As we have seen, our culture is on a technological fast track that redefines the way business is done. Ash Roughani believes the innovation process in business can be applied to government through "design thinking." His new non-profit organization called Public Innvovation is set up to bring people together through civic meets and public discussions. Ash launched the resource last August and will present a video called "Design & Thinking" for its third civic meet on February 21 at the Urban Hive. Tickets are available here.  Ash believes that the process known as "design thinking," which has helped many modern companies achieve their goals of pioneering ground-breaking products, can be us

In what could only be initially described as an experiment, nearly 40 participants gathered at The Urban Hive on Tuesday evening for CivicMeet Sacramento, an event sponsored by civic startup Public Innovation. Breaking into a new space of civic co-creation, five teams developed innovative proposals to address unmet public needs in under 45 minutes. This proof of concept validates the model Public Innovation has adapted from Bay Area efforts such as Code for America and the San Francisco Urban Prototyping Festival, and given the green light to move forward with future projects. The five teams each designed a poster to describe their idea. Their innovations comprised: (1) Humanizing Homel

As home to one of the largest sub-national governments in the world, Sacramento's share of public sector employment is nearly double the state average. When local leaders discuss economic growth, you can't avoid hearing about the need to decrease our reliance on government as a dominant employer in our region. What if we could think about that question in a different way? What if being the state's capital was an asset rather than a drag on how we're perceived as a region? What if we were seen as global leader in self-governing? We all know that the pace of change is accelerating. "Innovation" has become a buzz word, yet it's also a disruptive force that's creating the jobs of the future

At a press conference today at the California State Railroad Museum, Assemblymember Roger Dickinson’s (D-Sacramento) along with a large group of supporters celebrated the signing of AB 146. The bill, signed into law on September 25, will add an additional member to the California Air Resources Board (CARB) representing the Sacramento region. “The Sacramento region is the largest major metropolitan area in the state currently without designated representation on the Air Resources Board. Today, AB 146 supporters and I celebrated that our region and its over 2 million residents will have a direct voice in critical future decision-making to improve our local air quality,” said Assemblymember

When Phoenix Park was constantly characterized by names such as "Crime Ridden G Parkway" and "Troubled Franklin Villa", etc. the news labored our senses almost daily with stories of shootings, murder, break-ins, drugs and general crime statistics. At the time, the police department wrung its hands in dispair. It was helpless against the G Parkway crime wave. Now, since the City, through SHRA, has taken over nearly all this neighborhood, turning it into another '60s Low Income Housing Project, the city as well as the media is almost completely silent about unfortunate events in this area. No more crime? Hah! Just the other night a townhouse at 4219 Savannah Lane was shot up, leaving mult

In the aftermath of the fire that destroyed the former Paul Blanco aka Cal Worthington dealership at the corner of Franklin Blvd. and Florin Road, I read a lot of hilariously scary comments about the area in the Bee. Seems a number of individuals drive through the area with their doors locked and a firm grip on the wheel for fear that loiterers will assault them. Some claim even the police keep their doors and windows locked and look straight ahead as they cruise down Franklin and/or Florin. Boy, you'd think we're talking about driving through Homs in Syria or something. Just because some people are big and black doesn't mean they're bad guys out assaulting law-abiding citizens. I'

Sacramento Taxpayers Opposed to Pork (STOP) announced Monday that they will continue gathering signatures on a petition that would require large public expenses on a project in the downtown railyards such as an arena to be approved by a public vote. “We’re going to get this thing qualified for the ballot,” said spokesman Richard Tolmach. “A lot of people are stepping up and want to help us.” The group began gathering signatures over the weekend, and Tolmach said there are currently about 1,000 signed petitions. To qualify for placement on a ballot, the petition must have about 21,000 signatures. Placement on the November ballot was previously a top priority – and STOP would have needed

The Sacramento International Film Festival 2012 invites you to discover former governor Pat Brown in an exciting tale of political power and a family dynasty called by some “The West Coast Kennedys.”  The California State of Mind: The Legacy of Pat Brown plays on opening night of the festival, April 21, 2012 (Pat's 107th Birthday) at the Crocker Art Museum. In the turbulent 1960’s, an ordinary man rose to face extraordinary challenges.  Now, Pat Brown’s granddaughter and award-winning Director, Sascha Rice, gives an inside look into the former Governor’s life and legacy which takes on startling new significance as his son, Jerry Brown is Governor of California – again.  The documentary gr

It takes money to run a campaign, and every candidate will be on the hunt for contributions this season – but there are rules to follow for both candidates and donors, and limits to how much donors can give. For city elections, the city code specifies two types of campaign donors: “individual” and “large political committee.” There are two significant differences between the two categories, the first being that “individual” is more than what it sounds like – a single person. According to the city code, it can also be a labor union, company, committee, corporation, firm or partnership, among other things. A “large political committee” is defined by the city code as a political committee

Former Midtown Business Association Executive Director Rob Kerth is running for City Council District 2 – a position he held from 1992-2000 – and, for him, enthusiasm is the key to getting things done. Kerth, 53, is a third-generation Sacramentan – his family has lived in Sacramento for more than 90 years – and his record of community involvement includes eight years as a representative on the Sacramento Area Council of Governments and being the current president of the North Sacramento Chamber of Commerce. Kerth and his family have owned Iceland, an ice skating rink in North Sacramento, for more than 50 years. When arsonists destroyed the rink in 2010, more than 700 volunteers came toge

