The Sports Basement, a Bay Area retailer, is opening a three-story sporting goods emporium in downtown Sacramento in the former Bank of America buliding at Eight and I Streets. There will be 70,000 square feet of sports equipment at discount prices.

So long as politicans are allowed to draw their own district lines, we will always see extreme cases of gerrymandering similar to the current case with the Sacramento City Council. On the state level, voters took away from the legislature the power to draw their own districts. It is time for voters to do the same on the local level. I am in favor of creating an initiative to remove the City Council from drawing redistricting maps. There should be an initiate that removes "Advisory" from the Sacramento Redistricting Citizens Advisory Committee. To quote a phrase popular when I was in college, "Power to the People!"

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was enacted to ensure that states did not use the redistricting process as a means to dilute the voting strength of minority communities. The Voting Rights Act works to protect against two types of redistricting—fracturing and packing. Fracturing occurs when a group of minority voters is broken off from a concentration of minority voters and added to a large majority white district. Packing occurs when a minority group is concentrated into one or more districts so that the group constitutes an overwhelming majority in those districts, thus minimizing the number of districts in which the minority could elect candidates of their choice. Councilmember Sheedy's proposed map factures and unlawfully dilutes the Latino community voting strenth into four districtss, none with more than 30 percent of the electorate. A member of the Latino communtiy has not been elected to the Sacramento City Council in over 10 years, Councilmember Sheedy's proposed map insures that none would be elected within the next 10 years.

THANK YOU, Midtown Business Association for creating the Streetscape Improvement Program!! Ray, congratulations on beating out 300 applicants for the job!

Haley, Best Wishes on your move to S.F. Thanks for all the excellent reporting you did with SacramentoPress.com. Melissa, WELCOME! I look forward to reading your future articles!

Lena Logan and James Bahn, THANK YOU for opening your dance studio in Midtown! Your Contemporary Dance Conservatory is a MAJOR plus for the neighborhood! Good Luck on your long term goal of opening a true Conservatory of dance, acting, music and art!

I fail to see how recognizing Latino musical contributions to U.S. music from the 1940s to the present is "Latino progaganda". Tito Puente, Ritchie Valens, Celia Cruz, and Selena popularized Spanish lyrics and Latino sounds in U.S. music. Fact is not propaganda, it is recognizing that the U.S. is a melting pot, and some of the favoring is Latino/Hispanic.

In the past, Marshall School Neighborhood Association could be characterrized as being at war with the bars on the 2700 block of J Street. Times have changed. Personalities have changed. Two of the worst offenders, G.V. Hurley's and Lure, are gone. In their place are new businesses which are reaching out to the neighbors, and offering an olive branch. We neighbors are responding in kind. Bad deeds of past tenants should not be heaped on the owners/operators of these new businesses. It takes guts to open a new business in this economic climate. I respect them for giving it a go. And, if they do turnout to be BAD neighbors, I personally will let loose the 'dogs of war' upon them!

Hi! i am George Raya, immediate Past-Co-Chair of Marshall School-New Era Park Neighborhood Association, a post I held from 2005 to 2010. In 2007, my then-Co-chair Bill Burga and I lead the neighborhood opposition to granting a liquor license to the former G.V. Hurley's (currently Red Lotus). It has long been the unwritten understanding of Midtown neigbhorhood associations, the neighborhood association nearest an issue, or most effected by an issue, takes the lead in a neighborhood response. ie. Sutter Hospital expansion - Midtown Neighborhood Association; Rite Aid Pharmacy, 2211 F Street - Boulevard Park Neighborhood Association; McKinley Village - Marshall School-New Era Park Neighborhood Association. In 2007, our neighborhood association coordinated the filing of 94 individual neighbor objections to the granting of a liquor license to G. V. Hurley's. ALL 94 objections were my residents of Marshall School. Neither Midtown Neighborhood Association (then known as Winn Park Capitol Avenue Neighborhood Association), or Boulevard Neighborhood Association, or residents of those area, filed any objections or spoke up at all. Now, all of a sudden to ask BarWest to meet with Midtown Neighborhood Association if a MAJOR surprise! Hey, it's a free country, everyone is allowed to express an opinion. But, let us not be unreasonable when asking businesses to meet with ALL neigbhors. I live one-half block from BarWest. My upstairs neighbor and my next door neighbor likewise live less than a block from BarWest.

Whatever the outcome, I'm glad that private citizens are stepping up to provide leadership in the effort to keep the Kings in Sacramento.

Bill is correct. There are many residents in Midtown/Downtown who are members of more that one "Community of Interest". Coalition buidling is the only way to succeed.

I attended last night's City Council meeting. The issue was about enforcement of the Central City Design Guidelines, which were adopted in 1999. In residential nieghborhoods, the height limit is 2-stories. NO WHERE in ALL of Sacramento will you find a 3-story single family house in a residential neighborhood. The Cunningham's and their architect choose to ignore the Central City Design Guidelines. Unfortunately, the Planning Commission is still operating as if former-City Manager Ray "The Developer is Always Right" Kerridge was still in charge at City Hall. The neigbhors are willing to accept a 3-story house, IF the design complimented the surrounding single-story pre-World War II bungalows. No, the Cunninghams wanted a RADICALLY modern tower, so they could have a view of the river. I hope the Planning Commission starts to enforce the Central City Design Guidelines. A BIG THANK YOU to the CITY COUNCIL, and especially to CITY COUNCILMEMBER STEVE COHN!!!

I attended last night's City Council meeting. The issue was about enforcement of the Central City Design Guidelines, which were adopted in 1999. In residential nieghborhoods, the height limit is 2-stories. NO WHERE in ALL of Sacramento will you find a 3-story single family house in a residential neighborhood. The Cunningham's and their architect choose to ignore the Central City Design Guidelines. Unfortunately, the Planning Commission is still operating as if former-City Manager Ray "The Developer is Always Right" Kerridge was still in charge at City Hall. The neigbhors are willing to accept a 3-story house, IF the design complimented the surrounding single-story pre-World War II bungalows. No, the Cunninghams wanted a RADICALLY modern tower, so they could have a view of the river. I hope the Planning Commission starts to enforce the Central City Design Guidelines. A BIG THANK YOU TO THE CITY COUNCIL, and espcially to City Councilmember Steve Cohn!!

Thanks for the reminder that this is Dine Downtown Restaurant Week. Now, the tough part: selecting where to dine tonight?

I attended the November 19th Fashion Gives Back fundraiser at Lounge ON20 for the Capital City AIDS Fund. The place was PACKED!! The $5,000 check he donated was greatly appreciated. However, more important was Mr. Mackani's assistance in bringing awareness to a largely non-gay audience that the HIV/AIDS pandemic is still with us.

See you at the workshop on Jan. 12th!

Thank You for a look behind the curtain. Now, when I see this year's production of "A Christmas Carol", I'll have more appreciation for the costumes.

I guess you don't attend the Bull Fest each summer during the State Fair at CalExpo, or the Sierra Stampede Rodeo sponsored by Sacramento's Capital Crossroads Gay Rodeo Association. http://www.CapitalCrossroads.org

THANK YOU, Sacramento Press/Sacramento Deal for sponsoring the pizza and refreshments at the monthly NAG meetings.

What a difference a new City Manager makes!! The police department and code enforce are FINALLY allowed to do their job. Educating bar/restaurant owners and staff about their responsibilities, as well as state laws and city regulations is HUGH! As a Midtown resident, all my neighbors and I have ever asked is the bar/restaurant owners and their staff obey state laws and city regulations!