The economy decline is still affecting personal lives. California is struggling to stand back up. Our lives have changed and we are looking for different ways to offset that change. Looking for ways to save money. But public transport? Last summer the manifold in my car cracked. I was without a car for a few weeks and had to find away to get to Folsom each day. My son told me I should try the light rail. Seriously? Isn't the light rail for people who don't own cars or cannot drive? No. The Sacramento Regional Transit light rail train is for everyone.  My first ride on the train came a few days later and I was apprehensive. What kind of people would be on there? Would anyone judge me?

Tahoe Park pool didn’t make the list for the Save Mart “Save Our Pools” campaign, so, faced with the possibility of a dry pool during a hot summer, neighborhood leaders joined forces with a city councilman, a county supervisor and the Sierra Health Foundation to plan their own rescue effort – and succeeded. “The neighborhood just wouldn’t take no for an answer,” City Councilman Kevin McCarty said. “I’m proud of everyone for that.” While Save Mart grocery stores were working with the city of Sacramento to raise $1 million to save six city pools from closure this spring, a contingent of Tahoe Park volunteers and neighborhood association leaders were diligently stuffing envelopes and knocki

For the third year in a row, budget cuts reduced programs and swim hours at local pools, but donations from generous neighbors – and a local rock ’n roll band – pulled together to give water-lovers in East Sacramento additional splash time at Glenn Hall Pool this summer. “It’s going to mean a lot to many people to have the pool to splash around in this summer,” Steve Harriman, River Park Neighborhood Association board member said Wednesday. “For some kids in the city, going to a pool is all they have.” The fundraising campaign will allow the pool to open for recreational swimming from 1 to 5 p.m. on on Fridays and Sundays, June 29 through Aug. 19. Open recreation swim times are also off

As soon as Mayor Kevin Johnson declared victory in his bid for re-election, he moved out key members of his City Hall staff and brought in two longtime city employees, leading some to question if he is doubling down on arena efforts in his second term – or just trying to shore up support on the City Council playground. “The city does better when people are working together,” political analyst Andrew Acosta said. “His ability to work together and have a relationship with council members has not been demonstrated so far.” Acosta was a key campaign advisor in the June primary elections for local council candidates Kevin McCarty (District 6), Bonnie Pannell (District 8) and Joe Yee (District

The City Council will consider a resolution Tuesday to allow the Sacramento Fire Department to hike the cost of ambulance rides in the city by nearly 22 percent, and more than double the charges for being treated but not transported by firefighters. The Sacramento Fire Department is a designated 9-1-1 transport agency for emergency medical services, and the service is paid for by fees charged to patients. City staff reported to the City Council Thursday that current fees are well under that of private agencies providing similar service – and not enough to fully recover the cost of providing the service. The department is proposing a $240 increase for the base rate for all levels of emerg

This week brings more solid waste discussion at the City Council with a new twist: Will the city augment service from the claw with “dump coupons?” The City Council discussed proposed changes to the city solid waste and recycling program in March, including changing curbside recycling to every-other-week collection, implementing year-round containerized yard waste collection and retiring loose-in-the-street pickup by the claw for all but three months of the year. Now, after months of community outreach on the proposed changes, a new idea is being floated based on public comments from those discussions: dump coupons. The idea stems from the proposed return of the Neighborhood Cleanup Pro

I know what you're asking yourself already... "What's a podcast???" Wikipedia tells us that "A podcast is a type of digital media consisting of an episodic series of audio files subscribed to and downloaded through web syndication or streamed online to a computer or mobile device." In plain English, it's an internet "radio" program that listener tune in to at a time of their choosing, The Sacramento Current Podcast in particular focuses on the major local events of the past week, and invites noteworthy guests into the conversation to add their opinions and expertise. It's regular hosts are Cosmo Garvin, Patrick Kennedy, Phil Pluckebaum, and Isaac Gonzalez, each of which brings their ow

With a bit of fanfare, Catherine O'Brien thanked the people and businesses for making the opening of Southside Park Pool happen. Among them were Southside Park Neighborhood Assn (SPNA), City Park and Recreation Director Jim Combs, City Councilmember Rob Fong, City Manager John Shirey, YMCA CEO Jay Lowrey and Parks & Recreation Commissioner Jay Hansen. She said "Thank You" to sponsors Southside Motors, Inc, Thomas Advocacy Group, Inc, Southside Park Co-Housing and Geremia Pools, Inc. After the thanks and congratulations concluded many took the plunge into the pristine-looking pool. Here's those in Michael Phelps mode:   To read Melissa Corker's preview of the pool opening - <<<CLI

Cool blue water will be ready and waiting for swimmers at the Southside Park Pool grand opening party Friday – and one lucky swimmer will win the privilege of taking the first plunge in the pool since 2010. “The pool has just been filled, so it’ll be nice and cool for everyone,” Southside Park Neighborhood Association member Catherine O’Brien said Thursday. O’Brien and a group of her neighbors banded together in March to get the Southside Park Pool opened because it was not included in the recent Save Mart Save Our Pools Campaign, which raised $1 million to keep six other city pools open for the summer. In May, an agreement was reached between the city of Sacramento and the YMCA of Supe

The City Council passed its final budget Tuesday night by a vote of 8-1 on the heels of an unexpected announcement by City Manager John Shirey that tentative agreements had been reached with three city unions. The agreements with Stationary Engineers International Union Local 39, Sacramento Area Firefighters Local 522 and Sacramento City Exempt Employee’s Association could reduce the city’s budget gap by nearly $8 million and prevent more than 100 layoffs. The details of the agreements have not been released, but the main issue in contention between the city and the unions is the amount of money employees contribute toward their retirement funds, and it's likely the agreement has increas

