At the outset of the City Council meeting Tuesday, Mayor Kevin Johnson promised a robust discussion on the subject of redistricting, and robust is what he got. It was another full house Tuesday with nearly 500 people crowding into City Hall, filling every seat in the council chambers and overflowing to makeshift seating areas on the second floor – everyone with the same agenda item on their minds: redistricting. Neighbors, schoolchildren and spokespeople for Latino and African American commu... mcorker Julian Slee comment-56092 2011-08-27T20:20:41Z 2011-08-27T20:20:41Z LandParkRes: Can I suggest you reach out to Eyes On Sacramento, so that you might get a wider understanding of what is really at play here? You may care to contact Craig Powell of that organization - he is a long time Land Park/Curtis Park property owner and resident - and he might help get you up to speed on why this naked power play is actually a city-wide issue. Julian Slee 2011-08-27T20:20:41Z Sallen comment-55865 2011-08-25T05:04:01Z 2011-08-25T05:04:01Z @LandParkRes, there are over 1000 voters in North Oak Park (the neighborhood formerly known as "Med Center," and just plain old "Oak Park" before that). Mr. McCarty is lucky that he was not able to steal this neighborhood as well or he would have had 1,000 more votes against him next election. Also, money isn't everything. You must recognize the human element of this situation. The hospital was a huge asset for our community. Our Councilman has been working closely with UCD staff to create educational partnerships with Sacramento High to prepare our youth for good jobs in a high-tech future. The Elmhurst neighborhood only complained of cars parking on their streets. And if, "Money will not be affected. There are less than 500 voters in med center. McCarty usually receives 70-80% of the vote in his council district. 500 voters will not change his reelection."... Then why change it at all? Sallen 2011-08-25T05:04:01Z William Burg comment-55861 2011-08-25T03:06:24Z 2011-08-25T03:06:24Z There hoping Sac High didn't get "erased" from its current district? William Burg 2011-08-25T03:06:24Z Bill Burgua comment-55860 2011-08-25T03:01:59Z 2011-08-25T03:01:59Z Was she hiding out from the USA Today reporters? Bill Burgua 2011-08-25T03:01:59Z LisaB23 comment-55857 2011-08-25T02:49:51Z 2011-08-25T02:49:51Z in addition to OP being split up, Cohn has gerrymandered the Railyards for himself, detaching it from downtown which is totally absurd. He is also running for Mayor and i will be voting for his opponent as well. Cohn and Sheedy worked this map over and got what they wanted at the expense of Oak Park and the central city. LisaB23 2011-08-25T02:49:51Z LandParkRes comment-55839 2011-08-24T22:08:15Z 2011-08-24T22:08:15Z I would probably rank education, public safety, jobs, a clean environment, water conservation, energy efficiency, public transportation, as issues that directly effect me more than whether 1,000 Sacramentans are represented by the Democrat in District 6 or the Democrat in District 5. LandParkRes 2011-08-24T22:08:15Z Curmudgeon comment-55836 2011-08-24T21:52:51Z 2011-08-24T21:52:51Z Of all the problems Sacramento faces, how the voters are represented most certainly is a serious matter. Curmudgeon 2011-08-24T21:52:51Z Isaac Gonzalez comment-55820 2011-08-24T19:12:30Z 2011-08-24T19:12:30Z I did! Isaac Gonzalez 2011-08-24T19:12:30Z LandParkRes comment-55819 2011-08-24T19:05:34Z 2011-08-24T19:05:34Z What am I wrong about? LandParkRes 2011-08-24T19:05:34Z Ed Fogle comment-55817 2011-08-24T18:44:47Z 2011-08-24T18:44:47Z I love how bold folks are when they hide behind a user name, ie. LandParkRes. I know this sounds personal but I'm not sure how to put it without it sounding that way... Ur comments are purely ignorant. I strongly suggest watching the council meeting archive videos and doing some real homework before you make further comments on the topic you are obviously not up-to-speed on. Just a suggestion LandParkRes. Ed Fogle 2011-08-24T18:44:47Z Aaron Davis comment-55816 2011-08-24T18:38:07Z 2011-08-24T18:38:07Z If that is true, then it affects approximately 950 people, which would mean that over half of those affected showed up to the meeting to represent themselves, and just over 10% of those affected spoke publicly on the issue. That's pretty solid representation by the citizens of Sactown! Aaron Davis 2011-08-24T18:38:07Z LandParkRes comment-55814 2011-08-24T18:25:06Z 2011-08-24T18:25:06Z Money will not be affected. There are less than 500 voters in med center. McCarty usually receives 70-80% of the vote in his council district. 