Devin Lavelle comment-60514 2011-11-22T17:18:11Z 2011-11-22T17:18:11Z Interesting article. One thing to keep in mind, the real difference in Yelp scores is fairly small. The best restaurants are usually no higher than 4.5 stars (there is currently only 1 restaurant with a reasonable number of ratings over 4.5, that one is the Kitchen) and the worst are rarely below 3, so the magnitude of the "Yelp impact" is limited. Another thing to keep in mind, the Yelp score probably has a close correlation to the quality of the restaurant and an extremely close correlation to public perceptions about the restaurant. No duh, right? Well in terms of the econometrics that is a really big deal. Unless very effectively controlled for, what the study is likely telling you is that good restaurants, which happen to have good yelp scores, make more money. Devin Lavelle 2011-11-22T17:18:11Z Devin Lavelle comment-33172 2010-07-20T16:41:59Z 2010-07-20T16:41:59Z I pay about $12/mo at 24hr fitness (2 yrs, prepaid). I get far more than I pay for. They have perfectly good equipment in a more than adequate space. If you can't get fit there, you're just looking for excuses. Devin Lavelle 2010-07-20T16:41:59Z Devin Lavelle comment-32896 2010-07-15T01:34:42Z 2010-07-15T01:34:42Z "Monterey Bay's premier nightclub, featuring acts from around the world. Artists such as Neil Young, Papa Roach, Emmylou Harris, Ice T, Nirvana, Alanis Morissette, No Doubt, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Pearl Jam have graced the Catalyst stage in years past. The main dance hall is 5000 square feet, not including balconies, and can hold 800 people. The bar downstairs is 100 feet long, starting in the front room and extending into the concert area. A large selection of beer and liquor is offered here. Upstairs is the game room with another bar, 6 pool tables a jukebox and arcade games, as well as a lounge." http://www.catalystclub.com/ Devin Lavelle 2010-07-15T01:34:42Z Devin Lavelle comment-32895 2010-07-15T01:31:53Z 2010-07-15T01:31:53Z Interesting stuff ... Jim, at the heart of the matter, it doesn't seem like you really disagree with Jason. His belief is that a large venue would be a much bigger risk than a medium venue -- which to me, seems obvious. Your argument is that a larger venue would have greater potential -- which to me, again, seems obvious. More potential v more risk. Given the regions repeated failures, seems like the safer bet is the smarter bet in this instance. Just FYI, P.S. = Post Script You're going to want to add another post, not another script ... Devin Lavelle 2010-07-15T01:31:53Z Devin Lavelle comment-32428 2010-07-08T17:51:11Z 2010-07-08T17:51:11Z Bummer that the wine bar never got started ... I was looking forward to it ... Devin Lavelle 2010-07-08T17:51:11Z Devin Lavelle comment-29305 2010-06-06T08:10:13Z 2010-06-06T08:10:13Z For what it's worth, SPOA isn't a union, it's a professional association ... Devin Lavelle 2010-06-06T08:10:13Z Devin Lavelle comment-29115 2010-06-05T03:06:19Z 2010-06-05T03:06:19Z Ben -- it's the name more than anything else that suggests this site is a part of the Press ... Devin Lavelle 2010-06-05T03:06:19Z Devin Lavelle comment-28444 2010-05-28T00:37:18Z 2010-05-28T00:37:18Z I sympathize with your concerns and will leave to Stonewall and Sen Steinberg to discuss their own endorsements. The actual Democratic Party of Sacramento County invited every candidate in the county that is registered as a Democrat to request endorsement. Every candidate that submitted a questionnaire was invited in for an interview. The Democratic Party did come to the same conclusion as Stonewall in this race, endorsing Patrick Kennedy, but it was not without an exhaustive and open process. Devin Lavelle 2010-05-28T00:37:18Z Devin Lavelle comment-28443 2010-05-28T00:26:08Z 2010-05-28T00:26:08Z I wouldn't take anything for certain ... Ray Tretheway, Patrick Kennedy and Ryan Chin all have tough fights ... Devin Lavelle 2010-05-28T00:26:08Z Devin Lavelle comment-28442 2010-05-28T00:18:48Z 2010-05-28T00:18:48Z A significant, but incomplete draft exists, according to the Mayor's staff. Devin Lavelle 2010-05-28T00:18:48Z Devin Lavelle comment-28440 2010-05-28T00:18:02Z 2010-05-28T00:18:02Z "There’s one thing for sure: our charter is antiquated. And I mean really bad. So we must redo that charter. We must have a discussion about what the structure of governance of the city of Sacramento is going to be." http://www.sacramentopress.com/headline/27488/Tretheway_Ashby_support_public_input_in_charter_change To the best of my knowledge, she's never specifically said that she would support it -- but she has said things that lead one to believe it is likely, like the quote above. Devin Lavelle 2010-05-28T00:18:02Z Devin Lavelle comment-28343 2010-05-27T15:58:01Z 2010-05-27T15:58:01Z There are two main (and related) issues with timing. 