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!
Showing posts with label Stay Sacramento. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Stay Sacramento. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Through the Glass, Stupidly...
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.
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.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Guest Commentary
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.
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.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
The Truth Shall Set You Free!
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.
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.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
More Sizzle... Steak Still Missing...
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.
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.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
And a Good Time Was Had By All...
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!
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!
Thursday, August 12, 2010
The Myth of the Status Quo
- 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!
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!
Friday, July 23, 2010
It's a Time of the Signs
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!
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!
Friday, July 16, 2010
How Can I Miss You When You Won’t Go Away?
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.
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.
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