Newest articles on The Sacramento Press written by Jared Goyette

The Rind opens - take a look at the menu for Midtown's new cheese bar [Update]

2013-05-23T16:27:21Z

The Rind, a new cheese bar in Midtown with a rustic-meets-modern look and a farm-to-form inspired menu, opens today at at 18th and L streets next to Buckhorn Grill.

The focus of Rind remains the same from when we interviewed her last summer, while the plans were still in development.

“Our mission will be to pair wines, beers, ports and bubblies with the featured cheeses so you get to learn how to enjoy them together,” owner Sara Arbabian said at the time. “We’re looking to create a really comfortable and fun environment where you sit down at the bar and order a cheese plate and a glass of whatever you’re jonesing for.”

At the ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday, Arbabian said she was grateful for the support she's received from the community.

"It's surreal to have this kind of support," she said."To successfully open something that seems so daunting a year and a half ago, and then to have your dream become your reality. It's humbling. It's not fulfilling, it's so exciting and you hope that people love the concept as much as you do, and from that you derive your fulfillment."

Rind, said Arbabian, is based on a kind of holy food trinity: Wine, beer and cheese, but it all starts with the cheese.

"From the cheese comes everything," she said. "What we put on the wine list, what we put on the beer list, what we feature in the food. That's where we start - we start with the cheese and then the full trinity is cheeses, wine, beer."

What kind of thinking goes into the pairing? Arabian explained:

"When you are pairing cheese with beer, or even cheese with wine, you are trying to augment their flavors. You never want to clash the flavors, and then you want to make sure you are creating a complementary parring. So maybe when you have a big and bold cheese - like, let's just go with a classic parmigiano reggiano - a nice three year aged, Italian classic cheese. It's very robust, and it tends to do well with a really hearty, to medium to full-bodied red, like maybe a chianti or a cabernet sauvignon, or any kind of red from the region where the parmigiano reggiano are made. And the same would o with beer. You want to think about where they come from, are they from the same lands, are they comparable in being robust or are they maybe light? Would you want to do a Pilsner against a Brie, maybe a sparkling wine against a Brie, or maybe a really big red or white or a big beer against a really big cheese. Thats' kind of the initial spectrum. Then you always go with what you like most and start from there."

The food menu at The Rind includes cheese boards with recomended drink pairings. The menu will be rotated seasonally to reflect what's coming fresh from local farms.

The food menu at The Rind by Jared Goyette

The Rind has two certified sommeliers (wine tasters) and a certified cicerone, or a beer taster, on staff, who helped create their drink menu. The expect to add more local brew options soon.

The drink menu at The Rind by Jared Goyette

As one would expect, you can also order cheese to go at The Rind:

The cheese menu at The Rind

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Plastic bag ban a step closer in Sacramento

2013-05-22T22:22:08Z

A ban on single-use plastic bans could be a step closer to becoming the law of the land in Sacramento next week.

An ordinance to ban certain stores in Sacramento from distributing single bags has been drafted and will be considered by a City Council committee on Tuesday.

The ordinance, which would also require a minimum $.10 fee on recycled paper bags and reusable bags, will go before the Law and Legislation Committee during their 3 p.m. meeting.

Mayor Kevin Johnson supports the proposed ban.

"The economic and environmental costs of single-use plastic bags simply outweigh any short term benefit," he wrote in a letter. "Phasing out single-use plastic bags will reduce pollution and the costs associated with it."

The Metro Chamber, which represents businesses in the area, has been working with city staff to develop the ordinance and add amendments, but has yet to take a position.

"I'm not sure if we're going to support or oppose it," said Johnnise Foster-Downs, the organization's regional policy director. "Right now we're just working with staff to get something that is workable for all and is fair to businesses, particularly small businesses, and has the least amount of impact on business operations."

A representative with Raley's said that they were not taking a position and had adapted well to similar bans in other cities, including San Jose.

The ban would apply to supermarkets, convenience stores, food marts, and any store with at least 10,000 square feet,

The proposal can be read in full here:

Sacramento's Reusable Bag Ordinance

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Proposal to make it easier for big-box megastores to open in Sacramento takes a step forward

2013-05-22T19:44:07Z

A plan to make it easier for big-box stores like WalMart to open in Sacramento will be considered by a city comission Thursday.

The proposal to repeal the city's "Superstore Ordinance," ending the requirement that city study the economic impact of any big-box megastores planning to locate in Sacramento, will go before the Design and Planning Commission during their 5 p.m. meeting.

Several business groups have written letters of support (Metro Chamber, The Natomas Chamber, Asian-Pacific Chamber, Regional Builders), but the idea has also drawn opposition from activists concerned that it could make it easier for a Walmart to open in the city.

"We feel that the city council was visionary to enact the ordinance in order to protect the opportunity for small business to flourish," said Julie Murphy, co-chair of The Marshall Park Neighborhood Association, in an interview Tuesday. "Inviting stores like Walmart to come in is only going to threaten the livelihood of these small businesses. (See the letter of opposition submitted by Murphy here).

The California Retailers Association took a different view.

"It's no secret that your city's superstore ordinance has discouraged retailers from locating within Sacrament's city limits," reads a letter of support from the the association’s CEO, Bill Dombrowski. "The ordinance is arbitrary, subjective and easily manipulated by special interests. It takes an irresponsible view of retails' impact and does not apply uniformly to all competitors."

If the superstore ordinance were repealed, any store over 40,000 square feet in size would still require a special use permit - meaning it would still need to be approved by City Council - but the requirement that the city conduct an Economic Impact Analysis report for any business deemed a "superstore" would be removed.

EIA reports can cost between $50,000 to 100,000 and can take two to three months to prepare, Mende said.

The city could still do EIA reports when they were necessary, but they would not be automatically required.

"When (a proposed superstore) would displace existing business, it makes sense to do an economic impact analysis, but what we're proposing to delete is this automatic rule, whereby in every case, it has to have an economic impact analysis."

In Mende's view, the EIA studies are redundant in cases where the city has already approved an area for commercial use, or if the area is underserved by retail.

"What's the point then of doing an Economic Impact Analysis if the council has already approve in concept that this would be a large format retail store?" he said.

Also at stake: sales tax revenue, an issue addressed in the staff report.

"… the unintended consequence of the (Superstore) ordinance has been to push superstores to neighboring jurisdictions – resulting in a leakage of sales tax revenue. Specifically, since the adoption of the City’s superstore ordinance, no superstores have been approved in the City of Sacramento, while new large-format retail stores have opened just beyond the City’s borders, including:
• June 2009 – Walmart @ Florin Town Center (6051 Florin Rd)
• May 2011 – Walmart West Sacramento (755 Riverpoint Ct.)
• March 2013 – Walmart @ 148,200 sqft @ Bruceville / Whitelock (10075 Bruceville Rd)”

If the proposal passes the Design and Planning Commission, it would then go on to the City Council's Law and Legislation committee, and could go in front of the City Council itself this summer, in mid-June or July.

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Man in wheelchair killed in hit-and-run crash in Midtown

2013-05-22T14:06:12Z

UPDATE

The Sacramento Police Department is seeking information regarding a fatal hit-and-run vehicle collision.

On Wednesday, May 22, 2013, at 1:28 a.m., a pedestrian was struck and fatally injured by a vehicle in the area of 19th and X Streets. The 51-year-old man was crossing the street in a wheelchair when he was struck by a vehicle traveling eastbound on X Street. Sacramento Police Major Collision Investigation Unit responded to the scene to assist with the investigation.

It is believed at this time that an early model 2000 2-door white Honda or Acura was responsible for the hit-and-run. A witness last saw the vehicle travelling eastbound on X Street from 19th Street just after the incident. Responding officers and investigators also determined the victim was crossing against the red light and outside of the crosswalk.

The previous is direct repost from SacPD press release

Sacramento police are looking for a car that was involved in a hit and run crash, killing a man in a wheelchair at the intersection of X Street and 19th Street in Midtown early Wednesday morning.

Officers are looking for a two-door Acura Integra or Honda Civic with significant front end damage that they believe hit the man just before 1:30 Wednesday morning, police at the scene said.

This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.

The Sacramento Police Department urges anyone with information pertaining to this crime to contact the dispatch center at (916) 264-5471 or Crime Alert at (916) 443-HELP (4357) or text in a tip to 274637 (CRIMES). Enter SACTIP followed by the tip information. Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

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City: No stop light planed for once deadly crosswalk in South Sacramento

2013-05-21T20:56:20Z

Update (5/22, 9:00 a.m.):

The director of Public Works, Jerry Way, meet with Terry Preston of WalkSacramento and the West High School students after the City Council meeting on Tuesday, and directed them to seek funding for the crosswalk from the Sacramento Unified School District. Sacramento Councilmember Kevin Mccarty had arranged the meeting.

Preston said he was encouraged by the conversation and would reach out to the school district soon. Sac Press will cover the efforts to get a crosswalk at 58th and Fruitridge as they develop.

A crosswalk in South Sacramento that activists and community members call dangerous won’t get a traffic light for another 25 years, but it could either be improved or eliminated altogether within the next few years, according to a city official.

Public Works spokesperson Linda Tucker said that the city tracks data to identity which crosswalks needs improvement, and that the city's records do not indicate that the crosswalk at 58th and Fruitridge, where 16-year-old student Michelle Murigi lost her life last year, is dangerous. Murgi was a student at West Campus High School, which is two blocks from the intersection.

"It is the only known fatality in the history of this crosswalk, but we understand that members of the community may believe that it is overly dangerous," she said

The crosswalk spans four lanes of traffic, and cars regularly travel at speeds of 40-50 miles per hour, according to recent posts on Sac Press by Vanessa Hernandez. A local college student, Hernandez recently produced a short web documentary about the crosswalk and Michelle Murigi's death.

Hernandez will join representatives from the nonprofit WALKSacramento and West Campus High School students at the City Council meeting tonight in support of installing a traffic light at the intersection.

“I’m hoping that the City Council really takes notice that people haven’t forgotten about this issue, because it’s still in people’s minds that live in the area, they have to deal with it, everyday,” Hernandez said.

Tucker said that the Public Works department evaluates several criteria – like traffic volume, numbers of pedestrians, the number of lanes, number of accidents reported and the average speed of vehicles – when determining what crosswalks need upgrades or traffic signals, and establishes a list of priority sites. While community input is welcome, it is not part of the formal criteria that the city considers.

58th and Fruitridge is 25th on the list of problem intersections, meaning there are 24 other crosswalks the city considers to be in more urgent need of a stop light. A recent traffic study of the area during before and after-school hours found that only five people were using the crosswalk or crossing the street nearby, and which is one of the factors the city considered, Tucker said.

Traffic signals cost the Public Works more than $250,000 to install, and the department can only afford to add one per year, she said.

"At this point, if we didn't have any further funding or partners that might be able to come in and help fund it, you're looking at, unfortunately, about 25 years before a traffic signal would go in there."

However, within the next year, the city will be upgrading its pedestrian guidelines to be in line with recent federal guidelines. The Public Works Department will also look into grants for possible safety enhancements at crosswalks.

In some cases, Tucker said that the smartest policy is actually to remove the crosswalk altogether. The city hasn't considered taking this step at 58th and Fruitridge, but it may at some point.

"When you look at the possibility of eliminating a crosswalk, it sounds counterintuitive for safety, but it actually isn't because if you do have vehicles driving at a high rate of speed and you have a high volume of vehicles, any kind of crosswalk (without a traffic signal) can give pedestrians a false sense of security."

The City Council meeting starts at 6:00 p.m. in City Hall. Walk Sacramento and the West Campus High School students will speak at the beginning of the meeting. Hernandez, whose documentary will be shown, expects that this won’t be the only meeting they attend.

“I imagine it’s going to take more than just this one time,” she said. “I’m just hoping to at least move some people.”

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Cuauhtémoc Blanco, Mexican soccer legend, coming to Sacramento

2013-05-21T20:04:49Z

One of Mexico's most iconic soccer players will soon be playing a match in Sacramento

Sacramento Professional Soccer announced last week that Mexico’s Dorados de Sinaloa would be the opponents of English Premier League’s Norwich City Football Club for an exhibition game during Sacramento Soccer Day July 18 at Raley Field.

Dorados de Sinaloa's star player is Cuauhtémoc Blanco, who U.S. soccer fans will know well from the many times he played against the U.S. NationalTteam and his stint in Major League Soccer with the Chicago Fire from 2007 to 2009.

At 40 years old, Blanco doesn't have the legs he used to, but he has never been a physical player. Blanco moves intelligently on or off the ball, scores when it matters and is full of tricky moves and unexpected passes that make him fun to watch. He's bit of wily character as well, and is will no doubt be spending a fair amount of time sitting on the grass at Raley field, looking up at the ref and pleading his case.

This will be a game of contrasts.

“The game will give Sacramento soccer fans the opportunity to see two distinct styles of football – the short passing, inventive Latino style against the more direct physical approach from the English Premier League,” said Graham Smith, technical director of Sac Pro Soccer, in a press release.

Norwich City plays a bit of throwback style to the traditional English game, with a tough physical, direct approach that makes them difficult opponents for even the best teams, as Manchester City found out last week. They have the perfect striker for that style – the imposing Graham Holt, who looks to be back in form after a frustrating season. Scottish winger Robert Snodgrass is a player to watch, and will likely be whipping crossing into the box, playing off the English's team's aerial strength.

Sacramento Soccer day will also mark the first time we hear of our new team's name and colors, which are currently being selected as part of a fan naming contest. Team president Warren Smith will make an announcement, and will also show off the shield and scarf.

Ticket sales to the general public will begin on May 28. Prices begin at $18 per person and increase up to $35 per person. Important little nugget here: use the code FUTUREFANS to get access to discounted tickets.

Tickets can be purchased online through Ticketmaster or directly purchased from the Raley Field box office.

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Sacramento Old City Association forum on McKinley Village development

2013-05-16T19:28:26Z

The Sacramento Old City Association is organizing a public forum on Mckinley Village on June 8 at the Midtown Village Cafe. The Sacramento Press will be live streaming and blogging the event. To get emailed when the action kicks off, register here:

I sent SOCA Chair (and Sac Press Elite Contributor and all-star commenter) William Burg a few questions about the event and its goals. His response are below.

SP: Why did SOCA decide to do a forum on McKinley Village?
WB: Our mission statement is based on achieving balanced and harmonious relationships among residential, commercial and employment uses. Change happens whether we like it or not, but engaged citizens can direct change in positive ways. SOCA was involved with citywide planning and development issues many times over its 41 year history, including the original "Centrage" plan, a fight led by a young attorney and neighborhood activist named Steve Cohn. This forum about McKinley Village is a return to an old issue, within the context of a new generation.

SP: What do you hope to accomplish?
WB: To date, the two meetings held by the developer with community groups were separate, with central city groups in one meeting and East Sacramento groups in another. The Preservation Roundtable is a public forum, intended to educate and engage the wider community, and hopefully form a broader consensus. Communication between stakeholders encourages consensus through mutual understanding--between the developer and the neighborhoods, but also between the two neighborhoods, and with city government.

SP: There as been heated conversation about the development in the articles we've published so far. How can do you plan to keep the forum civil and informative?
WB: The developers involved with this project are not outsiders, they are our neighbors, with an office on 30th Street right where Midtown and East Sacramento connect. This is a forum, not just a one-sided presentation. If all participants feel empowered and comfortable, more civil discussion is likelier to occur. A forum is about debate, and differences of opinion will most certainly exist. But a forum where parties can address each other as equals and neighbors, rather than a top-down approach or from a position of anonymity, encourages civility through mutual understanding.

The Roundtable is held at Midtown Village Cafe, a neighborhood coffee shop. The cafe setting promotes informal conversation during the breaks, and that informality helps break down barriers. Instead of simply being a speaker on a podium, separate from the audience, that speaker becomes just another neighbor you're talking with over a cup of coffee.

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RCI: McKinley Village will complement surrounding neighborhoods, add to city

2013-05-15T16:07:37Z

Update: The Sacramento Old City Association is organizing a public forum on Mckinley Village for June 8 at the Midtown Village Cafe. The Sacramento Press is an official sponsor and will will be live streaming and blogging the event.

After Midtown and East Sacramento neighborhood associations have expressed concerns about the McKinley Village project proposed for vacant land near Sutter’s Landing Park, developer Riverview Capital Investments pushed back in a recent interview. They made their case for what they see as a "21 Century Urban Village" that will provide the city with much needed urban infill development while fitting in well with surrounding area.

"I feel like we're honoring the amenities and the feel of the adjacent neighborhoods," said Jan Burch, vice president with the Placemaking Group, who is working as a consultant for RCI. "We love (the neighborhoods), we think they're great and we think our project fits right into that and compliments it."

The 328-home, $130 million development is planned for a 48-acre lot of grassy, empty land that is bordered by the railroad and Business 80. The city’s former landfill, Sutter's Landing Park, sits across the freeway to the north, while East Sacramento and McKinley Park are to the south. RCI is owned by well-kown developer and former politico Phil Angelides.

We featured the plans for for McKinley Village in February, and the East Sacramento Preservation Committee followed with a critical op-ed in March. We also sent a reporter to a meeting of the Marshall Park Neighborhood association this month, which was largely opposed to the project.

An important journalist note on balance: Since we documented the opposition in Midtown in our last post, what follows here is the developer’s response to many of the questioned raised. It draws from interviews with RCI staff and a Frequently Asked Questions sheet and a brochure RCI have been distributing in the community. We will continue to cover both sides of the story as it progresses. Next up is a public forum on the develpment being put on by the Sacramento Old City Association on Saturday morning, June 8 at Midtown Village Cafe - we'll post the details as soon as they are available.

TRAFFIC

At the Midtown community meeting, some residents were worried that the additional homes would cause traffic congestion in their neighbor – a concern that was also voiced in East Sacramento.

Norris said that the plans has been scaled back since the development was first proposed in 2006, which means the traffic impact should also be lower.

The current plans have 15 69 fewer units that the 2006 proposal and other items included in the last proposal – a church, pre-school and stores – have all been left out.

A traffic study RCI commissioned in 2006 estimated that the development would generate 5,300 car trips, and RCI expects that will be reduced to about 3,100, which will split between a Midtown entrance on A and 28th Street and the East Sacramento entrance at Elvas Avenue.

In 2006 the city called for minor adjustments to mitigate meditate for the extra traffic (the elimination of some on street parking and a turning lane on Alhambra), and Norris expects there will be less required this time around. RCI will work with neighborhood if any issues do arise.

"If there is an impact, we're willing to work with folks in the area,” she said.

School District

Some Midtown residents questioned what school district children from McKinley Village would attend, as it is within Twin Rivers School District but much closer to Sac City Unified Schools ( only four blocks from Theodore Judah Elementary School and only seven blocks from Sutter Middle School).
.
While residents could apply for district transfers, any money from developer fees or taxes would go to Twin Rivers.

Norris said that Riverview believes it makes more practical sense for the development to be part of Sac City Unified. For that to occur, the boards of both districts would have to agree. Riverview has contacted the districts and is preparing to present to the Twin Rivers school board, though an exact date has yet to be set.

Flooding

Another issue raised by the Marshall Park Neighborhood Association was flooding. On this note, Norris pointed out that the steep hill running along the southern side of the site is not a levee (as some had suggested), but a berm, or a raised hill built for a railroad track. The development itself is protected by the same levees that protect East Sacramento and Midtown.

There will be floodgates that cut off the two entrance and exit points on either side of the berm, allowing it to serve as makeshift levee in the (extremely unlikely but still scary) event that the levees fail.

Type of homes

The 328-homes in the development will all be single family and two stories, and are expected to sell from $300,000 to $600,000 plus range.

Renderings are still in the works, but Norris said they are looking at tudor, craftsman and mediterranean styles. They are studying the architecture of nearby neighborhoods for inspiration.

"We're going around and looking at the surrounding homes," she said. "We really want them to fit in."

According to the RCI’s FAQ sheet, homes will range in size from approximately 1,250 square feet with three bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms to approximately 2,500 square feet with five bedrooms and four bathrooms. Some of the homes will feature an option for second units, and others will have a master bedroom on the ground floor, which should appeal to elderly or disabled homeowners.

The question sheet also indicates that, “Homes with front porches and strong entries will face the street
and common greens, with garages either set back off the street or facing allies or interior courtyard.”

Green space, bikes, acxes

McKinley Village will include 2.9 acres of park land, which will require that RCI pay maintenance fees to the Park and Recreation Department. There will be over 2,000 trees and an additional 3.26 arches of common green space.

McKinley Village Illustrative

A bike-pedestrian tunnel will give residents bike access to Sutter’s Landing Park, the American River Bike Trail and Midtown. A ten-foot wide sidewalk, meant for bicyclists and pedestrians, extends throughout the development, and there is bike access to McKinley Park via an undercrossing of the Union Pacific Railroad tracks.

“A huge part of the lifestyle for this part of town is walking, biking and jogging – being outside,” Burch said. “I think this development, with all the accesses, encourages that.”

Infill development

Burch also says the project is an example of the type of urban infill development that many urbanists support. ~~and many grid residents support~~ . Better to build in the city where people are close to their work, the logic goes, rather than to continue to expand the suburbs.

“You're not commuting for long trips on freeways - you can live within a mile of where you work, so you can ride your bike, take public transportation, or use your car and take two minutes, “ Burch said. “You can walk to the store, get to know everyone in the neighborhood. It's a way of life.”

Across the country, urban development can be difficult to pull off because of neighborhood opposition, particularly near established and well-off areas, a trend documented by Reuters columnist Felix Salmon in a recent blog post on the opposition to New York City’s bike share program and why the nation's population density is in decline. In that sense, McKinley Village’s asset - it’s proximity to well-off and attractive urban neighborhoods - is also its biggest challenge, and one of the primary reasons the site has never been developed. But, with the economy on the rebound, and central city real estate the most valuable in the region, RCI obviously decided it worth the trouble to try again. Time will tell whether their luck is better in 2013 than it was in 2006.

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Elizabeth Studebaker to step down from Midtown Business Association

2013-05-06T19:53:35Z

The executive director of the Midtown Business Association will be stepping down to take a job with the City of San Diego.

Elizabeth Studebaker took the helm art the Midtown Business Association at the beginning of last year. She was a constant presence in the neighborhood and at local events. Her most recent initiatives include a project to improve street lighting and the launch of the Midtown Farmers Market, which has drawn large crowds in its first two weeks.

This is a quick update - we're working on a full story with more details now. The full press release is below.

---

Press release:

Midtown Business Group Seeking New Executive Director

Current Director Accepts Economic Development Position in San Diego

Sacramento, CA – This week, the Midtown Business Association (MBA) Board of Directors will begin a search for a new Executive Director to serve as community advocate, manager and liaison for Midtown property and business owners. The position is responsible to lead all programs, including management of clean and safe programs; marketing and advocacy; and serve as the primary spokesperson for Midtown’s commercial core. The Executive Director works closely with, and takes direction from a 25-member volunteer Board of Directors as well as a seven-member volunteer Board of Directors for the Midtown PBID Corporation.

Executive Director, Elizabeth Studebaker, is stepping down to pursue an opportunity as the new Business Improvement District (BID) Advocate in the City of San Diego’s Economic Development Department. In her new position, she’ll be responsible for supporting 18 BIDs and 20 micro-districts, as well as advocating for policies to improve the economic environment for all small businesses in the City of San Diego.

“Liz has played an integral role in elevating the MBA to a well-known, respected, and effective organization,” stated Beth Hassett, MBA Board of Directors President (Executive Director of WEAVE, Inc.). “Her ability to work with regional, city and community partners has made a significant contribution to the quality of life in Midtown. Without a doubt, Liz will be missed in Sacramento, but the positive impacts of her work will be felt for years to come. Speaking on behalf of the entire Board of Directors, we wish her much success in her next professional endeavor.”

Councilmember Steve Hansen, whose council district includes Midtown noted, “In a short period of time, Liz has strengthened and transformed MBA with her characteristic energy and sense of purpose. She has forged a stronger community between the business and residents through a shared vision of Midtown an eclectic, vibrant, walkable, and bike friendly neighborhood and business district. The City is grateful for her work, and we look forward to continuing this progress with her eventual successor.”

During her 18 month tenure, Studebaker implemented a number of notable changes to improve the MBA and enhance economic development in Midtown, including:

--Successful renewal of the Property Business Improvement District (PBID) in July 2012,
--Increasing Clean & Safe services, including maintenance, litter & graffiti removal, homeless outreach, and lighting installation efforts,
--Restructuring staff and PBID programs for increased efficiency and positive impacts to the district,
--Focusing on advocacy, including parking policy, transportation, and public safety,
--Cultivating relationships with neighborhood associations, city staff, and regional partners,
Improving transparency for the MBA, specifically regarding finances and decision-making,
--Fine-tuning special events to better align with the mission and vision of the MBA, and
--Launching Midtown’s first Farmers Market, held every Saturday from 8am-1pm at 20th & J Streets.

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La Lucha ups mental game to push Sac City Rollers higher

2013-05-03T20:18:21Z

If you arrive early at the rink Saturday for the Sac City Rollers latest roller derby bout, you might catch the team's MVP and general manager Trinity Gleckler walking around the track, staring at it, in a kind of silent meditation.

Gleckler, better known by her derby name, "La Lucha ," doesn't study the flat track, but plays out, in her mind's eye, the contest that is about to happen.

"I'm using that as a palette to look at different scenarios and play them out in my head – like, if I get stopped here, this is what's going to happen," she said. "That positive visualization is proven to build confidence. You visualize and set yourself up for success even before you put all eight wheels on the track."

This pre-bout visualization is just one of many mental tricks-of-the-trade that La Lucha has learned since she joined Sac City's all-star team, the Capitol Punishers. (Each franchise in roller derby is called a league, which is made up of different levels of teams, with the best team being the “all star” team. Sac City also has the Folsom Prison Bruisers, a lower level team made up of up-and-coming skaters.)

She started roller derby in 2006. Since then, what started as a hobby has become a serious pursuit. She's gone from team captain, to coach, to general manager, while picking up MVP honors for the last four consecutive years.

La Lucha is a jammer, or the person on the five member team who is the designated scorer and wears two stars on her helmet. A jammer scores by lapping members of the opposing team. The other players, called blockers, have no stars on their helmets and try to stop the opposing jammer while protecting their own. One player, the "pivot," wears a striped helmet and is a blocker who can become jammer during a bout if the jammer passes her a star.

La Lucha's rise through the ranks at Sac City Rollers happened at a time when roller derby itself was growing quickly. She joined after seeing a 2006 A&E reality show about a team in Austin (where the roller derby revival began in the 2000s) and initially, didn't fare well.

"I didn't know what I was doing when I got out there," she said. "I didn't even know how to cross over. I was smaller… I got beat up. It's been a long journey."

But La Lucha is a natural athlete who played soccer in high school and was on her college’s downhill skiing and mountain bike teams. It wasn’t long before her competitive instincts kicked in.

"In 2006, I picked this up as a hobby and I wasn't as dedicated, but then I got this taste of 'Hey, if you cross train and you work on your mental game and you get that taste of competition, not only on the track, but off it, it's so addictive."

As a jammer, you have to be fast, and La Luncha is, but she is also agile, able to "roll off" blockers intent on stopping her (a trick she picked up from soccer). She is also obsessive about the finer details of her technique and plays close attention to her body shape. She races around the track, low to the ground, coming in tight to the curves and then shooting out wide again, with feet apart and weight evenly distributed across her skates to help her keep balance.

You get a sense of her ability to cut through and around blockers in this highlght video. She wears number five:

The mental side of her game evolved as she began to read more about the psychology of sport. When she began, she would run errands before games, listen to loud music to get "hyped up" and would get anxious or stressed before bouts.

No longer – now, she prefers quiet concentration. Adele has replaced hip-hop in La Lucha ’s earphones.

"If you are listening to crazy loud music and your are getting hyped up until the point of competition, you are adding unnecessary stress on your body," she said.

As coach and then GM, La Lucha shared those lessons with her team, and The Sac City Rollers have made strides with La Lucha at the helm. This year is their first season as part of the The Women’s Flat Track Derby Association, the sports official governing body – meaning they are now ranked nationally. Sacramento's other team, The Sacred City Derby Girls, is also ranked and a member of WFTDA.