1. When this Mayor was elected, it was to exercise a certain set of powers. The people who voted for him did so with the understanding that the powers he currently has are the powers that they were giving him. 2. As a change that is going to affect the city for decades to come, not just through the term of the current Mayor, the discussion should happen in that context. Far too many people think about it as whether or not we should give THIS mayor more power, which is only a small part of the issue. By holding an SMI vote in conjunction with the Mayoral election, it makes it clear to voters that the vote for Mayor powers is separate from the issue of who holds the office. Further, some find it more than a bit disingenuous to run for an office -- asking voters for a certain set of powers and then immediately, once in office, asking for more power. Although the Mayor claims he brought the issue up during the campaign, there is no public record of him doing so in any public venue. The only time anyone has been able to find he mentioned it was buried in a multi-page pamphlet, and referred to as something we should look at down the road. Devin Lavelle 2010-05-27T15:58:01Z Devin Lavelle comment-28342 2010-05-27T15:44:49Z 2010-05-27T15:44:49Z Wait, I thought transparency is a good thing? As far as they way in which they are being transparent -- the Mayor has asked them to weigh in on something and they asked staff to ensure that they will have the information necessary to do so. Good for them ... Devin Lavelle 2010-05-27T15:44:49Z Devin Lavelle comment-27685 2010-05-22T06:00:25Z 2010-05-22T06:00:25Z That's a good question, William ... a very good question ... The United States Constitution is quite a bit older than the Sacramento Charter and has been ammended far fewer times and much less recently ... is anyone advocating wholesale change there? Devin Lavelle 2010-05-22T06:00:25Z Devin Lavelle comment-24356 2010-04-07T17:27:16Z 2010-04-07T17:27:16Z I don't believe that's what they meant. America's houses of worship, of all religions and denominations, have always been at the forefront of the fight for racial equality. What is far more radical, unfortunately, is fully including the LGBTQI community. Very few churches can claim that. Devin Lavelle 2010-04-07T17:27:16Z Devin Lavelle comment-24275 2010-04-06T06:53:07Z 2010-04-06T06:53:07Z Yep: http://bossmayor.com/2010/02/sag-signs-on-to-tea-bagger-movement.html Devin Lavelle 2010-04-06T06:53:07Z Devin Lavelle comment-24064 2010-03-31T16:49:04Z 2010-03-31T16:49:04Z It has been a great business, here in Midtown ... I hope after the legal issues are resolved, they can look into finding a new location and starting up again. Devin Lavelle 2010-03-31T16:49:04Z Devin Lavelle comment-23500 2010-03-18T19:27:44Z 2010-03-18T19:27:44Z I don't disagree -- Evan originally tried to sign up for an account as the Democratic Party of Sacramento County (or something to that effect), but they don't allow that ... I'll ask him to add a little line at the bottom clarifying. Devin Lavelle 2010-03-18T19:27:44Z Devin Lavelle comment-23460 2010-03-18T01:24:47Z 2010-03-18T01:24:47Z Hi Ronald, To clarify -- this article and any that are published on the website you referenced are researched and written by several folks, including myself, on behalf of the Democratic Party. Evan is the Executive Director for the Party. SacPress requires a specific individual to be named, which is why it says it was written by Evan. I hope this clarifies the situation. If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask. We aim to be entirely open and transparent at the Democratic Party. Devin Lavelle 2010-03-18T01:24:47Z Devin Lavelle comment-22253 2010-02-15T05:27:59Z 2010-02-15T05:27:59Z Can't wait to get my boxes of Samoas! Devin Lavelle 2010-02-15T05:27:59Z Devin Lavelle comment-22247 2010-02-14T22:27:33Z 2010-02-14T22:27:33Z That's an important point -- and a point that needs working on. No matter what comes out of the SMI debate -- the Mayor and the Council need to learn to work together. Both sides need to proactively work to reach out to one another to focus on dealing with the real issues of our city. Whether it's for two and a half more years or six and a half more years (or 10 and a half ... 