Comments for Sacramento Current

Comment on 308: Reinventing California’s budget rules by amy_yannello2012

amy_yannello2012 — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 20:38:59 +0000

Great guests, great podcast!! Looking fwd to Dec. 5 event.

Comment on Warren loans $121,000 to his own campaign. Credit card, tax bills will have to wait by evak

evak — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 06:25:36 +0000

I think this is a good story and good that someone is keeping an eye on things. But how about naming it… “No Warren Buffett” or some such? And I say that as someone who is constantly being told to Try and make her sentences shorter than one paragraph. Or at least shorter than a paragraph that takes up half the page….

Comment on by amy_yannello2012

amy_yannello2012 — Sat, 08 Sep 2012 16:27:22 +0000

Great interview, but… no legs! (False advertising.) And here I thought I was going to get a little “sexy” with my wonkfest.

Comment on Oops. Team KJ forgets to report $350,000 in donations from Kings, until nosy reporters show up. by cosmog

cosmog — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 04:55:23 +0000

I’m always a little skeptical about these change.org petitions. After all, KJ has used them in the past to gin up a sort of pretend-grassroots support on certain issues. But with this petition I’m particularly concerned that it’s representing to people that if enough people sign the change.org petition then it will result in a recall measure being on the ballot. That’s not true. There’s a particular process and you have to gather actual signatures from registered voters in the city of Sacramento. I’m worried this is going to confuse people and make them think they’re signing a real recall petition, when they are not.

Comment on Oops. Team KJ forgets to report $350,000 in donations from Kings, until nosy reporters show up. by RecallMayorJohnson

RecallMayorJohnson — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 18:20:56 +0000

Time to Recall Mayor Kevin Johnson: http://www.change.org/petitions/recall-mayor-kevin-johnson#

Comment on City manager moves to kick Mayor’s non-profits out of City Hall by bbbbmer11

bbbbmer11 — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 23:35:01 +0000

BRAVO!

Comment on I’ve earned the right to complain by evak

evak — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 17:59:14 +0000

If the Charter Review commission is approved will you try to be on it?

Comment on I’ve earned the right to complain by Isaac Gonzalez

Isaac Gonzalez — Sat, 16 Jun 2012 15:05:19 +0000

Yes. Class of 2011. Didn’t miss a single meeting.

Comment on I’ve earned the right to complain by sactomaya

sactomaya — Sat, 16 Jun 2012 14:03:47 +0000

Have you participated in the city management academy?

Comment on Dear Mr. Netto: First one’s free by FifthGenSacramentan

FifthGenSacramentan — Sat, 09 Jun 2012 17:41:52 +0000

A Better Sacramento is one that isn’t littered with the post campaign debris of the failed efforts of a deceitful PAC of the same name.

Just like the city got billed for their previous PAC’s misadventures with the SMI 1 and Bill Camp’s prevailing lawsuit, we should not be surprised if it falls on the residents of our city to remove the current relics of their attempted coup of our city’s government.

Instead of dumping it all off at the candidates residences, who have no control of what a PAC does on their behalf, there’s also people like Tom Hiltachk, Mark Friedman, Mike Heller, Steve Ayers and Robbie Waters…to name but a few….who most certainly deserve to receive some of the aftermath from their $10,000 Dollar contributions.

Comment on Today in What the Fuck is Marcos Breton Talking About… by Isaac Gonzalez

Isaac Gonzalez — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 14:01:29 +0000

In all fairness to Marcos, his reply to me on Twitter was totally in line with my original query: “Do you want a hug?”

Comment on Today in What the Fuck is Marcos Breton Talking About… by Patrick Kennedy

Patrick Kennedy — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 07:02:11 +0000

I get anoid when I hear that podcasts are going to die. I want to put my foot up somebody’s ass!

Comment on Current Shots – Election night in Sacramento by JSac

JSac — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 07:29:35 +0000

I love this podcast. Very fun. And quick turnaround too.

Comment on Avoiding the public makes Mayor look weak. by evak

evak — Sat, 02 Jun 2012 22:03:32 +0000

So maybe the criticism is beginning to have some effect?

Comment on Avoiding the public makes Mayor look weak. by Phil Pluckebaum

Phil Pluckebaum — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 21:57:49 +0000

yes

Comment on Avoiding the public makes Mayor look weak. by evak

evak — Thu, 31 May 2012 21:48:00 +0000

Have you seen this?
“Wanted: Your questions for Rewers and Johnson”

“The primary election is right around the corner, and Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson and Jonathan Rewers each agreed to sit with The Sacramento Press for interviews, and we are opening the floor to questions from our readers.”

http://www.sacramentopress.com/headline/68760/Wanted_Your_questions_for_Rewers_and_Johnson

Comment on Supervisor candidates occupy our podcast: Sacramento Current – Episode 14 by evak

evak — Thu, 31 May 2012 06:23:20 +0000

First a detail. London High Street is not where you find you “Mom and Pop” shops unless by “Mom and Pop” you mean Harrods. The reason being is that the rents are so high. I believe last year 40% of all businesses on London High Street were forced to close at quarterly rent time. The shops are physically small (that’s an architectural fact; not choice), but in London, these small shops are, quite often, owned by quite big business. Here’s a list of the top shops on High Street from Time Out London (http://www.timeout.com/london/feature/1677/high-street-the-100-best-shops-in-london). As you can see, these are chain stores. They may not be chain stores that are well-known (or known at all) in the US but they are chain stores nonetheless. That said, most cities in the UK have a High Street and the rents on those High Streets are way less expensive and, as a result, many of those do indeed boast local shops.

