I will agree that we should not be afraid of strong leadership. I may not be in agreement with everything that Mayor Johnson proposes, yet I admire him in his conviction and lack of concern with popularity. I do feel he is taking us in the right direction. As for the cleanliness of our fair city....It is FILTHY!!! I have lived in many cities including San Francisco and Chicago. You can not possibly compare Sacramento or San Francisco to Chicago, ,Philidelphia or Boston. Yes, you will find trash anywhere, However, not to the degree I've witnessed in Sac or SF. The freeways here are littered with fast food containers, clothing and mattresses....etc.... I fully understand home town pride and will absolutely agree in that SF is beautiful. I had a Townhome in SF for 6 years and have nothing but wonderful things to say about my time there. I miss the view of the water. However, I will also say that my home in Belle Haven Conneticut is superior in every way. And why you might ask? It is because I am able to walk into a grocery store without being accosted by someone looking for money. When I do my morning run, I am able to walk in my house without having to first stop to hose what I can only hope is animal feces from my shoes (nearly every morning), I dont find food containers and liquer bottles tossed in the streets or along the sidewalks or even in peoples yards and shrubs! I could go on and on. I fully understand how someone might come to believe that this is normal behavior if they have never ventured far from their own backyard. Anyone who has spent time in other cities throughout the nation (and for the record I have met many who have) recognize the tremendous problem we have. Rather than take offense, would it not be more productive to become an advocate for the city you clearly love. Dont you wish to protect what you love? I know that I do and will continue to work for what I care for.

I'm with you THSAS! Given the choice between those nasty, noisy leafblowers and allowing moldy leaves and debris filling the gutters adding to the flooding problems(but thats a separate topic) I will gladly live with the noise! Javurek states "most of us rise with the sun" . Since I have no personal knowledge of the citizens of Midtowns' personal sleeping habits or knowledge of a survey on our residents sleeping habits I wont presume she is correct or wrong. I absolutely agree 100% that UNREASONABLE noise needs to be addressed and corrected. If I were to hear the sound of a lawnmower at 3 in the morning or if my neighbor decided that 11 at night would be a fantastic time to powerwash his home-thats unreasonable. However, this IS the city! Do I LIKE the sound of city trucks at 6am? Not especially....but I like the fact that I'm living in the city with all that the city life has to offer. If the price I pay is (what in every city I have chosen to live in) is what most everyone I know considers the normal clatter and din of city life - so be it. Beats the cookie cutter life of suburbia! I left the life of the burbs when I left my parents home for school in the city. I was extremely irritated by the noise-all the while attracted to the experience of having so many fantastic places to go and see within walking distance. Before long, I learned to co-exist with our noisy city workers. They arent farmers, they dont begin their day based upon the sun rising or falling. If all else fails, earplugs? Good luck!

My husband and I took my little dog to see Santa today. Because we were concerned with the possibility he may be mistaken for an appetizer by a larger dog, we arrived early. We ended up arriving 20 minutes prior to the designated 2:00pm for pictures and were resigned to wait. We were pleasantly surprised with the level of professionalism and customer service we recieved upon entry! We were assured that it wouldnt be an inconvenience or problem to have him photographed early. "Santa" was as Santa like as you could find anywhere! He was patient and calm with my skittish pup. While we were waiting for the photographer to change a roll of film, a young family entered. The smallest child was crying. Less than a minute later, Santa had her giggling! From the young lady who greeted us on arrival, the photographer who managed to get my dog to look at the camera (I have a collection of photographs that show the back of my dogs head) to St.Nick, it was a fabulous experience and I would encourage everyone who has pets or children to visit next year, If you don't have children or pets, borrow one-or both! Added bonus that it goes to such a great cause!

WE will pay-just read any number of comments left by the ultra libs like Marian and those like her. I rarely bother to jump on this blog. However, this tipped me over. Marion the "graphic artist" which means to me publicly funded individual who decided that finger painting was too fun to pass up. The "privledged" folks as she refers to them will continue to get up every morning and contribute to society. Our reward is to have the pleasure of paying for people like her to play all day and come up with more and more fantastic ways to spend our money.

Well written and helpful. Nice!