14-1/2 ... 18-1/2, etc ... nor term limits, remember?), our city cannot wait for a new Mayor to take office to address with the very real issues facing it. Devin Lavelle 2010-02-14T22:27:33Z Devin Lavelle comment-22246 2010-02-14T22:22:44Z 2010-02-14T22:22:44Z Actually, to be fair ... There was one single mailer that he sent out that very briefly talked about SMI as something that we should think about looking at down the road ... then he proposed a fully drawn out SMI initiative less than two weeks after taking office ... Devin Lavelle 2010-02-14T22:22:44Z Devin Lavelle comment-21970 2010-02-10T20:25:58Z 2010-02-10T20:25:58Z Keep up the great work! Devin Lavelle 2010-02-10T20:25:58Z Devin Lavelle comment-21297 2010-01-26T18:13:32Z 2010-01-26T18:13:32Z So then, you agree, he's a prominent guy ... :) Devin Lavelle 2010-01-26T18:13:32Z Devin Lavelle comment-21279 2010-01-26T08:56:05Z 2010-01-26T08:56:05Z Thanks for coming out to the meeting, Kathleen. I don't agree with the Mayor on every issue, but I do appreciate how hard he works and his willingness to get out in the community. We had a good discussion about how furloughs are both slowing the region's ability to benefit from Federal stimulus dollars and how they disproportionately hurt our region's economy. I'm looking forward to working with him on these issues. Devin Lavelle 2010-01-26T08:56:05Z Devin Lavelle comment-21277 2010-01-26T08:44:12Z 2010-01-26T08:44:12Z Voters should know more about the man who is really behind the initiative. He has been the attorney behind many of the worst right wing causes pushed around California. From Bossmayor.com, in the words of SacPress's frequent contributor and Mayor Johnson's spokesman, Steve Maviglio: "Here’s what Maviglio wrote about that part-time initiative and its creator, just last month on the Calbuzz blog: 'Here in California, the initiative is Exhibit A for what’s wrong with our state’s initiative process. It’s the brainchild of the right-wing initiative factory propped up by an AstroTurf ‘citizens group.’ Its author is conservative Sacramento lawyer Tom Hiltachk, whose last failed effort was an attempt to divide California’s electoral votes.' "Even more ironically, Maviglio blasts the part-time effort because it would weaken the legislature and hamper their crucial oversight, allowing the governor 'to drive the public policy agenda without accountability.'" http://bossmayor.com/2010/01/written-by-doctor-of-darkness-of.html Devin Lavelle 2010-01-26T08:44:12Z Devin Lavelle comment-21276 2010-01-26T08:33:29Z 2010-01-26T08:33:29Z She got it in the second paragraph: "Thomas Hiltachk, the attorney who wrote the initiative, appealed Judge Loren McMaster’s ruling on Monday to the Third District Court of Appeal" Devin Lavelle 2010-01-26T08:33:29Z Devin Lavelle comment-20890 2010-01-20T06:57:50Z 2010-01-20T06:57:50Z A few important differences between Denver and the Boss Mayor Initiative: 1. Denver's Mayor can hire/fire 50 employees. The Boss Mayor Initiative would allow Sacramento's mayor to hire/fire 800. 2. Term limits, Denver's Mayor is limited to two terms. The Boss Mayor Initiative has no term limits. The fun never has to end! 3. Denver's charter provides for the election of an independent City Clerk and City Auditor. The Boss Mayor Initiative does not. None of those pesky checks and balances. 4. Denver's budget must be approved by the City Council. The Boss Mayor Initiative would allow the Mayor's budget to automatically become law after 30 days. Read all about it: http://bossmayor.com/2010/01/state-of-downtown-is-denver.html Devin Lavelle 2010-01-20T06:57:50Z Devin Lavelle comment-20887 2010-01-20T06:37:55Z 2010-01-20T06:37:55Z Good meeting ... good work, city council! Devin Lavelle 2010-01-20T06:37:55Z Devin Lavelle comment-20523 2010-01-13T06:54:48Z 2010-01-13T06:54:48Z Although the fantastic work of other outlets, like this one and N&R is a boon, this is a serious problem in our country ... Devin Lavelle 2010-01-13T06:54:48Z Devin Lavelle comment-20489 2010-01-13T00:16:39Z 2010-01-13T00:16:39Z My point is that the Democratic Party generally represents the views of the majority