Now that Eric Smith, (not real name) a 17-year-old foster child, has been declared a dependent of the court, he is on a mission to change the laws that regulate CPS. “No one should have to go through what I did,” he said, citing his nine months in CPS custody last year. “They treated me like I was a villain, instead of a victim. Why? Because they can.” Eric wants to see that stop. Just shy of 18, Eric is not yet able to fully tell his story. But that is not stopping him from writing letters to political officials and child welfare groups, recounting his experiences and proposing legislative changes. And what he can tell of his story, he does. On April 1 2011, an emergency CPS social work

Sacramento – At a press conference today at Sacramento City College, Assemblymember Roger Dickinson (D-Sacramento) announced he will introduce a bill to require all organizations that employ athletic coaches, administrators and directors to provide training on the identification of child abuse and neglect, inappropriate and illegal contact with a minor, and mandated reporting requirements. “As a former high school and collegiate athlete myself, I know firsthand the position of trust that coaches have with their athletes,” said Assemblymember Dickinson. “This close relationship and bond should never be exploited to hurt a child and we need to do all we can to prevent it. Closing the coachi

As Earth welcomed its 7 billionth child Nov. 1, international concern for diminishing world resources and mounting pollution are on the rise. This concern not only stems from the number of people on the planet, but how those people consume and dispose of their resources. However, depending upon how the international community prepares for that challenge, it could serve as an opportunity for positive change. The Sacramento City College’s Student Associated Council has recognized the international concern for its impact on the planet by creating a new position to help facilitate the campus’ desire to reduce its waste by welcoming plant biology major Michael Viscuso to the newly created posi

On November 19, Assemblymember Dickinson, along with Senate pro Tem Darrell Steinberg and U.S. Congresswoman Doris Matsui, is hosting a free Citizenship Fair at Pacific McGeorge School of Law Student Center in Sacramento to assist legal permanent residents in good standing with the citizenship application process. Currently, California has over 2.4 million eligible legal permanent residents. As immigration policies and procedures continue to change, it is increasingly important to apply for and to obtain citizenship. Benefits for legal permanent residents who obtain citizenship include the ability to vote, the opportunity to reunite with family members and the continuance of health care c

Q- I want to sue the State of California, the County of Sacramento, the City of Sacramento, and any other state or local government entity that was involved in depriving me of my civil rights in an incident last March. I was talking about my plans with my cousin, and she told me the statue of limitations was six months. I thought the statues were longer than that--years, not months. Irregardless, I'd better get started--so how do I sue the State? Trinity A- Thanks for your question. Bringing an action against a public agency or its employee presents special procedural requirements. Before a lawsuit or complaint can be filed with the court, the injured party must first file a claim with t

Is the city of Sacramento losing out on an opportunity to bring in more revenue? According to the most recent city audit, the answer is yes. In a report to the City Council Tuesday, City Auditor Jorge Oseguera outlined four areas for needed improvement in the Revenue Collections department of the city’s Finance Division, along with 12 recommendations for remedying the problem areas. The audit, which was started in late November 2010, found that the city could improve its cash handling procedures, that the performance measures for Revenue Division management lack efficiency and the process for collecting transfer tax revenue is inefficient. “(The Finance Department) does have good practi

John Shirey will take the job as Sacramento’s newest city manager Sept. 1 after being confirmed by the City Council in an 8-1 vote in closed session Thursday night. Mayor Kevin Johnson, who was the only “no” vote, said he and the council are “very excited” to have Shirey on board. He added at a post-meeting press conference that he and the council unanimously agree that Shirey is an honest person and the proper amount of vetting was done before hiring him. Shirey was called to the podium to make a few quick remarks during the regularly scheduled City Council meeting. “To be able to assume the position of city manager is a great highlight for me in my life and my career,” Shirey said.

The Internal Revenue Service announced June 10 that it revoked the tax-exempt status for more than 1,000 nonprofit organizations in Sacramento, though the majority of them were no longer in existence. Those that still exist, including several Sacramento-area organizations, will have to re-file for their tax-exemption status, said IRS spokesman Jesse Weller. “We believe that most of the organizations on the list are defunct, although some may still be in existence and just didn’t get the word,” he said. Nationwide, the number of nonprofit organizations whose tax-exemption status was revoked was 275,000. The revocation was an automatic action taken after the passing of a pension reform a

Nestled within the labyrinth of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) is the Office of Victim & Survivor Rights and Services, whose mission is to make victims whole by awarding financial restitution through efforts in locating victim information. CDCR collects more than $1.7 million in restitution every month for victims of crime throughout the state. However, when courts order CDCR to collect victim restitution, they do not always provide them with the victim’s address or phone number. This has left the Office of Victim & Survivor Rights and Services (OVSRS) with nearly $12 million sitting in a fund waiting to be disbursed to unknown victims. “A good amount

Eye on Sacramento, a nonprofit Sacramento-based government watchdog organization, has recently been launched in the city of Sacramento to maintain a watchful eye on the policies and actions of the city government. “We formed EOS because we believe that too little attention is paid to the broad public interest and too much attention is paid to special interests,” said EOS President Craig Powell. “The public has little inside knowledge of what really goes on in city government. We hope to change that.” “Eye on Sacramento was started by a core group of about nine people who were active in the Campaign for Common Sense Utilities Rates (the group that sponsored Measure B on the November 2010