The Sac City Rollers have moved up the ranks quickly – they started the year at 64th, are now at 56th, and are expected to rise again when the rankings are released again.

The Punishers had played exhibition bout Saturday against the Richmond Wrecking Belles, a team from the number four league in the country, The B.ay A.rea D.erby Girls.

It was a physical and fast-paced game. At one point a Wrecking Ball blocker fell flat on her back after a tough hit, and the crowd went silent while the medical staff rushed to her side. There was applause when she got up again after a few minutes, and, with a little help, gingery made her way to the sidelines.

The Wrecking Bells jumped out to a big lead but the Punishers made a few adjustments and started to get traction in the second half. It wasn't enough though and they lost, 258-111. (Read the play by play here).

For La Luncha, the team's slow start was the problem.

"It took a little to get warmed up and into our flow, once we did, we started to come back," she said. "You win some, you loose some, the biggest thing for me is learning from a loss. We need to get in the mind set a little earlier and not react. We need to be proactive instead of reactive."

The Pikes Peak Derby Dames are eight places above Sac City (57th vs 65th) in the WFTDA rankings, and the bout is likely to be a tough one, but that's way La Lucha like it. The challenge of keeping at the top of her game is what drives her to keep training and pushing herself. At 35, with more than six years of skating under her belt, she's a veteran – but has no plans to stop anytime soon.

"It's accountability to be a better person for my team, and to be a better player for my team, and selflessly, I want to play a lot, and I've got to be good to play a lot. I'm an ultra-competitive person in general. I'm pretty intense. Between me and a couple of other girls in the league, we are some of the most competitive people. I thrive on that. I love it."

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English team Norwich City coming to Sacramento for exhibition game in July

2013-05-02T16:41:58Z

We now know which English Premier League Team will play an exhibition match during "Sacramento Soccer Day" July 18 at Raley Field: Norwich City.

More importantly for Sacramento fans: that will also be the day that franchise owner Warren Smith announces the team name and colors. The team name is currently being selected as part of a fan naming contest.

While Norwich is currently in the Premier League - they're going to have to win their next two home games to guarentee that they'll still be there next season, as the bottom three times in the English league are regulated to the next lowest division (while the top three teams from the lower division are promoted).

Fans can purchase tickets from Ticketmaster.com or from the box office at Raley Field. Pre-sale tickets will be available May 20-27 and general public sales will begin on May 28.

Details are in the press release below.

SACRAMENTO PRO SOCCER BRINGS ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE TEAM TO SACRAMENTO FOR FIRST TIME IN HISTORY

Norwich City Football Club to Play During Sacramento Soccer Day

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (May 2, 2013) – Sacramento Professional Soccer, LLC, (Sac Pro Soccer) today announced details about the team’s upcoming Sacramento Soccer Day event, taking place July 18, 2013. Multiple exhibition matches will be played during Sacramento Soccer Day, one of which will feature Norwich City Football Club (Norwich City), part of the English Premier League (EPL). This will mark the first time in history that an EPL team has played in Sacramento.

During the event Warren Smith, president of Sac Pro Soccer, will be joined by his team to announce the official team name, color palette, shield and scarf of the Sac Pro Soccer team, which are currently being selected during a three-month, three-part naming contest that is involving the Sacramento community and soccer fans.

“Sacramento Soccer Day will be a celebration of the rich history and bright future soccer has here in Sacramento,” said Graham Smith, technical director of Sac Pro Soccer. “Having Norwich City join us for the event is very exciting and shows just how great of a place this city is for the soccer community.”

“These are exciting times for Sacramento with the emergence of Sac Pro Soccer and I understand we’re the first senior English club to visit there which is fantastic,” said Chris Hughton, manager of Norwich City. “We’re really looking forward to our trip to Sacramento and being part of their Sacramento Soccer Day.”

Ticket pre-sales for Sacramento Soccer Day will take place May 20 through 27, 2013 and sales to the general public will begin on May 28, 2013. Prices begin at $18 per person and increase up to $35 per person.

Norwich City’s tour to the US has been organized by PSC Ltd and First Wave Sports who have in recent years, been involved in organizing U.S. pre-season tours for numerous other EPL teams such as Everton, Aston Villa, Sunderland, West Bromwich Albion and Swansea City.

Sacramento’s USL PRO franchise plans to host a series of exhibition matches during 2013 involving domestic and international professional soccer teams. In addition, supporter events, soccer clinics and player appearances will be scheduled leading up to the 2014 inaugural season.

New Sac Pro Soccer director Graham Smith on what he's looking for in a head coach

2013-05-01T15:28:51Z

Sacramento's new USL-PRO soccer franchise announced an important hire yesterday, bringing on an experienced hand with deep connections at all levels of the game in both the United States and England.

Former Chelsea executive Graham Smith was named as Technical Director, meaning he will be in charge of setting the direction of the club and hiring all other soccer personnel, including the head coach.

Smith, 55, has had a long career, and, as could be important for a new franchise like Sacramento, has extensive experience in not only "on the field" matters, but also in longterm club and player development, as well as in the business, branding and marketing side of the game.

He played professionally as goalkeeper in England from 1968 to 1976, worked at Adidas for a decade, was brought to the board of directors at Chelsea for five years, left to start a sports agency and marketing company in 1990 (which grew rapidly and is now one of the largest sports agencies for soccer in the United States). He then left in 2006 to coach and direct a lower division team from Southern California, The Ventura County Fusion, who he lead to the Premier Development League title in 2009.

I spoke with Smith for over an hour after the news of his hire was announced. We'll publish a full feature about with him and his plans for the team soon. For now, a teaser:

Question: What are your principles and how will we see them in the team?

Graham Smith: The principles are as follows: Play with style, play attractive attaching soccer. Play with an entertaining element. Bring on board players that are innovative, that are professional, that are capable of taking their game, and the game of the team, to the next level.

The selection of a coach is going to be vitally important. I see whoever comes in as coach not as a short term situation to create effect. It's got to be a coach who's knowledgeable, who has experience coaching at a good level and who will buy in to what we stand for and will be prepared to give himself to the soccer community here in Sacramento.

It's not going to be someone who's going to come in and coach the team and go home for the night. It's going to be someone whose totally identified with the soccer community – there are so many good clubs out there at every level with the kids, the boy and girls, right through to the senior level…

We want to ingratiate ourselves with all of those people and we want them to feel part of it. We want an exchange of information, an exchange of ideas. We want input and we want to work toward getting a successful franchise for the Sacramento public, and we want to be able to identity the club and the community with everything that's good in football and hopefully that will take us to Major League Soccer.

Should Sacramento loosen restrictions on big-box stores? [Poll]

2013-04-26T14:54:56Z

Should it be easier for big-box retailers like Walmart to open megastores in the city of Sacramento?

That question will be on the front of everyone's minds during a series of community meetings to discuss whether Sacramento should repeal restrictions against big-box super stores in the city.

Ryan "City Beat" Lillis has the full story in today's Bee. The council is considering repealing a 2006 ordinance that made it hard for such stores to open in the city, requiring "economic analyses and wage studies for chains seeking to build stores larger than 90,000 square feet with more than 10 percent of the space dedicated to groceries."

The law, writes Lillis, was passed at a time when the council was more labor friendly than it is now. Unsurprisingly, labor leaders (Bill Camp) are opposed to any loosening of the restrictions, while business groups and developers (Metro Chamber, Regional Builders) want the law scrapped.

And while Walmart is the name one thinks of when it comes to "big box retail store," the company has no immediate plans to open a store in Sacramento, Lillis reports. That won't stop opponents from invoking the name "Walmart" during the community forums on the issue, the first of which occurs Monday night at Old City Hall.

Why the current push? A developer has plans for Delta Shores, a 800-acre tract of undeveloped land. Those plans include "hundreds of houses and a large retail center," which, the developer hopes will feature some big-box tenants.

We'll have more on the issue leading up to the forum. What do you think – should the city welcome big box stores or keep the current restrictions in place?

Looking for the substance in farm to fork: a Q&A with Amber Stott

2013-04-19T13:43:46Z

As the farm to fork movement has gained momentum in Sacramento, we've been thinking about how The Sacramento Press could play a role, what our focus should be, and what kind of voices we can bring to the table.

Some of our most popular stories tend to be about the openings and closings of restaurants on the grid, but this clearly called for a different approach. "Farm to Fork" is, as the name suggests, about the food system from top to bottom. There's lots of good food and restaurant coverage in Sacramento (Edible magazine is one of my favorites) but not enough about the food system as a whole, or about the food movement, and all its individual players, organizations and interconnected parts. To help us fill that gap, we've enlisted Amber Stott, a freelance writer who is also the co-founder of the California Food Literacy Center.

Stott will be writing a monthly, in-depth column for The Sacramento Press, which will be followed by a live podcast in which we’ll discuss her writing and the latest happenings in the food movement in Sacramento. The first event, called "Farm to Fork, Where’s The Teeth?" will be held May 1 at the Urban Hive.

To begin the conversation, I interviewed Stott about what she plans to write and how she sees farm to fork in Sacramento.

Jared Goyette: What drew you to food politics to begin with? How long has it interested you?

Amber Stott: When I was 12, I read a book called 50 Simple Things You Can Do to Save the Earth. I learned that through the basic act of eating, our behavior has a tremendous impact on the planet. We can’t always change the attitudes of others, but we can start right here, right now with our own food choices. Such an easy way to make a difference! I’ve been passionate about the subject ever since.

JG: What do you think is missing from the food conversation in Sacramento?

AS: Sacramento has a rich and diverse food scene, which I love! The biggest problem: how disjointed the conversation is. As a collective whole, we’re all having the right conversations, asking the right questions. The gap lies in bringing these discussions together, overlapping them, and finding common ground. Many folks are siloed on one side of the food story or another. Our region has amazing examples of successes that happen when farmers pull up a chair to talk to librarians, or a healthcare worker invites a chef into a homeless shelter, or when food bloggers join nonprofit boards. There’s a food movement bubbling up here – and we’ve only begun to scratch the surface of possibility.

JG: What do you plan to cover in your column?

AS: I’ll connect the dots along the food system continuum, bringing together unique food voices. I’ll push the conversation in new directions, ask hard questions, encourage the community to take part, and provide tangible ways to become a food change agent. It will be a delicious adventure in local food politics.

JG: You entiled your first column and podcast “Farm to Fork, Where’s the Teeth?”Why that idea, and what does it say about the direction you plan to take?

AS: I wear a lot of food system hats. I’m a food writer, run a food literacy nonprofit, develop recipes, shoot food photography, and have worked with hungry families in microfinance programs around the world. My work takes me to farms, restaurants, my backyard garden, classrooms, and other cities and countries. This paints my perspective and allows me a 20,000-foot view, and will influence the direction of my column.

Specifically, I want to talk about our local farm to fork movement to cull the voices in one place, demonstrating the interconnectedness of the movement. The cross-dialog that I mentioned above has begun to form around Farm to Fork Week due to its large-scale publicity. Yet, all the players were working, boots on the ground, long before the Mayor signed the resolution that named Sacramento the Farm to Fork Capitol. Farm to Fork Week has thrown us all together, and we’ve got to learn to work in sync. Now more than ever, it’s important that we understand each others’ roles in this movement. I want to give the conversation context, dispel myths, and inspire ownership and action.

JG: What misconceptions do you see out there about Farm to Fork?

AS: One important misconception: the sense that you or your cause is missing from the collective conversation. This is exciting stuff, so of course everyone wants to be at the table. Personally, I’m a committed change agent. I tell folks not to wait for the mayor to call and invite them to the table. This food movement belongs to everyone. Give yourself permission to take part. This is YOUR movement, Sacramento!

JG: What's the most urgent problem Sacramento faces in terms of food access?

AS: I recently learned a technical term called “Wicked Mess.” It refers to problems that are difficult to solve because of the many changing and contradictory elements involved. Food access and our food system are a wicked mess!

That being said, as you learn about the complicated mess of our food system, I hope it riles you up a bit, ignites a fire in your belly – just like the book I read at the age of 12, which inspired me to change my eating habits to save the planet.

Find the one thing that moves you. *That* is the most urgent problem. Don’t delay! Go into the world and tackle it. Find others who are equally passionate and unite with them. If we all start somewhere, we can begin to move mountains.

JG: If you were a vegetable or a fruit, which one would you be and why?

AS: Rhubarb, because it represents my roots: my grandma’s recipes, my parents’ backyard garden, and carefree summers as a child in rural Illinois chasing fireflies. I wish more kids had access to a lifestyle like that.

JG: If people want to get involved in progressive food politics in Sacramento, what should they do?

AS: Begin immediately. Go online and find out who else is working on the issue that inspires you most. Reach out and offer to volunteer. If you see a gap, offer to work together to fill it. There’s power in numbers!

The live podcast "Farm to Fork, Where's the Teeth?" will be held Wednesday, May 1 at The Urban Hive on 1931 H St. Tickets are $5 online, $10 at the door. All proceeds from ticket sales go to benefit The Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services.

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Learn opinion writing with Cosmo Garvin - Tuesday night at the Urban Hive

2013-04-09T14:14:21Z

It's hard to find neutrals on Cosmo Garvin.

The veteran Sacramento journalist writes the the hard-hitting “Bites” column for the Sacramento News and Review, where he has been covering politics, the school board, environment and anything else he can sink his teeth into for more than a decade. His take-no-prisoners approach has won him admirers and detractors in Sacramento's political scene and, as he seems to indicate in our Q&A below, even within SN&R's offices.

He also has asked questions before the mainstream media was willing or able to. His exposé on how Mayor Kevin Johnson's nonprofits created another way for donors to influence the political process was followed shortly there after by a piece in the Sacramento Bee, and then by questions from the City Council.

Garvin also co-hosts a podcast dedicated to local politics and including to his bio on Current, is the only person he knows of to have been kicked out of the Sacramento County Jail.

The Sacramento Press is hosting an opinion writing workshop with Garvin at The Urban Hive tonight. Tickets are listed at $18 but we're offering discounts of 50 to 100 percent to students, board members of neighborhood organizations, people who "like" us on Facebook, or who subscribe to our newsletters. If one of these apply to you (and really, it only takes a minute to make it so), contact support@sacramentopress.com, and we'll send you the relevant discount code.

I interviewed Garvin to find out what drives him, and his real opinion of the mayor.

Jared Goyette: What drew you into opinion writing to begin with?

Cosmo Garvin: It was an accident mostly. I don’t think I was particularly interested in opinion writing, I was much more comfortable with the reportorial sort of approach. I inherited the Bites column, a couple of times, and ultimately decided to turn it into something of a city column. What I found was that I could use opinion and satire to get more information and more context across to readers. It’s still reporting, it still has to be fair and accurate. But it’s richer in some ways, because you don’t have to pretend to not care about the facts of the story.

JG: What other opinion writers do you admire?

CG: I respect what Dan Morain does at the Bee. I’ve been digging Mark Paul’s blog California Fix. It’s arena season, so I’m reading Game to 100 a lot too. I like ransackedmedia a lot of course, and Craig Powell’s column in the Inside publications, though we hardly agree on everything. Anything William Burg writes is a must read. It probably sounds weird, but I scope out what city columnists do in other alt-weeklies and blogs in other towns. I’ve been reading Ben Joravsky’s blog for the Chicago Reader, and KJ’s got it so easy compared to what this guy has been doing to Rahm Emanuel on a daily basis (and to Daley before him). Sacramento, for being a political town, has a pretty docile press.

JG: How did you develop your style?

CG: Slowly. Clumsily. Lots of mistakes. Wait, I guess that is my style. Actually, Bites came with a certain weird style already built in when I inherited it. It came with this schtick: Bites always refers to Bites-self in the third person. Who or what Bites is exactly is never quite clear--Bites is basically a disembodied set of teeth of no certain age or gender. The tone of the column was always very snarky from the beginning. So that was the constraint, and I just tried to overlay some of my own personality on top of that, and suit it a little more to my purposes, which are still mostly journalistic.

JG: You're not Mayor Kevin Johnson's No. 1 fan. Do you ever worry about getting pigeonholed as someone who is always going to be against the mayor?

GC: Are you kidding? I’m a huge fan of Boss Johnson. He’s probably the main reason anybody reads the column. I can’t worry too much about being pigeonholed. I am always going to be against politicians acting like they are above the rules, or not being transparent about how they conduct the public’s business. I’ve noticed that the editors and owners of the paper do worry about it somewhat lately. And that’s caused some problems. But in other towns, in other times, there’s been a tradition of dogged criticism of mayors and other politicos by city columnists. Not sure if that’s a bygone thing, or a not-in-Sacramento thing, or what.

By the way, I was also really critical of a lot of what Heather Fargo did too. But nobody cared.

JG: When I spoke to parents who were concerned about the closure of Washington Elementary in Midtown, your name would come up often as a source of news that they turned to and trusted. What made you start to write about the school system? Do you see yourself as filling a void?

CG: I never wanted to write about schools at all. I was very old school about it and thought I shouldn’t do it, because I was married to a teacher and surely I couldn’t be “objective” about it. But over time I was just appalled at what the Bee was doing on education. Their beat reporters are good reporters, and they write lots of good stories about education issues. But they never, ever challenge the Sac City schools administration on some of the dubious stuff going on over there. And the Bee editorial board is so ideological on schools, it’s stunning how unfair they can be. So I just said screw it, I’m going to write from the point of view that I really think is missing. I try to be totally upfront about that: you read my stories or columns and you’re going to hear what teachers think, you are going hear from people who are trying to save public schools from the corporate “reform” stuff that’s being pushed by the Bee, because you’re not going to get it anywhere else in town.

JG: Some of the people coming to this workshop will be aspiring journalists, others will be residents who want to learn how to write a better op-ed or letter to the editor. What do you hope people gain from the session?

CG: I’m always looking for solid practical advice when I go to workshops like this. So I hope we can just get down to brass tacks. I’ve got some ideas about what makes good journalism and good opinion writing, but I want us to hear other people’s ideas too. Hopefully people who show up will get a ton of practical advice about how to be better writers and reporters. I’m looking for that information too, it’s a two-way thing.

JG: What do you see as the role (if any) for citizen journalism? What about as it pertains to opinion writing?

CG: I think citizen journalism is part of the media environment now, for good and for bad. I think it can be incredibly democratizing. The mainstream press (and the alternative press too) ignore all sorts of stories and big chunks of the community, because it’s not economical to cover them. Citizen journalism can help fill that gap, and sometimes show the commercial outfits what the real story is. Likewise, the commercial media only has so much bandwidth, so many column inches, that they’re willing to give over to community voices. Organizations like Sacramento Press and Access Sacramento can open that way up.

The downside is that citizen journalism is basically all unpaid journalism. Good in depth writing and reporting is difficult and time consuming. If we’re going to ask journalists to do kick-ass investigative reporting, and really cover their communities comprehensively and critically, for free, I worry about that.

JG: What keeps you writing?

CG: I don’t have any other skills to speak of.

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Sacramento Pro Soccer reaches out to fans, and brings an English Premier League team this summer

2013-03-27T15:57:24Z

While TV news trucks encircled city hall and Sacramento focused its attention on yet another twist in the Kings/Maloof/arena saga, Sacramento's newest professional sports franchise was busy rallying its fan base only a few blocks away.

Alley Katz, a beer and sports bar on on 21st and O streets, was full with about 150 boisterous soccer fans Tuesday night. They had come to watch the United States national team play Mexico away in a crucial World Cup qualifier, and to hear the latest announcement from Sacramento Professional Soccer, USL-Pro league franchise that is starting in Sacramento in 2014, with ambitions of one day joining Major League Soccer.

The crowd quieted down at half time to hear Warren Smith, the owner/president of Sacramento Pro Soccer and the co-founder of the River Cats, speak.

"This is about Sacramento for me. I'm not a soccer guy but I'm learning to become one every day,” he told the crowd. “I've just fallen in love with this sport, I've fallen in love with the people and frankly, across the world, people are helping us develop something special. So we want to do that for the people of Sacramento and help Sacramento grow. The eventual goal is to get into Major League Soccer... I know what we need to do to implement that plan."

Smith made several announcements:

• The team will soon be holding a naming contest via its web page, www.sacprosoccer.com, on April 1. The team's nickname and colors will be chosen by fans.

• The team's jersey and kit will be unveiled the week of July 15, during an event at Raley Field dubbed Sacramento Soccer Day. The day will begin with a game between a mid-tier English Premier League team and a Mexican League team, followed by a match between an all-star team of professional players from Sacramento, who will wear the team's jersey, and a collection of players from Major League Soccer.

"We have 26 players (from Sacramento) who were drafted and played and spent a lot of time in Major League Soccer,” Smith said after the game. “They got to play everywhere but home. In rolling our kit, we wanted our fans to get the chance to see those players.”

• Sacramento City College’s Hughes Stadium, where the team will play its games in the 2014 season, can serve beer next year. This announcement drew a cheer from the fans, many of whom had already helped themselves to a free beer from the team.

The Sacramento chapter of American Outlaws, a supporters club for U.S. national team, lead chants throughout the game. R.J. Cooper, the president of the group, was impressed with what Smith had to say.

"I think it’s great that we have ownership behind our pro-team that's putting money behind it,” he said. “I think we're all really excited as supporters to get behind them vocally, show our colors, and I think it's going to be a success.”

Byron Colborn, a 30-year-old fan from Davis, was optimistic the team would succeed. “With a good field and good support, just like there is tonight at Alley Cats, I think soccer can go far in Sacramento.”

Smith said the team has been holding off from making announcements over the last few weeks, as the city is focused on the fate of the Sacramento Kings, but will pick up the pace once the NBA makes its decision.

The night also served as a chance for Smith to mix with the crowd, shake hands, and a drink a few beers with nervous fans, who watched the US play poorly but still manage the unlikely result of drawing 0-0 with Mexico.

"Those that understand the sport – it's deep, it's deep knowledge," He said. "It's almost similar to baseball in that there is so much in the game that people don’t understand because you just have to be around it. I'm becoming more and more versed in the game. We're trying to be exceptionally true to the game, meaning that we're trying to create that culture, that Portland/European culture, and in order to do that, I have to listen, and the first step is being willing to listen and get feedback from fans.”

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DIY urbanism – open forum downtown on March 18

2013-03-12T07:30:49Z

It was Second Saturday, and Demetri Gregorakis, a 27-year-old graphic designer and marketing consultant, was looking the part of a creative professional about to hit the gallery scene. He wore a dark blazer, khaki shorts, a blue button-up dress shirt and brown, leather loafers.

But Gregorakis had other plans: he spent much of the evening behind the counter of a Caribbean restaurant, taking customer orders and scooping rice and crab curry onto Styrofoam plates.

He's worked in the restaurant business before, but hasn't taken up a new line of work or picked up a side job. Gregorakis was there because he is one of the primary organizers behind Turn Downtown Around, the new group seeking to push the revitalization of Sacramento's downtown core, and TDA has made turning around C afe Connection, a Caribbean restaurant at 1007 L St, street, one of its first projects.

The cafe has been struggling recently, and the owner, Debbie Rajkumar, vented her frustrations to Gregorakis one day last month when he stopped by to tell her about TDA. He volunteered to help, and on Saturday, TDA partnered with Mr. Sac Town, the new Sacramento artist-run site, to throw a Second Saturday showing and party at Cafe Connection.

Artists who work with Mr. Sac Town displayed their works on the walls, and the restaurant offered free wine and drink and food specials – including, my favorite, their spicy jerk burger sliders. A steady stream of regular patrons and friends of the artists kept Cafe Connection full for most of the evening, As the crowd grew, Gregorakis rushed back behind the counter to help Rajkumar manage the orders.

The night went well for the artists (several sold paintings) and the restaurant in the way TDA and Gregorakis had planned.

"I feel like it's my birthday," Rajkumar said when asked how she thought the night had gone.

For Gregorakis, the Second Saturday event was a way to show Cafe Connection that they weren't alone – they have neighbors who are willing to help.

"I think that the feeling that (Cafe Connection) gets from me coming in there is a renewed sense of faith in the community," Gregorakis said during an interview the following day. "That we are going to band together and help each other out and move from competition to collaboration and cooperation."

These kind of direct, citizen initiated, street-level projects are what Turn Downtown Around is all about, Gregorakis said, and the group hopes to come up with more during its "Open Forum" that will be held next Wednesday, March 18, at the Downtown Plaza. (TDA has also helped put on the downtown Beer Bust, which is happening this Thursday, also at the plaza).

The agenda for the forum includes opening statements from Gregorakis and TDA collaborator Carina Lampkin, followed by presentation from local historian (and prolific Sacramento Press commentor) William Burg on the challenges facing downtown Sacramento and what can be learned from other cities.

Attendees will be encouraged to talk about what they view as the problems downtown face and the potential solutions. Gregorakis hopes to get lists of volunteers to help address specific concerns that come up during the forum.

The goal, he said, is to find ways that people at the event can use their respective skill sets to address the problems themselves, rather than waiting for the city government or other organizations to act.

What TDA does not plan to do is protest. When Gregorakis saw reader comments on a recent Sacramento Press story suggesting that TDA protest at Mayor Kevin Johnson’s The State of the City speech on Feb. 28, he posted a response on the TDA Facebook page:

"The article that came out on Sac Press is making people do what online articles always do- the comment section is blowing up with a lot of support but also a lot talk about the past- the blame game, I have a response for that, a real call to action.

This is it:

TDA will never protest or allow its name to be associated with protests. We can do so much better than just be angry about what is happening, we can actually make real change!"

The approach of TDA – as illustrated by the still ongoing Cafe Connection project – differs drastically from the last social group seeking change that, for a few months last year, had its own presence downtown: Occupy Sacramento.

"I wouldn't even put those two (groups) together in any list or category," Gregorakis said. "This is direct citizen action that doesn't involve officials necessarily. I'm not saying that we never would (involve city officials) but there is so much that we can do now that doesn't even involve the city to make this place better so that the businesses can survive and so the citizens have somewhere to go and be proud of where they live."

Ash Roughani, who started CivicMeet, and is one of the founders of Code for Sacramento, admires the approach TDA have chosen.

"I think that what TDA is doing is great," he said. "They are showing that citizens can be rallied to not just protest and complain about what the government is doing but actually be part of the process and the culture shift that needs to happen to get government more innovative in terms of working with citizens to achieve the same goals that government is trying to achieve on its own."

Burg, the historian, sees TDA as the latest of a series of groups that, from the ‘60s onward, have focused on the central city.

"There have been several generations over the last 40 years or so interested in returning to the central city and in living downtown," he said. “For the past 30 years or so, they've been going against the tide, but in the past decade we've seen a return to urbanism not just in the biggest cities but also in medium-sized cities."

In Sacramento, the gay and lesbian community were some of the first urban pioneers, Burg said. More recently, in the ‘80s and ‘90s, the punk scene, and music venues like The Loft or a record store like Hinderburg Records became epicenters for community activism and a DIY mentality that can be seen in groups like TDA today.

"Part of the punk scene was the Do It Yourself ethic, the idea that, rather than depending on hand-down media for you to consume, whether it's food or a record, to do it yourself, to make your own records, to make your media, to make your own food," Burg said. "It's the same lesson that hippies learned a generation earlier. If you don't find something to meet your needs, the idea is, rather than being a passive consumer, to do it yourself. And it's the same fundamental idea that's happening today. If you don't like the kind of city that's being offered, if the folk higher up, whether it's the business community or the government, are handing down to you and saying this is our city product – if it's unacceptable to you, if it's not meeting your needs, build your own city, do your own city, learn how to organize, learn how to start a business, learn how to promote the kind of place where you want to live. And that's what I think something like this is – the opportunity to teach and to learn the skills of city making and community building."

The younger generation taking up the mantle Burg is referring to are the millennials, and the phenomena of millennials moving back to the central city is hardly new or unique to Sacramento. A whole generation of 20 and 30-somethings that grew up in the suburbs have been moving back into cities (Gregorakis fits the bill: he grew up in Elk Grove and moved to Midtown when he was 24). As the urban planner and author Jeff Speck noted in his book "Walkabity," "Sixty-four percent of college-educated millennials choose first where they want to live, and only then do they look for a job. Fully 77 percent of them plan to live in America’s urban cores."