of this city (though I happily acknowledge that none of us are perfectly in line with any group on every issue). Any employee can be fired for cause under the present arrangement. The change being proposed allows them to also be fired for politics. That's a problem and the voters of our city know that. Devin Lavelle 2010-01-13T00:16:39Z Devin Lavelle comment-20487 2010-01-13T00:10:38Z 2010-01-13T00:10:38Z You'd have to ask the Club for that information. I noted Chris Tapio's vote specifically, because the context of the Mayor's appointee to the commissions being the only vote in support of the initiative is somewhat relevant. Devin Lavelle 2010-01-13T00:10:38Z Devin Lavelle comment-20474 2010-01-12T18:15:36Z 2010-01-12T18:15:36Z Voter registration in our city: Democrat 55% Decline to State 20% Republican 20% Others 5% Devin Lavelle 2010-01-12T18:15:36Z Devin Lavelle comment-20461 2010-01-12T07:49:42Z 2010-01-12T07:49:42Z I'm confused ... why is this news? The SPOA has supported the initiative all along. They were listed as supporters on the SAG website months ago ... Devin Lavelle 2010-01-12T07:49:42Z Devin Lavelle comment-20157 2010-01-05T05:19:58Z 2010-01-05T05:19:58Z A fantastic event ... highly recommended! Devin Lavelle 2010-01-05T05:19:58Z Devin Lavelle comment-19185 2009-12-11T21:58:25Z 2009-12-11T21:58:25Z The Party makes its own decisions, but you're right, Bill did beat us to the punch. Sorry for the confusion. Devin Lavelle 2009-12-11T21:58:25Z Devin Lavelle comment-19183 2009-12-11T21:49:37Z 2009-12-11T21:49:37Z I'm not saying we need to house everyone -- I'm saying it has a very straightforward solution, should we choose to undertake it. Were to choose to do so, I do suspect there would be a fairly severe quality of life difference between free housing and market based housing. Devin Lavelle 2009-12-11T21:49:37Z Devin Lavelle comment-19180 2009-12-11T21:12:41Z 2009-12-11T21:12:41Z There needn't always be homeless people. Unlike issues like a lack of jobs, poor schools and other policy issues, It's a problem with a fairly straightforward solution -- give them a home. It may be costly, but it's not complicated. Heck, it might end up being cheaper in the long run than continuously throwing money at half measures ... Devin Lavelle 2009-12-11T21:12:41Z Devin Lavelle comment-19179 2009-12-11T21:04:40Z 2009-12-11T21:04:40Z Jim, The Democratic Party took an official opposed position in the Spring, before the Initiative had qualified for the ballot or any of the significant labor opponents had taken a position. It is a stand entirely based on principle, not based on politics. We were out front on the issue, long before the lines had been drawn. Speaking for myself -- I would not be opposed to a switch to a Mayor-Council form of government, that protected neighborhood representation and included strong accountability provisions -- more in line with what Oakland or Fresno employ. The Initiative on the ballot would give the Sacramento Mayor more power than any Mayor in California and would not include basic accountability provisions that all Mayor-Council cities include. Seriously, though -- how can you justify giving the mayor the power to hire and fire the City Attorney, the City Treasurer or the City Clerk? If we're giving more power to the Mayor, it is all the more critical that we have independent, capable people in these positions. It's critical to protect the city from legal repercussions, irresponsible financial decisions and to protect the integrity of our elections. Devin Lavelle 2009-12-11T21:04:40Z Devin Lavelle comment-19170 2009-12-11T20:50:43Z 2009-12-11T20:50:43Z The Coalition behind this initiative continues to consist of two entities -- Kevin Johnson and big business. While it would have been huge news if the Chamber had decided not to endorse the Boss Mayor Initiative, that they supported it just reflects the same business as usual that the Mayor has been claiming to oppose. If the Mayor wants to change business as usual, he needs to work with everyone in the city, build inclusive and democratic coalitions and he would be shocked how much he'll be able to get done under the current system of government. Joe Serna did not need to change the City's Charter to be a Strong Mayor. It's leadership that makes a Mayor strong, not the city's charter. Devin Lavelle 2009-12-11T20:50:43Z Devin Lavelle comment-19172 2009-12-11T19:52:12Z 2009-12-11T19:52:12Z Among