Arden Arcade Cityhood Observer

Sometimes You Just Gotta Laugh...

2010-11-22T20:21:00.000-08:00

OK, I use quite a bit of photography and videos in my line of work. I tend to err on the side of caution, but I've always been under the impression that videotaping someone without their permission and then publicly releasing that video was against the law. Anyone out there who can quote me chapter and verse on that?

It becomes somewhat important after the twit with the rolling billboard eyesore videotaped me when I confronted him about his illegal sign. Like the Stay Sac signs that Duveneck publicly apologized for, the billboard has no FPPC number or "Paid for by..." language. I told the guy to get it off the streets, and it ends up on YouTube. Fascinating how politics works.

Yes, I was ticked. And although I'm not upset about the video (I think it's really quite amusing), I am upset when I think about the incident. This guy added his name to the list of those putting my kids at risk for personal interest. And this one doesn't even live here - just a stinking mercenary.

Go ahead and check out the vid. In context it's really quite funny.

Apparently I'm now known as the Measure D Vigilante.

If you have to fight back the bile to view their Facebook page, here are the comments:

Daniel Clark Orey: right wing teaparty fascist nutcases... we cannot afford to have these people in charge of our local govenrment! (sic) vote no on D!

In the words of the immortal Bugs Bunny, What A Maroon! I'd hardly call myself right wing. Fascist? I thought those were the ones who lied to get their way. Like, oh let's see... Stay Sac? And for the record, his one coherent statement was that no one wants me in charge of their government. Not that I ever aspired to that. But people who make statements like this probably can't read those complicated sample ballots. Two syllable words and all...

Jane Merlo: Some people are so petty..

Wonder if she meant me or the guy who commented before? But yeah, some people are like that. Annoys the spit out of those who want to make life better for their families. Such is life.

Kara Kindstrom Parsons: He just makes himself look like an idiot... just like his blog does.

Like I said, I wasn't at my best that day. But I really do think that in fairness, I do a MUCH better job of making myself look like an idiot here. But we all know opinions are like rear ends. Everyone's got one, and most of 'em stink.

Lisa Anne Hurt Forsythe: ‎"Sign vigilante"....LOL!! That guy needs a hobby...

Sorry, I already have a hobby. It's trying my best to make sure I never hear the question "Daddy, why does that lady want you to take her on a date?"

So here is the proposition. I say we have some fun with this, and get the ball back in the alley at the same time. If we can get confirmation that this video thing was illegal, and get a suit going, I'll donate whatever is left over after expenses to the fund to get incorporation started up again. I figure if we have standing legally, then the sign twit is culpable for taping me without permission, and Stay Sac is even more so for posting it. And there is nothing I'd like better than letting the community know that Stay Sac provided major funding for the next cityhood movement!

Of course they have better lawyers, so this is probably just a pipe dream. But after all, a man without a vision will perish.

***

In case there is still any confusion, the re-org meeting I had suggested for this Friday isn't going to happen. Mike Grace's meeting last week got us to start a dialogue, and that was what we needed at this point. We'll see where things go from here. I'll do my best to announce any upcoming events here as well.

***

For those who live close to Fulton Avenue. the planning commission met tonight and heard public comment from several who supported and opposed the proposed special planning area along the avenue (essentially the Fulton Ave Business Association). It was deja vu all over again. After a presentation from commission staff assuring everyone that everything was going to be fine, and just drink the kool aid, Melinda Eppler took the podium and told us all how wonderful life will be once the county and residents abandon their rights to speak on new businesses and just let them handle it all. Fortunately a few people showed up with brains engaged, and asked the tough questions that really matter.

The one point that keeps bugging me? Why would any upstanding, legitimate business be unwilling to stand before the commission, like we did tonight, and present the case for their venture? If a potential business owner feels the need to circumvent this process, then we really need to take a close look at what they have in mind.

I was especially proud of my 7 year old daughter, who asked me last week if she could speak, and overcame her fear to address the commissioners like a champ. Unfortunately the mics were a bit high, and I think most of what she said went unheard, but she made the point that kids are involved in these things too. Hopefully the commission understood that too.

Episode IV: A New Hope?

2010-11-06T13:37:00.000-07:00

Well, we had our hats handed to us. A crushing 3-1 defeat for the forces of good. Batman was beaten down by the Joker, and is now hanging by a thin line over a pot of boiling oil. And yet, somehow Batman always managed to come back. Now we will see if the analogy holds true in this instance.

The campaign is over. The election is over. Incorporation may be over - only time will tell. All I know right now is that I never got involved in this to win a campaign or an election. I'm here because I want a better life for my family. I want my kids to be safe on the streets and in the parks. I'm here because I don't want my neighborhood to change its name to "Happy Endings, California." None of that has changed, so I am still here and planning to fight for my community.

The big question right now is who is with me? Are there still a couple hundred people out there who are willing to stand up for their community? A hundred? A few dozen? Three? I'm hoping there are enough of us left to put together an action plan for how we can best continue this fight.

Let's remember who the enemy is here. We didn't get into this to beat down Stay Sacramento. Granted, Duveneck, Cahill, Blanas and Alcalay placed your children's safety at risk to further their own political agendas. They are slime, and should be treated as such. But the enemy in this war is not Stay Sac, and it's also not the gangs and hookers.

The enemy is Sacramento County, who continues to cut Sheriff's budgets to the point of making patrols nearly non-existent in our area. Who refuses to enforce building and safety codes, despite the penalties from those violations being able to fund the cost of enforcement. Who continues to dump affordable housing in our midst at a rate 5 times as high as anywhere else in the county, setting us up as Del Paso Heights East. Against Supervisors Peters and Yee, who openly abused their positions as LAFCo commissioners in order to stack the deck in favor of the county and Sac City. This is the fight we have to win. Then getting rid of the hookers and the Cahills and the drug shops will be an easy battle.

I'm calling for a new community forum, to sit down together and see where we can go from here. My plans are to host this event on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. We'll do it around 2 in the afternoon so those who want to shop that morning will be able to do so, and hopefully grab a short nap. We should be done in time to warm up leftovers for dinner. Between now and then I'll be securing a location, and getting the word out to whoever wants to come.

I will also be brainstorming. I've already come up with some ideas that could have me certified as clinically insane. But it may take an insane idea to move us forward from here. But spend a little time when you can and jot down ideas for how we can improve the community. Do we still need to pursue incorporation? Is that even an option? How can we, as a non-city, work on the same set of goals that got us started in the first place?

I know this has been a long struggle, and I can't blame anyone for suffering burnout and just wanting it to all go away. But the gangs aren't going away. The whores aren't going away. The head shops and thrift stores aren't going away. So even though I'm tired and busy licking my wounds, I'm not going away either.

And here we are...

2010-11-02T00:01:00.000-07:00

Well folks, this is it. No more trying to expose the truth behind the lies. No more reason in the face of fear (and fear mongering). Later today we wake up and do our civic duty. Then we trust the people of this community to do the right thing and wait for the results.

Regrets? Yeah, a couple. This was never supposed to be about politics. This was a movement for the civic good that was co-opted by a handful of wealthy special interests to cache their own political capital. They made it political. And if this fails, every time there is a child harmed in a drive-by, or a small business person robbed, or a family threatened in the park, I will consider Duveneck, Alcalay, Blanas and Cahill personally responsible. As should you. They are the ones who put your family at risk to protect their little empires.

On the other hand, we have already beat the odds more times than I can count. No thinking person would have predicted we would ever get this far, but here we are at the finish line. Whether we cross in first place remains to be seen, but we made it here, and we're still standing. That is a testament to the power of people who are willing to sacrifice so their neighbors can have a better life. And that is the kind of special interest I can believe in.

Since Stay Sac seems convinced that we all have to have a motive for personal gain in this, I'm thinking it might make a good book.

If you are still not sure how to vote today, please consider your family, your neighborhood, your schools, and the businesses where you shop. A yes vote on D will not only make your life better, it will for them as well.

And after you make a stand for your community, drop by the incorporation office around 8 or so and watch the results with us. We probably won't know the final outcome, but we may have a good idea where things stand. Either way you will get to hang out with some wonderful people and celebrate our community. And that is the reason we're here.

Now VOTE!

The Better Half

2010-10-29T21:08:00.000-07:00

Last week my lovely bride was scheduled to speak at a forum at her old high school. As it turned out, the format was changed at the last minute, and she was bumped. No big deal, but we both felt her speech was too valuable to just let drop. So here it is, as she was going to deliver it that night.

***

When the American Revolution took place not all citizens were in favor of independence. Only about a third were patriots. Another third were loyalists, and those remaining were neutral. Sounds a lot like today.

The patriots were those that saw what we could become, and were unwilling to settle for mediocrity. The loyalist had equally strong beliefs. They either had vested interests with Britain, or they were just afraid of change. Our opponents are loyalists. They are loyal to the old order. For some they have become complacent and comfortable. As long as it does not affect them, change is a bother. Some have a financial interest in the county or the city of Sacramento, and put their personal interests over community.

Others fear change. I understand that. But change happens. It’s happening all around us now. The gangs fighting to control Howe Avenue weren’t there five years ago. The prostitutes walking Watt Avenue weren’t there two years ago. The massage parlors and head shops popping up all over have barely had time for the paint on the windows to dry. Change is happening, and we can’t stop it.

But we can direct it. We can turn the corner, and take this community back to what it once was. That is what measure D is trying to do. Some of you out there have made up your mind. You are loyal. I can respect that. The ones that I want to talk to are those that are neutral or undecided.

When we became a nation it was not an opportune time. We had to take on the most powerful nation in the world. The odds of failure, and the penalty for failure, where extremely high; but the potential, the vision, the opportunity were also high. I can almost hear the loyalists crying about how this was a risk they couldn’t afford.

Knowing what we know now, would any of us, loyalists included, want to go back? Last Friday night I was speaking with the owner of a new local business. He lives in Elk Grove and also has two businesses there. We talked about how far Elk Grove has come. And he doesn’t want to go back. As this incorporation has come to be, we’ve spoken with numerous people in Rancho Cordova and Citrus Heights. They don’t want to go back. California has over 480 cities who have taken this step, and in 150 years, only one has wanted to go back. And that was a town of about 2000 people embroiled in a municipal scandal. Fear of change can keep us from moving forward, but having taken the step, we will not want to go back either.

Does anyone here want to still be part of Great Britain? Of course not! We can look back and see the results. Do not be afraid of change. Arden arcade can become great. It may have some hurdles to overcome, America had hurdles. We may make mistakes as we stretch our wings, America made mistakes. But would you trade all that we have become for stagnation and mediocrity? Trade our identity as the greatest nation on Earth to be part of a minor colony? Change happens, we can let it happen or we can direct it, and create a city that one day will be voted best place to raise a family.

I moved to this area 47 years ago. Since then I have lived in several places, but never left Arden Arcade. Right now I am fortunate to live in the same house where my family moved way back when. In my subdivision there are several families who were here when we first moved in. We all love this area, our home.

We are proud.
I am proud.
I am proud to have graduated from Encina High School.
I am proud to be an Arden Arcadian.
And I am proud to vote Yes on Measure D.
Because this is my city… my home…

What will Measure D do?

Measure D will let us send the hookers, drug dealers and gangs packing.

Stay Sacramento says that’s a risk we just can’t afford.

Measure D will let us control the types of businesses we allow into our area, and get rid of the massage parlors and head shops.

Stay Sacramento says that’s a risk we just can’t afford.

Measure D will allow us to be served by a local, responsive government, made up of area residents who care deeply about our future.

Stay Sacramento says that’s a risk we just can’t afford.

Measure D will allow us to fund our services, including more police protection and better code enforcement, while maintaining a revenue surplus, without ever raising taxes one single dime, and also leaving more money with the cash-strapped county.

Stay Sacramento says that’s a risk we just can’t afford.

The politicians, lobbyists, and special interests behind Stay Sacramento say we should keep everything as it is. It will all be fine if we just don’t rock and boat and try to change things. Just keep our heads buried in the sand and everything will go away.

Well, do you know what I say?

I say that is a risk we just can’t afford!

Vote yes on Measure D!

Party Politics as (Un)usual?

2010-10-26T20:06:00.000-07:00

Robert Lewis had another article in the Bee yesterday about the latest developments in the incorporation effort. It was an attempt at a fact-checking piece trying to sort out both sides and see who is telling the truth. Actually, it came up somewhat short on that. It presented both sides fairly evenly, but allowed the garbage arguments of the opposition to remain unchallenged. Wonder if Mrs. Pruitt put the kabosh on that angle?

Anyhow, I write that because while reading the article I posted a comment. Later I went back to see what else was there, and was amazed by one comment I read. Someone using the handle Oreyd (why do the opposition folks all feel the need to use made up names anyway?) write the following: "I am terrified by the hidden right wing extremist agenda of many of the people running the Pro-city hood campaign."

I've long been a believe that at this level, party doesn't matter. I've actually decided, as an independent, to vote for 3 repubs, 1 indy, 2 demos, and 1 who I actually don't know the party for. (Now watch the candidates go nuts trying to figure out who I mean!) I selected those based on a number of reasons. Experience (not only political), ideas, trustworthiness, and strength of personality all counted for a lot. But party never factored in.

The cityhood process was started six years ago by Bill Davis, local Democrat activist, with the help and support of a handful of others, all democrats (I'm only going to use the names of folks still actively involved in the cityhood movement). Some time later Laura Lavallee came on board as the first Republican (that I'm aware of). Joel Archer, also GOP, came on shortly after. I think I was next one to join in, as a politics-hating rabid radical-centrist (socially liberal, ethically conservative, and fiscally do-what-makes-sense). Other Repubs and Demos came and went over time, in fairly balanced numbers. The incorporation movement is, and has pretty much always been, a "dorsal fin" effort (since birds don't have a middle wing I changed the analogy a bit.)

Right now we have council candidates from different parties working together on the campaign. They have learned how to work together, as have most of the other candidates, because they all have decided to put the future good of the community ahead of personal interest or party politics. Why else would 22 people decide to spend their time, and in many cases, personal money, to get a part time job that pays a maximum of $7200 per year (mandated by state law)?
Speaking of money, let's follow that trail a bit further. Aside from candidates, many members of the incorporation committee, past and present, have invested tons of their own time and money to make this happen. I can speak personally that I'm out at least a couple thousand, just in donations of free time to the committee, and not counting actual expenses for gas, office supplies, copying, etc. And I'm far from the only one.

On the other hand, let's revisit the opposition's economic interests. Tim Cahill owns commercial real estate leased to a massage parlor - the kind with a locked door and video camera monitoring everyone who comes near. I don't know that anyone has done the research, but I wouldn't be surprised if there were another choice property or two among his holdings.

Lou Blanas, former Sheriff, is a stakeholder in the new card room casino that opened up on Auburn Blvd., along the Marconi Curve. If you look at the map of Arden Arcade and find the little notch chocked out of the northwest corner, that's the spot. Not in Arden Arcade, but if we incorporate, we would surround the wedge. Not that anyone is concerned about that - at least as long as the place is clean - but Sheriff Lou seems to be worried about it.

And then there is the big question. Why would the plumber's union donate $50,000 to the no on D effort? It's not as simple as left vs right or labor vs management. After all, we have the endorsement and a donation or two from the firefighter's and policemen's unions. But when we incorporate the firefighters know we're going to keep them on board for as long as humanly possible. And the city council will probably strike a mutually beneficial deal with the Sheriff's Department for police services. But, Sac City and County are locked into contracts to use union labor exclusively for the kinds of stuff that plumbers and pipefitters do. Arden Arcade may choose to go the same route, but isn't necessarily obligated to. So the option exists to go elsewhere and cut the union out of the money pile.

Couldn't the plumber's union have been convinced that the new city would deal with them fairly? Maybe. But remember, the incorporation effort has been run by concerned citizens of the community (you know, like the No on D crowd claims to be), while the opposition is comprised of professional politicians, lobbyists, and other wealthy players (like they claim we are). They have the home field advantage when it comes to seducing money from big labor and similar organizations. I would love it if I could have been in the room for those negotiations, just to learn how the pros do it.

Maybe I'll check with Mark Lyon and see if he has video tapes of it.

More from Ray

2010-10-26T14:22:00.000-07:00

Great meeting at Sierra Oaks Vista last night. The giant billboard trailer was there again. Turns out it's a for hire thing, and the owner doesn't even livew in the area. Should we really have expected better?

If you can, please try to make one of the last few meetings. The election is a week away, and the time to let someone else do the heavy lifting is past. We all need to commit to taking a few steps here - talking to neighbors, dropping by local businesses, or whatever it takes. Within the bounds of propriety of course. We aren't the other side.

The closer we get to the election, the more I'm tied up with my day job and stru ggling to find time to do anything else. There is so much I want to be writing here, but just can't find the time. Luckily Ray is on a different schedule, and is able to help fill in the gaps. Take it away Ray!

***

Myth – Property taxes shown on the independent report requested by LAFCO will be much lower than projected.

