happy to have the space occupied ( vs the option of it being another empty business space) stoked to have new up and comers enter into restaurant ownership here in midtown sounds like the business model will provide a nice relaxing environment with great food at affordable prices ... I wish them great success and cant wait for it to open

ok well cant help myself but chime in .... lets addres the heart of the article the lighting up of midtown for the holidays has been spoken of for many years amongst the midtown board members ( sorry amber not really her idea) however its a great idea to bring folks down to check out the storefronts all dolled up for christmas along with other holiday light tours throughout our region that being said the mba has been poorly run by the leadership of kerth / zeff and enabled by mr cohn and some other high profile officers however midtown business owners and property owners are strong dynamic people and will conitnue to make midotwn one of the coolest places in the region depsite poor leadership by others

having done business in every county and city in the region over thte past couple years I have found they all have their odd little individual positive and negative nuances for sure . I have found one common thread amongst them all and especially during the plan review / entitlement period is that the city of sacramento seems to have very high castle walls and thus it is hard to have dialogue with those actually making decisions vs its neighboring cities and counties ( affecting your project and its timely approval) most other cities and counties give customers better access to those decision makers.. (In all fairness, in a conversation with Ed Short of the city of Sac community development dept. those changes are being made as we converse..). Also mentioned in this article is a small business liason i feel this person whether a chamber member or a city staffer not only makes a new business owner more prepared as they enter into the city departmental maze they also make the city staffers job easier now dealing with a business owner that has a little more knowledge than one entering in blind & un prepared .. i believe a small business liason would save the city money as well as make it seem more business friendly ... and to add to Dales comments toward the neighbors this liason would also guide a new business owner to those neighbor groups etc benefitting all .... sorry for the lack of spell chk etc my .02$

Bill Camp is the most powerful man in sacramento politics.. for now.. btw ,, how has that been working for you all? Dont get me wrong I kinda like brother Bill but with the state of sacramento politics today it is definitely time for something different

rich, you got it exaclty right, us lunatics ( republicans , independants or otherwise) dont mind paying taxes if they're levied failry and spent responsibly. Hell, I'd be happy to pay more for better teachers, schools, roads, public transportation, street cleaning, senior and youth services, etc. if the money was handled responsibly and with some minor sense of accountability.. Trust must be re established first !! The departmental audits not only should be a regular part of doing business but should have been done by now as the mayor stated in his campaign promises..

dave , i thought the same thing, wtf? the juicy ,is the bomb

ok honesty, i did some work in goldenbear and at the new phonoselect store two doors down and otherwise would not have eaten at goldenbear .to my pleasant suprise .. the food at Golden bear is off the hook.. lunch is awsome. I tell folks and they all say they had no idea.. Im tellin you its beyond good they will quickly be one of THE spots to eat. go now while you can say youve already eaten there.. big congrats to all the golden bear staff ..

there is alot of work to this process which you are embarking... and i would be happy to assist, i also think that now that you have mentioned it online it will be interesting to watch it unfold in or on a public forum . you have my numbers & emails introduce your self to Mr Kooyman if you do not already know him

i will stop by Sean thanks, i truly enjoy my trade. ( as you may know i made an attempt at running for public office) I have a great passion for assisting small business owners and one of my priorities was to help create a small business advocate department in the city of Sacramento . With the ultimate goal of eliminating the need for a small business owner to not only be a master at his business but a master of maneuvering through the labrynth that is city hall. A check list would be great or an office that could look at your business plan and location then tell you all that would be required to make it happen and the estimated costs associated etc. . DSD does attempt but often seems to be overwhelmed with the particular task in front of them and unaware or unable to see ( or understand) the whole landscape ahead of the human sitting in the chair in front of them . One of the intentions of writing this article ( obviously ia m not a writer) is to bring attention to the stress and difficulty of doing business in our fine city without putting blame on a good group of folks in the DSD

Mr Zeff aside, alley businesses are going to be a part of our future . While in europe last month i was in awe with all the alley shops, restaraunts etc. .Most outdoor seating ( or cafes) were set out and removed daily allowing for trash and even loading and unloading during non peak business hours . During business hours they were still open to pedestrian and bicycle traffic. ( btw creating a great series of roadways for bikes and pedestrians free of automobiles) We will be activating alleys throughout the inner city over time and like all "change" we just need to learn to accept and adapt. Additonally while overseas i noticed that the business owners were responsible for their own streetscapes ( litter pick up & overall cleanliness) It was so refreshing to see the shop owners out there everyday sweeping cleaning etc. almost like a regular neighborhood or community with members who truly cared about the appearance of thier home or place of business... imagine .

i want to say thank you for TOS change I amongst many others did not feel safe commenting on the site after being abused by bbbmer (election season or not )all should be allowed to comment respectfully and without fear of attack . Discourse is wonderful and the intelligent discourse on this site is to be commended. I expect bbbmer to return under a different ID and look fwd to more of his comments under the new TOS and hope this will encourage more to participate in the discourse of our cities issues. ( and thank you for the spell check) shawn eldredge

did i miss the part about after hours enforcement etc. that prevents the invasion into neighborhoods. i am all in for the direction of parking funds to amenities etc. ( downtown partnership already gets a sliver of parking funds to be directed back into the district and its improvements) Additionally based on MBA previous record of taking care of neighbors it will be critical to keep an eye on what happens to ensure the funds are leveraged for maximum benefit to all stakeholders I also agree with Mr Julian my suburban friends whine about parking as they are amateurs. However, with improved amenities and educational signage etc.that funding would create. They will stil come (midtown /dowtown kicks ass)

