Boss Mayor Blog

No Fond Farewell From the Mayor as the Council Sends the Boss Mayor Initiative on Vacation

noreply@blogger.com (Devin) — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 07:29:00 +0000

Mayor Kevin Johnson’s aggressive eighteen month push for more power ended late Tuesday night when even his most ardent backers on the council admitted the public was not clamoring for a strong mayor proposal.

Johnson – who had earlier in the day predicted an easy win – found it hard to accept the council’s will. Said Johnson:“I’m really shocked the way this turned out. That would be putting it mildly.”

Johnson then proceeded to go round the dais in a shocking display of petulance, calling out council member for their opposition. To Councilwoman Lauren Hammond, one of his strongest allies, he said her opposition didn’t end up surprising him because he knew her well. “You can’t change your stripes,” he sniped.

To Councilman Steve Cohn, another faithful follower, Johnson said he went to bat for Cohn and was disappointed by his action. “It makes me question the backbone, the ethos you represent.”

In all the venting, Johnson never got around to addressing the crucial question that had stopped so many people from supporting his proposal: Why was major charter change necessary?

The motion to ask the City Attorney’s office to draft a strong mayor ballot proposal for November was defeated 7-2. Only City Councilman Robbie Waters voted with Johnson.

We at Boss Mayor hope that the Mayor has a restful vacation. Perhaps spend some time with his fiancée ... come back with a smile on his face and a renewed commitment to leading Sacramento forward with the powers that he has.

Sacramento's "Gang of 60" City Hall Takeover

noreply@blogger.com (Sacramento's King) — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 04:39:00 +0000

The “Sacramento 60”? The “Gang of 60” is more like it.

A piece in The Sacramento Bee recently trumpeted the latest public-relations smokescreen on behalf of Mayor Kevin Johnson’s “strong-mayor” effort: the “Sacramento 60,” a developer-heavy group of business folk who have pledged their fealty to Johnson’s push for more power.

The developers gathering behind this current attempt at bulldozing a boss-mayor proposal onto the ballot are the same, familiar, often Republican faces (and pocketbooks) that have been with Johnson since the nascent days of his mayoral bid; no one should be surprised or impressed by this particular dog-and-pony show. What is interesting, and yet predictable, is that among the Gang of 60 are developers and builder-types who have directly benefited from the “Permit-gate” scandal – a still-unfolding story that has exposed how members of the development community have gained a stranglehold on City Hall.

More than 2,500 pages of documents released by the city on projects under scrutiny in the Permit-gate probe show developers have been allowed to build without approvals, skirt safety and environmental regulations, and apparently dodge hundreds of thousands of dollars and possibly much more in fees – in short, to have free rein at City Hall.

Mayor Johnson and the Gang have banded together to protect this new culture at City Hall. They’re using their money and influence to try to stock the Sacramento City Council in this election cycle with hand-picked, pro-builder candidates. Johnson recently tapped another Gang of 60 member to the City’s Planning Commission. Add in the strong mayor effort, and it equals a bid for unchecked power for developers.

Neither Johnson nor the Sacramento 60 has released a full list of its members. A roster of members was compiled from three sources: a May 27, 2010 article in the Bee on the Sacramento 60; a May 3, 2010 letter signed by several members of the Sacramento business community urging that a “charter reform package,” including the strong-mayor initiative, go on the November ballot; a November 30, 2009 letter signed by several people in the business community lauding the management leadership of Kerridge.

A few of the players in the Gang of 60/Permit-gate mix, based on a review of public documents:

•John Saca/Saca Development

Saca took full advantage of former City Manager Ray Kerridge’s “get the customer to success” directive with his $300 million proposal to build twin high-rise condo towers downtown. Sacramento officials broke city rules and allowed Saca to begin construction without needed permits, plan checks or paying most fees, city documents show. The city also gave him a break on sewer costs. Saca ultimately abandoned the project, leaving a hole in the ground and not much else. The total sum the developer paid the city: $5,045.

During the two years Saca worked on the towers project, city officials in emails said he claimed he had a deal with “the city” to defer fees and have Sacramento taxpayers foot the bill for his assessments. It was never disclosed with whom Saca made his agreements, and a formal fee deferral contract -- required by city rules – was never found. City emails note that the fee rate at which Saca was assessed was more favorable than those required of other developers. The city eventually issued a demand letter to Saca for $745,973 in unpaid fees. Kerridge, who has since resigned, that same month unilaterally readjusted the bill downward to $546,000. That amount finally was paid by the company that took over Saca’s interest in the project. Net loss to taxpayers: almost $200,000.

