Newest articles and comments on The Sacramento Press written by fifthgensacramentan

fifthgensacramentan on "Police union halts labor talks with City Hall"

2012-02-09T14:59:36Z

Interesting read in SNR today by Cosmo. Everything that could be exposed to revision with a charter commission. http://www.newsreview.com/sacramento/snog/blogs#BlogPost-5107298 Police & Fire may be concerned that their collective bargaing agreement could be rivised, especially in light of the fact that people like Tyndale, who don't live in the city, can't participate. Something else that Cosmo pointed out, the schools and the thje way they are governed. Imagine this mayor and his spouse attempting to open that up, especially with her new Non Profit education reform "Student First" Interesting year ahead!

fifthgensacramentan on "Police union halts labor talks with City Hall"

2012-02-09T06:55:40Z

Back at You, Girl!! :-)

fifthgensacramentan on "Police union halts labor talks with City Hall"

2012-02-09T05:50:36Z

Rhonda, did you read the Bee article about Darrell? And Tyndale's comment? http://www.sacbee.com/2012/01/08/4168924/enigmatic-councilman-a-political.html SPOA was angry at Darrell's vote on the city budget last June. Boss Tyndale's thuggish threat was: "Tyndale says that Fong could start making amends by voting to put Mayor Kevin Johnson's strong-mayor initiative on the ballot in June. Fong says he hasn't made up his mind, but did have a good talk with the mayor on Tuesday. If the councilman continues to buck the union, Tyndale warns, it will find someone to run against him: "If we don't fix the relationship, we don't want him on the council." Who is the community stewart? Tyndale or D.Fong? And a portion of my response to that article... "And to the leaders of SPOA, both Mark Tyndale an former president Brent Meyer....two individuals who don't live in this city....and have on numerous occasions stated how it can be dangerous to live in this city while being a police officer...for both them and their families..... I give you Darrell Fong....as a myth buster! And OMT, For Mr.,non-resident, Tyndale to suggest that charter revision is a bargaining chip: "... Fong could start making amends by voting to put Mayor Kevin Johnson's strong-mayor initiative on the ballot in June." Is insulting to say the least and "flies in the face" of the constitutional process ordained by the State of California. Sorry words from someone sworn to uphold the laws of this state!" That would be Mark Tyndale!

fifthgensacramentan on "Council: Parking lease issue won't reach June ballot"

2012-02-09T05:31:18Z

Throughout this debate of spending public dollars simply based on the approval of council has been the underlying question, At what monetary threshold is voter approval required? Our charter and ordinances place excellent retrictions on council needing to approve expenditures by the city manager, when the bill is $100,000 Dollars or more. Here we have a city department, that repeatedly produces dependable annual income for our general fund while at the same time providing stabilization of parking rates in our city. To proceed with the RFP process the city will need to spend 1-2 million unfunded precious dollars of the taxpayer to proceed. The anticipation is to generate a one time cash payment equvalent to About 1/4 Of Our Annual Budget and take it all for a downpayment on a project of highly questinable, if not outright deceptive, proforma. The ramifications of which will be with this city for 50 years. While the life span of any pro-sport arena tends to be 16.5 years on avg. Additionally, the comments from some councilmembers, who voted not to allow a vote of the residents, reflect acknowledgement that the information they have been receiving from the arena shill force is unreliable knowing that there is little support to spend these funds in that manner or more likely that they don't want the parking privatized at all. In a manner like the council restricts the spending by the city manager, it's time the residents restrict the spending by our council at a fixed monetary value. The action last night clearly demonstrated that.

fifthgensacramentan on "Charter reform goes to November ballot – but not as 'strong mayor'"

2012-02-09T03:54:18Z

I think Rhonda is correct. The game will become clearer as the filing deadline for candidates approaches. The wildcard now is the charter commission vote. If the voters vote against it, especially in light of what has transpired now for over three years, all of the mayor's arguments for revising the charter go out the window, his or anybody else's version. Will that stop him, especially if he were to gain a majority of support on council? Propably not, his pursuit for the "ring of power" is too great. Meet Mayor Gollum, seeking "his precious".

fifthgensacramentan on "Don't Miss "Sacramento Museum Day" on February 4!"

2012-01-24T18:05:37Z

Under the category of Best Freebie in Sacramento, This gets 5 Stars! Just remember, the museums are free downtown...most parking isn't, unless your walking, riding a bike or using public transit, then you can park your tush anywhere you like!

fifthgensacramentan on "Will leasing city garages ruin parking validation?"

2012-01-22T21:11:07Z

Agreed, however I would also ask Melissa, are you familiar with all the city's other discount parking services? Especially as it relates to off-street lots and garages? How will those be affected? http://cityofsacramento.org/transportation/parking/offstreetdiscount.html Isn't Sac Press's location right at ground zero? Besides that list, there are the early bird specials, the discount afforded Amtrak riders at the Old Sac Garage just to name 2. Those are all benefits afforded by "Publicly owned Parking" that help stabilize the market rates in the same location...as opposed to 100% predatory rates created by 100% privately controlled parking. We also know that in Chicago for example, On-Street meter enforcement went to 7 days a week 365 days a year along with expanded Meter Enforcement times.

fifthgensacramentan on "Council delays strong mayor decision, possibly until November"

2012-01-19T12:27:43Z

Let's set the record straight, the person who was adamant about not using a charter commission...the original author of SMI 1- Thomas Hiltachk....."Don't use a Charter Commission"....it's on the video of those 2009 City Council meetings. When and/or where exactly did Bill Camp say that? The guy who took SMI-1 to court, and won? I think your comment is the Red Herring!

fifthgensacramentan on "Johnson campaigns gave over $35,000 to create “Strong Mayor” friendly conversation"

2012-01-17T23:43:28Z

Rhonda, go back and look at the charter commission's final report of 2009 and their rationale behind not supporting a Mayor/Council form of government...off 11 members it was vote 10-1 against going to an executive (strong) mayor form of governance. http://www.cityofsacramento.org/charter/documents/CRC_Final_Report.pdf pgs 16-18 of which on pgs 17 & 18 they give 8 strong reasons Here's 3 of them 1. Accountability. At the local level, the existing unified system is more accountable than would be a divided system. Under a divided framework, residents often have difficulty knowing who is actually responsible for a particular decision or policy. This point is well illustrated by the federal system, wherein presidents have often blamed Congress while Congress blames the White House. With a single body being responsible, it is clear that the City Council, of which the Mayor is a voting participant, ultimately is solely responsible for the City's policymaking decisions. Put simply, under a unified system, there is no place to "pass the buck," since all power and responsibility rests with the City Council. 2. Representative and Inclusive. In contrast to the federal and state governments, the decisions of local governing bodies, such as land use and direct public services, affect the daily lives of city residents in a more direct, immediate way. A unified governing body tends to incorporate the most diverse range of opinion, and is therefore more representative of the views of the community as a whole. In contrast, a divided government structure is more likely to result in policy decisions with "winners" and "losers." In the words of the International City-County Management Association ( ICMA), the Council-Manager form of local government "encourages neighborhood input into the political process, diffuses the power of special interests, and eliminates partisan politics from municipal hiring, firing, and contracting decisions." 7. Clear Direction to Consolidated Staff. Divided government results in two staffs, one under the direction of the City Council and another under the direction of the Mayor. An advantage of the existing city unified structure is that there is a single consolidated group of professional staff under the direction of the City Manager, who is responsible to the full City Council. So after getting a smack down by the courts, why didn't KJ and Team End Run go to a constitutionally ordained process? Instead they are again attempting to strong-arm a revision onto the ballot...that they wrote. When you write the rules...who wins?

fifthgensacramentan on "Johnson campaigns gave over $35,000 to create “Strong Mayor” friendly conversation"

2012-01-17T17:35:15Z

Issac, that $35,000 appears to have actually been use to pay down Hiltachk's legal bill to Bill Camp. Look at the expenditures for Open Sacramento....on the April-June 2011 460 filing. That $57,079 expenditure was listed as "Office Expenses". However the LLC that it was paid to Client Trust Account of Ellis Lavoie Poirier Steinheimer & McGee, LLP Most likely...Bill Camp's legal bill from his legal team. From the settlement papers: "Attorneys' fees in the amount of $114,158.00, including hours spent on the reply, are appropriately awarded to plaintiff, jointly and severally against both defendants Hiltachk and City 114,158/2=$57,079.00....sound familiar? How's that for transparency...office expenses.....compared to settlement payment. 34-2009-00065404-CU-MC-GDS The strong mayor 1 lawsuit By paying off their existing debts...along with having a number of loans and debts forgiven by the strong mayor 1 backers....the ending balance of that PAC is zero...and they can then cease to exist......of course they re-created themselves as Better Sacramento PAC, So Johnson felt compelled to help pay Hiltachk's half of the legal bill caused by the SMI lawsuit...but not the city's...pretty poor....yet similar to his "loan" to St. Hope following his actions as CEO there which resulted in that fine levied by the US of A. All of the case documents from the previous lawsuit are available at saccourt,ca,gov go to online services, Civil & Probate Documents and Tentative Ruling Viewer, and use the case number provided.

fifthgensacramentan on "'Strong mayor,' 'executive mayor': Taking a closer look"

2012-01-12T17:47:25Z

So an independent redistricting commission is a good and transparent thing...yet a city council appointed charter commission or a charter commission created by an election, tasked with revising and updating our charter in a public process.................in a manner ordained by our State Constitution is unacceptable? City ordinances require a thorough vetting by all parties in a public process where all sides of the issue are involved....and open meeting rules prevail. As an example, the medicinal marijuana dispensary ordinance went through numerous stake holder meetings, numerous reviews by the city attorney's office, law and leg, revisions etc. However, a petulant politician can conceive any means, several times now, around the process for charter revision ordained by our State Constitution....wasting time and resources over and over again...and a lawsuit that he and his lost....for not following the rules.....when it comes to revising our city's constitution...We should cave into petulance and tantrums...by someone who can't follow Laws of Governance within our CA Constitution? I don't think so! How much time would have been spent had KJ and Team End Run...simply followed the rules of our state constitution....he actually might of had something to place on the ballot...although in looking at the 2009 Charter Commission's final report...Not what he or his interests wanted!

fifthgensacramentan on "Wag the dog: Sacramento style"

2012-01-10T11:17:30Z

If they really want to put the voters first, which BTW sounds a lot like that farcical statement from the mayor and ThinkBig's, "the taxpayer comes first" Prove it! Place the public contribution to the arena on the ballot...provide a binding vote on all moneys, assets and proceeds being put forward. And if you really want to change the charter....place a ballot measure for a charter commission formation. You already cost us 18months last time and acrimony not to mention that $57,000 the city coughed up because of your illegal use of the initiative process to put forward a charter revision...that drew us into Bill Camps Lawsuit. BTW did the mayor provide $35,000 to the city like he did towards Hiltachk's legal bill to Bill Camp?

fifthgensacramentan on "Wag the dog: Sacramento style"

2012-01-10T11:06:56Z

I think they are trying to "hoodwink' us with the 8 year pilot concept....which will be 2020...when the proposal would either sunset or be finalized and approved by voters. Of course we would already have that troublesome 9th council district.....how do you put that genie back in the bottle? I can hear the proponents already...."are you crazy...do you know how much time and effort it would take to reverse course" ? Of course with the mayor's posistion being the main focus & concentration of political fund raising...which I still feel is a primary incentive for someone who loaned his own campaign close to $600K and has easily spent close to $800K not including that pesky little fine to the US of A of over $400K....all for a job that pays $118,000 a year and comes with a $135,000/ year security detail. Where's the Return on Investment...without control of the city manager and the manager's workforce?

fifthgensacramentan on ""Strong Mayor" Proposal at Secret Public Meeting"

2012-01-09T18:52:43Z

Thank You William!!!....Who knew there was a meeting? A public process, using a charter commission, would have been required to abide by the Brown Act. Transparency? What's transparent is that now, the mayor is using his publicly funded staff, to again do an "End Run" around the constitutionally ordained methods for revising a city charter. Hopefully the City Council will stop this poorly orchestrated charade of outreach and support by "Team End Run" in its tracks. "Team End Run" wants to talk about creating an independent, elected redistricting committee...yet run their own little "shell" came when it comes to revising our charter...as opposed to the preferred, constitutionally ordained method of a charter commission. While I applaud the concept of an independent elected redistricting committee....I place a far higher priority on using a charter commission process to review and provide a deliberative, democratic process for any proposal to revise our charter....especially as it relates to our form of government.

fifthgensacramentan on "Mayor's office unveils proposed charter reform measures"