the many hats I wear -- one is grad student -- I'm getting my Masters in Public Policy and Administration at Sacramento State. I recently wrote a paper on Mayor-Council v Council-Manager forms of government. The outcome was quite fascinating. Basically, the dichotomy has ceased to really exist. Virtually all cities, whether technically M-C or C-M, actually employ a hybrid that takes from both. Sacramento is a great example of this -- with a full-time, fully staffed mayor, a professional council and district based elections, Sacramento is pretty much as moderate as a C-M system can be. This does not contrast with cities like Oakland or Fresno that, while technically "Strong Mayor" cities, have rather weak mayors who do not have that much more power than Sacramento's. Contrary to what SAG will tell you -- the modern movement is not towards Mayor-Council or Council-Manager, it's towards moderation and it's a path that our city has taken several significant steps down. The Boss Mayor Initiative is a regressive initiative that would run contrary to the trends in the rest of the nation. Devin Lavelle 2009-12-11T19:52:12Z Devin Lavelle comment-19129 2009-12-11T01:56:17Z 2009-12-11T01:56:17Z I guess it's no shocker to see me disagree with Jim Knapp on Sacramento Press -- but I do enjoy Luigi's. I'd say it's my favorite of the various Grid takeout oriented pizza establishments ... Devin Lavelle 2009-12-11T01:56:17Z Devin Lavelle comment-18214 2009-11-24T17:23:39Z 2009-11-24T17:23:39Z correction: Chris Parker is the Fundraising Chair, not the Treasurer. I apologize, Chris. Devin Lavelle 2009-11-24T17:23:39Z Devin Lavelle comment-18212 2009-11-24T17:15:57Z 2009-11-24T17:15:57Z Actually, Terry mentioned that a Republican group is volunteering in a couple of weeks. Most folks who care enough, one way or the other, to be actively involved in their local Party, care enough that they probably spend a heck of a lot of time volunteering for worthwhile causes. Most Republicans aren't bad people. They just approach policy with different assumptions and values than we do. Devin Lavelle 2009-11-24T17:15:57Z Devin Lavelle comment-18141 2009-11-23T02:53:02Z 2009-11-23T02:53:02Z Great work Shawn and everyone else. It looks great! Devin Lavelle 2009-11-23T02:53:02Z Devin Lavelle comment-15336 2009-10-12T16:30:27Z 2009-10-12T16:30:27Z Great work, William. I've been calling for a k street streetcar for some time now. It would really tie together the grid. Devin Lavelle 2009-10-12T16:30:27Z Devin Lavelle comment-15335 2009-10-12T16:29:15Z 2009-10-12T16:29:15Z What's your point? How does this in any way conflict with what William was saying? He's saying that the way to revitalize our urban core is to do the little things, not wait for a huge project to hopefully come in and save us. To focus on the things that work and that take advantage of everything our wonderful city has going for it, not trying to make it what it's not. Of course any successful revitalization would ultimately include national chains. We have quite a few of them already. But it would be foolhardy to wait for them to come along. Devin Lavelle 2009-10-12T16:29:15Z Devin Lavelle comment-14710 2009-09-30T16:53:27Z 2009-09-30T16:53:27Z I'm a sports fan. I've had a lot of fun at Kings games. I'd like to keep them around. That said -- every non-biased study ever has shown that sports facilities do not generate enough economic development to justify their costs. Every single one that wasn't funded by someone who was trying to build a sports facility. One hundred percent. That's a lot -- heck, it's all of them. Furthermore, we don't have the public funds to keep swimming pools or park bathrooms open for children. We can't offer shelter to the homeless, much less long term solutions. Would spending a massive amount of public funds on a new arena really be the best idea for our city? Devin Lavelle 2009-09-30T16:53:27Z Devin Lavelle comment-13885 2009-09-17T19:11:40Z 2009-09-17T19:11:40Z Of course, the situation could be avoided if the city and county fulfilled their responsibility to their citizens -- and if the community hadn't failed in our obligation to our less fortunate neighbors. We're all better off if the homeless are properly housed -- in shelters in the short term and in affordable housing, with programs to help them get back on their feet, in the longer term. We cannot simply wish the homeless away. If we do not provide