Two weeks after taking office in December, Mayor Kevin Johnson launched a ballot reform initiative to expand the executive powers of the Sacramento mayor, suggesting that enhanced executive powers would make city government more efficient and accountable. It would also make him one of the more powerful executives in any California city. Throughout its short, tumultuous life, the so-called "strong mayor initiative" has been praised or criticized by citizen groups as either a democratizing modern reform or a gateway to tyrannical government. Last Friday, the primary group promoting the change, Sacramentans for Accountable Government, presented City Hall with a petition to put the initiativ

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

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