The Stay Sacramento – No on Cityhood campaign has constantly claimed that taxes will be raised because property values in the area are declining. As an accountant, I decided to look at this “the sky is falling” view to see if it could hold up. On the other side, the LAFCO report does show that the property tax revenues are decreasing slightly over the next 10 years which did not make any sense to me either. Therefore, I decided to look at the issues using some real life assumptions. I would invite any and all realtors to add their input to this information, so that a professional will be able to add credence to my assumptions.

First, however, I need to give you two examples of how the property taxes work should you be unfamiliar with this issue.

It is good to remember that Proposition 13 limits property tax increases to a maximum of 2% per year, and also put into law that all tax increases must be approved by 2/3rd’s of the voters. Rhetorical question - Are you planning to vote for a tax increase any time soon?

Here are the two examples.

In my personal life, my mom’s house at the height of the real estate boom was worth approximately $580,000 to $605,000. Now the house may be put up for sale and the realtor shows that it could be sold for somewhere between $400,000 and $450,000, a decrease of about 30%, right in line with average property decreases throughout the state. Yet, if the house is not sold, the property taxes will continue to increase by 2% for the foreseeable future. How could that be? Well, since the property was purchased many years ago, when you look at the tax bill, the property taxes are based on a value, also known as the tax roll value, of about $100,000. Therefore, if the property is sold, the property taxes will go up about 4 times.

My wife and I bought our home in the Mission Oaks area in December 2002 for approximately $300,000. (It was a great location, near Mira Loma HS for our youngest daughter, close to markets and restaurants, and easy access to the freeway to get downtown and the airport.) Two years later, the home was valued at between 0$400,000 and $425,000, about a 25% increase! We were ecstatic!! Well, then real estate values declined, and when we refinanced our home earlier this year, the value of the home was back at about $300,000. Wow, what a let down. L Nine years and we were back where we started. Well I looked at our recent property tax bill and sure enough, the value on the property tax rolls still show the value at the original value, and the property taxes that will be due this year will be basically the same as it was last year.

I also called the Sacramento County Assessor’s office and discovered that their office had automatically lowered the values of most homes purchased in Sacramento County during 2004 and 2005 to reflect the downturn, and these revised values were reflected in the LAFCO report that was completed for the year 2008-2009.

There were people that did purchase homes at the height of the market that may not yet have had their values reduced to the current market values. According to the Assessor’s office, they are eligible to make a Prop 8 claim, in which the assessor will review the tax roll values again. I will address this issue in my analysis.

Finally, the assessor’s office told me that property taxes on foreclosed properties become the responsibility of the financial institution that forecloses. A lien is placed on the property for all delinquent property taxes and must be cleared before the property can be resold. Therefore, any implication that there is a loss of property taxes in this situation in invalid. There would only be a delay to the city in collecting these taxes for any property that falls into that category.

Because of the complexity of the analysis, I used an Excel spreadsheet, which I forward to anyone that requests it. However, I am unable to attach it to this article so I hope you will trust me in my conclusions without actually seeing the data.

My first assumption is that I will use the property tax revenue figure shown in the second year column from the LAFCO report. The report shows that this is the first revenues will be received in this category, and since property tax collections are always paid for the prior year, they represent the taxes collected for the first year the city is in existence.

Second, property values will stay flat over the next 10 years. (See my discussion “Three reasons why Sacramento County wants the City of Arden Arcade to be successful” on the Arden Arcade Facebook page in which I believe that property values will in fact increase over the next ten years. However, it is an argument that I have asked a realtor to address.)

Third, 10% of the properties in the area purchased at the peak of the market have not been reduced to their current tax roll values. I will use a downward adjustment of 20%.

Fourth, 20% of the properties in the area, are similar to my property, the property taxes will not increase over the next 10 years.

Fifth, 20% of the properties in the area, have only experienced a small increase in the property values and will only experience a 1% yearly increase.

Sixth, the remainder of the properties fall into the category of my mom’s house, and will continue to experience a full 2% tax increase under Prop 13 over the remaining 10 years.

Scenario 1:
Here are the numbers. Under the LAFCO budget, total Property Tax revenues for the entire 10 year period total $53,280,000. According to the revised analysis, the total revenues show a total of $56,084,000, or an increase of $2,804,000. The analysis does show that the first year the LAFCO budget is higher by $137,000, but all other years show that the revised analysis that I prepared has larger revenues.

OK, Ray, aren’t you being overly optimistic? Well, let me change my third assumption above, and instead of only 10% of the properties being lowered, let’s use 20%.

Scenario 2:
Again, here are the numbers. Under the LAFCO budget, total Property Tax revenues again total $53,280,000. According to the revised analysis, the total revenues show a total of $54,588,000, or an increase of $1,308,000. This analysis does show that the first three years the LAFCO budget are higher by $273,960, $150,470, and $26,750 respectively, but again all other years show that the revised analysis that I prepared has larger revenues. And I want you all to remember that the LAFCO budget also shows a 5% contingency for each year which is a minimum of $1,113,000 the first year and increases from there. This contingency dwarf’s any property tax shortage in my analysis.

Scenario 3:
But let’s add one more assumption. Starting with all the assumptions in Scenario 2, doesn’t it make sense that homes will be selling during the 10 year period? I will make a simple assumption that there will be a small 2% sale activity only for years 4, 6, 8 and 10. Also instead of using my mom’s example, of a 4 fold increase in the tax value, I will only use a figure of twice the amount currently being collected, i.e. a tax roll basis of $100,000 before the home is sold, and a tax roll basis of $200,000 afterward.

Again, here are the numbers. Under the LAFCO budget, total Property Tax revenues again total $53,280,000. According to the revised analysis, the total revenues show a total of $59,255,000, or an increase of $5,975,000. That’s almost $6 million above the current $35 million operational budget surplus that is shown on the LAFCO report. This analysis does again show that the first year the LAFCO budget are higher by $273,960, but again all other years show that the revised analysis that I prepared has larger revenues.

And remember, I started with an assumption that property values will not go up over the next ten years. Do you think that is reasonable?

As always, I want everyone to do their own research, and I think you will end up seeing how a ‘Yes’ on Measure D is the only way to get away from Sacramento County with its the huge inefficiencies and budget deficits. And, because of this, the county will never be able to focus on the needs of our area.

Ray, the Accountant

It's Just Not The Same Without You!

2010-10-22T10:37:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy week. Monday through Thursday were filled with incorporation activities, loaded with facts, lies, and more than a couple surprises. Monday night there was an open forum debate between yes and no speakers... except the No side decided not to show up. This was after repeated calls and emails from the organizers to book a speaker. Can't help but wonder what they were afraid of.

Whatever it was, they hadn't overcome it by Tuesday night, when about 300 people packed into El Camino High School to hear a two-part session, a debate between yes and no speakers, followed by short presentations from the city council candidates. But wait, once again the no group neglected to send a speaker. No worries, as Nick Burnette, a professor at Sac State and area resident, came form the audience to represent the No side.

Professor Burnette isn't like the other Stay Sacramento speakers we've heard. He actually has some credibility. After I listen to him speak I don't feel like I need a shower. And while I will completely give him the benefit of the doubt, it sure did sound like he has spent some time studying the Göbbels... I mean Blanas/Cahill... propaganda machine. As credible as he may have been , he still spewed out the same old lies, innuendos and fear-mongering we've heard so many times through this whole process. Hard to tell if he really believes this stuff, or just drank the Kool-Aid. It's a shame, cause he really does seem like a decent guy.

I didn't make it to Wednesday's meeting at Rio Americano, but from what I heard, it was a repeat of Monday night, with the opposition side conspicuously AWOL. Go figure. At least some more people for to hear the truth, although the truth is easier to accept when you have the chance to hear both sides and reason it out for yourself.

Last night was Mira Loma's turn. Under-attended, and from the looks of things, most of the audience had already made up their minds. Applause for both sides was enthusiastic, although louder for the Yes crowd. This time the organizers were prepared, and asked Mr. Burnette to come speak again. This time he had the opportunity to prepare a bit, but didn't change his tune to reflect any more truth. More's the pity. Unlike the usual Stay Sacramento PR flaks, I really don't have the desire to urinate on this guy's shoes.

At last night's event I submitted a question that was actually used (I can't tell you how many times my questions end up in the trash). The question was a bit loaded, I'll confess, but I believe it was a relevant one to ask. With the donor list now public, how does Stay Sacramento justify their claim to be a "concerned grassroots group of local residents and business owners, up against a well-funded organized campaign of special interests"? Prof. Burnette was caught a bit off guard, as he isn't a rep for the group. But from out of nowhere, someone jumped up and started shouting: "I brought that money to the table because I live in this area and I..." The moderator shut him down, so we never got to hear him finish.

Since Professor Burnette isn't an official representative of Stay Sacramento, my score card shows four forfeits in a row for them. Now I don't understand much about politics, but a thinking person gets some questions running through his mind at times like this. Why is "Stay Sacramento" suddenly becoming "Stay Away"? Did we offend them, so now they're snubbing us? Does this mean they won't take us to the prom? Are we no longer BFFs?

My politically-uneducated mind immediately came up with the response that now that their donor list has been made public, they have some major truthfulness issues to deal with, and it's easier just to slink back into their pile of decaying leaves and wait it out. But as logical as this sounds, there has to be more to it. So I spent some time picking the brains of a couple of my more astute acquaintances, and this is what I learned.

Stay Sacramento isn't showing up, because they think the battle is over. All along they have been preying on seniors in our community, telling them that cityhood would increase taxes and fees, and lower property values on the homes they've been paying off for the past 30 years. And some folks have been gobbling it up. As our people have been out walking precincts and speaking with people, it's amazing how many people put out a Stay Sac sign based on nothing more than the tax threat. Fortunately once they hear the truth, many of them are coming around. But there are many throughout the area who bought the lie and got scared too much to listen anymore.

Now, the thing about seniors is that they tend to vote absentee in overwhelming numbers. So Stay Sac capitalized on that by doing their fear-mongering in advance, counting on the absentee ballots to win their battle, knowing once the donor list came out, those ballots would be secured away downtown somewhere. Wouldn't surprise me if Susan Peters even offered therm a storage facility in her underground bunker.

Does this mean the war is over? No chance. The folks we have on phone banks and knocking on doors, both for Measure D and the individual candidates, are making a difference. The tide is turning, people. And it's turning in our favor. We are winning this thing, one mind and one heart at a time. To quote the good book: "And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." (Galatians 6:9)

If you really believe in this, now is the time for action. Talk to your neighbors. The Measure D campaign is doing phone bank calls every night until the election. Drop by the Fulton Ave office and bring your mobile phone. Head out this weekend and knock on some doors. It's not nearly as scary as you might think. Get the facts out in any (ethical and legal) way possible. One person at a time. On sign at a time. One vote at a time. When this is over and we have a new city to be proud of, you will be able to look back and say that you made a difference. You made this happen!

My goal for the next week is to approach small businesses with the Stay Sac signs on their lots and ask the managers if they authorized the signs. There is a Kragen at Marconi and Eastern that suddenly gained about 7-8 signs overnight. I'll be dropping by today to see if I need to start shopping at Auto Zone. I suspect that if 5-6 of you did the same, those signs might just disappear.

***

I just can't close this note without saying something I've been thinking for a week or so now. Last year, Bob Stevens, Joel Archer and I had lunch with Sheriff McGinness. At that lunch he made the statement that incorporation would be the best possible thing that could happen for Arden Arcade. Now he has publicly come out against it. Any idea why he would change his tune?

Hmmm... come to think of it, there must be 21 million good reasons.

Now, I don't blame him one bit for looking out for his people, and doing what it takes to keep them on the job. But the object lesson we should take away is that, like it or not, this is politics. Treat everything you hear as such, and dig between the rhetoric to get the facts. Paul M and Ray the Accountant did.

More from Ray The Accountant

2010-10-20T22:51:00.000-07:00

I just love it when others take up the slack in places where my talents just aren't there. Like you, I've heard the comments about doubling police coverage on our streets after incorporation. I've also heard about the new grant money that will put 50 deputies back on the streets (for the next three years). But I've had to trust that others know what they are talking about on this. Ray, being an accountant, heard the same promises, but was able to sift through the LAFCo numbers and county budgets, and demonstrate what makes sense and what doesn't in these claims.

I will make one slight correction to Ray's piece, just to keep the facts straight. Matt Powers, council candidate, did not retire from the Sheriff's Department. He was a Deputy Chief with the Sac City P.D. He also teaches police procedure to new cops at A.R.

I like it when Ray talks. Like me, he doesn't have a dog in this race. Just a guy who wants to make life better for himself and his family. When someone can write about finance and keep my interest, it's a great read. Enjoy

***

OMG! I heard it on the radio again today! In a radio debate heard on KTKZ the morning of 10/20/10, Joel Archer said that if we vote yes on Arden Arcade cityhood, the new city could double the number of Sheriff’s patrolling our streets. Is he crazy? The Sheriff’s department has been cut by the county. And then, Dr. Duveneck said during the same broadcast that the area would lose the CHP, and that would cost the new city another $2 million plus to replace them. How in the world can we afford that without new taxes? It doesn’t make sense.

As an accountant, I hate to take statements that appear to be too-good-to-be-true as serious. And, yet, I have talked to Joel Archer many times. He is a very positive person, who deals with financial issues as a career and is not one to mislead people. So I had to prove to myself how he could make such a statement.

I have also met Matt Powers and Bob Stevens for some insight into this contention about doubling the Sheriff’s patrols. Both of them have retired after long careers in the Sheriff’s department. In an effort at full disclosure all three are also running for city council.

So let’s look at the first piece of evidence needed to justify the claim above. As you might have guessed, I started with the independent financial analysis authorized by LAFCO that was completed using the 2008-2009 tax year. The actual dates of that tax year were 7/1/2008 through 6/30/2009. http://www.saclafco.org/coswcms/groups/public/@wcm/@pub/@lafco/@inter/documents/webcontent/sac_022635.pdf
On page 15, of this 81 page report, which you may also read at your leisure, is the Scenario 2 analysis, which shows the budget that was prepared on which we will be voting. The 7th line under costs in the middle of the page shows a minimum amount of $15,100,000 per year for Police services, which was the share of Arden Arcade’s portion of the Sheriff’s budget for the same period 2008-2009. I am not in a position to challenge the budget number as either high or low. However, if you would let me continue, I will prove Joel’s assertion, which has also been made by some of the other candidate’s as well; an assertion that will hold true no matter what the actual amount may be.

Now I need to introduce the second piece of the puzzle. Thanks to Matt Powers for this information. On the Sacramento Sheriff’s website is the 2010-2011 Sheriff’s budget that was presented to the county supervisors this year. On page 14 of 28, the field staffing numbers are shown. These numbers represent the actual deputies in the field for the years 2008 to 2009. It is important to note that the report shows a total number of officers in 2008 as 537. The 2009 totals due to the budget cuts lowered this number by 244, to only 293. http://www.sacsheriff.com/organization/office_of_the_sheriff/SheriffsBudgetSlides.pdf

Now here is the point for the need of both sets of information. The Sheriff’s budget and number of officers in 2008 was the amount used in the LAFCO report, since the budget year of the Sheriff’s department coincides with the 2008-2009 county budget year. It was in 2009, the year following the LAFCO report that the Sheriff’s and staff were cut.

We have all heard that the Sheriff’s department received a temporary 3 year grant that will put 50 officers back on the street. So instead of losing 244 officers we are losing 194. I'm glad we can add more officers, but it only goes a small way to getting back to the real staffing needs of the department.

Per the report we are still missing over 115 detectives, the Community Problem Orientation Police (POP) and the Street Narcotics Detectives, plus the separate officers from SWAT and Canine. Finally, these numbers do not include additional in office staff that were also laid off in 2009. (Also see the last 7 or 8 pages for the dangerous levels of service that the whole county is getting as a result.)

Bob Stevens stated in a meeting at El Camino High School on Tuesday night that the 2008 levels represented .77 Sheriff’s deputies per 1000 citizens in the county and that the 2009 levels, with the addition of the new officers, represented .44 deputies per 1000. Without the 50 officer increase, there would only be .38 deputies per thousand. So when Joel and others say we can double the officers for the city without new taxes, it is because the LAFCO budget was originally based on a higher number of deputies and office staff than we currently have in the Sheriff’s department. And the main point is not whether it is twice or 75% more, it is the fact that there will be more Sheriff’s on the street and probably some of the additional staffing cuts will return as well. That is why the Sacramento County Deputy Sheriff’s Association is urging a “Yes” vote on Measure D.

Finally, in answer to the CHP question, it is important to remember that the focus of the CHP is traffic, both freeways and streets. They are a regional service provided by the state to the counties, and will continue to provide backup assistance when needed. When the area is incorporated, the contracted deputies or other police services will have the primary responsibility for crime and traffic. The CHP will never show up at your door if you report a crime, but they may still pull you over for a traffic stop in the new city limits if they are needed. Other cities in the area work hand in hand with the CHP on traffic issues regularly. The new city does not lose CHP services; they will only take a smaller role in our policing needs since we will have greater policing services. The independent report authorized by LAFCO also took this information into account at the time so there will be no additional costs.

