Update (5/22, 9:00 a.m.): The director of Public Works, Jerry Way, meet with Terry Preston of WalkSacramento and the West High School students after the City Council meeting on Tuesday, and directed them to seek funding for the crosswalk from the Sacramento Unified School District. Sacramento Councilmember Kevin Mccarty had arranged the meeting. Preston said he was encouraged by the conversation and would reach out to the school district soon. Sac Press will cover the efforts to get a crosswalk at 58th and Fruitridge as they develop.   -- A crosswalk in South Sacramento that activists and community members call dangerous won’t get a traffic light for another 25 years, but it could eith

Should it be easier for big-box retailers like Walmart to open megastores in the city of Sacramento? That question will be on the front of everyone's minds during a series of community meetings to discuss whether Sacramento should repeal restrictions against big-box super stores in the city. Ryan "City Beat" Lillis has the full story in today's Bee. The council is considering repealing a 2006 ordinance that made it hard for such stores to open in the city, requiring "economic analyses and wage studies for chains seeking to build stores larger than 90,000 square feet with more than 10 percent of the space dedicated to groceries." The law, writes Lillis, was passed at a time when the coun

Mayor Kevin Johnson held his weekly press conference Tuesday at 11 a.m. Read our coverage as it happened below. 

We’re on the cusp of an important week – not only is Valentine’s Day just around the corner, The Sacramento Press is gearing up for our Journalism Open 2013 Awards Celebration. You’ll be there, right? Don’t forget to order your presale tickets and RSVP so we know to save you a spot. But before you get to shopping for boxes of chocolate or a new ascot to impress your favorite Community Manager, make sure you haven’t missed anything awesome this week on The Sacramento Press. Check out our most-viewed content of the week. Community Contribution: 5. Obituary: Sheila was a regular presence in the central city and beyond by Bill Burgua -- 4. Old Sac Mardi Gras 2013 this weekend by Mike Ibe

Mayor Kevin Johnson's press conference and update on the King's situation is now over. Listen to the audio and read our live coverage as it happened below.

What a week – Journalism Open 2013 submissions are in, so all of our contributors can kick back and relax this weekend. Before you rush out to stock up on burgers, beer and bean dip, take a minute to make sure you didn't miss anything on The Sacramento Press. This week's top content below. Community Contribution: 5. Old and young jitterbug together in intergenerational program by Nancy Flagg, photos by Phil Kemp 4. Opinion: A pre-show fiasco at Shawn Colvin by Steve Martarano 3. Verge Center for the Arts poised to push limits by Stephania Erkenbrecher, photos by Phil Kemp 2. Opinion re: City to vote on medical cannabis ordinance Jan. 29 by Ron Mullins 1. Local chef on ABC's 'The Tas

Just as Sacramento is facing an increase in gun crime city wide, and a rash of muggings on the grid (including one Friday in which a woman was shot), the City Council is tasked with the decision of where to funnel funds resulting from the passage of the Measure U sales tax. What no one disputes is that the Sacramento Police Department has endured serious cuts, the question in front of the council now is how the department should be restored. On Tuesday night the council members will vote on city staff recommendations regarding the usage of Measure U funds, and those recommendations will then be finalized with more detail in the city’s budget, which will go before the council on Jan. 29.

In this video from Tuesday's Sacramento City Council meeting, Samuel Cardwell of Capitol Bike Polo speaks to the council members about the need for a multi-use athletic facility that could be used for bike polo, roller hockey and soccer. "Sacramento is one of the only cities that doesn't have a multi-use court to use." Cardwell said. "we play in parking garages where we're not allowed to, tennis courts where we got kicked out, and Sacramento really needs a resource for this multi-use courts and we don't have them." The group is currently looking for a temporary place to play, Cardwell said, but eventually hopes to find a home somewhere in the grid. While he didn't mention any specific

The two newest member of the Sacramento City Council were sworn into office Tuesday in front of a capacity crowd at City Hall. Steve Hansen will represent District 4 and Allen Warren will represent District 2. "I could not have imagined, growing up in Del Paso Heights, you know basically all of my life, that one day I would be sitting here, but it is a true testament, it is a true testament," Warren said following his oath into office.  Hansen said he couldn't help but note how much history was being made Tuesday night. "We talked a lot about ideas, but one of the biggest ideas we touched on was that this is a meritocracy," he said. "It doesn't matter where you grew up, it doesn't matte

Steve Hansen and Allen Warren beat their competition to grab seats on the city council, in two of the closest, intense races Sacramento has seen in some time. Hansen had 173 more votes than Joseph Yee in the race for District 4, according to the final election results released Friday afternoon by the Sacramento County Elections Office. And voters gave Warren 206 more votes than Rob Kerth in District 2. Staffers for Hansen's campaign were the only ones at the election office representing a candidate when paper results were handed out shortly after 3 p.m. Audible sighs of relief were made, as they exhaled, "Oh, my God," several times, taking in the news. Sacramento gay rights activist and

The latest tally for District 4 has Steve Hansen topping Joe Yee by a mere 135 votes,11,132 votes to 10,997, while Allen Warren has taken a commanding 198 vote lead in Distict 2, with 6,103 votes compared with 5,905 for Rob Kerth.  The offical handout from the Sacramento Country Department of Voter Registration and Elections: Latest vote tally for Sacramento While Hansen is leading Yee in total votes, he's being careful not to make any assumptions before every vote is counted.  "I'm very happy that our lead is stable, and i'm anxious to see the count finished," Hansen said Tuesday evening. "And we'll look forward to knowing the final result very soon."  Officials say more than 16,000