What's new about TDA is that it’s an example of millennials starting to organize themselves politically. TDA is open to people of all ages interested in their mission, but, when you look at the group's Facebook page, or go to a meeting, many of the participants are young professionals and entrepreneurs who moved to the central city sometime over the last five years. Part of the process of "community building" that Burg alluded to is that, with a new group of people arriving in the city, new organizations will form and new voices will join the political mix. It's no coincidence that Steve Hansen is the youngest person on City Council and that he represents downtown and Midtown.

It remains to be seen what TDA's role will be in the long term. While Gregorakis and Lampkin are considering forming a nonprofit, at the moment, there is no formal way for anyone to join, other than by "liking" the Facebook page.

"I want to keep it as informal as possible," Gregorakis said. "As soon as this becomes a self-serving entity, then it's going to fail. I don't want this to become something that's here for ego stroking. I want to keep it grassroots."

Burg thinks the group needs time to develop before it can be categorized. He’s eager to see who will show up for the forum next week.

"I don't think we know what it is yet," he said. "That's part of the journey of the next few months is going to be finding out what it is and I don't think you can put a label on a group like this in advance. You sort of have to see who shows up and what they're bringing to the table and then go from there."

Meet Mr. SAC-Town: site seeks to create local online artist community

2013-03-05T16:33:53Z

On a Sunday night in downtown Sacramento, in a small, shared office space and studio above an alley, an artist and an internet marketer worked late into the night, putting the final touches on a project they hoped would transform the city's art scene.

It's far too early to tell whether MrSACTown.com, a site featuring local artists, will live up to the ambitions of its founders, Jessica Ann and veteran Sacramento artist Patrick Ardell, known as El Dreko, but it has maintained a steady momentum since launching on Sunday, Feb. 29. The Facebook “likes” have grown briskly, and over 20 local artists have joined by submitting their work to be featured on the site.

"We're in the clouds right now," Jessica Ann said during an interview Friday at Shine Cafe. "We didn't expect it to take off as quickly as it has."

El Dreko had been kicking around the idea of a local, artist-run site that would be both a marketing tool and an an online community, but hadn't been able to get the project off the ground. That changed when he met Jessica Ann earlier this year, after she moved her workspace to 1009 9th street, where Dreko has been based since the 1980s. An internet marketer specializing in Google Maps and local SEO, Jessica Ann knew the web and could put together a team to build a site. She moved to Sacramento from Portland in 2011, and was looking for a new project that would allow her to connect with the local arts scene and get to know the city better. A collaboration quickly ensued.

"Mr. SAC-Town was born on magic," El Dreko said. “She (Ann) came here looking, she was searching, and this is where she arrived. So it's built on fate."

Artists join Mr. SAC-Town by emailing in their bio, samples of their work via Dropbox, links to their social media accounts and other basic information requested by the site. Ann or one of her staff then set up a profile for the artist, and send an email with login details and instructions for uploading and sharing their own content.

El Dreko has been a fixture in the Sacramento arts community for more than 30 years, but has grown frustrated with what he sees as "the morass" of the current scene, particularly the Second Saturday art walks. He is one of many skeptics who think the festival-like event serves businesses better than it does the artists.

He hopes Mr. SAC-Town will grow into an online version of an “artists cafe, a coffee house” that gives local artists exposure outside the city and allows them to reach their audiences directly.

"The [Sacramento] News and Review came out with something two years ago that said, 'Well now that Second Saturday has died as far as the art scene goes, it's up to the artist to decide where it's going to go next,' and this is it," Dreko said."This is where it's going next. This is going to be about the artist. It's what they do.”

While Dreko is in his 70s, he hopes the site becomes a platform for a younger generation of Sacramento artists.

“The young guard will maybe bring something more relevant to the language of art,” he said. “And maybe in these tumultuous times, will bring solutions and scintillating thought-provoking commentary.”

Karishma Patel or “Karma” is a mixed media artist, and was among the first to be featured. She thinks the site fills a need for young artists.

“What she is trying to do is what Sacramento needs and has been needing,” Patel said. The artists that I know, including myself, we’re good at what we do but marketing, advertising and just getting publicity – I know it’s not my forte.”

Kainan Becker has joined the site and has since reached out to other artists who are also members. He thinks the “community” or network aspect of the site will help him improve his craft.

"If you're seeing all this great stuff that's being done out there, that constantly motivates you,“ he said. “Like me, everytime I see something (that I admire) out there, it makes me re-challenge myself and say ‘I can do better.’"

As a site with community aspirations and democratic values, Mr. SAC-Town welcomes all genres, a fact that means it will never be popular with those who have very particular definition of art or who aspire to be seen as more “fine art.” Hip-hop emcee Mahtie Bush, known for “Sacramento Hates Hip-Hop” and “Backpackramento,” thinks the mix is a good thing.

“It’s getting everybody involved from different genres of art,” he said in a phone interview. “Not just music but (visual) art. In the Sacramento hip-hop scene, it’s kinda hard to cross over for some reason.”

El Dreko and Jessica Ann also hope that their project will help empower and organize the artist community politically. Their goals on that front are still taking shape, but one thing on their agenda now is the city’s yearly Chalk It Up festival. Artists, they believe, shouldn’t be asked to draw sponsor’s logos on the pavement in Fremont Park, but should be free to create what they see fit.

“I think we need to let them have their creative freedom, and really, I think it's time artists took back Chalk It Up,” Jessica Ann said.

What direction the site goes in from here isn’t entirely planned out. Ann plans to do a series of interviews with artists and will let what she hears – as far as their needs and concerns – direct where the site goes next.

“I don't want to define ourselves too soon,” she said. “I don't want to put ourselves in a box.”

For El Dreko, it’s the artists who will decide.

“They will create Mr. SAC-Town. They are Mr. SAC-Town. We'll connect them, then it's up to them.”

Live photo blog: Student association protest in Sacramento

2013-03-04T15:41:28Z

College students from across the state have descended on Sacramento today for a protest again cuts in higher education.

About 5,000 students are expected to rally on the west side of the Capitol Mall, near the traffic circle, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. according to the event permit.

We'll be live blogging with photos, videos, audio interviews and whatever else we can muster. If you're at the protest today, or just have something to say on the issue, join the conversation by clicking on the "Comment Now" link below.

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.

Group seeks to Turn Downtown Around - ‘Get up and help, don't hate’

2013-02-26T15:42:05Z

While Mayor Kevin Johnson, the City Council and a good chunk of the media are focused on the fate of the Sacramento Kings, a group of renegade entrepreneurs in downtown has decided that, arena or no arena, basketball team or not, they are going to start pushing to improve the neighborhood where they work and live.

You may already have heard of Turn Downtown Around, a community group made up of business owners and downtown residents, mostly in their 20s and 30s. The group is still informal at this point but it has a vibrant Facebook page and big ambitions.

I recently had the chance to meet with about a dozen people who say they're committed to the group and its mission. We’ll be featuring a few of them as part of a new series on Sac Press about people in their 20s and 30s who have decided that they want to make their mark in Sacramento, and help transform this city for the better.

It has to start with Carina Lampkin, the chef and owner of Blackbird Restaurant and Bar, and one the lead organizers of TDA and, while she hasn’t formally adopted the title, its founder. She has worked with the Downtown Sacramento Partnership to put together the group's first event, the Downtown Beer Bust, an "evening of local food, beer, art and music" occurring at the Downtown Plaza on March 14. Tickets cost $35 in advance, $40 at the door, and proceeds will benefit The Downtown Sacramento Foundation's Downtown Mural Project in The Kay district. The project aims to commission 14 local artists to paint murals on the wooden barrier that blocks of the vacant, city owned lot at the corner of 8th and K streets.

We'll be have more on the Beer Bust on Sac Press, but you can get all the details on the event’s Facebook page here.

First, we wanted to hear from Lampkin about her goals for TDA, and what she hopes the event and mural project will accomplish. The 8th block of K is of particular concern to her – Blackbird is just a block away, on 9th Street between J and K Streets, and she hopes that the murals will be the first step in the larger process to revitalize the eastern end of K Street, and has taken the same approach with the walls around her resturant.

We spoke by phone last Friday, and oddly enough, John F. Kennedy came up twice.

Sac Press: Why did you think it was necessary to start Turn Downtown Around?

Carina Lampkin: I just don't feel like there was enough movement. The government is broke and they're also responsible for all the bad decisions that lead us to where we are today. I think planning and creativity need to come from the citizens because they live here and they know the culture and they know the needs of where they live. It's not people living three counties away in the suburbs, not the baby boomer generation.

SP: While it's not exclusive to any age group, to what extent do you think TDA is trying to be the voice of a younger generation of business owners and professionals downtown?

CL: Well, I think a lot of decisions are made by the Sacramento Metro Chamber and I don't think there's more than two people who were born after the Kennedy assassination. So we have all these baby boomers still calling the shots. Meanwhile they won't come down here because they don't want to pay for parking. Zoning ordinances need to be changes, slumlords need to be harassed, developers need to be enticed, and I think Sacramento needs more of an identity.

SP: Downtown faces a lot of challenges. What are your first priorities as an organization?

CL: The eighth block of K. I want to see it turned around by 2015 or 2014, not 2020, and if they are going to get a developer, I want to see the developer with a site plan within a year.

SP: What's the relationship between Turn Downtown Around and The Downtown Partnership?

CL: The Downtown Partnership knows all of the district supervisors, the chief of police, they work on making the city safer and recruiting business and I think TDA can be essential to them by just rallying the troops, raising money and getting people motivated. Our role is to get citizens to imagine change, and then actually get up, turn off the television and come do something.

SP: What would you say to people that hear talk like that and scoff?

CL: So, what did you do yesterday for your town? Kinda like Kennedy, "Ask not what we can do for you, but what you can do for us." I would say "Lend a hand, not a poor opinion. Get up and help, don't hate.”

SP: Where would you like to see downtown in five years?

CL: The west side of K Street has always been known as the west-end K, and it's always been slummy. I would like it to look sexy like the east end of K. There is the beautiful water-fountain put there by David Taylor when he first redeveloped that in the early 200s. Then as you go down there is the beautiful Crest Theater with the neon lights, there is the sushi bar, there is Kay Bar, there is the Pizza Rock development. Where I'm at, 9th through 5th. There are two vacant properties that the city owns, so those need to be activated. I think we could definitely use a few art museums or galleries and more housing for this area.

If Kings leave, that mall needs to be re-developed and we need to recruit local retailers that have an eye for design and some national retailers that are just in the zeitgeist – like American Apparel needs to be down here, Apple needs to be down here. We need more amenities too - a yoga studio downtown would be fantastic. And art everywhere.

SP: The proceeds from the Beer Bust will go toward commissioning artists to paint murals at the corner of 8th and K Streets. How will that help turn downtown around?

CL: Putting the murals up is just a way to kind of ignite the fire, create a conversation with the community to add interest and bring people downtown. It also acts as urban camouflage, putting bandaids over things that look ugly, but if we look beyond, once we all notice that it's ugly, we can imagine change, and once we imagine something, we can make it happen, but we just have to get everybody dreaming.

THIS INTERVIEW HAS BEEN EDITED AND CONDENSED

Sacramento's first civic hackathon kicks off Code for Sacramento

2013-02-23T23:36:14Z

Programers, database gurus, designers and local web professionals of all types participated in Sacramento's first civic hackathon Saturday at the HackerLab. With burritos in abundant supply and chill techno soundtrack playing the background, teams developed ideas for web tools meant to tackle problems like global warming awareness, judicial bias and campaign finance.

The event was the debut of Code for Sacramento, a local branch of Code for America, a national nonprofit that brings programmers and web professionals to work with city governments to help solve civic issues.

Ash Roughani is one of the "co-captains" of Code for Sacramento (along with Gina Lujan and Eric Ullrich of Hackerlab). We caught up with him via email Sunday night to get his take on the significance of the event.

Sac Press: What do you think was accomplished?

Ash Roughani: This wasn't just Sacramento's first civic hackathon, but Code for Sacramento's first event. Period. So we had no idea what to expect in terms of interest in civic hacking among residents. Turnout, by far, exceeded all of our expectations and it was clear that participants found value in the projects they pursued.

SP: What were the takeways? Any memorable moments?

Roughani: There was definitely some worry when we realized that Sacramento doesn't have a centralized open data portal. I sort of expected that coders would come in with ideas and we could then find the necessary data to make those projects reality. That's me coming from the policy world I used to work in, so I totally underestimated the need for a centralized data repository. It turns out that programmers don't think like policy wonks, so we all had this "uh, oh" moment when we realized that all the programmers needed to see what data was available before they could come up with some useful applications to build with the data.

SP: How do you see the open data movement evolving in Sacramento?

Roughani: We definitely need to prioritize getting an open data portal off the ground. It's going to take the cooperation of the six counties and 22 cities in our region. In fact, the regional approach to governance that's being led by organizations like SACOG and Valley Vision is what really sets us apart from the big urban cities where decision-making is consolidated - making it much easier for them to deploy open data platforms. But we have a major opportunity to put Sacramento at the forefront of public sector innovation by institutionalizing collaboration across different governmental jurisdictions through the use of a regional open data portal that is connected to application programming interfaces (APIs) at every public agency. Whether or not the political will exists to push that forward remains to be seen, but this fundamentally is the future of governance in the 21st Century. So we can choose to lead that transformation or settle for mediocrity and catch up with everyone else ten years from now.

SP: What does Code for America do in Sacramento exactly and where is that headed?

Roughani: Code for Sacramento is a joint venture between Public Innovation and Hacker Lab. Now that we know there's interest in civic hacking here, we want to start a series of monthly meetups which will allow us to grow the community and work on small projects between hackathons.

SP: When is the next civic hackathon? How can people get involved?

Roughani: June 1-2, 2013 is the National Day of Civic Hacking. We jumped on this really early, so we were actually mentioned in a White House blog post last month. It's going to be a huge event for us and we want to start lining up sponsorships, as well as aggregating datasets for participants to use. Anyone who's interested can go to codeforsacramento.org and find links to our Meetup group and discussion forum. We're aiming to do around four civic hackathons per year and continue growing the community through monthly meetups.

Below are a few highlights of the teams that particpated and their projects:

Stephane Come (left) and Ben Smith (right) worked on what they call the "Global warming clock." It would be a smartphone app that would show how temperatures have changed overtime in a given location.

"The idea of the clock is to make a way that a normal person can interact with climate change, with climate data," Smith said. "We're not necessarily interested in saying if it's true, saying if it's false. We just want to make it easy for your average layman to access the data, to make their own conclusions.

Hailey Pate (left) and Jeannette Vollmer (right) worked together to develop a way to use data and statistics to identity biases and trends in the decisions of judges. The program would be able to use court data and show how a given judge has ruled in certain kinds of cases with specific type of defendant, like DUIs involving women defendants or what have you. The tendencies of individual judges could be compared with national averages or means to identity statical deviations and potential biases.

Phoebe Ayer spent the afternoon working on updating SacWiki, which is much like a local version of Wikipedia. Here she talks about the site and her favorite entries.

Finally, he's a video with snippets of the event produced by Code for Sacramento:

Code for Sacramento :: Code Across America 2013 Hackathon from Public Innovation on Vimeo.

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.

Changes to The Sacramento Press contributor guidelines: Citizen journalism, marketing and everything in between

2013-02-20T03:12:54Z

We're announcing an important change in our community contributor guidelines.

The Sacramento Press has recently gone through some restructuring, and we’ve had to think hard about everything we do, with the goal of becoming more sustainable and serving our community better.

It is within this context that we've decided to ask that businesses or organizations no longer publish articles about themselves or their clients on SacramentoPress.com. Instead, we ask that they submit these stories as pitches to our editorial staff and community contributors. This can be done by email at localnews [at] Sacramentopress.com or via our submit a pitch form.

If an organization or a business has news to share, then it will be all the more powerful if that story is told with an independent voice and perspective. Our community manager, Allison Joy, knows our contributors well, and helps them find the stories that fit their interests and areas of expertise. Though we cannot guarantee coverage, we feel that this method will better serve our readers and result in better, more compelling stories.

We will pay particular attention to story pitches that come from nonprofits, as nonprofits tend to have a sense of mission and community spirit that we hope is part of what The Sacramento Press represents. Notices about free events or fundraisers will be published by our staff as "Public Service Announcements." If you know of one, you can email us about it at psa[at]sacramentopress.com.

There will be cases in which local nonprofits whom we’ve established community partnerships with will be allowed to post on their own behalf. We’ll still require that the posts be in article format (not press releases) and that they tell a story (here's a good example). The criteria which governs this posts will evolve. In general, there will be kinks as we figure out the best way to implement this policy and we appreciate the patience of local organizations and our readership. Your feedback, as is always the case at The Sacramento Press, is welcome.

Of course, anyone who wants to reach our audience for marketing purposes should consider advertising on the site. We will allow clearly labeled advertorials, and sponsored live chats or Q&As. We see our advertisers as community partners, and we will support them in ways that are transparent and upfront with our readers.

I realize that many public relations professionals have been encouraged to post on the site and we're grateful for the contributions they've made over the years. My hope is that the spirit of this policy comes across as straightforward and reasonable, and it that it will ultimately make Sac Press a better and more credible source for local information and news.

The Sacramento Press is a platform for citizen journalism and civic discourse. This is a site where people can talk about what's going on in their neighborhood, or share what they think about the opening of a new brewery, the latest show to come to town or the last City Council meeting. Our audience has grown steadily over the last several months, and we have a lot of exciting projects in the pipeline, including a new website design with lots of new features.

There are more changes to come. Keep letting us know what you think and we'll keep listening.

Disclosure: Jared Goyette is the editor and general manager of The Sacramento Press. He can be reached at jared[at]sacramentopress.com or at 916-720-9245,

Standoff in Natomas ends with two arrests

2013-02-14T05:13:01Z

A standoff with two suspects in an apartment complex in Natomas ended Wednesday after Sacramento Police arrested both men.

"We have good news at this point. Both suspects the Sheriff's Department detectives were looking for earlier this evening, we have them in custody," said Michelle Gigante, spokesperson for the Sacramento Police Department.

The full statement from Gigante:

The incident began in the early afternoon when Sacramento Sheriff Deputies and Sacramento Police Officers arrived at a condominium complex near Club Center Drive and Natomas Boulevard to arrest a parolee on felony charge.

The facts, according to Gigante:

- At about 3:30 p.m. a woman who came out of the apartment was detained by police, who questioned her and verified that the wanted suspect was inside with another man.

- At no time was there a hostage situation, but both subjects refused to come out, Gigiante said.

- The Sacramento Police Department SWAT team and Hostage Negotiation were called to the scene and the suspects surrounded by 6:15 p.m.

- Nearby apartments were evacuated and Northbound Natomas was closed for a short time.

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.

Mayor Kevin Johnson's Feb. 12 press conference - as it happened

2013-02-12T18:20:30Z

Mayor Kevin Johnson held his weekly press conference Tuesday at 11 a.m. Read our coverage as it happened below.

An Afro-Brazilian Carnaval beat is coming to Midtown Sacramento

2013-02-08T19:31:30Z

If the the music you think of when you hear the words "Brazilian Carnaval" is the traditional samba played during the parades of Rio de Janeiro, you may be in for a surprise if you go to the Carnaval show taking place at the YMCA on 17th Street on Feb. 16.

During the show, which was organized by the The Brazilian Center For Cultural Exchange Of Sacramenton, the drums will be a bit heavier, the rhythms funkier, and the dancing, a little more freeform.

"People outside of Brazil, they think Brazil is only traditional samba with girls dancing with small bikinis and a lot of feathers", said Ney Rios of BatuAxe, one of the bands scheduled to perform. "But we do it different, we try to show the other side of Brazil. We have a rich tradition, a rich culture. We can show more than just people shaking the booty."

Rios, who spoke with The Sacramento Press over the phone, is a guest of the San Francisco band "Tambores Julio Remelexo." Local groups including Mistura Brasileira Samba Dance Co., Henna and Kohl Bellydance Co. and Agua de Beber Capoeira will also play.

Rios now lives in Los Angeles, but is originally from Salvador, a city in the northeast of Brazil that is capital of the state of Bahia and the center of Afro-Brazilian culture and music.

Before Rios came to the United States seven years ago, he sang for Olodum, a percussion ensemble and culutral activist group that pioneered a highly danceable combination of samba and reggae called, predictably, Samba-Reggae, and was featured in a Michael Jackson video for the song, "They don't really care about us."

Rios will be on stage with at least four drummers for the Sacramento show, and all that percussion will be there with one purpose in mind.

"Brazilian music, especially music from Bahia, is music to dance," he said.

The genre draws its meter (6/8) and some of its rhythmic base from Candomble, the Afro-Brazilian religion that developed in a way similar to the way Voodoo did in Haiti and New Orleans, or Santeria in Cuba – as a syncretic mix of West African religion and Catholicism. During part of the typical Candomble ceremony, followers enter into a trance-like state as they "receive the spirit" and perform the dance of their patron saint or deity.

For Rios, this connection is important, as it is part of the heritage of his music. "The Candomble ceremony has to have the music or people are not going to receive the spirit," he said. "The music is connected with Candomble and Candomble is connected with the music."

While some of the rhythms may go back centuries, the Samba-Reggae that Rios plays includes a few Bob Marley covers, and can draw from funk or even hip-hop. It's a cross-genre, cross-generational fusion that is uniquely Afro-Brazilian, and may be new for some of the Sacramentans at the show on the sixteenth.

"They are going to see something different, they are going to feel a different groove, from what they usually see, or usually hear," Rios said. "They are going to want to go to the next show. I promise, it's going to be a lot of fun."

You don’t need to know how to actually samba either: just move to the beat. When you feel the force of the Surdo, the big Brazilian bass drum, vibrating your chest, it may be hard to contemplate doing anything else.

"I don't have to ask anybody to dance – the music is going to call them to dance," Rios said. "It has a lot of percussion, it has a lot of drums. It's African music. The people at this show are going to be happy because we're going to make them dance all night long."

The Brazilian Carnaval in Sacramento takes place on February 16 at the YMCA at 1122 17th St., Sacramento. Doors open at 8:00 PM. Tickets are $15 advance/ $20 door admission. The show also features performances by Ney Rios, "Tambores Julio Remelexo the local groups including Mistura Brasileira Samba Dance Co., Henna and Kohl Bellydance Co. and Agua de Beber Capoeira. Traditional Brazilian food and Caipirinha cocktails will be available for purchase. For tickets and information visit www.braziliancentersac.org or call 916-387-7344.

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Disclosure: After this article was planned, The Brazilian Center began advertizing on the Sac Press. There was no way this reporter was not going to write about it, as he lived in Salvador for about two years and lives in an American-Bahian household.

Mayor Kevin Johnson press conference: Sacramento Kings and the state of the city - as it happened

2013-02-05T16:45:10Z

Mayor Kevin Johnson's press conference and update on the King's situation is now over. Listen to the audio and read our live coverage as it happened below.

PSA: Two puppies found in the Pocket

2013-01-22T15:15:17Z

Noah Painter, the District Director for Councilmember Darrell Fong, sent out this email alert Monday night:

"Two puppies were found Monday around 4:45 pm near the Robbie Water’s Library. We have attached pictures of the dogs. The dogs do not have a chip. The dogs are currently safe and warm with a kind citizen. If you recognize the puppies, please contact Kathy. Her contact information is: 804-9810 or email: pnpdavies[at]sbcglobal.net."

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.

Maloof family (finally) announces agreement to sell Kings

2013-01-21T15:27:47Z

Details are still being kept quiet, but the Kings are officially planning to leave Sacramento.

Announced early Monday morning via press release, the Maloof family said "that an executed purchase and sale agreement has been reached to sell the family's interest in the National Basketball Association (NBS) Sacramento Kings to a group led by investor Chris Hansen."

No comments or details regarding the agreement is being released, as the transaction requires approval by the NBA's board of governors, the release states.

Mayor Kevin Johnson was quick to react to the news, by tweeting that the deal isn't quite done. "Let me be clear. Though agreement btw Maloors & Seattle is out, deal is NOT done. Sac can still present an offer 2 NBA BOG. #playingtowin," he tweeted.

The Maloof family expressed gratitude toward Sacramento and its fans. "We have always appreciated and treasured our ownership of the Kings and have a great admiration for the fans and our team members," Kings co-owner Gavin Maloof stated in the release. "We would also like to thank Chris Hansen for his professionalism during our negotiation. Chris will be a great steward for the franchise."

Hansen returned the compliment on the Sonics Arena website, and essentially echoed the same sentiments. "We are happy to announce that we have entered into a binding agreement with the Maloofs to purchase a controlling interest in the Sacramento NBA franchise," he wrote.

"While we are not at liberty to discuss the terms of the transaction or our plans for the franchise given the confidential nature of the agreement and NBA regulations regarding public comments during a pending transaction, we would just like to extend our sincerest compliments and gratitude toward the Maloof family. Our negotiations with the family were handled with the utmost honor and professionalism and we hope to continue their legacy and be great stewards of this NBA franchise in the coming years and decades."

The team's relocation to Seattle has to be approved by the NBA relocation committee, which Yahoo! Sports writer Adrian Wojnarowski reports is just a "formality."

Hansen's group would pay about $340 million in the deal, or 65 percent of the $525 million total franchise valuation, according to an article in SBNation.

- KAREN WILKINSON

See the official statements below.

Statement from Chris Hansen:

"We are happy to announce that we have entered into a binding agreement with the Maloofs to purchase a controlling interest in the Sacramento Kings NBA franchise. The sale is obviously subject to approval by the NBA Board of Governors, and we look forward to working with the League in the coming months to consummate the transaction.

While we are not at liberty to discuss the terms of the transaction or our plans for the franchise given the confidential nature of the agreement and NBA regulations regarding public comments during a pending transaction, we would just like to extend our sincerest compliments and gratitude toward the Maloof family. Our negotiations with the family were handled with the utmost honor and professionalism and we hope to continue their legacy and be great stewards of this NBA franchise in the coming years and decades."

Press release from the Maloof family:

"The Maloof family announced today that an executed purchase and sale agreement has been reached to sell the family’s interest in the National Basketball Association (NBA) Sacramento Kings to a group led by investor Chris Hansen. The transaction requires approval by the NBA's Board of Governors and therefore no comments or details regarding the agreement will be released.

“We have always appreciated and treasured our ownership of the Kings and have had a great admiration for the fans and our team members. We would also like thank Chris Hansen for his professionalism during our negotiation. Chris will be a great steward for the franchise,” said Gavin Maloof, Kings co-owner speaking on behalf of the Maloof family."

Statement from Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson

"Sacramento has proven that it is a strong NBA market with a fan base that year in and year out has demonstrated a commitment to the Kings by selling out 19 of 27 seasons in a Top 20 market and owning two of the longest sellout streaks in NBA history. When it comes to keeping the team in our community, Sacramento is playing to win. In particular, we have been focused like a laser on identifying an ownership group that will both have the financial resources desired by the NBA and the vision to make the Kings the NBA equivalent of what the Green Bay Packers have been in the NFL."

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.

Open thread: What's the state of downtown Sacramento?

2013-01-15T16:05:15Z

This morning we're running a live feed of the annual State of Downtown breakfast. Here's a rundown of the program via the Downtown Partnership. We're streaming the audio here:

The event begins 8 am and should wrap up by 10 am. The parnership will be live tweeting from @DowntownSac using the hashtag #SOD2013.

Speakers will include:

Michael Ault, State of Downtown
Congresswoman Doris Matsui, taped address
Presentation to outgoing board chair Steve Green, F&M Bank
Introduction to incoming board chair Jason Goff, Jones Lang LaSalle
VIBE Award Presentation to Sid Garcia-Heberger, Crest Theatre
Mayor Kevin Johnson, Mayoral Address
Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom, Keynote Address
Michael Ault, closing comments

Resources available online:
Videos of the VIBE Award Nominees: http://downtownsac.org/2013-vibe-nominees-announced/
2013 DSP Annual Report: http://downtownsac.org/policy-development/reports-publications/

What are your thoughts on the state of Sacramento's downtown? Share your thoughts in the conversation below.