So, once again, I urge all readers to ask questions, and find out the facts. Please don’t rely on claims that sound good, but do not have an independent source or two to back it up.

Ray, the accountant, who will be voting “Yes” on Measure D, to provide Arden Arcade with the ability to have a “safer, cleaner neighborhoods with no new taxes”. I hope you will join me.

P.S. These observations are solely based on my own research. I am not running for any office and will have no financial benefit whatsoever from the new city, except maybe a stabilized or improved property value in the future due to the area's revival.

Another Guest Comment

2010-10-19T13:49:00.000-07:00

We have another guest editorial today, but first some background.

Dr. Paul Mattiuzzi has another blog on the Arden Arcade incorporation, and all of the issue surrounding it. If you haven't read it, you should. Paul and I are working for the same cause from slightly different perspectives. Where I want to make you angry, knowing that will lead to you wanting to learn more about the issues, Paul wants to make you educated, knowing that knowledge of what is going on will make you angry. Or something akin to that. Either way, he is an excellent writer and presents some great facts you should be aware of. The link to the site os over there on the right.

Ray the Accountant is a reader of both blogs. Paul and I have both addressed the issue of the money trail, and the large donation from organized labor that provided the lion's share of the opposition funding, and Ray had some degree of disagreement with Paul's assessments. He wrote the following and asked it to be posted on Paul's blog, then asked it to go here as well. Since I agree the issues raised are key to this election and the decision we will all be making, I'm posting Ray's piece here with no further editorial comment from me.

***

I was recently made aware of your blog site on the Arden arcade cityhood measure that will be on the ballot November 2nd. I read with interest your postings, and those of your readers. I am an accountant and tax preparer who has lived in Arden Arcade, near Eastern and Whitney for about 7 years. I have been following this proposal for about two years, and, like you, the more I learned about the financials of both the county and the proposed city, I have come to the conclusion that the best chance that this community has to move forward against its crime and other problems is to become a new city. There were times that your early blog posts looked at the measure with a somewhat cynical view. However, I always found them to be fair and informative.

I do, however, respectively take issue with one thing that you said about the union contribution of the $50,000 to the Stay Sacramento campaign by the Plumbers and Pipefitters, Local 447. It appeared from that blog, that you didn't feel that it mattered that the union had made the contribution, because the Yes on Measure D campaign had received large contributions from other businesses also. So I went to the Sacramento Elections office, and personally campaign contributions for the report of 9/30/2010.

It is true the ‘Yes’ campaign received contributions from some companies outside the area. And in general, the support for both sides has come mainly from individuals. But the “large” contributions to the Yes on Measure D campaign have in no way approached the amount given by the union. And in my canvassing of the area to answer questions about Measure D, I did not find any plumbers or pipefitters that lived in the area, let alone supported the Stay Sacramento group although there are probably some. In fact, those contractors that I did talk to supported cityhood, because they've had to deal with the county and it’s delay is when pulling permits for the jobs that they need to do in the area.

But my disagreement with your statement is not with the amount of the contributions, but rather the intent of the contribution. On the Yes for Measure D. website, your blog site, and Ed Dickey's blog site (www.aacityhood.blogspot.com) there is a free flow of questions and responses, which further the discussion on the cityhood measure and help people in the community make an informed choice.

However, on the Stay Sacramento website, this free flow of information does not exist. The statements and arguments presented on that website are those of the authors, who apparently feel that they do not have to answer for the views that they provide there.

Their three recent mailers claim that “there are dozens of reasons to oppose cityhood”. However, the most recent one jumps to reason number 19, and, except for #7 & #13, which again have limited information, I haven't figured out what reasons 1 through 18 are quite yet. (The Stay Sacramento doesn’t seem to enumerate them either.) And all three mailers allude to terrible things that will happen in this area becomes a city, then gives no backup or additional sources for those points of view.

Personally, I find it very condescending when people try to tell me how to think. Therefore the information that they provide begins to lack credibility, and all their arguments become specious.

For those who do not realize this, all voters should choose members for the city Council, whether they are voting yes or no. Because if the cityhood measure passes, those council members will be representing us throughout this community.

It is a very important to know what the vision of those running for city Council, so I wanted you and your readers to be very aware of some upcoming candidate forums. Here's the information that has been listed on the websites of Jay Boatwright and Mary Ose.

CANDIDATE FORUMS – Live appearances by the people running for the City Council
Tuesday, October 19th, 6:30 pm - El Camino High School
Wednesday, October 20th, 6:30 pm - Rio Americano High School
Other forums are tentatively scheduled for October 21st and 25th.

There was also a televised forum that was sponsored by the League of Women Voters and will be replayed on the following days.

6 pm Wed October 20 (fourth re-airing)
5 pm Sun October 24 (fifth re-airing)
9 pm Wed October 27 (final re-airing)

On Comcast it is on channel 14.

On ATT U-verse it is a little harder to find but here are the directions. Go to channel 99 (you should have it if you have their 100 package or above). Find the section that says "Sacramento Metropolitan TV". Say OK to that and then go to Channel 14. While the station information says that you can find the meetings at www.sacmetrocable.tv/meetings, as of today the meeting was not shown, but I was able to confirm the dates and times above through the League of Women Voters. Long search but should be valid results.

I would hope the Surewest and the other satellite services would have a local government channel to see these, but I do not have specific channel information for them.

Dr. Mattiuzzi, I hope you will be able to post this e-mail in its entirety or in part to your blog site so that more people will be able to make an informed and well thought through decision on election day. It is a very important vote for the future of this entire community.

Ray, the Accountant.

It's for Their Own Protection...

2010-10-16T21:33:00.001-07:00

On November 2, a very important issue will be put to the vote here in California. Proposition 19 will make it legal for someone to cultivate and possess small amounts of marijuana for personal use. Up to now I've stayed completely neutral on the subject. I see potential medical benefits here, but I also see some grave problems, so I thought it best just to stay out of it.

But now something new has come to light that has caused me to make a public stand against Prop 19. Today I received 2 mail pieces from the Stay Sacramento folks. These things are so completely filled to the brim with half-truths and outright lies that if 19 passes, these folks might get even further out of touch with reality and have to be taken off the streets.

So far I've seen three of these pieces. All three claim to list one of the "dozens of reasons" to oppose cityhood. The two pieces I have at my home show numbers 7 and 13. But of the "dozens" of reasons they claim, where are the rest? Their web site, where real estate is practically free and they should be able to list tons of supporting evidence, doesn't even allude to the "dozens" claim. I'm dying to know what the others are! Come on folks, give me the evidence!

But for now I guess I'm stuck with the two reasons they decided to give me. So let's examine them, shall we?

#7 - A whole new layer of government will cost more.

Well, ok, this is true. A new layer of government WILL in fact cost more. While they're at it, why not say that if Iceland drops a nuclear bomb on Country Club Plaza, that will mean trouble for the new city? Both have the same chance of happening.

OK, all together now, one more time... there is NO NEW LAYER OF GOVERNMENT! This is replacing the county's broke, broken, failed system with a smaller, responsive and responsible organization that is designed for the express purpose of providing municipal services. It's a way to lower the costs of providing services by smart and innovative management. And it's happened across the board in the last three incorporations in Sacramento County.

For those of you who aren't familiar with the legal profession, let me introduce you to something lawyers use every day. It's called boilerplate text. It's the standard party-of-the-first-part stuff that ends up in every legal document, mostly as a cover-your-assets move to make sure the attorneys are never to blame for anything. The cityhood studies, both the environment impact report and the fiscal analysis, contain tons of this stuff. You can always spot it by comparison to other similar documents, looking for things that are common to them all. Here's an example:

"...the new city could experience shortfalls or inadequate fund balances during its initial years of operation."

Why is that statement in the fiscal analysis? Is it because the analysts felt the new city's financial situation might be unstable? If so it would be very interesting, since that text, or something very close to it, appears in every fiscal analysis tied to a pending incorporation over the past ten years. The statement is there so in case there is some unforeseen problem, like that Icelandic nuke, no one can go back to the analyst and claim they didn't account for that. It's a catch-all to protect the firm, and a straw man bugaboo that has no practical meaning, yet the mailer is touting it as if it was the most damning evidence possible. Know why?

It IS the most damning evidence they have! They have so little real material to work with that they are reduced to trying to extract some hidden meaning out of innocuous phrases such as this. Other than that, all they can do is complain that employees in the new city might be given a living wage and decent benefit package. Lord knows we can't have that! There's no money left after all the city and county bureaucrats gets their insurance and pensions!

Reason #13 - As business goes down, your taxes may go up.

OK, let's get it on the record one more time that our economy is in the dumpster. That we can all agree on. But will a bad economy result in new taxes? Maybe, back in the dark ages before Prop 13. Or in whatever dark and stinky place Stay Sac has their collective head buried. But the facts are clear that new taxes cannot be instituted without a 2/3 vote of the people. And it works the same way for cities as it does in the county. Nothing changes. Nada. And no matter how many times they claim it, it will not become true. Ever.

On the other hand, the county is trying hard to address their gazillion dollar deficit. Several of the proposed ideas to balance out the bottom line include putting a tax increase before the voters. Now Prop 13 still works the same way, but think this through. Who is more likely to vote yes on a tax increase? Arden Arcade residents, or people in Downtown, Midtown, or the Pocket? I'd say the quickest possible way to see your taxes go up is to vote no on D and stay right where we are.

This mailer claims that we are banking on $20 million in sales tax revenues for a landlocked "community" with no potential for growth. Before we blast this one, note the cutesy use of quotation marks around the word Community. This was a shrewd move. By calling to question whether the area really is a community, they continue to bring their divisiveness to the table, revealing what they have already admitted on a TV spot last week - what they really want (Sierra Oaks, Arden Park, Arden Oaks, et al) is to keep their little fiefdoms, continue to assert their political capital, and forget about the rest of you. This is about their power and money. Don't let them tell you otherwise.

Anyway, a quick word about the "landlocked" issue. We are a mostly developed community, and we don't have any significant growth potential for new development. In that respect we are the same as Citrus Heights, but very different from Rancho Cordova and Elk Grove. Both of those areas had tons of room to expand and grow. Both took advantage of that opportunity to begin development. Both took a bath when the economy turned sour a few years ago. But built-out Citrus Heights just continued to keep putting money into its reserve fund, including a deposit last year when things were pretty much in the toilet across the entire country. I've decided I'm not going to lose much sleep over being a landlocked community.

If the economy does continue to sink deeper into the tank, the outlook will not be rosy for anyone. But with the county's current economic woes, sung to the tune of "Brother, can you spare a hundred and twenty million?", can we actually be any worse than under their administration? After all, the most recent study was completed using current numbers, when we were already knee deep in this recession. And the ten year projections were done per the rules, assuming that the current economic state continues throughout. So if the economy continues to be miserable, the facts show we can make it. It might not be pleasant, but we can do it. Any any eventual upturn in the general outlook for the nation means that things can only get better for Arden Arcade.

So if Stay Sac is so confident that the two analyses done by professionals, at a cost of tens of thousands of dollars each, one in good times, the other in the current miserable economy, are completely out of touch with reality, they must have some real high-level, unimpeachable experts to back up their case, right? Well, maybe not so much. While the community supporters behind Prop D cite sources such as the Howard Jarvis group and the Taxpayer's Advocate, Stay Sac relies on the expert testimony of Kristin Elser, "Arden Arcade parent activist". Wow, I'm sold. A parent activist. How could anyone ever speak against that?

I don't know Ms. Elser, or her history as a "parent activist", whatever that means. LinkedIn shows her as an insurance analyst for USAA, which is a respectable profession, and as far as I know, a decent company. And I don't want to speak a word against her or her activist work. But really - is this the highest level of the food chain Stay Sacramento can reach to find expert opinion? Granted, they've managed to discredit their own psychologist, real estate developer, political consultant, former sheriff, and a handful of others. Is there no one left in the stable with an opinion we can respect?

Or are we saving that for some sort of October surprise? Given the length and breadth of the lies we've been told in these two pieces, we know there are no ethical restraints on what they tell us. We also know that thanks to all the special interests they claim to be protecting you from, they are sufficiently well-funded to spring some sort of last minute hit piece.

If you get one or more of these in the mail, please read with a critical mind. What are they really saying? Who are they relying on to make their case? Are their fear-mongering claims really harmful, or just more empty rhetoric? Do your own research. Get real solid facts, and make up your own mind. We need intelligent voters, not drones. And if you have questions, get answers that make sense. Don't accept anything at face value, and don't be afraid to demand truth, not political mumbo-jumbo.

Here are a few good places to start. On Monday night at 6:30, there will be a cityhood panel discussion and forum with experts on many aspects of cityhood. It will be help at the community center in Howe Park, and Howe and Cottage. Representatives from Stay Sacramento have been invited to attend and speak, but as of now they have declined.

Tuesday night at the same time, there will be a forum at El Camino High School. Not much other info on this one, but it should be worth attending.

Next Sunday, the 24th, at 4pm, there will be a coffee meeting at Country Waffles on El Camino just east of Fulton. Candidates will discuss the need for police protection, how we can build a thriving business community, and the legal process for annexation. Questions will be welcome.

Through the Glass, Stupidly...

2010-10-13T08:58:00.000-07:00

The future is going to get better. Maybe not this week, maybe not even this year, but this recession will end. That's one thing that fascnates me about the LAFCo fiscal analysis. It was done using the crappy numbers we're experiencing now, and by LAFCo policy, assumes those numbers will more or less hold true for the next decade. And even with those bad numbers, the study shows we may be financially feasible. Actually, we missed the highest ranking, likely to be financially feasible, by less than one percentage point. Go figure.

Now, I have admitted in the past that although I'm pretty good at math, as soon as you put a dollar sign into the equation, I become a babbling idiot. Seriously. I was in pre-calc my sophomore year of high school. But I thank God for online banking, since my balance is always a few clicks away and I never have to balance the checkbook.

But even I can finally get some simple things straight, given enough time. That's why Stay Sacramento's treatment of the analysis numbers has me squinting. Something isn't adding up.

Stay Sac keeps pointing to the bad economy as a reason it's the wrong time for incorporation. First off, let's agree we can dismiss this as a crock argument, since they were saying the same thing four years ago when the numbers were good. But this is what I'm figuring out: if we can be viable with the current numbers, in one of the worst economies we've seen since the Great Depression, shouldn't we all be jumping up and down for joy? Doesn't that mean that when things get better, which of course they will at some point, then our situation will be even more viable? As Howard Jones sang about three decades ago, Things can only get better! They did then, and they will now!

So what about the aspects of the future that we can change? One thing I've noticed from the Stay Sacramento donor filing is how many real estate brokers and agents were on their donor list. Many of them are Michael "Don't bother me, I'm being investigated again" Lyon's minions, so maybe that's understandable. They have their own Kool-Aid issues to deal with. But what about the rest?

Back in a past life (around the time of that Howard Jones song, actually), I tried my hand at selling real estate. Like I do with most new experiences, I started out by studying how the industry works. But now, three decades and a couple thousand miles away, things don't quite add up.

When an area incorporates, history shows us that crime goes down. Code enforcement is improved nd the neighborhoods start to look cleaner and more well-maintained. Schools improve. Parks start offering more services. Drug dealers and other "bad elements" tend to move toward more friendly bases. Check the facts. Every one of these happened in all three recent Sac County incorporations.

Combine all of those things, and the net result is an area where people want to live. Demand for available homes goes up (granted, this will be more impacting after we climb out of this recession, but that's going to happen, right?), and that will drive up prices. Home values will recover to where they have been historically, after some time, and eventually drive even higher because of the new lease on life for the area.

Now this is the part I don't understand. When I sold real estate, our commission checks were based on a percentage of the sale price. When the price went up, so did our pay. If things work the same way out here in Cali, then all of the real estate agents and brokers who are supporting cityhood opposition are stealing money out of their own pockets! They are backing a group of rich lobbyists and special interests that has a stated plan to stop incorporation, which is the single worst thing that can happen to their personal bottom line!

It amazes me that the cult of personality and fear-mongering can be so strong that people will act against their own best interests. The same holds true for the houses in the north area, proudly displaying the red white and blue signs, not even realizing their support will lead to keeping their own home values down, unemployment up, and the hookers and gangs continuing to encroach into their neighborhoods.

It's time to wake up. Don't buy the lies. Do your own research and watch what happens. I've seen it too many times to doubt any more.

Guest Commentary

2010-10-11T19:15:00.000-07:00

This came in today's email, with a request to run it here. Since everything stated in the article is accurate, I'm going to run it pretty much as-is. The author didn't indicate whether or not they wanted to be credited for it, so until I hear otherwise, it's anonymous.

The “Grassroots” Highlight Reel Part-1

As Stay Sacramento continues to tell us that they are a “grassroots” effort and their leaders publicly assert that their donations are from the community, the recently released contributors list tells a different story. This list of donations and expenditures exposes the truth behind the opponents of cityhood and their baseless accusations.