2012-01-04T05:24:18Z

As long as you're talking about the arena financing plan.. the largess and sources of the public contribution....and a binding public vote provided to the citizens of the city by the city council....a referendum will have dire consequences for some sitting council people, who aren't currently up for re-election...not to mention those that are! As far as a revision to our charter....go back and read that SMI lawsuit and the CA constitution. Then get the mayor to cough up a similar $35,000 contribution to the city with regards to the legal cost incurred due to his and Hiltach's unconstitutional use of the initiative process to revise a charter...Why are you and the like so afraid of a charter commission? Oh right, I read the conclusions from the last one....you lost on virtually every issue you want to put forward in your newest version of Boss Mayor.

fifthgensacramentan on "Two polls show different levels of support and resistance to Kevin Johnson’s latest strong mayor push"

2011-12-31T20:13:08Z

Looks like you and Cosmo, over at SNR, hit the same "wall of silence" over the last couple of days. "Why won't KJ release his strong mayor poll?" http://www.newsreview.com/sacramento/snog/blogs#BlogPost-4726063 "I don’t know, because the campaign won’t release the poll. The poll was paid for by the mayor’s re-election campaign–so much for the idea that it’s not about KJ. But after repeated phone calls and emails yesterday and today, to the mayor’s people both inside City Hall and with his campaign, nada. Remember a few weeks back, when Sandy Sheedy took so much "manure" (edited) for her poll showing that voters wanted a say on subsidizing a new Kings arena? The mayor’s supporters attacked that poll and said it was flawed–after she posted the whole thing on her website. By contrast, the mayor wants to play hide the poll. You know what I mean." One More Thing....Charter Revision does not occur due to sleight of hand or opinion poll shopping. The power to propose revisions to a charter lie only in the hands of City Council and/or a Charter Commission. I keep waiting for the local daily to throw the same amount of garbage at KJ & Co's "Team End Run" that they threw at Sheedy's poll, asking residents if council should provide residents a vote on any public contribution to the arena plan.....while at the same time pointing out the process ordained by the State Constitution.....crickets! Nope their editorial board ran an editorial on Thurs the 22nd...saying a June Vote on a Strong Mayor proposal was the way to go.... to date....not vetted, not actually written, not looked at by council and definitely not put forward by a charter commission....although it did share some similarity to 1 member's view of the 2009 charter commission....1 of 11 appointed people. No still means no, Boss Johnson aka "End Run Johnson" http://www.newsreview.com/sacramento/no-still-means-no-boss/content?oid=4715831 Thanks for the effort Issac!

fifthgensacramentan on "Mayor: City is at 'critical juncture' on the road to new arena"

2011-12-28T18:07:17Z

Does the mayor actually pay attention to the discussions and staff reports that are being delivered by city staff to the council with regards to the loooooooong term leasing of the city's public parking assets? Does he think he can pull-off a 72 Hr, behind the scenes swindle as did Daley in Chicago? No mention of the restrictions associated with the money collected for on-street meter parking, that would make the viability of leasing them to a private vendor highly questionable. The 50+ million dollar debt associated with the existing garages....that must be paid off before any "for profit" operation can occur on their premise...or be in conflict with the IRS and the tax exempt status of those properties. There is continually the issue of the existing ARCO loan of about 65 million...that doesn't go away without paying off the investors....and persists until 2027. If the Maloofs default on that one. who is left holding the bag? And what's the position of our loan compared to that of the NBA's? Thanks to that little issue in 2003 carried out by our former treasurer without public scrutiny or council approval....2nd.....all for a mere 5 million dollar additional stake in the team...as security. Ever tried collecting the face value on a 2nd position debt? Talk about a toxic asset. The Parking meter LLC in Chicago will be raising the parking rates again Jan 1st.....their contract allowed them to raise rates every year for the first 5 years. Chicagoan's also pay for street parking 24/7 365 now. The Company just sent the city, two additional bills for last year do to lost revenue.... "There has been plenty of new controversy over the parking meter lease deal recently, after the company submitted a $13.5 million bill to the city for lost revenue from disabled drivers who are able to park for free at parking meters. The company has also billed the city more than $2 million for lost revenue from street closures due to utility work and street festivals that cut off access to metered parking spaces." http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2011/12/22/parking-meter-rates-set-to-rise-again-in-2012/

fifthgensacramentan on "Tales from the front lines: Working on Christmas"

2011-12-26T08:59:23Z

Melissa, Department correction. While both metro and Sac Fire are both on duty at all times of the year, and within in the brotherhood of public safety officers provide services and volunteer efforts of a comparable nature, the picture of the fire station with the pumper out front along with Doug Bruce are from The City of Sacramento Fire Dept...not Sac Metro.

fifthgensacramentan on "Mayor's office unveils proposed charter reform measures"

2011-12-23T22:38:07Z

So the mayor's supporters want to propose yet, another revision to our charter and throw in an ethics commission and a n independent redistricting commission? How about starting with a proposal to elect an independent charter commission? Oh, and a binding vote on the the city's public subsidy to the hodgepodge arena financing plan! Oh right....can't control, lobby or monetarily contribute to the outcome...in other words...it doesn't work for the mayor's agenda. While one can have a negative inclination to a charter revision, that is crafted without public scrutiny...How does one vote or throw their support behind a revision that isn't written yet....it's but only a proposal in matrix form...no fine print notes or wording. I'm also noticing a list of supporters...that again don't live in the city and/or additionally not even the county. What's up with that?

fifthgensacramentan on "Mayor's office unveils proposed charter reform measures"

2011-12-22T19:47:55Z

I wonder what our US Constitution would have looked liked, if after the revolution, one had simply written down his demands for how best to define this country's governance...without any deliberative process...take advantage of their individual popularity at the moment and simply send it to the states to vote on it...period. Revising a charter is akin to revising a state or our US Constitution. What the mayor and his local monied interest and non-resident cohorts keep attempting to avoid is the the deliberative process and simply have our charter changed to their liking via a popularity contest. "Deliberative democracy is a form of democracy in which deliberation is central to legitimate lawmaking. It adopts elements of both consensus decision-making and majority rule. Deliberative democracy differs from traditional democratic theory in that authentic deliberation, not mere voting, is the primary source of a law's legitimacy. Deliberative democracy is compatible with both representative democracy and direct democracy." As compared to Despotism....as we saw in SMI I and to a slightly lesser extent in The Lighter Version. When one looks at the current talking points...we again are confronted with not dealing with the non-majority aspect of 8 council districts....now needing nine, yet that's ok with this group, it can be dealt with later....let just get the city under the control of the mayor...Every decision of council would require a super majority...5-3...how convenient. I have a better idea. You want to spend our money and sell/lease our assets for individual self interests...you give us a binding vote on the arena financing scheme that involves all the city's public contribution... You want to change our City's charter and form of government....then place a measure on the June ballot for the formation of a charter commission not a charter revision written at the request of one member of our city council.

fifthgensacramentan on "Does AEG want to help Sacramento in order to protect the Lakers?"

2011-12-19T19:47:19Z

Funny you should notice that...your not alone on that observation. There is a tiny little entrance off of 2nd St next to the rail road museum. For now that's it. Then ask yourself...where are all those loading bays for the big rigs? Remember the issue about ARCO being unable to accommodate quick and timely transformation of venue from one function to the next? Additionally, this depiction, has the arena directly behind the Depot...not west of it. Remember that issue of the public plaza behind the depot, so that the arena does not dwarf the depot? Sorta looks like a 100 yd football field being crammed into one designed for arena football's 50yd field. Site limitations aside...the "penciling out" of the financing and return on investment of the public component are still the non-starters.

fifthgensacramentan on "Council agrees to seek lessee for city parking operations"

2011-12-14T22:56:05Z

Above the title bar on the front page: "Council agrees to seek lessee for parking" or more accurately "Council agrees to issue RFQ for potential parking lessees" Beyond that it's a true reflection of what occurred last night. On another note...how did we get here? On May 18, 2010 City council heard the "CITYWIDE FINANCIAL AND OPERATIONAL REVIEW " report prepared at CC direction by Management Partners. http://sacramento.granicus.com/GeneratedAgendaViewer.php?view_id=22&clip_id=2302 Item 21: Read the report...if you want to see some of the strategies the city is employing, in an attempt to balance expenses with revenues. Open the report and do a search with "parking" as the operative term It wasn't until ThinkBig came along that the recommendations for the possible outsourcing of the parking department got contrived into a scheme to use the funds generated in the construction budget for an arena...without a public vote!

fifthgensacramentan on "Council agrees to seek lessee for city parking operations"

2011-12-14T21:59:54Z

Read the Management Partners Report, be forewarned...you will see mention of a parking tax idea if you do a search using "parking" as the operative word. Item 21 http://sacramento.granicus.com/GeneratedAgendaViewer.php?view_id=22&clip_id=2302 The idea surfaced back in mid 2010...only somebody's primary concern was about being a certified "strong mayor".

fifthgensacramentan on "The Downtown arena funding plan is a complete mess"

2011-12-10T18:40:45Z

http://www.cityofsacramento.org/SED/SED.htm Compare that analysis to the current Worm Wood Report. Even with that and an economy that was taking off....we all know how the public felt about paying for it...in 2006. What do you think would have happened if they suggested leasing and selling off of city asserts...back then....after that vote?

fifthgensacramentan on "The Downtown arena funding plan is a complete mess"

2011-12-10T18:32:39Z

Where to Start, "You need to spend money to make money" note the insertion of the word wisely! This community has done just that when it comes to its parking resources. The parking report and the recurring return to the general fund of revenue from parking operations is a testament to that. Additionally when you actually look at this years budget document and the section pertaining to special funds and how they are doing...one stands out...the parking fund http://www.cityofsacramento.org/finance/budget/approved-budget-2011-12/2-Budget_Overview.pdf Look at pages 29-41....Well the Utility Fund info 5 year assumptions did not include rate increases...did everyone else receive their notice of less discretionary income per the water and waste water rate inc. proposal? Yet look at parking....the 5 year assumptions show it being balanced....again with no rate increases projected. How long do you seriously think that will hold with privatization? From a 2009 WSJ article and it goes along with MikeM's find in the parking report... "Ours is a car-based culture. Cars have to park somewhere when they leave their owner’s garage. Pricey curb metering and aggressive ticketing by public parking authorities are thus inevitable, something drivers will likely suffer with to an ever greater extent because of the fiscal woes of local communities. That’s bad enough. But giving over all or part of this huge cash cow for quick upfront money, or enforcement rights to a pack of parking vigilantes, is just plain crazy. Publicly controlled parking collections and enforcement are at least somewhat restrained by political pressures of a local citizenry. Privatizing public parking is just throwing motorists to the metering and ticketing wolves." This is a 50 year lease proposal... "You really, really don’t want private company bottom lines and the demands of Wall Street hucksters to control how much you have to cough up when you take your car from home and venture into the wider world." http://themoderatevoice.com/49779/parking-privatization-%E2%80%94-beware-the-slippery-slope/ The city actually spent $80,000 on a report that shows the economic engine that the parking department is...a solid report...And what do we get from ThinkBig? Fish Wrap labeled as "Polls" "Economic Engine Report" "The Taxpayer Comes First" etc. Seattle got it right with I-91....use of public funds demands a guaranteed concrete ROI...no good will BS..."and shall exclude all intangible, indirect, non-cash items such as goodwill, cultural or general economic benefit to the City," http://www.citizensformoreimportantthings.org/I91TEXT.html No concrete budget for the Hoop Arena, Exisiting ARCO debt, all property tax revenues are in a RDZ...they don't go to the general fund...they go to redevelopment and additionally cost the state the school make-up portion of those taxes. Upfront cash for a Build -At-Any&All-Cost Arena Construction Budget in exchange for ?? Do The residents of this city want the city to end up like the investors in that Twin Towers in the Sky HOLE on Capitol Mall? Let's Ask them...with a binding vote...anything less would be....LUDICROUS! BTW Taxation and Revenue code sec 61...change of ownership and leases of 35 years or more....interesting speed bump....but again any property taxes generated would be for the RDZ...not the general fund.... and ask yourself this...how is the Parking garage at 13th & I...that the city sold for 25 million? To David Taylor etal... only assessed 15mill? Check it out at Sac County Parcel View...1223 J St...

fifthgensacramentan on "Johnson: People are ready to talk about strong mayor initiative"

2011-11-25T18:24:36Z

So Steve, what's the budget deficits in those cities that you cite as being upstanding examples of a "strong mayor" type government? Say, as compared to that of what Sacramento is experiencing? You will also notice that the last budget cycle had some very hard choices that had to be made. Those included the laying off of Public Safety personnel, sworn and non sworn. It wasn't what people wanted to have happen, yet there were many issues that could have mitigated the depth of the cuts....yet some union leaders refused to consider paying into their own retirements to help lessen the impact. At the end of the day, your candidate, along with two of his perceived allies...along with "strong' ties to SFD and SPOA voted against the budget put forward. We all know the gamesmanship of 5 & 6 votes...and how once achieved, some can worm there way out of an unpopular decision, knowing it's the right decision but leaving themselves open to say to there allies "I didn't vote for those cuts"...meanwhile having nothing to offer in exchange for the proposal...except to cut more services elsewhere. But again what's the city budget problems currently in Oakland, San Fran and LA? Your making a strong case not to have a Strong Mayor if your really using those as examples...but that's OK. And I really don't want a CEO whose only resume requirement for applying for the job is 30 days of residency.