Despite this dismal record, Saca is back wooing the city with another high-profile project – redeveloping portions of the city’s blighted K Street. He’s working with Jon Bagatelos, another prominent Gang of 60 member who comes with his own interesting baggage. Read more: http://bossmayor.com/2010/03/strong-developers-initiative.html

•Eric Rasmusson/Holloway, Rasmusson and Molodanoff

Rasmusson, who has since left the Holloway firm, represented Saca in the twin-towers debacle and was involved in the questionable fee discussions. Rasmusson also represented Innovative Structures, the company behind the A-1 U-Stor project on Stockton Boulevard, where construction was allowed to proceed prior to plan checks, fee payments and without permits. Why would a developer of a storage facility pay for a liaison to City Hall? While no one can know for sure, records show that through Rasmusson’s efforts, Bill Thomas, Sacramento’s building chief, intervened. Ultimately, the developer ducked more than $237,000 in Jacinto Creek Planning Area fees.

Internal emails show that the City Attorney’s staff determined that fees for the A-1 U-Stor project could not be deferred without City Council approval. When advised of this, Thomas withdrew the request and said the fees would be paid in a few days. They weren’t. The building ultimately was allowed to be completed and was even issued a certificate of occupancy. The City Attorney’s office was forced to go to court to collect the $235,780 in unpaid fees – at which point the developer filed for bankruptcy. The city to date has recovered no money.

•Kit Miyamoto/Miyamoto International

The city allowed construction to begin and inspections to occur at Miyamoto’s Le Rivage Hotel site before fees were paid or permits issued. City staff told the council that there was a prior agreement to defer fees under a special program; the City Attorney’s subsequent research not only showed that the program in question did not apply but that the purported agreement did not exist. City staff then recommended a loan to the developer, but later withdrew the recommendation.

Some fees finally were paid. Certain permits were not obtained, however, and an inspector issued a stop work notice on a pool and spa. The City Attorney’s summary said work was completed anyway, along with a deck and signs. In February 2010 the city ordered the facilities closed until compliance measures were taken.

Other Gang of 60 members with Permit-gate connections include David Moore and Gregory Anderson of Rex Moore Electric, which was granted a permit for Saca’s twin towers site without paying a plan check fee, according to city documents. Others are Kip Blewett and Peter C. Thompson of Rubicon Partners, the firm that had yet to pay $59,000 in fees for its project at 926 J Street, according to the City Attorney’s findings. And, Steve Goodwin was noted by the city documents as “probably” having a fee deferral agreement for the mixed-use development Township 9.

Robbie Waters, Dan Waters and the Gang of 60

Much cross-pollination exists between the Gang of 60 rolls and Robbie Waters, the council’s lone Republican. His most recent campaign statement reads like a Gang of 60 Who’s Who – he’s received more than $20,000 from its members.

Waters is also the father of Dan Waters, who has emerged as Permit-gate’s central figure. Dan’s activities as a supervisor in the city’s building department prompted the initial Permit-gate investigation when it was revealed that he had quietly issued 35 permits to builder K. Hovnanian Homes in the Natomas flood zone in violation of city regulations. Local land use attorney Gregory Thatch represents K. Hovanian and serves as Water’s finance co-chairman. Thatch donated $1,500 to Waters.

Dan Waters also issued a permit extension to developer (and former GOP congressman) Doug Ose, even though Ose did not formally request one. Ose subsequently contributed $1,500 to Robbie Waters.

Dan’s activities are now the subject of a probe by the California Fair Political Practices Commission to determine if conflict of interest laws were violated.

Read more: http://www.sacbee.com/2009/10/21/2267372/editorial-natomas-fiasco-demands.html#ixzz0pG7bEjQN

Bottom line: ordinary citizens who seek building permits still must follow city rules and pay their fees on time – but Mayor Johnson and his Gang of 60 want continued carte blanche for developers at City Hall.

Too Many Unanswered Questions About Ashby

noreply@blogger.com (Sacramento's King) — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 04:33:00 +0000

Angelique Ashby is a candidate for Sacramento City Council’s District 1, but it’s unclear just who she really is. Yet one thing is certain -- she’s a flip-flopper on the subject of the strong-mayor initiative.

Last year she was very vocal about her opposition to the mayor’s power grab. Now she says charter reform is necessary, although she never really answers that pesky question of “why.”

Her change of heart was conveniently followed by an endorsement from Mayor Kevin Johnson and other Johnson cronies. Another connection: her campaign consultant is Steve Maviglio, the mayor’s spokesman and a strategist for the strong mayor issue. Supporters of the strong-mayor initiative recently plunked nearly $33,000 on independent expenditure campaigns pushing for her candidacy, campaign finance documents show. Her independence on the issue is unlikely – she’s made her proverbial compact with the devil.

Other things about Ashby also don’t quite add up.

She never says she is a lawyer, but she tends to place “Esq.” (short for esquire) and J.D. after her name. The California State Bar’s Web site has no record of Ashby. Might some people be left with the impression she is an attorney? Apparently so – a recent article in Capitol Weekly calls her “a Natomas-based attorney.”

Ashby says she’s a law-and-order candidate, but court records show in 1999 an attempt to evict her and a loan company coming after her.

Many questions and little clarity about the woman who would replace the proven Ray Tretheway on the city council.

SAG -- New Name, Same Hidden Intentions

noreply@blogger.com (Devin) — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 23:36:00 +0000

Bossmayor.com has always loved the name of the group pushing the strong-mayor initiative, because it was fun to refer to Sacramentans for Accountable Government as SAG.