proper shelter for them, they will be camping in somebody's backyard. That is the reality. The problems are clear. We are spending much too much time talking about the problems and nowhere near enough talking about solutions. I'm looking forward to hearing what Mayor Johnson brings forward next month. We should all be applauding his efforts and holding him accountable for bringing forward real solutions, not just lip service. Devin Lavelle 2009-09-17T19:11:40Z Devin Lavelle comment-13808 2009-09-16T18:00:48Z 2009-09-16T18:00:48Z This initiative was written by Tom Hiltachk -- an ultra conservative attorney that represents big tobacco and anti-worker causes -- not exactly representative of Sacramento. Devin Lavelle 2009-09-16T18:00:48Z Devin Lavelle comment-13723 2009-09-13T16:22:55Z 2009-09-13T16:22:55Z Except that they don't. Charter schools do not out perform public schools. That is simply not true. Devin Lavelle 2009-09-13T16:22:55Z Devin Lavelle comment-13618 2009-09-11T17:18:19Z 2009-09-11T17:18:19Z Neither I, nor this outlet, have anything actually resembling a pro-KJ stance. As an example, if you google me, 4 of the top 8 hits are me being quoted in articles or appearing on the news, speaking against the Boss Mayor Initiative. http://www.google.com/search?q=devin+lavelle+sacramento&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a Devin Lavelle 2009-09-11T17:18:19Z Devin Lavelle comment-13613 2009-09-11T07:58:22Z 2009-09-11T07:58:22Z Wow ... fair enough, I won't cite it on my resume. You do realize this is citizen journalism, right? Feel free to do a better job -- anyone can publish here. Devin Lavelle 2009-09-11T07:58:22Z Devin Lavelle comment-13605 2009-09-11T06:23:24Z 2009-09-11T06:23:24Z Well that's just not true. "California charter schools outperform traditional public schools in reading but significantly lag in math, according to a national study released Monday by researchers at Stanford University. The study of charter schools in 15 states and the District of Columbia found that, nationally, only 17% of charter schools do better academically than their traditional counterparts, and more than a third 'deliver learning results that are significantly worse than their student[s] would have realized had they remained in traditional public schools.'" http://articles.latimes.com/2009/jun/16/local/me-charter16 Devin Lavelle 2009-09-11T06:23:24Z Devin Lavelle comment-13603 2009-09-11T06:15:09Z 2009-09-11T06:15:09Z Jerry Brown did what in Oakland? Jerry Brown did not take control of the schools. That's simply, verifiabley false. Not that he had anything to do with it one way or the other, but the Oakland Public Schools went into state trustee-ship for financial problems while he was mayor. Devin Lavelle 2009-09-11T06:15:09Z Devin Lavelle comment-13578 2009-09-11T04:40:49Z 2009-09-11T04:40:49Z Pike -- best of luck to you and God bless. At my church on the last two Sundays of every month we serve a hearty breakfast to anyone who is hungry, if you ever want to partake. First United Methodist at 21st and J. We usually start serving at 8:30 or 8:45. Devin Lavelle 2009-09-11T04:40:49Z Devin Lavelle comment-13577 2009-09-11T04:38:13Z 2009-09-11T04:38:13Z So where would you prefer Sacramento's 1,200 homeless sleep tonight? On whichever doorstep they haven't yet gotten chased off of? In a city jail, at great taxpayer expense? Some option I haven't thought of? (I do not pretend to have all of the answers) In the medium to long term, we should be working to get them into shelters, or better yet, affordable housing. But until the shelters re-open and/or the housing is built, we cannot simply wish them away. If you have a better solution, I would love to hear it. Devin Lavelle 2009-09-11T04:38:13Z Devin Lavelle comment-13576 2009-09-11T04:35:48Z 2009-09-11T04:35:48Z Generally speaking, these sorts of statements of principal leave out the details of how because those need to be resolved through negotiation, public opinion, etc. If we get too specific, we limit our ability to achieve our goals. Devin Lavelle 2009-09-11T04:35:48Z Devin Lavelle comment-13557 2009-09-10T21:21:01Z 2009-09-10T21:21:01Z From the Democratic Party's Platform: "Increase the construction of affordable housing to alleviate and prevent homelessness, and develop supportive housing with continuum of care services to help homeless people re-establish themselves as self-sufficient contributors to