fifthgensacramentan on "Johnson: People are ready to talk about strong mayor initiative"

2011-11-24T15:11:46Z

I'm not sure where Melissa got the statement, "Mayor Kevin Johnson brought the topic to the fore during his 2008 campaign for mayor in his race against then-mayor Heather Fargo"...but just to keep the historical record straight...it didn't appear on the radar screen until after Dec 15,2008. That was after Hiltachk , Johnson etal, financed by about 15 mostly out-of-towners...crafted the Emperor Mayor Initiative and went on a signature gathering binge under false pretenses and ultimately unconstitutional use of the initiative process. And as far as blaming our form of government, that has survived over 90 years, as being the case for excessive city manager changes along with being dysfunctional...Both dysfunctionaity and this mayor arrived in City Council Chambers at the same time....and it was a lot more than coincidence. A lot of citizens are looking to this council to provide the ultimate accountability index to the voters of this city....A binding Vote on any and all public contributions and general fund debt associated with any arena financing scheme. Wasn't accountability the foundation of your argument for more power....well you don't need more power and the citizens want a vote on your single biggest focus...the public money and debt associated with any arena deal. You should read up on I-91 in Seattle....From an initiative perspective...it's got a lot more traction than any form of SMI. I could easily see a Real Grass Roots Campaign on that! We could even borrow on the Name used up there... Citizens For More Important Things! http://www.citizensformoreimportantthings.org/I91TEXT.html And now that the candidate's spokesperson has weighed in... So Steve, When is the accountable preaching mayor going to make a similar contribution to the City of Sacramento...like he did for Open Sacramento....before they shut down...to pay off their share of the Legal cost incurred by Bill Camps sucessful lawsuit against the unconstitutional SMI. City Clerk documents pretty clearly show the path of the money....$25,000 from KJ's 2012 account along with a personal KJ contribution of $10,000...to pay down the $57,000..owed by Open Sacramento (formerly known as SAG) for their share of Camp's legal bills. Given Hiltachk's and Johnson's role in the events that led up to the lawsuit.....if KJ truly wants to walk the talk instead of him or you just doing the talking....the city could really use a similar contribution of $35,000 to pay down the legal bill debt owed to Camp by the city. KJ's always been good at pulling out the checkbook to make problems go away. On Another Note Here's a change to the city codes I'll support: Candidates for City of Sacramento public office being limited to the amount of money they can "loan" their campaigns....just like we do at the state level. If $100K is the outstanding debt limit a candidate for CA Governor can have loaned, in total, to all their campaigns.....$50K for a mayor should be more than adequate. They can still freely give all of their own money they want...they just can't loan it . You know, loans are just debts, expected to be paid off...by someone....so lets keep them in check.

fifthgensacramentan on "City considers consolidating Planning, Design Commissions"

2011-11-19T19:35:25Z

When one goes to The Sacramento City Codes, and actually looks at the professional requirements to serve on either the Design or Preservation Commissions compared to the lack of stipulated requirements to serve on the Planning Commission....This is a bad move. It was as much a bad move when the now extinct DOC proposed it two and a half years ago as it is today. We would be better served by consolidating the professional requirements of the Design and Preservation Commissions back into a unified commission instead of diluting the Design commish into the Planning Commish.

fifthgensacramentan on "Planning Commission chair Yee joins District 4 council race"

2011-11-18T19:03:55Z

I'm glad to see Joe in this Election!

fifthgensacramentan on "Phyllis Newton: Candidate for District 4 City Council seat"

2011-11-14T20:07:33Z

Cuts Have to be Made? Where has this woman been during the past three budget cycles? The mayor came into office on the pretext of law enforcement...saying we don't spend enough. In 2007-08 the budget saw 72% of the descretionary spending going to public safety...PD and Fire. That has now mushroomed to 85-87%. At the expense of everything else. Additionally, as of a couple of weeks ago...those are now the only two departments not paying any employee contribution into their retirements. Management employees just got their mandatory furloughs rescinded...read 5 % wage reinstated...however they will now be paying the entire 7% employee contribution....previously 0%...so they are in effect agreeing to another 2% reduction overall. Imagine if PD and Fire were paying their 9% contribution...instaed of the city. even half of it...like the rest of the city employees would be better than none. And if she is reading the "Economic Engine Report" and/or "ThinkBigs" "Poll" as anything other than an inflated "Marketing Prospectus" without any guarantees of a ROI...I would have to ask.. What's is her posistion on the public's right to a binding vote on whatever final finacing scheme is put forward? That is going to be a primary litmus test for this election cycle.

fifthgensacramentan on "Hundreds gather to celebrate cars returning to K Street"

2011-11-14T19:08:16Z

We didn't just celebrate it...we spent $3,000,000.99 to facilitate it....I mean a majority of City Council spent that...they didn't ask the rest of us for permission.

fifthgensacramentan on "An incomplete timeline of the events surrounding Sandy Sheedy's arena poll "

2011-11-03T19:11:17Z

Thanks Issac! There's also the issue of the SacBees Editorial Board Slam on CM Sheedy published Thursday the 27th, one day after Marcos's put his manure covered foot in his mouth. Editorial: No room for political games in arena debate http://www.sacbee.com/2011/10/27/4009766/no-room-for-political-games-in.html The title of that article would seem to indicate that the BEE should be coming out with a slam on the political games that followed a poll counter to their participation in an Arena-At-All-Cost with no public vote proposal. They emptied the cubboard with rational for not having a vote.... There is a growing chorus that regardless of NBA deadlines and such...The Fact isany action of City Council is subject to approval of the registered city voters, if yoters do not approve or feel they should have a say in that decision, yet city council chooses to avoid a public vote on an issue...It's called a R-E-F-E-R-E-N-D-U-M Davis voters appear to have just pulled one off over the Angelo water deal, some don't like it. Enough so that it's being determined if they have enough valid signatures to proceed.... That's how our forefathers created checks and balances....Extreme times create extreme measures...the worst disparity of wealth along with an economy, since the Great Depression. So here we have peolpe out there who are trying to circuvent a public vote on financing an arena with public dollars, assets and general fund debt...All while maintaining the taxpayer comes first. Given the games so far....and the lenghts to which some are avoiding a mandated public vote... Who really is playing games here....And more importantly Who is the Pupet Master really pulling all the strings? Two hit pieces by the SacBee on one council member asking the question about a public vote? Who pulled those strings?

fifthgensacramentan on "A Mother's Cry"

2011-11-02T06:51:28Z

Words do have the ability to move personal opion and public policy...Hopefully yours days as "An Army of One" fighting for your neighborhood, your community and your city and especially the youth of those enclaves....are a'changin for the better. Rhonda, I salute you!

fifthgensacramentan on "Sheedy faces allegations of wrongdoing with recent poll"

2011-11-02T06:30:51Z

At this point, or at the very latest, after talking with the FPPC, the title of this article needs to be corrected to reflect what actually occurred here. There are any number of word and terms that begin to reflect the dishonesty put forward by someone to discredit someone else We are still 8 months away from our first election of 2012. The deceptions are most likely only starting.

fifthgensacramentan on "Sheedy faces allegations of wrongdoing with recent poll"

2011-11-02T06:18:26Z

Unfortunately, a group appointed by the mayor and led by Chris Lehane, produced a poll that helped comvince Coucil to spend over $600,000.00 Dollars of General Fund and Parking Fund monies to move the arena discussion to where it is now. ThinkBig did so without providing the actual poll ! City Council compounded the problem by not demanding the poll be produced, they shirked the responsibility of due diligence. 2 CC members didn't see spending the money as appropriate. Sandy Sheedy and Darrell Fong. Any argument against providing a binding public vote on final financing plan involving the use of any and all sources of public contribution and ultimate debt being added on to the City's General Fund.... FUTILE!

fifthgensacramentan on "Sheedy faces allegations of wrongdoing with recent poll"

2011-11-02T02:34:43Z

I just remember those teachings of Ghandi you quote often...when I see a thumbs down on a comment.

fifthgensacramentan on "Sheedy faces allegations of wrongdoing with recent poll"

2011-11-01T23:26:35Z

And here's an update from COSMO over at SNR Today: http://www.newsreview.com/sacramento/snog/blogs#BlogPost-4311022 "UPDATE: Remind me to wait on sharing future scoops from Sac Press. The Fair Political Practices Commission told Sheedy and Ryan Lillis over at the Bee that no such complaint has been filed. What’s more, Lillis and Jim Crandell at Fox 40 are both reporting that Mr Langdon seems confused by the whole thing and doesn’t know how his name ended up on the complaint. He thought he was signing some internet petition. November 01, 2011 Kings fan files complaint against Sheedy and her horrible irresponsible dangerous poll - OR NOT! "Wow, just when I thought the Sacramento Press had given up on news, Melissa Corker had this little scoop today about one Robert Langdon, an angry Kings fan who has filed an FPPC complaint against Sandy Sheedy because of the poll she released last week showing that taxpayers largely think they should get a vote on public subsidies for a new arena. The possible violation, I gather, is that Sheedy used campaign money to commission the poll, then posted the poll on her official city webpage–thereby comingling her official and political operations in an unholy and illegal way. Anybody out there know if there’s a legitimate complaint here? Anyone who wouldn’t just be talking out the side of their neck, like me? Either way, I don’t think it will get Sheedy to shut up." "All of which leaves the question: Who did make up the complaint, and does that person go by the initials R.E.?"

fifthgensacramentan on "Sheedy faces allegations of wrongdoing with recent poll"

2011-11-01T21:34:19Z

Ben, First and foremost I want to compliment you and the rest of SacPress for providing a forum that allows different views to be shared, without arbitrarily deleting comments that you may not agree with. A similar comment in regards to questioning the itegrity of the ThinkBig Poll and why CSUS was not consulted as a group that already had three years of data with regards to the Arena discussion, was deleted without notice or indication that the comment had been removed on Ryan Lillis blog, along this same story line a little while ago....Vanished. 2:30 PMUPDATE....shortly after posting this I went back to someone's blog and discovered my comment to have re-appeared. First, "More than 30 students conducted phone interviews in English and Spanish from February 17 to March 8, 2007," A little over 4 years ago does not an Apple Orange comparrison make....maybe more like Peaches and Nectarines. 2nd Three years of data from 2005, 2006 and 2007 allows for more than a snapshot of regional perspective. 3rd CSUS already had the credibility of being unbiased and sound methodology established for pollin in this region. Instaed ThinkBig did what they did and used interpreted results, as compared to exactly showing the questions and data obtained, and then used it as a primary foundation for moving forward to where we are today. Regardless now of polling results, I think the residents of Sacramento deserve the final binding say on the use of the city's public assets and additional debt to be placed upon the general fund when the final proposal is put forward. That's how voters are Heard as compared to being Herded. What Do U Think?

fifthgensacramentan on "Sheedy faces allegations of wrongdoing with recent poll"

2011-11-01T20:11:03Z

Thanks Rhonda, but just to keep the record straight that "UPDATE" is actually part of Cosmo's post. On another note, I saw the following posted by somebody else, but I somehow imagine it's happening somewhere, in a similar fashion, today. Enjoy, viewer discretion advised...if a three letter word defining someone's posterior offends you. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTmfwklFM-M

fifthgensacramentan on "Sheedy faces allegations of wrongdoing with recent poll"

2011-11-01T18:53:07Z

The CSUS Dept that brought us the 2005 arena poll's wesite is below: http://www.csus.edu/ssis/annual_survey.html They did not simply ask the arena questions in 2005, but also 2006 and 2007. Look at the Final Kings Report for 2007..it's not easy to find though. This is the final region report of 2007...from the web sites home page...the Kings are mentioned. http://www.csus.edu/ssis/documents/Annual_Survey/final%20final%20region%20report%201.pdf Go to page 6 and look at the priorities region wide....whats down second from the bottom? Kings. Things have changed since then with the economy, however given the established track record of this independent organization within CSUS, along with the unbiased questions that were put forward....why didn't ThinkBig build upon an established framework? We have been asking for the exact questions and framework on one of their foundations to this arena being widely supported...to deaf ears at the minimum and and cry's of "foul" "push Poll" "Political games" etc from a lot of ,shall we say, self serving individuals. Somrthing You won't find on the CSUS home page though...the final kings report of 2007 http://www.csus.edu/news/finalkingsreport.pdf Why not? Why didn't ThinkBig take that as a base survey to update and compare to the current community concerns.....You don't think they went "Poll Shopping" do you? Having seen the disparity of ThinkBigs Summary vs 3 years of polls conducted by CSUS and now this one by Ms. Sheedy.....who's poll most closely resembles the trends we saw in 2005, 2006 and 2007?

