The District 2 City Council candidates gathered at the Sacramento Urban League over the weekend where they faced a new topic of discussion. And it wasn’t the death of the arena deal. Last Thursday, the City released its proposed 2012-2013 budget. The proposed budget eliminates 286 jobs, many of which are public safety positions. That didn’t sit well with the candidates. “No I don’t support those (cuts)” said candidate and former city councilmember Rob Kerth when asked about the cuts to public safety. “Those are fundamental city services.” “No, I do not support the budget cuts to cut police and fire services,” said Kim Mack. “One life is lost, one home is lost; they (the cuts) are not

The Neighborhood Services/Special Events Division of the City of Sacramento will hold their first in a series of quarterly Community Partnership Meetings on Monday, January 9, 2012 at the South Natomas Community Center at 6:30pm. The meetings are held to facilitate broad communication between the City and the community on issues, policies & priorities. Top discussion topics include a presentation by the Department of Utilities regarding proposed water and sewer rate changes. Utilities has provided their own outreach through Rate Workshops and the "Your Utilities, Your Voice" website. Another top discussion topic is the update to the Special Events Ordinance, particularly changes regardi

Heroes past and present will be honored this Friday, November 11 at the Sacramento Veterans Day Parade. The parade begins at 10:00 a.m. running eastward on Capitol Mall. A program is scheduled from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.. It will include resources for veterans, entertainment, and children’s activities. The Grand Marshal is Brigadier General Charles E. “Chuck” Yeager. Born in 1923 in Myra, W.Va., General Yeager enlisted in the Army Air Corps in September 1941. He was accepted for pilot training under the flying sergeant program in July 1942, and received his pilot wings and appointment as a flight officer in March 1943. During World War II, General Yeager distinguished himself in aeria

The City of Sacramento Department of Parks and Recreation presented an oral report regarding their progress on community centers to the Parks and Recreation Commission. During the report, Parks and Recreation Director Jim Combs provided an overview of the proceedings for next Tuesday’s Council Meeting. The highlight of the meeting will be the report back on the budgets of the city’s parks, police, and fire departments. “We hear maybe 1000 to 1500 folks there attending this meeting just from the police department,” said Combs. “Then the fire department’s going to have a big crew. We know that the centers and all those communities; we’re going to have more people down there than we had las

Close to 150 people braved the rain Saturday afternoon and came to the Hagginwood Community Center for the dedication of the Grantland Johnson Soccer Field. “It’s quite an honor, I must tell you,” said Grantland Johnson to the crowd crammed inside the lobby of the community center. A native resident of Sacramento’s Del Paso Heights neighborhood, Johnson graduated from Grant High School where he played for the Pacers football team. He received his B.A. Degree from Sacramento State in Government and later received honorary Doctorates of Humane Letters from both Sacramento State and Golden Gate University. “I would not be the person I am today, had I not grown up in this great community of

Skating has returned to Del Paso Boulevard Iceland Ice Skating Rink re-opened today to skaters for the first time since burning down in March 2010. “Such a journey from March until now,” said Terrie Kerth, whose family built the rink in the late 1930s. “So many volunteers who have helped, so many people who care about skating and thanks to them, we’re open.” “Still lots of work to do, but we can skate.” Iceland has played host to ice-skating, ice hockey, and ice shows. Former President and California Governor Ronald Regan skated at the facility, as did former boxer Max Baer. The facility burned down last March following a private party, but the primary structure remained intact. Sinc

The good news is more and more people at Sacramento State are using alternative transportation and parking as they should. The bad news is revenue from parking citations has been down, and that may lead to changes to the university’s Hornet Shuttle program. The University of Transportation and Parking Services, or UTAPS, held an open forum this afternoon regarding proposed Hornet Shuttle route changes for Spring and Fall 2011. The Hornet Shuttle program began in 1989 with shuttle routes running off campus Monday – Friday from 7am to 7pm during the Fall and Spring semesters. The current fleet of six buses, all running on compressed natural gas, make 18 to 24 runs combined among three rout