society;" http://www.cadem.org/atf/cf/%7BBF9D7366-E5A7-41C3-8E3F-E06FB835FCCE%7D/2008%20Platform%20Combined%20Final.pdf It does not specifically mention a fee, I will grant you -- but it is a high priority of the Party's. Devin Lavelle 2009-09-10T21:21:01Z Devin Lavelle comment-13551 2009-09-10T20:53:54Z 2009-09-10T20:53:54Z If you've walked around Sacramento at night, you would realize that a homeless campground has already been forced upon us without due process. We're all better off if there is sanitation, trash pickup and rules involved. The Council would be wise to create an open, process with community involvement for determining where such camps would be placed. Devin Lavelle 2009-09-10T20:53:54Z Devin Lavelle comment-13545 2009-09-10T20:45:12Z 2009-09-10T20:45:12Z What is untrue? Devin Lavelle 2009-09-10T20:45:12Z Devin Lavelle comment-13544 2009-09-10T20:44:20Z 2009-09-10T20:44:20Z The Democratic Party is entirely in favor of expanding affordable housing. It's one of our top priorities. Unfortunately, it takes time to pass such legislation and even more time to actually build the housing. We need to do something in the mean time to keep everyone safe. This is far from an ideal solution -- but it is a necessary bandage until we can convince the city and county to develop and fund better programs. Devin Lavelle 2009-09-10T20:44:20Z Devin Lavelle comment-12063 2009-08-13T22:10:25Z 2009-08-13T22:10:25Z Correction: The gang injunction does not allow the police to arrest individuals -- it allows them to place individuals on the gang injunction list -- despite having committed no crimes. Once on the gang injunction list, individuals are prohibited from and subject to arrest for "standing, sitting, walking, driving, gathering or appearing, anywhere in public view or any place accessible to the public" with another individual on the list. This includes the workplace, a movie theater, even family gatherings. Listed individuals are also subject to a strict, lifetime curfew within most of the City of West Sacramento. No crime need be committed for an individual to be placed on the list. Once on the list, individuals are subject to arrest for merely associating with others on the list, who are merely suspected of being gang members and may never have committed any crime. Basically, I skipped a step. I apologize for the error -- it was my personal misunderstanding, the resolution itself was correct. Devin Lavelle 2009-08-13T22:10:25Z Devin Lavelle comment-12070 2009-08-13T21:37:30Z 2009-08-13T21:37:30Z Ironic that after criticizing SacPress' open source business model, you would go ahead and link to something that follows the same model. Regardless, the are other quite not nice things on urban dictionary that could be described as nothing other than name calling, so I'm not sure what your point is. Do you have any evidence or verifiable reason to assert that Mr. Meade is a blind supporter of Heather Fargo's or are you simply assuming that he must be because he disagrees with you? Devin Lavelle 2009-08-13T21:37:30Z Devin Lavelle comment-12044 2009-08-13T19:03:17Z 2009-08-13T19:03:17Z That is a very mature and thoughtful comment. Devin Lavelle 2009-08-13T19:03:17Z Devin Lavelle comment-12042 2009-08-13T18:57:33Z 2009-08-13T18:57:33Z Cute ... and I like the strategy, if someone disagrees with you, call them names! My kindergarten teacher told me it wasn't okay, but what does she know? She was a total doodyhead. Devin Lavelle 2009-08-13T18:57:33Z Devin Lavelle comment-12035 2009-08-13T17:58:41Z 2009-08-13T17:58:41Z "Anyone who is against this injunction supports gang violence and criminal activity." Wow, really? Devin Lavelle 2009-08-13T17:58:41Z Devin Lavelle comment-11712 2009-08-07T23:24:56Z 2009-08-07T23:24:56Z Correction -- Justin Studebaker is actually the captain of MJS. Andres is just the one who does most of the yelling. My apologies, Justin. Devin Lavelle 2009-08-07T23:24:56Z Devin Lavelle comment-11709 2009-08-07T22:56:54Z 2009-08-07T22:56:54Z Yep, with an "I", the proper Irish way to spell ... No worries, I appreciate the kind words. Devin Lavelle 2009-08-07T22:56:54Z Devin Lavelle comment-11699 2009-08-07T21:20:32Z 2009-08-07T21:20:32Z I, personally, have mixed feelings about Kevin Johnson as Mayor. There are some things he has done that I disapprove of and others that I support. I'm a huge fan of his volunteerism program, for example. I am a long way from deciding where I