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

Mayor Kevin Johnson’s strong mayor initiative may be dead, but charter reform is still on life support at City Hall after a 6-3 vote at a City Council meeting Tuesday to put a measure on the ballot that will let voters decide whether a new, elected charter commission should be formed. The measure puts two questions on the November ballot: Do the voters want to form an elected charter commission? And if the answer to the first is yes, then who do the voters want to be on that commission? The second question will be followed by a list of candidates, and voters will be asked to select 15 commissioners from among them. If elected, the commission will have up to two years to study the city c

15th Annual Sacramento Jewish Film Festival March 10-11, 2012 The Crest Theatre again plays host to the Sacramento Jewish Film Festival this weekend, with two feature films and one short film on Saturday evening and two features and two more shorts on Sunday afternoon. This year’s films are diverse in both subject matter and tone. Opening Night Films “Holy Land Hardball” This feature length documentary (screened with a supporting short film) recounts the challenges associated with one man’s dream to introduce professional baseball to Israel. This might have been an easier task if it didn’t also involve introducing Israel to professional baseball, as it’s a sport that many Israelis simp

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

The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday against putting a strong mayor initiative on the June ballot – but they opened the door for some form of charter reform to appear on the November ballot. Council members directed the city attorney to return to council in three weeks with a “matrix layout” detailing two options for the council to consider. One, the creation of an elected charter commission initiative, and, two, a revision of the Checks and Balances Act based on comments heard at Tuesday’s council meeting. The City Council will have the opportunity to vote for either action at the Feb. 7 council meeting – “or to do nothing at all,” said City Councilman Kevin McCarty when the meet

Tuesday on Capitol Public Radio’s “Insight” program, I sat down with host David Watts Barton and Sacramento Bee editorial board member Foon Rhee to discuss the Checks and Balances Act of 2012 – more commonly known as the “executive mayor” or “strong mayor” initiative. The mayor’s office rolled out the latest version of the strong mayor initiative Dec. 21 by a coalition of supporters led by Mayor Kevin Johnson’s chief of staff, Kunal Merchant. The issue was scheduled to be on the agenda for City Council discussion Tuesday, and Johnson said he is hopeful that council members will put the initiative on the June ballot. Rhee pointed out that Tuesday’s meeting was the 16th time the issue has

The City Council will be discussing the latest version of an executive mayor initiative Tuesday, opening the door to putting charter reform on the June ballot. A strong mayor initiative has been an on-and-off topic of discussion in Sacramento political circles since it was first brought up by Mayor Kevin Johnson shortly after his election in 2008. The executive mayor version was introduced at a press conference Dec. 21 by the mayor’s chief of staff and a group of supporters ranging from faith community leaders to the head of the local police union. How is an “executive mayor” different from a “strong mayor”? Strong Mayor Initially – in a 2008/09 version of the strong mayor initiative

On January 7, 2012, Sacramento city staff held a public meeting about the newest proposal to change the city charter, the “Checks and Balances Act of 2012.” However, this public meeting was not announced to the general public—instead it was directed at a small group of neighborhood leaders. I found out about the meeting via the chair of the Midtown Neighborhood Association, who received an email on December 27: From: Raihane Dalvi Date: December 27, 2011 2:19:11 PM PST To: Raihane Dalvi Subject: Checks and Balances Act of 2012 Dear Neighborhood Leader, I'm writing to request your participation in an important discussion before the city of Sacramento. As you may know, a broad coaliti

With four council districts and the mayor’s seat up for grabs in 2012, the upcoming elections may bring new faces to City Council and – potentially – significant changes to the way Sacramento’s government operates. Although there is still time for new candidates to emerge, here’s a look at the election landscape for Sacramento, so far. When Mayor Kevin Johnson announced in September that he is running for reelection, he had no opponents and enjoyed the endorsement of both Region Builders – a building industry coalition – and the Sac Metro Chamber political action committee. In November, local tax preparer and community activist Edgar Hilbert announced his candidacy for mayor and a desir

An executive mayor, an independent redistricting commission and new ethics and transparency guidelines were the highlights of a new plan to reform city government introduced by representatives from the mayor’s office Wednesday. “This (proposal) represents how to fundamentally restructure how City Hall works,” Kunal Merchant, chief of staff to Mayor Kevin Johnson said Wednesday. Merchant said the new charter reform proposal is based on previous reform ideas and represents three years of discussion with members of the public and city and community leaders throughout Sacramento. The proposed legal language was prepared by Nielsen Merksamer Parrinello Gross & Leoni – a local law firm that sp

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

During the debate on a “strong mayor” system of government, each side battled over which form of government allowed for the greatest accountability to the public, democratic ideals in decision making and open debate of policy. After a fateful 5-4 vote not to promote Gus Vina to full-time city manager and his subsequent resignation, I know that the council system we currently have is seriously broken. Why? Not because of the vote itself or Vina’s decision. But because the debate and vote were conducted behind closed doors in a closed session. I have no idea why the council decided not to promote Vina. Council members refuse to talk with our reporters about the decision. Wait, what? Yes, y

