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Katy Grimes

Mayor Kevin Johnson Uses Race To Boost Strong Mayor Initiative

Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson and the Sacramento Bee appear to be trying to gin up race issues in Sacramento in order to win a campaign.

Mayor Johnson had two big stories about him in Sundays’ Sacramento Bee. The front page, above-the-fold story, was about Johnson’s Measure L Strong Mayor initiative – his fourth attempt.

The front page of the Forum/Opinion section featured a half-page photo of Johnson, above an op-ed by the Mayor, who said he hopes the recent alleged police racial violence in Ferguson, MO doesn’t happen in Sacramento.

This was the ugliest, and most irresponsible yellow journalism, I’ve seen in a long time. And this was an attempt to distract from Mayor Johnson’s actual performance… Read More

Katy Grimes

Friday Insanity Wrap Up – Latitudinarian and Far-Fetched News

Should women in the workplace receive paid menstruation leave?

HuffPost Live held a discussion about an actual current topic in employment entitlements: whether women deserve paid “menstrual leave.”

“Do women deserve paid ‘menstrual leave’ for the days when cramps, irritability or more complicated issues like endometriosis distract from the day’s tasks?” HuffPost Live asked. “Menstrual leave is a part of the employee experience in several Asian countries, prompting think pieces on the topic fromRead More

Katy Grimes

The quiet Arena lawsuit moves forward

Last week a judge ruled against the lawsuit to place the proposed public subsidy for the new basketballarena before Sacramento voters.

Local media heralded the decision.

But there is another Sacramento arena lawsuit taking place in Sacramento Superior Court. I’ve attended the court proceedings. And I’ve written about it.

The lawsuit accuses city officials of making a secret deal to provide an extra $80 million of public money to help the investors’ group beef up its offer against a well-funded Seattle group that wanted to buy the Kings and move them to Seattle, which lost its NBA team to Oklahoma City in 2008. Plaintiffs’ attorney Patrick Soluri said city officials have committed fraud because they have not fully informed the City Council and the public about details of the deal.

The city subsidy, according to the lawsuit, is actually $338 million — not the $258 million the city claims.

Most other media seem to be ignoring it, or incorrectly reporting the importance of the lawsuit, and allegations of fraud by city officials, and illegal gift of public funds.

This is serious. It’s not about being Kings arena deniers, as… Read More

Katy Grimes

Judge rules against taxpayer groups in arena subsidy initiative

Delusions of grandeur drive the proponents of a downtown sports arena in Sacramento.

Sacramento Superior Court Judge Timothy Frawley ruled against two taxpayers groups in Sacramento, to place the proposed public subsidy for the new basketballarena before the city’s voters. Judge Frawley said the taxpayer groups made such significant errors in the wording of their petitions, the petitions, and 23,000 signatures supporting the effort, are not valid.

This is how The Sacramento Bee, which has been openly advocating for the arena subsidy, reported it: “The lawsuit, meanwhile, was funded by an agribusinessman who lives just outside the city limits and a group of nonunion electrical contractors angry that the arena is going to be built almost… Read More