First up, Carmichael resident Jeffery M. Raimundo donated $500. One might say that a citizen living 2 miles outside the proposed city has some interest in Arden-Arcade. However, Stay Sacramento's expenditures say otherwise. Mr. Raimundo's “I” Street consulting firm of Townsend, Raimundo, Besler & Usher received three payments totaling $17,910. Wow, that is an impressive 3482% return on Mr. Raimundo's investment! That's right folks, at the same time that Stay Sacramento was accusing cityhood as a payoff to special interests, they were selling our community's future to a downtown consultant for a bargain basement price. The fact that Townsend, Raimundo, Besler & Usher ran Kevin Johnson's '08 campaign for mayor is probably just a coincidence...? http://www.trbu.com/clients/clients.html

The “Grassroots” Highlight Reel Part-2

We now know that Stay Sacramento's leaders are selling off our community's future to the lowest downtown bidder. It is certainly no surprise “K” Street vampires have put in their bids. In total, nine lobbyists, lobbying firms and their clients have bought a piece if Stay Sacramento's dream. The president of Governmental Advocates Inc donated $500 just one week after his client, the director of the Western Manufactured Housing Communities Association donated $200. These two caring citizens are betting that $700 that Arden-Arcade will be better with more trailer parks and less cops. At least it will be profitable for them.

The president of the National Conference of State Liquor Administrators pitched in $200. Apparently Arden-Arcade needs more liquor stores to spur economic growth. Or maybe he/she needs them to spur their own economy It almost seems that Stay Sacramento believes a city without more booze and trailer parks is a “risk we can't afford”. Must be a coincidence too.

The “Grassroots” Highlight Reel Part-3

As we look further into Stay Sacramento's financial disclosure we see another group fighting to keep their share of the status quo. 9 property tycoons, developers, mortgage peddlers and real estate agents have provided nearly 10% of Stay Sacramento's funding since the campaign began. Folks like the senior VP at CB Richard Ellis, the president of Placer Sierra Bancshares (a Land Park resident) and the Fulcrum Property heir have joined Stay Sacramento's leaders in putting out the “For Sale” sign in Arden-Arcade. Is it just another series coincidences that developers and lenders want to keep swapping cheap properties as the realtors siphon off commissions at every turn? And that those cheap properties could make great locations for shiny new trailer parks and liquor stores? One wonders what the going commission is for selling our future down the drain....

The “Grassroots” Highlight Reel Part-4

For months we have heard a steady drumbeat message from Stay Sacramento, “...We are a grassroots effort with little funds to defeat the Arden-Arcade cityhood proposal. We are up against a well-funded campaign of special outside interests...”

This is, and always has been, a fabrication. The details of Stay Sacramento's finances are a blueprint for business as usual politics. A private club of real estate agents and “K” lobbyists fighting for trailer parks and alcohol as they pay off the Mayor's consultants. Not what any of us think of in a “...grassroots effort with little money...up against a well-funded campaign of special outside interests...”

And then there is the $50,000 elephant in the room...

It is true that a single union donor provided 2/3 of Stay Sacramento's “K” Street payola. It is true that we've been double-crossed and downright duped. A massive union contribution? Real estate agents and lobbyists carving up out community's future? Big time, downtown pay offs? Must be yet another coincidence.

The “Grassroots” Highlight Reel – In Conclusion

A coincidence that over 40% of Stay Sacramento's expenses were payoffs to Kevin Johnson's campaign consultant.

A coincidence that a group of “K”Street lobbyists payed Stay Sacramento to push for more liquor stores and trailer parks in Arden-Arcade.

A coincidence that a private club of real estate agents, lenders and developers have ordered Stay Sacramento to put our community up for auction.

A coincidence that most of Stay Sacramento “grassroots” funds came from one enormous union donation.

A coincidence that one union, the property changers and the lobbyists provided 75% of all Stay Sacramento's campaign money.

The fact is that the leaders and owners of Stay Sacramento really want it to Stay Business As Usual is NO COINCIDENCE!

The “Grassroots” Highlight Reel – Afterword

On Oct. 5 Tim Cahill spoke on behalf of Stay Sacramento at the Sierra Oaks Neighborhood Association. When asked by an audience member where Stay Sacramento's money was coming from he responded by saying it was from community donations & that cityhood opponents were a small group of residents. The list of donations and pay offs clearly shows that to be a lie. So why isn't this on the front page? Why hasn't the Bee jumped in to tell the real story? This is front page news, right?

The July 7 donation of $250 by one Abby Pruitt is the answer. Name sound familiar? It should, Ms. Pruitt is the wife of Gary Pruitt, President, CEO and Chairman of the Board for McClatchy Co and McClatchy owns the Sacramento Bee. Yes the Bee. The same Bee who demanded disclosure of cityhood supporters financial records without even asking about the opposition's money. The same Bee that regularly slams the county's “uncity”, but denounced cityhood. The same Bee that just added 29 more local workers to the unemployment line, while Mr. Pruitt continued to give himself huge bonuses.

No wonder that the Bee's editorial board continues to print misleading, anti-cityhood stories while stating that annexation is the “...best approach..”, they don't want to be next in the unemployment line. Mr Pruitt has a proven record of job destruction and profiteering during his tenure at McClatchy Co. In the last 30 months, the Bee has eliminated more than 300 jobs, while Mr. Pruitt has refused to cut his own pay or even turn down his raises and bonuses. The worst of what we've seen from any Wall Street Executive. Funny that the Pruitts live in Arden Oaks paying for private policing with their neighbor Tim Cahill.

Stay Sacramento is a “grassroots” effort by “K” Street lobbyists and real estate agents to sell our community to liquor stores and trailer parks, sending the proceeds to downtown to Mayor Johnson's campaign, backed by one enormous union donation and covered up by a heartless Wall Street-style profiteer.

Still not Convinced?

2010-10-09T22:03:00.000-07:00

Still not completely sure that Stay Sacramento is a group of elitists who are only out for their own good, at the expense of the betterment of the community? Take a look at their donor list from a geographical view.

View Stay Sacramento Supporters List in a larger map

I want you to note a couple things. First, obviously the majority of their donors come from the southern end of town (especially south of Fair Oaks). No real surprise there. But also notice how many donors are completely outside of the area. These are the ones who trying to protect their money, either through relationships with the power brokers down south, or by being remembered when Arden Arcade gets annexed by Sacramento and new work is up for grabs.

Stay Sacramento is an elitist organization that wants to put your families at risk in order to secure their own fiefdoms. Don't buy the lies. Do your own research and get the facts. The numbers are out there.

The Truth Shall Set You Free!

2010-10-09T14:12:00.000-07:00

Do you have an extra $50,000 sitting around? Yeah, me neither. But apparently the Plumbers & Pipefitters Union Local 422 does. California law requires that all political organization that collect contributions file form 460 to indicate the sources of their funding. Stay Sacramento's 460 was filed this week, and the information it contains is telling.

Stay Sacramento's total monetary contributions for the covered period were $79,422. Of that amount, $50,000 came from the single union donation. That means that 62% of the funding for this "grassroots effort with little funds to defeat the Arden-Arcade cityhood proposal*" who are "up against a well-funded campaign of special outside interests who are trying to buy their way into fat contracts with a new city*" comes from a labor union. Now I'm sure that this union isn't coughing up 50 large out of altruistic motivations.
(*quoted from the Stay Sacramento web site, October 9, 2010)

So how about the other 29 grand? Well, a few thousand of that comes from lobbyists, including lobyists representing the mobile home, pharmaceutical and liquor industries. These are the folks who are fighting special interests?! Folks, these are the special interests! Lord knows we don't have enough mobile home parks and liquor stores here.

I think my personal favorite is the $500 from Jeffrey Raimundo, principal in the consulting firm of Townsend, Raimundo, Besler & Usher. Mr. Raimundo does not live in the proposed city limits, but apparently feels that what happens here can affect him. I'm sure that the checks totalling $17,910 that his firm, who also represented Kevin Johnson's '08 mayoral campaign, received from Stay Sacramento were just a coincidence.

So who else is involved in thie grassroots effort? Well, let's see... there's former Sheriff Lou Blanas, who also happens to be an owner in the new casino/card room up on Auburn Blvd. at the Marconi curve. If you look at a map of the proposed city boundaries, you'll see a little chunk notched into the northwest corner. That's where the card room resides, outside of Sac city and Arden Arcade. But if we do incorporate, that area will fall within our sphere of influence, meaning we will have some degree of say in what goes on there.

And let's not forget Tim Cahill, who inherited and married into a ton of real estate along Fulton Avenue, including at least one property rented by a massage parlor. Mr Cahill assured everyone at the recent Sierrs Oaks homeowner's meeting that this facilty was thoroughly checked out and supervised by the county before opening. So I'm sure it's just accidental that the place has a locked door, white blinds covering all the windows, and a video camera over the door. After all, a legitimate business can't be too sure these days.

The more we learn about Stay Sacramento, the more we see evidence of what we've always known - these people will do anything, including lying to your face - to stop incorporation. Why? I think the answer comes from the television piece I was in for News 10 earlier this week. In it, Doug Elmets, another rich Stay Sac supporter, stated the truth so plainly it was funny. Sierra Oaks, Arden Oaks, and Arden Park want to remain their own little elitist enclaves. They don't want to be associated with the likes you you and me. But there aren't enough of them to make Measure D fail. So they will make up lies and distort facts just to keep from being considered part of the community.

Keep in mind that for the past several years Stay Sacramento has been telling us they are the little guys, trying to fight the power of special interests that funded the incorporation campaign. Who were these special interests? They were the local parks districts, who knew they could improve services in their own facilities by partnering with the new city. They were other cities in Sacramento County, who knew we represented a real chance to make sure our "regional voice" wasn't centered between H and I streets downtown. And they were hundreds of people just like you and me, the special interests who wanted life to be better for our kids. Who wanted to see the hookers and gangs that have moved into the area sent packing. Who want to feel safe when they walk down our streets.

That's my special interest, and I hope it's yours too.

Liar Liar Pants on Fire!

2010-10-04T06:59:00.000-07:00

With the recent economic problems that we are all seeing, I have to wonder if the Bee had to lay off all of its fact checkers. This morning's edition has an editorial coming out against incorporation. But, there are so many distortions and outright untruths in this editorial that it's probably a good thing there is no byline at the top.

Arden Arcade's numbers are solid. The most recent study was done with the latest available numbers, well after we had entered the current recession. Future predictions are based on maintaining the status quo, which means staying in a recession for the next ten years. Do we really think this downturn is going to last that long?

Whether or not "now" is the right time is a moot question. The city can say they have no plans for annexation, but they have taken the first legal step toward doing so by including us in their general plan. While incorporation is on the table they can't move forward, so there is no harm in making the claim that they don't wan't us - other than another outright lie. But any time after the election, if cityhood fails, they can declare we are within their sphere of influence. That is their next step, and will effectively prohibit us from any chance to incorporate. Then it's just a matter of time until they make annexation formal. And of course, it will be simple enough to say they came to realize how much better things will be for us under their watchful care. Just like North Sacramento (now known as Del Paso Heights). But if we decide the timing is wrong, there will not be another chance. As Elvis once crooned, it's now or never.

Most cityhood supporters, myself included, have no aspirations for public office. All I want is a place to raise my kids where they will be safe, and where they will want to live when they grow up and start families. The 100,000 residents of Arden Arcade can't fix the messed up federal or state systems, but they can make life better here and now, for themselves and their families.

Candidates, I offer this modest proposal. In the spirit of fairness, and how the opposition is acting toward us, I suggest that all future campaign literature should include the quote, straight out of this piece: "Urban areas like Arden Arcade ought to be in a city, and residents should have more local control."

***

After posting this earlier today I've started to receive notes asking me to urge readers to cancel their Bee subscriptions. Frankly, I think the Bee is quite used to this, and knows it only makes a blip on the radar for a short time, and once the heat is off, things go back to normal. But they do listen to complaints from subscribers. Give 'em a call, let them know you think their editorial is a steaming pile. Better yet, go to the online version and post a comment. Pick one thing from the garbage heap that you can address with clarity, and set them straight on it. Be courteous and polite, but let them know they can't get away with this. If we could get a thousand comments on their site, people will notice.

Follow the Leader

2010-10-01T08:37:00.000-07:00

A quote from this morning's Sacramento Bee:

"A once tattered and neglected corner of The Uncity, that huge swath of unincorporated Sacramento County, Citrus Heights has transformed itself in just 13 years since it incorporated. Everything got better: streets, lighting, garbage service, law enforcement and that indefinable quality called civic engagement.

Credit goes to a smart cohesive group of City Council members. Unlike other new cities in the county, Citrus Heights was largely built out when it incorporated. With no revenue-generating growth spurt, the city had to live within its means. While other local governments overspent during the good times and now are facing layoffs and furloughs, Citrus Heights has no debt and a healthy reserve of $36 million.

It has made prudent investments, established its own Police Department, and built a new civic center and city hall, all with cash."

Read more: http://www.sacbee.com/2010/10/01/3070549/turner-incumbents-for-citrus-heights.html#ixzz117cgNvL4

So what can we learn from this? First, it is possible. Citrus Heights had its own coalition of naysayers, spouting the same bad rhetoric we're seeing in Arden Arcade right now. They ignored the critics, and went ahead and created a city to be proud of. Don't believe it? Go to the city's web site and look up their resident satisfaction survey.

Second, the council counts. This blurb was taken from an article endorsing certain candidates for the Citrus Heights city council. The praise for what the city has done was incidental to the need for quality people on the council leading the way. Just as ignoring the fear-mongers is important here, as it was there, taking the time to get to know the council candidates and vote wisely will be crucual to our success.

Luckily, we have a group of people who are dedicated and intelligent on the ballot. I wouldn't vote for all of them, even if I could. But, I really don't think there is any group of seven that could be formed that would be a bad choice. But the better we are at picking our council members, the more the city will thrive in its early days and lay a solid foundation for our future.

***

When I started this blog, I made a promise to kick both sides in the knees (well, with the written word, anyway) when they screwed up. Until now, I haven't had a bad word to say about the incorporation group or the candidates. I really hate to do this, because the offender was a good friend long before we both got involved with incorporation, but I can't be quiet about this one.

Joel, you have done amazing things throughout this campaign. When no one (including most of the committee) thought it would be possible, you managed to lead the way, raising money every time it was needed, steering through the governmental red tape, and being the leading advocate for Arden Arcade. Hear that? Arden Arcade. Not Arden. But suddenly the Arcade part is missing from your web site and literature? I'm not sure what the motivation is here, maybe it's as simle as making things fit better. But, we are Arden, and we are also Arcade. And yes, many of us dislike the name. But until we become a city and chamge it, it's who we are. And excluding half of our population is not a wise move.

Stand - in the Place Where You Live

2010-09-30T22:04:00.000-07:00

Think about direction, wonder why you have it now...

No, I don't have a flipping clue what Michael Stipe meant by that. But despite that, I have been thinking a lot about direction lately. And I'm convinced that as a community, we're heading in the right one.

Tonight incorporation came home for me. The cute blond and I hosted a community share for our own subdivision. It was a small target, and we weren't sure what to expect. But we had about thirty people come out and share ideas, get answers to questions (including some tough ones), and be a community. Some had already committed, and others were still skeptical. But I think everyone left with more information than they had when they arrived, and we din't have to bring home too many cookies.

If you found this blog from the meeting tonight, or from last night's candidate forum at the Association of Realtors building, welcome. Please consider this your forum. Amid all my rants and raves, your thoughts are welcome.

Tonight was special for me, since the focus was on my home turf. It was exciting to see the community discussing issues importance to us on a micro-local level. But the real telling moment came when my 7 year old daughter came up to me and said she was having a wonderful evening just playing in the park. If you know Santa Anita Park, you know it's not a place where you usually see children playing after dark. But in that moment, there was a glimpse of something very, very right. If we can come together as a community and make this incorporation work, we will have the opportunity to roll up our sleeves and get to work, and make this a place where we don't have to worry if our kids go to the park to play, and stay a little longer than we expected. I'm an emotional guy to begin with, but this gave me real, honest-to-goodness goosebumps.

***

Let's see now... there are a couple more meetings coming up that I know of, and probably more that I don't know about. October 6th will be Politics in a Smoke-Filled Room, at Tobacco Road. Two of our council candidates, Bob Stevens and Matt Powers, both retired law enforcement, will meet with anyone who wants to drop by, have a cigar, and talk about the issues. The focus will be on police protection and public safety, but I'm sure other topics will come up.

Thursday, October 14th, will be the Santa Anita Community Forum at Howe Park (in the community center). We are hoping to make this a full debate, but as of yet the opposition hasn't responded with a speaker. If you are reading this and want to speak against cityhood, let Jane know and we'll see what we can do.

I had an interview with a reporter from the Bee today. Looks like a pretty big story is coming up, but I don't know much beyond that. I'll confess that these days, I rarely have time to read the paper, even though I do get it. So if you run across the article, drop me an email and let me know?

How Safe Do you Feel?