After hearing loads of complaints from residents, the Sacramento City Council moved Tuesday to slow down a drive to demolish public housing projects in the Marina Vista and Alder Grove neighborhoods and replace them with a mixed-income commercial development. City Councilman Rob Fong, who represents the area, had pushed the project, and said he saw the mixed-income development as a way to create a more integrated community and improve conditions at a nearby school, Jedediah Smith Elementary. Residents, most of whom were from the adjacent community of Land Park, lined up to speak against the proposal during the public comment period, with many raising concerns about what they perceived as

Mayor Kevin Johnson will be hosting an Election Night Results Viewing Party on Tuesday night, and is inviting all Sacramento voters to join him in watching the results. Johnson, who has campaigned for President Obama in the key swing states of Nevada, North Carolina, and Florida, says the viewing party will allow Sacramentans of all political stripes to gather together to watch the returns in this historic election.  "This is a critical election for our nation, our state, and our city," said Johnson. "We're hoping for a record turnout, and I'd lke to welcome any Sacramento citizen who has cast their ballot to watch it being counted with us, no matter who you are supporting." Here are t

There is a stark difference between the two candidates in City Council District 4. Joe Yee has dedicated countless hours over his lifetime to Sacramento. From chairing the committee that released the much-heralded Sacramento 2030 General Plan** to chairing the Planning Commission to serving as an appointed council member, Joe has shown that true leadership takes hard work, integrity, and openness – not backroom deals and political ploys. (**This document is the single most important planning document for Sacramento through the year 2030 and has received numerous awards for its forward-looking focus and its solutions to seemingly intractable planning problems.) He has spent decades talki

District 4 City Council candidates Steve Hansen and Joe Yee will hold their final debate Tuesday night after as the year-long campaign comes to a close. The debate, which is hosted by The Sacramento Press, will occur at 6:30 p.m. in the Cosmopolitan Cabaret theater, 1000 K St. Access Sacramento will broadcast the event live on cable channel 17 and on AccessSacramento.org.   The Sacramento Press is hosting – if you plan to attend and would like to ask a question, RSVP here. The candidates have contrasting styles and messages, as shown in this video of their closing statements during the Local Elections Candidates Forums hosted by the League of Women Voters on Oct. 6. Yee emphasizes his

The ballot measure to create an elected charter commission has generated some of the most heated debate this fall, and it will be the subject of our Sac Press Live chat on Wednesday. Critics have scoffed at Measure M, calling it an unnecessary distraction, while supporters see it as a way of opening up the political process and putting the strong mayor initiative on the back burner. We'll have Councilwoman Angelique Ashby, who has been vocal in her opposition, and blogger-activist and charter commission candidate Isaac Gonzalez on for a Google+ Hangout to chat about it at 12:15 p.m. (We're working on rounding up more participants and will have an update shortly. Someone page Cosmo Garvin

Sacramento city staff presented their final recommendation for the Freeport Boulevard Bike Lane Project to an overwhelmingly skeptical crowd of Land Park and Curtis Park residents at McClatchy High School on Thursday, Oct. 25. At issue was a 1.2 mile section of Freeport Boulevard, a four-lane, two-way roadway that runs north from Sutterville Road to the railroad and light rail crossing at Fourth Avenue. The project is estimated to cost $1.4 million. The funding source is still to be determined. The section of road is scheduled for resurfacing in 2014, and the city wants to take the opportunity to transform a major thoroughfare into a “complete street” more amenable to bicyclists and pede

The city of Sacramento’s investigation into $2 million in employee credit card charges came to a close as City Auditor Jorge Oseguera presented his findings and recommendations, including reducing the number of employees who can use credit cards, stricter authorization policies and updated credit card use training. The scandal that rocked City Hall this summer was addressed without so much as a whimper, as the discussion finished in just under 13 minutes with little public comment.  “The city’s policy under the credit card purchase program explicitly states that they are to be used for business purposes only,” Oseguera said.  With department credit card purchase totals reaching upward o

As the District 4 City Council runoff between Steve Hansen and Joe Yee enters its final sprint to the finish, the candidates came together Wednesday evening in Land Park for a forum that highlighted their similar platforms but starkly contrasting personalities. With the forum coming on the heels of the second presidential debate, at least one person in the crowd at California Middle School couldn’t help but make the comparison. “It’s fun to come and be a part of what’s happening here,” said resident Michelle Mosnier. “Both of these guys are so different, it’s like watching the (national) debates!” The hourlong discussion was moderated by former Sacramento State public policy professor D

Sacramento City Council hopefuls Steve Hansen and Joe Yee are preparing for a potentially “pivotal” forum Wednesday night on Yee's home turf, Land Park. Yee and Hansen will debate in the second half of the “Candidates and Ballot Measure Forum,” to be held from 6 to 9 p.m. at California Middle School on Vallejo Way and Land Park Drive. The first half of the civic extravaganza will feature discussions of the three city ballot measures M, T and U – or charter commission, green waste and the half-cent sales tax – according to Mark Abrahams, president of the Land Park Community Association. Hansen's base of support is in the central city, but he will need to pick up support in River Oaks (who