Newest articles on The Sacramento Press tagged as "town hall"

Communication issues addressed at town hall meeting

2012-01-11T01:05:52Z

Mayor Kevin Johnson opened Monday night’s town hall meeting with a speech on his upbringing in Oak Park. The attendants quickly shifted the mood of the meeting with a flood of questions on issues in Sacramento, and many ethnic communities showed concern for lack of support and communication in the past.

Johnson said that early on in his term he made the mistake of thinking that there was only one Asian/Pacific Islanders community (API) in Sacramento, when there are in fact more than 40 communities. Because of this, he said he didn’t attend many of the API meetings held last year. He told attendees that this is something he wants to change.

“When I was talking to the API community, I said that I’m willing to go to any event that you want me to go to… I thought I would have to go to two or three events a year to fulfill my obligation,” Johnson said. “After the first year, I did not realize I was not fulfilling my obligation.”

So far, Johnson said he believes his biggest accomplishment within the API community was “marrying into the family” when he married Michelle Rhee, a public figure in American education.

He encouraged the API community to be open with him.

“Anytime I can be helpful,” Johnson said, “you gotta let me know. I’m willing to fight and stand with you if it’s important to the community.”

The majority of those attending the meeting were different members from different groups of the many API communities. Most seats were filled and many hands filled the air when the time came to ask questions.

Sukh C. Singh, general secretary of Indus Valley American Chamber of Commerce, brought up how two deaths in his community were handled by Johnson.

He said that the Sikh community turned to Johnson for support when two of their own were randomly shot and killed last year, but that they received no support whatsoever.

“We did not see any active part made by the mayor of Sacramento,” Singh said. “In this kind of situation, (our community) really needs a word of confirmation that we have a representative who cares for us.”

Singh ended his statement with an apology, saying he didn’t intend to criticize.

“Don’t apologize,” Johnson said. “I want to be held accountable.”

Johnson said he did show support on this issue, and apologized for the fact that “his people” did not get back to Singh. However, this was not the only show of disappointment from present communities on his support in such cases, and Johnson said he would do better to show it this year and defend the rights of people in Sacramento.

“If we get all of our ethnic groups participating,” Johnson said, “we’ll have a stronger Sacramento.”

Another important issue brought up by many was education. According to Johnson, only 37 percent of third graders in Sacramento can read at grade level. Through the new organization Stand Up, he said he and Rhee hope to learn what changes the community wants and find a way to get better teachers and make school relevant to students.

“Nothing is more important to me than educating our children,” Johnson said. “You can’t have a great city without great schools.”

More and more hands rose with questions for Johnson, but the meeting started to run past the allotted time. The meeting ended with hands still in the air and Johnson asked those in attendance to “be relentless” in emailing him and thanked them for coming.

No date has been set for the next town hall.

Education reform issues voiced at Latino Town Hall

2011-11-11T07:28:43Z

Members of Sacramento’s Latino community gathered Thursday night to ask questions and voice concerns at the first of Mayor Kevin Johnson’s Town Hall meetings for his 2012 campaign. Education and lack of funding for city public schools took top priority in the discussions.

“There is nothing more important than our public education system, and we must do a better job with our schools,” said Mayor Johnson.

Approximately 150 people attended the Town Hall at La Familia Counseling Center in North Franklin. Seats filled quickly and dozens of concerned community members stood in the entryway and aisles. Affordable access to health care, racial profiling by police, support and funding for the arts and concerns about community safety were also discussed.

Johnson also addressed the student achievement gap issue: of 1,000 Hispanic and Latino students in Sacramento, roughly 60 percent will graduate from high school on time, and only 13 percent will go on to college.

The mayor suggested a grading system that would allow parents to hold schools accountable, and charter schools as an alternative to sub-par public education.

Sandra Guzman, a counselor for the Puente Project at Sacramento City College, asked whether it were true that the charter schools supported by the mayor will not include ESL and ELL (English Language Learning) in the curriculum.

“They will and they should,” Johnson said.

The Town Hall was the first Latino-specific event to be hosted by the mayor since he took office four years ago.

The mayor’s website promoted the event as a “Listening Session”, and Johnson announced in his opening comments that his No. 1 goal for the evening was to hear from anyone in the audience who wished to stand up and speak.

The meeting was scheduled from 5:30 - 6:30 p.m., but one hour proved too short a time. Lengthy introductions and the need to translate dialogue between English and Spanish limited the number of questions that were addressed.

Roberto Lopez, a program coordinator at La Raza Galeria Posada in Midtown, barely had an opportunity to voice his concern about the lack of funding for Latinos in the arts sector.

The gallery, which has been operating in Sacramento for nearly 40 years, is on the verge of closing due to inadequate support. Lopez attended to ask Mayor Johnson how he intends to support La Raza Galeria Posada and empower artists in the Latino community.

According to the mayor’s campaign manager Steven Maviglio, Johnson kept his campaign promises from 2008, but will not rest on his laurels in next year’s election. The Town Hall meetings will play an important role in creating a blueprint for 2012.