The local police union is reviving an effort to create a “strong mayor” form of government in the city, according to Det. Mark Tyndale, vice president of the Sacramento Police Officers Association. Tyndale said in an interview on Monday that SPOA is “actively talking” to other groups on how to move an effort forward. SPOA is in discussions with the Sacramento Metro Chamber, Sacramento Area Fire Fighters Local 522 and the Sacramento 60, a group of powerful business leaders, Tyndale said. Sacramento 60 and the Sacramento Metro Chamber backed last summer’s strong mayor proposal. The City Council and interest groups for and against a strong mayor government fought bitterly over previous cam

Sacramento City Council members may rearrange their schedules so they won’t burn the midnight oil at City Hall. Council members will discuss plans on Tuesday to rewrite city rules so the City Council can address some issues at a monthly meeting that starts at 2 p.m. The City Council would continue to hold meetings on Tuesdays nights. Elected officials have not yet decided on the details of scheduling afternoon meetings. A monthly 2 p.m. meeting could include in-depth workshops on hot topics, said Interim Assistant City Manager Patti Bisharat. It could also mean that council members won’t spend as much time at City Hall late on Tuesday nights, Bisharat said. While City Council meetings

Councilmember Pannell I received a phone voice message from Open Sacramento. I don't know how they received my phone number nor do I know how they received my email address. I never signed any attendance sheets for an event held by Open Sacramento that would contain my personal contact information. When I sign in to speak at city council sessions I provide both my email and phone number. I hope that information is not shared with others.  I do not like feeling strong armed into a Strong Mayor plan which I believe still has minimum community input. The voice message states, " Hi, This message is for Rhonda. My name is Eli and I'm calling on behalf of Open Sacramento. If you're in support

Plans for local regulations on marijuana will share the spotlight with Mayor Kevin Johnson’s strong-mayor proposal at City Hall this month. The City Council will tackle marijuana proposals at its July 13 and July 27 meetings. Before the meetings, the public is invited to weigh in on two proposed medical marijuana rules. A meeting to gather input will be held in the second-floor hearing room of Historic City Hall, 915 I St., on Tuesday at 6 p.m. The city also held a public meeting last month about plans for a medical-marijuana ordinance. At its July 13 meeting, the City Council is scheduled to address a proposal to tax marijuana dispensaries. The idea to tax pot dispensaries is part of a

Mayor Kevin Johnson’s strong mayor campaign has released a draft of Johnson's proposal and plans to pitch it to the City Council in July. The release of the new report marks a change in tactics for Johnson’s campaign because third-party attorneys — not the city attorney — wrote the draft. For weeks, Johnson’s strong mayor campaign has said that City Attorney Eileen Teichert should write the formal language for the proposal. But the City Council prevented Teichert from writing the draft in a 7-2 vote last month. The first strong mayor initiative was written by Thomas Hiltachk, a third-party attorney. That initiative was struck down by a Sacramento County Superior Court judge in January.

The Sacramento City Council’s 7-2 vote last week against a strong mayor form of city government is not stopping Mayor Kevin Johnson from pursuing another council vote on the issue. Johnson’s comments to reporters at a Tuesday press conference indicate that he may ask council members to vote again on the issue after they return from their two-week summer recess in mid-July. The City Council voted last week to prevent City Attorney Eileen Teichert from drafting official language for Johnson’s latest strong mayor proposal. Johnson and Councilman Robbie Waters voted in favor of writing up the proposal, while the other seven council members rejected it. As it stands, the proposal will not be

Mayor Kevin Johnson said he thought it would be a 9-0 vote. He said he thought the Sacramento City Council would unanimously support his effort to ask City Attorney Eileen Teichert to draft official language for his updated strong mayor plan. When seven of his City Council colleagues voiced opposition to his effort at Tuesday’s City Council meeting, he let them know exactly what he was thinking. In a 7-2 vote, the City Council prevented Teichert from drafting the language of Johnson’s new plan. Johnson and Waters voted in favor of asking Teichert to write the proposed measure. Under the city’s current government structure, the mayor votes on City Council issues. After it was clear that

 The Sacramento City Council has rejected Mayor Kevin Johnson’s effort to ask the city attorney to write official language for his new strong mayor measure. Shortly after 11 p.m. at Tuesday night’s City Council meeting, five council members said they would vote against the drafting of the measure. With five council members in opposition, Johnson’s request to the attorney to draft the language did not have the required number of votes. The five council members saying they opposed the drafting of the language around 11 p.m. were Kevin McCarty, Sandy Sheedy, Rob Fong, Ray Tretheway and Bonnie Pannell. The council meeting was still in session at 11:15 p.m. Check The Sacramento Press for fu