fifthgensacramentan on "Sheedy faces allegations of wrongdoing with recent poll"

2011-11-01T12:05:58Z

Given the shenanigans by the Arena-At-All-Cost $pendBig $hill force, I see another attempt to try and keep the City of Sacramento Residents from having the final say in the matter. Cosmo, over at SNR summed it up pretty well 10-26 http://www.newsreview.com/sacramento/snog/blogs "Public wants a vote on arena subsidies? You don't say! If you want to see the actual poll that nearly gave Marcos Breton a brain aneurysm, the scans of the pages are below. Council member Sandy Sheedy commissioned the poll by Grove Insight to show what she presumably already knew: people are deeply skeptical about public financing of an arena.More specifically, big majorities of the 600 people polled are oposed to selling off city property to fund an arena, and they also think they should get a vote on any funding plan.I do think it’s fair to call some these questions leading. Certainly the various ways in which the city might “capitalize its assets,” and get some arena money flowing, are made to sound pretty unappealing here. But while the wording is a bit stark, is it really inaccurate?It is also a little ironic that Kevin Johnson and his supporters were once great champions of the public’s right to vote, when they wanted to wage an expensive ballot campaign to pass KJ’s Strong Mayor Initiative. But anybody suggests that taxpayers should have the final say on public subsidies for a new arena, and it’s “cheap politics.” Ah, well. That’s different… UPDATE: Oh yeah, as my friend Dan reminded me, remember when KJ’s campaign adviser, David Townsend was working for PG&E to thwart public power? What was that campaign called? The “Taxpayer Right to Vote Act,” or something…?" And when all the dust settles, and the proposal of financing is put forward, with the "public" contribution being solely the responsibility of the City of Sacramento Residents...for the next 30 years...and anything of value has been offered up as a sacrifice to the perpetuation of the business model for The National Greed Association We, the residents of this city, deserve the right of a binding vote on that proposal. One way or another.You're either for us or against us.... You Don't Want To Be Against Us...Do U? Premise 1-The Taxpayer Comes First!

fifthgensacramentan on "Batting Lessons"

2011-10-25T13:57:14Z

A fitting time of year to learn about bat's with the World Series going on :-). In this region there's no better advocate for bats than Corky. Her annual tours out to the bypass are not to be missed and her outreach has done much to dispel the myths of our fury, flying mammalian friends.

fifthgensacramentan on "Hansen throws his hat into the ring for District 4 Council seat"

2011-10-16T17:50:31Z

Cogmeyet, No one will ever accuse you of being inconsistent in your ideology. However, if Rob Fong, or any council member, were as disastrous to the city as you sometimes make them out to be, their careers would have ended in 1 term or less. I have worked with a long line of policy wonks, supervisors, council members, city and county staff's and mayors....just not our current one. In this city the bottom line is simple math..5 or 6 votes depending upon the issue. Representing a constituency invariably comes at a high price...not the least of which is personal privacy or lack there of along with a barrage of attacks from those who disagree....it's part of the territory you step into. I don't care who the person is, as long as I see a commitment to the community they serve, a consistency in their perspective, a willingness to negotiate differences and most importantly they are honest..... Even if I disagree with them, they will always have my respect. On a side note, about Arizona.....did you see this out of LA? All Hat...no cattle http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/10/arizona-immigration-boycott-los-angeles-city.html L.A. council members may exempt themselves from Arizona boycott, I'm sure their not alone in the "do as I say" hypocrisy.

fifthgensacramentan on "A need for caffeine, coffee shop roundup"

2011-10-08T20:18:23Z

You seem to have left out one if not the longest surviving local roasters...Coffee Works, (umm Jump Start) on Folsom and as far as college students go and proximity to Sac State...aka CSUS...there's Tupelo on Elvas. Not say'in it isn't a fine list...just incomplete w/in the realm of "locals".

fifthgensacramentan on "City Council to vote on $550,000 in consultant fees for arena financing "

2011-09-27T16:32:28Z

Hopefully the city manager, that was in charge in Cincinnati at the time the Bengals scheme was crafted...primarily in favor of the Bengals...learned a lot of lessons since then in insuring that the taxpaying public comes first and foremost. We can only hope, as we currently have that person as our city manager.

fifthgensacramentan on "City Council to vote on $550,000 in consultant fees for arena financing "

2011-09-27T15:55:53Z

Back in April of 2010, we saw $800,000 of previously allocated two-way conversion funds find there way to someones Cars on K st project. At that time the staff report very clearly indicated how the funds, that were left over from various individual 2-way projects, got consolidated and then then reallocated for the K st project...even though TIF funds could have been used for K st and the consolidated two-way funds could have been used for completing another portion of the already approved, (12 years in the making, EIR included along with 1000's of hours of community voluntary time along with staff time) For a refresher....go to http://sacramentopress.com/headline/25653/Council_will_address_cars_on_K_Street_Tuesday_6_pm So now, looking at tonight's agenda and the staff report about this $550,000....it's very vague as to what CIP projects the money is coming from. By any chance are they using up more of that consolidated two-way conversion funds for this? Two More Things, 1)The City Council already approved up to &110,000 Dollars for Barrett's expertise....after starting with a not to exceed contract of $35K. Are we to understand now, that the ongoing consultatnts fees bill is now $660,000 Dollars....with Barrett pocketing $235,000 so far? 2)A PBS- "Need to Know" segment that has been making the rounds with regards to the parking issue is worth looking at as part of these discussions. http://video.pbs.org/video/2132368113/ Investment Bankers looking to fleece the Public? The Harrisburg Mayor is showing the same logic as using public assessts like an ATM machine....in the same way that helped create the current housing debacle.

fifthgensacramentan on "Open Letter To Mayor Johnson"

2011-09-16T17:30:21Z

All I will add to Susie's comments are....that's a grand slam letter. Thanks Rhonda...5th Gen.

fifthgensacramentan on "Former interim city manager Edgar shifts focus to other endeavors"

2011-09-13T01:14:38Z

Bill & Betty....THANK YOU BOTH!

fifthgensacramentan on "Parking Enforcement Fail "

2011-08-24T04:37:29Z

Remember all those PSA's you see on the tube that go something like..."The more you read...the More you know" ? Usually delivered by a familiar face. Given the propensity of receiving a parking ticket in any urban environment....it can't be stated enough to know the rules and pay attention to the signs, curb markings, fire hydrants, residential parking permits, hours of enforcement, driveways, crosswalks, handicap parking spaces etc... My own standard rule of parking downtown is "if in doubt...don't park there...especially at an avg of 50 Bucks a ticket. Sometimes a garage is the simplest solution....or better yet...a bike, walking shoes or public transit. Parking isn't cheap....just read any of the white papers, postings or publications of Donald Shoup http://shoup.bol.ucla.edu/...but I digress I would suggest you read the comment above that relates to City Codes, the exemptions afforded parking enforcement vehicles/officers, and the specific difference between a simple red zone and a Fire Lane. There is also a big difference in ticket cost.....$52.50 vs $112.50 for the Fire Lane. You won't find an exemption for Fire Lanes in the above cited code. However As noted above 10.36.130A...which is what the pictures clearly show.. 10.36.130 Curb markings to indicate parking regulations. The parking manager may place and when required by this title shall place the following curb markings to indicate parking or standing regulations. Such curb markings shall have the following meanings: A. Red means no stopping, standing or parking at any time, except, as permitted by the Vehicle Code; and except that a bus may stop in a red zone marked or signed as a bus zone. This is not a Fire Lane...only a painted curb marking...that means No Parking Anytime...except "shall not be construed to prohibit the stopping, standing or parking of parking control vehicles while such vehicles are being used in parking control enforcement" The More You Read...The More You Know....or sometimes are just more confused.

fifthgensacramentan on "Arena committee kicks off community rallying effort"

2011-07-09T18:58:18Z

To William's point: http://coaststarlight.net/railpac/sacramentorails/Sacramento.pdf Check out the conceptual site plan. The Terminal Extension, which is the Core of the Intermodal, is exactly where a proposed arena landed.

fifthgensacramentan on "Uptown Studios Named “Best Small Business of the Year”"

2011-06-04T09:08:29Z

It's rewarding to see great things happen to great people! Nicely done Darrell.....and a Great Big HURRAH to Tina and team!!!

fifthgensacramentan on "Big names draw a large crowd at education forum"

2011-05-23T15:27:47Z

Ms. Rhee's has had a busy schedule recently...having just recently shared the stage in DC with the likes of Wisconsin Govenor Scott Walker, who should need no intro, and Penn Gov. Tom Corbett, who just recently slashed education funding in favour of increased prison funding. Who threw the event? The "American Federation for Children", an education reform organization founded and funded by multimillionaire GOP Betty De Vos....who some feel, has a long term game plan to fix education by electing legislative reps that favour taking public, except for the money, out of concept of public education. Who else would you be rubbing elbows with toward making that goal of 1 Billion Dollars for your new org? You've heard and read about the Koch's....now..."Meet The DeVos" http://www.alternet.org/story/150868/the_devos_family:_meet_the_super-wealthy_right-wingers_working_with_the_religious_right_to_kill_public_education/comments/ Obviously, Richard Whitmire, former editorial writer at USA Today, was not involved in the USA today investigative report that came out at the end of this past March: "When standardized test scores soared in D.C., were the gains real?" http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2011-03-28-1Aschooltesting28_CV_N.htm aka: Erase to the Top "A USA TODAY investigation, based on documents and data secured under D.C.'s Freedom of Information Act, found that for the past three school years most of Noyes' classrooms had extraordinarily high numbers of erasures on standardized tests. The consistent pattern was that wrong answers were erased and changed to right ones." "In just two years, Crosby S. Noyes Education Campus went from a school deemed in need of improvement to a place that the District of Columbia Public Schools called one of its "shining stars." "Because of the remarkable turnaround, the U.S. Department of Education named the school in northeast Washington a National Blue Ribbon School. Noyes was one of 264 public schools nationwide given that award in 2009." "On the 2009 reading test, for example, seventh-graders in one Noyes classroom averaged 12.7 wrong-to-right erasures per student on answer sheets; the average for seventh-graders in all D.C. schools on that test was less than 1. The odds are better for winning the Powerball grand prize than having that many erasures by chance, according to statisticians consulted by USA TODAY." What can the financial implications be for a challenged school and district? "Michelle Rhee, then chancellor of D.C. schools, took a special interest in Noyes. She touted the school, which now serves preschoolers through eighth-graders, as an example of how the sweeping changes she championed could transform even the lowest-performing Washington schools. Twice in three years, she rewarded Noyes' staff for boosting scores: In 2008 and again in 2010, each teacher won an $8,000 bonus, and the principal won $10,000." "USA TODAY examined testing irregularities in the District of Columbia's public schools because, under Rhee, the system became a national symbol of what high expectations and effective teaching could accomplish. Federal money also was at play: Last year, D.C. won an extra $75 million for public and charter schools in the U.S. government's Race to the Top competition. Test scores were a factor." The story points out that there can be benign reasons for high eraser rates, "In response to questions from USA TODAY, Kaya Henderson, who became acting chancellor of the D.C. Public Schools after Rhee resigned in October, said last week that "a high erasure rate alone is not evidence of impropriety." "There can be innocent reasons for multiple erasures. A student can lose his place on the answer sheet, fill in answers on the wrong rows, then change them when he realizes his mistake. And, as McGraw-Hill said in a March 2009 report to D.C. officials, studies also show that test-takers change answers more often when they are encouraged to review their work. The same report emphasizes that educators "should not draw conclusions about cheating behavior" from the data alone." The story rec'd little if any coverage locally, however the standardized test mantra that had been at the top of the Dems for Ed Reform agenda.....now seems to be replaced by attacking "last in first out".

fifthgensacramentan on "Big names draw a large crowd at education forum"

2011-05-23T15:24:17Z

Susie, here's the views of a DC teacher regarding to current testing in place to Chancellor Henderson, I've listed a few excerpts...but definitely worth a reading as part of the discussion on testing and the DC-Benchmark Assessment System. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/post/what-a-dc-teacher-told-the-chancellor-about-testing/2011/05/09/AFbKuEdG_blog.html "What a DC teacher told the Chancellor about testing" "The most successful schools in our region do not obsess over DC-BAS style data at the high school level (the top performing private schools don’t even touch these toxic tests). If it works for the most successful schools, why can’t it work for ours as well?" "Our school has spent a high percentage of our morning meetings going over the data and analyzing it and then using it to develop school-wide initiatives, and yet we fail to meet AYP every year in a row by very large margins." "The idea that a private company (whose only real interest is in making a profit) gets to write and score the test, write our textbooks and workbooks to align to the test, and virtually dictate our curriculum so that we can fail to jump through the AYP hoop for the 7th+ year in a row outrages me."