Woman shot after resisting mugger in Midtown

2013-01-12T07:37:16Z

A woman was shot in Midtown Friday night when she resisted a man who was trying to steal her purse, according to police. The shooting occurred just after 10:30 p.m. on the 800 Block of 27th Street, half a block from where a community meeting on public safety was held Thursday night to address crime in Midtown.

The 34-year-old victim was shot in the arm, with the bullet traveling through to her chest, and was transported to a hospital in stable condition, according to Lieutenant Wendy Brown of the Sacramento Police Department.

The woman was attending a party and had stepped outside when she was approached by the suspect, police said.

"It sounded like a gun shot, and then a woman starting screaming, howling and then crying, and then there was nothing," said Lauren Ferrantelli, a neighbor.

An edited snippet of the interview with Ferrantelli:

Police have described the suspect as a male Hispanic, early 20’s, 5’11’’,with a red long sleeve shirt, blue jeans, moustache and goatee. Anyone with information about a crime can call the police dispatch center at (916) 264-5471 or Crime Alert at (916) 443-HELP (4357). Tips can also be texted to 274637 (CRIMES). Enter SACTIP followed by the tip information. Tipsters can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

There were 13 pedestrian robberies on the grid between Dec. 16, 2012, and Jan. 6, 2013, a fact cited by police during the community meeting Thursday, which was held to address residents's concerns over an increase in crime in the central city.

"It's definitively devastating for the community," Lt. Brown said of the incident Friday night. "Since the holiday season we've had additional law enforcement resources in the area, we're doing everything we can to keep the citizens of this area safe, and we'll continue to do so."

The full statement from Lt. Brown:

Sacramento Police Captain Ken. Bernard, who oversees the police patrol district that covers the neighborhood, sent this update to residents:

"I’m sorry to report that tonight, just after 10:30 pm, a woman was shot in front of an apartment building on 27th Street, between H and I. We believe that it was an attempted purse snatch. The only suspect information we have is a Male Hispanic, unknown age and that he ran off in an unknown direction.

Officers are continuing the investigation as I type this.

Please pass this information on to your contacts and I will keep you updated as I learn further."

Police advise against resisting robbery attempts. In an email sent to residents last month about the recent uptick in assaults on pedestrian s, Sacramento police Lieutenant Marc Coopwood said people should consider walking in pairs or groups at night, be aware of their surroundings and, not resist if mugged. "We do not want to see somebody get injured," he wrote.

City Councilmember Steve Hansen issued a statement Saturday morning.

"My thoughts are with the woman who was shot and hope for a full recovery," he wrote in an email. "Thankfully, police were only blocks away and responded instantly. For anyone who might have witnessed this, please contact the police to help identify the culprit."

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Community meeting to be held on crime in Midtown

2013-01-07T07:12:56Z

In the wake of a string of pedestrian robberies that rocked Midtown, the Sacramento Police Department will join community leaders for a meeting on public safety this Thursday night.

Councilman Steve Hansen, the Midtown Buisness Association, the Marshall School/New Era Park Neighborhood Association, the Midtown Neighborhood Association and the Alkali/Mansion Flats Historic Neighborhood Association, will be on hand at the Hart Senior Center at 915 27th Street from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., to "discuss tips on being prepared and staying safe," according to the event's Facebook page.

Hansen, who is visiting a series of neighborhood associations this week, said the purpose of the meeting was to, "gather concerns, hear what people's thoughts are and see what we can do to continue making people feel good about where they live."

"We're going to do as much as we can to make sure that not only are the residents safe but that we improve quality of life where we can," he said.

Last week officers arrested a group of men they suspect might have been behind several of the incidents and the robberies have since stopped.

Hansen said the police deserved recognition.

"I really applaud the police department," he said. "Even though times are tight and they haven't had any extra budget added, but they've reorganized and were able to deploy extra resources to these areas where there are problems to help people ensure their safety.”

There are also "bigger picture" public safety issues on Hansen's short-term agenda, including the selection of new police chief, creating a plan to restore funding to the department via the new funds made available after the passage of the Measure U sales tax, and addressing problem areas that have drawn numerous complaints from residents.

What do you think the priorities for new funding of the police department should be, and what specific areas or blocks in Downtown/Midtown do you think deserve the most attention? Let us know in the comments below – and tell the police and Hansen about it at the Jan. 10 meeting.

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Lowbrau to open with New Year's Eve show featuring St. Lucia

2012-12-27T16:37:18Z

Lowbrau, the new German beer hall at 20th and K streets, will be holding its official opening with a New Year's eve show.

St. Lucia, a Brooklyn based electronic pop group, is headlining. Their most popular track on SoundCloud, "September" is an atmospheric and danceable elctro track:

Tickets run $20 and can be purchased at Ace of Spaces site.

Lowbrau's beer menu is still coming together, but here's what they had prepared for their soft opening last week.

LowBrau

The idea for Lowbrau was partly inspired by other businesses with similar concepts – Wurstküche in Los Angeles and Suppenküche in San Francisco, and co-owner Michael Hargis said he hopes Lowbrau will see the same success in Sacramento.

In Germany, the beer hall is a communal gathering place, and the communal tables encourage strangers to get to know each other over a half-liter or liter of beer. Hargis said he hopes Lowbrau will be able to provide a similar sense of community in Midtown.

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UPDATE: Three teens arrested after mass brawl in the Arden Fair Mall food court

2012-12-27T01:43:03Z

Sacramento Police Public Information Officer Dough Morse explains what happen during a disturbance at the Arden Fair Mall on Wednesday, Dec. 26:

View the story "Update: Arden Fair back open after teens start huge ruckus in food court " on StorifyUpdate: Arden Fair back open after teens start huge ruckus in food court Storified by The Sacramento Press· Thu, Dec 27 2012 07:48:50

Three teens were arrested yesterday at the Arden Fair Mall after a mass brawl involving a group of about 20 juveniles who were caught on camera throwing signs and pushing people in the food court, according to the Sacramento Police Department. The incident caused a mass exodus from the mall as panicked customers mistook the sound of chairs and other objects hitting the ground for gunshots.

Here's what Public Information Officer Dough Morse told us:

- Police believe that there was no guns involved and that reports of a gunman or gunfire were unfounded.

-Three teens have been detained and about 20 were involved. They were caught on camera fighting, pushing people, throwing signs and in general "causing a disturbance."

- The incident was captured by mall surveillance cameras.

- The altercation started around 4:49 p.m. and police arrived within minutes. Morse indicated that the partnership the mall has with the department helped facilitate the quick response.

Listen to the full audio statement from Morse above for more details.

The incident was quickly trending on Twitter, as shoppers began posting messages about a "lockdown" and shots fired. Sacramento police were quick to dispel the rumors: Arden Mall is open to the public, reports of shooting and or subject with a gun are unfounded.Sacramento Police Large physical altercation at Arden Fair Mall, unfounded reports of gunfire, pd assisting with the disturbance.Sacramento Police While some shoppers twitted that they heard gunshots, one witness said he thought it was the sound of chairs falling – the conclusion the police said was supported the the video. At Arden Mall and saw a fight began. Somehow that led to everyone running saying there was a shooting. Chairs falling down is not a gun shotIsaac Gardon The helicopter and dozens of cop cars really aren't calming people. It's shocking how panicked people are based on hearsay.Isaac Gardon Officers arrived in force and a helicopter circled overhead, frightening some shoppers. At least 2 dozen patrol cars have converged on the mall.Kevin Oliver People in the mall fighting and had guns. Fucking crazy. Cops showed up with rifles and helicopters flying over. Me and @mariela650 had to run out the mall with everyone elsecarranza27 Sacramento police just said there was no shooting. The police officers were running through with ak-47s, helicopters were there within minSunshine✨✨ Police briefly closed off the area and the mass exodus caused a traffic jam. People stuck inside the parking lot turned to social media to vent their frustrations. I don't think anyone understands how scary that was though.Talia Kaczmarek I'm stuck in the Arden mall parking lot--we're never gonna be able to leave from hereAileen ✞ I'm not going to the mall. People started running out the moment we parked saying there was a shootout: heart goes out to any individuals harmed:( #where #is #this #world #goingjazminep123 I pray everyone is ok, dear God thank you for getting us out the mall safe and soundSunshine✨✨ The story had a happy ending for at least one shopper. Yay ! I got my boots.Adrienne Hammy

Open thread: Live chat on walkability with author Jeff Speck: Jan 3 at 12:30 p.m. [Updated]

2012-12-26T19:20:14Z

Tomorrow we'll have author Jeff Speck on a live chat at 12:30 p.m. to talk about his latest book, "Walkable City: How Downtown Can Save America, One Step at a Time." Local historian and Sac Press comment all-star William Burg will also be joining us. His latest book is "Sacramento's K Street: Where Our City Was Born."

This chat, like all the ones we do at Sac Press, is an "Open thread" where readers can engage and ask questions in the comments.

The video chat will start here at 12:30 p.m:

One of the themes of "Walkability" is that many millennials, or young professionals currently in their 20s and 30s, grew up in the suburbs but now aspire to live in the cities – particularly in walkable neighborhoods with vibrant street life. Speck cites the influence of T.V. shows that were popular for this generation growing up, like Sex in the City, Friends and Seinfeld, which portrayed the city (almost inevitably New York) as "cool" and desirable. Previously, shows like Dragnet, Hawaii-50 or, to go even back further, Batman, followed the noir tradition and depicted the "dark underbelly" of the city and crime.

While millennial value the city more, they value driving less. Speck points to some interesting statistics and a bit of historical context to make this point:

"It turns out that since the late nineties, the share of automobile miles driven by Americans in their twenties has dropped from 20.8 percent to just 13.7 percent. And if one looks at teens, future shifts seem likely to be greater. The number of nineteen-year-olds who have opted out of earning driver’s licenses has almost tripled since the late seventies, from 8 percent to 23 percent. This statistic is particularly meaningful when one considers how the American landscape has changed since the seventies, when most American teens could walk to school, to the store, and to the soccer field, in stark contrast to the realities of today’s autocentric sprawl. This trend began well before the recession of 2008."

All this is import to cities, Speck argues, because cities need to draw, or in some cases keep, a young, educated and creative workforce to stay competitive. In Sacramento as elsewhere, the discussion around keeping the young and talented from moving away (to say, San Francisco or Portland) tends to focus on the job market. Speck says cities need to pay closer attention to qualify of life issues like walkability. "The conventional wisdom used to be that creating a strong economy came first, and that increased population and a higher quality of life would follow," he writes. "The converse now seems more likely: creating a higher quality of life is the first step to attracting new residents and jobs."

What exactly is walkability? For Speck it's about more than just good shade and wide sidewalks. His "General Theory of Walkability" has four main conditions, which he describes as follows:

1. Useful: "most aspects of daily life are located close at hand and organized in a way that walking serves them well."

2. Safe: "the street has been designed to give pedestrians a fighting chance against being hit by automobiles; they must not only be safe but feel safe, which is even tougher to satisfy." [Side note: Speck doesn’t mention it, but I think you also have to make sure pedestrians “feel safe” from muggers and cell phone snatching bicyclists, not just cars. Another issue for discussion).

3. Comfortable: "buildings and landscape shape urban streets into “outdoor living rooms,” in contrast to wide-open spaces, which usually fail to attract pedestrians."

4. Interesting: "sidewalks are lined by unique buildings with friendly faces and that signs of humanity abound."

I don't know if Speck has been to Midtown, Sacramento (I'll ask him tomorrow) but I'd bet it would fit his vision for an ideal neighborhood. Natomas or Arden-Arcade, err, not so much.

It's hard for me to attempt to view these issues in a completely objective sense because for better or worse, I'm part of the group that Speck it talking about. I grew up in the western suburbs of Philadelphia and while I never liked Sex and The City or Friends, I was always drawn to the city. By the time I was a teenager, I was taking the train to downtown as often as possible, even if it meant a 45 minute walk to the station.

My career path took me away from cities, but when I settled in Miami a few years ago, I was eventually able to move into a walkable neighborhood near downtown and the art district. My wife and I paid more (in retrospect, too much) to rent an apartment where we could walk to do our grocery shopping or go out to restaurants. It wasn't long before I ditched my car all together and started biking to work downtown.

Miami is not nearly as bike friendly as Sacramento – there are fewer bike lanes, drivers are less accustomed to look out for cyclists. Some are just plain aggressive, as if they resented having to share the road with these "damn hipster bicyclists", as I imagine some would put it. The danger was real, and news of bicyclists getting injured or killed while riding was all too common – though the city, urged on by the efforts of bike activists, has gradually been taking steps to improve the situation.

I had a few scares and near misses while biking in Miami, but I was fixated on the idea that this was the way I wanted to live, and was willing to take the risk. The benefits, in terms of health and getting to know the landscape of the city better – always useful for a journalist -– were worth it.

As it happens, Speck also worked in Miami, and describes a trend for which I was an unwitting participant:

"When I worked for the town planning firm DPZ in Miami in the nineties, everyone drove to the office, without exception. Taking transit or bicycling made no sense at all, as the buses took forever and the biking was worse than perilous. In more recent visits, I learned that a significant segment of the young designer workforce now bikes or rides the bus, even though the conditions for either are hardly better."

When I moved to Midtown, Sacramento in May, I felt like I had arrived in a bicyclist and walkers paradise. There are plenty of easily bikeable streets and ample bike lanes. The streets were not just safe to walk, they were pleasant to walk, with plenty of shade and broad sidewalks. I used to wander around the grid a lot when I first got here, taking note of the interesting buildings and stores on almost every block. My neighborhood coffee shop was Old Soul, which is located in a little alleyway the feels like it belongs in some old European city. (A fact not lost on city council or the members of the “Alley Activation Committee” who ).

The rules were also different. It took me awhile to get used to the idea of obeying pedestrian signals and taking the notion of jaywalking seriously. I've tried to cut the habit, but part of me still enjoys blowing by a group of Sacramentan pedestrians patiently waiting for a light to change even though the street is empty. Speck, also an east-coaster, had a similar experience while visiting Portland:

"Perhaps most fascinating is the way that Portlanders refuse to disobey DON’T WALK signs, even if it’s 1: 00 a.m. on a tiny two-lane street swathed in utter silence … and even if a blithe east-coaster is striding happily into the intersection (I’m not naming names here)."

(At the same time, I've also been confused as to why some bicyclists in Sacramento ride on the sidewalk despite having the kind of bike lanes Miamians are still fighting for.)

Midtown is walkable, and it checks all the boxes for the kind of place that "creative class" young professionals find attractive The vibe here is unique – there is something stubbornly non pretentious about Sacramento, which is why I think a place like Longue on 20 struggled but Lowbrau will probably do well.

But that only goes so far. When my wife and I had to switch apartments recently, we opted to move to College Greens so we could start saving for a house. When we do buy a house, it will probably not be in Midtown, because while it's my favorite neighborhood in this city, it's also a bit on the pricey side. There is also the question of schools, which we'll save for another day, but we have a daughter and it's safe to say that schools will be one of our top considerations when we decide where to buy a home.

It can seem like walkability and affordability do not go together in Sacramento (or elsewhere for that matter). This pushes families out of the city and into their cars, as Speck explains:

"Families of limited means move farther and farther away from city centers in order to find housing that is cheap enough to meet bank lending requirements. Unfortunately, in doing so, they often find that driving costs outweigh any housing savings."

I'm not sure it has to be this way, but it's the way it is, and it's going to be a very long time before neighborhoods that family-friendly, walkable and affordable become the norm. In the meantime, I'll take light rail to Midtown/downtown, and do most of my walking there.

Useful links from around the web:

- L.A. Times review:
Jeff Speck's 'Walkable City' a recipe for vibrant street life

Interviews:

- U.S. News and World Report

- N.P.R

- RustWire.com

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Worrying trend of armed robberies of pedestrians in the central city continues

2012-12-24T17:12:20Z

After a recent uptick in armed robberies on the grid, police are asking residents to walk in groups at night, be aware of their surrounding and report anything that looks suspicious.

"We want you to come to town and have a good time – Sacramento is known for its entertainment district, fabulous clubs and bars," said Sacramento Police Department Spokeswoman MIchelle Gigante. "But be responsible."

At least six more armed robberies more occured between Dec. 21 and Dec. 25, according to the Sacramento Police daily activity logs.

"We will continue to deploy our resources to focus on this problem nightl," Lt. Marc Coopwood of the Sacramento Police Department wrote in an email to residents. "Please be our eyes and ears when you are in and about your respective neighborhoods."

Police suspect that one person may be behind several of the robberies, as victims have described a similar suspect – a male Hispanic in his 20s or30s, armed with a hand gun, wearing a white T-shirt, a red baseball cap or a dark hoodie.

Several other robberies have involved suspects of different descriptions, often riding bicycles.

Coopwood has advised residents to walk in pairs or groups at night, be aware of their surrounds and, if robbed, to not resist. "We do not want to see somebody get injured," he wrote in a previous email.

Police have also beefed up patrols in the Midtown area, Gigante said.

Anyone with information about a crime can call the police dispatch center at (916) 264-5471 or Crime Alert at (916) 443-HELP (4357).

Tips can also be texted to 274637 (CRIMES). Enter SACTIP followed by the tip information. Callers/texters can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

We've sent a request to police for more information about the latest incidents, but here, is what police noted on the daily activity logs for this past weekend:

Friday, Dec. 21 at 26th and H streets

"Victims were walking when they were robbed by a male Hispanic suspect. The victims were not hurt during the incident."

Saturday , Dec. 22 at 11th St and L streets

"The victim and a friend were walking in the area when the suspect ran up to them from behind. The suspect grabbed the victim’s purse and a brief struggle over it ensured. The suspect was able to overpower the victim’s grasp and continued to run – fleeing with the victim’s property. No injuries were reported and this investigation is ongoing."

Saturday , Dec. 22 at 24th and E streets

"The victim was walking when she was approached by an armed suspect who demanded her property. The victim gave the suspect her purse then she chased the suspect down and was able to retrieve her property. The suspect, and another person he was with, fled on foot from the victim."

Sunday, Dec. 23 at 700 block of 18th St

"A victim was walking home from work when she was approached by suspects that got out of a car. The suspects stole her purse and fled on foot. The suspects were described as three Hispanic or white male adults and one was armed with a handgun. The suspect vehicle was described as a white 4-door older model sedan."

Monday, Dec. 24 at 3600 block of 26th Avenue

"Victim was robbed by four subjects. The four subjects got out of a white 2000-2002 sedan and robbed him of his cell phone, cash and other property."

Tuesday, Dec. 25 at 1800 block of 19th Street

"The victim was in a parking lot when he was approached by the suspect who indicated that he had a weapon. The suspect demanded money and then fled on foot after taking cash from the victim. No injuries were reported and the suspect is described as a male black adult in his 50s."

Last weekend's incidents:

Friday, Dec. 14 at 10:23 p.m., at P and 18th Streets. A man on a bicycle rode up and grabbed a woman's purse.

Saturday, Dec. 15, at 1:19 a.m., on the 2600 block of I Street. A man crashed into a woman, demanded both her and her friend's purses, and indicated he had a gun. The women didn't see a gun and the suspect fled on the bicycle.

Saturday, Dec. 15, at 11:23 p.m., on the 2100 block of L Street. A man in a wheelchair was robbed of his cash by a man who fled on a nearby bicycle. The victim recognized the suspect, who was described as a thin Indian man, about 55 years old.

Saturday, Dec. 15, at 11:47 p.m., on the 700 block of 26th Street. Two women were robbed by a man who threatened to stab one if they didn't give him their purses. The suspect was described as a white man, with blonde hair, brown eyes, clean shaven, wearing a black raincoat and windbreaker.

Men walk downtown streets with shotguns to protest gun control

2012-12-18T02:08:32Z

Gun rights advocates have been on the defensive after the mass shooting in Newtown, Conn. last week, but that didn't stop one group in Sacramento from demonstrating their opposition to gun control in a way that was sure to get attention.

Sacramento police questioned and then released a group of men who walked down one of the city's busiest streets with shotguns over their shoulders Sunday evening.

Two of the men in the group were carrying shotguns when police stopped them at 10th and J streets around 9:20 p.m., according to officer Michelle Gigante. They were found to be in compliance with current open carry laws as the guns were not loaded, Gigante said.

One of the suspects told officers that they wanted to carry the guns in public before it becomes illegal, Gigante said.

The state legislature passed a law in August that bans the carrying of long guns or rifles and shotguns outside of motor vehicles. That law will go into effect on Jan. 1.

Supporters of the law cited the danger posed by mass shootings, including the one in Aurora, Colo., while opponents said it targeted law abiding citizens and was "fear mongering."

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.

Sheriff’s Department seeks help in finding missing Sacramento teen

2012-12-17T23:03:54Z

The following is a press release from Sergeant Jason Ramos Sheriff’s Spokesman:

The Sheriff’s Department is seeking the public’s help to locate a teenage girl who has been missing for several days. Analyce Dominguez, 15, was last seen Friday morning, December 14th, leaving her home in the 5100 block of Connecticut Drive in Sacramento to go to school. She did not attend school that day, and is considered at-risk, because of her unknown whereabouts being inconsistent with her normal patterns of behavior.

Dominguez (see attached photos) is a Hispanic female, 5’4” tall and weighing approximately 110 pounds. She has long, brown hair and green eyes. It is unknown what clothing Dominguez was wearing on the morning that she disappeared.

Anyone knowing the whereabouts of this missing person is asked to call the Sheriff’s Department at (916) 874-5115.

A 'stand against violence' – Vigil to be held Monday night in response to Newton shooting

2012-12-17T17:19:39Z

There will be a "Vigil Against Violence" Monday night in response to the Connecticut school killings, and to violence within the Sacramento community in 2012.

The memorial and vigil will be held today, Monday, Dec. 17, from 7:30 to 9 p.m. at St. Matthew's Christian Church, 4809 Roosevelt Ave in Sacramento.

Assemblymember Roger Dickinson, Pacific-Fruitridge Fire Protection District Board Director Lawson Stuart and Sacramento Unified School District Board Trustee Patrick Kennedy will be in attendance. More RSVPs are expected Monday morning, according to a press release.

One of the event organizers, Lawson C. Stuart, sent us the following statement when asked what he hopes the event will achieve:

“While I believe that community events are always important, especially when a community needs to be reunited together after being broken down over time, this one is important for one overwhelming reason: We must stand together as a community to ensure that the kind of violence that has plagued us all year is not allowed to repeat itself in 2013.

"We cannot remain on the sidelines hoping that this will not happen to us. It did. It simply did not happen all on one day and in so horrific a manner as the massacre in Connecticut.

The truth is that this kind of event was MORE likely to have happened in this county, this city. That is a fact that we cannot accept. History has shown us that whenever changes that promote the desired goal are to be made, it is through the coming together of the community.

This community needs to stand against violence. I hope to accomplish first an appropriate memorial where those struck by this tragedy may experience healing through the unifying of our hearts and minds with those across the country. We need it. I need it too, as dropping my 1st grader off to class this morning was harder than it should have ever been allowed to become.

Second, we need this to start pulling this community together as one voice against the violence. We need to have people realize that, regardless of where you stand on the gun debate, where you are with the different politics of this, NOTHING can be accomplished without a united community.

I believe we need to visit our local and national policies on weapons. We need to ensure that budgeting is handled in a manner that ensures that Police and Fire and EMS will always be on standby for when we need them. And we need to ensure that our Teachers can focus on being great teachers and not pursuing tactical proficiency as some kind of secondary job requirement.

For the community I represent and the things I feel I can do as a Director on the Fire Board, this starts with reaching across districts and traditional, introverted focus on only my board, and establishing a relationship with those whose jurisdiction does include crime fighting. I promised during the campaign to ensure that public safety was a goal no matter what. I promised this would include Fire and EMS in my role as a Director, and I further promised to represent my community in the other areas they needed it. Safety improvement can be as simple as a speed bump on a street and as major as the removal of weapons from them.

But no matter what is pursued and made possible, I promised to be there doing all I could. Not just because I have children growing up here too. I want to do what is right more than I talk about what is right. That is what the entire country is desiring from their elected officials and it is what they will get from me.”

Police seek help identifying man wanted in connection with sexual assaults in Arden Arcade

2012-12-16T01:49:53Z

The following is a press release from Sacramento Sheriff’s Spokesman Sergeant Jason Ramos:

Sheriff’s detectives are seeking assistance to identify a man wanted in connection to two sex assaults in the Arden Arcade area in recent weeks. The same suspect is believed to be responsible for both incidents, and investigators believe that the public can help in bringing this person to justice.

On November 23, 2012, a woman in her 20’s was attacked inside her apartment in the 3100 block of Trussel Way. The suspect was described as a white or Hispanic male, 5’8” to 6’ tall and weighing between 180 and 220 pounds with a medium to stocky build.

He wore a grey, hooded sweatshirt and a white bandana that covered his face. The suspect entered the victim’s apartment through an unlocked point of entry, and sexually assaulted the victim before fleeing.

Two weeks later, on December 7, 2012, a male with the same physical description forced a woman in her 30’s into her apartment in the 2200 block of Howe Avenue. In this case, the suspect wore a black watchcap. He also sexually assaulted this victim
before fleeing the apartment.

Composite sketches have been prepared in connection with both of these incidents. Anyone believing they know the identity of the individual depicted in the sketches is asked to call the Sheriff’s Sex Assault Bureau at (916) 874-5070. Information may also be given anonymously at www.sacsheriff.com, texted to 274637 (CRIMES) and entering the keyword SSD, or called in to (916) 874-TIPS (8477).

Public Comment: Sacramento needs a facility for bike polo

2012-12-13T22:49:21Z

In this video from Tuesday's Sacramento City Council meeting, Samuel Cardwell of Capitol Bike Polo speaks to the council members about the need for a multi-use athletic facility that could be used for bike polo, roller hockey and soccer.

"Sacramento is one of the only cities that doesn't have a multi-use court to use." Cardwell said. "we play in parking garages where we're not allowed to, tennis courts where we got kicked out, and Sacramento really needs a resource for this multi-use courts and we don't have them."

The group is currently looking for a temporary place to play, Cardwell said, but eventually hopes to find a home somewhere in the grid.

While he didn't mention any specific details about cost, Cardwell indicated that the city could make make revenue from such a facility via annual bike polo and cricket tournaments – an idea that, whatever its merits, is definitely outside-the-box thinking for reducing the city's deficit.

We've reached to Cardwell to learn more about the bike polo group and their idea for a new facility.

What's bike polo you ask? Hopefully this video helps answer that question:

Bike Polo from Bicykiller on Vimeo.

Do you think one would work in Sacramento? Sound off below.

Sheriff’s Department seeks help in locating missing teenage girl

2012-12-13T22:25:53Z

via The Sacrmento County Sheriff's Deparment:

The Sheriff’s Department is seeking the public’s help in locating a teenage girl who went missing from her residence yesterday morning.

Kaylecia Jackson, 13, was last seen on Dec. 12 at approximately 8:00 a.m., leaving her residence in the 6400 block of Wire Drive in Sacramento to go to school. She reportedly never arrived at school, and her whereabouts since walking away from home are unknown.

Jackson is considered t be at-risk due to her age.

Kaylecia Jackson is described as a black female, 5’6” tall and
weighing approximately 165 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes.

Anyone knowingthe whereabouts of this missing teenager is asked to call the Sheriff’s Department at (916) 874-5115.

Photos: Steve Hansen and Allen Warren join the Sacramento City Council

2012-12-12T10:04:54Z

The two newest member of the Sacramento City Council were sworn into office Tuesday in front of a capacity crowd at City Hall.

Steve Hansen will represent District 4 and Allen Warren will represent District 2.

"I could not have imagined, growing up in Del Paso Heights, you know basically all of my life, that one day I would be sitting here, but it is a true testament, it is a true testament," Warren said following his oath into office.