Now it looks like the SAGgers are responding to the visceral reaction against its strong-armed strong-mayor campaign by cloaking itself in a new name. Even more tellingly, SAG is squirming away as quickly as SAG can from the words “strong mayor.”

On Wednesday, Shawn Callahan, the campaign manager for the Group Formerly Known as SAG (that’s kind of catchy too) sent out a disingenuous email proclaiming themselves as “Open Sacramento: A Coalition for Accountable, Efficient and Transparent Government” or OSCAETG.

Well OK…ironic and a bit of a mouthful -- but at least no embarrassing acronym. The email asks for cash and coyly says, “Open Sacramento has brought forth a set of reforms and we need your support to get our message out.” No mention of strong-ness or power grabbing from this open and transparent group.

Much less accountable and transparent is what you find when you look at the group’s campaign committee statement. Tom Hiltachk, the author of the strong mayor initiative is listed as treasurer – no surprise. What took us aback was the mention of Kim Mack as another principal officer.

Mack led the local Sacramento for Obama campaign and was involved in the nascent strong-mayor effort. She left when someone began using the Obama mailing list for pro-strong mayor emails without her knowledge. http://www.newsreview.com/sacramento/content?oid=896279

When contacted about her role in the newly-named group, Mack said she is not involved and her name was used without permission. Hmmm. Seems like a little “transparency” is in order.

Strong Developers' Initiative

noreply@blogger.com (Devin) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 17:18:00 +0000

Is the quickest way to the mayor’s office through the Strong Mayor campaign?

Consider the case of Republican mover-and-shaker Jon Bagatelos of Sacramento, who until recently was relatively unknown at City Hall. Bagatelos, along with his relatives and his family’s commercial glass businesses, has been particularly kind to Kevin Johnson – including sponsoring fundraisers and doling out $15,150 in contributions to his mayoral race. When Johnson launched his strong mayor power grab, the Bagatelos clan once again was generous, handing out $10,550 to the effort in December 2009.

In January 2010 – a month after those strong mayor contributions -- Johnson smiled on Jon Bagatelos and made him a city planning commissioner.

And now Bagatelos is back, part of a development team vying to redevelop K Street. Will Johnson smile on Bagatelos again?

On March 4, the city revealed four teams competing to revamp the blighted 700 and 800 blocks of K Street. Heading Bagatelos’ group is Bridge Housing, a firm from San Francisco. (Bridge spokesman Randy Schaber is also a strong mayor donor). Also on the team is Saca Development, unfortunately best known for its failed twin condo tower project on Capitol Mall.

While Bridge and Saca have established development records, Bagatelos’ experience is unclear. Little can be found about his company in public records – he hasn’t even registered the development firm with the Secretary of State’s office.

What is part of the record is Bagatelos’ long-standing activism in Republican politics – starting as an intern for Gov. Pete Wilson. In 2000, Bagatelos was co-chairman of the Sacramento County Bush for President campaign, according to The Sacramento Bee.

In 2002, Bagatelos made a stab at the political limelight, running to represent District 10 for the state Assembly – a sprawling area that includes parts of Lodi, Rancho Cordova, El Dorado and Amador counties. The Bee reported Sacramentan Bagatelos didn’t even live in the district, but rented a friend’s Carmichael apartment to establish residence. He raised lots of money – donors included the likes of tobacco company Phillip Morris -- but he was shellacked by other Republican primary contenders. It’s believed he still has political aspirations.

Even back then, Saca and Bagatelos were linked. Saca contributed to Bagatelos’ campaign, and Bagatelos threw a fundraiser for Gubernatorial-hopeful Bill Simon at Saca’s home.

Somehow, this staunch Republican in 2008 found his way to Kevin Johnson.

During the mayoral campaign Bagatelos and NBA star Charles Barkley threw a swanky fundraiser for Johnson at then-Mason’s restaurant. Bagatelos also was part of a group of local heavyweights who sponsored a Johnson fundraiser at the home of mega-developer Angelo Tsakopoulos.

Bagatelos and developer Mark Friedman are now at the heart of the strong mayor campaign, sources said. Look for the pair to become co-finance chairs for the power grab campaign and step up the pressure on the City Council to place the initiative on the November ballot.

Victory! For now ...

noreply@blogger.com (Devin) — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 05:25:00 +0000

The Mayor finally realized that his rush to get a half-baked Boss Mayor proposal on the ballot was irresponsible and headed for certain defeat, so tonight, at City Council, he pulled item 26 from the agenda, ensuring that it will not be on the ballot in June.

He made clear, though, that he intends to continue to pursue the measure. We at Boss Mayor continue to support an open, transparent process for considering changes to the City Charter, with ample public involvement, not only in decision making, but also in crafting the plan.

To this point, the Mayor has refused to support a public process, preferring to craft his own plans privately, with only the input of his friends and allies. This is not the way to create good government.