fifthgensacramentan on "Big names draw a large crowd at education forum"

2011-05-21T21:43:49Z

"Helping the teachers do their jobs well, that is the key.If you could magically transform the home environment...if you could make a vaccine that would re-boot the parents....that would be catalytic." Quotes from Bill Gates on Charlie Rose last February; http://www.charlierose.com/view/interview/11456 This was a great interview regarding the Gates Foundations current work on world Health and currently focusing on polio eradication...worldwide....We may not have it here...but it's still a global problem. If you want to see his thoughts on education..after the entire dialogue downloads...move the cursor to about 26mins. Even if you don't agree with all he says....it's a well considered POV.

fifthgensacramentan on "Co-op Board Policy Committee Says No to Restore Co-op Democracy Initiative "

2011-05-19T17:36:31Z

I especially liked this part of your response Steve, "This allows the Co-op to ensure that member initiatives are legal, comply to our Bylaws, and the Cooperative Principles. " Imagine if all initiatives, at all levels of government, were put to the same litmus test of compliance with By-laws, City Charters the State and US Constitution! Nice work by you and the fellow board members on this one! BTW, did the proponents use paid signature gathers?

fifthgensacramentan on "Gus Vina named city manager of Encinitas"

2011-05-05T02:42:22Z

Congratulation to Gus. Their gain, our loss. http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/encinitas/article_9d2b6c96-b151-5a70-81a3-1b3836d4ab66.html & Quoting from the North County Times: "The city received more than 80 applications for the post and interviewed about a half-dozen candidates, Bond said. None of the top finalists was an Encinitas city employee, he said." "Vina "wasn't at the top" of everyone's list when the council started the interview process, but the more that the council members talked to him the more impressed they were, Bond said." And to this assessment... "He's thoughtful and intelligent," the mayor said, stressing that Vina came across in interviews as someone who "makes good use of time and is eager to serve." Could not agree more!!!! except to add...In the best interest of the city, residents and business's he serves...not just a select few... 60 or so!!

fifthgensacramentan on "City treasurer explains Kings' contracts"

2011-04-06T06:17:01Z

This city is truly fortunate to have Charter Officers like Russ Fehr, Shirley Concolino, Eileen Teichert and hopefully not soon to be departed City Manager Gus Vina! Thank You for keeping the best interest of this City Front & Center!

fifthgensacramentan on "Editorial: Relax, the end is near"

2011-03-30T20:18:07Z

The city council staff report, item 23, Sept. 7, 2010 is an excellent reference source for the 1997 loan and subsequent financial shenanigans that occurred in 2003. Fortunately for the citizenry of our city, our current Treasurer wanted to be totally familiar with the current and past dealings of the loans to the Kings. It was because of this due diligence that we found out that the former City treasurer, Tom Friery, acted without CC approval in allowing the Kings, aka Maloofs’s, to take advantage of an expanded NBA line of credit up to $75 mil. Previously it was $30mil with the NBA being in the first position compared to the City of Sacramento being in the 2nd position with a 20mil security interest stake in the team, should the team relocate. Mr. Friery may have taken it upon himself to allow the King’s to increase that line of credit debt up to 75mil…while only increasing our 2nd position security interest to $25mil without approval by City Council or awareness of the public. Let's also not forget that it was a different city manager and city attorney at that time...did he seek additional counsel, who knows, the staff report only points to Mr. Friery A $5 million security increase that allowed the Maloofs’s to leverage an additional $45million of their interest in the team…Now that’s Chutzpah…exponentially squared…without the authority of City Council signing off on it. Perhaps he and/or others sensed that it might not be a simple item on the consent calendar...therefore the path of "lease" resistance was taken. Granted that those were some of the more glamorous years for the Kings and attendance was always a sellout, however business is business...8 years later and our economy is in the loo...the city is stipulating that we want our money back to pay off the bond holders. The City of Anaheim just approved in principal, 75 mil in Bonds to accommodate the Honda Center’s additional use into a basketball venue. Mr. Samueli is offering to loan 50 mil to the Maloofs…What’s the real value of the Maloofs’s interest in the team? How much have they leveraged, or overleveraged it? How do you think the other % stake minority owners feel about this? Why isn’t Mr. Samueli paying $25mil to the City of Sacramento to take over that security interest and place his loan in a 2nd position to the NBA line of Credit? Do you think he knows how far they leveraged themselves? Maybe we will eventually find out…or not….the continuing saga of “As the King’s B-Ball Turns”…The Divorce.

fifthgensacramentan on "Second Saturday changes coming next month"

2011-03-17T20:33:15Z

From the original Staff Report , Item 26 on the Consent Agenda of the June 5, 2007 City Council Meeting Park-(Marshall) $11,434.50 2 Parcels that make up Sutter's Fort State Park @ 13,904.35 ea = $27,808.70 City Property that RT leases $ 6,476.50 City Utility Parcel $ 823.28 The City's share of the 2007 PBID Assessment was $46,542.98 The approximate total assessment of all properties within the PBID was $575,000.00

fifthgensacramentan on "Mayor Johnson conducts 'State of the Schools' address "

2011-03-03T21:08:53Z

A story you haven't seen in the major local daily...it's too busy worried about an arena and the kings. What happens when the emphasis is on test scores and the institution does not have the oversight that we see in the public schools? What lesson do you send the students on ethics and learning? Memorizing answers is not a foundation to problem solving! So now this story out of Los Angles, where the LA school board was set to renew a new five year charter for Crescendo Charter Schools....except that the LA Times illuminated a very disturbing fact about Crescendo: "whose six campuses in L.A. Unified engaged in rampant cheating on the yearly state standardized tests. The cheating was ordered by founder and then-Executive Director John Allen, promulgated by principals and carried out by teachers, except for a few brave ones who blew the whistle. Under a mandate from the top, teachers broke open the seals on the tests and used the questions to prep students." Wow, lets the study the "test", teach the correct answers,,,and then take the test http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-charter-20110301,0,1133723.story "District staff had previously recommended re-authorizing the charter schools for another five years, citing the schools' strong test results, including on last year's tests, which the state has thrown out. District staff also cited actions taken by Crescendo's leadership to address the cheating allegations. " "In the end, no one was fired, not even John Allen, the founder and executive director who orchestrated the cheating, then denied it had taken place until confronted with overwhelming evidence, according to district documents and officials." Understatement of the day: "I understand the pressure regarding test results," said Joan Herman, director of the National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards & Student Testing at UCLA. "But to advise your entire enterprise to cheat, that would be a serious, serious ethical breach." So how did it turn out after the Times revelations? http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0302-lausd-charters-20110302,0,1573991.story L.A. school board to close six charter schools caught cheating....Thanks to some TEACHERS who blew the whistle. I would say this is but one example of the lack of oversight and transparency that charters currently have the ability to exploit.

fifthgensacramentan on "Police union revives strong mayor debate"

2011-01-13T01:00:19Z

And to drive that point home... From the "Order denying petition filed" of the 3rd District Appeals Court Ruling...that turned down Hiltachk's expedited motion on 02/04/2010 "Alternatively, nothing in the superior court's order precludes the voters from pursuing the changes proposed by the measure at issue via an initiative proposing to "revise a charter and elect a charter commission." (Cal Const., art XI, section 3, subd. (c).) NICHOLSON, Acting P. J. (Ro, Bu)" But SPOA and other Boss Mayor Supporters don't want to follow that public process? "The July draft of the strong mayor proposal was written by third-party attorneys" & "SPOA and other supporters will aim to advance the proposal through the City Council, Tyndale said, rather than through an initiative without the council’s support. However, he said SPOA and other strong mayor supporters would discuss the option of advancing the initiative without the City Council if that is the only option and if it can be accomplished legally" Why are they sooo afraid of the Charter Commission Process?

fifthgensacramentan on "Police union revives strong mayor debate"

2011-01-06T03:28:09Z

Rich, Your Comment: "I am for the SMI." There has been one SMI, it was found to be an unconstitutional use of the initiative process since it was deemed a revision-not an amendment to our city's charter. This current proposal, with lack of fine point details, has not been submitted to the city clerk for review as an initiative to anyone's knowledge. It's a draft of a proposal that they want CC to place on the ballot as though it was written by the governing body...it wasn't! Is this proposal a revision also? Placing appointments of City Dept. Heads under the mayor to the tune of Millions of dollars in political paybacks? That's not my definition of an amendment. The California Constitution is quite clear in article 11 Sec 3 b & c "(b) The governing body or charter commission of a county or city may propose a charter or revision. Amendment or repeal may be proposed by initiative or by the governing body. (c) An election to determine whether to draft or revise a charter and elect a charter commission may be required by initiative or by the governing body." So if the citizens or "special interest" of this city really want to revise our "constitution" in a transparent manner, they start with an initiative to propose: "An election to determine whether to draft or revise a charter and elect a charter commission" or the city council, as the governing body, has the authority to do it. You know the 3 "P" s of building right? Piss Poor Planning produces Piss Poor Product. Unless your the crafter of the scheme....then it comes down to whoever writes the rules of the game usually wins. Accountability, transparency and what is best for the city be damed. So why does Thomas Hiltachk. The Mayor, SPOA and the Chamber not want to follow a process ordained by our state constitution? Because they can only participate in the process... BUT they can't control the outcome....AS IT SHOULD BE.

fifthgensacramentan on "Police union revives strong mayor debate"

2011-01-04T18:27:54Z

I guess Joe1183 is new to the area. Boss Mayor 1 was initiated 12-15-2008, deemed unconstitutional January 2010...What happened to that appeal? Boss Mayor lite crafted as talking points in March 2010 but never vetted in a public process, like say a charter commission, in fact KJ and his dwindling # of supporters tried to force a last minute ballot draft of it on CC in June and rec'd a resounding 7-2 No vote. Apparently these talking points are what SPOA wants to start kicking around again. Given the fact that the president and vice president of SPOA have not & don't actually live in the City of Sacramento, isn't it interesting that they like most of the SAG cohorts before them are so concerned about changing our city's constitution. The Police and Fire Depts have an insatiable appetite for the city's discretionary portion of the General Fund... currently eating up about 72%of it. Both SPOA and Local Fire 522 have some budgetary time bombs "ticking away" with those revised labor agreements from 2009, that based on the current assessment tax roles, that are showing ever decreasing property tax revenues coming in. As of July 2010 it was about a 2.7% decrease county-wide over 2009 revenues. Following a two year freeze in step advancement, PD will see a one step advancement June 2011 and here's the clincher..."On June 29, 2013, employees who are not at the top step of their salary range will be advanced to the salary step they would have been on had their salary not been suspended. " Ouch! Fire Dept...in exchange for no furloughs or layoffs in 2009-10 saw there salaries and step increases frozen. However, in Jan 2012 two things happen: Article 6.3 2011-2012 SALARIES Effective January 1, 2012, salary ranges in terms of bi-weekly rates shall be adjusted by five percent (5%). & Employees who were not at the top step of their position when frozen in July of 2009 will see the following on January 1, 2012. "Advancement in Steps, will be reinstated. Employees who are not at the top step of their salary range will be advanced to the salary step they would have been on had their salary step increases not been suspended" Are we really seeing any signs of an economic recovery that can truly absorb that type of increase in wages? We already saw the Mayor and council approve the hiring of 30 more PD officers this last year, the only problem is that the money to pay for that this year has potentially evaporated with the foreclosure by Inland on Thomas Enterprises....remember that 2.6 $$$ million that Thomas owed us and which was subsequently spent, before receiving it, on this year's PD's budget for those officers? Where is all this going to come from? The Crash Tax? A public Safety Property Tax Assessment Proposal? The current talking point Boss Mayor Lite proposal is not about transparent government. It's about access to one individual behind close doors to cut a deal...at the expense of everyone else...mostly the residents and business owners who actually live here. And to Mr Tyndale, as far as accounting and accountability goes....that representation time, up to 1375 hrs @ $36/Hr " per quarter to the SPOA representation unit for the purpose of conducting grievance representation and activities within the scope of its duties and responsibilities as bargaining representative of the subject Unit. It is further agreed that the hours allowed are maximum hours and the SPOA agrees they will use their total efficiently in an effort to prevent attaining such maximum hours. The City will provide a quarterly accounting of these hours. " & the following SPOA representatives will charge·their downtime for the purpose of conducting SPOA activity to Cost Center 11248. Board members, officers and committee chairperson. Just be sure, we the citizens don't pay for your political activity time spent on your support of this proposal.... When do you and Brent have time to do real police work?

fifthgensacramentan on "City Management Academy Returns in 2011 Application Deadline December 3, 2010"

2010-12-01T18:57:55Z

Anyone considering running for election for mayor/ city council or serving on any board or commission would be well served by particpating in these valuable orientation "academies". As Brooks states: "Given the recent gaffes in land use policy, re-starting Planning Academy deserves the the Council's immediate attention."