Hansen said he couldn't help but note how much history was being made Tuesday night. "We talked a lot about ideas, but one of the biggest ideas we touched on was that this is a meritocracy," he said. "It doesn't matter where you grew up, it doesn't matter what family you were born in, it's about what you want to be and do, because anybody who works hard should get to be and do whatever they put their mind to."

Allen Warren's signing in and comments:

Steve Hansen's oath of office and comments:

Hansen walked to City Hall with a small group of supporters.

All seats were taken.

The oaths.

The after parties:

Mayor Kevin Johnson was elected to his second term. He celebrated by taking a lap around the chambers.

Cashing out of The Kay: Building holding Pizza Rock, K-Bar and Dive Bar up for sale [Updated]

2012-12-10T17:39:10Z

The area around K Street in downtown Sacramento has done well in recent years, and one group of developers is hoping for a return on their investment. If the price is right, the city could see money headed its way as well.

The building that holds Pizza Rock, K-Bar, and Dive Bar, along with six other establishments, is up for sale. Local developer David S. Taylor, who owns the property along with the CIM Group of Los Angeles, says they are "testing the market" and will only sell with the right offer. They have not listed a price.

The City of Sacramento subsidized the project, called 1000 Kay, with $5.7 million in 2009, and Taylor said the terms of the deal were such that the city would be in line to get the money back if Taylor's company and CIM received an offer that was high enough. The money from any purchase would first go to the investors, and if they made a specified amount of profit, the remaining amount would go to the city. (Taylor wasn't sure what the exact figures were, but we're working to get those from city staff soon.)

They decided to sell because they believed they had "nine high-quality tenants" in the building. The sale shouldn't affect the businesses, Taylor said.

While Taylor said that one of their initial fears when developing the project was that "no one would show up," the area has seen a r esurgence in recent years, with a cluster of restaurants and cafes opening both on K Street and in the surrounding blocks, including K-Bar, Tequila Museo Mayahuel, Blackbird Kitchen & Bar, Estelle’s Patisserie, Plaza Café Lounge and Broadacre Coffee.

The downtown Business Partnership has sought to take advantage of the momentum by rebranding the area between 7th and 13th streets as "The Kay."

In other words, it was a "Field of Dreams" type situation: he built it, and the people did in fact show up.

"It shows that if you provide good entertainment options, people will come," Taylor said. "They will come in droves and they will come consistently."

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.

Sacramento police shoot suspect as hostage escapes - Jack in the Box hostage situation on Folsom Boulevard

2012-12-08T22:31:20Z

A series of bangs echoed throughout the College Greens neighborhood at around 2:45 p.m. Saturday as a police SWAT team swarmed into the Jack in the Box on Folsom Boulevard where a man was holding a woman hostage. The suspect was shot by a police sniper and transported to a hospital. His one remaining female hostage escaped unharmed. Earlier, another woman had also escaped.

Police said the incident began at 12:30 p.m. as a robbery of the restaurant at 8349 Folsom Blvd. in the College Greens Shopping Center. When officers arrived shortly after, a standoff ensued. The SWAT team, a hostage negotiation team and dozens of patrol cars surrounded the building.

"We tried for several hours for this to end peacefully and it's very unfortunate that it had to end this way," said Public Information Officer Doug Morse. "The safety of those inside the restaurant as well as those surrounding the restaurant was just paramount. The officers were forced to take action to end this safely."

Police shut down the west end of the shopping center and evacuated nearby businesses. Folsom Boulevard was closed between Juilliard Drive and Notre Dame Drive. A police chopper circled overhead and the media arrived en masse.

As police moved closer to the building, a shot rang out and the restaurant's glass door shattered. The police sharp shooter had hit his target. The hostage fled, throwing the door open at a full sprint before an officer clad in SWAT body armor grabbed her, pulling her down while more officers streamed past, entering the restaurant as the sound of flashbang grenades echoed throughout the area.

"It was a very tense and frightening situation for everyone involved," Morse said.

Comedian Katt Williams arrested for Sacramento charges

2012-12-08T07:45:01Z

Comedian Katt Williams was arrested by Yolo County Sheriffs' deputies on Friday night, according to KCRA news.

Sacramento County District Attorney's Office issued an arrest warrant Thursday for Williams on suspicion of reckless driving and felony evading of an officer in downtown Sacramento Nov. 25. He was in town for a show he did that Friday, Nov. 23.

The troubled comedian, whose legal name is Micah S. Williams, is also facing charges in Seattle for allegedly hitting a man on the head with a microphone during a performance, throwing chairs at fans, and threatening a bar manager with a pool cue, according to The Huffington Post. He was arrested on those charges Sunday, says The Los Angeles Times.

That's not all. As The Times has it, he was also arrested on Nov. 13 for allegedly "hitting an 18-year-old aspiring rapper from Berkeley on the head with a bottle" during a show the night before. No charges were pressed for that incident.

It's on: Journalism Open 2013

2012-12-05T04:51:43Z

A talented local blogger once told me that he wasn't a journalist because he did not have a degree. I had to correct him.

Journalism is something you do. If you're asking questions, writing about problems in your community, or offering fellow residents the low-down on a new restaurant down the block you are, in that moment, practicing journalism. Do it enough and people will call you a journalist.

That philosophy underlines a lot of what we do at The Sacramento Press. It is captured in our slogan, "Commit Acts of Journalism" and it's also at the heart of our yearly contest which is about to kick off again, the Journalism Open.

This year we're doing things a bit differently. We're putting together a jury of locals to help judge the contest and we've introduced a few new categories. There are, as always, cash prizes and a grand ol’ shindig we throw to give them all out, the "Community All-Star Party." (Mark your calendars now: it will be held Feb. 11 at Chops Steakhouse. Details to follow).

To participate, publish an article on The Sacramento Press anytime between Jan. 1 and Jan. 31. Be sure to tag it "Open2013." We will release more specific guidelines on how and what to write as well as the criteria by which content will be judged later in the month.

I'll work with our community manager, Allison Joy, to pass the best contributions on to our team of judges, who will pick the winners in each category. Readers will also be able to vote for their favorite stories, and the winning writer will receive the "People's Choice Award."

Here's the breakdown of the awards and prizes:

People's choice: $400

1st Place - Juried selection: $400
2nd Place - Juried selection $200
3rd Place - Juried selection $100

Photography prizes

1st Place $300
2nd Place $200
3rd Place $100

Category prizes

$50 and 2 free IMAX tickets: Most civic-minded
$50 and 2 free IMAX tickets: Most original story idea
$50 and 2 free IMAX tickets: Best interview

Have questions? Post them in the conversation below and we'll be sure to respond. We will also hold a workshop on Thursday, Jan. 3, at 6:30 p.m. in our offices to help answer questions. If you would like hands-on help and advice, come to our "write-in," on Wednesday, Jan. 16 from 7 to 9 p.m. The collaborative work session will feature pizza, caffeine and the practice of citizen journalism.

You'll be hearing more about the contest, the categories and the judges in the weeks ahead. This is your time to shine, journos. Show us what you’ve got!

Pro soccer team coming to Sacramento - live chat at 11:45 a.m. (ish)

2012-12-03T19:00:06Z

Update: We're hosting a live chat today at 11:45 a.m. with the owner of Sacramento's new pro soccer team. Warren Smith is one of the co-founders of the River Cats and is the leading the ownership of Sacramento's yet-to-be-named USL Pro team, which will start playing its first regular season games in the summer of 2014.

Why is he doing this and why does he think it will work? How will the name the team? What did he learn from the River Cats that could apply here? What was his experience with the Portland Timbers exactly?

Those are a few of my questions. Post your questions in the conversation below and I'll ask as many as I can.

Video stream will start here shortly after ~~11:45 a.m.~~ Update: Warren is running a little bit behind but should be here in the next 10-15 minutes.

The article continues below.

Pro soccer is finally coming to Sacramento.

A press conference announcing a ~~minor~~ lower divison league soccer team in Sacramento earlier today is below. The video picks up at the 5:46 mark:

What we know so far:

-League: The team will play in the United Soccer League’s Pro division, which is nominally the third division in U.S. soccer, with Major League Soccer being the top division. In practice, USL Pro competes with The North American Soccer League to be the top second tier league. Both NASAL and USL Pro compete with Major League Soccer teams in the US Open Cup (meaning we're likely to see MLS teams in Sacramento if the team does well) and both leagues feed players to the MLS.

- Owner: Warren Smith, one of the co-founders of the Sacramento River Cats, will operate the new team and leads the ownership group. He was instrumental in bringing the River Cats to Sacramento and will look to repeat that success with soccer.

- Venue: The team will play in Hughes Stadium at Sacramento City College. I asked a local soccer booster, R.J. Cooper, who runs the Sacramento chapter of The American Outlaws, a supporters club for U.S. National soccer team, what he thought of the venue to get a fan's take. While he said it was important the stadium was centrally located and was a "decent" choice, he was concerned about the possibility of alcohol sales at games, which Hughes does not currently allow. "Supporters' culture is important to creating an atmosphere that people want to be a part of, and part of sport culture, for better or worse, is alcohol." Update: After the press conference, Warren said they are working to resolve that issue, and that alcholol should be availalbe for purchase.

Warren had a different take:

“We are very excited at the prospect of playing our USL Pro Soccer matches at Hughes Stadium," he said in a press release. "Los Rios Community College District and the people of Sacramento have done an incredible job in the stadium’s $13 million renovation and in bringing this community jewel back to the stature it once was for the people of Sacramento. We whole heartedly expect to announce a formal ‘use agreement’ in the coming weeks and would like to thank the Los Rios Community College District for their partnership to bring professional soccer to the Sacramento Region.”

- The timing: via the press release: "Sacramento’s USL PRO franchise will plan a series of exhibition matches during 2013 involving domestic and international professional soccer teams. In addition, supporter events, soccer clinics and player appearances will be scheduled leading up to the 2014 inaugural season. In early 2013, the franchise will begin the process of building a professional franchise infrastructure, including personnel and naming the team with input and engagement from soccer fans"

- Think Big played a key role in bringing the team to Sacramento and Mayor Kevin Johnson will speak at the press conference.

- The Elk Grove factor: Just a few hours before today’s press conference, Gary Davi, the Mayor-elect of Elk Grove sent out a statement saying he had met with Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber over the weekend to discuss the possibility of a team based in the Sacramento residential suburb. The statement also indicated that Elk Grove has signed an exclusivity agreement with a potential ownership team, and that these “discussions include building a soccer specific stadium in Elk Grove and are well on their way to completion."

In an interview today, Davis indicated that he was would try to bring an MLS or a NASL team to the city, a not to subtle dig at Sacrmento’s fledgling USL Pro team “Based on the groundwork that we’ve laid and the conversations that we’ve had, we’re moving down the field pretty quickly with an opportunity to bring a first rate, professional soccer team to our region, and I think it is important that we keep our eye on that prize and be smart about the moves that we make,” he said.

Shane Singh, President, Greenhaven Soccer Club, and board member of the Sacramento Soccer Alliance, is crtical of the Sacramento effort.

“The most prudent approach for the community is to rally behind Elk Grove’s efforts to build a soccer-only stadium and complex,” he said in an email. “Experimenting with low level soccer leagues may hurt our region’s opportunity to land a MLS franchise”

Is the Sacramento region big enough to go from zero pro-soccer teams to two? Could this be the beginning of an epic rivalry? It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

- MLS: While Elk Grove has been pushing for an MLS team for the last year, a source involved in bringing the minor league team to Sacramento said the city saw it as the first step toward drawing an MLS team. That source spoke off the record, as they did not want to offend the USL Pro League.

- Even if the Elk Grove effort falters, a Sacramento MLS team is likely years away. As Dan Courtemanche, MLS's vice president of communications, told me via email in July, one of the primary factors the league considers when looking at locations for possible expansion is if the city has an existing pro team with a solid fan base, as has been the case with past expansion cities. The league's recommendation to fans who want an MLS team in their city is to "support your local team – follow the lead of Portland, Seattle and Montreal," he wrote. In the other words, the MLS is looking for proven markets, and the arrival of this team in Sacramento will give the city a chance to prove itself (or not).

- Beyond expansion, the MLS has a long-term goal of establishing a promotion/regulation system, common in the rest of the world, whereby at the end of the season, a bottom group of teams (typically three) of each division goes down to a lower division, while a corresponding number of the teams from the lower division go up. Theoretically, a Sacramento USL Pro team would be part of any such system should it be adopted in the U.S. However, when Commissioner Garber was asked about the possibility of the league adopting a promotion/regulation system during halftime of the MLS Cup Final on Sunday, he made clear that it's a still in the distant future. "Promotion and regulation, how great would it be?," he said. "Separate us for all the other leagues, but we need to have vibrate second divisions and we need to have a more mature market, until that happens, I don't see it happening." [Interesting to note that Garber met with Davis on the same day.]

What they said:

Tim Holt, USL President

“USL PRO is thrilled to expand into Sacramento in the 2014 season. “With the Phoenix FC Wolves joining the league in 2013 and the Los Angeles Blues having already developed a successful presence in Southern California, Sacramento represents yet another significant step towards our objective of achieving a regionalized competition approach in the West. This remains a fundamental aspect of a USL PRO business model that is resonating with prospective team owners as the most sustainable for professional soccer at levels which support MLS. Warren Smith is a widely-respected and highly-accomplished figure in the Sacramento sports community and has presented a very impressive vision for professional soccer in Sacramento. By partnering with him we know USL PRO will be successful in Sacramento for many years to come.”

Mayor Kevin Johnson, City of Sacramento

"Today is an exciting day - not only for soccer fans around our region, but also for those who believe fervently in Sacramento’s potential as a vibrant and emerging market,” said Mayor Johnson. “I welcome the USL PRO to town and am thrilled to see more jobs and civic amenities heading our way.”

Warren Smith, Sacramento Professional Soccer, LLC Founder

"Sacramento is one of the strongest soccer regions in the country. We already have numerous professional soccer players that are from Sacramento, or make their home here. It is time for the people of Sacramento to have the opportunity to watch them play on the national stage and to show the rest of the world that the Sacramento area is a great soccer region. I am grateful to Mayor Kevin Johnson, Think Big Sacramento, USL, the soccer community and the many regional leaders that have scored this goal for our city."

Kunal Merchant, Think BIG Sacramento Executive Director

"This is great news for our community. A USL PRO team will provide more jobs, more family-friendly activities and more visibility for Sacramento on a national scale. Congratulations to Warren and his team for once again proving that this is a terrific sports market.”

Steve Hammond, Sacramento Convention & Visitors Bureau President & CEO

“Sacramento is a community that’s demonstrated an unwavering commitment to amateur and professional sports time and time again,” said Steve Hammond. We are excited at the opportunity that professional soccer presents to this region and look forward to helping to make it a successful and long-term endeavor for this community.”

Kunal Merchant, Executive Director of Think Big:

"This is great news for our community. A USL team will provide more jobs and economic development, more visibility for our community, and further proof that Sacramento is a great market to invest in."

R.J. Cooper, president of the Sacramento chapter of The American Outlaws, a U.S. soccer supporter group:

"There is definitely a fan base, and I think that if it's run well, and if there is a decent venue, then it has a good chance of success."

"I think it’s a big step for Sacramento as long as they have real investors. Getting a real ownership group that is willing to invest will sort of announce Sacramento's intentions to be taken seriously in the soccer community and perhaps be part of a promotion/regulation system down the line."

DEVELOPING: Elk Grove mayor met with MLS commissioner

2012-12-03T15:28:46Z

The mayor elect of Elk Grove, Gary Davis, sent out a press statement Monday morning concerning the future of professional soccer in the Sacramento region and a meeting he held with Major League Soccer Comissioner Don Garber over the weekend. For reasons that will become clear as the day progresses, the timing of this statement is important, and it seems to be part of a budding rivialry between Sacramento and Elk Grove when it comes to brining soccer teams to the region.

Also key is that Davis says that "City of Elk Grove signed an exclusivity agreement with a potential ownership team" and that "These discussions include building a soccer specific stadium in Elk Grove and are well on their way to completion."

The text of the press release is below. This is a developing story – more details coming soon.

Press release from Mayor Elect of Elk Grove, Gary Davis:

"There has been a great deal of discussion as of late regarding professional soccer coming to the greater Sacramento region.

Several months ago the City of Elk Grove signed an exclusivity agreement with a potential ownership team to make this a reality. These discussions include building a soccer specific stadium in Elk Grove and are well on their way to completion.

This past Saturday, Mayor Elect Gary Davis was invited to the MLS Cup in Los Angeles to meet with MLS Commissioner Don Garber.Davis described the meeting as, 'Productive'.

'Commissioner Garber is interested in this market and, due to our proximity to the Central Valley, Elk Grove specifically. He laid out a few parameters – all which we are already well underway in meeting. If done right, we have an opportunity to get a real professional soccer team in ElK Grove'.”

Feds fund Blue Line expansion connecting downtown with North and South Sacramento

2012-12-01T22:32:13Z

Congresswoman Doris Matsui announced Saturday that the Federal Transit Administration has finalized the Full Funding Grant Agreement with Sacramento Regional Transit, according to a press release.

What does that really mean?

The federal government is coughing up some dough to fund the South Line Light Rail Expansion project, which will extend the Blue Line an additional 4.3 miles south to Cosumnes River College, connecting downtown and North Sacramento to South Sacramento. The expansion includes four stations: Morrison Creek, Franklin, Center Parkway and Cosumnes River College Station.

That's exciting. When does it begin?

Construction on the South Line Light Rail Expansion could begin in early 2013 and is set to be completed by September, 2015.

How much will it cost?

$270 million, 50 percent of which is covered by federal funds, according to the press release.

I like data. Can I have some statistics please?

The press release provides some numbers but doesn't indicate where they come from, but here they are anyway:

It is expected to generate 2,210 new transit trips and nearly 2,000 hours of user benefit on an average weekday.
It will create a total of 1,700 direct and indirect jobs

Hasn't the South Line Light Rail Expansion project already started? What's it's current status?

"Several projects associated with the South Line Light Rail Expansion have already been approved and construction has begun. A year ago, construction began on a five-story parking structure at the Cosumnes River College Station, which will provide over 2,000 parking spaces, solar panels on the roof, and electric vehicle charging stations. It is expected to be completed in spring 2013.

Also under construction are two aerial structures, one over the Union Pacific railroad tracks at the confluence of Union House and Morrison Creeks. The other aerial crossing will occur at the Bruceville Road and Cosumnes River Boulevard intersection, near Cosumnes River College. The aerial crossings are estimated to be complete by April, 2014."

What did they have to say about it?

Congresswoman Doris Matsui:

"Much work has gone into getting us to this point and I am pleased that FTA has finalized the FFGA for the South Line Light Rail Expansion project. As Sacramento and Cosumnes River College continue to grow, this expansion will improve our transportation infrastructure, linking one of the fastest-growing parts of Sacramento County to light rail services. This is an example of how federal and local governments can work together to improve the lives of thousands of Sacramento residents."

City of Sacramento Councilmember Bonnie Pannell:

"Together, working side-by-side with Congresswoman Doris Matsui and my fellow RT board members, we have achieved a major milestone for the Blue Line light rail project. This project will bring much-needed jobs to our community and a transportation option that will benefit the entire Sacramento region."

Mike Wiley, General Manager/CEO of the Sacramento Regional Transit District:

"Congresswoman Matsui has been a true champion of the South Line Light Rail Expansion project for many years. Without her tireless efforts and work with the FTA, we would not be where we are today. We are very grateful to Congresswoman Matsui for her leadership and support of transit in the Sacramento region."

I'm on to your game. Can I just see the press release already?

Congresswoman Matsui Announces FTA Finalization of the Sacramento Regional Transit Full Funding Grant Agreement

Following Congressional review the FFGA will allow for the release of federal funding for South Sacramento Corridor Phase 2 Blue Line Light Rail Expansion

WASHINGTON, DC – Congresswoman Doris Matsui (CA-05) today announced that the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has finalized the Full Funding Grant Agreement (FFGA) with Sacramento Regional Transit, which will allow the South Line Light Rail Expansion to move forward. The FFGA formally commits the federal government to partially fund this crucial light rail expansion project. Once the FFGA completes the mandatory 30-day Congressional review period, FTA will execute it, allowing federal funds to be released and construction to begin.

"Much work has gone into getting us to this point and I am pleased that FTA has finalized the FFGA for the South Line Light Rail Expansion project," said Congresswoman Matsui. "As Sacramento and Cosumnes River College continue to grow, this expansion will improve our transportation infrastructure, linking one of the fastest-growing parts of Sacramento County to light rail services. This is an example of how federal and local governments can work together to improve the lives of thousands of Sacramento residents."

"Together, working side-by-side with Congresswoman Doris Matsui and my fellow RT board members, we have achieved a major milestone for the Blue Line light rail project," Bonnie Pannell, City of Sacramento Councilmember and Chair of the RT Board of Directors, stated. "This project will bring much-needed jobs to our community and a transportation option that will benefit the entire Sacramento region."

The South Line Light Rail Expansion will extend the Blue Line an additional 4.3 miles south to Cosumnes River College, connecting downtown and North Sacramento to South Sacramento. The expansion includes four stations: Morrison Creek, Franklin, Center Parkway and Cosumnes River College Station. It is expected to generate 2,210 new transit trips and nearly 2,000 hours of user benefit on an average weekday.

"Congresswoman Matsui has been a true champion of the South Line Light Rail Expansion project for many years," Mike Wiley, General Manager/CEO of the Sacramento Regional Transit District, stated. "Without her tireless efforts and work with the FTA, we would not be where we are today. We are very grateful to Congresswoman Matsui for her leadership and support of transit in the Sacramento region."

Several projects associated with the South Line Light Rail Expansion have already been approved and construction has begun. A year ago, construction began on a five-story parking structure at the Cosumnes River College Station, which will provide over 2,000 parking spaces, solar panels on the roof, and electric vehicle charging stations. It is expected to be completed in spring 2013. Also under construction are two aerial structures, one over the Union Pacific railroad tracks at the confluence of Union House and Morrison Creeks. The other aerial crossing will occur at the Bruceville Road and Cosumnes River Boulevard intersection, near Cosumnes River College. The aerial crossings are estimated to be complete by April, 2014.

Construction on the South Line Light Rail Expansion could begin in early 2013 and is set to be completed by September, 2015. It will create a total of 1,700 direct and indirect jobs and will cost $270 million, 50 percent of which is covered by federal funds.

Warren takes commanding lead in D2, Hansen still ahead in D4

2012-11-27T23:08:22Z

The latest tally for District 4 has Steve Hansen topping Joe Yee by a mere 135 votes,11,132 votes to 10,997, while Allen Warren has taken a commanding 198 vote lead in Distict 2, with 6,103 votes compared with 5,905 for Rob Kerth.

The offical handout from the Sacramento Country Department of Voter Registration and Elections:

Latest vote tally for Sacramento While Hansen is leading Yee in total votes, he's being careful not to make any assumptions before every vote is counted.

"I'm very happy that our lead is stable, and i'm anxious to see the count finished," Hansen said Tuesday evening. "And we'll look forward to knowing the final result very soon."

Officials say more than 16,000 provisional ballots remain. Another update will occur either late Thursday or on Friday, elections officials said. A record number of provisional ballots -- 31,000 -- were cast during the November election, said campaign services manager Brad Buyse.

Usually a clear winner is seen early, Buyse said, but that hasn't been the case for these two districts. "In districts 2 and 4 you have very strong candidates with followers and supporters," he said. "I haven't seen a contest that's gone on so long, three weeks after election day."

Elections clerks spent the day verifying provisional ballots, as seen in this photo taken Tuesday afternoon at the elections office.

Editor’s note: Keep up with our political coverage with our weekly newsletter, Sacto Politico. Sign me up!

Chuck Hayes, Marcus Thorton step up as Kings beat LA

2012-11-22T06:15:55Z

View the story "Chuck Hayes, Marcus Thorton steps up as Kings beat LA" on StorifyChuck Hayes, Marcus Thorton steps up as Kings beat LARole players stepped up in the Kings win over LA on Wednesday night. Storified by Jared Goyette · Wed, Nov 21 2012 22:52:39 Take that, Lakers fans! You may silently exit the building. Happy Thanksgiving! !#kingsallday #beatlakcemo Chuck Hayes called a team meeting before the game to talk about accountability, but he lead by example Wednesday night, battling for rebounds, playing tough defense against Dwight Howard and contributing valuable points. After the game, the Kings leading scorer, Marcus Thorton, who scored 23 points, had this to say to broadcaster Grant Napear:

"Game ball go to Chuck Hayes. He played awesome on both ends, He did everything at 6'5". To get out there, you know, guard Dwight Howard, it's a big task for him."

Jason Thompson also had an outstanding game, contributing 13 points and 10 rebounds.

"He did what I saw him doing all last year," coach Keith Smart said in his post game press conference. "That's why he I fell in love with that guy because he's a great, great glue guy for a team that's moving in the right direction.

The game ended with chants of "Beat LA, Beat LA," a stark contrast to recent home losses, when boos filled the arena.

"They had every right over those losing games we had to boo us," Smart said, "but they had every right tonight to support this team and they did."

Here's a selection of what Twitter had to say about Hayes:
Cowbell Kingdom will have the details on the players only meeting Hayes called to address the team's recent struggles: Veteran Chuck Hayes following a players only meeting in the Kings locker room tonight in Sacramento.... http://sulia.com/c/sacramento-kings/f/e1a0e4d0-b037-441f-ab64-11f39816c46a/?source=twitterJames Ham Chuck Hayes on #NBAKings struggles: "The word young shouldn't be thrown around no more. We've gotta start taking accountability."Jonathan Santiago Not everyone thought he belonged in the lineup. Kings have two of the most useless players in the nba .. Chuck Hayes and James johnsonGermane Not sure I would agree with many situations with Chuck Hayes & James Johnson together on the floor #nbakingsSean Cunningham He batted for rebounds. They need a patch for these offensive rebounds QUICK In 2K13. It's past ridiculous, Chuck Hayes getting boards over Noah....MVP Defended Dwight Howard and drew charges. Chuck Hayes is a human tree stump who draws charges and makes surprisingly good passes. AKKamenetzky Brothers He even scored. More than once. The "nobody expects us to pass to Chuck Hayes" play strikes again!Akis Yerocostas Chuck Hayes has 10 pts. No Bullshit. #nbakings up 94-87 #LakersSean Cunningham He showed his grit. We've got a timeout. Chuck Hayes is bleeding from the eye area and headed to the locker room.Jason Jones @c_hayes44 officially received 5 stitches from a Jason Thompson accidental headbuttDevin Blankenship Fans, who had grown used to disappointment, were proud of the team for beating L.A. proud of the way my kings are playing :) #KingsAllDaySwagman Good night to be a kings fan :-) #KingsAllDay Happy Thanksgiving All!!Kings In-House Video I'm crying tears of joy ...We definitively beat LA 113 to 97. #KingsAllDay @ Sleep Train Arena http://instagr.am/p/SUhwMWIw8O/Chad Brown

VIDEO: City Council gets an earful on plan to demolish public housing

2012-11-21T12:30:49Z

After hearing loads of complaints from residents, the Sacramento City Council moved Tuesday to slow down a drive to demolish public housing projects in the Marina Vista and Alder Grove neighborhoods and replace them with a mixed-income commercial development.

City Councilman Rob Fong, who represents the area, had pushed the project, and said he saw the mixed-income development as a way to create a more integrated community and improve conditions at a nearby school, Jedediah Smith Elementary.

Residents, most of whom were from the adjacent community of Land Park, lined up to speak against the proposal during the public comment period, with many raising concerns about what they perceived as a lack of community involvement in the planning process.

This video depicts some of the opposition speakers and segments of Fong's response:

“The community has not been involved, we have not been asked to participate,” said resident James McMurray. “...There are so many questions, and I don’t understand what it has to be expedited. Nobody’s been able yet to tell me why it’s being expedited.”

Fong said he understood residents' frustrations.

“I am completely sympathetic to everyone who got up here and said, ‘We didn’t know about this,’ you know, ‘What’s the hurry?,’" he said. "We have not done a good job. If you’re all saying that we’ve obviously failed, the process has failed you, and we need to think about redoing the process.”

The Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency owns the land, and requested that the council authorize it to begin negotiations with a private firm that would oversee the development. Instead, the council unanimously approved a motion by Fong to direct the SHRA and city staff to develop a more inclusive process.

“I would like the city manager to sit down with La Shelle (Dozier) and her staff, housing authority, to find out if there’s a better process that you can come up with that achieves the goals that I’ve been talking about—that’s inclusive, that looks at the whole picture,” Fong said.

The new plan will likely be brought in front of the council on Jan. 8, according to Vice Mayor Angelique Ashby.

For more on the proposed development, read the feature article published Monday in The Sacramento Bee.

Sac Press Live chat: Homelessness in Sacramento

2012-11-20T19:04:52Z

As Thanksgiving approaches, we're going to take some time to discuss the problems facing some of Sacramento’s least fortunate and understood citizens: the homeless.

Nick Miller from The Sacramento News and Review will be our guest today at noon on Sac Press Live to discuss his cover story from last week, "The real face of homelessness."

UPDATE: We have a late add on to the chat today - homeless advocate and blogger Tom Armstrong. We may be a bit delayed as a result but will start shortly.

In the article, Miller tackles what he sees as the popular and often false assumptions the public makes about homelessness in the city.

You can and should read the full piece, but here are a few of the popular "myths" that Miller confronts in the piece, along with a snippet of his conclusion and analysis.

Myth: Lazy people refuse to work and end up homeless.

Miller's conclusion: False. "The average homeless Sacramentan has 12.5 years of schooling, according to a recent SHC survey. Of the 400 homeless individuals questioned, 90 percent were unemployed, 90 percent wanted to work and 42 percent even possessed some kind of skill certificate."

Myth: There are thousands of homeless children in Sacramento.

Conclusion: True. "Consider a report by county school districts from last year. The study had teachers from 13 area school districts ask students about their living situations. What they learned: 11,354 Sacramento County kids were in homeless situations, the most being 964 first graders."

Myth: Illegal camping on the American River Parkway is out of control.

Conclusion: False "…violent incidents in the parkway have gone down over the past year, and rangers monitor the land near Highway 160, Northgate Boulevard and the 20th Street bridge more aggressively."

Myth: It’s pretty much impossible to get a shelter bed.

Conclusion: True. "There are only three family shelters in Sacramento, and employees say they are always full. In October at St. John’s Shelter, which offers a 90-day program for women and children, 204 families were turned away."

Myth: Homelessness and poverty services are bad for downtown’s economy.

Conclusion: False. "What’s at work now is a collaboration between business…and social-service programs in an effort to reimagine downtown’s economy."

Do you agree with Miller's take on homelessness? What do you think should be done to help homelessness in the city? Let us know in the conversation below.

CNN: Hostess shutdown on hold as company enters mediation with union

2012-11-20T01:37:27Z

It may not be time to stock up on Twinkies after all.

The judge overseeing Hostess' Bankruptcy Court hearing Monday, Nov. 19, urged the 81-year-old company and its largest union, the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union, to enter into mediation.

"My desire to do this is prompted primarily by the potential loss of over 18,000 jobs as well as my belief that there is a possibility to resolve this matter," Judge Robert Drain said, according to a report in Reuters.

According to the Sacramento Business Journal, Hostess employees more than 300 workers in the region, most of whom work at the large factory and store on Arden Way.

More on this story from the Los Angeles Times, the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times:

Breaking: Steve Hansen leads Joe Yee by 151 votes in the District 4 race

2012-11-19T23:41:12Z

Steve Hansen leads Joe Yee by 151 votes in the battle for the District 4 seat on the Sacramento City Council, according to the latest update Monday from the Sacramento County Department of Voter Registrations and Elections.

According to Sacramento County Campaign Services Manager Brad Buyse, Hansen now claims 10,842 votes to Yee's 10,691. Buyse said there will not be another update until next week. There are still 31,000 provisional ballots yet to be added to the tally.

In this video, Sacramento Current blogger Devin Lavelle shares his analysis of the vote in the race for the District 4:"We definitely learned that the grid can turn out and vote and hold its own with Land Park, and in doing so, that plays up the importance of River Oaks," Lavelle said, "though if trends continue, the grid is growing faster than Land Park, and before long, this may be a district that is purely dominated by candidates from the grid."

The race has been competitive to say the least. The two candidates have been taking turns grabbing the lead with nearly each update from the elections office. It’s undetermined when the final vote tally will be finished, and the county has 28 days from the date of the election to produce a winner.

The winner of the race will represent downtown, Midtown, Land Park and a few areas north of the rivers, including River Oaks and Willowcreek.

In District 2, Rob Kerth has a 169 vote lead over Allen Warren, a 14 vote increase from the previous count on Thursday.

Live chat at 2 p.m.: Breaking down the District 4 vote

2012-11-19T14:41:56Z

The race for the District 4 seat on the Sacramento City Council was at times billed as the Land Park (Joe Yee) candidate versus the central city candidate (Steve Hansen), but it turns out the district's redheaded stepchild – River Oaks – was more important than many people realized.

That's the conclusion Sacramento Current blogger Devin Lavelle reached in his smart post breaking down the vote. With Land Park and the central city essentially canceling each other out, River Oaks served as the tie breaker, or as Lavelle calls it, the "Ohio of District 4," and it tilted slightly in Hansen's favor. While it made up 10 percent of the total vote, Hansen's 4 percent advantage in River Oaks added 83 votes to his slender 160 vote lead. As of the last update on Thursday, Hansen now has 10,715 votes to Yee's 10,555. It’s undetermined when the final vote tally will be finished, and the county has 28 days from the date of the election to produce a winner.

We'll have Lavelle on for a live chat today at 2 p.m. to discuss the vote breakdown in District 4, how it happened and what it could mean for the future elections. Spoiler alert: River Oaks folks can look forward to a lot of candidate face time in the years ahead.

[The live stream will be broadcast here at 2 p.m. We'll also have the latest tally when it's released sometime after 3 p.m. Post any questions or comments in the conversation below this article.]

The map below breaks down the vote totals by precinct so far. The election is still up for grabs – the 31,000 provisional ballots could easily still sway it in Yee's favor, but this is what the current stats show for the ballots cast by mail and at the polling place:

Green indicates that Yee got more votes in the precinct, while teal shows that Hansen performed better. Click on each precinct to see exact breakdown.

Photos: Sacramento Kings fall to Atlanta Hawks, 112-96

2012-11-17T17:42:45Z

The Sacramento Kings lost to the Atlanta Hawks 112 to 96 in a home game Friday night. These photos come coutsey of Darren Hall Photography.

DeMarcus Cousins is kocked down, but no foul is called.

Tyreke Evans commits an offensive foul.

John Salmons gets an unlikely dunk.

Cousins face says it all.........it wasn't the Kings night!!

Josh Smith powers by James Johnson.

Jeff Teague on his way to the hoop despite Tyreke Evans trying to block.

Coyote Tap House and Big Bowl Noodle bar opens in downtown Sacramento

2012-11-17T01:33:13Z

Coyote Tap House and Big Bowl Noodle bar, a new bar and restaurant serving Asian cuisine complemented by around 50 beers on tap, held its soft opening Friday afternoon, Nov. 16, at the spot on the corner of 14th and H streets vacated by Brew it Up! last year.

The owners, brothers Ken and Ming Le, own and have run Oshima Sushi and Fugu Lounge in Natomas since 2004.

The staff was busy getting the place ready for their grand opening next week and wasn't available for comment – but they did allow me to shoot a few photos and take a look at their menu.

Noodle bowls range in price from $10 to $12, and daily specials include items like "Spicy Red Rock Shrimp" and "Pineapple Chicken."

The menu at Coyote Tap House and Big Bowl Noodle barNorthern California and local brews on the beer menu include Downtown Brown, 21st Amendment's Back in Black, Racer 5 IPA and Lagunitas Brown. While it's not local or the kind of thing beer elites go for, I was happy to see Magic Hat #9 on the list.

The beer menu at Coyote Tap HouseThere is a bar in the front area with three flat-screen TVs.

A closer look at the beers on tap.

Behind the front bar there is a large dining area with another long bar and more flat-screen TVs.

Booths with leather seats line the opposite wall.

PHOTOS: Trail Blazers 103 - 86 Kings

2012-11-14T07:46:35Z

Photos by Ron Nabity

Sacramento's James Johnson blocks a shot attempt by Portland's Nicolas Batum in the first period.

Thomas Robinson watches his layup bounce on the rim. Sacramento's Jimmer Fredette tips a rebound in the first period against the Portland Trailblazers.

Marcus Thornton collects a loose ball at the Trailblazers' end of the court.

Thomas Robinson (right) and Jason Thompson sprint across court after Robinson scored in the second period.

Portland's J.J. Hickson drives against the Kings' Thomas Robinson in the second period.

Chuck Hayes directs his team during play against the Portland Trailblazers on Tuesday evening.

Marcus Thornton drives the hoop during the third period.

Sacramento's Jason Thompson drives against Trailblazer Jared Jeffries.

As the Kings trail against the Trailblazers, a fan wants a comeback win.Sacramento's Jason Thompson attempts a shot against LaMarcus Aldridge.

Jimmer Fredette works his way into the key during the fourth period.

Some fans leave early as the Kings fall behind.

James Johnson had 16 points in Tuesday's loss against Portland.

Sacramento's Tyreke Evans makes a lay up late in the fourth period.

Jimmer Fredette is pulled to the floor in a flagrant foul by Portland's Luke Babbitt near the end of the game.

Another victim along a deadly stretch of road: Stockton Boulevard and Fruitridge

2012-11-12T20:44:54Z

A bicyclist was killed in a hit-and-run accident Sunday night on Stockton Boulevard in an area that is considered to be one of the most dangerous for bicyclists and pedestrians in Sacramento.

Terry Preston, the complete streets coordinator for the nonprofit organization Walk Sacramento, explains why: Sacramento police are still searching for the driver of the white pickup truck that struck 61-year-old Molly Arndt at 5:28 p.m. while she was crossing Stockton Boulevard on her bicycle near Lawrence Drive. The truck is believed to be a 1992-1998 Chevy Silverado 1500 with a toolbox in the back, and a broken left headlamp and damage to the driver's side front grill area, according to Officer Michelle Gigante.

A witness saw the truck brake prior to the impact, hit the cyclist and then slow down before speeding off, Gigante said.

Anyone with information can contact investigators at (916) 264-5471, or text in a tip to 274637 (CRIMES).

The incident occurred just a half mile from where a teenager was struck and killed while crossing Stockton Boulevard and Fruitridge Road in January.

The death of 16-year-old Michelle Murigi sparked a public outcry, which led City Councilman Kevin McCarty to organize a working group to address street safety in that section of Stockton Boulevard.

Preston was a member of the group, and in August, he published a report on bicycle and pedestrian safety on Stockton Boulevard and Fruitridge Road. The report included recommendations for traffic-calming features and more crossings locations, measures Preston said could help prevent similar accidents from occurring in the future.

"That intersection and that area is one of the most dangerous ones in the city for bicyclists and pedestrians," he said Monday. "There are more collisions at or around there than anywhere else."

According to the Sacramento Police Department's 2011 Annual Report, the intersection was the third most dangerous intersection in the city for that year, with 36 total accidents.

(That figure includes all accidents, not just those involving bikes or pedestrians. Thanks to Isaac Gonzalez at ranSACkedmedia for sending us that factoid and the link to the report.)

Jim Brown, the interim director of the Sacramento Area Bicycle Advocates, agreed with Preston.

"Terry Preston is absolutely correct: We can prevent some of these tragedies by reducing vehicle speeds so that a driver has time to avoid a bicyclist or pedestrian," Brown wrote in a comment below this story. "The City of Sacramento cannot afford to continue tolerating the hazards that exist at Stockton & Fruitridge."

McCarty said that the city is well on its way to developing a plan, and that addressing safety along Stockton Boulevard should be a priority for the Department of Transportation.

"We need to come up with a sound plan to improve safety out there," McCarty said. "This is a tragedy, and someone lost their life."

Part of the problem, Preston said, is that street was designed as a highway, with long blocks and clear stretches of road allowing cars to pick up speed. Many nearby residents, he said, walk or use bikes, creating a dangerous combination.

"You have lots of people in a confined space and fast cars – that just creates a real perfect storm, as the metaphor goes," he said.

Fruitridge Ped Safety Report 8-28-12

The “News Digest” goes out every Tuesday morning and highlights our best stories, photos and videos from the week prior. Sign me up.

PHOTOS: Spurs 97 - 86 Kings

2012-11-11T02:24:22Z

Photos by Darren Hall - see his work at darrenhallphotographynet.

PHOTOS: Kings beat Pistons 105-103

2012-11-08T18:54:47Z

Photos by Ron Nabity Photography:

Colten Bilbrey from Beitzel Elementary School gives it his all while singing the National Anthem.

Sacramento's James Johnson attempts to block a shot by Pistons' Tayshaun Prince in the first period.
Detroit's Jason Maxiell slams one home during the first period.

Isaiah Thomas lays one up past Detroit's Andre Drummond.

Chuck Hayes protects the ball during the first half of Wednesday's game.

Fans enjoy the action.

Wednesday's game was not as well-attended as Monday's home opener.

Kings' Marcus Thornton fights for a rebound in the closing minutes of the first half.

Tyreke Evans works his way around a Detroit player to make the layup.
Kings and Pistons players reach for a rebound in the third period.

Aaron Brooks drives around Will Bynum in the fourth period.

Detroit's Jonas Jerebko is helped from the floor after taking an elbow to the face. Earlier in the game, Jerebko was poked in the eye during play on the court.

An exuberant fan jumps for joy in the final moments of the game on Wednesday.

PHOTOS: Sacramento Kings defeat Golden State Warriors

2012-11-06T15:35:38Z

The Sacramento Kings won their first home game of the season on Monday night against the Golden State Warriors. With a 16-point run in the third quarter, the Kings managed to hang on as the Warriors fought back in the fourth, finishing at a close 94-92.

Post game press conference via Cowbell Kingdom:

Sacramento Press community contributor and photographer Ron Nabity (see his work at nabityphotos.com) was there to capture the night and sent us these shots:

Opening ceremony included glow sticks for everyone.

Golden State's Harrison Barnes takes a shot in the first minutes of the game.

DeMarcus Cousins moves into rebound position during a free throw in the first period.

Rapper Future watches the game from the sidelines.

Richard Jefferson (Golden State) takes a jump shot over Travis Outlaw.

Coach Keith Smart paces along the sidelines.

Warrior Stephen Curry drives around Chuck Hayes in the second period.
Isaiah Thomas goes airborne for the layup.

At the end of the third period, the crowd cheers their approval of the Kings' lead.

The crowd get more excited during the last seconds of the game.

Kings get their first victory of the season

Chuck Hayes shares the victory with fans on his way out of the arena.

The New York Times features Sacramento's rising crime rate

2012-11-04T16:19:36Z

Sacramento was featured in the Sunday New York Times, with a blurb teasing to the article on 1A of the Northern California print edition. The topic isn't what the Convention & Visitors Bureau would have hoped for. The piece is about how deep cuts in the Police Department
have coincided with a rise in crime, and how other cities across the county are facing similar challenges.

The article is well-timed for supporters of Measure U, the ballot measure that, if passed onTuesday, will increase the sales tax by one-half cent and direct the money to city services, including the Police Department.

The link: Crime Increases in Sacramento After Deep Cuts to Police Force, by Erica Goode.

A few key points from The New York Times article:

The stats are troublesome:

"While homicides have remained steady, shootings — a more reliable indicator of gun violence — are up 48 percent this year. Rapes, robberies, aggravated assaults, burglaries and vehicle thefts have also increased, though in smaller increments."

The cuts have been deep:

"The shrinking of Sacramento’s police force has been extreme; the department has lost more than 300 sworn officers and civilian staff members and more than 30 percent of its budget since 2008."

Measure U

It may help if Measure U passes on Tuesday, but the police department believes that change is here to say.

"A local sales tax measure on the ballot in Tuesday’s election could restore some financing for the Police Department and other essential services in Sacramento. But Chief Braziel said the budget crisis had forced the department to re-examine how it is organized and what its priorities should be… You’ve got to have a business model,” he said. “The world’s changing, and you’ve got to change. You’ve got to get out in front of it.”

My take:

Cuts to the Police Department were never directly asked about in the District 4 City Council debate hosted by the Sacramento Press last Tuesday, while concerns about the bars in Midtown were. Whatever one thinks about the presence of bars and the way they conduct their business, there has not been a dramatic increase in the number of bars in the neighborhood this year, while there has been a dramatic decrease in resources and officers in the police department.

This is not to say that neighborhood complaints over bars are not important, but if crime is the main concern, the cuts in the Police Department (which were conducted during a rough economic time with high unemployment) would seem to be the bigger issue.

Has the bar debate been a distraction, or is there another way to look at these facts? Discuss below.

Update:

My quick post on this issue generated an interesting and at times insightful debate in the comments. I encourage everyone to read the comments, as there are too many for me to highlight, but let me do my best to resond to their substance.

First, a matter of clarity: My point was that the bar debate has dominated the discussion around crime and has taken up more "air time" than other factors that warrant closer inspection and research, such as the role of the cuts in the police department.

It was not to dismiss the bar debate as a worthy topic of discussion – it's just that at times here on Sac Press, it seems to be the only topic of discussion. Predictably, the debate in the comments quickly took the same direction.

If we want to get into the role of bars and crime, then we have to look at the conditions under which bars do contribute to crime, and then look at how and if those problems can be addressed.

The training of bar staff and security would have to be part of any serious consideration of an issue, which is exactly why the Downtown Partnership is holding a training for bar staff on Tuesday, with a sergeant from the Sacramento Police Department. The training will "cover topics related to nighttime safety, crowd management, trouble patrons, venue security recommendations, code enforcement and more."

If we're talking just about the concentration of bars, then there is another set of issues to consider, such as the need to stagger when bars close, so there isn't a flood of patrons leaving every establishment at once, which increases the risk of fights and the need for extra police and security presence at key hours and places. Where is this happening, where isn't it, and who is doing their job and who isn't? These are the kinds of questions whose answers could help the debate move forward in a way that could produce concrete results.

William Burg mentions "bad actors," which is another issue. Not all bars are equal, and neither are all bar owners. Part of the challenge is that when incidents happen outside of bars, it can be difficult to prove where the perpetrators came from, which frustrates efforts to hold anyone responsible. The police play a direct role here: Are they listening and responding to specific complaints? Is there an ongoing issue that's being ignored? These are tough questions that need to be asked continuously.

Back to the New York Times article. If it is indeed true that shootings are up 48 percent, and rapes, robberies, aggravated assaults, burglaries and vehicle thefts are up by similar numbers (we’ll get the raw data soon), then I think it's reasonable to say that the city is facing bigger crime problems than those associated with the bars on the grid. I would also suggest that it's impossible for the central city to be completely safe while crime is high in adjacent neighborhoods, and a serious consideration of the crime problem in the grid would also involve north Sacramento and Oak Park. That's not to say that there isn't a compacted mess of issues and legitimate concerns around bars. As I’ve tried to make clear, I recognize that's an issue, and that yes, it requires more reporting – but it’s the details that count. If it’s crime we’re concerned about, though, there is also a bigger picture that too often gets overlooked, and the NYT piece was a stark reminder of the broad, systematic and troubling issues the city is facing.

Wednesday's Sac Press Live: Is the charter commission a good idea or a waste of time?

2012-10-29T19:47:13Z

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.)

If you have a question or comment that you'd like us to discuss during the chat, please leave it below. We’re more likely to read comments that come from verified community contributors.

Background:

On Nov. 6 voters will choose to vote in favor of creating the commission or not, and will also be allowed to vote for the 15 candidates they want to serve on the body. Commissioners will have up to two years to go through the city charter and suggest any changes.

Arguments in favor and opposed via the City’s election page:

Argument in favor of Measure M:

Voting Yes on Measure M will give Sacramentans the opportunity to study our City's Charter and potentially reshape and improve how our local government works.

In recent years, there has been much debate around controversial proposals that would dramatically change how our city is governed.

Instead of making important changes to Sacramento's City Charter behind closed doors like the strong mayor initiative was launched-Measure M would create an elected charter commission of local citizens working through a transparent process to review how our city government works.

Too often we hear complaints about special interests controlling the process. Measure M would provide an open and formal process to study how our local government works and research potential changes that might improve our city. It will allow Sacramentans to have a voice in the process and an opportunity to vote on any suggested changes to the charter.

The City of Los Angeles used a charter review commission to improve its governance by adding an ethics commission and empowering neighborhood councils, among other reforms. Sacramento may be ripe for similar reforms. The cost of the commission has been questioned.

Let's be clear- Measure M would create a temporary commission comprised of unpaid citizen commissioners using current city resources. No new staff would be hired. No new bureaucracy would be created. Sacramento may not be clamoring for charter change, but voters must have a chance to decide, to say yes or no. Isn't the establishment of the charter commission an open method to answer these questions?

Yes on M will allow fifteen unpaid commissioners to review the city charter and bring any proposed recommendations back to Sacramentans for a public vote. This is democracy at its best - transparent, responsive and holding public institutions accountable. Let Democracy work- Vote Yes on Measure M.

Argument against:

Due to record deficits, $15.7 million this fiscal year alone, and another projected $7.6 million deficit next year, the City of Sacramento has made severe cuts to services to balance its budget. As a result, three fire stations are browned out every day. More than 160 police officers have been laid off. Nine Community Centers that served seniors and youth are closed. The City Animal Shelter is open half days.

The Parks Department’s budget has been slashed in half and all 12 city pools are slated for closure next summer. The Building Department has had service cuts, making it difficult for businesses and homeowners to pull permits and schedule inspections.

Despite the fact that Sacramento has a budget shortfall, a few Councilmembers pushed Measure M to the ballot at a cost of over $200,000. If Measure M passes, it will cost a minimum of $600,000 to implement, and risks millions more. Why spend tax dollars to create a new bureaucracy with no accountability, no oversight, no transparency, and no requirement for an outcome?

This flawed measure is modeled after a 15-member commission that cost the City of Los Angeles more than $1.8 million dollars in the 1990’s (the equivalent of $2.5 million today). Measure M will likely cost Sacramento even more in legal fees. Similar measures have been rejected by courts as unconstitutional because Measure M does not guarantee equal representation for all neighborhoods, a violation of the Voter’s Rights act.

In June, 2012, The Sacramento Bee wrote: “Pull the Plug on Elected Charter Commission. An elected charter commission is a bad idea for Sacramento at the wrong time.” We agree.

Join small business, firefighters, police officers, community and neighborhood leaders from throughout Sacramento. Vote NO on M.

To keep up with Sac Press Live chats, add us on Google+

Highlights: Rob Kerth on Sac Press Live

2012-10-25T14:34:13Z

Sacramento City Council Candidate Rob Kerth joined us on Sac Press live Wednesday for an in-depth discussion of his ideas about city government and his vision for Sacramento.

While the writeup is still in progress, here are a few of the video highlights.

On measuring success at the Planning Department:

The interview was at its most tense when we addressed how and why he left the Midtown Business Association:

Here, he responds to a question from the North Sac Beat blog, "What can be done with the old Arcade Hospital property on Arcade Blvd. and Del Paso Blvd. that has been vacant for years?"

Kerth believes the media doesn't always do it's job when covering District 2:

The full conversation:

Seeking your input: Sacramento prepares to update parking code

2012-10-24T15:53:12Z

A comprehensive update to the city's parking code would eliminate the need for new businesses in the central business district to provide parking for their customers.

City staff say that part of the intention of the measure, which is set to be discussed and voted on at next week’s City Council meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 30., is to make it easier for businesses to open in the central city, where it can be difficult for property owners or developers to create parking spaces.

We're working on a story about the parking code changes with interviews from city staff, businesses, developers and residents, and would like your input. Do you think the city's move to update the ordinance is a good idea? Let us know in the conversation below, and we might follow up to quote you in the article.

Background:

Parking is a contentious issue in the grid for both residents and business. Some Midtown residents have complained about the spillover effects caused by patrons of bars and restaurants parking in their neighborhoods, and many residents and business owners argue that it can be too difficult to find parking in popular sections of the grid at certain hours, like during lunch or Second Saturday art walks.

To address those concerns, the city has adopted a multipoint plan which includes upgrading parking meters to ones that accept credit cards, partnering with businesses to open parking lots to the public when the businesses are closed (typically, an office building’s parking lot that is vacant at night), and a crackdown on disabled placard abuse.

The parking regulations that next week’s ordinance seeks to eliminate have frustrated business operators such as the owners of Cornerstone, whose attempts last year to move from their old location at the corner of J and 24th streets to an abandoned church at 23rd and K were stymied by the need to provide parking. City code required them to provide about 20 spaces, while the church only had seven, and obtaining a waiver would have taken two or three months. They eventually gave up on the idea and moved to their current spot inside Headhunters, at 20th and K streets.

The plan is 106 pages long was over a year in the making. You can read it in it's entirty here.

Sacramento's zoning code parking update

Running Dead Zombie Mud Run draws a crowd, and some complaints

2012-10-22T15:29:19Z

View the story "Running Dead Zombie Mud Run draws a crowd, and some complaints " on StorifyRunning Dead Zombie Mud Run draws a crowd, and some complaints Storified by Jared Goyette · Mon, Oct 22 2012 08:25:51

Thousands of people attended the Running Dead Zombie Mud Run at Gibson Ranch on Saturday, Oct. 20. The event received mostly positive reviews, but a few issues drew complaints from participants via social media.

Runners in the 5K race wore flag-football belts, and tried to dodge "zombies" aiming to yank the flags off. To be eligible for prizes, participants had to make it through the obstacle- and mud-filled course with at least one of their flags still on.

This was the inaugural Zombie Mud Run, and the large crowd led to long lines and delayed start times. Once the race did begin (I was with the first wave that set out at around 9:20 a.m.), it was mostly smooth sailing, although some issues – like the lack of midcourse water stations – were a surprise to many, especially considering the $75 registration fee.

The overall sentiment was captured well by Facebook users Kelly Liseby and Karen Henry.

There are definitely a lot of bugs to work out with the system here. And yes it was expensive for what we got. But overall my group had a great time and look forward to next years event!Kelly Lisenby We had a blast! Inaugural events are bound to have a few hiccups, but the fun outweighed any inconveniences... Thanks for a fun day!Karen Henry I was in the race and I'm waiting to hear back from organizers for a full story. In the meantime, here's a rundown of some the best images of the day posted on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. (An extra thank you goes out to photographers Heather Aguilar and Rommel Mendoza, who posted full galleries on the Running Dead Facebook page.) And then the #zombie #run happened! #getsome #sacramento #zombierun #soulofsacramento #death #scary #hungry #runShanerunshanebarker Is there an #zombie that drink beer!? #deadrun #instagood #iphone #iphonesia #photooftheday #iphoneonly #igers #picoftheday #instagramaddict #igdaily #follow #instafollow #instahub #instamood #food #foodie #foodporn #foodforthought #foodforlife #instafood #instafoodie #foodlover #foodforfoodies #foodart #art #artlover #gym #fitness #halloweenp0rk5rice Peter and santos. #runningdead #bananasuit #gorillasuitizzeling There were start Rommel Mendoza [al-kuh-mist] Photo's Yep.amberlynn76 [al-kuh-mist] Photo's Some of these zombies were on point!! #zombiebride#obstacles#funrunleslie0214 Rommel Mendoza Rommel Mendoza [al-kuh-mist] Photo's [al-kuh-mist] Photo's [al-kuh-mist] Photo's @mmandiee zombie mud runbriguy33 Obstacles! #instagood #iphone #iphonesia #photooftheday #iphoneonly #igers #picoftheday #instagramaddict #igdaily #follow #instafollow #instahub #instamood #food #foodie #foodporn #foodforthought #foodforlife #instafood #instafoodie #foodlover #foodforfoodies #foodart #art #artlover #gym #fitness #deadrun #halloweenp0rk5rice [al-kuh-mist] Photo's Ready to go bath salts on yo ass!!! #zombie #mudrunheatherlent Fucking died. The bottom picture is us resting after we died half way through. #runforyourlifepewpewanthony Zombie mud run #1stplace #zombie #mudrun #mudfightfulks Yay!! On a hangover!!!ekahi Before and After: Zombie Apocalypse 5K Run.chitozyme Successfully completed my second 5k. Good times with the juke master @jessoxoxoholls916 #sacramento #zombiemudrun destroyed my shoe!!! Ughs :(runonnarun All you can do is learn and reveiw. But lookout next year will be better.Brenda Agostini I want to just say that I had so much fun. I'm not saying there are definitely areas that need improvement (everyone here has valid points) but we want to do it again and we've got more people on our team for next year. The slip and slide needs a LOT more water, the waves need to leave on time to avoid backup which means pre-reg has to move faster, no tires, no blood cannon. But the zombies in my wave were great. They were aggressive but didn't grab or touch us, left us alone while waiting or doing obstacles, and some were downright scary (like that freaky farmer by the hay pyramid). My boyfriend walked around to see me race so boredom wasn't an issue for him. Its such a short race anyhow. It was definitely pricey, that's the one thing that bothered me, but I had a blast, even though I had mud/horse poo on my face. If the organizers work on the issues people mentioned, this will be a fantastic race next year. (Nike marathon had plenty of issues when it started too.) Thanks for everyone's hard work!Andrea Martin Zombie clowns need love too! #zombiemudrun4bratz2luv

Steve Maviglio and Kevin Eckery to talk ballot initiatives and elections Thursday night

2012-10-22T14:55:23Z

With Election Day less than three weeks away, the presidential race is neck and neck. Ditto for a number of controversial measures on the California ballot and local legislative races. Join Kevin Eckery, KCRA's Republican political analyst and former press secretary to Gov. Pete Wilson, and Steve Maviglio, CBS13 Democratic political analyst and former press secretary to Gov. Gray Davis, at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 25, as they talk about the state of the election, political ads, the candidates and ballot initiatives.

