The first tree lighting of the season is in Old Sacramento on November 25 at 6 pm. The 50-foot tree will take center stage at Front & K streets as a part of Old Sacramento’s brand new Theatre of Lights.

The festivities will kick off at 6 pm with live entertainment a visit from Father Christmas, Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson and will continue with the Tree Lighting at 6:30 pm and the first Theatre of Lights show at immediately following.  Two 10-minute light shows will run throughout the holiday season Thursdays through Sundays at 6:30 pm and 8:30 pm

If you have questions to ask the Mayor now’s your chance.  Today from 4:00PM to 8:00PM in the Evelyn Moore Community Center, 1402 Dickson Street, Sacramento, CA 95822, Mayor Kevin Johnson will have his first public open-office hours.  If you want to know more about his strong mayor proposal or issues in your neighborhood come and ask questions and hear what he has to say.

Mayor Kevin Johnson

Mayor Kevin Johnson said today that he is putting his effort to make Sacramento a strong-mayor city on hold in order to focus on the city’s budget deficit.  Johnson said that he didn’t want the strong-mayor proposal to become a distraction to the number one priority of getting the city budget back on track.  

Click on this link to watch the full story courtesy of YouTube.

Our new mayor has just been sworn in and is not wasting any time sweeping those promised winds of change through the halls of Sacramento government.  I want to see Sacramento as a thriving, progressive city, but I think we should be a  little cautious endorsing broad change until a track record is established.

Johnson’s attorneys Friday filed an initiative that would amend the city charter and make Sacramento a strong mayor city. The mayor called the change – one of the most significant proposed for the charter in city history – an important step toward making Sacramento “a world-class destination city.”

If approved by city voters, the measure would give the mayor the authority to propose the city budget, appoint department heads and veto some council actions. The council would resemble a legislative body, with the ability to approve the budget and mayoral appointees.

If supporters gather enough signatures or a council majority agrees to place it on the ballot, voters will consider the measure during a special election in June or November.

Let’s hear some comments about this whole “Strong Mayor City” thing.  I think we should take a look at how things are going before we hand more power to our city government.  Look at all the crazy things that happen with political power on a larger scale like the governor of Illinois trying to sell the senate seat vacated by Obama to the highest bidder.  We don’t want to have to worry about being a strong mayor city that passes out appointments for favors.  I’m not saying Johnson has anything sinister in mind, but once the system is implemented it will be there for not only this mayor but all who follow him.  Am I being too cautious minded or should we forge ahead, what do you think?

Kevin Johnson, Mayor of Sacramento

What a great way to start his first term as Sacramento’s Mayor, Kevin Johnson is going to donate excess campaign funds to save the Santa Parade!  Adam Mendelsohn, an advisor to Johnson, said that since the swearing-in came in under budget they decided to donate the $20,000 needed to save the parade.

A formal announcement is planned during a news conference at 2:00PM Sunday at the downtown ice rink at 7th and K Streets.  Johnson wanted to save the parade for sentimental and business reason.  “This is too important of a tradition not to continue.”   Laurie Hensley, parade coordinator, said the event won’t occur on the traditional Saturday after Thanksgiving, but it will be held in December.

Sacramento Santa Parade is On Again!

The votes are in, but the counting isn’t over.  It’s not likely to change the results since Kevin Johnson took 57% of the vote when he won the Sacramento Mayoral race over Heather Fargo on November 4th, but the votes are still being counted.  This means that unless the vote counters really work fast the tally won’t be finished in time for the November 25th swearing-in ceremony scheduled for Kevin Johnson to take over the Mayor’s Office.  According to Sacramento City Clerk Shirley Concolino the Mayor can’t be sworn in until every last vote is counted.  This means that Johnson will probably be sworn in on December 2, at the next council meeting, and officially Heather Fargo is still Mayor until the new Mayor is sworn in. 

That may be the official stand, but the Johnson camp plans to go ahead with the big party planned on November 25th that should have been the swearing-in ceremony; official or not the party is still on.  The gala at Memorial Auditorium is to be emceed by television journalist Lisa Ling and includes performances by a gospel choir, the 34th Street Dancers and the young people’s troupe from the Sacramento Theatre Company.  That’s a positive attitude; we will party first and make it official later.

Kevin Johnson and Heather Fargo

Now that Halloween is over and all the ghosts and goblins have gone back to spooksville until next year, we only have one focus until Tuesday, November 4, 2008, Election Day.  I know we all have “Election Fatigue“, but we will feel better after we cast our ballot on Tuesday.

We are being bombarded with political ads from McCain and Obama, pulling us in every direction to decide who will be our next president.  Heather Fargo and Kevin Johnson are both certain that they should be the Mayor of Sacramento.  Both of these political races are important to our future, but there are a lot of Propositions on the ballot and we need to be informed about what they will do to affect our lives.  Some of these propositions will have as much impact and longer lasting effect than either the presidential or mayoral race.

Every registered voter should receive an election guide that gives the propositions in written form, but if you have misplaced yours or didn’t receive one I have a link to the Secretary of State’s website for you.  It will be much easier if you have a chance to read them at your leisure instead of hurrying through them while you are in the voting booth.  So I have a link for you that will give you a chance to read all the propositions.  The propositions can be read not only in English but in several other languages and allow you to print in PDF format as well as an audio version.  There is also an analysis of each proposition with pros and cons for each one.   In addition it gives the estimated monetary effect each proposition will have on state and local government.  Just click on this link for Voter Information Guide.

Election 2008

Tonight at 6:00PM is the second of three debates between current Sacramento Mayor Heather Fargo and her opponent Kevin Johnson on KOVR, channel 13.  If you can’t watch at that time set your TiVo or check online after 7:00PM at Sacramento Bee website sacbee.com for coverage of the debate.

Mayoral Debate with Heather Fargo and Kevin Johnson

The Sacramento Police Department announced this week that it is severely cutting back service because of historic budget shortfalls.  Mayor Heather Fargo called the cuts “outrageous” and “unacceptable” and challenged the City Council to address the  changes at their meeting on Tuesday.  She announced that she would take a 10 percent pay cut and called on the Police Chief, City Manager, and every other city department head to do the same.  Sounds like a noble thing to do, but her opponent Kevin Johnson, thinks it is just a political ploy to help her keep her job.

I’m going to watch this debate because it sounds like the sparks are already flying and I can’t wait to see if it errupts into a real bonfire.  Good thing it isn’t the Fire Department cutting back on services!

Sacramento Mayoral Debate a Political Bonfire

If you thought the “Great Debate” was last Thursday with Joe Biden and Sarah Palin, think again!  Sacramento has their own headline making debate.  Sacramento mayoral candidates Heather Fargo and Kevin Johnson will square off at Sacramento State in a live, televised debate from 6:30 to 8 p.m., Monday, Oct. 6, in the University Union Ballroom. The non-partisan debate will be broadcast on KCRA Channel 3 and Capital Public Radio, FM 90.9. 

Heather Fargo and Kevin Johnson