advice to enlighten me as to what protocol is?