Live stream starts at 7:30(ish):

A few of the ballot initiatives that will be part of the discussion:

Propositions 30 and 38

Governor Jerry Brown's proposal for a temporary increase in income and sales taxes to balance the state budget has a narrow lead in the polls, while Prop. 38, an alternative measure backed by civil-rights attorney Molly Munger to hike the income tax and direct the money to schools, is struggling. Is Prop. 30 a good idea, and why has Prop. 38 so far failed to catch on? Discuss.

Prop. 32

The proposal to restrict organized labor's ability to raise political money is (surprise) supported by Republican but not Democrats. An argument will ensue.

[Update: One of our more conservative readers has commented (see below) that my summary ist too close to the Democratic position and offered this as a more neutral option:

Prop 32 - The proposal to stop employees forced payment to political campaigns as a condition of their employment..."

I tend to agree with the reader's criticism of my summary, but his attempt strikes me as going too far the other way. We'll ask Maviglio and Eckery for their take.]

Prop. 31

This proposal to change the state's budget process has received little media attention, but its impact could be far-reaching.

Among other things, it would create a two-year state budget cycle as opposed to the current one-year spending plan, and prevent lawmakers from either substantially increasing new spending or tax cuts without offsetting the impact on the budget.

Republicans tend to support it, Democrats do not.

[Sources: San Francisco Chronicle, Los Angeles Times, Capital Public Radio]

Have a question you want to ask Maviglio or Eckery, or do you want to make a point on any of these issues? Post below – we’ll read as many on topic and reasonably civil questions and comments as time allows.

To keep up with Sac Press Live chats, add us on Google+:

Video: The Sacramento Kings' Thomas Robinson slams over Lakers' Dwight Howard

2012-10-22T06:50:56Z

Thomas Robinson has had his first YouTube moment in a Kings jersey, and better yet, it came at the expense of the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Sacramento Kings rookie power forward had what the Bleacher Report referred to as a "nasty" putback dunk over Dwight Howard, who debuted for the Lakers in their 99-92 preseason loss to the Kings.

For an analysis of the game and the latest on Coach Keith Smart's roster moves, go to Cowbell Kingdom.

Rob Kerth to appear on Sac Press Live Wednesday

2012-10-22T03:09:27Z

City Council candidate Rob Kerth is this week's guest on Sac Press Live. Please join us at noon this Wednesday, Oct. 24, for a discussion of Kerth’s candidacy and his views on the challenges facing the city of Sacramento.

The chat will be streamed live at noon here:

Kerth previously served on the City Council from 1992 to 2000, and is taking on Allen Warren for the District 2 seat, which represents northern Sacramento. Warren has agreed to appear on the chat next Saturday, Oct. 27, at 10:30 a.m.

Got a question for Kerth about what he would do on the council? Ask it in the comments section below this article. We'll cover all the on-point (and civil) reader questions we can during the interview.

On Friday, I asked Kerth what issues he thought hadn't been talked about enough during the campaign, and which ones he thought were most import to voters. He responded with two lists of three issues each:

1. Kerth thinks that flood control, green transportation and education have not been sufficiently addressed during the race.

"There are a number of things that the city does that are very important and council members spend a long time working on them, and they just haven't come up at all," he said. "In particular, there has not been yet a mention of flood protection, we haven't heard about how we are going to shift our transportation system to greener modes, we haven't talked really about how the city can help the schools, be a participant in the schools without seeming like it needs to control the schools – so those are the key issues that haven't come up yet."

2. The three issues Kerth said he's heard most about from residents during the campaign have been jobs, supporting small businesses and doing more for Sacramento's youth.

"It's very clearly jobs,” he said. “What can the city do, what can the council member do, to help create jobs and increase the number of jobs we have?

“The second one – and these are not ranked in priority order, I consider them all equally important to folks – the second one is, 'How do we support our local businesses?' There is a sort of overwhelming sense that north Sac is short of local serving businesses, and that hurts the quality of life here – not having a big supermarket, having just a couple of coffee shops for 50,000 people, just not having local support for business.

“The third thing is doing more for our youth – investing in our youth. Folks are really quite upset that the swimming pools are shut, the parks are kind of yellow, there are no programs anymore, community centers are rented out to third parties and not available for the community – so those are the three big issues that I hear about everywhere I go."

If you have a question for Kerth on these issues or any others facing the city, sound off in the comments section.

To keep up with Sac Press Live chats, add us on Google+

Photos: Midtown Arts Festival 2012

2012-10-22T02:38:42Z

At the Midtown Arts Festival on Saturday, Oct. 20, ballerines pirouetted, a woman in Brazilian Carnaval dress danced the samba, a group of students popped and locked to a hip-hop beat and a women in an Indian sari moved gracefully across the stage.

And that's a sample of the dance groups that performed - there was lots of local music - from a Rage Against the Machine cover band to a classical quartet, as well as booths with local artists, galleries, theater companies and more.

Throughout the afternoon, a constant flow of people moved through 20th Street in Midtown, where the festival took place. Liz Studebaker, executive director of the Midtown Business Association, which organized the event, estimated that somewhere around 4,000 people had attended.

"It's a fantastic representation of the local arts scene and the talented, creative people that we have in Sacramento," she said.

Zara Hayes, who coordinated the performance stage, said that the wide range of groups who performed illustrated the diversity of Sacramento, and that she was proud to have been a part of it.

"I love educating this town on the arts and bringing everyone together to support one another," she said.

Thanks to three of our talented contributing photographers - Kati Garner, David Alvarez and Phil Kemp - for capturing the day to share with us.

District 4 candidates to debate in 'pivotal' Land Park forum tonight

2012-10-17T14:36:49Z

Sacramento City Council hopefuls Steve Hansen and Joe Yee are preparing for a potentially “pivotal” forum Wednesday night on Yee's home turf, Land Park.

Yee and Hansen will debate in the second half of the “Candidates and Ballot Measure Forum,” to be held from 6 to 9 p.m. at California Middle School on Vallejo Way and Land Park Drive. The first half of the civic extravaganza will feature discussions of the three city ballot measures M, T and U – or charter commission, green waste and the half-cent sales tax – according to Mark Abrahams, president of the Land Park Community Association.

Hansen's base of support is in the central city, but he will need to pick up support in River Oaks (whose neighborhood association held its own Q&A with the candidates Tuesday night) and Land Park if he is going to win on Nov. 6. Yee, meanwhile, will look to hold Land Park and do well enough in the central city to win.

The final vote tallies from the June primary election are a good reminder of the importance of Land Park.

STEVE HANSEN 3,454 28.39%

JOSEPH YEE 3,379 27.77%

PHYLLIS A. NEWTON 2,758 22.67%

TERRY SCHANZ 1,782 14.65%

While Hansen did come in first – edging out Yee by 75 votes – there were two other strong candidates from Land Park in the race – Phyllis Newton and Terry Schanz, the latter of which has endorsed Yee. If the primary results can serve as any guide, how the rest of the Land Park vote swings could be decisive, making tonight's meeting a key test for both candidates.

Hansen said as much when I asked him to size up the end of the race in an interview Monday.

"The Land Park forum on Wednesday night in a lot of ways is going to be a pivotal forum, because I think there are a lot of people there who are trying to make a decision about who they want to support and why,” he said.

Update: In another nod to the importance of the forum, Hansen urged his supporters to attend the "highly anticipated Land Park candidate debate!" in a Facebook post on Wenesday morning.

Yee also sent us this statement:

"I am looking forward to addressing the voters and community this evening. The Forum represents an opportunity for me to directly respond to community's concerns for Land Park, District 4 and the City. We will also have an opporunity to speak to my priorities of neighborhood engagement, responsible business growth and job creation, the restoration of basic City servicies. The Forum will also give the voters an opportunity judge the value of experience and knowledge gained by running a small business for more than 20 years and almost 19 years of city planning."

Event details via Mark Abrahams:

Candidates and Ballot Measure Forum, October 17, 6-9 p.m. at California Middle School on Vallejo Way and Land Park Drive.

The first half of the evening will be devoted to discussion of the three city ballot measures M, T, and U, or charter commission, green waste, and half-cent sales tax. Speakers will include Sacramento City Council members Kevin McCarty and Angelique Ashby, Craig Powell of Eye on Sacramento and Anna Molander, former chair of the Democratic Party of Sacramento.

After an intermission where plans will be discussed regarding a renovation of the Land Park Amphitheater, the second half of the evening will feature questions for candidates Hansen and Yee. The forum will be moderated by Dr. Bob Waste, former professor of public policy at Sacramento State. The audience members are invited to submit questions. The forum, co-sponsored by the Land Park Community Association and the Broadway Partnership, is free to the public.

The Sacramento Press will host a debate with Yee and Hansen on Oct. 30 at 6:30 p.m. at the Cosmopolitan Cabaret, 1000 K St. Get event details and RSVP here.

Voter questions and followups: How the Sac Press debate with Hansen and Yee will work

2012-10-17T00:33:03Z

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 will work.

We're asking everyone who plans to attend the debate to RSVP using this link. The debate will occur at 6:30 p.m. in the Cosmopolitan Cabaret theater, 1000 K St. As part of the registration process, you will be asked to submit a question you'd like to ask the candidates. If you live in District 4 and are willing to ask your question in front of the audience, please fill out that form.

I'll be sorting all the questions by topic and trying to identify the ones that are the most insightful, penetrating, and that address important issues for city residents. That's why it's important to RSVP: The sooner people register and submit their questions, the sooner I can get started.

The night of the debate, I will be a facilitator, establishing the topic order and asking specific audience members to ask their presubmitted questions at the appropriate times.

But we won't just be moving from question to question. Sacramento Bee Associate Editor Foon Rhee will take on the task of asking followup questions for each candidate. He will also be given time at the end of the evening to ask questions on any subject he thinks has been overlooked.

And, in a move inspired by Candy Crowley’s recent moderation of the presidential debates, Sacramento Press Associate Editor Brandon Darnell will live fact check the debate, and pass on questions or concerns to Rhee.

The Sacramento Press is a community-driven online newspaper, and it only makes sense that we would get most of our debate questions from residents. We also do our best to combine that community ethos with the values of traditional journalism, and Rhee's (and The Bee's) participation will help add an element of expertise and tough-mindedness that is as important in political coverage as it is in debate moderation.

The forum comes in the final week of a campaign that has been fought hard by both candidates. Hansen said he believes it could be a crucial time period.

"We're kind of forum-hopping these days," Hansen said Monday. "I think that, that last week, it's going to be almost a closing argument kind of thing. There is a large number of absentee voters or maybe still holding their ballots. We'll be looking to see how we can earn their votes."

For Yee, one of his frustrations has been condensing his responses to TV-friendly soundbites -- an issue we'll avoid with an hour and half devoted to just two candidates.

"It's tough to try to answer a complex question in 60 seconds," Yee said. "I find that to be a real challenge. So, that's been a bit of frustration for me personally."

When asked to name the highlights of the campaign, both Yee and Hansen mentioned talking to voters and witnessing the tireless efforts of their volunteers.

"I think the high point has been talking to people in the district, as well as throughout the city," Yee said. "I think that's been very, very gratifying."

Hansen was taken aback by the work of his volunteers and the encouragement of his supporters.

"I sort of took a leap of faith in getting in the race, and to me, it's been miraculous, because that leap of faith has been rewarded with people who have helped encourage and support me that really weren't known to me beforehand," he said.

The candidates will see the fruit of their labor on Nov. 6, but only after answering a final round of questions on Oct. 30. We hope to see you there.

Jared Goyette is the editor of The Sacramento Press. Find him on Twitter, Facebook, or Google+.

Closing argument: Debate with Joe Yee and Steve Hansen on Oct. 30

2012-10-16T02:15:42Z

The Sacramento Press will host a debate on Oct. 30 with the candidates seeking to represent the central city and Land Park on the City Council next year: Steve Hansen and Joe Yee.

The debate will occur at 6:30 p.m. in the Cosmopolitan Cabaret theater, 1000 K St. Access Sacramento will film the event, with broadcast times to be announced soon.

If you plan to attend, please RSVP via our Eventbrite page.

Questions will come from the live audience, community organizations, Sac Press readers and staff. If you have a question that you'd like to see included, please let us know in the conversation below this article or email us at hub[at]SacramentoPress.com. We will follow up via email with anyone who submits questions.

The race is tight – only 75 votes separated the pair in the June primary – and with the election approaching quickly on Nov. 6, this debate will be one of the last chances voters get to directly ask the candidate questions and see them go head to head in a forum. We hope to see you there.

Photos: Sacramento Kings 102, Phoenix Suns 96

2012-10-11T15:36:33Z

Finally, it's time to talk basketball, and not politics when it comes to the Sacramento Kings.

James Johnson was better than advertised in his Kings debut, Jimmer looked good, DeMarcus Cousins is definitely the “go-to guy” and other observations from Cowbell Kingdom after the Kings beat the Phoenix Suns 102 to 96 in the first preseason game.

Here's there post-game interview wrap up:

Photos at the top come courtesy of David Alvarez photography.

Reader reaction: Welcome to 'The Kay'

2012-10-10T14:35:10Z

View the story "Reader reaction: Welcome to 'The Kay' " on StorifyReader reaction: Welcome to 'The Kay' A roundup of opinions about a new name for a downtown Sacramento street. Storified by Jared Goyette · Wed, Oct 10 2012 07:44:57 Sacramento Press readers greeted the news that the Downtown Sacramento Partnership is planning to rebrand a stretch of K Street between Seventh and 13th streets as "The Kay" with a wide range of reactions. Some people loved it, others hated it, and a few fell somewhere in between.
We published a story about the partnership's plan on Monday night. The initial response on social media was largely positive. Another step as K St rebuilds. Welcome to 'The Kay': Downtown Sacramento street might be rebranded http://sacpr.es/47b via @sacramentopressJohn Pastor I dig it!Jenny Tighe lookin' goodPhil Tretheway I like it!Stephen Picanço Others were less receptive. icKKurt Marin Fowler Several people thought the name and design were too hokey.
Esther Son, owner of Estelle's Patisserie, said as much in a phone interview.

"The idea is, I think, great, but you don't know how it's going to turn out to be," she said. "It might make it a little cozier and exclusive, but you don't go to downtown San Francisco and see something like that. It might make it look too suburban, too country-like." Marc Ronson expressed a similar view. SacPressComments Another reoccurring critique was that it was too soon to be thinking about a new brand for the area, and that the partnership should be focused on more basic problems. SacPressComments Lisa Martinez with the Downtown Partnership addressed this point directly. SacPressComments A few people just couldn't resist the play on words It's A-o-kay.Nancy Mallory So they want us to call K Street Mall "The Kay" ... mmmkay?Nick Miller SacPressComments Another thread in the conversation focused on the "The" in "The Kay." SacPressComments No "the"--or add "district". "Kay" is historic. I'm okay with that, but "the kay"?Daniel Block SacPressComments Sac Press reader "jhar" reflected on the role of business improvement districts. While he was supportive of the partnership in general, he or she was less keen on "The Kay." SacPressComments Martinez also tried to focus on the big picture. She ended her long comment, the start of which is pictured above, with this: "Active businesses rather than empty storefronts create activity. Pedestrians that see issues and call in help create change. Branding The Kay is one way to take back ownership and we encourage you to help us in defining what you want The Kay to be." It was a sentiment shared by Sac Press reader "RichardRich." SacPressComments On that note of optimism, we leave you with this video, which made the rounds on local social media not too long ago. It's from a time when you could still see "K Street" written as "Kay Street." Life in Sacramento - 1950chrislango1

Welcome to 'The Kay': Downtown Sacramento street might be rebranded

2012-10-09T01:29:12Z

You've been to K Street in Downtown Sacramento, but have you ever been to "The Kay"?

That might be how you start referring to it soon if a rebranding effort for the stretch of K Street between Seventh and 13th streets proposed by The Downtown Partnership is successful.

Lisa Martinez with the Downtown Partnership said the inspiration for the name came from a fact depicted in a recent book on K Street by local historian William Burg: K Street was often spelled as "Kay Street" in old addresses and newspaper articles from the 1800s through the 1960s, when the street was part of a thriving downtown core.

According to Martinez, the name "The Kay" refers to that history and expresses the idea that the street is returning to its roots, but with a new style.

"We wanted to be able to express that nod back to where our roots are as a district and as a city, but also be able to move the conversation forward, because you can't recreate your history, but you can build upon it – that's what we're trying to accomplish with "The Kay," she said.

Burg concurred that the K Street’s new direction is connected to its history.

“Well, what we're seeing now is a return to that neighborhood's traditional role,” he said. “Traditionally that was not just the shopping district but also the entertainment district – where the nightclubs were, but also where the hotels were, and one thing that we've seen in the last couple of years that has been happening is the opening of a new hotel, The Citizen, and then multiple new restaurants and entertainment venues.”

The partnership has applied for a permit to put new street signs with the "The Kay” logo at every intersection from Seventh through 13th street on K Street. The application, along with the designs of the logo, made their way onto Facebook Monday afternoon.

Martinez said that the partnership’s branding committee had developed the idea, which includes business owners from K Street. She is still in the process of reaching out to more business to get additional feedback.

The rebranding will be part of a larger campaign – which is still in development – that will include profiles of business owners and entrepreneurs downtown.

The idea, she said, is to help encourage the district’s revitalization by doing a better job of telling its story.

"It's about creating a really full, vibrant neighborhood, a place where you can experience things, a place where you can meet up with people," Martinez said.

We’ll be following-up on this story as more information becomes available.

What do you think of the name “The Kay” and the proposed logo? Sound off in the conversation below.

The “News Digest” goes out every Tuesday morning and highlights our best stories, photos and videos from the week prior. Sign me up.

Jared Goyette is the editor of The Sacramento Press. Find him on Twitter, Facebook, or Google+.

Can the Sacramento Kings make a playoff run this year?

2012-10-08T18:45:11Z

What has to happen for the Sacramento Kings to surprise everyone and make a playoff run this year?

Does Tyreke Evans need to have the breakout year that everyone's been waiting for? Does the new, in-shape DeMarcus Cousins need to show he's as mature as he is talented? Or does Thomas Robinson need to prove he was worth a fifth overall draft pick?

Perhaps all that, and a little something more.

James Ham, a Kings beat reporter with the blog Cowbell Kingdom, said he thinks a playoff run from the Kings is unlikely, but possible. He thinks the deciding factor will be whether the players can "put aside the egos," come together as a whole and get on board with Coach Keith Smart's vision for the team.

Here his take on that question during our Google Hangout on Monday:

The key quote:

"If this team can put the egos on the shelf and they can come in and try to make each other better, then they can rise much faster. Like I said, it's a team that has been disappointing. It's not a team that has been on the rise – it's a team that has been disappointing over the last couple of seasons, and if they can pull it all together and forget the individual statistics and the accolades and just play basketball together as a team, this team could rise really fast. I don't think any one player can make this team a playoff team or not a playoff team. I think the collective whole has to rise together. They have the potential to do that – they have Keith Smart who is such a good guy and really wants that for his team. He's trying to build this team the right way. It's just whether or not the players are listening and whether they're willing to buy in wholeheartedly and take it upon themselves to be teammates this season."

You can see the full conversation here.

To find out about Sacramento Press chats and even participate, follow us on Google Plus.

The “News Digest” goes out every Tuesday morning and highlights our best stories, photos and videos from the week prior. Sign me up.

Jared Goyette is the editor of The Sacramento Press. Find him on Twitter, Facebook, or Google+.

Hansen picks up more endorsements for District 4 - why it could matter

2012-10-08T15:26:18Z

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."

The op-eds in the SN&R and the Bee cited Hansen's economic plans, his familiarity with Midtown and the arts scene, and his proposals to enhance transparency, including making the city auditor independent of City Council and the establishment of an ethics commission.

You can read them both here:

The Bee op-ed: Endorsements: Steve Hansen for Sacramento City Council District 4 [Tiered Paywall]

The SNR op-ed: Vote Steve Hansen

Newspaper endorsements aren’t as decisive as they used to be, in part because of the decline of newspapers in general, and in part because the public now holds the press at large in less high esteem than it did in past. But the dynamic of this race is such that the Bee’s endorsement could be key for Hansen’s changes on November 6.

Yee is the experienced and institutional candidate – he has decades of experience in urban planning and has served on the council before. While his rhetoric never soars, his delivery is measured and he can quickly delve into wonky details, as he did during our chat with him last month.

Hansen is running as the “fresh face” in this campaign – a younger, more charismatic challenger who is presenting himself as an outsider with new ideas, like those above that caught the attention of SN&R and the Bee.

In this context, Yee is running more as the experienced and trusted incumbent, while Hansen is running as the “outsider” challenger. An obstacle that challengers tend to face in any campaign is convincing voters to take the risk of going with the less experienced candidate. The Bee’s endorsement helps Hansen bridge this gap, re-enforces his legitimacy as a serious candidate, and could persuade voters that were already leaning his way that it’s worth it to take the plunge.

Yee is betting that his experience will weigh more in voters' minds. In the op-ed Yee published in The Sacramento Press on Sunday, he makes that case forcefully, concluding the piece with this final line, "We do not need new gimmicks or bureaucracy to protect and grow jobs. We need leadership and experience."

The Sacramento Press editorial staff does not endorse candidates, but we will be holding a forum in which both candidates will take questions from our confirmed contributors and other community leaders. The forum will take place Oct. 30, at 6:30 p.m. at the Cosmopolitan Cabaret. We'll provide more details on the forum and how you can participate in an upcoming article.

Sacramento Kings chat at 10 a.m. with James Ham of Cowbell Kingdom

2012-10-08T14:37:05Z

This morning at 10 a.m., we'll kick off our weekly Google Hangout chat with Sacramento Kings blogger and beat reporter James Ham of Cowbell Kingdom.

We'll see what Ham is looking forward to from the Kings this season, and talk about his latest post, "The Oakland A’s, Sacramento Kings and the purity of fandom."

In the piece, Ham tells the story of taking his 9-year-old son to an Oakland Athletics game, and compares the joy ride the A's have taken their fans on this season to the relationship Sacramento Kings fans have with their team.

It's not a favorable comparison for the Kings.

"While a young A’s team is capturing the imagination of Oakland, the same can’t be said about the Kings in Sacramento," Ham writes.

Still, Ham seems hopeful the Kings can produce a memorable season. The key players have their own individual reasons to be motivated, and he touches on a few:

"There is a lot riding on the shoulders of this young Kings team. Tyreke Evans is fighting for a monster contract at season’s end. DeMarcus Cousins is trying to change how he is perceived in hopes of an All-Star bid. Jimmer Fredette is trying to make people believe that he is more than just a great college basketball player."

He concludes that "Sacramento Kings fans are ready to fall in love with basketball again," and that all will be forgiven if the Kings can make a playoff run, as fans just want to enjoy the "purity of fandom" and the escape that it provides.

If you have any questions for Ham, post them in the conversation below this article.

Gone to pot: Report recommends changes to city ordinance on medical marijuana

2012-10-05T14:57:59Z

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 impassioned and at times dramatic style, writes that when his neighbor began growing marijuana, the odor drifted over onto his property.

"The first major problem is the stench of the marijuana plants. It is overbearing. It migrates onto our property and surrounds our house. It seem as if a scunk has constantly been spraying."

He says that he is not opposed to medical marijuana on principle.

"Let me say that my wife and I have nothing against any individual who chooses this form of treatment for illness. However, we are keenly aware of how easy it is to obtain a medical marijuana card. I shutter to think what the quality of lives would be like if our other neighbors obtained medical marijuana cards and began growing their own marijuana outdoors."

Sacramento regulates marijuana dispensaries under a city ordinance passed last year, a fact that the staff report brings up in its "Policy considerations" section, which adds some useful context:

“The Sacramento City Council found in adopting the location criteria in November 2010 that it was appropriate for a medical marijuana dispensary to be located a minimum distance from sensitive uses. These distance requirements were developed after substantial staff research and public input. Nothing in the operation of the dispensaries has changed to indicate that a dispensary proposing to relocate to a different site should be permitted to locate closer to one of the sensitive uses listed in the ordinance. The only change has been the level of federal enforcement on marijuana dispensaries, causing owners of existing dispensaries to look for new locations.

“Currently, the Sacramento City Code does not address the topic of indoor or outdoor cultivation. If an ordinance restricting the outdoor cultivation of medical marijuana in residential areas was adopted, patients or their caregivers would still be permitted to grow medical marijuana inside a structure in residential areas, but the ordinance would also ensure that the growing of the plants would not become an attractive nuisance (anything on a premises that might attract children or entice visitors or trespassers into danger or harm).”

The proposed changes are likely to draw supporters and detractors to City Hall on Tuesday. Check back Wednesday morning for video highlights of the discussion on SacramentoPress.com.

