What a delightful surprise. Not sure about Kings future but it does seem Sacramento has a shot at remaining a "big league sports" town. The mayor gets credit for bringing financial resources and political clout to keep the NBA in Sacramento. And this has been accomplished without changing the city charter.

Making appointment of Bill Edgar and Betty Masuoka unanimous, was the mayor's best vote since his election. Now city can save the "head hunter" fee and apply it to legal fees we'll need to sue the Maloofs. Why waste money looking for management talent we already have? The mayor is now free to focus on bringing a Jewish Deli to the central city. (How can there be a 'world class city" without a Jewish Deli?)

Thanks Suzanne. Excellent photo essay. Perhaps now it's time to hold a charette involving 2 or 3 hundred residents and businesses to scope out how Sacramento wants this area to be developed. You know, like we did for the Kay Street Mall. Perhaps Mr. Friedman would cut a check to fund this event. We certainly have the architectural smarts (Ron Vralakas, David Mogavero, Richard (Railyards) Rich, et. al. to lead the discussion. Not to mention public agencies, CADA (already deeply involved), RT, even SACOG.

Does anybody think it odd that the $40+million to upgrade the asset of a private corporation is being charged to local taxpayers? Where is the County Taxpayers Association when we really need them?

Great article Kathleen. Brief but to the point. Worst part of Kings' departure is the loss of about 1K jobs. Perhaps follow-up article, and there will be some, could include the puzzling financial arrangements (loan or loan guarantee) between city and Maloofs. What will city gain with Kings departure?

Welcome news. Of course what downtown really needs is a Jewish Deli which seems to be still in the future. But this might do in the meantime.

Just in time, Darnell has raised 2010's most vital question. Why has the capitol of the world's 6th largest economy eluded "world class city" reputation? Doesn't require rocket science. There's no Jewish Delicatessen downtown! Like what would L. A. be without Cantor's? Or Manhattan without the Carnegie? So why all this talk about a place to play basketball when we don't even have a Jewish Deli? First things first! First the deli, then we can talk sports. But why basketball when the A's are looking for a ballpark? Think big! Outa the box!

Thanks Bill for heralding the re-instatement of Management Academy. I hope this means that re-instationg the Planning Academy will soon follow. Of all the policy issues facing local government, none are so vital as land use - what should be built, for what purposes and where located. These are major concerns of CMA's audience as well as those seeking ways to promote sustainable, livable communities. Environmental issues such as air quality, traffic congestion, public transit are based on buildings, their use and location.. Some of Sacramento's leading architects and builders supported the Academy and and volunteered to lead class discussions. Citizens who attended provided support to the Council's decisions that have helped to create a prospering central city. The Council initiated Planning Academy some 8 or 9 years ago at the request of Sacramento Old City Association (SOCA) and had the support of Environmental Council of Sacramento(ECOS). Staffer Julie Sontag, under direction of Planner Jim McDonald got the Academy under way. She was followed by staffer Helen Selph who carried on until recently discontinued for economic reasons. Given the recent gaffes in land use policy, re-starting Planning Academy deserves the the Council's immediate attention.

C'mon people. Give the Chamber some slack. Obviously, Sarah Palin was booked when when Mahood found out Alfred E. Newman was a fictional character.

What a surprise. The politicians responsible for ruining California's excellent educational system now pretend to reform the system. First let's make teachers the scapegoats! That way they won't come after us, the politicians and overpaid administrators who have failed to marshall resources for a decent educational system.

Excellent argument Dr. K. You've demolished the scare tactic. Good riddance. Now on to the economic argument. To be sure, taxing M will produce revenue streams to help California cope with recession, but more important is the billions to be saved by no longer having to bear the costs of prohibition. Even more important is that repeal of prohibition (a much better slogan than, "legalize marijuana") would lead to removing hemp from federal dangerous substance list thus opening up a whole new industry. Create jobs, maybe?

Thanks Suzanne for providing us with how another city has dealt with gatherings similar to our Second Saturday Art Walk. Certainly other cities have experiences of similar gatherings to share. How does San Francisco manage their frequent "street events?" Then there's Manhattan which is like a 24/7 street faire. Maybe we need to know more about the psycho/sociology of the late teen-twenty somethings. That seems to be the demographic prone to misbehavior. And maybe the behavior of the "cruising set" is not about 2nd Sat. This is the group most often involved in violence occurring any night anywhere.

Sounds like a healthy discussion of issues more complicated than the simply stated topic. Of the many cogent comments, I liked Phil Serna's. The government is not them, it's us. Also, the comment that participation in community goes back to Greek and Roman times. Oddly, a more recent declaration of government's role is established in our Constitution. In addition to establishing justice and providing for the common defense it's to "promote for the general welfare." Let's keep this blah, blah, blah going!

WOW ROBERT, What a revelation! We live in a corporate oligarchy. What else is new? I noted some corporations, impatient with lobbying approach, are sending in CEO's to capture governorships and senate seats to cut out "the middle man," so to speak. Maybe we do, as the Tea Party says, need to get our country back, but not from the White House but from CORPORATIONS!

Though not readily apparent, maintaining a healthy tree canopy is also a public safety issue. Every year tens of thousands of dollars worth of damage is done by falling tree branches. A few years ago a two year old child was killed by a falling limb in Fremont Park. Yet public safety is seen as entirely about police and fire: departments absorbing 80% of the city's general fund. What must maintenance staff facing layoff think when they see an ambulance and 3 EMT staff accompanied by a fire truck with 4 firefighters responding to a medical emergency? Perhaps there's a sound administrative rationale for this. If so, the council should share it with the public. Otherwise, people will think some of FD funding might be re-allocated to mitigate tree damage.

The city pays $34M for employee health insurance? So if we had a single payor national health care plan, wouldn't that $34M solve our budget problem?

Dive bar Schmive bar. Karpaty would do better by opening a Jewish Delicatessen! Cantor's North! Carnegie West?

City staff are obligated to fully vet these 4 proposals. And they did involving local development "mavens" and outreach to preservation and community groups. They made their recommendation to council which was adopted. So what was this "ad-hoc committee" all about? Was it created to trump city staff's work? It didn't even smell right to the mayor. Me either.

To councilmembers Cohn, Tretheway, Fong, I ask, "Did you learn nothing" the night of June 22?

Wow Rhonda, excellent letter. You really nailed all the "right to vote" and "accountability" BS spewing forth from the "Mayor's Posse." Appreciate noting that Councilmember Pannell never was on the Johnson Express.