will fall in the presumed Johnson-Fong showdown in three years. That said, because Mayor Johnson chose to craft the initiative in a way that gives him the powers immediately, it partially becomes about him. Why grant the powers midterm and not wait until the next election? But, far more important, this is very, very poor public policy. It is an egregiously poorly written document that will need either a second charter revision or a court order to make it possible to implement. It also eliminates any semblance of checks and balances in the four years between mayoral elections. Four years is a long time to wait for accountability. Devin Lavelle 2009-08-07T21:20:32Z Devin Lavelle comment-11682 2009-08-07T19:24:18Z 2009-08-07T19:24:18Z Steve, were you paying attention last night when I was the only person of all 30 commentators who suggested a compromise? Would pushing it back to November of next year really have been that bad? Would the will of the voters really be thwarted by a mere 5 months? Really? Readers should also consider that Mr. Maviglio was strongly affiliated with the Mayor's campaign -- a campaign whose largest donors were a handful of very wealthy Republicans, so his animosity towards the Democratic Party is not surprising. I should add that these same special interest campaign donors spent two hundred thousand dollars paying signature gatherers to get this initiative on the ballot. The people being heard the loudest are those special interests. Devin Lavelle 2009-08-07T19:24:18Z Devin Lavelle comment-11670 2009-08-07T18:30:54Z 2009-08-07T18:30:54Z From the Sac Bee: "Johnson met with mayors Gavin Newsom of San Francisco, Ron Dellums of Oakland and Alan Autry from Fresno . . .. He said their cities - all of which have strong mayor systems - were evidence of 'strong accountability.'" http://www.sacbee.com/latest/story/1469983.html See that's just the problem. Oakland elects an independent City Auditor and City Attorney, who can hold the Mayor accountable and are not beholden to him for their jobs. San Francisco elects and independent City Attorney and the Mayor appoints the Controller to a 10 year term with Council approval -- giving the Controller a large degree of independence. Mayor Johnson's initiative would allow him to hire and fire the people who are supposed to directly hold him accountable whenever he sees fit. That is not accountable government. The Democratic Party does not necessarily oppose Sacramento having a strong mayor. It opposes THIS initiative, which was so hastily written and deeply flawed that the City Attorney has said that it would require a companion charter revision to address the numerous legal, structural and logical flaws in the Mayor's initiative. Good public policy is good public policy. A bad law is a bad law, even if you agree with the principals. This is not good public policy. Devin Lavelle 2009-08-07T18:30:54Z Devin Lavelle comment-10818 2009-07-16T19:30:57Z 2009-07-16T19:30:57Z Samantha: http://www.sacbee.com/business/story/1549497.html Devin Lavelle 2009-07-16T19:30:57Z Devin Lavelle comment-10815 2009-07-16T19:26:12Z 2009-07-16T19:26:12Z We should be expanding pedestrian only areas -- not limiting them. There is more than adequate parking available on the evenings and weekends all of the garages in the area are nearly completely empty. If parking is the issue, it could be much more easily and afford ably resolved by adding a few signs to direct visitors to the nearest parking lot. Fear not, with the new developments planned, K Street should soon be on the rise, with smaller projects following the larger projects and the density they will bring. Devin Lavelle 2009-07-16T19:26:12Z Devin Lavelle comment-10804 2009-07-16T16:48:58Z 2009-07-16T16:48:58Z I would like to open with an Amen, Sister! I support and second everything that Samantha says. Of course we would all prefer that people stayed out of our trashcan. It is undesirable on a number of levels. The way to fight it, though, is not by banning the practice. Enforcing it would be tremendously inefficient, diverting critical public safety resources away from real public safety issues. People who have adequate food to eat, shelter and productive ways to spend their time do not dig through garbage cans. There are serious problems here -- let's deal with those problems, not just cast their most obvious consequences from our line of sight. Devin Lavelle 2009-07-16T16:48:58Z