500 voters will not change his reelection. LandParkRes 2011-08-24T18:25:06Z Colleen Belcher comment-55813 2011-08-24T18:17:01Z 2011-08-24T18:17:01Z Did anyone else have a "Where's Waldo" moment when they saw Michelle Rhee in the audience in the pictures? Colleen Belcher 2011-08-24T18:17:01Z LandParkRes comment-55812 2011-08-24T18:15:05Z 2011-08-24T18:15:05Z 500 people showed because some leaders exaggerated the effects of the issue. The issue has minimal effect on people;'s lives. Thus, it is a non-issue regardless of turnout. Of ALL the problems Sacramento faces this is not one of them. Of ALL the problems KJ could choose to get people angry about, he chooses redistricting. Funding will not change due to redistricting. No tax dollars will be lost due to redistricting. No services will be denied due to redistricting. Where were the 500 people when the city made budget cuts? LandParkRes 2011-08-24T18:15:05Z Ross Hammond comment-55810 2011-08-24T18:08:37Z 2011-08-24T18:08:37Z With 500 people attending last night's meeting, I'd say it's a little bit more than a "non-issue." Ross Hammond 2011-08-24T18:08:37Z LandParkRes comment-55809 2011-08-24T18:02:30Z 2011-08-24T18:02:30Z Moving the med center neighborhood, into district 6 will not affect funding, just consolidate representation. Med center has never been north oak park. It has always been distinct. To say this is about severing ties with the ghetto or wanting the area as a trophy is a straw man argument that is disingenuous and hyperbolic. The folks in med center deal with the same impacts of the UCD hospital complex as Elmhurst, more so than north oak park which is slightly more south. This is not about Sac high, which would remain in district 5. This is KJ ginning up anger over a very non-issue. Med center was put into district 6 by many other proposed maps, including those that KJ and Jay supported previously. This whole controversy is made up to score some political points and media for Jay and KJ. LandParkRes 2011-08-24T18:02:30Z Ross Hammond comment-55805 2011-08-24T17:10:56Z 2011-08-24T17:10:56Z Why is this issue even presented? Is it because McCarty wants the North Oak Park/Med Center neighborhood in his district so that the money and votes go toward his re-election? It's politics as usual and it should come as no surprise that these fools won't listen to the community speaking directly in front of their faces. This is embarrassing to watch, and I for one hope that McCarty, Sheedy and Cohn don't see another term on the City Council board. I'm in Cohn's district and will be voting for his opponent next election. Ross Hammond 2011-08-24T17:10:56Z Colleen Belcher comment-55803 2011-08-24T16:47:39Z 2011-08-24T16:47:39Z Thanks Sallen and solsbabe for the updates on the vote from last night. Colleen Belcher 2011-08-24T16:47:39Z solsbabe comment-55802 2011-08-24T16:33:51Z 2011-08-24T16:33:51Z Final vote was to split the Med Center boundary down Stockton Blvd. "They" called it a compromise vote at 6-3 (same 6 as last time). solsbabe 2011-08-24T16:33:51Z JimmyWee comment-55801 2011-08-24T16:26:40Z 2011-08-24T16:26:40Z This issue affects roughly 0.002% of Sacramento's population. JimmyWee 2011-08-24T16:26:40Z deb belt comment-55798 2011-08-24T17:12:46Z 2011-08-24T17:12:46Z Thanks for the great coverage of this and for making it clear that the Oak Park/Med Center neighborhood was strongly in favor of staying united with Oak Park. Reports from other sources have made it sound otherwise. Will check back for article on the final vote. deb belt 2011-08-24T17:12:46Z Sallen comment-55787 2011-08-24T08:48:04Z 2011-08-24T08:48:04Z I'll give you the update of how the meeting ended: The City Council failed the people of Sacramento yet again. The outpouring of public comments and concerns fell on deaf ears and a "compromise" was made by Mr. McCarty and his other 5 cohorts to steal the UCD Med Center from District 5, where it has always been and claim it as a District 6 trophy. We at the OPNA were not too surprised by this. We were told that a deal had been struck before the meeting where McCarty would "give" us North Oak Park and Sac High back, but keep the Med Center. Kinda like someone stealing your car but giving you your stereo back. This was just another example of Sacramento's backdoor politics and complete lack of transparency within the council and throughout the entire redistricting process. Someone should take a serious look into possible Brown Act violations here. Sallen 2011-08-24T08:48:04Z Ed Fogle comment-55786 2011-08-24T08:45:26Z 2011-08-24T08:45:26Z Grrrrrrrrrrreat job Melissa!! Ed Fogle 2011-08-24T08:45:26Z sactomaya comment-55783 2011-08-24T07:32:00Z 2011-08-24T07:32:00Z You're a trooper for sticking this one out, Melissa. sactomaya 2011-08-24T07:32:00Z