A few years back I met with the Marketing Department of the Sacramento Kings. We were pitching a comprehensive package which included social media coverage, advertising and even turning The Sacramento Press’ navigation bar purple for one day. After the introductions, somebody asked me – as a lifelong Sacramentan, a huge Kings fan and a founder of The Sacramento Press – what message I would send to get more butts in seats at what was then the ARCO Arena. The answer was glaringly simple. I told them: Get the Maloofs to commit to stay in Sacramento for a couple of decades. Do it publically. Have a celebration. You’ll sell out the building and you won’t need to pay us a dime. Incidentally, y

It’s official. The Kings are staying, the Maloofs are out and Vivek Ranadivé is in. The Sacramento Kings are inviting fans out to Cesar Chavez Park on Thursday, May 22 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Mayor Kevin Johnson, current and former players, Slamson the mascot and prospective owner and TIBCO CEO Ranadive will be in attendance. The event will feature the Kings Dancers as well as live musical performers to celebrate the NBA’s decision to keep the Kings home. More information via Sacramento Bee available here. Are you excited about the Kings staying in town with new ownership and a downtown arena, or are you worried about the arena deal could mean for the city? Sound off below.   Editor’s no

As the Bee recently covered, the NBA very rarely blocks teams looking to move cities. There is only one example in modern history, when the NBA blocked the Timberwolves proposed move to New Orleans in 1994. What’s more, the decision appears to be based more on financial problems with the new ownership group, rather than the two cities. But today, the NBA appears set to declare that a personal grudge and a bit of money does not speak louder than a loyal fan base and motivated host city. The relocation committee recommended the NBA deny the Hansen group’s bid to move the Kings to Seattle to replace their recently departed Supersonics. While the NBA rejecting a move initiated by a quality o

Mayor Kevin Johnson will be holding a press conference at 5 p.m. Follow along and join in the conversation here:

“Players wanna play, Ballers wanna ball, Rollers wanna roll …” and voters want to vote. As the Field Poll (California’s long running, highly reputable independent polling service) said of Californians, “Voters also think that the voting public rather than their elected representatives ‘can be trusted more often to do what is right on important government issues’ (63% to 24%) and ‘are better suited to decide upon large-scale government programs and projects’ (57% to 33%).” In this context, it should come as no surprise that a new poll released by Tab Communications that showed nearly 80% of Sacramento voters would like to vote on the arena plan. (Tab Communications is a conservative polit

The ongoing saga with whether or not the Sacramento Kings are staying in Sacramento continues. The NBA Board of Governors meeting took place on Thursday and Friday in New York at the Saint Regis hotel. The voting decision was suppose to come during this meeting, but a few days before it was declared that the owners would need more time to view both Seattle and Sacramento’s offers before deciding anything definitive. Sources say George Maloof was vocal in the meetings saying he still preferred Seattle’s offer. The Seattle group is headed by Chris Hansen and Steve Ballmer. The issue with Sacramento prior to these meetings was that the original offer set by Mark Mastrov was not anywhere c

The City of Sacramento  held open house on the plans to build a downtown arena Thursday at 5:30 pm to 7:30pm in the New City Hall Foyer. Here's how the meeting went down on Twitter: Editor’s note: The “News Digest” goes out every Tuesday morning and highlights our best stories, photos and videos from the week prior. Sign me up.

The city council chambers will likely be packed tonight with supporters of two different breeds – those rallying to keep the Kings in Sacramento, and those fighting to keep medical marijuana dispensaries in the central city. Catch our live coverge below:  On tap is a public hearing to amend the city's zoning code as it relates to medical marijuana dispensaries. In keeping with federal law, Councilman Darrell Fong wants to extend the distance dispensaries can operate from schools and parks, from the current requirement of 600 feet, to 1,000 feet.  This new requirement would force the roughly 10 remaining dispensaries located in the central city to move, said Councilman Steve Cohn. The

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

Throngs of Kings supporters flooded the city council chambers Tuesday evening, supporting a downtown arena and to keep the Kings in the city.  Councilman Allen Warren reported there are 25 locals who have pleged $1 million each to keep the team. At one point, a member of Crown Downtown presented the group's white T-shirt to the newest councilmen – Allen Warren and Steve Hansen – and even included a onesie for Vice Mayor Angelique Ashby's expected baby.  Mike Barnbaum, of Think Big Sacramento and Crown Downtown, said entertainment options need to be kept in Sacramento, that are not only accessible to people in cars. He went on to say that Seattle wants this prize in their city, and "my th

The Thunder roared past the Kings Friday night as they rebounded from a slow start to beat Sacramento 105 – 95. A crowd of over 15,000 saw Oklahoma City take a half-time lead into the locker room. The Thunder then went on a 28-10 run at the start of the third quarter to take a 25 point lead and never looked back.   Editor’s note: Join The Sacramento Press on Tuesday, Feb. 12 at Chops Steakhouse to honor Journalism Open winners. Get tickets!