2010-09-26T16:04:00.000-07:00

Cityhood opponents keep claiming the incorporation effort is using scare tactics to sway voters. Funny, but I never realized Sheriff John McGinness and the news staff at KCRA were working for the cityhood effort.

County May Lose as Many as 1000 Jobs

Sheriff's Department is "Reactive"

So let's work this through one more time. Cityhood opponents say everything is fine. Crime is not on the rise (Arden Park Homeowner's Association debate, August 2010). The Sheriff is handling things extremely well (same debate). Violent crime is actually on the decline (Mission Oaks North Homeowner's Association debate, earlier this summer). So why do all the crime statistics, and the words stright out of the Sheriff's mouth, all say otherwise?

Here is one thought. The leaders of Stay Sacramento tend to be clustered in the Arden Park area. And frankly, it's at least partially a money thing. Their level of protection is just fine, because they all pay extra to hire private (off duty cops) police protection. So they can pull into their gated drives at night, park in their garages, set the alarms on their houses, and feel pretty darn secure when they go to sleep at night. And God bless them for it! I'm serious. They have earned it, and they are entitled to it, and I'd be the last one to ever suggest they shouldn't have it.

But that does not mean they have the right to say that YOU can't be secure. They are perfectly happy to tell you that because they feel fine, you don't get to increase the police protection in your community. Because things are fine in their subdivisions, you don't get to improve code enforcement and put some restrictions on the massage parlors and head shops exploding around town. Because they can toss the kids in the Range Rover and drive them to school, they don't care that the hookers are propositioning dads when they drop off their kids ar Arcade Middle School.

This weekend I was able to get out and do just a little bit of canvassing, talking to people in the area. I love meeting people and getting to hear their questions. It turns out the Stay Sac folks have been canvassing as well. According to what several people told me, this was the pitch:

Canvasser: Do you want more taxes?

Resident: No, of course not!

Canvasser: Then put this sign in your yard, otherwise we will become a city and your taxes won't go up.

So again I feel I have to go through this...

IT'S A LIE, PEOPLE! THEY ARE LYING THROUGH THEIR TEETH AT YOU!

OK, better now. A bit, I guess.

If you take the time to study the facts and decide you are opposed to cityhood, then by all means, put up a sign. Convince your neighbors. Shout it from the rooftops. Run ads on radio and television.

I can say that with complete confidence, because I have spoken with dozens of people who were opposed to incorporation, then when they got the facts and digested them, they became supporters. I have yet to speak with a single person who could profer a logical argument against incorporation, except for the ones who would lose some of the political capital they have accrued over the years (Duveneck, Blanas, Cahill, et al). And I'm very sorry, but the response "Well, I just don't see that." doesn't count.

On the other hand, if you've seen the gang tagging around Howe Park, or the hookers working Watt Avenue on this side of the freeway, or the newest massage parlor along Fulton (who owns that property, anyway?), then spend a little time getting facts, not fear mongering from the ones who are worried about their own apple carts. Then when you see the truth, get out there and talk to your neighbors. Support the living snot out of this. Your kids are depending on you.

Like Nailing Jell-o to the Wall

2010-09-21T22:26:00.000-07:00

Hey, I'm a nice guy. Really. That doesn't mean that I'm not going to call a spade a spade, or call out a lie when I hear it, but it does mean that I try to be super nice and polite around people who don't know me, especially total strangers.

But I will admit to being tested today. Got a call from school around lunch time. Turns out my son was going to go home with a friend after school was out. The friend's dad was going to take him and several other boys over to his mom's (the boy's grandma), where I could pick him up this evening.

So far, so good. Til I drove up to the house and saw the "Stay Sacramento - No on Measure D" sign in the front yard. Ick! But I swallowed and walked up to the door. The kid's grandma was nice, and the home was well appointed. She told the kids to get out of the pool, and my son went to change into his street clothes. Just making conversation, I asked why she had the sign in her yard. The way she bristled, you would have thought I'd thrown acid at her grandson. Her answer was extremely curt: "We would never support that!" As if that was torturing bunnies or something similar.

Well durn my hide, I just couldn't leave well enough alone. She asked if I was in favor of cityhood, and I was off and running. In less than a minute I told her how police services were at a third of recommended levels, how the hookers pretty much own Watt Avenue, how the gangs are fighting for control of the area around Howe Park. I told her how the sheriff was constrained by budgets that prevent doing anything about it. And I told her that my son, and her grandson, deserved better.

The whole time just stood there with a smug look that clearly communicated that I was wasting my time with facts - her mind was made up. But as I concluded my "mellow rant", something occurred to me. The thing we need to fight is not Stay Sacramento. Their intellectually and ethically bankrupt smoke and mirrors tricks aren't hurting our efforts. If anything it seems like every time we engage them in a debate, we gain a number of supporters. No, the real enemies are apathy and inertia.

When supporters get together lately, the conversation always seems to run towards "our signs vs their signs." But we need to remember that 90% of the homes in Arden Arcade still have NO signs. These are the people we need to reach. And that is why it's so vitally important that supporters are out walking the precincts, meeting people, and politely sharing the benefits of cityhood. We don't need more signs, although they are nice to see. But on November 2nd, no one is going to count the number of signs to declare the winners. They count votes, and many of those votes will have to come from the no-sign folks.

Inertia - the tendency of a body at rest to remain at rest. Last week I stopped off at a local business to talk with the owner about a candidates event. As we spoke several people in the room were listening, and started asking me questions. Over the next half hour we discussed all the major talking points - schools, police, blight, section 8 housing, massage parlors and head shops - and when I left, two of them told me they had become supporters on the spot. No sales pitch, no close, no asking for the order. Both of them had said they knew the vote was coming up, but hadn't really started looking into the matter. One even said he works in Citrus Heights, and because of what he sees there, was leaning toward a yes vote, but had no reason beyond that. All of this goes to show that simple conversations will beat out all the signs, bumper stickers, and t-shirts that we can print. Not that those are bad things.

I'll close by repeating last week's challenge. Make this personal. In the next week go find two undecuded voters, and engage them in conversation. Be polite, but show your passion. Then, no matter the result, come back here and leave a comment about the experience.

***

Wow, there are so many meetings over the next 2-3 weeks that I'm having trouble keeping them straight. Thankfully I have a wife to help with that. We have a meeting somewhere this Thursday evening. I think it's the Wright Street Homewoners group. Check the cityhood web site, or Jane's Arden Arcadian, or even the Save Arden Arcade - Yes On D Facebook page. Links for all of them are on the right.

***

Jane and I have been discussing something I find incredibly interesting. I've also run it past a couple cops and they think our conclusion is right.

The Stay Sav web site shows a sign of theirs that has been vandalized. Of course, they accuse our side of doing it. I think that's ludicrous, because if we wanted to eliminate their message, we'd pull the thing out of the ground and toss in into a dumpster. Not that I would ever suggest anything like that, of course.

But this sign was vandalized, and left in place. If you go look at the sign, you will see that some of the wording is still visible. In Blue: "No Hood". And in Red: "Stay Sac" (not Sacramento). Now, if you were a blood (the ones who wear red), and you wanted to send a message to the crips (blue), wouldn't the idea of no hood for the blue, while the red will stay Sac, be a pretty overt way to do so?

Yet, the PhD's at Stay Sacramento think we vandalized their sign. Do they really have their heads that far into the sand, that they can't see the gang activity growing around them? Oh wait, I forgot. They pay for private cops to keep those types out of their neighborhoods. But apparently they think it's perfectly fine for them to take over your areas. And they call themselves a group of community-minded individuals. Go figure.

All-American

2010-09-18T19:09:00.000-07:00

Somewhere between Norman Rockwell's Saturday Evening Post covers and Mayberry, North Carolina, there is the somewhat-utopian vision of the "All American City." What most people don't know is that it exists - sort of - just across the river from us.

The city is Rancho Cordova, and they won the title of "All-American City" this year. This is after only seven years of incorporation. Obviously they must be doing something right.

Frankly, I'm getting tired of defending incorporation against the rants of idiots. We are here to accomplish something great, not to stay on continual defense against lunacy. So to change my prespective a bit, I had several meetings over the past 2 weeks with some of the folks who work at Rancho Cordova, from the upper ranks down to a clerk and a street cop. At the request of a couple of these folks, I am going to allow them to keep their anonymity. Stay Sac will probably blast me for refusing to name names. After all, they place such importance on backing up their facts. All I can say is that the meetings took place, and the results were unbelievably encouraging.

First, let me say that our effort here is on the radar in Rancho Cordova. They are watching us closely, already thinking of ways in which we can work together on various projects. Since LAFCo elected to change our boundaries, we will share a border at the American River. That has potential that they understand. I don't, yet. But we will have time to learn.

My goal for these meetings was to address a couple simple questions:

1. What was the biggest "aha" moment for you since incorporation? In other words, what made you stop and say "We can do THAT?"

2. How has incorporation made things better for this area in ways that you didn't expect before?

The answers were interesting, mainly because they had pretty much the same answer, across the board, to both questions. The answer that was repeated over and over was that they were surprised at how much power they had as a city to apply for, and get, federal and state money in the form of community development block grants, that could be used for helping other agencies in the community to succeed.

I was surprised because this is one of the primary planks in our platform. We have long expressed the desire to get some of this funding to improve our parks, schools, and libraries. But they either weren't aware that it was there, or in other cases, didn't realize just how big a difference it would make.

We have heard the same thing from Citrus Heights in the past. The city was able to help finish a construction project at San Juan High School, and put in a new pool at Mesa Verde. They turned Rusch Park around completely, and it is now a great place to take the family on a weekend afternoon. The stories in Rancho Cordova are similar. and just as exciting.

We have tons of opportunities for doing the same thing here. Our parks districts all have projects in the backroom that could come to life with some funding. Block grant money could help several of our schools with projects they have needed. For example, the school where my kids go has been working on a project to complete a track and athletic field on an unused area of the campus. Construction has started, but delays and overuns (the theme song for government work) has caused them to come up a bit short on money to finish the project.

Keep in mind, this is no mysterious "pot of gold" that we suddenly discovered. This is money funded by your tax dollars, which up to now, have been passed back to other areas, while we get passed over. Well, as the J. G. Wentworth commercials keep reminding us, "It's my money, and I need it now!" As a city we will be able to research these grants, do the paperwork song and dance, and get some of our tax money to come back home to serve us.

***

Since the theme today is helping our other local agencies and districts, I'd be remiss not to mention the policing service in our parks. Michael S will probably be able to provide some exact figures, but every year our various parks districts pay out a ton of money for private policing coverage, to handle what the sheriff's office just can't do (because of their financing issues). Just think what we could do in our parks if they suddenly had an extra hundred thousand or so each year to put into the parks, instead of paying this "protection money."

***

Don't forget - the next cityhood debate will be October 5, at 6:30.
Sierra Oaks Elementary School (Sponsered by Sierra Oaks Neighborhood Association
171 Mills Road
Sacramento, CA

Hope to see you there!

More Sizzle... Steak Still Missing...

2010-09-14T00:16:00.000-07:00

Stay Sacramento has a spiffy new look to their web site. Looks like it was put together by a second-year design student. Really, that's not a bad thing - the site looks about a kazillion percent better than before. Kudos to them for finally realizing that when you have nothing to sell, you dang well better make it look and smell pretty.

It's interesting how their pages are devoid of any real content. The "Problems with Cities" page has one article about budget problems in Half Moon Bay, and two bits of old news about Bell. Apparently no one at StaySac has realized yet that the city of Bell has a completely different form of government, and that what happened there can't, by law, happen here. Using Bell as an example of how bad things will be here is laughable.

The "Why no City" page trots out the old "higher taxes - duplicate government" song and dance that we've all learned to tune out. And of course, they just sing the chorus, because the verses don't have any words.

Here's my personal favorite:
"The Sales Tax Revenue In Arden Arcade Can Not Support Providing Municipal Services To Residents"

Now, let me run this through one more time. Two separate consulting groups were paid tens of thousands of dollars to conduct an independent study, 2-3 years apart, and both came to the same conclusion: Cityhood is financially viable. Not only possible, but should show a surplus every year (much like Citrus Heights, with a similar population and similar tax base). The more recent study was done using last year's data (for 2008), and this year's data (for 2009) hasn't been released yet. Yes, the recession was in full swing in 2008. But to claim the study is wrong, when there is simply no data available to support yout conjecture, is dangerously misguided.

And one more for a nightcap:

"Two local park districts have funded a cityhood incorporation study by diverting public funds intended for park programs:
 Fulton-El Camino Park and Recreation District — $20,000
 Arden-Manor Park Recreation -- $10,000"

Again, old news. But it occurs to me that I haven't addressed this one head-on yet.

The facts are correct. Both districts did make the contributions listed. "Diverted" is a misleading word, but since we know they don't feel the need to stick with the truth, we'll point out that that word means taking something away from where it shoud have gone, and sending it somewhere else.

The parks districts boards exist to serve their residents by providing the best park and rec services possible. Now imagine you were in their shoes. You've lived here a while. You remember what Rusch Park used to look like prior to incorporation. You wouldn't let your kids hang out there anywhere near sunset. But you also know Rusch Park now. It is a shining example of what a park can be, and it happened because the City of Citrus Heights used community development block grant money to make the improvements. The funds for this were non-existant before incorporation. No other way to look at it.

So now, as a parks district board member, you have the opportunity to make a small investment in your community, that has the potential to return tens of thousands of dollars in revenue that can grow and improve the parks in your district. Money that can fund senior services, kids programs, athletic leagues... the list goes on. I will go out on a limb here, and say that if you don't make that investment, the constituents of your district would be well within their rights to demand you step down from office.

So that's my take on the new site in a nutshell. Go read for yourself. The link is still on the right, but the logic is still on the dead wrong.

***

Speaking of new sites, the council candidates (Pat Cole, Matt Powers and Bob Stevens) have joined together to launch a cooperative site. The link is over there, with the rest. Check it out.

We're Experiencing Technical Difficulties... Please Stand By...

2010-09-10T12:17:00.000-07:00

Recently some folks have been telling me they can't post on the blog. I'd like to say I'll give this my highest priority, but frankly, I have a ton of paying work right now, most of which is due immediately, so no promises. But to make it easier, if you can't post, sendme your comments, and which edition they refer to, and I'll copy them here.

Meanwhile, my wife keeps reminding me how much the layout template I was using sucks eggs. Not one to get on her bad side, I chenged it. I always kinda dug the "library" look. What do you think? Keep this one, go back, or dom something completely different?

Hmmm... Interestinger and Interestinger...

2010-09-08T18:13:00.000-07:00

I wrote a great piece last night. One of my best. I was inspired by something a friend sent, and wanted to share it here, but somehow it vanished into the ether somewhere betwixt key and mouse. Oh well, I'll give it another shot. It will be a nice warm up for the 1000 word essay I still need to crank out tonight.

Mike Duveneck does a lot of debates. In fact, I was at one last night. And he has a subtle way of putting forth a condescending attitude toward his opponents, while always making sure to get his Doctor title out there enough so that no one misses it. The implication is that since he is a Ph.D, he has more credibility than us, so we ought to listen to him.

So what happens when someone with more credibility, like say, a Nobel Laureate, says his reasoning is a great big pile of dog droppings? Such was the inherent message from Elinor Ostrum, 2009 prize winner in Economics. Here are a couple key quotes worth hearing:

"Small and medium cities are more effective monitors of performance and cost."

"Incorporated areas can contract with larger producers [for services]. Neighborhoods cannot do that."

and regarding a study she did of police effectiveness:

"Not a single instance was found where a large centralized police department outperformed smaller departments serving similar neighborhoods."

I want to have a cup of tea with this lady. I want my children to study economics under her! Heck, I want to throw rose petals before her feet when she walks down the sidewalk!

So to sum up - A Nobel Laureate in Economics tells us that smaller cities are better, incorporated areas are better, and we should expect (the speech actually hints that we should accept nothing less) first-rate police services. I can't sum it up in a single quote, but there is a safe conclusion that can be drawn from several other statements she makes, which is simply that moving toward this ideal model of a small, incorporated city is a risk that must be undertaken.

Funny, but isn't that what we've been saying all along?

Oops... almost forgot that our side is the one that backs up the claims... here's the speech. If you are used to doctors doing Nobel speeches, this one is a breeze. For the rest of us, it's a bit wordy (at 28 minutes)... and dragging... but still worth the effort.

***

Another incorporation debate last night. This one for the Arden Park Homeowner's Association. Our side had council candidate Anthony Hernandez at bat, while Dr. Duveneck was joined at the hip with Tim Cahill, real estate inheritor and developer, who seems to own the land under about a zillion business properties along Fulton Avenue.

Anthony was pleasant and knew his facts, but needs to connect more emotionally with the crowd. But in his defense, it was a tough room to pull that off, since it's home turf for most of the other side. Duveneck was Duveneck. Cahill seemed like his main purpose for being their was to serve as Judas toward his fellow Fulton Avenue associates. Seems no one mentioned to him that Kuni was opening five new auto dealerships in the area, or that we have a net increase in new car dealers over the past few years, with the spots on Auburn Blvd, Arden, and the Maserati folks. All he cared about was how business was going to hell in a handbasket, and how anyone who does business in this community needs to have a psych eval... wonder if that includes the ones who rent his land?

