Tag: Kevin Johnson

Sacramento is one of the strongest soccer regions in the country

Mayor Kevin Johnson at USL Pro Press Conference

In the wake of the Sacramento City Council’s decision to disband the Sacramento Sports Commission (Mayor Kevin Johnson was absent from the vote), the United Soccer League (USL PRO) announced that an expansion franchise in Sacramento will join the league for the 2014 season.

“I welcome USL PRO to Sacramento,” Sacramento’s Mayor Kevin Johnson said. “Attracting more jobs and civic amenities to our community is an essential part of elevating our profile as a vibrant and emerging region.”

I guess that’s all well and good, but I’m locking in on this statement from the article.

The Sacramento area contains one of the strongest regional soccer scenes in the United States, with some of the highest youth soccer participation rates in the country, as well as successful high school and collegiate programs. Numerous professional players from Sacramento currently play in Major League Soccer and USL PRO. During the 2010 World Cup, Univision had higher viewership in Sacramento than ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX stations combined for the game between Mexico and Costa Rica. Sacramento was also consistently in the top 10 for ESPN/ABC Neilsen ratings during the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Wow. I need to get out more, I had no idea. But, then again, I had no idea we still had a professional football team, and that said team plays at Raley Field. Or do they?

And in related news, how do we feel about this Kevin Johnson ethics violation story? I’m not sure I’m buying the “Oops, our bad” response. Do you?

Mayor Johnson leads by example

You civic-minded readers may be able to help me understand this story about Mayor Johnson’s new ride. Here are a few quotes that do not make sense to me…

To pay for it, the city of Sacramento used funding initially scheduled to replace two police vehicles; an aging Ford Expedition and a forklift used at the police department’s property division. “So it’s basically cost-neutral,” Johnson said.

You know, basically. More or less. About. As far as you know.

Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson’s got a new car — a jet-black sport utility vehicle with tinted windows, a hybrid engine and a satellite television dish on its roof.

Wow, that sounds like a sweet rig. How on earth did he find the money in these tough economic times to purchase such a luxury item?

The mayor’s office said no taxpayer dollars were used to purchase the onboard television system.

Ah, I see. Same goes for the CD holder and clip-on air freshener?

Continue reading “Mayor Johnson leads by example”

2010 CA State Fair Opens!

Poppy points the way to adventure!
An adventure is waiting inside at the 157th annual California State Fair! Check in here at The Rag for updates on food, fun, music, booze and more so you don’t miss out on new features and old favorites. Discount tickets are still available through midnight tonight! Meanwhile, here are a few images from the opening day.

Continue reading “2010 CA State Fair Opens!”

Steve Maviglio quits blogging, citing comments

Spokesperson-for-hire Steve Maviglio, who for the last few months had been blogging on Sacramento Press, announced there today he will be leaving the Sac Press “for a while.” Why? Comment flaming. Don’t get him wrong, there are many good commenters, he says…

However, there are some, who typically hide behind screen names, that think name-calling and obscenities are effective ways to make their point. Unfortunately, Sacramento Press, in most instances, allows these comments.

He actually cites the Sac Bee as an example of moderation in the area of public comment. Read the whole thing here.

Bastiao Farms Goblin Gardens (photos)

This year’s family destination for autumn revelry and pumpkin harvesting was Bastiao Farms Goblin Gardens, which is located on a family farm in North Natomas.

Goblin Gardens has a large pumpkin patch with some great looking pumpkins; a nice hay bale maze (super fun to run through in a crouch, so that it looks to you the way it does to a youngster); a big hay bale pyramid; a mini racetrack for toddler riding toys, which was a great touch; an inflatable giant slide; and lots of farm implements to climb on. They appeared to have a BBQ going and some sort of basic snack bar items, but we brought a picnic and ate out in the blazingly unseasonable midday sun.

Continue reading “Bastiao Farms Goblin Gardens (photos)”

KCRA’s Bienick chases down the story

Bienick doing his best
Sasquatch impersonation

I know this is old news, but I couldn’t help but chuckle while watching the video of KCRA’s Dave Bienick chasing down Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson’s SUV yesterday.

A few minutes later, the SUV pulled away and went to the back of the building. KCRA 3 also went to the back of the building to wait.

At that point, the SUV drove away and went back to the front of the building. KCRA 3 followed, arriving just in time to see Johnson hop into the vehicle and ride away.

Bienick called for Johnson to stop, but he did not.

By the way, I’d love to “Watch live coverage of Mayor Kevin Johnson’s weekly news conference at City Hall, during which he will discuss a possible obstacle to Sacramento receiving federal stimulus money.” but how many flippin’ Firefox plugins do I need to get this stuff to work? Here’s the follow up story.

At any rate, well done, Dave.

KJ, Poof Daddy and Seal tonight on Larry King Live!

Larry King continued his non-stop Obamamania tonight by replacing his entire LarryKingLive operation with African-American men. D.L. Hughley gave sporadic play by play from the Huffington Post party while Larry chatted about history with Mayor KJ, Seal, and Puffy P. Diddy Daddy. Puffy being interviewed cracks me up since he always looks like he has just been kicked in the nuts. The best question was when Larry turned to Puffy and asked, “Sean, does it seem like Obama has two balls and no strikes?” Thankfully, Larry quickly explained, like when Seacrest offered a high five to a blind guy on American Idol this week.

Mayor KJ talked about Obama’s charisma, his organizational skills in his campaign, and that the glass ceiling has now been shattered by “a guy with a funny name”. He scored points by not referring to himself as “Little Barack” on national television and had the best necktie of the night, but was not as compelling as Seal was in capturing the importance of this presidency on a global perspective.

KJ proposes to increase mayor’s power

Mayor Kevin Johnson plans to present a voter initiative to increase the power of the office of the mayor, the Biz Journal reports. The office would function as an executive one rather than simply another vote on the council. My hunch is that the voters will probably first want to see whether KJ can actually execute something other than sick dunks 15 years ago, but I suppose it will depend on how he sells it.