The race between Joe Yee and Steve Hansen for the District 4 seat on the Sacramento City Council is reaching its hurried climax, as the candidates go from one forum to the next, with two this week alone. We decided to take a slightly different approach for the debate we're hosting on Oct. 30, and we'll need your help. The format is based off of two common observations that seem to hold true in most races. First, candidates tend to answer questions more candidly and completely when they come from voters as opposed to journalists. Secondly, followup questions are key to getting candidates to move beyond prepared stock answers and into the real substance of the issues. Here's how the forum

Occupy Sacramento members say they will risk arrest as they plan to challenge the new city ordinance that sets restrictions for protests at City Hall. Protesters will assemble at City Hall at noon on Thursday to protest the law they call unconstitutional, according to a press release, which stated details won’t be released in advance. The new law, passed last month, goes into effect on Thursday and sets a curfew on the site, prohibits obstructing access to City Hall, bans the use of amplified sound without a permit and prohibits signs, displays or structures from being placed on the property. It also prohibits sponge baths in the fountain at Cesar Chavez Plaza, across the street from Ci

There is a school of thought that newspaper and media endorsements are of diminished importance, but the The Sacramento Bee editorial page’s endorsement this Saturday of Steve Hansen for the District 4 seat on City Council could prove to be pivotal. Hansen, who is running against architect Joe Yee, has been racking up key endorsements of late: He recently received the backing of the influential firefighters union, and last week was endorsed by the Sacramento News & Review. The police union has also supported him for months. Yee, as the Bee notes in its editorial, has "endorsements from most local elected officials, the city's other major unions and the Regional Builders and Realtors." T

Sacramento might become a less pot-friendly city Tuesday if the City Council follows through on city staff recommendations to further restrict where marijuana can be grown or purchased. The staff report makes the following recommendations for the council: 1) Prohibit the outdoor cultivation of medical marijuana in residential areas, and 2) expand the distance dispensaries can be from parks and schools, from 600 to 1,000 feet. The agenda packet includes a letter from Dennis A. Hunter, a retired resident of South Natomas who calls for the city to enact the ban on growing pot in residential areas. It’s not typical of the kind of writing one normally finds in council agendas. Hunter, in an

City Council will consider a proposal Tuesday for a committee that would oversee any funds the city collects if Measure U, a proposed half-cent increase in sales tax, is approved by voters in the upcoming November election. If approved, Measure U is expected to generate about $28 million per year, and the funds will be put into the city’s general fund to be used for things such as police and fire services, public safety, park maintenance and youth services. The proposal that City Manager John Shirey will present to the council Tuesday calls for the committee to have five members, with specific requirements for each seat. “Four out of the five seats require people with specific backgroun

Henry, Wow, that is quite a “quick comment”. I hope you will continue to write on this vital issue and explore the situation in much more depth. I agree with you that gentrification of an area is not a desired outcome if you care about economic equality, justice and humanity. Fighting the negative pressures of redevelopment/revitalization is one of my primary concerns and it motivates me to contribute my time and energy to the Oak Park community. To me, gentrification denotes the displacement of current residents as rents and property values increases.That is a very possible outcome for Oak Park. It is not the only outcome nor is it one we can accept. We all claim to value and love dive

Sacramento businesses, concert and special event organizers may soon be facing major changes in their efforts to put on events. After working for two years to review the existing city ordinance, a City Council-appointed committee determined that several changes are needed: Anyone organizing a special event will now have to turn in an application 60 days in advance, versus 10 days in advance. They have to notify nearby businesses and residents 30 days in advance appropriate noticing for amplified sound is necessary new rules and regulations regarding alcohol management The city would have to provide more specific reasons why the city could deny an application for a certain event The meas

City Council candidate Steve Hansen is this week's Sac Press Live guest, which will be streamed live on SacramentoPress.com Wednesday at noon. Hansen is taking on architect Joe Yee for the District 4 seat, which represents the central city and Land Park. The live stream starts here at noon:  Got a question for Hansen about what he would do on the council? Ask it in the comments section below this article. We'll cover all the on-point reader questions we can during the interview.       One issue we're sure to ask about: Hansen's stance on Measure U, which came up during our chat with Yee on Sept. 12. Yee said that while he supported the temporary half-cent sales tax proposed to f

In a recent "Oral Health Begins At Birth" ad, First Five of Sacramento used disinformation to promote water fluoridation. The eight page ad was seen in the mid-August 2012 Sacramento News & Review. First Five was born out of Prop 10, using tax on tobacco to fund various childhood health programs. In the first paragraph Mike Blount laments the lack of dental care in California. Blount goes on to claim water fluoridation is an "investment toward the health of area residents." He then makes broad claims of the supposed effectiveness of the program and its effect on tooth decay. Another story dramatizes a seven month old treated for dental decay, including statements by his mother on fluoride

Sacramento City Council District 4 candidate Joseph Yee is our guest this week on Sac Press Live, our weekly live streaming talk show that takes place every Wednesday at noon. The live stream will be available here:   Ask questions by joining the conversation below this article.   Update: Steve Hansen issued the following statement in response to the chat: "Contrary to the comments earlier of my competitor, I do support Measure U, the temporary sales tax, which has become a necessity in the face of increased crime and deteriorated parks. Further budget cuts will undermine basic services. The City must be cautious in maintaining a higher sales tax than the region for any longer th