fifthgensacramentan on "Councilman walks out of chicken discussion"

2010-11-17T20:42:27Z

Flash Back Moment to Jo Anne Worley on Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In "Is that another chicken joke?" So chicken little, flew the coop, to fight another day w/ new CC members...yet to be determined. Go CLUCK!

fifthgensacramentan on "Measure B going down to defeat"

2010-11-03T21:15:35Z

As we move forward from this referendum, here's a little fact regarding privatization of services as they relate to Prop 218... http://www.lao.ca.gov/1996/120196_prop_218/understanding_prop218_1296.html "Finally, some local governments may elect to privatize certain functions formally financed by property-related fees. Proposition 218 imposes no limit on private fees." I seem to recall that privatization was one of Craig Powell's & the Sacramento Tax Payers Leagues cures for containment of utility rates. Just remember that...No Prop 218 limits on how fees are determined. Edited out factoid to fact and thanks to PW...for pointing that out!

fifthgensacramentan on "Measure B going down to defeat"

2010-11-03T10:26:59Z

Craig wrote a few comments on Monday. Within one and not out of context...I found myself agreeing with his sentiment and respect for Sacramento Voters... In Craig Powell's own words Nov 1, 4:10PM (hopefully he won't edit or delete ) http://www.sacramentopress.com/headline/39757/Support_Municipal_Union_Greed_Then_Vote_No_on_B "This is not anti-tax San Diego. Sacramento voters have a good track record of approving justified taxes and rejecting poorly conceived tax proposals ...). " Tuesday's Vote on B No 57,349 68.73% Yes 26,093 31.27% Yes We Do...including initiatives of similar characteristics.

fifthgensacramentan on "Support Municipal Union Greed? Then Vote "No" on B"

2010-11-02T21:08:20Z

Just a question or two Craig: Given the existing (Prop 218) provisions, procedures & protections of Article XIII D of the CA Constitution and the fact that Article XIII D Sec 6 of the Ca Constitution clearly defines procedures to be employed for fee increases...did or will your initiative...as written, pass constitutional review? We already know that one of your attorney's listed on Sacramento County Taxpayers Assoc. website got his Boss Mayor Initiative tossed on constitutional grounds. I am aware that jurisdictional service fees can be repealed via the initiative process, however can you further stipulate that a single jurisdiction be held to a cap and/or your special election process for further fees increases as they relate to the exception of sec 6(c)? Over Reached? Unconstitutional? (c) Voter Approval for New or Increased Fees and Charges. Except for fees or charges for sewer, water, and refuse collection services, no property related fee or charge shall be imposed or increased unless and until that fee or charge is submitted and approved by a majority vote of the property owners of the property subject to the fee or charge or, at the option of the agency, by a two-thirds vote of the electorate residing in the affected area. The election shall be conducted not less than 45 days after the public hearing. An agency may adopt procedures similar to those for increases in assessments in the conduct of elections under this subdivision. I don't have the answer...only the wording as written in the State Constitution.

fifthgensacramentan on "Support Municipal Union Greed? Then Vote "No" on B"

2010-11-02T03:03:51Z

Xenophobe....hardly sir....people who use omission to infer being something that they are not...I find distasteful and dishonest. Your By-line "James Felton is a "forty year Sacramento resident" and local small business owner and a volunteer for the “Yes on Measure B” campaign." Would that business happen to be Art of Hardwood? The point is you aren't and haven't been a city resident for awhile. Perhaps if you truly want to have a say in our rate structure you could run for CC as soon as Carmichael becomes a council district or move into a CC district and become elected. Then you could actually share the burden of the policies you advocate for. Here's a response for someone who through omission implies to be someone they are not.....actually an excerpt of an Article by Tim J. McGuire Feb. 21, 2005 More than Work Column "We often make ethics a lot harder than it needs to be. We’re awash in ethical consultants, advisors and reams of books and articles which purport to solve every ethical problem under the sun. Case studies, ethical theories and codes of conduct describe, prescribe and proscribe. In 2003, when I taught a media ethics class at Davidson College in North Carolina I contended one simple sacrosanct philosophy would prevent most media ethical problems: Do Not Deceive. That means do not lie, do not cheat, do not make things up, do not hide your actions to avoid consequences, do not trick, Do Not Purport to be Something You Are Not, do not falsify information, Do Not Misrepresent, do not keep two sets of books, and Do Not Mislead. It means do not deceive." In other words "ethically challenged".....and you will ultimately be unaffected by the outcome of city issues that you can't vote on. I strongly suggest you edit your by-line to reflect your actual residency in all your articles...previous, current and future. Now don't you have some pressing issues in your "own back yard" to attend to?

fifthgensacramentan on "Support Municipal Union Greed? Then Vote "No" on B"

2010-11-02T00:18:15Z

So James....do you live in Carmichael or the CIty? I am a city resident. Yes, I was outraged by previous activities of some DOU employees and additionally by the Grand Jury Report. But... Where's the estimated $3-400,000,000 going to come from to adhere to the terms of Sacramento being required to upgrade its supply infrastructure and metering installation? The rent that the King's will pay for the new arena ? And again where will it come from? a locked in CPI index? So how much does a special election cost to cover that kind of expense when the locked in rate doesn't match expense of the Capitol Improvement Project. 2025 is still a ways off...but it's still approaching. Are cost getting cheaper as we move forward? Ya Know, a lot of those connections are going to require abandonment of back yard water line connections ...requiring new....in the street lines to be installed. Did you know that we had wooden water mains in part of the city originally and that some of the current water delivery pipes are up to 110 years old. Some pipes already have holes in them that could rupture as one died in 1995.....but then again probably not if you live in the county....or more to the point, why care it wasn't a county resident's problem. Former City Auditor Marty Konklin actually took DOU to task....did he find everything No...but I wish he were still here. Do I think Enterprise Funds need to be kept under a Gov. Auditing Standards (The Yellow Book) scrutiny..Yes......and lets be clear....that's not the type of freebie audit that was offered by the folks from New York or touted by your group of volunteers as being rejected by CC. So James back to the original question...Do you live in the City of Sacramento or the County?

fifthgensacramentan on "Support Municipal Union Greed? Then Vote "No" on B"

2010-11-01T22:38:14Z

Or "Cutting off your nose to spite your face"

fifthgensacramentan on "Support Municipal Union Greed? Then Vote "No" on B"

2010-11-01T21:21:31Z

And non-city residents have what stake in this? The only local James Felton that comes up in a quick Zabbasearch.com lives in Carmichael....technically Sacramento County but not the City of Sacramento. These two Rob Kerth's, an actual city resident of many generations, quotes from the SNR of 09/30 pretty much sum it up.. "Do we want to have first-rate infrastructure, or do we want to give that up?” asked Rob Kerth, who is executive director of the Midtown Business Association, as well as a board member for Sacramento Municipal Utility District. “I mean, just how Third World do we want our infrastructure to be?” "But Kerth said he thinks voters will reject Measure B when they learn more about its impacts. “What I think we’re really witnessing here is good old-fashioned greed,” he said. “Some people don’t believe in shared burdens.” The state legislature undid a Water Right's issue for this city made during the planning of Folsom Dam that is now requiring the metering of our water connections. That is going to cost money along with the aging infrastructure issues.... That would equate to a NO on B vote on my part....and maintaining a watchful oversight on DOU.

fifthgensacramentan on "Second Saturday deemed successful"

2010-10-11T18:46:08Z

From Sacbee Thursday Sept. 9, 2010....before Sept's SS... "Five police officers will be added to the 21 already assigned to the event;" ='s 26...MBA paid for a few more? So now that we know 80 police officers are the right balance...we should be able to get the cost factor associated with Police security. For several years the residents have been asking for a Cost/Benefit Analysis of SS as it has evolved into this monthly bar fest, pup crawl free for all after 10PM So Here's some numbers provided by the city's website: Police Cadet $21.23 - $21.24 Hourly Police Officer $26.82 - $32.60 Hourly Police Sergeant $35.04 - $42.59 Hourly Police Lieutenant $46.49 - $69.74 Hourly Police Captain $54.74 - $82.12 Hourly How many were regular duty and how many on overtime? Full or partial shifts? A Police Officer at the lowest pay on overtime would cost ~ $40/hr....just for discussion 50 additional officers on a 6Hr Overtime Shift would be 300 hrs x $40/hr.....additional impact of $12,000. Whose budget is that coming out of? As I recall, on an annual basis, both PD & Fire always exceed their Overtime allocations. A cost/benefit analysis should be a mandatory requirement imposed by CC as we enter the Fall and Winter months discussion of SS for next Spring...Financial Due Diligence requires it. There's a definite reason why Randy P., Ernesto & de Vere's etc charge for their road closure events.....they cost money....if they don't pencil out...they reassess or cancel the event. Now mind you this is only PD, aren't there also other Dept's who spent precious dollars on monitoring the activities? All of the impacted dept's need to be part of that analysis. On another topic-Define Sucess-by whose standard The residents? Business or Public Safety?

fifthgensacramentan on "DWB from downtown: Auditing the auditors "

2010-07-26T23:57:47Z

Pining for the integrity, expertise, dedication and transparency exemplified by former City Auditor Marty Kolkin! It will be interesting to see if any of the other info bureau's in this city report on this. Thank You SacPress!

fifthgensacramentan on "Greens Hotel for sale"

2010-07-15T18:00:50Z

Dan is a visionary...that put his money where his vision is. His efforts have not gone unnoticed. This economy has had many casualties and fiscal realities are what they are. Thanks for your efforts Dan!

fifthgensacramentan on "Johnson gives up on Nov. ballot for strong mayor plan"

2010-07-14T21:01:36Z

Since initiating his strong mayor proposals, the mayor has repeatedly indicated, For The Last 18 Months, that he can't do the job he was elected to do without those powers. SacBee 5/18/2010 Foon Rhee Article http://www.sacbee.com/2010/05/18/2757577/former-mayors-look-back-and-ahead.html "He seemed frustrated, saying over and over that he doesn't have the tools he needs to follow through on the change sought by voters who elected him in 2008, and to keep Sacramento from falling behind similar cities around the nation. He said he raises money privately for his initiatives, but then loses control of them once they are folded into city government. He complained that more people work at airport rental car counters than for him. He even floated the possibility of not seeking re-election in 2012 if he doesn't get more power. Johnson's grievances are in service of his renewed push for the latest version of the strong-mayor initiative." If he isn't up to performing the job, ordained by a charter, that numerous mayors/leaders prior to him have done with the staff they had...two choices... Stop complaining and do your job...or resign.

fifthgensacramentan on "Johnson gives up on Nov. ballot for strong mayor plan"

2010-07-14T19:47:03Z

Susie...Hammond's term is closing...hence the Kennedy and Shenirer run-off. That leaves Bonnie. She has been a very thoughtful and pressing voice on CC with regards to all the SMI's to date. As an example...listen to her comments at the end of Tuesday night's CC meeting with regards to one of her constituents request for assistance with regards to obtaining a permit for a paint & chrome shop. http://sacramento.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=8&clip_id=2350 jump to "Panel request to Manager" at almost the end of the meeting Evidently this individual sent am email to all the CC members and the the mayor...an intern on the mayor's staff replied to this individual. The reply did nothing to address the request of the individual but instead refereed them to the strong mayor charter initiative.....evidently inferring that was the cure-all for their situation. ...Red Flag...and possible FPPC violation...city staff using city time to promote a political measure. I don';t see Bonnie, Kevin, Rob, or Sandy supporting anything that isn't with significant CC input too say the least and given the assessments delivered to date by the charter commish and the community... that any proposal granting an overbearing separate role for the mayor is actually necessary. It isn't the structure of the system that's broken...5 votes is not a formidable obstacle...but it does require public dialogue and consensus building...and the day to day running of the affairs of the city are best left to a professional manager...not a politician looking for contributions.

fifthgensacramentan on "Johnson gives up on Nov. ballot for strong mayor plan"

2010-07-13T20:51:18Z

Leadership is a trait. It requires respect of your peers. The skill set is forged, honed and polished with experience and education It can not be manufactured or crafted by any proposal. Now...onto the real job at hand!

fifthgensacramentan on "An Open Letter to District 8 Councilmember Bonnie Pannell"