Residents of many tree-lined streets in Sacramento are worried that a proposal to reduce the frequency of green waste pickup by “The Claw” will leave their neighborhoods overgrown and unkempt when leaves start falling in autumn. The issue is the main subject of the East Sacramento Preservation Association meeting 7 p.m. Wednesday at Clunie Community Center, 601 Alhambra Blvd., and some residents have made their opinions clear. “This is a joke!” wrote Sacramento resident Julie Neller on the organization’s Facebook page. “The claims of what good it will do (saving money and better for the environment) don’t justify the end result of what is really going to happen.” Steve Harriman, integra

A city program that serves 3,000 teens and young adults with disabilities that was slated for elimination due to budget cuts may be saved if the City Council approves the latest amended budget during its meeting on Tuesday. The original budget proposal included more than $350,000 in cuts to the Department of Parks and Recreation that would have eliminated three full-time positions and eliminated the Access Leisure program, which provides social and fitness programs, special events and outings for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The amended budget restores $125,000 in city funding to the program. Additionally, Access Leisure collects approximately $25,000 from pro

Sacramento, CA | When a fire truck crew arrived on scene of a house ablaze Thursday afternoon, they had to wait for an engine with water to arrive from a distance. Thursday afternoon, Sacramento firefighters were called out to a blaze in the Oak Park area. When Truck 6 arrived in three minutes (trucks carry no water) the structure was fully involved with fire. The first engine, Engine 10 (carrying water), arrived in 6-8 minutes; Engine 6 (who likely would have arrived with Truck 6) was browned out due to budget cuts. Fortunately this was an unoccupied home which had burned a couple of years ago but had not been torn down. Chief Chris Ortiz explained that fire grows exponentially and lite

City Council members discussed a proposed increase to the sales tax of one-quarter to one-half percent on Thursday – but said the measure won’t make it to the ballot unless the city and labor unions come to some agreement about pension cuts first. “We need to demonstrate to our constituents that we have undergone pension reform,” City Councilman Rob Fong said. “It would not be responsible of us to go out and ask for more money from our citizens, if we’re not taking care of business on the cost side from a structural standpoint.” Councilman Kevin McCarty said he agrees with Fong. “Voters should go to the polls saying, ‘You’ve done everything on your end, Sacramento, before you asked me f

Kimberly Morales’ co-workers used to wonder how it was possible. How could she whip up home cooked meals like creamy wild rice and broccoli soup while spending just a $1.05, when their pre-packaged lunches fell flat? The answers started to come in August of 2008 when Morales founded her food blog, Poor Girl Eats Well, which is appropriately subtitled, “How to eat ridiculously well on a miniscule budget.” The site drew a following, accumulating more than 10,000 email newsletter subscribers, 15,000 Facebook likes and 3,500 Twitter followers. Now, after she received funding via Kickstarter on May 12, the popular blog is about to become a book. Morales, 35, will write a three-part book tha

City Council members voiced support of a possible sales tax increase that could bring as much as $13.5 million to city coffers, but won’t act on it until after this year’s city budget is finalized. They mayor said he opposes the proposal, and his campaign manager called it "regressive." The tax increase was recommended by Parks and Recreation Commission Chairman and mayoral candidate Jonathan Rewers in response to the results of a poll commissioned by the city that showed 71 percent of city voters would favor a sales tax increase to support city services, especially if the money is used to offset cuts to city police, fire and youth services. “Despite what I think, a sales taxes seems to

The chairman of the city Parks and Recreation Commission is calling for a quarter-percent increase in sales tax to help fill the gap in the Department of Parks and Recreation budget – a move he says is supported by voters and would increase the city’s annual revenue by $13.5 million. The money would go into the general fund, which currently faces a $15.7 million shortfall, and is the primary funding source for police, fire and parks services. “We are at the point with parks where there is no more money, no more efficiencies to be had, and no crews left,” Parks and Recreation Commission Chairman and mayoral candidate Jonathan Rewers said Tuesday. “We are left to look at raising revenue.”

Grab your swimsuits and your goggles kids because it’s official: Southside Park Pool will be open this summer from June 16 through Labor Day. The pool has been closed since August 2010 when city funding for local pools ran out. The recent “Save Our Pools” campaign raised $1 million to keep six city pools open for another summer, but the Southside Park Pool was not on that list. When the pool reopens in June, it will be operated by the local YMCA organization instead of the city through an operating agreement that was approved Friday. Neighborhood leaders Catherine O’Brien and Alice Levine of the Southside Park Neighborhood Association worked closely with the YMCA and the city Parks and

Water and sewer rate increases will go into effect for Sacramento residents July 1, but before they do, the City Council will consider a plan to help low-income families pay steadily rising utility bills. Department of Utilities staff will outline details of a subsidy program Tuesday that would reduce monthly utility bill increases by almost 90 percent for more than 16,000 low-income families in the city. The projected water rate increase for a single-family home is $3.44 per month, and the proposed subsidy would credit a qualifying low-income household $3. For wastewater rates, the increase is projected to be $2.36, and the subsidy would be $2. According to the staff report, revenue ge

With the city poised to slash the parks department budget, park maintenance continues to fall short, and Sacramento Press readers are asking if the city should just outsource park maintenance altogether, while union leaders think it’s a bad ide, and a city park comissioner says its been tried before without success.  “The obvious question here is what is the cost if all park maintenance staff are laid off, and the services (are) outsourced to a non-union private contractor?” asked “Cogmeyer,” a frequent Sacramento Press commenter. Craig Powell, president of the local political watchdog group Eye on Sacramento, agreed, saying that outsourcing park maintenance “has to be on the table.” Po