An anonymous individual – who currently goes only by the moniker “Citizen X” – started a petition on Change.org to recall Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, but it looks like the person is facing an uphill battle: The road to citizen recall of an elected official is long and arduous and only rarely succeeds. The petition cites Johnson’s nonprofit activities and recent disclosure shortfalls as some of the reasons for the recall effort and has, so far, gathered 41 signatures. A Facebook page supporting the recall effort was also started Thursday, and it garnered 91 likes by Friday morning. According to the city charter, the steps to a recall of a city official follow the outline found in the

Mayor Kevin Johnson’s ability to raise money is unrivaled in City Hall, according to a report by Ryan Lillis in The Sacramento Bee, and that clout has been the cornerstone for a number of nonprofit efforts Johnson has initiated during his time in office. But Johnson and his staff’s inability to meet deadlines and avoid “clerical errors” recently earned his office some unwanted attention, and sparked questions of conflicts of interest. Those questions will be the focus of a special edition of Sac Press Live Friday with guests Lillis and Sacramento News & Review's Cosmo Garvin at noon. [Check back here for the live chat at noon] Links: K.J. Inc,. by Cosmo Garvin in The Sacramento News

Our next Sac Press Live chat will feature a discussion with architect and District 4 City Council candidate Joe Yee about the upcoming election and some of the issues the district faces. We'll be asking Yee where he stands on neighborhood issues such as waste collection, utility rates and traffic and parking problems, and we’ll dive into questions about public policy, development and what he thinks is the best way forward for Sacramento. Yee, principal architect with the Anova Nexus Architects firm, and his wife, Daphne, have lived in Land Park since 1976. He has worked for more than 30 years as an architect – he designed the West Sacramento Library and numerous educational facilities in

Sacramento launched a new smartphone application Thursday that will give residents a way to notify the city about some of the most frequently reported service issues and problems such as potholes, missed garbage cans on collection day, illegal dumping and stray animals, according to a press release. “The app allows us to increase our capacity to take more calls, be more responsive and improve accountability,” City Manager John Shirey said in the press release. Currently, 22 full-time city employees handle approximately 1,300 calls and 75 emails each day through the city’s 3-1-1 call center, according to Department of Transportation Spokeswoman Linda Tucker. The service is always availabl

The best things Sacramento could do to bring the downtown railyards to life and spur greater development would be to start small and build from the inside out, some say. That’s the message in a new report from the Urban Land Institute about the potential in the railyards, and it was the topic of a recent Sac Press Live interview with John Hodgson, president of the Hodgson Company and a member of the Urban Land Institute. Hodgson talked about the ULI report as a roadmap for development in the railyards. It includes recommendations to build incrementally, create interconnected, mixed-use neighborhoods and start with inexpensive interim uses to draw people and develop interest in the railya

The busy streets of downtown Sacramento were promised new bicycle lanes by mid-summer – a promise that has yet to be fulfilled. Bicycle lanes planned for several downtown streets have not yet been painted, but officials said that cyclists can expect to see them by the end of September or early October. The $629,000 bike lane project expenditure was approved by the City Council in April 2011. The project is said to create bicycle lanes on the most frequently traveled streets in downtown to create a safer cycling environment. As city officials previously told The Sacramento Press, J, I, Fifth, Ninth and 10th Streets along with Capitol Mall are included in the project. The project was sch

Sacramento voters reviewing a proposed city sales tax increase will find a supporting argument statement – but no opposing argument – on sample ballot materials after a judge blocked a request Monday that would allow other ballot arguments to be filed. Representatives of the political watchdog group Eye on Sacramento filed the lawsuit Friday to force the city clerk to extend the deadline after Mayor Kevin Johnson missed the Aug. 8 deadline to submit a opposing ballot argument. “It is a prerequisite of a writ (of mandate) that there is a violation of duty by the city clerk,” Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Michael Kenny said before the ruling. “I see none of that here.” Craig Powe

Members of the local political watchdog group Eye on Sacramento filed a lawsuit in Sacramento County Superior Court Thursday seeking a court order compelling City Clerk Shirley Concolino to accept their ballot argument opposing the tax increase measure on the November ballot. The suit, filed by EOS board members Craig Powell, Greg Hatfield and Erik Smitt, claims that, when Mayor Kevin Johnson failed to submit an opposing ballot argument before the deadline, members of the public should have been allowed to submit their own ballot arguments. “No one dreamed that the Mayor might fail to discharge his official duty to submit an argument against Measure U," Powell said in a press release Fri

Bodie isn’t your average, gun-toting, badge-wearing police officer – he doesn’t carry a gun at all – he’s a member of Sacramento Police Department's canine team and he and his partner, Officer Randy Van Dusen, were honored at City Council Tuesday for their heroism and service to the city. “The public support of K9 Officer Bodie has been tremendous, and I am proud to be a part of recognizing his bravery,” City Councilwoman Angelique Ashby said Tuesday. Ashby presented Bodie, Van Dusen and Officer Adam Cunningham with a ceremonial resolution commending them for heroic actions and service to the city. Bodie made headlines in May when he shot in the line of duty while in pursuit of a robber

While the arena deal might be dead, planning for the downtown railyards remains at the center of the agenda for Sacramento, and next week, city staff will present the city council with a report on the best way Sacramento can encourage development in the 240-acre site. The basis for that presentation will be a recently-published report conducted by the city and the Urban Land Institute think tank, "Redeveloping the railyards to strengthen the urban core." This Wednesday at noon, we'll be chatting with one of people behind the ULI Report, John Hodgson, a land use attorney and founder and president of The Hodgson Company. The chat will be live streamed in this article. You can also join us