2010-07-08T20:44:05Z

Thanks Rhonda!! Congratulations on a new job too! I'm including a previous response to another article because It is in line with your's....& check out Cosmo's Bites colum in today's News & Review It Ain't Over.... http://www.newsreview.com/sacramento/content?oid=1450323 Just as people revile against frivolous lawsuits, I believe they are becoming increasingly frustrated and angry with the processes by which special interest are corrupting our direct democracy via the initiative process….call it dangerous & frivolous initiatives…marketed as something that they are not. It is in that spirit that I applauded McMaster’s & the appeals court findings with regards to “Strong Arm Mayor 1” and also feel that our City Council sent the right message on June 22, 2010. There is a simple fact that the Mayor, his brother & supporters continually overlook, a revision to a charter can only be proposed by the governing body or a charter commission. If a proposal had been collectively constructed by the city council as opposed to the semi-vague talking points put together by the mayor’s office and select special interest that have now been expanded to a still vague proposal…you might have a moral & legal leg to stand on. However, this proposal is another revision. It wasn’t collectively constructed and the council has every right not to adopt it as an approved revision to go before the voters. On many occasions the Mayor, his spinners, relatives and supporters have used San Diego as an example...I think the mayor went as far as having someone from San Diego at the June 22nd CC meeting...so i thought it prudent to see what San Diego did,,, In looking at the proposal that was put forward collectively in San Diego as a temporary trial SMI back in 2004 here are a few glaring examples that again point to the newest proposal not being done in a transparent & consensus driven manner: http://docs.sandiego.gov/citycharter/Article%20XV.pdf 1) Voted on in Nov. 04 but did not go into effect until Jan 06. 2) Had a five year trial period as opposed to 8-10 year 3) Mayor could only serve two terms as opposed to 3 4) 9th Council district would not be created unless the proposal was voted permanent in the 2010 election cycle, hence to override a mayoral veto would require 5 votes during the trial period…not 6 and “the genie in the bottle” issue of creating a 9th council district would only come into play if the voters approved permanently establishing the Strong Mayor structure. 5) San Diego’s charter has a clause regarding hiring of “ relatives” either by blood or marriage being prohibited by the city manager...subsequently with the change in duties conferred upon the mayor could now be interpreted to apply to the Mayor also. http://docs.sandiego.gov/citycharter/Article%2520V.pdf 6) San Diego’s Municipal Code prohibits all candidates from having outstanding loans to their campaigns in excess of $100K at any time…just like the state does with regards to the Governor. We have no such limit…but should. http://docs.sandiego.gov/municode/MuniCodeChapter02/Ch02Art07Division29.pdf A collective proposal was approved by San Diego’s City Council to be placed before that city’s voters as a temporary revision to their charter. It’s called due diligence on the part of their CC. That Due Diligence, Transparency and Consensus are all absent from the latest proposal…again, as it was lacking with Boss Mayor 1. June 22, 2010 Sacramento’s City Council did the right thing. .

fifthgensacramentan on "Mayor Johnson introduces Chief Service Officer position"

2010-07-07T19:23:41Z

Mark, Just as people revile against frivolous lawsuits, I believe they are becoming increasingly frustrated and angry with the processes by which special interest are corrupting our direct democracy via the initiative process….call it dangerous & frivolous initiatives…marketed as something that they are not. It is in that spirit that I applauded McMaster’s & the appeals court findings with regards to “Strong Arm Mayor 1” and also feel that our City Council sent the right message on June 22, 2010. There is a simple fact that the Mayor, his brother & supporters continually overlook, a revision to a charter can only be proposed by the governing body or a charter commission. If a proposal had been collectively constructed by the city council as opposed to the semi-vague talking points put together by the mayor’s office and select special interest that have now been expanded to a still vague proposal…you might have a moral & legal leg to stand on. However, this proposal is another revision. It wasn’t collectively constructed and the council has every right not to adopt it as an approved revision to go before the voters. In looking at the proposal that was put forward collectively in San Diego as a temporary trial SMI back in 2004 here are a few glaring examples that again point to the newest proposal not being done in a transparent & consensus driven manner: http://docs.sandiego.gov/citycharter/Article%20XV.pdf 1) Voted on in Nov. 04 but did not go into effect until Jan 06. 2) Had a five year trial period as opposed to 8-10 year 3) Mayor could only serve two terms as opposed to 3 4) 9th Council district would not be created unless the proposal was voted permanent in the 2010 election cycle, hence to override a mayoral veto would require 5 votes during the trial period…not 6 and “the genie in the bottle” issue of creating a 9th council district would only come into play if the voters approved permanently establishing the Strong Mayor structure. 5) San Diego’s charter has a clause regarding hiring of “ relatives” either by blood or marriage being prohibited by the city manager...subsequently with the change in duties conferred upon the mayor could now be interpreted to apply to the Mayor also. http://docs.sandiego.gov/citycharter/Article%2520V.pdf 6) San Diego’s Municipal Code prohibits all candidates from having outstanding loans to their campaigns in excess of $100K at any time…just like the state does with regards to the Governor. We have no such limit…but should. http://docs.sandiego.gov/municode/MuniCodeChapter02/Ch02Art07Division29.pdf A collective proposal was approved by San Diego’s City Council to be placed before that city’s voters as a temporary revision to their charter. It’s called due diligence on the part of their CC. That Due Diligence, Transparency and Consensus are all absent from the latest proposal…again, as it was lacking with Boss Mayor 1. June 22, 2010 Sacramento’s City Council did the right thing. .

fifthgensacramentan on "A deeper look at city's decision to hire 30 new cops"

2010-06-30T20:06:36Z

Partial Answer to one question based on current pay scales, A SPD Police Officer starts at a pay scale achieved by his Deputy Sheriff counterpart in Denver at step G (Denver is a City/County jurisdiction like SF) http://www.denvergov.org/Portals/672/documents/Pay%20Ranges%20&%20Job%20Titles%20-%202010%20Pay%20Survey%20%28Effective%207-1-10%29.pdf Denver-Deputy Sherrif starts at a lower pay scale than SacPD Police officer and has a 7 step advancement Deputy Sheriff Pay Grade 710-U Job Code CY1055 Steps B-G then J 710-U Step B $44,070 Step C $45,400 Step D $46,743 Step E $48,033 Step F $49,376 Step G $55,407 Step J $61,411 SacPD Police Officer http://cityofsacramento.org/personnel/documents/Current-Salary-Schedule.pdf 002027 \ Police Officer SPOA \ 002 \ PoliceOff SPOAGRD002 Steps 1-5 Step 1 55,781.65 Step 2 58,570.72 Step 3 61,499.36 Step 4 64,574.43 Step 5 67,803.22 Does Colorado have the same retirement plan as CA @ 3% per year at 50 up to a max of 90% ? Colorado's cost of Living Index- Higher or lower than Sacramento? Other Benefits Comparable?

fifthgensacramentan on "Editorial: The end of the strong mayor "

2010-06-28T19:10:29Z

This was one of my first quote's of Sun Tzu....last May. I also included as a conclusion to it "Hallowed words for any leader" Having watched and re-watched the Council members testimony and that of the Mayor, the true "jewels" of this community are the 8 CC members not the mayor. None of them made a personal attack on the mayor. Explaining their reasons for support or non-support of a proposed charter revision was not a personal comment about the mayor...only the process or lack of process that had been employed by him and his supporters to date. No matter to the mayor, he spent 30 or so minutes revealing the true persona of a "two year old" politician who also must believe that the CC serves at his pleasure...given his continual reference to "his" city council followed by his personal attack on almost each and everyone of them. Remember those training videos where a situation is depicted,,,followed by the right and wrong scenario for dealing with it? Johnson's action will become a classic display of how not to react to a loss at the dais. It already has...In this city!

fifthgensacramentan on "Cultivating a healthy comment ecosystem"

2010-06-24T19:40:48Z

“Joe” & to Geoff Agreed-Personal Vulgar Obscene attacks on “fellow citizens” HAS NO PLACE in any of these forums or debates. Brennan's opinion however, acknowledged that public officials are in a different league. Sometimes that… “may well include vehement, caustic, and sometimes unpleasantly sharp attacks on government and public officials.” So as part of this discussion of civility on these forums… And mind you, this is not a statement for or against but only a question, Is that going to be part of the consideration or will attacks on government and public officials be treated the same as on any citizen? I think Geoff's answer seems to indicate that there will be leeway with that regard...but "tricky".

fifthgensacramentan on "Cultivating a healthy comment ecosystem"

2010-06-24T17:03:18Z

“Debate on public issues should be uninhibited, robust, and wide-open, and may well include vehement, caustic, and sometimes unpleasantly sharp attacks on government and public officials.” – Justice William J. Brennan Jr. -1960 New York Times Co. v. Sullivan case, which extended the First Amendment’s guarantee of free speech to prevent citizens from being sued by public officials. As in music, when you consider how many “notes” there are within the English language, to create one’s message..obscene vulgar personal attacks on individuals really has no place or purpose…other than to drown out honest debate….which it has been known to do. That being said…for better or worse…individual politician’s realize they are fair game However, that “dark” side of me really enjoyed those classic Curtain/Akroyd Point-Counterpoint….I guess obscene, vulgar personal attacks do have a place! The all time classic…Nuclear Power http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7S_XWuKpHc

fifthgensacramentan on "Mayor confronts council members during long speech"

2010-06-23T18:34:35Z

Then Truth?BTold..how did you miss Rhonda's moment at podium? Talking about transparency, the mayor's relentless pursuit of these strong mayor shams...short and to the point...some could learn a thing or two about being succinct and to the point! And to Rhonda...Thanks for being there!

fifthgensacramentan on "Mayor confronts council members during long speech"

2010-06-23T18:26:56Z

Here you go Cameron http://sacramento.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=22 click on the view now button for the 6PM meeting There is a drop down box under the viewer that lets you skip to various parts of the meeting. If you want to watch KJ's rebuff "his" council members...(occasionally he refers to them as his colleagues...Freudian slip I guess.) click on the last Mayor Johnson on item 9...right before item 10.

fifthgensacramentan on "Mayor confronts council members during long speech"

2010-06-23T17:33:25Z

Having re-watched the video...is it time to put a time limit on those sitting behind the dais...particularly closing statements prior to a final vote? What some have deemed good for the public might also be well served on our elected! To all our Council Members...following last night and the recent elections....enjoy your two week recess...you earned it last night.

fifthgensacramentan on "City budget, strong mayor debate at Tuesday meetings"

2010-06-23T10:38:01Z

So Richard is 77% Resounding No votes to 23% Yes News? And in other News...the city's counting on that overpayment to Thomas Enterprises for funding some of those new PD officers....When can we expect that million + dollar check, Richard?

fifthgensacramentan on "City budget, strong mayor debate at Tuesday meetings"

2010-06-22T20:55:52Z

§ 163 Recall. The holder of any elective office may be recalled, in the manner provided by state law applicable to cities, by the electors after such person has held office six months. If you don't live in the city...you can't vote...your not an elector...you can't recall...but you can have an opinion. I don't know if to need to be an elector within the CC district...I will not assume...but an elector of a CC person must reside in their district...logic might indidctate that to the petetion be signed by those residents....just a guess...not a fact. Joe:I'm pretty sure proof of residency will only be required to Vote Here :-) RE:"Ok so according to your thinking I'd have to be a resident of, e.g., LA or SF or Davis to have opinions about their politicians, too? " I didn't say that...you can have all the opinions you want...but when you start throwing large amounts of money at someone...I'm going to ask why? Do you think Jefferey Dorso is this involved in the politics of Davis? Why not if that's where he's chosen to live? He can spin this sham all he wants...he can't vote on it...and that's a good thing...we have enough out-of-towners...aka carpetbaggers, already.

fifthgensacramentan on "City budget, strong mayor debate at Tuesday meetings"

2010-06-22T19:45:15Z

Sorry Joe, respectfully disagree on the geography issue. I prefer diversity of culture, interest and viewpoints where I reside. Living in gated communities with people of similar interest is a little to "stepfordish" for my taste. It also has a way of "pigeon holing" ones viewpoint. Some People like to stir it up..Recall Sac's CC today...Have a tea party convention next week ...that's Eric's Show...part fact part entertainment and an occasional good listen ...but he still doesn't live in the city! Where does Angelo reside, Freidmann, Oates, Townsend & Raimundo (PG&E paid them 3+million to bamboozle residents to support prop 16-Failed Power Grab). We see the same players, puppeteers, at work here along with sooo many more. The Developers only want to deal with one person, The Spinners want to sell their access to the mayor, And the Mayor...he's got close to $650K invested in his election and this initiative...$500K of which is a loan...hoping to get paid back...probably with interest! Who were those big property owners out in Natomas...did they actually live in that flood plain? Yet controlled it's development to the tune of "Build Baby Build. How's that worked out? K.Hovnanian...out of New Jersey...30 + illegal permit issuance's...how well publicized was that Dec 2008 moratorium? Well enough that even Ose tried like mad to get his permits issued prior to it, following that infamous Stop Work Order. We saw a shake up on June 8 via a public election process that people knew was coming...unlike an unwritten charter revision proposal that is scheduled for 20 minutes tonight and 1 more meeting... No way to revise a "constitution". I got to believe if someone suggested changing our US constitution in this manner...without a constitutional convention being convened, you might have a slight problem with it...well that is the function of a charter commission with regards to out City's Constitution.