Joy and disbelief in Sacramento as Oakland Athletics clinch playoff spot

2012-10-02T09:00:11Z

There is no shortage of Oakland Athletics fans in Sacamento, and they took over the local Twittersphere Monday night, erupting in joy after the A's clinched a playoff spot for the first time in six years by beating the first-place Texas Rangers 4-3. Here's a snapshot of some of the best reactions on Twitter:

View the story "Joy and disbelief: Oakland Athletics clinch playoff spot" on StorifyJoy and disbelief: Oakland Athletics clinch playoff spotThere is no shortage of Oakland Athletics fans in Sacamento, and they took over the local Twittersphere Monday night, erupting in joy after the A's clinched a playoff spot for the first time in six years by beating the first-place Texas Rangers 4-3. Here's a snapshot with a Sac emphasis. Storified by Jared Goyette · Tue, Oct 02 2012 02:02:15

Fans and players alike celebrated the moment emphatically

OH HELL YEAH! #AthleticsJack Hayden @Athletics @957thegame Best pie of the year! #athletics #playoffs http://pic.twitter.com/JUlmsATgRick Drummond Oh ya!! A's are going to the playoffs!!! #Oakland #Athletics #MLB #PlayoffsKara Kelley I woke up my 5 year old to tell him the A's are going to the playoffs. He mumbled out a "go A's".Kevin Sherrets Here's another cigar pic of @joshreddick16 & Cespedes & @GeorgeKottaras cuz why not. #Athletics http://pic.twitter.com/IXMPulnuAlex Espinoza IV Yoenis Cespedes is smoking a cigar in the #Athletics clubhouse. Coach Ariel Prieto, fellow Cuban, is translating for him. Viva Cuba!Marcos Breton

The "I-told-you-sos" came fast and furious

To those who accused me of "drinking A's Kool Aid" in April? It's not kool aid tonight, it's champagne. You should try some. Congrats fans!Whitey Gleason Amazing how many "experts" picked the @Athletics to finish last in division. Could win West 2 nights from now. #PostseasonRob McAllister So in case anyone was wondering, "Will the #Athletics fold with that insanely difficult September?" -- the answer is a resounding "NO!"James Venes

Some fans just couldn't believe it

Congrats to the Oakland A's. what an incredible, unbelievable, improbable year.Riley Breckenridge What an unbelievable season for the #Athletics. I'm proud to cover this magical story and team. Very emotional night for the club and fans!Chris Townsend @spencerkent YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!! THIS SORT OF THING ISN'T SUPPOSED TO HAPPENNNN #AthleticsAdrian Garro

Others just showed their appreciation

Man, I love being an A's fan. What a great season. So much fun to watch this team every night.James Ham How can ya not appreciate what the A's have done this year? #amazingGrant Napear Congrats to the greatest Bay Area team in MLB history tonight making the playoffs the Oakland #AthleticsBob Blasy

There are some interesting possibilities ahead

@Athletics got the #WILDCARD! Perhaps a #BATTLEOFTHEBAY #WORLDSERIES!? I think YES #SFGIANTSNOT Brian Wilson 38

And maybe more of this

We doin the BernieNick Miller A's Moving Like Bernievincemaes

Steve Hansen on why he changed his position on Measure U

2012-10-01T14:53:19Z

The Sacramento Press live interview with District 4 City Council candidate Steve Hansen last Wednesday had one key moment of contention: Why he had changed his position on Measure U, a proposed temporary half-cent sales tax to fund city services that will be on the November ballot.

In the video, he addresses a blunt question from a Sacramento Press reader, and explains why he once opposed the measure but now supports it.

It was clear before the chat began that Measure U would be a focal point of the discussion. Hansen's opponent, Joe Yee, cited it during our live chat with him as the one area where he and Hansen had clearly different viewpoints, with Yee saying he supported the measure while Hansen did not. Hansen released a statement shortly after Yee's interview saying that Yee had mischaracterized his position and that he did indeed support Measure:

"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 than necessary and ensure that one time money is not spent structurally. The Council must also lead by example through strong oversight and controls to prevent abuse, which will be my focus, if elected."

About an hour before the Sac Press Live chat with Hansen began, we sent him a questionnaire he filled out for the Young Democrats of Sacramento County in which he clearly stated his opposition to Measure U, saying, "At this time, I do not support the city tax initiative, because, among several reasons, of the need toof the need to of the need to pass the Governor’s measure on the fall ballot. I support taxes and fees appropriate to the level of public services needed to meet the needs of our city within the constraints of growing a resilienteconomy."

Sacramento County Young Democrats Endorsement Questionnaire as filled out by Steve Hansen

Hansen responded to the doc by saying that he had forgotten about the questionnaire as he had filled it out months ago, and explained that, as he answered at the time, he was initially opposed to Measure U because he thought that putting it on the ballot would draw support from Governor Jerry Brown's proposed sales tax increase. He said that rising crime in the city and the deterioration of Sacramento's parks changed his mind.

“I’ve started to see we’ve had this huge spike in violent crime in the city, I think a 53 percent increase this year," he said. "And for me one of the things that sealed the deal, making it very clear to me that we had no other choice, wasn’t just the state of our parks. I saw a drug deal at Cesar Chavez, and we were able to catch the guy: He had 18 warrants. But our safety had really declined.”

Worth noting here is that Measure U is supported by the public sector unions. While Yee has the backing of several trade unions, Hansen has been endorsed by the firefighters and police unions.

For more on the background of the interview, the reporting that led to it, and the back-and-forth before the chat started, sign up for our Sacto Politco newsletter, a roundup of city politics news that goes out every Wednesday.

I'll be highlighting several other points in my interviews with Hansen and Yee as we build up to a digital and "real-world" town hall with both candidates in late October. (more details on that forum soon).

Have a particular issue you'd like me to focus on in my next post? Let me know in the conversation below.

PSA: Sacramento Gay & Lesbian Center seeks new leadership

2012-09-27T22:27:24Z

The following is a community announcment from the The Sacramento Gay & Lesbian Center:

The Sacramento Gay & Lesbian Center announces its annual request for board member applications. Application deadline is October 31, 2012.

The Board of Directors is currently looking to expand its membership with specific skill sets. Individuals who will compliment the current board have experience in the faith community, medical/mental health profession, senior services, youth development, accountancy, law, and/or experience in corporate management.

Competitive applicants acknowledge and honor the fundamental value and dignity of all individuals. They pledge themselves to creating and maintaining an environment that respects diverse traditions, heritages, and experiences.

The Center is creating long-term financial sustainability, addressing changing community needs, and ensuring there is always a safe, welcoming place for members of the LGBTQ community to find information, gather, and access services. Board applicants should willing to be an active participant in community engagement, fundraising and mission actualization.

Interested in more information, contact the Board President at David.Heitstuman@saccenter.org and download the application here . Application deadline is October 31, 2012.

Sacramento reacts to the 'worst call ever' on Monday night football

2012-09-25T14:13:15Z

View the story "Sacramento reacts to the 'worst call ever' on Monday Night Football " on StorifySacramento reacts to the 'worst call ever' on Monday Night Football The Seattle Seahawks beat the Green Bay Packers in Monday Night Football when Golden Tate caught a 20-yard pass from Russell Wilson. The problem: In the eyes of most viewers and nearly everyone with a Twitter account in Sacramento, the pass was intercepted by Packers defensive back M.D. Jennings. Storified by Jared Goyette · Tue, Sep 25 2012 07:48:45 Let's start off by reviewing the tape:
Another view of the touchdown. http://bit.ly/PCo4mVSB Nation GIF What a joke!!!“@joelklatt: Here you go...doesn't get any more clear than this http://pic.twitter.com/4HUDruVv”mark schlereth Most viewers reacted initially with a mix of anger and disbelief: I dont have words to describe what I just saw....#MNF rDerrick Silva The @nfl must get the real refs back. Crazy game tonightKirk Ellis Can't take these replacement refs #MNFgus obrien Get these Jr High refs out of here!!! @nflcommish #PackersGotRobbedSheren ツ #nfl I can only say bad bad bad.Tim Clark There was one dissenting voice. This guy should work for Slate Magazine:
If there is a fight for the ball mid air it automatically goes to the receiver. Nfl rules. Sorry.Steven Langford Then the jokes started coming: Yep. That's about right... Rt @FUNNYPICS: Replacement Refs http://twitpic.com/ay351emcanna The replacement refs remind me of Peter Griffin in the family guy taken episode "I have a very particular lack of skills" #MNFKyle Hensley Not impressed.Donelle O'Brien #ThingsBetterThanReplacementRefs Replacement Replacement RefsRooh-Allah Hasani As the reality of the call sank in, some well-known local sports pundits turned philosophical. Serious question: Was this the single worst call in sports history. I mean, EVER?Carmichael Dave These refs are ruining the #NFL. Players should strike and refuse to play until the real refs are backKIR Sports I follow 800 people across scores of subject areas from politics to food, wine, education, farming. ALL are bagging on #NFL refs. #MNFMarcos Breton In Sacramento, if something bad happens, the Maloofs must be connected. This comes courtesy of Sammie Spearman: @MarcosBreton replacement refs our a joke like the maloofs brotherssammie spearman

Forum podcast goes to Poverty Ridge

2012-09-24T15:18:37Z

The Sacramento Old City Association's tour of historic homes in the Poverty Ridge neighborhood drew an impressive crowd on Sept. 16 – including the crew from the Forum podcast.

In this snippet of the show shared with The Sacramento Press, local historian Maryellen Burns talks about the neighborhood's most famous house, where the writer Joan Didion lived for two years when she attended C.K. McClatchy High School.

The podcast is hosted by independent journalist Isaac Gonzalez and school board member Patrick Kennedy, and aims to visit every one of Sacramento's neighborhoods in its first year. Listen to the whole episode and learn more at f orumtownsquare.com.

Jared Goyette is the editor of the Sacramento Press

Follow @JaredGoyette

Submit questions: Steve Hansen live chat Wednesday at noon

2012-09-24T15:06:26Z

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 fund city services, Hansen did not – but Hansen quickly issued a statement after the chat saying that "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."

Hansen has two online interviews that provide good background on his candidacy and views on the city:

Comcast Newsmakers interview – Aug. 29

He also sat down with the ranSACkedmedia podcast on Sept. 6

If you see anything in those interviews that you'd like to hear more about from Hansen, sound off below.

Keep up with our political coverage with our weekly newsletter, Sacto Politico.

Jared Goyette is the editor of the Sacramento Press

Follow @JaredGoyette

PSA: White-haired dog found near Marriott Park in Pocket

2012-09-24T15:02:06Z

A medium-sized white-haired dog was found near Marriott Park in Pocket on Sunday afternoon, according to an email alert sent by the city.

For more information regarding the lost pup, email historiandan[at]gmail.com.

The email asks residents to share this information with neighbors and anyone who has lost a dog in the area.

We'll post a photo when one is available.

Sports Commission update: McCasey's compensation and Cohn on the loan - a reponse to readers

2012-09-20T16:30:27Z

After a nonprofit defaulted on a $400,000 loan from the city, Sacramento Press wanted to know: How much does the executive director make, and why did the city make the loan in the first place?

As one of the more prolific blog commenters in the Sacramento region noted, nonprofits disclose their staff compensation figures in their 990 IRS forms, which as public record are easily accessible through sites like GuideStar.org.

Tthe Sacramento Region Sports Education Foundation only lists one "key employee" on its 990s – its director, John McCasey – who earned $163,975 in 2010, $160,600 in 2009 and $155,354 in 2008.

The foundation has been in the red since 2009, and while a nonprofit by definition does not seek to make money, the audit concluded the "pattern of losses and failing to clearly account for them indicates a lack of financial planning and effective organizational management."

The report also indicated that the SRSEF failed to follow its own bylaws or the conditions of the city loan, including a requirement that the loan money be kept segregated from the foundation's general fund and only be used to organize and host the 2011 World Masters Athletics Championships.

McCasey also draws a separate salary from the city for his role as the executive director of the Sacramento Sports Commission. I'm working on a story that will answer reader's question about on what the comission recieve from the city.

Other readers asked why the council had made the loan in the first place. After the meeting Tuesday, I asked Councilman Steve Cohn if he thought that the loan had been a mistake and what the council would do differently going forward.

He indicated that the loan approval may have been rushed because of the time-sensitive nature of the tournament it was intended for, and that the city should have taken greater care to ensure the foundation had financial controls in place.

"I think in this case, because of the nature of the events, people may have gotten caught up in trying to make things happen quickly, and really didn't do the full examination that was needed in terms of the controls," he said. “Just because we want to do an event, doesn't mean we don't put the controls in place.”

Here's Cohn's full response - in a regrettably wobbly video:

Video: Sacramento City Council lambasts Sports Commission after audit reveals mismanagement

2012-09-19T15:23:22Z

The Sacramento City Council had tough words for the Sacramento Sports Commission Tuesday night, taking the organization to task after an audit cited poor management and lack of financial controls as factors in the organization's failure to pay back $400,000 it borrowed from city.

The city loaned the money to the commission to organize for the World Masters Athletics Championships, a track and field competition for athletes over 35 that was held in Sacramento last year.

Steve Cohn was one of the more critical council members. He said that the issue for him was not that the commission couldn't pay the money back, but that they had directly violated the loan agreement by failing to keep the city's funds segregated and only spend the money for its designated purpose – the masters event.

"To ask for a loan, and to agree as part of that loan that the money will not be used for any other purpose, and to find out in the audit it was used for several other purposes does not make me as a council member who is directly responsible to my constituents for tax funds feel at all comfortable," Cohn said. "And I want to underscore the severity of that – that is a very serious situation when we talk about public funds."

A task force comprised of staff from the city, county and the Sacramento Region Sports Education Foundation is working to evaluate structural changes to address the audit's recommendations, and will report back to the council.

Cohn said he thinks the council should consider the SRSEF's report, but also keep all options on the table, including making the Sacramento Convention and Visitors Bureau responsible for sports marking.

Council members Sandy Sheedy, Rob Fong and Kevin McCarty all noted that the many of the events the commission had organized had been successful and had contributed to the city's economy – but they were all also critical, none more than Sheedy, who questioned whether the council should ever give money to the commission again – a troubling suggestion for an organization that receives over half of its budget – $140,000 – from the city.

"I am just really upset about the use of public funds," she said. "We cannot allow this to keep happening, and at some point it needs to stop. The buck stops with us, unfortunately. I would just have a very hard time in giving any more money to this organization – I just needed to say that."

Jared Goyette is the editor of The Sacramento Press

Follow @JaredGoyette

Food truck law to be revised amid legal issues

2012-09-18T19:56:50Z

The revised Sacramento food truck ordinance that was drafted after negotiations between the city, the truck operators and the restaurant owners is going to be revised by city staff due to legal concerns expressed by the city attorney.

The move, announced by Councilmember Jay Schenirer at the Law and Legislation Committee, comes after the Southern California Mobile Food Vendors Association took a stance against the ordinance, arguing that Sacramento did not have the legal authority to regulate the trucks and risked being sued if it enacted the law

Daniel Conway, legislative and public affairs director of California Restaurant Association, said the parties involved in the negociations would meet again soon.

"Based on the comments of council members today, it sounds like they're planning to reconvene the stakeholders so I think they'll look to continue the process that they've had to date where they bring together the various parties and kind of work through these issues together, which is what's gotten us to this point and I think will be to the benefit of everyone involved."

The rational for delaying the ordinance was made clear during an exchange between Schenirer and Councilmember Sandy Sheedy.

"We do not want to put the city in a position where we're going to lose a court case, " Schenirer said

"We don't have the money to lose a court case," Sheedy responded.

Schenirer said a new draft of the ordinance should be ready to be considered by the committee during next month's meeting on Oct. 16.

The draft ordinance:

Food Vending Vehicle Ordinance

Video: West Sacramento Mayor Chris Cabaldon makes the case for more investment in urban infrastructure

2012-09-18T15:18:21Z

West Sacramento Mayor Chris Cabaldon argured for more investment in urban infrastructure during Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson's weekly press conference Tuesday.

The press conference, which was also attended by Fresno Mayor Ashley Swearengin, was held to highlight a report released by the U.S. Conference of Mayors.

The report became the subject of a debate on The Sacramento Press in July, when community contributor and local historian William Burg took issue with The Sacramento Bee's portrayal of its significance in his (deceptively named) post, " What's Killing Sacrmento's Suburbs."

The Bee's Dale Kasler had noted that the report doesn't have much good to say about Sacramento's economy, as it found that the metro economy shrank by 0.3 percent in 2011, when adjusted for inflation, and that "Among the 100 largest metro areas, only six performed worse."

That made for a compelling news peg and a dramatic headline: “New report says Sacramento's economy was among worst in U.S. last year.”

That was 2011, but this year may prove to be a different story: Burg pointed out that the report also shows that the metro economy grew by 1.9 percent in 2012.

Burg's main contention was not with the growth figures but with the focus of the story. He argued that Kasler had ignored the main focus of the report itself, the state of America’s transportation infrastructure, and that Sacramento has "much to crow about" in that sector, including the work on the intermdoal facility and the expansion of the airport. He advocates for additional investments, which he says could spur economic growth and infill development.

The full report: U.S. Metro Economies Report

@JaredGoyette is the editor of The Sacramento Press.Follow @JaredGoyette

Note to readers: Political coverage and open source journalism

2012-09-17T23:11:55Z

We're going to be mixing things up a bit on our political coverage at The Sacramento Press.

First, I'm going to start handling a lot of the day-to-day postings and quick updates, with some longer news stories thrown in for good measure, like today's look at a city audit of a troubled nonprofit organization.

My coverage will, to a large extent, be guided by readers: I pay close attention to the comments in all our articles, looking for tips, corrections, new angles and story ideas. You can can also pitch stories directly through our Submit a Pitch a form, or email me at jared[at]SacramentoPress.com.

In that spirit of collaboration, I'm going to push as far as I can with the concept of "open journalism," and give readers all the materials I used to make each story. I'll post any documents I use, show the full versions of press releases I draw from, embed the audio from interviews, including phone interviews with public officials and candidates – if the subjects permit me to record them.

My hope is that if readers have access to the source material, they will be able to point out important facets that I overlook, or just drive deeper into a particular point of interest. This approach also has the benefit or being more credible, as readers will be able to hear the full content of quotes, rather than just the text I decide to include, and draw their own conclusions accordingly.

Other writers will be focused on the tough, complex issues that are best done outside of the daily web grind. On that front, R.V. Scheide, an award-winning local journalist with 20 years of experience, will contribute a mix of reporting and opinion on a weekly basis.

We'll also continue with our live chat series, Sac Press Live, and we have live events and forums in the works.

There are issues we still need to solve. I want to find a way to work with our community contributors to cover more neighborhood meetings, and I think there are some transit issues that don't get covered as well as they could. Education is an area we haven't focused on at Sac Press – but maybe that should change.

What I can promise is that we’ll keep experimenting and keep listening. Thanks for reading and, hopefully, participating

Jared Goyette is the editor of The Sacramento Press

Follow @JaredGoyette

Nostalgia for a different time in Sacrament's art scene: Belmonte Gallery panel at Time Tested Books

2012-09-17T15:30:13Z

An avant-garde art movement swept the art world in the 1960s, and its unofficial headquarters in Sacramento was the Belmonte Gallery, which was opened by Sal and Masako Yniguez in 1962.

On Sunday, The Sacramento Living Library's Tim Foster hosted a panel discussion on the Belmonte at Time Tested Books, featuring Masako Yniguez and three artists whose work was displayed the gallery, Irving Marcus, Peter Vandenberge and Kurt Fishback.

Fishback, who is now known principally as a photographer but at the time was also a sculptor, discussed his memories of the gallery and his nostalgia for what he said was an exciting and headier time in Sacramento's art scene.

The following is a selection of what he had to say:

"It was funny. Everything outside of us tried to pin us into pigeonholes, but all we were doing was enjoying our connection with Sal and (Masako) and making art.

"In those days, there were four art critics in Sacramento. Two newspapers and four art critics that any artists could call on the phone and say, 'Would you like to look at my show?' Remember? There was just all these people that were open to talking about art. I got lots of reviews by just calling people.

"There was an openness that doesn't really exist anymore. There doesn't seem to be real interest in local art in the Bee anymore. It doesn't sell papers and, of course, papers are hard to sell anyway, right?

"It was a time when it was necessary to have an open space that would allow you to be yourself, and that was the Belmonte Gallery. That's its biggest legacy, and I've been hungry for that kind of energy and thought, and watching gallery after gallery close in this town, there's just no real support for art. In fact, a friend of mine (who runs a gallery) was at my house Friday morning, and he said somebody actually called the day of a Second Saturday opening to ask if he was serving wine, and that was that the determinate as to whether they were going to come to the show. I mean, it used to be that if you didn't have cheap wine there wasn't much of a turnout, but that wasn't at least spoken quite that bluntly.

"I miss the '60s for many reasons, and one of the biggest is the Belmonte, and what happened -- the freedom, the love, the caring, this passion, this passion for art, for making it or discussing it or sharing it.

'It was a different time. It was a time that will never happen again, I don't think."

To learn more about the Belmonte Gallery, read Tim Foster's article in the Feb. 2010 edition of Midtown Monthly, Memories of Belmonte.

The city of Sacramento's bad loan to a troubled nonprofit

2012-09-17T15:03:35Z

A city audit released last week concluded that a nonprofit which defaulted on a $400,000 loan from the city had been losing money for years and lacked strong financial management or internal controls.

The 18-page report took the Sacramento Region Sports Education Foundation to task for not following its own bylaws or the conditions or the city loan, including a requirement that the loan money be kept segregated from the foundation's general fund and only be used to organize and host the 2011 World Masters Athletics Championships.

The foundation is, in practice, an extension of local government: It is overseen by the Sacramento Sports Commission, a joint city/county body. The executive director of the commission, John McCasey, also runs the foundation.

Apart from the loan, the commission also receives $140,000 annually in funding from the city and another $100,000 from the county, which it passes passed onto the SRSEF. The SRSEF and the commission exists to draw large sporting events to the region, such as the 2004 U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials or the Amgen Tour of California.

The idea is that bringing these events to the region will draw tourists, boost the economy and increase tax revenues, but that is not the way it worked out last year, when the SRSEF borrowed $400,000 from the city and another $150,000 from the county to organize the masters tournament, a track and field event for athletes over age 35.

According to the audit, the commission initially forecast that the event would bring in $76,974 from sources such as registration fees and revenue sharing agreements with hotels. Instead, the commission actually lost $253,000.

In an interview conducted in May, McCasey indicated that while the event drew about the number of athletes the commission had estimated, that attendance did not translate into the anticipated revenue.

“That’s what fell short,” McCasey said. “Once they got here, they didn’t spend what we expected.”

The audit found instances of poor financial management, shoddy bookkeepings and a general lack of established financial procedures, but no evidence of fraud.

"I'm not suggesting, nor is the audit suggesting, that anyone pocketed money. It's just lack of proper accounting as to the public dollars, and that's not acceptable," said Councilman Steve Cohn, the chair of the city's audit committee.

HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF

This is not the first time the SRSEF has been audited after it had trouble repaying loans from the city and the county. The report indicates that an independent auditor reviewed the SRSEF's books in 2000, after the organization "incurred significant losses" and entered into a period of debt forgiveness with its major creditors, including the city and the county.

The audit was blunt in its appraisal of the SRSEF's history of financial management.

"The history indicated that SRSEF could not pay past obligations to the City, County and other creditors when obligations were due more than a decade ago," the report states. "While organizations can have shortfalls in some years, the pattern of losses and failing to clearly account for them indicates a lack of financial planning and effective organizational management."

When asked if he thought that McCasey should resign, Cohn said that he is focused on a broader issue – whether or not the commission and the foundation should exist at all in their present form.

"This is just an audit. It's pretty strong, so one could certainly argue that it's strong enough to call for resignation, but to me the more important issue is, would it even matter if it were someone else besides McCasey?" Cohn said. "Is this even the right structure, or if somebody else comes in are we going to have similar problems with this setup? That's really my bigger concern – could any one individual run that as a separate entity, or is it time to look at bringing in another organization that has more accountability?"

Cohn suggested that the Sacramento Convention and Visitors Bureau might be well positioned to take over the role currently played by the commission and the foundation.

The city's auditor, Jorge Oseguera, will present the report's findings to the City Council during Tuesday's City Council meeting.

"The lesson for the city, I think, is that when they choose to make a loan of this magnitude to an entity like this, that the risks associated with those loans need to be weighed carefully, because this isn't the first time that the city has lost money on an event like this,” Oseguera said. "If this is really going to be a recurring issue, the city needs to really consider whether or not that's the wisest use of its money."

The report included a response from SRSEF indicating that the foundation agreed with the audit's findings, and that a task force comprised of staff from the city, county and the SRSEF was working to evaluate structural changes to address the audit's recommendations, and to evaluate the nonprofit's capacity to continue operating.

Messages left with the commission Thursday were not returned by publication time.

Cohn said the foundation would still be obligated to repay the city, despite its current financial predicament.

"We do expect to get paid back and we will work with them on a loan repayment, and that's tough for them to do because they aren't able to make money right now, but they're going to have to figure something out," he said.

City audit of the Sacramento Region Sports Education Foundation

Steve Hansen gets the endorsement of the Sacramento area firefighters union

2012-09-14T02:32:28Z

The influential Sacramento area firefighters union has endorsed City Council District 4 candidate Steve Hansen in his race against Joe Yee.

In a statement released Thursday, the union said it made the endorsement because of Hansen's "vision for enhancing Sacramento communities and public safety from the ground up."

Hansen said that he believed that the union endorsed him because of his ability to bring people together to solve problems, and his proposals for good government and diversifying the city’s economy.

“The fire department is dependent on city revenues and the city’s economy has been badly stewarded over the last decade, and my approach is that you have to have a safe city to have a successful city.” Hansen said Thursday. “We also have to make sure that we have the kind of economy that can support our firefighters, our police and our parks.

Yee also has a strong base of union support, though most of it comes from the building trades, where he has strong relationships because of his years of work as an architect. The Carpenters Local 46, the Sacramento Sierra Building Trades and Construction Council, and the Sheet Metal Workers’ International Association are among the unions that have endorsed Yee, according to the candidate's website.

"I am proud of my endorsements from constructon trades unions as well as business leaders," Yee said an email Thursday night. "I believe they support my campaign because of my 19 years of experience in planning and approving smart growth for Sacramento."

Both Hansen and Yee support Measure U, a ballot measure to create a new one half-cent sales tax to generate funds to "protect essential public safety services" including fire protection and emergency medical response.

The full press release from the firefighters union:

Sacramento, CA—Sacramento Area Firefighters are proud to announce their endorsement of Steve Hansen for City Council, District Four. The Firefighters chose to endorse Hansen based on his vision for enhancing Sacramento communities and public safety from the ground up. Hansen has a plan to facilitate the collaboration of our citizens with each other and with the public safety entities that protect them

“By strengthening the communities themselves, and the public safety agencies that serve them, Sacramento will be more safe and secure, creating a more peaceful and prosperous environment for our citizens,” commented Brian Rice, President of Sacramento Area Firefighters.

In addition to his collaborative approach to strengthening our communities and public safety, Hansen is also running on the concept that Sacramento residents are entitled to public officials that practice sacrifice, accountability, leadership, and integrity. “Sacramento Firefighters are guided by these same principles and therefore, we are proud to stand with Steve Hansen for City Council,” said Ryan Henry, Vice-President of Sacramento Area Firefighters.

City politics 101 with Craig Powell of Eye on Sacramento - a chat

2012-09-12T20:35:00Z

Craig Powell on city politics and Eye on Sacramento:

Powell has been in the news recently after Eye on Sacramento filed an ultimately unsuccessful lawsuit seeking a court order compelling City Clerk Shirley Concolino to accept their ballot argument opposing the tax increase measure on the November ballot.

I'll be talking to Powell about what he's focused on now and his views on the issues facing the city and the mayor.

PSA: Tahoe Park cleanup day Saturday

2012-09-12T15:33:50Z

It is a common complaint in Sacramento that the city doesn't do enough to maintain its parks. The discussion usually centers around city funding and budgets, when we might be better off asking why there are not more neighborhood cleanups, like the one occurring in Tahoe Park this Saturday.

"During the current difficult economic climate, it is important that the residents of Sacramento take steps to ensure that our great shared resource, our city's beautiful parks, don't languish as a result of year-after-year of budget cuts," said organizer and Tahoe Park Neighborhood Association board member Isaac Gonzalez on Tuesday.

The cleanup runs from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. All residents need to do to participate is show up: The TPNA and the Department of Parks and Recreation will provides tools, gloves and assignments to keep the volunteer crews busy, Gonzalez said.

There will be a raffle with raffle prizes, including coffeehouse gift cards and a lunch with City Councilman Kevin McCarty.

For more info, go to tahoe-park.org

Gonzalez wrote about a cleanup last year, which you can read about here.

Do you have a community announcement you want to see on Sacramento Press? You can either publish it yourself (go to our contribute page for more info) or let us know about it by emailing hub[at]SacramentoPress.com. Please include “PSA” in the subject line.

Video: Downtown James Brown jams at the Chalk-It-Up! festival

2012-09-11T17:41:09Z

Downtown James Brown is by far Sacramento's most popular street performer, and he has been known to jam with the reggae/funk band ZuhG on occasion ‒ which is exactly what went down on Labor Day in Fremont Park during the Chalk-It-Up! festival.

(Video shot by Russell Albert, cmdshiftMedia
Edit by Jared Goyette, Sac Press)

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Jared Goyette is the editor of the Sacramento Press

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