But there is a bigger question I have about the development vision or goal Gary and Jeff have. And that is: how are they planning to get businesses to buy into it? Because (IMO) and I underscore that this is my opinion only, one of the key differences between American retail and much of European retail is who the businesses want to cater to. Put simply, many American businesses (and again this is just an opinion) seem to want to cater to a regional economy, not really the local one. The idea behind the malls seems to be that people from the region will come to the mall, find relatively predictable “stuff” and spend money in a safe or at least controlled environment. The idea behind the corner shop is quite different: this is a shop that caters to the specific needs of the neighborhood or maybe city in which it chooses to establish itself. And when that relationship between the local business and the local community doesn’t work out, you could have a Lounge ON20 on your hands.

All of which is a long way of saying that it seems to me that Gary and Jeff have it exactly backwards. The question (IMO) is not how do you change the zoning laws to make businesses want to cater to the local community but how do you get businesses to want to cater to the local community which will then get the businesses to ask for the zoning laws to be changed?

Comment on Sacramento Current – Episode 13 by JSac

JSac — Fri, 25 May 2012 05:04:30 +0000

Wait a sec… Mr. Rewers has attended a City Council meeting? Is that Kosher? Shouldn’t he con a City Hall guard into sneaking him into the chambers like our current mayor did? Kevin Johnson never attended a City Council meeting until he got elected and if he has his way he’ll never have to again (“strong” mayors don’t have to put up with piddly council meetings). This guy sounds too honest to trust.

Comment on Sacramento Current – Episode 13 by evak

evak — Wed, 23 May 2012 02:49:10 +0000

I get what Rewers was saying about using the funds we have wisely before going out to the voters. When you manage a multi-million dollar budget composed of various funding streams, it’s hard to track the money. And, to the extent that people (ordinary people) don’t know how the money works, is the extent to which they do not have the tools to penalize elected officials for not using scarce resources in the best possible way. And if elected officials don’t think they will be penalized they will continue to mis-behave. So OK, I get that. But I have two questions: aren’t there oversight bodies at the City level that do employ smart people who do know how the money works? And, if this is a real issue (and it sounds like it is) hasn’t anyone ever heard of a “trusted back door”? You go, have coffee with someone and then before you know it someone or other is jumping up and down in front of an oversight committee about how money could be better spent.

Comment on If you’re so smart, you pick the winner in District 2 by cosmog

cosmog — Fri, 18 May 2012 16:54:56 +0000

Well, with the entire Sacramento Current listenership as the sample, I think we can call it pretty accurately.

Comment on Sacramento Current Shorts – What’s more important? by amy_yannello2012

amy_yannello2012 — Sun, 13 May 2012 01:56:23 +0000

Obviously, the mayor feels that all his face time in front of the cameras this last year re: the arenathatneverwas is all the time the citizens of Sacramento “need” with him, and that questioning him on parks, pools, and schools, (let alone homelessness, police and fire), would be a waste of his valuable time.

Will Sacramentans vote for apathy & arrogance, come June?

Comment on Sacramento Current Shorts – What’s more important? by evak

evak — Sat, 12 May 2012 06:55:44 +0000

Thanks for bringing this to my attention. Just shot off this letter to the Bee:

Dear Sir/Madam: You are reporting very select factoids about the mayoral race. Today, you are running with the Padilla is supported by Wes Shermantine story. And sure, that’s amusing but not really important. What is important is that Kevin Johnson has yet to attend a single neighborhood association meeting with his mayoral opponents and has decided to skipthe League of Women Voters debate. Why? When Melissa Corker of the Sacramento Press asked this question, KJ’s campaign manager assured her that Kevin Johnson has “no need” to attend. He has “no need” to attend a single neighborhood association meeting; he has no need to attend a League of Voters meeting. The man who wants to spend four more years being our mayor has no need, it seems, to talk to the people of Sacramento.

And the Bee has no need to report this. Why?

Comment on Sacramento Current – Episode 11 by cosmog

cosmog — Thu, 10 May 2012 15:21:06 +0000

Indeed.

Comment on Sacramento Current – Episode 11 by Patrick Kennedy

Patrick Kennedy — Thu, 10 May 2012 06:32:42 +0000

Hey Patrick, great links! It’s about time someone gives credit where credit is due!

Comment on Claw versus bin? How ’bout dead cats? by kc

kc — Tue, 08 May 2012 23:53:30 +0000

Love the claw. It employs more people. They pay taxes. City has money to spend. But if the bin is better, where does one put it. I have 2 now & no room. Our neighboroods are ugly with multicoloured plastic bins all staring at us.