fifthgensacramentan on "City budget, strong mayor debate at Tuesday meetings"

2010-06-22T19:40:14Z

Since Rich E removed his question to me...I will paraphrase it...So 5th Gen why do you and bbbmerrr post the same material here as you do on SacBee? Rich E.: I can't and won't speak for bbbmerrr Just as a stand-up plays different venues, utilizing the same facts and jokes Why waste GOOD Material on but one audience? And yes, this Shot Gun Charter Reform Sham is a JOKE...albeit a dangerous one! And Rich-Why do you post as Rich E here and as Regular Joe on SacBee and 2112 on SNR? Let's be nice!

fifthgensacramentan on "City budget, strong mayor debate at Tuesday meetings"

2010-06-22T17:59:28Z

"Joe" & Rich...there will be at least three new council members sworn in come November and possibly 4 by mid year depending upon the outcome of the DEM 9th Assembly race. One of those being Robbie...not included in your AZ8 Eric Hogue...of Placer County has his agenda and can't vote on issues affecting the City of Sacramento while using his radio hour to try to do so. Call for a Recall? again 3-4 new faces on council already....with no need for the expense of a special election....The Shotgun Charter Reform IS the news of the day. Since December 2008, the mayor’s unrelenting strive to take over city hall by multiple means of strong arm tactics reads like a prolonged episode of the cartoon Pinky & the Brain with one slight twist… Since being sworn into office, Mayor Pinky, has continually asked his self serving volunteers of “Brains”: Mayor Pinky: “Gee Brains, What we go’in to do tonight?” The “Brains”: “The same thing we do every night Pinky, Hatch a plan to take over City Hall” Mayor Pinky: “OK Brains, you craft it I’ll sell it! Narf” If the charter truly needs revising, it should really be done in a public fashion…with an elected charter commission and any changes to be approved by a vote of the people in 2012. The tactics employed to date are “machine” and $pecial interest politics at their worse. The CC has a simple answer…A resounding “NO” vote to this latest and desperate “shotgun” charter revision sham! How many more times will the Hydra's head be cut off...only to emerge with two more? At what cost? Meanwhile the city flounders!

fifthgensacramentan on "City budget, strong mayor debate at Tuesday meetings"

2010-06-22T12:50:07Z

Today is going to be a long day. City Council is gearing up for a two week recess. City Dept. Budget proposals are on the afternoon agenda including a revenue generating measure to be proposed and drafted for submittal to the Nov. Ballot. Item 40 Restoration of Services for FY10/11 Budget: Parks and Recreation, Police & Fire Departments (Noticed on 4-23-10) Location: (Citywide) Recommendation: 1) adopt an intent motion to restore two Police Academies with one-time funding, 2) report back on the plans to restore portions of the Proposed FY2010/11 Budgets for the Police, Fire, and Parks and Recreation Departments Item 41. Department of Utilities Proposed FY2010/11 Budgets ( Recommendation: Conduct a public hearing on the Fiscal Year (FY)2010/11 Utilities Operating and Capital Improvement Program (CIP) Budgets, as amended, and upon conclusion adopt an intent motion to approve. Item 42. Update on Impacts of County Budget Recommendation: Receive and file. Item 43. Proposal to Postpone Layoffs Associated with Labor Concession Savings for 30 Days ( Recommendation: Conduct a public hearing and approve the use of one-time funds to postpone layoffs associated with labor concession savings for 30 days and balance the proposed FY10/11 budget. Item 44. Proposed November 2010 Revenue Measure Recommendation: Conduct a public hearing and upon conclusion 1) discuss a proposed tax measure for placement on the November 2010 ballot to update and modernize the business operations tax and to tax marijuana businesses; and 2) direct the City Attorney to prepare an ordinance and resolution for the proposed tax measure for City Council consideration on July 13, 2010. Discussion Item (Item 45) Item 45. City Auditor Audit Plan for Fiscal Year 2010-11 Recommendation: Adopt a Resolution approving the City Auditor's Annual Audit Plan for Fiscal Year 2010/11. Then there is the Evening session Give A Resounding "NO' Vote To SHOT GUN CHARTER REVISION!

fifthgensacramentan on "Here's how Mayor Kevin Johnson can earn some green points"

2010-06-16T20:39:09Z

There are times that I wish some of these barbs, jabs, sparring etc....unrelated to the conversation at hand...could be simply forwarded to the Rant and Rave section of Craigslist.... So Ben, would it be possible to set up a Rant depository where readers could flag unrelated comments...a reader would need to sign in to flag a comment...the comment would be flagged for review and if verified moved away from the discussion....readers who abuse the flagging of comments would be removed from participating in it...additionally, ranters would have a forum to kvetch, without interfering with a discussion thread. Just a though on an ever evolving issue.

fifthgensacramentan on "Railyards foreclosure process started"

2010-06-16T18:14:50Z

An Arena & A New County Courthouse...Just in case you missed the story earlier on Wednesday...looks like a lot of Parking is going to be required in the railyards....Why didn't the county propose building the new courthouse on their existing Jury duty Lot between 7th & 8th and F & G They already own it? Panel urges building new Sacramento County courthouse at Railyard or Capitol Mall Read more: http://www.sacbee.com/2010/06/15/2822894/panel-urges-building-new-sacramento.html#ixzz0r2aIrB6S

fifthgensacramentan on "Here's how Mayor Kevin Johnson can earn some green points"

2010-06-15T18:31:05Z

With all the enlisted $pinmeister$ associated with the Mayor....there's a little tune that keeps popping up The Wheels on the Bus go Round Round Round, Round Round Round, Round round Round The Wheels on the Bus go Round Round Round While never touching the ground! $pinners not doers....but that would all change if he were the Boss...Right?

fifthgensacramentan on "Here's how Mayor Kevin Johnson can earn some green points"

2010-06-15T03:02:42Z

The conditioned space associated with A/C environs is one reason why we have all become so intolerant of the hot weather...we no longer acclimate to it. In my parents home, we didn't get AC until the 70's, one of my grandmothers never got it at all and lived well into her 90's. We live in California...the land of low humidity when compared to our counterparts on the East Coast...and we are especially benefited in Sacramento, where the Delta Breeze does have its magical qualities of changing stifling hot to utter blissful living in the evening. Couple that with a whole house fan...and it's an amazing transformation that can occur with your interior space every night along with exhausting the heat out of your attic space. Additionally let's not forget the benefit of the tree canopy...ever noticed the difference in temperature between a shaded street in the neighborhoods compared to an asphalt sea of a parking lot that isn't shaded? Strategic tree placement/shading has been encouraged by SMUD to help keep the south western exposures of buildings and residences cooler...all very green. Politically nonsensically speaking I have a bone with the mayor's green initiative...As part of his Green Initiative, The Mayor, had invited city employees to join a book reading discussion club that started Friday, June 4th at 1pm on the Fifth Floor. Follow-up discussions will take place on Fridays from 1:00 – 1:30 p.m. The Book , Van Jones “The Green Collar Economy: How One Solution Can Fix Our Two Biggest Problems” "We're going to have a lot of fun reading this book together, and I want to invite each of you to join us in reading the book. Lauren is still taking orders, and you can join us at any time. Sincerely, Kevin Johnson" Reading groups are great, they have their time and place...I didn't know the city had adopted a Friday furlough plan....if they didn't, I can think of a whole lot of other things to have employees doing during that time of day. Especially given the ongoing budget deliberations, cut backs to services and looming layoffs. If we can't afford to maintain our parks, keep our pools open, maintain services levels for a variety of other city services...why would someone propose such an idea for the middle of the work day? I can't remember a reading group that I participated in that didn't occur during my hours off and definitely away from work! Kevin did preface his invitation with...In all fairness, Kevin added "be sure to check with your supervisor" So why do employees need to buy the book...at 10-12 Bucks from a mayoral staff person? They couldn't work an electronic sharing agreement out with Mr. Jones? Isn't electronic file sharing much "greener" than individual books? Our City Clerk just won a state wide recognition award of Clerk of the Year, based partially on "Digital delivery of the City Council Agenda and Council Staff Reports. By shifting to a digital delivery of the weekly agenda package the City saves approximately 29,000 pages of printed materials monthly and at least $50,000 annually in printing and paper costs." Now that's actually puitting action into motion. http://www.publicceo.com/index.php/local-governments/151-local-governments-publicceo-exclusive/1454-city-clerk-named-clerk-of-the-year- So is there any chance that Kevin is looking to make an offer to Mr Jones to be a Green Job Czar...would that be part of the Jones introduction project? So what has Mr. Jones been doing since his abrupt departure from the white house staff?

fifthgensacramentan on "Trying to Find Comic Relief in a Somber City Budget Session"

2010-06-14T18:53:48Z

News Flash...last week's council meeting was such a doozy...I didn't last to the final comment by the Mayor. His very last comment at around 11:18 PM on June 10th was an acknowledgment that the next CC meeting was scheduled to be over 5 hours long....SO...he requested that the whatever you want to call the "strong mayor" revision proposal discussion not be started tomorrow night June 15th...but June 22 instead. Remember the CC goes into recess for 2 weeks following the June 22nd meeting! PS: New ewbsite since SAG has chameleoned into Open Sacramento... http://www.opensac.com/ ck out "Who We Are" to see who some supporters are... One thing I like about San Diego's charter...that applies to the City Manager...abut now also would apply to the Mayor...given their strong mayor form of government... 'No person directly related to the City Manager by blood or marriage shall be eligible for employment unless such relative was in the employ of the City at the time of the appointment of the City Manager." & then under their Article V EXECUTIVE AND ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICE Section 31: Political Activities (a) No officer or employee of the City, except elected officers and unsalaried members of commissions, shall during regular hours of employment take an active part opposing or supporting any candidates in any City of San Diego political campaign or make contributions thereto in behalf of any candidates, nor shall such person seek signatures to any petition seeking to advance the candidacy of any person for any municipal office. Nothing in this section shall be construed to prevent any officer or employee, whether Classified or Unclassified, from seeking election or appointment to public office or from being active in State or Federal political campaigns, in any bond issue campaign including municipal bond issues, or from being active in local political campaigns. (b) Every municipal employee shall prohibit the entry into any place under his control occupied for any purpose of the municipal government, of any person for the purpose of therein making, collecting, receiving, or giving notice of any political assessment, subscription, or contribution. Read more about the goings on RE: BM II in Monday's BEE article http://www.sacbee.com/2010/06/14/2820195/unions-balk-at-johnsons-strong.html#ixzz0qqtbh18m

fifthgensacramentan on "Trying to Find Comic Relief in a Somber City Budget Session"

2010-06-13T18:16:43Z

Thanks Rhonda.and RE: carry on! 'I'm glad you're not in hibernation!!...Back at ya! It would appear the BEE editorial Board may be looking a little closer at the cost to the city of police & fire....ck out today's editoprial Editorial: Brutal budget means that even Fire Department must sacrifice Read more: http://www.sacbee.com/2010/06/13/2817002/brutal-budget-means-that-even.html#ixzz0ql4dmoeZ . Carry On my fellow community member...keep the light shinning on what should always be a Public Process!

fifthgensacramentan on "Trying to Find Comic Relief in a Somber City Budget Session"

2010-06-13T16:38:24Z

And then there is "Yogi" still hiding the picnic basket... Take a look at Tuesday's Council Agenda http://sacramento.granicus.com/AgendaViewer.php?view_id=21&event_id=80 Remember that item about the newest BM-Lite or is it Consensus Reform Plan or Accountability Plan of 2010, (evidently Lutz, Maviglio, Townsen and the rest of the spinners, can”t come to a decision about what euphemistic title will make it the most palatable) oh wait…now it’s the “Executive Mayor Charter Proposal” to be discussed....when delivered. Noth'in but a place holder...not even the outline the mayor's chief of staff posted on KJ's website. To Be Delivered The following Item was not available at the time of publishing and will be available as soon as we receive it. Are they “hiding the pea” or maybe they are actually working on more important things… Remember, as demonstrated at last Thursday’s City Council meeting… This is budget season…and this budget is a real doozy…council goes into recess after the meeting on June 22nd for 2 weeks…The Budget is priority first and foremost….yet someone wants to “start” a discussion about a new charter revision proposal…to be wrapped up and submitted with council approval by the week of July 12…the week council comes back from recess…that would, if approved by voters in November…be implemented by Jan 1, 2011 and be in effect for at least 8-10 years And according to the talking points on KJ’s website…would leave council with only 8 members until a 9th CC district is established…in other words for 1-2 years council could be deadlocked by minority rule 4-4…especially with regard to Mayoral Proposals or Vetoes Again…It’s Budget season…Not Charter Reform Season And any proposal should start with: Implementation shall not occur until the beginning of the new fiscal year following the mayoral election. Thereby allowing for the voter to fully grasp the role of the mayor, a smoother, budgeted transition period for all city departments and most importantly the residents and businesses those department serve.