Less than one month after launching the Sacramento Service Plan, Mayor Kevin Johnson was joined by pilot Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger in kicking off “Sacramento Ready”, the plan’s public safety campaign aimed at engaging residents in emergency and disaster preparedness. “We saw what happened in New Orleans with (Hurricane) Katrina,” said Mayor Johnson to a capacity filled City Council Chamber. “In terms of a flood, Sacramento is the second most dangerous or at-risk community behind New Orleans.” The event belonged to Captain Sullenberger, the Air Force veteran pilot best known for landing US Airways Flight 1549 in the Hudson River off Manhattan nearly two years ago on January 15

The City of Sacramento Neighborhood Services Division is hosting a Senior Awareness Day next Tuesday, October 26, 2010 from 9am to 3pm at the Pannell / Meadowview Community Center. This free event filled with services to older adults and seniors could not come at a better time. “With a national economic crisis, we’ve seen more services to seniors reduced or cut altogether,” said Kris Wimberly, Neighborhood Resource Coordinator and coordinator of next Tuesday’s event. Wimberly addressed the City Council prior to receiving a resolution recognizing October 26, 2010 as “Senior Awareness Day”. “Our focus for the day is to promote health, wellness, and positive aging for the thousand of seni

The slate is diverse, ranging from a higher education teacher to a retired Naval commander. All are vying for one thing: the chance to represent the Pocket neighborhood on the SCUSD School Board. Five candidates met at a forum on Tuesday evening at the School of Engineering and Sciences to make their case as best representative for SCUSD District 6 Board Member. The forum was organized by the Didion/Lewis Park Recreational Center Committee and moderated by Michael Langley, editor of Pocket Online. The biggest topic of reform referred to teachers. "Everything is in instruction," said Sharon Owens-Thomas. "We probably have one-third high performing teachers in the district, another third

Residents of the Pocket and Greenhaven neighborhoods will have a chance to hear from candidates running for Trustee Area 6 of Sacramento City Unified School District at a forum on Tuesday, October 12, 2010. Photo by MikkiPiper. Five candidates are running for the position since two-term incumbent Roy Grimes declined running for a third term. Grimes served as SCUSD board president three times during his eight year tenure. The slate of candidates is diverse: Rob Gunn is a transportation engineer. Darrel Woo is a higher education teacher and City Parks & Recreation Commissioner. Robert Bartron is a retired Naval Commander and education administrator. Shane Singh is a community vo

Sacramento State students won’t be disappointed with their investment. The WELL officially opened Thursday in front of a crowd of 250 students, faculty, staff and community members. The University’s new 151,000 square-foot recreation and wellness center was paid for by a student fee approved by students in a campus-wide referendum. “Today is a historic day for Sacramento State,” said Sacramento State President Alexander Gonzalez. “I especially want to congratulate the students, because you are the ones who came to me and told me this is what you wanted, and you worked very hard to make it happen.” “I know for many, many years you’ve been looking forward to this day, and what a day it is

Since 1958, Robbie Waters has served Sacramento as an officer with the Sacramento Police Department, as Sacramento Sheriff, and as Councilmember for District 7 for the last 15 years. A uplifting seal of closure was given to his years of service at Saturday morning’s opening of the Robbie Waters Pocket-Greenhaven Library. “The library is an accomplishment for the entire community,” said Waters to a crowd of approximately 500 people. “I have no doubt it will be well used.” The $15-million library consists of 45 public access computers, a 72-seat capacity community meeting room, a teen room, a quiet room, two study rooms, and a Ready to Read room for kids. The library is designed for 67,00