Probably the most telling moment of the evening was when an audience member (someone I've never seen before - not one of the many supporters we see at every one of these) read a quote from the good doc, delivered back in '04 when he was running for county supervisor. Don't have the exact words, but the context was that cities were good. Local control was good. Responsive government was good. Anyone who would stand in the way of these things (say, Susan Peters?) was evil! When asked to defend those comments, Duveneck stated that those things were true six years ago, but since then the county has learned its lesson, and services have improved across the board. Of course, by services, he means the "artwork" down the median of Watt and the pillars 'n palms along the median and intersections of Fulton. Not that those aren't nice things, but really? Then again, it's somewhat refreshing to hear him speak from both sides of his mouth, while putting our side down as a bunch of wannabee politicians. Is he afraid we'll end up as good at it as him?

***

We're #1!

It's true! Arden Arcade leads the entire region! Well, by one measure, at least. Homicides. Three last month alone. So I close this time with an open question to Dr Duveneck: How many more of our citizens have to die while you tell us everything is ok? And to the residents of Arden Arcade: How much longer before you realize that no matter how many calls you make to 911, the red lights just aren't coming? Wake up folks, it's time for a change.

And a Good Time Was Had By All...

2010-09-05T16:28:00.000-07:00

Wow. What a great time at the cityhood campaign kickoff celebration last night! Good times all around. Thanks to the organizers for... well, for everything. Thanks to the firefighters local 522 for rockin' the grill. Awesome dogs, guys (and ladies)! Thanks to the candidates to showed up to meet us common folk. Thanks to Stevie Scott and band for a great performance. And especially thanks to the dozens of volunteers who kept the trash emptied, kids playing safely, lawn signs and t-shirts moving out, and all of the other thankless tasks that made it all work.

For a political event, it really didn't seem all that political. This was community at its finest. People coming together from all races, belief systems, ages, and whatever else you can think of, simply to unite as Arden Arcadians. It rocked.

Shortly before everything closed down, I was chatting with Brian Rice from Sac Metro, when an alarm went off and three trucks, including the huge ladder rig, pulled out of the Butano station and temporarily deafened us all with the siren's blare. Someone, somewhere, was in danger of losing life or property, and our finest were on the way to stop the tragedy. That is community. That is what I don't want to see continually eroding, or swallowed up in the metropolis. That is what I want to keep. Not Stay Sacramento - Stay Arden Arcade. I'm not going to let you take that away.

***

You may notice the list of links on the right side of the page. People I meet out there in the real world keep asking where they can get the facts, and I finally decided to just post everything here and let the chips fall. If you are a candidate, and have a site I didn't post here, get it to me asap so you can be included. Then find a good search engine optimization consultant who can get you listed higher in Google. If you were in the first two pages, you would also be here.

I really went through a "long dark night of the soul" experience about adding the Stay Sacramento site to the list. But then I realized what several people have told me in the past few weeks. Nothing sells cityhood like reading their site and seeing how incredibly flimsy their rhetoric really is. I want this to be a place for open communication and debate, something their site just doesn't seem to appreciate.

***

Campaign signs are now available! Check the Cityhood web site for info on how to get one! They will be the fashion hit of the season!

***

This Tuesday (10/7) is an open debate at the Community Center in La Sierra Park. One of our council candidates, Anthony Hernandez, will be representing cityhood across the aisle from Dr. Mike Duveneck. This is an open event, but it is also a meeting of the local homeowner's association. If you're settled on the incorporation issue, which you should be after reading this blog, then don't go. But invite your friends, neighbors, relatives, and anyone else you know who is still on the fence.

***

More fun stuff coming this week. Stay tuned!

Saturday in the Park(ing Lot)

2010-09-02T21:53:00.000-07:00

Don't forget, this Saturday is the big pro-cityhood launch. 4 pm, Country Club Center in the old Gottschalk's parking lot area. Local firefighters who support incorporation will be there to bbq for you (who knows how to manage a fiery grill better than Sac Metro?). There will also be classic cars, kids stuff, and a concert by American Idol semi-finalist Stevie Scott. Ten bucks gets you in and fed. That's a better deal than you're going to find anywhere else. And we won't even try to hand you one of those butt-ugly Stay Sacramento signs. Although I've heard rumours that there may be some uhhh... other signs... and t-shirts... available there... just a rumour...

***

If you're in need of a good laugh, Stay Sacramento has posted a list of all the wonderful things the county has done for us, which proves we don't need incorporation. About a third have a bit of merit (like the new sidewalks at some underserved elementary schools). Another third are all of the good things that have been done for the wealthy and powerful folks like Lou Blanas who can get the ear of a supervisor whenever they want. The last third are ridiculous. I'm all for neighborhood beautification, but that thing along the median of Watt avenue? The one that looks like some birds and fish got caught in some medieval torture device? Come on, really? New cameras so we can go on the net and check traffic at key intersections like Auburn and Watt? Can we also get an update on whether there are any hookers open for business there? How about someone to investigate on the three homicides in our community last month? Or at the very least, what about someone to do something to prevent the constant tagging along Howe near Staples and Home Depot. My personal favorite is the creation of the community planning council - which they immediately point out has been suspended. How much benefit do we expect to get from a closed office?

I am getting so completely sick of the elitist attitudes I'm seeing from these folks. Not that we can do anything about it. Stay Sac doesn't bother to allow anyone else to post to their site, so their propaganda machine can't be threatened by pesky little things like truth. And yeah, I fully realize I'm starting to sound like the illegitimate child of Glenn Beck and Michael Moore. Deal with it. After all, I am the snarkmaster.

Stay Sac has also come up with a new slogan that they are attaching to every page - "Cityhood is a risk we can't afford." In that spirit, I am hereby adopting a new slogan for this blog - "Staying Sacramento, while logically impossible, is a certain guarantee - of failure." What do you think? Too wordy?

There is no magic pot of money at the end of the rainbow.

2010-09-02T21:41:00.000-07:00

Recently I've mentioned some comments I've received here from Dr. Paul. If you havent seen those, feel free to browse around and check them out. Dr. Paul is an admitted skeptic, however he is asking the right questions. I can't say I agree with everything he says, particularly when he says we shouldn't be discussing the clear ethical breaches of the opposition, but I certainly respect his thoughts.

In that light, a couple days ago the doc asked me to post something here. It's a bit long for a comment, and more general then what might conveniently fit into the comment secion of any of my missives. So in that light, I'm going to run it here as a guest comment. No, it doesn't mean I'm having second thoughts, or that I'm anything less than 100% for incorporation. But it does mean I am willing to debate. I'm hoping this sparks some debate here. Feel free to respond with your thoughts, but remember the doc is a guest in my house.

A wise man once told me that it was only acceptable, but essential, to question authority. Because any real authority worth following is capable of standing up to the questions. So with that, here's Dr. Paul:

I’ve read that 40% of our tax dollars go elsewhere in the County. I’ve read that we will be ahead by $60 million at the end of ten years. The idea is that wonderful things can be done with all that money.

The LAFCO Report and the Executive Summary provide the best set of numbers. (It’s hard to read and it seems to me like there are some inconsistencies across the two final reports.)

A City needs to bring in more than it spends each year. On average and at the end of ten years, the New City will be bringing in about 9% more than what it needs while maintaining required reserves. According to the standards used, LAFCO says that the New City “may be” fiscally feasible. For them to come out straight up and say that the numbers work, we would have to be taking in 10% or more of what we are going to spend. So it may or it may not work, but they also said that the numbers “strongly indicate” that the New City is not infeasible.

They are assuming there will be no tax increases. And they did not see either a need or a possibility for any when saying that the New City may be feasible.

Their spending projections are just for operations and maintenance and do not include any capital improvements. Those will come from the County under other funding mechanisms, but we should not expect that the New City will go out on any development programs on its own.

The report also shows comparisons with the other new cities in the County. At current service levels, Folsom and Rancho are spending a lot more than is being spent in Arden Arcade on a per capita basis. Elk Grove and Citrus Heights also have expenditures greater than Arden Arcade. But the thing is, except for Citrus Heights, those cities also have a lot more money coming in for each resident.

(Folsom and Rancho are way ahead primarily because of property taxes. And even though they have the Sunrise Mall, we are actually ahead of Citrus Heights on sales tax revenue.)

What that seems to mean, is that when people talk about how good things are in the cities that have already formed in the County, they are not considering the fact that we won’t have as much money to spend.

The way I think about it, a 9% or 10% cushion is not that much when you are talking about a project of this size. I’ve built a couple of houses, and I know about budgets and overruns and unexpected stuff.

LAFCO says it’s doable, but it’s going to take careful management and there is not a lot of room for error. If it goes sideways, there’s not really much way the New City will be able to raise more funds (i.e., “raise taxes”), which means that there will need to be service cuts.

With that having been said, there is also a risk in sticking with the County. The County has to provide a broader range of services, and a lot of those are tied to State funding and State mandates. The New City “may be feasible” in maintaining our current and already diminished service levels, and it is less likely to be hit with some new funding problem created in the Capital.

This doesn’t mean that the New City will not be affected by what happens with the County. All kinds of quality of life issues depend on the County (starting with the Courts and the District Attorney), and if the County drowns, the New City will go with it. If they can’t afford to prosecute downtown, we are not going to get our crime and code enforcement benefits, and there will be costs.

I haven’t made up my mind on how to vote, but I am leaning towards a yes. After reading the LAFCO reports, I’m thinking that with the County we have a predictable and continuing expectation that things will get worse. With a New City, they may not. At least we can hold law enforcement spending steady, even if the challenges increase. Same thing goes for roads.

There are other things I see as potential problems with the New City. For that, I want to hear from the candidates. They are the ones who have stepped forward to say that they have studied the issues. I want to see the vision of those who plan to lead us.

Finally, Some Meat to Chew On!

2010-08-31T21:04:00.000-07:00

A few days ago, Dr. Paul wrote a great comment on my post titled "Filing Chapter 13." I have a brief respoonse in the comments section, but promised to discuss his questions in more detail in a new post. Honestly, they were some of the best questions I've heard about incorporation in the past four years. If you haven't read his comment, you really should. Go ahead. I'll wait...

"humm humm humm... if I stay here with you, girl, things just couldn't be the same... cause I'm as free..." Oh, back so soon? Cool, let's move this along.

Here are the questions I want to address this time out, along with my responses.

"What is the vision? What do the candidates see as the most important functions of a new government? Beyond just "we got the money now and can make the decisions," what do people think can actually be accomplished, realistically, with local control?"

It would be presumptious for me to claim to speak on behalf of any candidate. But I do know what the committee has claimed as its goals, and I know what other cities have done. Without repeating what has been stated many times in other places, here is the short list, in the order I hear them discussed the most:

1. Rancho Cordova, Elk Grove and Citrus Heights have all added uniform patrols, and some detectives, to their areas without straining the budget. It's hard to estimate exact numbers, but all three cities have claimed to have reached their targets within the same budgets that were being spent for police protection for their area by the county. This is accomplished through intelligent management, working with...

2. Responsive government. No one can claim to know what the needs of this area will be in ten years. But we can claim that when you shop at the same grocer as your local councilman, and your kid and the mayor's grandkid are on the same little league team, odds are you will get your needs heard more than in the faceless bureaucracy downtown. The plan for Arden Arcade calls for one mayor and six city councilpersons to represent about 100,000 people. That's about 16,600 per council member. Compare that to our current situation, where the entire hundred thousand are just a part of the constituency of one county supervisor. And if annexation occurs, our entire population will get roughly half the ear of one Sacramento city councilperson.

3. Code enforcement. This may not sound like a big deal on the surface, but the impact is huge. The year before Rancho Cordova incorporated, the county towed away a small number of abandoned cars. I'm not positive on the number, but I know it was less than 20. The year after they became a city, they towed away over a thousand. The fact that there were a thousand to be towed clearly indicates the county wasn't making it a priority. And that was in better times, when the county's budget was, maybe not flush, bet certainly not the disaster it is now.

Code enforcement also means we can place limits on businesses like massage parlors, drug paraphenalia and medical marajuana boutiques, thrift stores and check cashing shops. Not that some of these don't have a place, but look at the proliferation they have had over the past decade. Any sociologist will tell you that when these businesses are on the rise any an area, the quality of life is on the decline.

4. Community Services and Identity. Just this morning I heard a report on the radio about a community that had started a new program of volunteers to help seniors. If someone needed a light bulb changed, or a wheelchair ramp installed, or whatever else might come up, the city would send out an experienced volunteer to handle the situation for them. This sort of thing, along with improvements to schools, parks and libraries, can be funded through grants from the fed, the state, or private foundations. Often, but not always, these grants are only available to cities (not the county). But even if they were available, there is no one in the county who can take the time to see the need and find the funding for it.

The impact of this can be enormous. Just ask any high schooler who uses the pool at Mesa Verde. Or a family who spends a Saturday at Rusch Park. Or the teens who longboard at the city skatepark instead of sidewalks and mall parking lots. Or the seniors who use the holiday shuttle busses to do their Christmas shopping. These are the kinds of things that make people want to live in an area. Combine that with better policing and safety, and you begin to see long term effects on property values. And there is so much more than I can talk about here. I invite you to call the city halls of any of our neighbor cities and ask them to tell you their stories. Fascinating stuff.

That's the vision from a "want to" perspective. In a nutshell, here is the "need to" side. Drive down Howe Avenue near Wyda and look at the gang grafitti. Then head over to Watt near Edison and do a quick hooker count. Go ask an Arden Park resident why they have to pay for off-duty deputies to patrol their area. People can only choose to live with their heads in the sand for so long. Eventually you have to come up for air. And when you do, the sight really isn't very pretty.

"How are the candidates planning to deal with the larger question: is this a City that is going to grow? It has to grow to succeed. Are the new leaders planning to adopt a smaller is better approach and keep densities as they are?"

I firmly believe that as a city, we don't need to grow in order to prosper. One argument the opposition makes is that we are landlocked, with no "new dirt" to develop. That is a true statement, but it doesn't have to be a negative. The two fiscal studies that have been done both show that we can br viable. The experience of our neighbors shows we can be better than that. Remember Citrus Heights is landlocked too. And part of the problem Elk Grove has had was in trying to develop the new dirt too quickly, without adequate planning and contingencies for the economic downturn. But even with this, they are managing to keep an even keel and more forward.

"And about taxes: if this City realizes that growth requires investment, are they going to be just another municipality looking to cut services, or are they going to come to the voters with a proposal to raise funds?"

Of course no one can predict the future with 100% accuracy. But we do know that no city (other than Sacramento, which I'm not really sure about) in the county has raised taxes in the past decade. I don't really know about Galt, but I'd be fairly comfortable stating that none of them has raised taxes EVER. Citrus Heights and Rancho Cordova have also cut fees for most municipal services (intelligent management + smaller efficient government at work). But we can't say that will always be the case.

If things do manage to get that bad, I'm sure some tough decisions will need to be made. But this one wil be made by the voters, not the council. You can argue whether Prop 13 is a good or bad thing (and honestly, I see merit on both sides), but it's how we run things these days. If new taxes are needed, I hope the city council will have the courage and wisdom to present their case t the voters, and the voters will respond with the long view for the good of the community.

So yes, there is a risk involved. Stay Sacramento has started using the mantra "Cityhood is just too risky." And on some level there is a smattering of truth there. Any decision on this level brings an inherent element of risk. But the option, to stay where we are, isn't a risk at all. It's a guarantee of failure.

After spending four years becoming a student of municipal government, and paying close attention to what is happening in the community, I'm starting to feel like I'm trying to drink from a fire hose. There is so much more I could say. I could go on for hours, if I haven't already, about why this is the right decision - the only decision that makes any logical sense. And when I think about the day my kids finish school, and decide they want to come back after college to live in Arden Arcade, it's also the only decision that makes any emotional sense.

Paul, thanks again for your questions. Getting down to the meat of the matter is really edifying to me. And consider the invitation open anytime to grab a cup of coffee and talk through any other issues you may have.

***

Quick reminder, or in case you haven't heard, this Saturday is the kickoff for the incorporation campaign. Head to the old Gottschalk's parking lot at Watt and El Camino at 4pm. Ten bucks gets you in, and firefighters will be fixing up some bbq. There will be kids activities, some classic cars, and a performance by American Idol semi-finalist Stevie Scott. I'm hoping to debut some fancy new incorporation threads as well. Look for me and say hi!

Also, for the more well-heeled among you, there is a gala fundraiser on September 9th, at Mercedes-Benz of Sacramento. That one is way out of my league, so go to the incorporation web site for more details.