"When most politicians go out, they speak to the public and not the other way around. We want citizens to know that their voices will be heard," said Maviglio Wednesday.

Vidal Gonzalez, who works as a youth specialist at La Familia Counseling Center, believes that Latinos in Sacramento are at more of a disadvantage today than they were 10 years ago. This is surprising in light of the fact that the Latino population has risen significantly.

“We know that we’re 27 percent of the population,” Gonzalez said. “Do we have to wait for the next census for them to notice it?”

He said he hopes to see strong Latino candidates running for City Council in the near future, and maintains that leadership is going to have to come from within the community itself.

Jenny Padierna Cortes, an eighth grader at the Language Academy of Sacramento, said she left the meeting happy. Following her question about vacant lots in her Oak Park neighborhood, Mayor Johnson invited her to the microphone and promised to pay her application fee to Sacramento State College, where she hopes to study writing.

The meeting closed on a high-energy note, and the mayor announced his intention to meet with the Latino community again in January or February to continue the dialogue.

The next Town Hall meeting will be a joint effort with the Sierra Curtis Park Neighborhood Association. Visit Mayor Johnson’s campaign website for more information.

Natomas town hall meeting encourages new ideas for old arena

2011-08-12T05:12:46Z

A new children’s hospital, a high-tech business center and a television-film-video game industry complex were some of the ideas Natomas residents discussed Thursday as potential re-uses for the current arena site – if the arena is relocated.

More than 80 residents and business owners met at a town hall meeting hosted by Assemblyman Dr. Richard Pan and City Councilwoman Angelique Ashby for an hour-long discussion and question-and-answer session about the arena’s future.

Attendees expressed ideas and concerns about what the city should do with what has been a hub of sports and entertainment activity for more than 20 years.

Power Balance Pavillion (formerly Arco Arena) has been home to the Sacramento Kings since 1988, but the future of the site has come into question recently as talk of a new arena has begun to escalate throughout the region.

Mayor Kevin Johnson initiated the “Think Big Sacramento” committee to find ways to revitalize Sacramento – and keep the Sacramento Kings NBA team from relocating – by building a new sports and entertainment complex in downtown.

Thursday’s town hall meeting in Natomas focused on both re-use ideas and the impact on area residents who would be directly affected if the current site goes unused.

Celia Hernandez, a South Natomas resident who commented at the meeting, said she valued the chance to talk directly with Ashby and Pan about where Natomas is heading.

“There are a lot of citizens who have a stake in the community,” Hernandez said. “To be able to come to (Ashby and Pan) and bring our opinions and perspectives goes a long way with us.”

Hernandez said that health care is a priority for a lot of residents in Natomas, and having a hospital in the area would have a positive impact on the residents.

“Our community has grown considerably,” Hernandez said, “and when you’re talking about this many residents, we need (a hospital). It’s irresponsible to not have one.”

Some in the audience favored a high-tech center to encourage large-scale technology companies like Google and Intel to make Natomas their new hub, bringing stable employment opportunities to the community.

Ashby and Pan are co-chairs of a Think Big Sacramento subcommittee dedicated to coming up with a designated re-use plan for the current Natomas site.

They hope to “identify a strong economic engine for the Natomas area that will not only strengthen Natomas, but the entire Sacramento region,” according to a recent press release from Ashby’s office.

“The goal of (the) subcommittee is to work concurrent to the larger committee’s efforts in addressing regional impacts associated with building a new arena,” Ashby said in the press release.

One of the larger concerns of audience members Thursday was how to bring jobs and economic vitality to Natomas at a time when the region is suffering from a stunted economy and declining home values.

Residents were also eager to emphasize their desire for Natomas to “not be left behind” as the rest of the city focuses on a new sports complex downtown, Pan noted after the meeting.

“Not only do they want to be listened to, they want action,” Pan said.

Ashby said she appreciated the tremendous interest that Natomas residents showed in the future of their neighborhoods.

“They came up with great ideas,” Ashby said. “They are open, and they’re willing to work for it. I know I can count on them.”

As the Think Big Sacramento committee continues to pursue financing options for a new arena and sports complex, Ashby and Pan and the 14-member subcommittee will follow up on ideas for re-use of the site that audience members brought to light Thursday, Ashby said.

“We will definitely come up with a new use for the (old arena) site,” Ashby said. “That is going to happen.”

Pan said he anticipates there will be additional town hall meetings in Natomas in the future, but no specific date for another meeting has been set.

The next meeting of the Think Big Sacramento committee is Aug. 25, and the committee will conclude its first 100 days with a summary report on financing possibilities to the City Council on Sept. 6.

Melissa Corker is a Staff Reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @MelissaCorker.

Charter Committee meeting forum held in South Sacramento

2009-10-16T04:43:09Z

Approximately 40 Sacramentans attended the Charter Review Committee meeting held at Sam Pannell Meadowview Community Center on Wednesday. The committee drafted a report that recommends changes to the City Charter Committee.