We at Boss Mayor are committed to building a stronger, safer, more liveable Sacramento and are open to the idea that charter change may help that. But charter change has to be done right -- through an open, transparent public process with ample community input.

Mayor Johnson Raises the White Flag ... For Now ...

noreply@blogger.com (Devin) — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 21:12:00 +0000

According to the Sacramento Bee: "Mayor Kevin Johnson announced this morning that he will no longer push for his scaled-down strong-mayor plan to be on the June 8 ballot."

The is good news! We at Boss Mayor have been suffering from "Strong Mayor Fatigue" and will be happy to have some free time to spend with our loved ones and puppies. Yes, indeed, we do love puppies.

More importantly, though, Mayor Johnson recognizes that it is irresponsible to rush a half-baked proposal onto the ballot when we have far more pressing concerns in our community. Good for him. We would like to take this opportunity to thank the Mayor for reading our blog -- and, while we have his attention, if he has a free second, we have some Cal memorabilia that we would love signed.

"Johnson said he will recommend that the change-in-governance issue be debated and resolved in time for the November general election."

We still wonder, though, what's the rush?

First things first. We need to get the budget situation in check. That should be the Mayor and the Council's focus over the next few months.

After that has been dealt with, then we can discuss whether this issue is worth the City's time and, if so, lay out a public, transparent process with significant opportunity for community input in crafting a new consensus plan.

We still urge everyone to come out tonight to tell the Council and the Mayor that we need to focus on the budget and the discussion about charter change can wait.

SAG is Getting Desperate ...

noreply@blogger.com (Devin) — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 19:31:00 +0000

Apparently SAG is so desperate for anything resembling good news for their floundering campaign that they have resorted to outright, verifiable lying.

It's sad. While we disagree with their strategies and their haphazard rush, we do sympathize with and support the idea that all citizens should be proactively engaged in improving our community and its government.

“Support is growing for the Mayor’s new consenus plan. Read The Sacramento Bee Editorial Board’s latest endorsement” SAG claimed in an email to supporters yesterday afternoon. Feel free to click that link and see if you can figure out how they interpret that Editorial as an endorsement.

Couldn't figure it out? No, neither could we. What's more, neither could The Sacramento Bee's Editorial Board.

Nice try, mayor.
As we stated in an editorial Thursday, the mayor is "getting closer to getting it right on his strong-mayor plan." But we are not in favor of a rush to the ballot.

If that is what constitutes an endorsement these days, well, Boss Mayor agrees. The compromise Kevin Johnson struck with himself seems less bad than his original plan. Any change, short of disbanding the Senate and declaring himself Emperor would have been an improvement. (We will leave the reader to guess whether we at Boss Mayor just watched Star Wars or HBO's Rome.)

We say seems, because, despite all of the press, the plan does not actually exist yet. All we know are a few basic bullet points -- and as the original Boss Mayor Initiative proved, the devil is very much in the details.

Our work would not be complete if we did not point out that this desperate gamble was all exposed by Sacramento New and Review's Cosmo Garvin.

Bee endorses strong mayor lite? Bullshit.
Well, give KJ credit for trying. I’m sure a lot of His followers believed this afternoon’s email blast from Sacramentans for Accountable Government group, claiming that the Sacramento Bee had embraced His strong mayor lite proposal yesterday.

Come out to City Hall Tuesday at 6 pm to tell the City Council that you agree with the Bee that rushing a proposal onto the June ballot is irresponsible and that the City should be focusing on more important priorities.

SAG Signs on to the Tea Bagger Movement?

noreply@blogger.com (Devin) — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 02:54:00 +0000

We at Boss Mayor join Cosmo Garvin in wondering "who actually writes mayor Kevin Johnson’s blog posts. Mostly that’s because the posts are a little inconsistent.. Sometimes you get posts that are hilariously incoherent, sometimes they’re a bit more little more professional."

Thankfully Cosmo today brought us the answer. It is “KJ’s new strong mayor campaign consultant, a guy named Shawn Callahan who’s been working with the mayor’s front group 'Sacramentans for Accountable Government' for about a month now.”

Shawn Callahan, though is not a household name in the Sacramento community. This should come as no surprise, since he joins the illustrious list of Boss Mayor supporters who live in West Sacramento. He does boast impressive credentials, though. “Shawn Callahan isn’t just the newest tool in Johnson’s strong mayor tool box, he’s also executive director of the right wing pro-war group Move America Forward.” Not sure what they do? Cosmo fills us in. "Nowadays when Callahan’s not trying to save us from our outdated city constitution, he’s spending his time bashing Obama, and muslims, bashing unions, bashing Obama some more, and trying to get named the Girls on the Grid’s most eligible bachelor. MAF also has a lot of overlap with Our Country Deserves Better, aka the Tea Party Express, through players like Republican strategist Sal Russo and Gray-Davis-recall shit disturber Howard Kaloogian."

He should fit in well with the SAG team, joining right wing word smith Frank Luntz and “Johnson’s strong mayor campaign lawyer, Tom Hiltachk is a well known right wing operative. His latest act of public service is helping the ballot campaign to scrap AB 32, California’s landmark global warming law.”