Filing Chapter 13

2010-08-21T21:25:00.000-07:00

Last Monday I had the privilege of attending an open community meeting sponsored by the Mission Oaks North Neighborhood Association. The meeting format was a debate between Joel Archer, former chair of the incorporation committee, and Mike Duveneck, chair of the Stay Sacramento group. After the meeting ended I was almost bouncing off the walls with excitement. Not because Mr. Archer spoke eloquently and convincingly about the benefits of incorporation (which he did), and not because Dr. Duveneck made absolutely no convincing arguments against incorporation (which was also true). What got my feet to moving and my soul to grooving was the chairs.
The Mission Oaks North group was anticipating a large turnout of 75 or so residents, so they set out a hundred chairs. Fifteen minutes before the meeting the chairs were filled, and people were lined up out the door waiting to sign in. So they started bringing out carts with more chairs stacked on them. Cart after cart came out, until they finally managed to fit about 250 people into the room.
That's 250 people who showed up on a Monday evening for a local political event. 250 people who care enough about the future of their community to take the time to learn the facts to make intelligent decisions. That means the message is getting out! People are learning the truth, and if I can be forgiven the bad paraphrase, the truth of incorporation will set them free.
Of course, there's always a sour grape in the bunch, and this meeting was no exception. This one was especially meaningful to me. While the incorporation committee was proceeding through the LAFCo process, raising funds and rousing supporters, and finding its way through the creation of an environmental impact report and comprehensive fiscal analysis, the LAFCo commissioners decided it would be a good idea to look at every possible option for our area, to see how we could best be served. This included annexation by the City of Sacramento, which as it turned out, would add an extra $40,000 (give or take) to the cost of the report. At that meeting the commissioners also decided that it made sense for the incorporation committee, who never wanted annexation, never asked for annexation, and were all united in vehement opposition to annexation, to pay the extra $40,000 (give or take). Anyone want to take a guess who suggested this? Yeah, I know. Sometimes they are just too easy.
At Monday's meeting Archer reminded the group that although Stay Sacramento claims to be opposed to annexation, they were the ones who insisted that LAFCo require the incorporation proponents to pay for the annexation study. During Duveneck's rebuttal, he said that his group did not ever request that LAFCo require the incorporation committee to pay for this study.
Well, guess what, Dr. D? I was in the room that night. I sat less than 30 feet from you when you personally stood at the podium and demanded that in the interest of serving the community, Arden Arcade cityhood supporters should have to pay all costs associated with a full study of annexation before the issue could go to the ballot. Anyone who wants to invest the time can check old commission agendas to find the date where that decision was made, then check out the video from any county library to see for yourself.
Up to this point, it's been obvious that Stay Sacramento is intellectually bankrupt. But now there is concrete evidence that they, or at least their leaders, are morally bankrupt as well. For as long as they have been saying that cityhood will raise taxes (proven false), lose police protection (proven false), be unable to support itself through its tax base (proven false - notice a trend here?), I've always tried to offer the benefit of the doubt. Maybe they really do believe this, and something just isn't clicking right upstairs. But now the cards are all on the table. We have conclusive proof that Stay Sacramento doesn't feel the need to rely on concepts like the truth to get their way. Their ideas are like a bunch of cockroaches that seem real scary in the dark, but scatter whenever the light shines on them. And while they may seem dangerous, they can't stand up to the fight. If we continue to speak to the truth and keep the light shining, we will send them scurrying off to their little holes.
On a brighter note, I'm really getting tired of dealing with all the negativity Stay Sacramento is tossing around. Next time I'm going to try to get some face time with some of the people who were responsible for making incorporation work in other areas of the county, and share some ideas about how we can realize the vision we have for Arden Arcade. You will want to stick around - I really doubt most of us have allowed ourselves to dream this big!

You Can't Tell the Players Without a Scorecard!

2010-08-13T14:42:00.000-07:00

OK, I finally had time to perform my due diligence and get the list of candidates for city council in our new city. As I've mentioned previously, on November we will be voting for incorporation (Measure "D", for those keeping score). On the same ballot we will be voting for seven of the twenty-two people listed below. The top seven will become our new leaders.

Of those seven, the top vote getter will become the new mayor. If that person doesn't want to be mayor, then the group of seven will vote one of their own for the post. Unless it's a full moon. Or there's a playoff game scheduled. I don't know; it gets complicated.

But that doesn't mean your vote doesn't count. You will have the unique opportunity to select the seven people who will be the first city council. The fact that it is huge responsibility for them makes it a huge responsibility for you!

You will probably recognize some of the names below. A handful of them have been working toward cityhood for years. A few have emerged to help out recently. A few are career civil servants, and a few are career politicians (and yes, I believe there is a major difference). A few have been in the media espousing cityhood for some time. A few have enough money to ensure you will see their names quite a bit in the next few months. And as someone who has been on the inside for the past few years, there are a few names that are conspicuous in their absence.

And none of that should make a bit of difference to you. We already know that as a reader of this blog, you are more intelligent, creative, charismatic, and darn it, just plain cuter, than most folks, so of course you are able to cut through all the fluff and find the good stuff. And the good stuff is how they plan to run our new city. Frankly, I've worked tpo hard for this over the past four years to just hand over the keys to the person who steps up to the plate with the biggest bat. I want to see how they swing!

And in that vein, here is your starting lineup!

CARL BURTON carl@carlburton.com
PATRICIA COLE patmcole@aol.com
MATT POWERS powersmatt@comcast.net
BOB STEVENS rstvns@pacbell.net
WARREN HARDING warrenh2010@hotmail.com
ANTHONY A. HERNANDEZ anthony@joinanthony.org
RYAN ARBA ryan.arba@gmail.com
RALPH A. MARCELLO auditor5@marcello-cpa.com
GREIG L. BEST No email provided
JAY BOATWRIGHT jayboat@surewest.net
WILL WRIGHT wilvet@comcast.net
ROBERT J. "BOB" MATTEOLI rjmatteoli@sbcglobal.net
LIZ RICE lizmrice@surewest.net
MARY OSE maryose2010@yahoo.com
JOEL E. ARCHER jearcher2003@yahoo.com
GERALD J. KLAAS gerald.klaas@gmail.com
KATHIE HOWARD kh5284@sbcglobal.net
ROBYN SALTER rdsalter2@att.net
DAVID A. PEGOS davidpegos@hotmail.com
CHRISTOPHER SMITH cns650@gmail.com
MATT GRAY matt@votemattgray.com
NATHAN GAUFF ngauff1@yahoo.com

I've included emails where they were provided so that you can contact the candidates to receive their informational literature, subscribe to mailing lists, etc. Keep in mind they need to communicate their platform and beliefs to about a hundred thousand people in the nest 2.5 months. Please don't send them requests for advice on treating Aunt Hazel's bunions?

By the way, your first stop on the tour should be the county's list of candidates. You can learn a lot from this document:
http://www.elections.saccounty.net/coswcms/groups/public/@wcm/@pub/@vre/@inter/documents/webcontent/sac_024418.pdf

Now go! Play hard, but play nice and play fair!

The Myth of the Status Quo

2010-08-12T16:12:00.000-07:00

- Warning -
This post includes a good amount of both politics and history. Forgive me for putting you to sleep. But stick with me, and there will be a reward at the end.

Over the past four years I've spoken with a bunch of people about incorporation, and I've heard just about every reason/excuse both for and against incorporation. There are a large number of pro-cityhood folks out there, and a smaller, but still signifigant number of people who don't want to see the communiy improve. So be it.

But what I don't get are the people who just keep saying they want everything to stay like it is. Heck, Stay Sacramento even made that their name, even though this area isn't, and never has been, a part of Sacramento City. And even when we incorporate, we will still be a part of Sacramento County. So the Stay Sacramento folks can rest easy. No matter what happens this fall, we will be just as much Sacramento as we ever were. But I digress.

I've lived in this area for almost 14 years now, and life has been good. Well, mostly. Over the past year or two I've started to notice the decline. Like the morning I dropped my kids at school, then headed down Edison across Watt, where three of our local working girls were soliciting for business. Keep in mind this was directly acros the street from the junior high where my son will be attending next year. I can't help but think there are better ways for him to learn about those sorts of things. That's why God created health class.

The Sheriff's Dept has already issued a statement saying that because of budget cuts and manpower shortages, prostitution will be pushed way down the scale, and it's doubtful they will respond to reports of hookers working our streets. Every update and revision to the budget looks worse, not better. But somehow people keep believing things will get better if we just don't rock the boat. Sorry, I don't see it. And the situation is mirrored when you look at drugs, gang activity, burglaries, etc.

But, let's play pretend for just a moment. Let's say that for now, crime on our streets wasn't rising. Let's say all of our parks were safe places to send our kids, even if they stayed out a little after dark. Let's even say that the county had a change of heart and started considering streets and sidewalks as somewhat important. What happens then?

Hey, if I had a working crystal ball, I'd be at the track instead of sitting at my keyboard writing this. But I can look around, and I see what appears to be taking shape.

Those of you who have studied WWII history, or better yet, lived through it, may remember that Britain and France had a policy of appeasement. They saw Hitler mobilizing Germany's armies on a foreign border, such as Poland, so they scheduled a meeting. At the meeting they would wag their fingers, and Hitler would respond: "Poland? I don't want Poland! I have never wanted Poland! I would never think of attacking Poland! I am happy with the status quo! I will never attack Poland!!!" Then, the French and British delegates would board the train for home, and Hitler would give the order to attack Poland.

This happened over and over again, until Germany controlled a huge chunk of Europe. Lather, rinse and repeat. And the Brits and French kept their heads buried firmly in the sand.

Of course, the big threat mobilizing on our borders is annexation by the City of Sacramento. Until my crystal ball repairman shows up to take a look at the thing ("our representative will be there sometime between 10 am and never."), I can't predict that Sacramento will make an annexation move if we don't incorporate. But I do know that the city included Arden Arcade as a "special interest area" for possible annexation in their 30 year plan: http://www.sacgp.org/documents/05_Part3.10_SpecialStudyAreas.pdf (page 4). Listing a community as an area of interest is the first step toward annexation.

Sacramento's Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCo) has rules that govern the processes for annexation and incorporation. One of those rules is that while any sort of process is in progress for an area, no other process can be started. So while the incorporation question is on the table, the city can't move forward with annexation. But once the election is over, if we should fail in our bid for cityhood, then the gloves can come off.

At that point the next step will be to declare our area within Sacramento's "Sphere of Influence." Basically that means that they are claiming to have economic, political, and social influence on our area. LAFCo has to approve this, but it's a no-brainer. How many of our residents shop at Arden Fair (in the city)? Attend events at Cal Expo (city)? Spend the occasional Saturday in Old Sac? Of course they have influence over us. That doesn't mean they control us, or that they should, but influence? Undeniable.

Compared to the four years spent on incorporation, the sphere of influence can happen in a heartbeat. They petition LAFCo to include us, there is some time for public comment (not that anyone listens to it), and they make a decision. A month or two, tops. And once the city has gotten the declaration, we have lost any possible chance for incorporation, or any other way to speak for ourselves.

After the sphere is settled, some time passes, mainly to make it look like Sacramento isn't in a hurry to get our tax revenue. Then they send another petition to LAFCo, this time to annex us as a part of their city.

Many people I've spoken with see this as a simple issue. If the city petitions for annexation, we vote that down, just like incorporation. The problem is, we don't get to vote on annexation. We get sixty days to get a certain number of signatures on petitions. I'm not sure of the number, but it's huge. Something like a fourth of registered voters - 15,000 or so. Keep in mind it took the better part of a year for an organized group to gather less signatures than that to start incorporation, even using paid signature gatherers. There won't be an organized group to fight annexation, and the time span is shortened to a fraction of what we had. Think we can pull that off? Sorry, but I have my doubts.

As I said earlier, I have spoken with a lot of people about incorporation in the past four years. The nearly universal truth is that no one in Arden Arcade wants annexation. Even Stay Sacramento has stated publicly on several occasions that they do not want to see annexation. But like Chamberlain in WWII, they either can't or won't see the mobilization taking place around them. And not wanting to be annexed won't mean a thing when it happens.

A successful incorporation effecively takes annexation off the table forever. That is in addition to the benefits we've discussed previously (and more we will be adding soon). That alone should be enough reason to emphatically support cityhood.

***

Now, for the promised reward. My lovely wife has created a new group page on Facebook: "You're an Arden Arcadian". The idea is to build community by sharing common (and probably a few uncommon) memories and feelings about life in this area. I liked the idea so much that I decided to adopt the phrase "I Am an Arden Arcadian" for this blog and some other actvities I had in mind.

I'm in the process of designing some pro-cityhood t-shirts. This will be a limited run of maybe 50 shirts or so, although I reserve the right to expand that if someone wants to put them up for sale to raise money for incorporation. If you want to get one of these limited edition masterpieces (yes, I am that good - I will post the artwork when it's finished), find my wife's Facebook group, join it, and then share a special memory, or something that makes you feel good about being an Arden Arcadian. My totally unbiased wife will pick the 5 best postings, and those people will get one of the shirts. I'm going to run the promotion through the end of September, to allow plenty of time to post, and still have time to show off the shirt (and your passion for cityhood) prior to the election.

So go, get started!

And away we go...

2010-08-06T13:28:00.000-07:00

see the update at the bottom of this post.

Today, at the end of the business day, we will have a final list of the candidates who are running for city council. There was a bit of confusion previously about whether the mayoral race would be separate from the city council, but the word as of now is that every candidate will register for the council election, and the one who receives the most votes will be mayor. If that person turns down the mayor's office, then the council will vote for one of their own to assume the office. And yes, I made that sound much more complicated than it really is.

Soon you will start seeing campaign materials for the candidates. Some will be good; some may not. Your job as a responsible Arden Arcade resident is to go deeper and get to know the candidates. Read the ads, go to their web sites, find out what they stand for. Find out how long they have been cityhood supporters. Get to a meeting where they will be speaking, and find out why they want to be on the council.

I will be doing my best to get out information on all the candidates, to help you make informed choices. I won't endorse anyone here, but I will try to share the information I get. To that end, I will be sending a questionaire to all the candidates (assuming I can get an email address). In a week or two I will collect the ones I get returned, and put the data into some charts and such that I can post on this blog. We'll see how it turns out.

You can be a part of the process. If there's a question you think needs to be asked, that has a general interest for the community, send it to me and I'll try to add it to the questionaire. But keep in mind I want to get these into the candidate's hands as quickly as possible, so send them as soon as you can. And please don't ask the candidates if they will come to your street and make your neighbor trim back her azaleas.

*** UPDATE ***

After spending a couple hours in Dante's 5th circle of Hell - also known as the county election office - I discovered the candidate list is complete, but not really final just yet. I got a list of the candidates who had filed and turned in their paperwork by close of business today, but the people behind the desk explained that the final turn-ins still needed to have their petition signatures verified, and all the other paperwork reviewed for errors or omissions. So even though I have a list, I won't post it here until it's blessed by the county. Look for that about Tuesday, I'd guess.

What's Good for the Goose... Gets up my Dander...

2010-07-27T12:24:00.000-07:00

Last time I wrote down some random thoughts about how the Stay Sacramento signs were skirting the intent of the laws regarding election campaigning, while staying true to the letter. Someone sent me an email response asking why no one has demanded the Stay Sacramento group release a list of its donors and the amounts given, as they over and over demanded from incorporation proponents. Well, the answer is simple, but thinking about it gave me some insight into what these folks actually stand for. I consider it an epiphany. But maybe I'm just sleep deprived.

The reason Stay Sacramento doesn't disclose its donor list is telling. They just don't feel they need to be held to the same rules as the rest of us. Look around the community. The signs were a good indication (read the previous post just below this one if you don't know what I'm talking about). But there are others.

The county Sheriff undergoes massive budget cuts that undermine the quality of police protection that we all get. Incorporation will go a long way toward addressing that. But a large majority of the Stay Sacramento group lives in the southern portion of the area, where the incomes are a bit higher. (Don't believe me? Go to their web site and Google a few names from their supporters list.) So they start hiring private security to patrol their area. Simple solution. Right about now is where you can almost envision Marie Antoinette suggesting that we should all do that, while we're eating our cake!

When the latest congress started started debating health care reform, one of the major complaints from people on the street was that they were deciding how the rest of us would live, but they would still have their own little insulated system, providing a level of care that none of us would ever imagine. Whenever one group is able to make decisions for others that they don't have to live with, there will be anger and resentment. So when Stay Sacramento starts telling us how we should refuse incorporation, when they are able to essentially provide themselves with the same services that incorporation would offer the entire community, I hope they are prepared for the backlash.

Again, the Stay Sacramento folks have earned what they have, and should enjoy the fruits of their labors in whatever way they wish. I don't begrudge them of that. But when I drive through the community and see their election campaign signs in some neighborhoods where the residents clearly don't enjoy the same options, I really have to wonder what motivates them. They are saying no to their best chance to improve their own quality of life in Arden Arcade. Those are the people I really feel sorry for.

It's a Time of the Signs

2010-07-23T17:58:00.000-07:00

You've seen them by now. Yard signs in the election-standard red, white and blue, proclaiming "No Cityhood" and "Stay Sacramento", along with the Stay Sacramento web site address. I'm not sure how many of these things are in yards around town, but they are in prominent locations, and getting a lot of attention.