Committee members William Edgar, JoAnn Fuller, and Chester Newland presented an overview of the committee's purpose and tentative decisions reached, and took turns answering questions from the audience. Handouts were distributed, delineating Charter Review Committee procedures, focus areas for review, and a time line for their work plan.

"The City Charter Committee was appointed by City Council in response to the 'strong mayor initiative,' Edgar said. "We were not asked to propose an alternative to City Council, only to prepare a report on our findings."

The Committee tried to be as neutral and objective as possible, he said.

As part of their information gathering process, the Committee received more than 11 hours of testimony from 16 academics, practitioners and government officials. They also held five informational outreach meetings in July, culling testimony from the public at each consortium.

The Committee plans to present their findings to City Council on Nov. 3. Supplemental reports on elections and ethics issues will be due in December and January of 2010.

Wednesday's meeting included the appointment and removal of city charter officers. Currently, the City Council, which includes eight members and the mayor, appoints and removes the city manager, clerk, attorney, and treasurer. Under the strong mayor initiative, the mayor would appoint the officers, so long as the council confirms the decision. However, the removal of officers could be a decision made only by the mayor.

"I am a strong believer in checks and balances," said Jennifer Schmidt, an attendee at Wednesday's gathering. "The mayor should not have too much power or he could become politically biased."

The idea of a system of checks and balances was invoked when appointment and removal of non-union employees became a subject of discussion. Under the current system, the city manager is responsible for hiring department directors, supervisors, and support staff. Under the strong mayor initiative, the mayor would possess this responsibility. The Committee tentatively recommended keeping with the current plan.

Most in attendance concurred with both of the Committee's recommendations.

"It seems silly to have a manager position that wouldn't have this responsibility," said Rhonda Erwin, an attendee.

The transition time for the charter change, as run under the strong mayor initiative, will span approximately 45 days after the June 8, 2010 election.

"Revision takes time to transition bureaucracy," Bill Edgar said. "No city was found in our studies that took less than seven months. We are only saying minor changes. Our tentative recommended changing would not take effect until November 2012."

Former Sacramento mayor Anne Rudin attended Wednesday's town hall and left with positive feelings.

"It was a good meeting," Rudin said. "People came here tonight seeking information and asked intelligent and thoughtful questions."

Rudin does not agree with the strong mayor initiative, noting that during her 9 years in office, she never felt constrained by the current city charter.

"The idea of the strong mayor initiative might have appealed to people before," she said. "But now that they [the public] understand more about it, they realize it may not be the best course of action."

The final Charter Review Committee meeting is Oct. 15 at Sierra II Community Center. Information about past meetings can be accessed through the Sacramento Press website.

Information about the Charter Review Committee and process can be accessed here.

A CITY THAT WORKS FOR EVERYONE

2008-12-24T06:05:34Z

Greetings from City Hall.

I've been on the job for about two weeks now. Fortunately I was able to hit the ground running with the help of a 100+ community members that were part of my transition team. They included the director of the 40 Acres Art Gallery, the director of Regional Transit, faith leaders, and bicycle advocates. As you may know, my campaign slogan was "A City That Works for Everyone," and we've started out exactly that way.

One of the first products of the transition team's work is a policy paper on transportation, which you can view on my website, www.kevinjohnsonformayor.com. Its focus is to reduce traffic congestion and promote mass transit. I'd welcome your feedback. (More policy discussions will be forthcoming in future columns.)

In the interim, I'm also moving forward with several other initiatives designed to make city government more accountable and transparent. I've begun publishing my daily calendar on the city website (the first Mayor to do so) and am holding media availabilities every week. I'm writing here on sacramentopress.com, but also in several monthly community newspapers (such as "Inside the City" and the "Pocket News"). Watch for me every Monday morning on Fox40's "Mondays with the Mayor," and on News10 "talkback live" every Wednesday at 5 p.m., where you can ask questions live online. You can also hear me on KFBK every Wednesday at 3:30 with R.E. Graswich.

On top of that, I will have open office hours for any city resident at least one Saturday each month, and a "town hall" style meeting in each city council district every month. My goal is to be accessible, and to listen (and respond) to your ideas about how to make Sacramento a world class city.

When it comes to policy, we're also moving fast. I was able to line up the nation's premier municipal budget firm to begin an independent assessment of how our city can can deliver services better. And they're doing it for free!

I'm also pleased to report that we'll be adding 11 more police officers to Sacramento streets beginning in January. I worked closely with the Police Chief and City Manager to hire these new graduates of Sacramento's police academy to help reduce the city's rising crime rate.

I'll be writing more here about policy on a regular basis -- as well as expanding the city's website to include video and interactive features (such as an online town hall meeting). In the meantime, you can get the latest news on my website, www.kevinjohnsonformayor.com and http://cityofsacramento.org/council/Mayor/press-releases.html. I welcome your feedback and insight.

In the meantime, happy holidays!