Read the full article over at Sacramento News and Review and then come out Tuesday to ask the Mayor, 'What's the rush?' 'Shouldn't we be focusing on the budget and jobs?' You might also mention that Shawn Callahan's values are not Sacramento's values.

Tell The Mayor You Have Strong-Mayor Fatigue

noreply@blogger.com (Devin) — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 06:25:00 +0000

Sacramento residents have found much to distrust about the Boss Mayor initiative. Chief among the complaints: A small group of Kevin Johnson supporters wrote the measure in a back room, then rushed to put it on the June ballot without citizen input.

After a judge found it unconstitutional and an appellate court denied a request to block the initiative from the ballot, it was hoped the campaign behind the strong-mayor initiative would shelve the idea and bow out gracefully.

What did they do instead? A small group of supporters over the weekend wrote a Boss Mayor “lite” initiative in a backroom and then pushed the Sacramento City Council on Tuesday to rush it to the ballot without citizen input.

Sound familiar? This, apparently, was not a “lessons learned” event.

Strangely, before the council could fully discuss the matter, it was announced that the City Attorney and City Manager were taking the item off the agenda. No explanation was given.

The public and some council members took the opportunity to comment on the proposal anyway. Many wondered why a desperate attempt at a revised measure was necessary, given the city’s other, more immediate issues – such as its estimated deficit of $35 million to $40 million.

City Councilwoman Sandy Sheedy might have summarized it best: “The entire city is suffering from a case of strong-mayor fatigue. It’s time to let it go.” Johnson, undeterred, said he’s bringing the issue back next week.

Join the Boss Mayor team at next Tuesday's City Council meeting to tell the Mayor that you too have Strong-Mayor fatigue and that it is irresponsible to rush through the process.

Court Rejects Hiltachk's Appeal

noreply@blogger.com (Devin) — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 01:34:00 +0000

Read about the decision at the SAVE Sacramento website.

Much Ado About Nothing at the City Council

noreply@blogger.com (Devin) — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 05:33:00 +0000

Strange discussion on strong mayor initiative tonight. It turns out that the Sacramento City Council really didn’t vote to place the measure on the June ballot – they just took a vote in August signaling their intent to do so. Now that a judge has declared the initiative unconstitutional and that ruling has been appealed, the court battle would need to be settled before the council could take action.

Plenty of concerned citizens stood up in opposition to the Boss Mayor plan. Kay Knepprath, representing the League of Women Voters, said that group had studied the city’s charter and come to the conclusion that a change to Sacramento’s governance structure was unneeded. Opposition to this back-room power grab continues to grow.

No Need to Rush Boss Mayor Appeal

noreply@blogger.com (Devin) — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 19:02:00 +0000

It's likely that the Sacramento City Council this week will vote to take the Boss Mayor measure off the June ballot until all legal proceedings are halted, according to city sources. City Councilman Ray Tretheway has asked for a discussion of the strong mayor initiative at the council's meeting on Tuesday. Way to go, Ray!

The action, of course, is prompted by Judge Loren McMaster's decision to halt the illegal measure from going forward.

Ethics Commission? Whistle-blower Hotline? How does that empower special interests?!?

noreply@blogger.com (Devin) — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 05:48:00 +0000

The Sacramento City Council had an intense evening, including a very thorough grilling of some staff members regarding a development permit scandal in Natomas.

Through questioning from Councilman Rob Fong, the public learned that the city guy at the permit counter had to ignore a warning flashing on his computer screen decreeing that no permits could be issued because of a federal building moratorium. The same staff member then had to manually override the computer to allow him to issue 35 allegedly illegal permits to the developer. That same city staffer (a son of Councilman Robbie Waters) apparently undercharged the developer in question, and then kept a $61,000 check written for development fees in his desk for three months. Wow.

City Councilman Kevin McCarty said Sacramento – like many other major cities – should institute a whistleblower hotline so other such problems can be reported and investigated. And, he noted that the city is looking at the possibility of forming an ethics commission. At the end of the discussion, the council agreed to move forward on a more substantial probe, including other development department problems found by the City Attorney’s office, including possible “quid pro quo.”

The hotline and the ethics committee – and the continued investigation – offer more meaningful methods of improving transparency and accountability in the city than anything contained in Mayor Kevin Johnson’s extreme Boss Mayor initiative. And imagine – all without a constitutional overhaul.

And throughout this discussion, what leadership did his Strongness, Mayor Johnson, provide? He asked not one question. He simply moved on to the next agenda item.

Charter Review Commission: Boss Mayor Initiative Has a Problem

noreply@blogger.com (Devin) — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 04:45:00 +0000

In the end, the Sacramento Charter Review Commission reported that it found one big problem: It could find no one big problem.

The review commission, born in the wake of Mayor Kevin Johnson’s “strong-mayor” proposal -- that may or may not be on the June ballot -- said in a final report presented to the Sacramento City Council Tuesday night that a defined reason to change the charter never emerged.