yes, i assume they know who i am as i have stated it multiple times on my replys. I avoid writing on sac press as it seems many who write here cant express their opinons politely thus it becomes unsafe to share personal opinons. The Sac High , no dwntwn highschool issue has been discussed randomly . The feeling is that John Raymond has a clue and we will give him a chance to make it right. Additonally, there is a chance there will be some schools consolidated thus we want to see where things shake out before making plans to take back Sac High ( which would be my thought transferring st hope to a smaller campus) or use a newly emptied property for a inner city highschool. ( I as do many rightfully upset parents, know it is way overdue, and there are alot of political forces involved who do not have the best interest of the inner city kids at heart).. I am a student of campaigns obvioulsy. It is my experience that most voters do not read much nor do they attempt to educate themselves beyond their fixed beliefs.. so i would say no to your question/statement. There are many ghost writers out there pumping up their candidate or issue. I feel the Bee is a joke they educate themselves yet make endorsements of politicians who obviously represent special interests or have proven themselves to be ( non truthful). Even many of our resident activists who are regulars here did not attend forums or hear candidates discuss issues with other candidates At this point I am sad to state the voters will get what they deserve. I dont know when or what it will take to change the political landscape.. It is very dificult for anyone who has to work a regular job to eat to run a competetive campaign in todays poltical environment.. I do believe there are some real , well intentioned candidates on this ballot , I dont think they will win but i am hopeful. I will end this note with one statement. Governance is not a strategic game of who can raise the most money or place the most signs, it is about human lives and every decision made by our leaders affects us all , thus our decisions in the polling booth are imperative to all human kind . ... Shawn Eldredge

Marion, the forums ( four of them to date) have all had education related questions and i have mentioned in all of them that there is no public highschool for east sac and midtown children .Additonally, the topic of education and the importance of our youth is typically a question to be addressed by all the candidates in the forums. It is a shame more of the active residents have not attended the forums. They are always the best place to see and hear how a candidate handles him or herself on the spot. The League of Women Voters does a great job in facilitating them. The LOWV had one televised forum and it was probably the toughest as they restrict the response time the most which makes it difficult to express an opinion or thought but none the less they were all good . I do not know of any remaining. It is a shame that voters will be making their decisions based on mailers ( mostly produced with lots of oversight etc.) and other not very or detailed facts ( i.e. lawn signs or prepared comments by phone bankers)

I appreciate Ms Connors words. I hope unlike some of the other commenter’s here that all readers etc. on sac press have had the chance to speak with me or attend one of the few candidate forums I have spoken at ( check out my website www.shawneldredge.com or even contact me for coffee etc.). I am very much looking forward to the next version of a charter review commissions suggestions or SMI proposal . I also assume it will be a better chosen group then the last politically biased group last assembled. I have attended the charter review committee meetings of the past and heard several strong mayors speak from around the country . Both Mr Hickenlooper of Denver , Willie Brown and the now ex strong mayors of New Mexico & Fresno were quite convincing . I like the idea of being able to choose the best and brightest of the private industry to head departments and kill the era of consensus without action in city hall that has plagued our city for many years. I also like the idea ( as I am a self employed human and have been all my life as well as my father ) of being able to hire and fire as needed when I am the accountable one in charge. As much as I love sac press for its great coverage of so many different subject matters. I struggle with the abuse of others opinions (if you cant say something nice don’t say anything at all ) I know there will be bashing, thus I don’t participate often in dialogue on Sac Press. I did want to clarify I was not a supporter of the original SMI , especially the way for which it was subversively forced down the throats of voters or attempted to be . However, I do feel a strong mayor type governing body is the best for moving Sacramento forward and have high hopes for a version we can all rally behind. May I also suggest that if you do not agree with me which is your prerogative , that in lieu of bashing my opinion that you just not vote for me. And I will promise not to bash on your opinion either.

these guys are one of the best in town right now without a doubt their stage presence is huge , their sets are tight , The music kicks ass. I can see them playin to huge audiences soon thanks for the article i wish them safe travels on thier upcoming tour and i know we will be seeing lots more of them in the near future if youve never seen them you gotta catch them live the bigger the stage the better these guys are definitely keeping rock n roll alive and well!

I was saddened by the news he may be leaving . The chief has been a pleasre to work with and is a great representative of hte bright young officers working under him. I wish him the best and yet hope he stays

whatever it has become,it is a good event for our city and one of the iconic events for residents and visitors . I agree it is imperative to focus on enforcement of parking, public intoxication laws and traffic mitigation. However, I do think it is imperative we do not attempt to do much more or control what it looks like . Its organically evolved into what its attendees want it to look like,and based on the popularity of the event, it is good .We as a city need to be better at enabling street festivals in general i.e. New Years eve, cinco de mayo , st pattys day , Amgen and the like, especially in this unstable economy . I believe strong city leadership and fair enforcement of existing laws, mitigating the negative impacts on residents. Will result in the growth and promotion of Sacramento as a city of festivals. I d love to see the Heritage music festival return to our city as well as the old open air markets of the past.Including the additon of more sporting events in the streets of our city . We can have both, quality of living for our residents and an exciting vibrant city . It just takes work . Work, well worth doing.

i think you should check who the campaign contributors are . You will see they are unions more so then developers . Yes,there are both. However, I believe you will find the union interests are greater contributors and in more control then the developer interests. I believe the balance is the opposite of your 5/9ths description.. Either way, neither have the best interests of the people in mind and our council needs to remember that the unions nor the developers actually vote. On my soap box ; we have to retain the power ourselves by voting out those members who are only out to get re elected vs doing what is right for our city and its people. ( i believe they all need time back in civilian life to remember what its like out here)

i have met & met with, Mr Redding and found him to be a great representative of his community , works in the education system of the neighborhood he and his family grew up in , he has a passion for the school and the students he works with and in his community. .. its a shame there are those that will put his political affiliation in front of their good judgement. www.shawneldredge.com