Another week, another Top Five Fridays. Our community contributors (mostly) gave us a reason to smile during a busy week for both the Sacramento Police Department and reporter Karen Wilkinson. And let’s not forget – the Kings are still leaving. Before you dive into your weekend, take a look at The Sacramento Press’s most popular articles of the week. Community Contribution:  5. How public radio helps indie artists by Alex Cosper Weekly columnist and owner of SacTV Alex Cosper turned his attentions this week to the role public radio plays in the success of indie artists, as well as our community as a whole. 4. No injuries after RT light rail train and car collide by Kati Garner Kati Gar

The 15th State of Downtown Breakfast took place last Tuesday morning at the Sacramento Convention Center, with Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom as keynote speaker. Michael Ault, executive director of the Downtown Sacramento Partnership, opened the event and ran through a plethora of topics and issues. Public safety, K Street, the sale of Downtown Plaza and parks are just a few of the many that were highlighted. “Personal connection makes a difference,” Ault said, regarding the 26 new businesses that opened up in the district last year. Ault cited the executive committee’s efforts to get to know brokers, owners and storefronts as the difference. He was optimistic about the strides that have been

It shouldn't matter this much, it's supposed to not hurt this much, I shouldn't care THIS much. Yet, I do, and I will for quite awhile. These are the things that have been processing through my head after waking up at 11 and receiving what had to have been a million text messages that stemmed from, "did you hear about our Kings?" to the oh so proper, " the Maloofs f#%^ us". I only needed to see the first one to say to myself, "they're gone". By now you know the story, it's been reported that Kings Owners Joe and Gavin Maloof have linked a deal to sell the team and in the process move them to Seattle ( Rosen 1, Keith 0 ) for over 500 Million $. This prompted me to think of many things duri

It’s time for the first Top Five Fridays of 2013! Scroll down for The Sacramento Press’s most-viewed articles of the past seven days. Community Contribution 5. New Year’s Eve fireworks in Old Sac | Photos by Kati Garner Making one of her regular appearances on Top Five Fridays, Kati Garner comes in at No. 5 with another great photo journal. 4. Django Unchained by Luke Soin This movie is HOT right now. In the words of Mr. Soin, “People are throwing the word masterpiece around this movie like they throw cigarette butts on the ground at a Depeche Mode concert, and rightly so.” 3. Tune up cycling skills with free Bikeology 101 Workshop by Bonnie Osborn Free bike info? Sign me up! Don’t wo

Thomas Robinson, the #5 pick by the Sacramento Kings, was welcomed warmly by fans at the annual Rookie Rally held at Arden Fair Mall.  The former Kansas Jayhawk had just finished a press conference at PowerBalance Pavilion and a meet-and-greet with Season Ticket Holders. Scheduled for 3:00 p.m., a late arrival made the crowd even more anxious.  A stage was set up in the center of the Arden Fair Mall, in front of Nordstrom's.  Fans crowded the floor, as well as the railings and bridges overhead.  Posters were handed out, and the crowd filled every square foot of the floor area behind the ropes. The number of Kansas signs, hats & shirts made sure that the former Kansas sophmore would get a

There’s nothing like the sound of 17,000 roaring Sacramento Kings fans, who have often been called the best fans in the league. Once you experience the energy inside Power Balance Pavilion during a close game, you know why. I was a Kings Dancer from 2005-2010 when the organization made a rule that limited a dancer to 5 consecutive seasons. I had been given an impressive list of exciting memories - dancing for the troops in Iraq, entertaining sick children at Shriners hospital, teaching underprivileged kids how to dance; and of course, the sound of the Pavilion when we played against the Lakers! Since 2010 I’ve been working hard to find my passion and niche outside of the dancing world. I

Sacramento hasn’t heard the last of “Carmichael Dave” Weiglein. The 36-year-old radio personality and self-described stay-at-home dad took a moment for a phone interview with The Sacramento Press Wednesday afternoon. He’d just put his two kids down for naps and said he recently attended a preschool graduation. But that’s not all he’s been up to. Since being fired from KHTK 1140 The Fan, Weiglein has been plotting his next move. He’s not going away, and he wants to make sure his former employers know about it. “CBS Radio made a catastrophic error in letting me go, and one of my biggest motivations is to make sure that statement rings true for many years,” Weiglein said. “I want them, if

A Facebook group has been set up in support of Carmichael Dave, and though its numbers are a fraction of the following he has on Twitter and Facebook, he had this to say on the page: "Wow. Thanks guys! You are the reason I've smiled so much this week after a horrible, horrible event in my life. I cannot put into words what you all mean to me." Carmichael Dave was a radio personality on local CBS Radio affiliate KHTK, and he was instrumental in keeping the Sacramento Kings in the city last year with the Here We Build campaign. Even as CBS Radio and Carmichael Dave remain tight-lipped on the reason for his departure from the radio station more than a week ago, fans continue to support him,