“The absence of such a clear statement was perhaps the greatest challenge we faced,” the report found. “Without a clear problem statement we found it difficult to craft a meaningful solution.”

And then, a little jab at the Boss Mayor Initiative: “To avoid this problem, we would suggest there be more public engagement, early in the process, focusing on the specific problems requiring charter reform should further charter review be undertaken.”

The Boss Mayor proposal, of course, was born in a back room without any public input. Without a clear reason stated for the plan, we’re left to believe that its objective was power -- power for Johnson and power for his backers.

The commission also identified another missing element in the strong-mayor plan – ethics. In many cases where a strong mayor form of government is adopted, a form of an ethics commission is also put in place. Its absence from the Boss Mayor measure is telling.

The Council then voted to direct staff members to report on a process to form an ethics commission. Councilman Kevin McCarty said it was good course for the city to pursue, no matter the outcome of the strong mayor initiative. Said McCarty: “There’s always lingering issues about how officials conduct themselves.”

The State of Downtown is … Denver?

noreply@blogger.com (Devin) — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 01:27:00 +0000

The keynote speaker for this morning’s Downtown Sacramento Partnership’s “State of Downtown” breakfast was Denver mayor, John Hickenlooper.

His topic? Denver’s form of government.

Shocking to all, the mayor of Denver enjoys having more power than nearly any mayor in the country and he doesn't want to see his friend miss out on the fun. While that's sweet of him, we’re glad to see he’s not jealous of all of the extra power the Boss Mayor Initiative would give Sacramento's mayor.

Here are just a few examples:

Denver's Mayor can hire/fire 50 employees. The Boss Mayor Initiative would allow Sacramento's mayor to hire/fire 800.
Term limits, Denver's Mayor is limited to two terms. The Boss Mayor Initiative has no term limits. The fun never has to end!
Denver's charter provides for the election of an independent City Clerk and City Auditor. The Boss Mayor Initiative does not. None of those pesky checks and balances.
Denver's budget must be approved by the City Council. The Boss Mayor Initiative would allow the Mayor's budget to automatically become law after 30 days.

Imagine all of the fun future mayors of Sacramento could have with all of that extra power.

Does Sacramento really want our mayor to have more unchecked power than any mayor in the country?

Better question: Do we really want to find out what kind of mischief a future mayor might get into without checks and balances or accountability?

Hiltachk's Argument Called "Hogwash" by Judge

noreply@blogger.com (Devin) — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 23:31:00 +0000

Sacramentans will likely have to wait until next week to learn whether a judge will make final his tentative ruling that the strong mayor initiative should be banned from the June ballot. Superior Court Judge Loren McMaster heard arguments from both sides Friday afternoon.

During the hearing, the attorney representing the Tom Hiltachk – the right-wing author of the Boss Mayor measure – made some perplexing statements and seemed hazy about the workings of Sacramento government. The weirdest contention: the Sacramento City Council has no executive power. Luckily, an attorney for the city was able to enumerate several executive duties of the council, including awarding large contracts, appointing charter officers and granting licenses and permits.

McMaster, a no-nonsense kind of guy, made it clear a few times that Hiltachk’s attorney had broached credulity. When the lawyer griped that voters were being kept from their democratic right to decide on the issue (even though it’s likely the plan is unconstitutional), McMaster snapped. “The argument that I’m depriving people from a vote is hogwash.” Well said.

Other interesting tidbits: the City Attorney’s office is tellingly not bolstering the strong-mayor initiative, saying it will take no stand on the legality of the measure. Also, the public learned just how much Mayor Kevin Johnson’s power grab will cost taxpayers -- $104,000 for the election.

Poor SAG ...That Annoying Constitution ...

noreply@blogger.com (Devin) — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 18:12:00 +0000

The folks over at SAG, Sacramentans for Accountable Government, are gnashing their teeth over a judge’s tentative ruling yesterday that would bar the strong mayor initiative from the June 2010 ballot. Why, they wonder, would Judge Loren McMaster let a piddling thing like the Constitution stand in the way of their audacious power grab?

While Mayor Kevin Johnson and others think the democratic process is being squelched, they are conveniently forgetting how the Boss Mayor plan was hatched – in a back room. This was no grassroots movement. It was the brainchild of a small cabal, which included right-wing attorney Tom Hiltachk, consultant David Townsend, and former Sacramento City Manager Bob Thomas. Thomas, if you recall, was ousted by the Sacramento City Council and was one of Johnson’s foremost “advisors.” Under the strong mayor initiative, Thomas could lead the city by proxy.

Judge McMaster will hold a hearing today before making a final ruling.

The fight does not end here, though. The ruling will be appealed and the campaign will continue until the Boss Mayor Initiative is dead and buried.

Strong Mayor Initiative Tentatively Removed From Ballot

noreply@blogger.com (Devin) — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 22:02:00 +0000

In a strong win for open, transparent politics, a Superior Court judge issued his preliminary ruling, declaring that the initiative process cannot be used to overhaul the city charter in such a radical fashion.

