There isn't a commission yet. No money has been spent. It will be put on the ballot and that will cost money, just as a strong mayor initiative would have. Let the people vote as the mayor says!

The Police Union is worried about the cost of the Charter Commission but not the cost of the arena? They're not concerned about the city leasing city parking and losing millions of dollars from the general fund? This ploy is ridiculous.

I should also add that neither PS& or Sac Charter serve English Language Learners or Special Ed kids, while nearby elementary schools like Fruitridge and Ethel Philips have as much as 40% ELL students. Why is this? Because ELL and Special Ed kids drag down a school's scores.

Schools of choice choose the kids.

Dysfunctional--coming from Kevin, that's rich. People have to keep in mind that this is not about what Sacramento needs. Our city government exists to provide services for us and keep our city livable, not to make money for developers. The council-manager form of government is accessible to ordinary people like us who want a say in how our city is governed. The city manager doesn't make policy, he just runs the city departments. We get to go before the council and lobby for ourselves. A strong mayor government doesn't give us that access to the decision maker. In that form of government, the council can put forth policy, but the mayor has the power--and he's not part of the council. That's the whole point-Kevin wouldn't have to be there for those meetings. He wouldn't have to listen to ordinary citizens who come to the council meetings. He would get to run the city all on his own. The strong mayor issue is about Kevin-this is what he wants for himself. It's not about the kids or education, it's not about the city of Sacramento. It's about Kevin.

Looks like he defused the question about vacant lots in Oak Park by attempting to buy off the young person who asked it. It's true that PS7 and Sac Charter have almost no English Language Learners (1% to 3%). It's hard to believe that after eight years that's going to change. That's how they keep the test scores high.

The buildings aren't historical, they're historic. There's a difference.

If you want to make this about self determination, than the residents of the disputed area ought to be the ones who have the say on which council district they belong in.

Doesn't someone have to prove a violation took place? Is there any proof that four of the council members met in secret to draw this map? The answer to the problem of legislative bodies drawing their own maps, which in this case isn't illegal, is to change the law regarding the process. Meanwhile all this hysteria is over the top. Redrawing lines doesn't change the physical location of the Med Center or Sacramento High. For the past 10 years downtown was split between three council seats. This is nothing new.

But that's beside the point of my comment. The facility is where it is. Who has the power to determine its use is the real issue. That power belongs to the SCUSD board.

Prior to the freeway going in, the northern boundary of Oak Park was Broadway. The facility is north of Broadway.

While the Sac High facility may be located in Oak Park (and that is debatable) Sac High doesn't belong to Oak Park. It belongs to the Sacramento City Unified School District. It was paid for by taxpayers of the district to serve the students of East Sac, River Park, Midtown, downtown and College Greens Glenbrook neighborhoods, as well as Oak Park. In 2003, the last year of its existence as a public high school, Sacramento High had 1800 kids from that attendance area. Currently, while there are 1247 high school age students living in the old attendance area, only 174 attend Sacramento Charter High School. The charter doesn't serve the students of Oak Park. They go to Hiram Johnson High. That is an untenable situation. But the future of the Sac High facility is not and shouldn't be an issue for the City Council. We have elected a school board for that and it is in their power alone to make decisions about the future of the facility..

Sounds more like resume padding for these young people and cheap labor for the mayor.

Wow, you are obviously a shill for the bully Cedros who is currently principal at Johnson. Cedros has systematically "disappeared" almost 400 students. The students are those whose test scores or lack of class credits would make the school's statistics look bad. After all it's a "priority school". But the priority is test scores not students or education. Now that students are speaking up even at the risk of being kicked out of school or not graduating, you are attacking them for standing up for their fellow students and their teachers. This article is shameful as it doesn't even pretend to be actual journalism. it's completely one-sided and resorts to name calling. Two can play at that game. The Sacramento Press has no integrity and neither does this "freelance correspondent".

The story no paper in Sacramento is covering. A cheating scandal in DC under Michelle Rhee's administration. http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2011-05-19-DC-classroom-test-irregularities_n.htm?csp=34news The emphasis on tests, tests and more tests is painting kids, teachers and schools as failures. It costs billions of dollars and is narrowing the curriculum. Meanwhile, vilification of teachers will result in even fewer people willing to enter the profession. That is one of Rhee's goals, the de-professionalizing of teaching. It's cheaper to have recent college grads interested in padding their resumes teach for a couple of years and move on. That is the future of teaching if Rhee has her way. Children deserve better than that.

Just some fact checking. Sac City Unified scores for 2-5 grades show 48.6% of students are proficient in Language Arts. Proficient is ABOVE grade level. However the level of proficiency for African-Americans is 38.4%. David Gordon is superintendent of Sacramento County Office of Education. You could look this stuff up too before you print your story.

She covered up the groping allegations at Sac Charter. He recommended her for Chancellor of DC Schools. They have a mutual admiration society. You need to look beyond the words to their actions. Few people liked the job she did as Chancellor. That's why Fenty was voted out. Johnson lost in the Central City precincts and his candidates lost in the school board races because parents don't want his type of reform.

There is no discussion of closing Sac Charter just moving it to a smaller facility more appropriate for its enrollment. Frankly all the advertising in the world won' make a school run by St. HOPE more attractive. Just reading the Bee the last few years tells the reader stories of misappropriation of public funds, sexual misconduct and financial mismanagement and boardroom shenanigans by St. HOPE. Why anyone would send their kid to a school run by that bunch is beyond me. It's time to return the Sac High facility to the community so kids have a neighborhood school. No one is obligated to send their kid to a charter.

He was elected to serve on the council, not be an executive mayor. He should do the job he was elected to do. Perhaps he'll finally focus on the issues before the council. But he's like the Terminator--he'll be back, So believe him when he says the strong mayor campaign isn't dead, it's only waiting to be revived.

I think it's all been said, but I can't resist adding my two cents worth. Johnson showed over and over again in the past 18 months why he shouldn't be a "strong mayor". He has absolutely no respect for the political process and no respect for the Council. That was demonstrated by his unilaterally drafting an initiative and circulating it without even bothering to tell his fellow council members, even those members who supported him initially. When someone shows you who he is, believe it. I learned seven years ago what kind of person he truly his through the Sac High fiasco. I been following his path of destruction since then. Johnson has burned bridges over and over again. Look at the examples of his former friends and supporters Bernard Bowler and Kim Curry-Evens. If only they would come forward and tell the whole story. His public meltdown Tuesday night should be required viewing by Sacramento residents. In fact, why stop there. Lets makes sure all the "education reformers" around the country who point to him as an example of leadership see this. Let's stop his personal Race to the Top right here and now.