“Chop at the top!” That was the chant echoed by approximately 150 employees of the City of Sacramento, all members of Local 39, as they picketed outside City Hall Plaza. “Our members are very, very upset,” said Joan Bryant, Director of Public Employees for Local 39. “This is the fifth round of layoffs we’ve had in our bargaining units. We had about 121 of our members who recently received layoff notices, and our members are upset about it." “I’m here to show my support,” said David Worlds, an employee with the Department of Transportation, recently transferred from the Department of Parks and Recreation. “I think it’s important that we show up and if nothing else let people know that it

Faculty and families living a mile from the university was the vision. Now, that vision may be a dream of the past. The structure fire at a former California Youth Authority facility, now owned by Sacramento State, occurred just days before the demolition of 21 buildings on the property is slated to begin. The fire at the 25-acre site the university calls Ramona Village was reported shortly after midnight Tuesday, June 29 in a building that formerly served as the CYA center’s commissary. Demolition work is tentatively scheduled to begin mid-July and be completed by the end of September. University Enterprises Inc., an auxiliary of Sacramento State, oversees the property and contracts fo

Overcoming the life and lure of crime was one of multiple topics discussed by Antwone Fisher and Ricky ‘Freeway’ Ross at the “Sacramento Youth Gets Up Close & Personal with the ‘Real’ Antwone Fisher” event at the George Sim Community Center. “I had to find protection,” said Fisher as he described his days of being emancipated and entering a men’s shelter. “Butch, this guy who was my protector, gave me a job and my job was to collect money from the prostitutes who worked for him.” “He was the first person, that I felt, who really cared about me.” Fisher discussed his time with Butch, and how it came to an end. “He also had these cards that had addresses on them, and people he would send

Much has been made over the recent quid pro quo allegations made by Sacramento City Councilmember Ray Tretheway. At a recent press conference, Tretheway said he was told he could garner the endorsement of Mayor Kevin Johnson if he voted in favor of placing a “strong mayor” proposal on the November ballot. On Tuesday, Johnson announced his endorsement of Tretheway’s opponent, Angelique Ashby, leading Tretheway to hold a news conference on Wednesday alleging six influential businesspeople unsuccessfully pressured him to participate in the quid pro situation. Tretheway later said only one of those people, Steve Ayers, is to blame. The underlying aspect of this controversy is the Strong May

Years ago, driving home from ARCO Arena used to be like driving through a vast rural land of fields, sometimes through thick fog and orange overhead lights. Now this land is the thriving community commonly known as North Natomas filled with homes, businesses, restaurants, a high school, and a brand new library. That’s all located north of Interstate-80. South of Interstate-80 is the established communities of South Natomas, Gardenland, and Northgate. Calls to serve both areas equally were made at the District 1 City Council Candidates Forum, moderated by Brandy Boyd, publisher of the Natomas Buzz. “Come on down Northgate Boulevard” said Candidate Efren Guttierrez in response to how to s

Hundreds of children came to Cesar Chavez Park to learn about the environment at today's Earth Day Celebration. Now in its 40th year, Earth Day was founded in 1970 by Senator Gaylord Nelson as an environmental sit-in. Today, the annual event is celebrated nationwide with a various activities. In Chavez Park, children were taught gardening techniques, took an exercise challenge, played games, and watched a magic show. Radio Disney also provided an interactive performance focusing on the environment, all with a surprise visit from Wun "The Shot" Versher from the Harlem Globetrotters. Radio Disney's act was followed by a performance by the Fall of "X", though this did not stop the kids fro

Regional Transit wrapped up their talks about service cuts earlier this week, though there was still plenty of room for finger pointing and analysis at the District 1 Candidates Debate. "Natomas is losing all routes on the weekends as my understanding," said candidate Angelique Ashby. "That means people have jobs elsewhere on the weekends and they are going to ride the bus, they can't do that anymore." Ashby said she didn't understand why current District 1 Councilmember Ray Tretheway, who is on Regional Transit's Board of Directors, did not fight to keep a route in Natomas. "I don't understand how he can let them all go," said Ashby. "We certainily pay into that tax system that provide