This is an important victory, but the fight is far from over. The decision will be appealed, as far as Tom Hiltachk's deep pockets will take it.

Sac Bee Article

"Written by ..." the Doctor of Darkness of the California GOP

noreply@blogger.com (Devin) — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 23:44:00 +0000

Those curious about the murky backdrop of Kevin Johnson’s “strong mayor” ballot initiative may finally get a look at who pulls its strings during a January 15^th hearing on the measure’s legality. Named in the lawsuit is the author of the proposed power grab: one Thomas Hiltachk, who serves as a direct link between the campaign and right-wing California politics.

Hiltachk isn’t exactly a household name, but he may be the most subversive man in Golden State politics.

In 2007 The New Yorker dubbed him “Snidely Whiplash” for his lead role in a particularly dastardly and shadowy statewide ballot initiative that sought to coerce presidential electors into the GOP column through a change in the electoral vote. Hiltachk also is a lawyer for the California Republican Party and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s personal election-law attorney. He gained that post after helping to engineer Rescue California, the group that launched the successful recall of Gov. Gray Davis and paved the way for the ascension of Schwarzenegger to the governor’s office. He’s also represented such stellar characters as disgraced former Republican State Insurance Commissioner Chuck Quackenbush. Quite a roster.

One local government observer said Hiltachk probably is connected to just about every conservative-backed initiative in the state, either as the author, a contributor, or applying substantial behind-the-scenes pressure.

Oddly, Johnson’s own spin doctor, Steve Maviglio, has expressed disdain for Hiltachk’s other work. Hiltachk is the author of an initiative currently proposed for the 2010 ballot that seeks to make the state Legislature part-time.

Here’s what Maviglio wrote about that part-time initiative and its creator, just last month on the Calbuzz blog: “Here in California, the initiative is Exhibit A for what’s wrong with our state’s initiative process. It’s the brainchild of the right-wing initiative factory propped up by an AstroTurf ‘citizens group.’ Its author is conservative Sacramento lawyer Tom Hiltachk, whose last failed effort was an attempt to divide California’s electoral votes.”

Even more ironically, Maviglio blasts the part-time effort because it would weaken the legislature and hamper their crucial oversight, allowing the governor “to drive the public policy agenda without accountability.”

Hmmm. Doesn’t that sound awfully similar to the boss mayor position envisioned in Sacramento?

This week’s hearing might, if only briefly, flush Hiltachk, the Doctor Darkness of the California GOP, into the open -- a rare stab at “transparency” forced upon a mayoral administration that loves to use the word but avoids its practice at all costs.

Stonewall Democrats Say No To Strong Mayor

noreply@blogger.com (Devin) — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 07:22:00 +0000

The new year has begun in earnest, and along with it the civic debate over the “strong-mayor” initiative in Sacramento.

Case in point: Monday evening at the Radisson Hotel, where 120 people attended a forum sponsored by the Sacramento Stonewall Democratic Club. Four panel members argued both sides of the issue, which will go before the voters in June.

At the forum’s end, the Stonewall membership quickly voted to go on record opposing Mayor Kevin Johnson’s initiative that, as one panelist described it, would give him “more power than any mayor in California.” Only one vote in favor of endorsing the initiative was cast, that by panelist Chris Tapio, a Sacramento political consultant and Johnson’s hand-picked appointee to the city review committee that studied the strong-mayor proposal and ultimately recommended against it.

Maybe the Stonewall group was unimpressed when the initiative’s boosters attempted to rewrite history with claims that the boss mayor measure sprang from community input and an “inclusive process.”

In reality, the initiative was the brainchild of a small group of Johnson’s backers, including Tom Hiltachk, a right-wing Sacramento attorney who has managed to have a hand in almost every conservative ballot measure proposed in recent California history.

The boss mayor measure, “was drafted behind closed doors – and any government document drafted behind closed doors is scary,” according to panelist Anna Molander, the chairwoman for the Democratic Party of Sacramento County. She said that she was a member of Johnson’s Facebook club and attended many meetings and forums during the campaign, and she doesn’t remember ever being asked if the city wanted a strong mayor form of government.

“We were told we needed it,” she said.

Preview:

One Wednesday we will be running a can't miss profile of Strong Mayor Initiative author, Tom Hiltachk.

Election Season Kicks Off Tonight

noreply@blogger.com (Devin) — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 18:43:00 +0000

The Stonewall Democratic Club will be holding the first election forum of the year tonight, examining the Boss Mayor issue. Boss Mayor's own Anna Molander will be representing the opposition to this dangerous initiative. We hope you can join us to support Anna as she shows Sacramento why we we must vote NO on the Boss Mayor Initiative.

What: The Stonewall Democratic Club of Greater Sacramento will be hosting a "Strong Mayor Initiative" Forum

When: Monday, January 11th, 6:00-7:30 p.m.

Where: Radisson Hotel at 500 Leisure Lane in Sacramento.

