Tag: Kevin Johnson

et tu, Santa?

Not only does Roseville have the better mall, but they’ve now even taken Santa from Sacramento:

The jolly old one will attend holiday events in Roseville on Saturday – including that city’s annual parade – but Sacramento’s annual Santa Parade has been canceled.

The event, always run on the Thanksgiving weekend, has been called off for the first time in the event’s 26-year history, said parade organizer Laurie Hensley.

The decision to cancel the privately organized event was prompted when organizers came up $15,000 short for stages, sound equipment and cash prizes for parade participants, Hensley said.

Sorry Sacto kids, but it looks like your Christmas Eve milk and cookies will go uneaten this year. Santa is off to more lucrative pastures.

In Roseville, however, the Sylvia Besana Annual Holiday Parade is ready to roll at 10 a.m. Saturday.

It will begin at Riverside Avenue and Douglas Boulevard and Vernon Street, proceed along Vernon Street and end behind the Roseville Square shopping center.

Really, Roseville, have you no shame?

UPDATE 11-24-2008: Sac-Eats called it, the Sacto parade is back on after a hefty donation from Mayor-elect KJ. One wonders if Santa was being held as an innocent hostage in some kind of parade-financing dispute.

Sacramento gets the “Colbert Bump”!

After being twice admonished by reader Brambles for not blogging the KJ appearance on Colbert (I think partly I blanked because it was supposed to be on tonight, and not on the 11th) I finally checked it out. Thank Jeebus for the online television. I myself have gone without cable for a few years now and mostly not had to look back, what with the plethora of online options, and the sublime unintentional comedy of “One Tree Hill.” Next week: a 1920s fantasy episode written by Chad Michael Murray. That is can’t miss TV right there. But I’m digressing…

Continue reading “Sacramento gets the “Colbert Bump”!”

Fargo NOT using issue of KJ’s federal funds misuse

Press release today from the Fargo campaign:

SACRAMENTO–Mayor Heather Fargo today released the following statement regarding the recent radio advertisements about Kevin Johnson having been investigated for misusing federal funds:

“Kevin Johnson was banned by the federal government from all access to federal grants and contracts after investigators said he misused AmeriCorps funds.

“My campaign material does not use this issue against Kevin Johnson; however, an independent committee has.

“In light of the Sacramento Bee story this morning, I hope the independent committee would stick to the facts in their advertising.

“Sacramentans can make their own judgment about federal authorities’ investigation into Kevin Johnson’s misuse of federal funds.”

You got the point, right? She definitely does NOT want to remind people twice in about 200 words about the federal authorities investigation into Kevin Johnson’s misuse of federal funds. Don’t you dare imply that she does.

Mayoral Debate on Monday

I’ll be attending the Sacramento Mayoral Debate between Mayor Heather Fargo and Kevin Johnson on Monday at CSUS. It will be broadcast on KCRA-3 and Capital Public Radio 90.9 from 6:30-8:00 pm. Walt Gray, Pamela Wu and Jeffery Callison will moderate.

Most of the audience will be college students, who will also present most of the questions.

What questions would you like to ask the candidates?

Ugly Flyer Tries to Fool Naive Voters

Ah, what kind of election would it be if we didn’t have last-minute desperation from candidates with too much money in their campaign chests?

The SacBee reports today on a mailer sent out by a group called Democratic Voters Choice with the catchy slogan, “Make it Emphatic, Vote Straight Democratic!” The only problem is that this group has been sending out virtually identical flyers for almost 20 years to trick Democrats into voting for GOP candidates in non-partisan local races. Local candidates Susan Peters, who is VERY Republican, and Kevin Johnson, who I will very kindly refer to as an “idealistically conflicted Democrat”, are both endorsed and are both listed in the fine print as the folks who paid for this deceptive flyer.

Kudos to the Bee for being on top of this story. The flyer is included for your enjoyment after the jump.

Continue reading “Ugly Flyer Tries to Fool Naive Voters”

Bee on KJ vs Fargo on crime

An interesting front page piece in the Bee today contrasting KJ’s view of crime in our fair city with Comrade Fargo’s. And I think it dispels any myths out there about the Bee’s balance on KJ vs Fargo.

To hear Kevin Johnson tell it, Sacramento is a violent place.

But to hear Heather Fargo tell it: Which city is Sacramento again? Oh right. And you say I’m the whatchacallit? Mayor?

Fargo initially questioned Johnson’s [crime] figures. But she now says Police Chief Rick Braziel has confirmed they are correct.

Continue reading “Bee on KJ vs Fargo on crime”

Fargo asks police to reopen KJ allegation???

OK this is the most ridiculous thing I have seen in a while. Well maybe in like, 6 days.

Mayor Heather Fargo called Wednesday for police to reopen their investigation into a Sacramento High School teacher’s report last year that a 17-year-old student had told him she was inappropriately touched by the charter school’s founder, Kevin Johnson. … The mayor said she spoke to Police Chief Rick Braziel after reading an article in Tuesday’s Bee.

Via The BUZZ. I love the Johnson dude comparing Fargo to Vladimir Putin. But seriously, comrade Fargo, what will you think of next. I might vote for Jim Anchower.

And again I ask you: Am I the only one who thinks it is absurd/fishy… fishurd?… how many Bee stories in this scandal rely heavily on things that were reported in other Bee stories? At some point shouldn’t they ixnay on that?

More legal questions for KJ

The questions about Kevin Johnson’s past just keep on coming. The SacBee reports on a federal investigation into St. Hope’s suspected misuse of grant money for the AmeriCorps program and of reports of KJ’s inappropriate behavior towards two teenagers.

From 2004-2007, St. Hope received more than $800,000 for their Hood Corps program aimed at leadership development among inner city youth. Last year, federal funding was terminated because half of the youth involved had dropped out. The program is also supposed to be non-religious and completely voluntary, yet former members report that they were required to study the Bible, attend church, and receive communion. Many participants also had trouble with the mandatory “boot camp” style physical fitness training, another activity forbidden by the funding guidelines. Participants were also allegedly required to perform activities outside of the program’s scope, including campaigning for Sacramento City School Board candidates, a major violation of campaign rules and electoral ethics.

If these allegations turn out to be true, they will be a major blow to KJ’s mayoral campaign, as they show that he cannot even manage a simple government grant within the specified rules. And if he cannot do that, how much success will he have with an entire city?

Nail in the coffin for KJ?

The Bee reports this morning that Kevin Johnson’s personal attorney conducted an internal investigation of the allegations brought against KJ by a Sac High student last spring, before notifying law enforcement or CPS. As a result the student recanted before the Sac PD conducted their investigation. According to Sgt. Matt Young, the Sac PD’s investigation was wrapped up in 8 days.

Maybe commenter Jean was right and this was the new angle the Bee was researching. It is unclear to me yet whether the sequence of events did not proceed according to legal SOP in this realm. The lawyer, Kevin Hiestand, claims he did tell the teacher, Erik Jones, to file reports with the police and CPS. Jones claims Hiestand told him the school would investigate first. The girl and her family still claim the story was made up. On the other hand we still have the decade old transcript of the confrontation call. All anybody can really do at this point is assume that the creepy guy in that 1996 phone call was guilty of crossing the same boundaries in 2007.