Aubry Stone
A Man for All Reasons
Posted: 8/7/2010
To his parent’s delight, Aubry Stone occurred in Brooklyn NY in 1944. After high school the Air Force joined him. They were close for 25 years. Along the way he found a woman bold enough to marry him, work with him building a business and tend a family. Aubry Stone reminds us there’s an East Coast. It’s nice. He gets to the point even when he’s trying to evade your question. He’s cursed with honesty.
Stone is the president of the California Black Chambers of Commerce headquartered in Rancho Cordova, and director of the US Black Chambers of Commerce in Washington DC. He’s a big guy who seems as if he’s not paying attention, but hears and sees more than you. Among Stone’s many cherries, two of the sweetest are riding down to Harlem in the Fresh Air Cab Company cab with his family on Saturdays, and he’s a proud lifetime member of the Mystic Knights of the Sea lodge. This interview took place May 27, 2010. [More]
Regional Transit Budget Crisis to Affect Service to Disabled and Elderly
Posted: 8/7/2010
Sacramento, CA – Citing a fiscal emergency the Sacramento Regional Transit District (RT) has announced it intends to significantly reduce its contribution to Paratransit, Inc. for the provision of transportation services for the disabled and elderly. The result will lead to changes in service boundaries, eligibility requirements and certain fares.
Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), RT is obligated to provide transportation services for certain certified ADA individuals and has contracted with Paratransit to provide this service. [More]
RT Board Approves Fare and Service Changes
Fare Increases and Service Reductions Effective September 2009
The Sacramento Regional Transit District (RT) Board of Directors approved fare and service changes, following a fare change public hearing held on Monday, June 22, 2009. In an effort to close the gap on a projected $9 million budget deficit for Fiscal Year 2010, RT will implement fare changes effective Tuesday, September 1, 2009, and service changes effective Sunday, September 6, 2009.
The RT Board of Directors approved nine of the 11 staff-recommended service changes. Routes 54 and 65 were removed from consideration. Routes 63 and 83 were added to the list of service changes. The RT Board of Directors approved increases to the Basic fare, Discount fare and Paratransit single fare; and the elimination of the Central City fares, Shuttle fares and transfers, which will require passengers to pay the Basic or Discount fare for each trip. The basic fare was raised to $2.50. [More]
Roberta MacGlashen
County budget: Why I voted “No”
Posted: 8/7/2010
As many are already aware, Sacramento County is in the midst of resolving significant fiscal issues. Recently, the Board of Supervisors made the difficult but necessary decision to cut over $100 million in spending from the Fiscal Year 2010-2011 budget. The cuts were not easy, but they were necessary to balance the budget and put the County on a more prudent fiscal path going forward.
However, as the budget hearings approached, it became clear that the cuts were not being prioritized in the proper way. As I have stated clearly from Day One as your County Supervisor, law enforcement is my number one priority as an elected official. The cuts proposed by staff that would have cut $37.6 million from the Sheriff’s Department were unacceptable, and would have resulted in the complete elimination of patrol services in the community.
[More]
Latest Bank Robbery Suspect Uses Fake British Accent
While most bank robbers make efforts to conceal their physical identity a man suspected of robbing banks in Sacramento and Davis has also employed the use of a fake British accent to disguise his voice.
The first robbery occurred at Tri Counties Bank, 3250 Arena Boulevard, Sacramento, California, at 11:18 a.m. on April 5, 2009, when the suspect entered the bank and showed a demand note to the teller. Using a fake British accent he told the teller not to make a scene and to put the money in the brown paper bag he was holding. [More]
For Arts Sake Take Two
Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson announces the Mayor's Initiative "For Art's Sake"
Last month, many of us heard about the secrets to maintaining a healthy arts organization from Michael Kaiser, President of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. As a follow up to that session, local Art leaders were invited to join the Mayor who launched the Mayor’s initiative “For Art’s Sake”.
Despite tough times, the spirit of the art community is thriving. People are coming together to collaborate, plan, and innovate. [More]
Sacramento County Firefighters Offer to Freeze Their Own Pay for 2 Years in Exchange for No Layoffs Until 2012
2-Year Deal Would Save City $10 Million
SACRAMENTO – Sacramento city firefighters have come back to the negotiating table once again offering to take a 5% pay-cut, freezing their salary for two and a half years , if the city agrees not to layoff firefighters until 2012. This offer would save the city more than $10 million over the duration of the contract extension on top of $10 million in current savings from early retirements and staffing vacancies. Concerned about protecting public safety and stopping the city’s rotating closures of firehouses, Sacramento’s firefighters want to ensure that there are adequate numbers of firefighters on the job to ensure quick response times and save lives. [More]
Sacramento County Eligible for $5.3 Million in Energy Efficiency Grants
Board of Supervisors to review strategy on Tuesday
With $3.2 billion in federal stimulus funds set aside for state and local governments to reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions, Sacramento County is prepared to stake its claim on more than $5.3 million in funding.
On Tuesday, June 2, the Board of Supervisors will be presented with an Energy Efficiency Conservation Strategy and asked to authorize county staff to submit the formal application for funding to the U.S. Department of Energy. The grant program requires no matching funds, and will provide County wide economic benefit through job creation and generation of sales and property taxes. The grant money would also be used to improve energy efficiency at a wide variety of County facilities, thereby reducing Sacramento County’s operational costs. [More]
Natomas Families Receive SAFELY OUT™ Kits
First School District in the Region to Receive Disaster Evacuation Kits
Sacramento/Natomas - Citizen Voice’s SAFELY OUT™ Project announced on May 27th, during a news conference at American Lakes Elementary School, a flood vulnerable elementary school, that 11,000 SAFELY OUT™ Kits were distributed to 8,000 families within the Natomas Unified School District and 3,000 employees of PRIDE Industries with disabilities.
Citizen Voice President Gary Dietrich shared, “Experts have made clear that the Natomas Basin remains one of the most flood vulnerable areas of the country. When asked to bring Citizen Voice’s SAFELY OUT™ Project to Natomas, we gathered many interested parties together and are honored to partner with them in helping thousands of families protect themselves better during disaster. This SAFELY OUT™ effort is a benefit both to them and to the emergency responders tasked with mass evacuation in the event of catastrophic flooding.” [More]
Sacramento Builder's Exchange Hires New Executive Director
Sacramento, CA – The Sacramento Builders’ Exchange (SBE) is proud to announce it has hired Joshua L. Wood as its new Executive Director and charged him with leading the 1,550 member trade association. Mr. Wood has been with SBE since 2006, serving first as Governmental Affairs Coordinator and, most recently, as Political Director. [More]
California Revives Efforts To Assist Homebuyers
By Steven Spears
After years of declining real estate prices in California, families who have been waiting for the right time to purchase their first home are faced with the question: Is now the time to buy?
The California Association of Realtors Affordability Index shows that more families are able to afford homes now than any other time this decade and, with low interest rates, the market is enticing more buyers. [More]
Standard & Poor’s Boosts SMUD’s Bond Rating
Standard & Poor’s, one of the nation’s leading credit-rating agencies, is upgrading its opinion of the Sacramento Municipal Utility District’s (SMUD’s) credit worthiness, raising the utility’s rating from A to A+. The upgrade is particularly noteworthy considering the recession and numerous recent downgrades amid criticism that the rating agencies weren’t downgrading troubled companies quickly enough.
The boost in SMUD’s credit rating would always be considered good news. But recent turmoil in credit markets has made a strong bond rating even more valuable. The upgrade should give investors added confidence when they consider buying SMUD bonds, and as a result SMUD will pay lower interest rates, which directly benefits SMUD ratepayers. [More]
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