SAVE Sacramento Coalition Announces Lawsuit Against “Strong Mayor” Initiative

noreply@blogger.com (Devin) — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 18:11:00 +0000

We apologize for the late posting. Bossmayor.com will return to action early in the new year to keep Sacramentans up to date and better informed on this flawed initiative. Happy Holidays, everyone!

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The SAVE Sacramento campaign held a press conference today to announce the filing of a lawsuit against Mayor Kevin Johnson’s Government Accountability and Charter Reform Measure – commonly known as the “Strong Mayor Initiative,” scheduled for the June, 2010 ballot.

According to campaign chair Matt Kelly, “We believe this poorly conceived and badly written measure is not only bad public policy, but is an illegal power grab that exceeds the bounds of what is allowed under the California Constitution.” The coalition believes that the initiative is a drastic revision to the city charter that is not allowable by initiative under California law.

The lawsuit was filed by Bill Camp as an individual resident. Camp is also Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the Sacramento Central Labor Council. In announcing his participation, Camp said: “It is not right for a small group of people – behind closed doors – to draft a measure that makes such fundamental revisions to how the city will be run, with no public input. I’m very concerned about what this measure will mean to the hard working families who live in our city and who would face a system where political cronyism could be rewarded.”

The measure gives Sacramento’s Mayor more power than any Mayor in the state, with one of those being the power to hire and fire between 500-800 managers and supervisors, no matter what their record of performance has been or how long they have served the city.

The ballot measure also specifies that the City Attorney, City Clerk, Police and Fire Chiefs, and City Treasurer would serve at the “pleasure of the Mayor,” thereby eliminating the independent voices that make city government better.

Another major flaw is that the measure creates a new City Council district, without specifying any details about how or when the boundaries will be created or an election will be held. A serious voting rights violation may exist because the measure says the Mayor will also serve as the 9th District Councilmember until an election is held.

Appearing with Kelly and Camp were:

Lance Olson, Partner, Olson Hagel & Fishburn LLP

Joan Bryant, Stationary Engineers Local 39

Joe Goeden, former West Sacramento City Manager

Genevieve Shiroma, SMUD Ward 4 Director

Anna Molander, Chair, Democratic Party of Sacramento County

Anne Rudin, Former Mayor of Sacramento

Bernard Bowler, Former Chairman of the Board, Sacramento Chamber of Commerce

Juanita Carranco, Treasurer, Gardenland Northgate Neighborhood Association

Howard Lawrence, Active Member, Area Congregations Together

For more information about SAVE Sacramento, go to www.savesac.com

Overzealous Mayors and Hush Money

noreply@blogger.com (Boss Mayor) — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 20:06:00 +0000

The Sacramento Bee’s Sunday Forum section focused on the strong mayor initiative, providing an interesting historical recap of the city’s governance structure. Our current system is an outgrowth of the 1920s progressive movement that put a city manager executive in charge to protect against overzealous mayors, according to Robert Benedetti, executive director of the Jacoby Center for Public Service and Civic Leadership at the University of the Pacific:

Governor Hiram Johnson and his allies legislated a separation of politics and administration at the local level, fearing that cities would be ill served if those with visions were the same as those who implemented them. In the name of expediency, visionaries might recruit friends or ideological compatriots and overlook graft or lavish overspending to see their dreams implemented.

This may sound familiar, given the pervasive presence of developer representatives funding Kevin Johnson’s Boss Mayor power grab and serving as his close advisers in City Hall.

Interestingly, Tom Hiltachk – Johnson’s campaign treasurer and the author of the strong mayor initiative – writes in the Bee, “There is a false perception that the mayor is in charge.” Yet during Johnson’s campaign, his staff blamed every city ill on Mayor Heather Fargo. Now, with Johnson in office, the tune has changed.

As noted in this blog previously, Sacramento is increasingly leery of awarding unprecedented power to a single politician. As former City Manager Bill Edgar said in Sunday’s Bee, residents “fear that the council will be disregarded. They don’t want a top-down governance structure.”

This notion of unchecked power is particularly chilling given the latest revelations about the current mayor’s judgment. Allegations that Johnson offered hush money to a volunteer in his Hood Corps service program in connection with his unwelcome sexual advance were reported in media outlets across the country last week (here and here). The volunteer’s sworn statement to investigators was only the latest story about Johnson’s inappropriate conduct with girls (here and here and here).

Business Journal weighs in against strong mayor

noreply@blogger.com (Boss Mayor) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 02:14:00 +0000

The Sacramento Business Journal joins a long list of opponents to the Boss Mayor initiative. In an editorial today, the Journal finds the proposal "gives too much power to the city's top elected official and greatly weakens the City Council — and, in some respects, its residents."

It notes that the measure, which will appear on the June 2010 ballot, "would go into effect in mid-July, giving Johnson, and mayors thereafter, far-reaching power, from appointing the city manager, department heads and as many as 800 managers to creating the budget. The mayor also would not sit with the City Council."

And it concludes that "any strong-mayor form of government, in effect in Fresno and Oakland, would weaken the process and possibly strengthen the power of special interest groups. A mayor can build incredible power by actions, consensus building and leadership — arguably more than any strong-mayor charter."