Tag Cloud
Monday, June 17, 2013
Steve Hansen gets the endorsement of the Sacramento area firefighters union
by Jared Goyette, published on September 13, 2012 at 7:32 PM
Storyline: City Politics
Loading images
The influential Sacramento area firefighters union has endorsed City Council District 4 candidate Steve Hansen in his race against Joe Yee.
In a statement released Thursday, the union said it made the endorsement because of Hansen's "vision for enhancing Sacramento communities and public safety from the ground up."
Hansen said that he believed that the union endorsed him because of his ability to bring people together to solve problems, and his proposals for good government and diversifying the city’s economy.
“The fire department is dependent on city revenues and the city’s economy has been badly stewarded over the last decade, and my approach is that you have to have a safe city to have a successful city.” Hansen said Thursday. “We also have to make sure that we have the kind of economy that can support our firefighters, our police and our parks.
Yee also has a strong base of union support, though most of it comes from the building trades, where he has strong relationships because of his years of work as an architect. The Carpenters Local 46, the Sacramento Sierra Building Trades and Construction Council, and the Sheet Metal Workers’ International Association are among the unions that have endorsed Yee, according to the candidate's website.
"I am proud of my endorsements from constructon trades unions as well as business leaders," Yee said an email Thursday night. "I believe they support my campaign because of my 19 years of experience in planning and approving smart growth for Sacramento."
Both Hansen and Yee support Measure U, a ballot measure to create a new one half-cent sales tax to generate funds to "protect essential public safety services" including fire protection and emergency medical response.
The full press release from the firefighters union:
Sacramento, CA—Sacramento Area Firefighters are proud to announce their endorsement of Steve Hansen for City Council, District Four. The Firefighters chose to endorse Hansen based on his vision for enhancing Sacramento communities and public safety from the ground up. Hansen has a plan to facilitate the collaboration of our citizens with each other and with the public safety entities that protect them
“By strengthening the communities themselves, and the public safety agencies that serve them, Sacramento will be more safe and secure, creating a more peaceful and prosperous environment for our citizens,” commented Brian Rice, President of Sacramento Area Firefighters.
In addition to his collaborative approach to strengthening our communities and public safety, Hansen is also running on the concept that Sacramento residents are entitled to public officials that practice sacrifice, accountability, leadership, and integrity. “Sacramento Firefighters are guided by these same principles and therefore, we are proud to stand with Steve Hansen for City Council,” said Ryan Henry, Vice-President of Sacramento Area Firefighters.
Flag Article As:
Conversation Express your views,
debate, and be heard with those in your area closest
to the issue.
Leave a Comment
He told one group: "I do not support the city tax initiative, because, among several reasons, of the need to pass the Governor’s measure on the fall ballot. I support taxes and fees appropriate to the level of public services needed to meet the needs of our city within the constraints of growing a resilient economy."
I just started covering this race as a reporter this week, but here's what I know:
During our chat on Wednesday, Joe Yee said he supported the tax measure and Hansen opposed it, but then Hansen issued a statement saying he also opposed it.
Here's a link to the chat: http://www.sacramentopress.com/headline/73298/Joe_Yee_wants_to_represent_Sacramentos_central_city_what_should_we_ask_him
Here's Hansen's statement:
""Contrary to the comments earlier of my competitor, I do support Measure U, the temporary sales tax, which has become a necessity in the face of increased crime and deteriorated parks. Further budget cuts will undermine basic services. The City must be cautious in maintaining a higher sales tax than the region for any longer than necessary and ensure that one time money is not spent structurally. The Council must also lead by example through strong oversight and controls to prevent abuse, which will be my focus, if elected."
You can either reply here or email me at jared[at]SacramentoPress.com. Thanks.
Of course he supports the sales tax increase. You can't be in the pocket of the Firefighters union and the Police union without supporting more taxes to dump into our bloated public service contracts.
A vote for Hansen is vote for taking more money from Sacramentans and dumping it into the pockets of the Police and Fire Unions.
By any reasonable measure Steve Hansen has shown himself to be unworthy of public office. Recent polling shows that voters in District 4 agree with this assessment.