Got a question for a local candidate? Now’s your chance to ask it. The Sacramento Press is participating in a candidates forum Saturday that covers several local races, and we want to know what you’d like us to ask. The event is hosted by the League of Women Voters of Sacramento County and covers several local races: Citrus Heights City Council, Elk Grove mayor, Galt City Council, Rancho Cordova City Council, the Sacramento City Council candidates for districts two and four, and the Folsom City Council. The forum is co-sponsored by the Metropolitan Cable Television Commission and will air live on Metro Cable 14. The public is also welcome to attend the panel, which is going to be held a

Measure U – City of Sacramento “To restore and protect essential public safety services, including 9-1-1 response, police officers, gang/youth violence prevention, fire protection/emergency medical response, and other essential services including park maintenance, youth/senior services, and libraries, shall the City enact a one-half cent sales tax for six years with all revenue legally required to stay in the City’s General Fund, none for the State, with independent annual financial audits and citizen oversight?” Why: This half-cent sales tax is vitally important to restore the cuts that have devastated our City. We have been forced to cut over $100 million from our City budget over

The District 2 City Council candidates gathered at the Sacramento Urban League over the weekend where they faced a new topic of discussion. And it wasn’t the death of the arena deal. Last Thursday, the City released its proposed 2012-2013 budget. The proposed budget eliminates 286 jobs, many of which are public safety positions. That didn’t sit well with the candidates. “No I don’t support those (cuts)” said candidate and former city councilmember Rob Kerth when asked about the cuts to public safety. “Those are fundamental city services.” “No, I do not support the budget cuts to cut police and fire services,” said Kim Mack. “One life is lost, one home is lost; they (the cuts) are not

Charter reform will be an item on the November ballot, but not in the form of a strong mayor initiative. Instead, voters will be asked if they want to elect a 15-member commission to review the city charter. After more than 20 people spoke on the topic during public comment, the City Council voted 5-4 Tuesday to reject putting the Checks and Balances Act of 2012 – the strong mayor initiative – to a public vote in November. Council members Sandy Sheedy, Rob Fong, Kevin McCarty, Darrell Fong and Bonnie Pannell were the majority votes. Council members Angelique Ashby, Steve Cohn, Jay Schenirer and Mayor Kevin Johnson each voted in favor of the measure  no . Two governance-related consider

When it comes to talking about how to run a city, local developer and City Council District 6 candidate Jon Bagatelos is all business. Bagatelos, co-owner of Bagatelos Architectural Glass Systems and Bagatelos Development, LLC, was recruited to join the City Council race by business, community and public safety groups who are “tired of the way things are going with the city,” Bagatelos, 44, said Wednesday. Bagatelos has not officially filed notice of his candidacy, but said he expects to select a campaign manager within the next couple of weeks. He will be running against incumbent Kevin McCarty for the City Council District 6 seat. One of the main reasons he decided to consider the cou

On the eve of discussion about her goal of putting arena financing to a public vote, City Councilwoman Sandy Sheedy announced that she will not be running for re-election to her District 2 council seat in June. “After careful consideration, I have decided not to seek another term on the Sacramento City Council,” Sheedy said in a prepared statement Monday. Sheedy cited 28 years of public service between herself and her husband, Ted, a former county supervisor, adding, “We feel it’s time to call it a day so we can spend more time with our family.” Sheedy would have faced at least four other candidates for her council seat in the upcoming election, including former Obama campaign organizer

Mayor Kevin Johnson’s 2011 New Year’s resolutions included bringing labor and business together, keeping the Sacramento Kings in Sacramento and – as Johnson sees it – his final scorecard tallies seven successes, one fail and two goals “still in progress.” In a blog post from Dec. 31, Johnson listed 10 resolutions for 2011. At a press conference Tuesday, Johnson tallied up his successes and his not-quites: 1. Bring business and labor together to create jobs and grow the economy – Johnson said his commitment to “work with business and labor to improve the economy” was realized in 2011 in the way that representatives from both sides were “front and center” in teams working on developing a n

The 2012 election cycle is ramping up in Sacramento, and one topic that is sure to be on the table is a strong mayor initiative. Mayor Kevin Johnson brought the topic to the fore during his 2008 campaign for mayor shortly after his 2008 election win in his race against then-mayor Heather Fargo, but the idea didn’t fly with members of the City Council, and the initiative never got off the ground. With another mayoral race coming up in 2012, Johnson said he believes the idea of a strong mayor initiative is ripe for ballot consideration once again. “This is a topic that people are ready to take on,” Johnson said at a press conference Tuesday. “There are many people involved and interested

Land Park attorney and city Design Commission Vice Chair Phyllis Newton is running for the District 4 seat on the City Council – so far a much-coveted seat since Rob Fong declared in October that he would not be running for re-election. Newton, 55, said she decided to run for the City Council because she feels passionately about the city and has been civically engaged for almost a decade. “I have watched the City Council very closely and have been concerned about factionalism and the lack of collaboration that I think impedes progress,” Newton said Wednesday. Newton said she believes she will bring maturity and judgement to the City Council and the ability to work collaboratively with h

The 2012 race for Sacramento mayor just gained another candidate: Edgar Hilbert. Hilbert, a tax preparer in Oak Park, said Wednesday that he was motivated to run for office by a desire to serve the Sacramento community in a meaningful way. “It will be my duty and goal to not just protect the quality of life in Sacramento, but to improve it,” he said in a press release Tuesday. Hilbert, 45, is married and has three children. He was born in Mexico City and moved to the United States in 1993. He has lived in Sacramento since 2001. Hilbert’s wife, Leticia, ran for City Council District 5 in the 2010 election, and Hilbert acted as his wife’s campaign manager. One of the biggest issues that

Local community activist Steve Hansen announced Thursday that he will run for City Council in 2012, seeking the District 4 council seat currently held by Councilman Rob Fong, who announced Wednesday that he will not seek another term. At the moment, he is the only horse on the track for District 4, but Hansen said he knows others may join the race. The lack of – or potential for – other candidates wasn’t part of his decision to run, however. “I decided to run regardless of other potential candidates,” Hansen said. “I think competition is a good thing, and I hope for a constructive conversation during the race.” Hansen, 32, is a senior regional manager at Genentech, a biotech company, a