I've spoken with several people about incorporation, and they seem to be universally surprised at how many people seem to be opposing incorporation. But after doing a few ride-arounds and taking some straw counts, there really aren't that many signs out, at least that I've found.

But after thinking about the sign issue for a while, I realized the reason they seem so prevalent is that there are no signs for the pro-cityhood view. If you hear one side of an argument over and over, without ever hearing from the other side, it's easy to fall into the trap of believing no one is supporting the opposite view.

After a bit of research I found out why there are no incorporation signs. County election laws limit the time frame for posting signs to 60 days prior to the election. So you won't be seeing any pro-cityhood signs until early September, at the earliest.

Which begs the question: Why is Stay Sacramento illegally posting signs all over town? The answer, as usual, involves Stay Sacramento following the letter, while relieving itself all over the spirit of the law. Their claim is that the signs are not for the election, but just a statement of beliefs, protected under the 1st Amendment. Since they don't mention the election specifically, or contain the word "Vote", they maintain the signs are not related to the election.

Well, my daddy always said that if it looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then start making the orange sauce. The facts are simple. The signs are expressing a clear opinion about an issue that will be on the ballot in the next general election. There is absolutely no other reason for these signs to exist other than to attempt to influence public opinion about the outcome of the upcoming election.

If this didn't tick me off so much, I'd probably be amused by the irony of Stay Sacramento's non-stop accusations of ethical violations against incorporation proponents, while they dance around the fine points of law to openly violate its intent. The campaign committee members I've spoken with are content to let this ride, waiting until the time is right to start putting out their stuff. But I don't think that's enough.

Please don't go overboard here. Don't go ripping signs out of yards or defacing property. We don't want to be reduced to their level. And don't hold the folks who posted the signs responsible; they probably just did what they were told. They have the right to their own opinions, whether or not the people who told them what to think did so ethically or legally.

If you want to do something, call the county election commissioner's office at (916) 875-6451. Tell them about the signs, and that you feel they violate election laws. Let them know the signs are expressing an opinion about an upcoming ballot measure, and that constitutes an illegal action.

Then come back here and let us know what your find out. It would be good to get some discussion going on this. Plus, I get so lonely when you kids never write!

We're all Bozos on this Bus!

2010-07-20T13:26:00.000-07:00

One reader of this blog sent me a note asking me to address some things that were said in a Sacramento Bee editorial a few days ago. The article concerned the mis-steps that were made by the Cityhood Study Team, the Arden Arcade Incorporation Committee, and the Arden Arcade Campaign Committee (3 separate organizations) in handling required filings with the state and federal government. The thrust of the editorial was a simple question: How can we trust running the new city to the people who couldn’t follow the rules in bringing it to the ballot?

It’s a semi-valid question. Valid in the sense that when we complete the incorporation process, we need to have people we can trust filling the mayor and city council offices. The problem comes in assuming the committee members will be those people. You would think that the editors at the Bee would understand that, but maybe they have had to lay off their fact-checkers.

Over the years, the various committees have been composed of a diverse group of people. They included a retired grandma, a civil engineer for the state, an education professional, a financial planner, a freelance writer, a graphic designer, a retired deputy sheriff, a retired engineer, a pair of full time foster care providers, an attorney, an I.T. consultant, and various others. As the political wave rolled along, every time the tide seemed to be in our favor, certain people would come on board, obviously looking for personal gain. Then as soon as the tide turned against us, they were out the door in a flash. But that list includes most of the ones who were around for the long haul.

That hardly seems like a group you would expect to see running a city of about 80,000 people. But they never aspired to do so. As of now, the only ones on that list who have filed to run for office are the deputy and the writer. There may be more down the road, but I have no knowledge of it at this point.

The mistakes the various committees have been accused of are mostly on the mark. But no one on the committees had ever tried anything like this before. Very few had any experience in bureaucracy or government, or administering a non-profit organization. It’s not all that surprising that slip-ups happened along the way. But the folks that made the mistakes, me included, won’t be the ones running the city. The Bee editors have nothing to worry about there.

When the incorporation issue goes on the ballot this November, you will have the opportunity to elect the mayor and city council. For the most part, the people you elect will not be people who served on the incorporation committee (or the other bodies mentioned above). There are some overlaps, but most of these were people who came into the game later, with a desire to serve the new city, and worked for incorporation to reach that end. The majority of the committee members were interested in serving the community, but want to leave the running of the city to others.

The most important thing for you, as residents of our new city, is to become informed. Meet the candidates, and listen to their plans to make life better in Arden Arcade. Don’t accept canned answers or platitudes. Demand better. Then in November, make a wise choice for you and your neighbors. Cityhood will make this a better place, but how much better will depend on how well we do at electing our new government.

It should be apparent by now that I’m not running for anything. I don’t have the temperament or personality to handle a full time life in politics. I’m perfectly happy here on the sidelines, observing and complaining about what everyone else is doing. So unless the city decides to post an opening for official curmudgeon, I’m out of the picture. Mission Accomplished.

postscript

This morning I was fortunate to have an impromptu meeting with three of the people who are running for seats on the Arden Arcade City Council. I was actually surprised to find a couple of these folks had thrown their hat into the ring. All three of these are people I would be proud to have represent our new city. That isn’t an easy statement to make. Most of the folks I’ve heard express an interest in running just don’t work for me.

All of which makes this a good time to clarify something. This forum is to promote incorporation, and help our residents understand the positive benefits of becoming a city. It is not a place for endorsements of any candidates. Candidates are welcome to comment on the posts, hopefully to address the issues and let us all know what they want to see happen in our area. But I won’t endorse anyone here. That way I won't feel guilty when I drag them over the coals later.

Now THIS is Poetry!

2010-07-18T16:56:00.000-07:00

Some of the most beautiful words I've ever read...

"Shall the order adopted June 25, 2010, by Sacramento County LAFCo, ordering the incorporation of the territory described and designated as “City of Arden Arcade” be confirmed subject to terms and conditions specified in the order, including payments to Sacramento County commencing FY 2012-2013 and terminating after $219,000,000 is paid, and for the City to levy and collect the same taxes, fees, charges, assessments and rates currently imposed by Sacramento County, as particularly described in the order?"

How Can I Miss You When You Won’t Go Away?

2010-07-16T14:24:00.000-07:00

The primary organization opposing the Arden Arcade incorporation is called Stay Sacramento. I’ve always found that a bit ironic, as Arden Arcade isn’t, and has never been, Sacramento. How can you stay what you have never been? We are part of Sacramento County, and will remain so, whether we incorporate or not. So I guess in that context, Stay Sacramento has already gotten what they want; we will always stay Sacramento (County). And no one on either side seems to have a problem with that.

When Stay Sacramento first came onto the scene a few years ago, they put up a list of reasons to not incorporate. The list was logically shot down in about five minutes, but they continue to keep pushing the same dead issues whenever there is an open microphone. And since incorporation is getting a lot more attention in the community and in the media these days, I thought it might be a good idea to clear the air on these specious issues one more time.

Following is the list of topics that Stay Sacramento offers as evidence of how bad incorporation will be, taken directly from their web site at www.staysacramento.org, ironically listed under the heading “Facts”. Let’s see if we can find some real meat among the gristle here. You will have to go to their web site to hear their explanations on these. This is copyrighted material, and although I think this would fall under fair use, these folks have more money (and more lawyers) than me.

Another Layer of Government?

On the surface, this one makes sense. Creation of a new city would bring a new form of government. But is it another “layer”? Of course not. This is about who provides municipal services to our residents. The county has been doing all of these services for years. Incorporation would mean that the new city would be responsible for handing part of what the county has been doing, such as police, trash collection, code enforcement, etc. Incorporation supporters want this because the county has proven they are pretty much inept at providing these things efficiently and competitively.

When Citrus Heights incorporated about ten years ago, they put out an open bid for trash collection. The winning bidder came in at considerably less than what the residents had been paying the county for refuse collection. And who was the winner? Sacramento County! By incorporating, Citrus Heights residents saved a ton of money on their trash bill, with the same guys driving the same trucks down their street!

If you go to your primary care doctor, and he tells you that you need to see a specialist, do you complain about another layer of health care? No. You go see the specialist, because they are better equipped to handle your situation. This is no different. Experience has shown, over and over again, that small cities are better equipped to provide municipal services than large, bloated county governments. Why not take advantage of that opportunity?

Higher Taxes

You really can’t fault Stay Sacramento for trotting out this one. Californians hate new taxes. So any time anyone wants to defeat any ballot issue, they claim it will raise taxes. It’s too easy to NOT use, especially since there are some people who hear “new taxes” and get apoplectic. The problem is, like the other Stay Sacramento arguments, it just isn’t true.

Proposition 13 guaranteed that new taxes could only be approved by a vote of the people. That doesn’t change whether that taxing body is a city, county or state. If anything, it ensures that any new taxes would be determined locally, by Arden Arcade residents. There won’t be a situation where a tax proposal is on the ballot, and our residents vote it down, but it carries because of voters in the downtown, Natomas, or pocket areas. Arden Arcade will control its own destiny.

Cityhood Proponents Exclude Voters from Decision Making

Long before incorporation was a ballot issue, a group called the Cityhood Study Team spent months walking the neighborhoods of Arden Arcade, talking with businesses and residents and getting their thoughts and opinions about cityhood. By a statistically significant margin, people in the strip south of Fair Oaks to the American River were less interested in incorporating. So when the Study Team drew up the initial boundaries for the proposed city, they left that area out. The team did not exclude them; they excluded themselves. Stay Sacramento has twisted the facts to claim that the southern area was left out to deny them the chance to vote on incorporation.

This is where it gets interesting. LAFCo, the government body that makes the final decisions about any changes in political boundaries, decided that it was in the best interests of the community to put this group back into the proposed city boundaries. So, on the same web page where Stay Sacramento accuses the incorporation group of leaving out the area south of Fair Oaks Blvd., they now claim that the committee (not LAFCo) has included the area as a way of getting more tax revenue. In other words, they blame the incorporation committee (which didn’t exist at the time) for excluding this area, then they blame the committee for a LAFCo decision to include the same area. You can’t make this stuff up!

Outsiders were Paid to Collect Signatures

Yes, they were. The incorporation committee contracted with a professional signature-gathering organization to collect signatures for the petition that started the incorporation process. The committee didn’t rely on professionals alone. Unlike most political efforts, committee members were in the neighborhoods, talking with people and explaining what cityhood could mean for Arden Arcade. I know this, because I was one of the ones out gathering signatures. No apologies asked or offered on this one.

The next time you see a signature gatherer in front of Wal-Mart or Raley’s, ask them if they are with the petitioning organization, or are paid professionals. By law they are supposed to reveal this information. Now see just how often the person getting signatures isn’t a pro. I’m guessing the election will be over before you find a single one.

By now you’ve probably seen the Stay Sacramento signs littering the area. I have it on good authority that this group actually went to a professional printer, instead of printing the signs themselves! How can we possibly trust them if they are hiring professionals to help accomplish their mission? Sound ridiculous? Of course it does.

Better Government

Stay Sacramento’s claim here is that to improve government services, we need to demand better from the county instead of shifting those responsibilities to a more efficient organization. Alcoholics Anonymous and other recovery groups have a saying: Insanity is repeating the same old action, and expecting a different result. So exactly how long does Stay Sacramento want the area to be ignored by the county before they see the insanity of their ideas? Sacramento County has been ignoring this area for ages, and anyone who has been here for more than a few years has seen the continual decline. The county (with the notable exception of the Sheriff’s Department) didn’t address the problems when things were good. How insane do we need to be to believe they will fix everything now if we just maintain the status quo?

Better government is accomplished by efficient management. The simplest way to accomplish this is through a smaller, more tightly organized government structure. Any other option is, well, insane.

Special Interest Money and other Funds

If there is a phrase guaranteed to invoke a knee-jerk reaction (even more than “new taxes”). It’s “special Interests”. Whoever special interests might be, they are definitely the opposition, acting in their own best interests to harm the rest of us. So who are the special interests? According to the Stay Sacramento web site, it’s difficult to say, since the incorporation committee is refusing to list their donors. But that’s just another lie.

I know, because I was the webmaster of the committee web site for several years, and I posted the list of donors a couple years ago. Granted, the list didn’t include amounts, because the committee didn’t want to make it look like they valued the corporation who gave $5000 higher than the retired couple who gave $25. The list also included a few (I think the number was 3) donors who had asked to remain anonymous. I don’t even know who the anonymous donors were, but I seem to recall their total contribution was less than $1000.

Since then the committee has posted a new donor list that shows every donor and the amounts given. There was a donation from a waste disposal company, and several from other cities and special districts. So there are the evil special interests we need to watch out for? Cities give for one simple reason. It’s called the Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACoG). This organization is the voice of local municipalities at the state and federal level, and every added voice increases the ability of the council to serve its constituency. So when Citrus Heights, Rancho Cordova and Elk Grove donate to the Arden Arcade incorporation, it’s because they know they will get a return in the form of better representation for their residents and ours.

Special districts are similar. The parks districts that serve our area may be autonomous, but they certainly communicate with each other. It’s no big mystery that the boards of our local parks have heard how parks in Citrus Heights and Rancho Cordova have been helped since incorporation. And since their primary responsibility is to serve the residents of their districts, it only made sense to work towards accomplishing the same results here, including financial contributions.

And then there is that icky trash company. Before the committee accepted that donation, it was clearly understood by all parties that this would not affect any possible future bids or contracts for trash services in the new city. The company’s response was extremely profound. By contributing to incorporation, they create a new opportunity to bid for a contract. That helps the industry in general. And then it is up to them to bid with services and pricing that will allow them to win the contract.

So What’s Really at Stake Here?

Stay Sacramento is a fairly small, if extremely vocal, coalition of local businesses and residents. Most of their members are located in the southern part of the proposed new city. I would never be so presumptuous as to claim why each of their people is against incorporation, but I have a hunch that seems to make sense for at least some of them.

The Stay Sacramento folks live just a bit higher up than most of us in Arden Arcade. I don’t begrudge them for that; they’ve earned what they have. But when they see things like the cuts in the Sheriff’s department, they are able to contract with private security to beef up the patrols in their area. These are people who can place a call to their county supervisor, and get an answer. Have you tried that lately? Think you get put on a long hold by the cable company?

When things are going well, you don’t want to disturb the status quo. A change in organization might mean starting at the bottom of the list politically. Of course that’s a fabrication, but it’s what many believe. And it’s hard to change beliefs.

So, we have a small group of people with little logic to support their stand. At least their leaders are schooled in rhetoric. They know that if you repeat something often enough, even if it’s a complete lie, people will eventually start to accept it. That technique worked for leaders from Robespierre to Hitler and Stalin. But I have faith that we are smarter. Do the research. Look at the fiscal viability studies, the endorsements from left and right, the history of what incorporation had done for the other cities in our area. Then make up your own mind. You’ll do the right thing.

Independence Day?

2010-07-04T00:00:00.000-07:00

When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to...

With those words, the course of world history changed forever. But Thomas Jefferson didn't originate those ideas. The concept of independence was explained by John Locke, an English enlightenmenr thinker. Locke maintained that if a government did not serve the needs of the people, then it was not only the right, but the responsibility of the people to dissolve it.

Well, the revolution really didn't dissolve anything. King George III was still ruling Britain, but the former colonies had won freedom from the English government, allowing the founding fathers to begin the "Great Experiment" that is still thriving today.

Arden Arcade's quest for incorporation has many similarities to the American Revolution, which is why it seemed appropriate to launch this blog on the 4th of July. As with the country, this campaign began with the signing of a document. In this case it was the decision by LAFCo last month. After reviewing a comprehensive fiscal analysis and an environmental impact report, LAFCo ruled that the residents of our community were now entitled to vote on incorporation. The issue is slated to be on the ballot for the general election this November.

My goal for this blog is to accurately provide news and information about the progress of the campaign. No, I have no intention of being fair and unbiased. I was amember of the incorporation committee for two years, and although I left the group (due to personal issues), I am still convinced that incorporation is the single best solution to the growing problems in this community. If the handful of people who are opposed to cityhood want to express their opinions, they can find their own soapbox. Google will be happy to provide them with one.

I am hoping to update at least twice a week. One will be a report of the latest incorporation news, and the other will be an examination of the issues that our community is facing, and what is likely to happen with and without incorporation. I may find time to augment that schedule with a few extras is there is a need.

Keep in mind, although I am 100% in favor of incorporation, my opinions are completly my own. I want to everything I can do to help this community, and I'm not above knocking a few heads on either side if it's deserved. But no one is behind the curtain telling me what to say. If you want to try to influence me, please send me your ideas, in no less than 6000 words, handwritten on the backs of a series of fifty dollar bills. I might be able to be bought, but it won't be cheap.

In the meantime, stick around for the ride. It's going to be an interesting time around these parts. If there's some specific topic you would like me to address, send me a line at edldickey@gmail.com, and if I think enough folks will be interested, I'll try to work it in.

Peace out.