There's some
good reporting in the Sacramento Press about K.J. shadiness. I have personally experienced this shadiness. I am pretty sure I was outright TRICKED into signing the strong mayor petition by a guy at the co-op. I have sent a letter to the city clerk stating that I was misled and would like my name removed. These actions do not bode well for the tenure of our new mayor!
Yeah, I was asked to sign a petition in front of Target, and when I said "No, have a good night." The dude yelled after me "Are you a democrat? Union? Hey, I hate Arnold too!" I'm not really sure what he meant or what it had to do with the petition, but I felt like he was kind of crossing the line anyways.
ReplyDeletePart of it would be the campaign managers fault, but lying to get you to sign a petition is pretty standard for sig collectors. They get paid for the sig and often don't know/care about what the sigs are for.
ReplyDeleteI usually ask signature gatherers in front of Target to explain whatever issue they're collecting for, and they are rarely capable of even the most basic of nuts and bolts. Most of the time they don't even have literature to hand out.
ReplyDeleteSorry, I can't sign your petition, but could I interest you in a kick to the crotch instead?
Jed
i suspect kj's gonna get his signatures. i've been approached 5 times since sunday and on each occasion someone else was actively signing the petition as i walked up.
ReplyDeletethose guys at the Co-op trick you into signing everything.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I got the same treatment at Sac City after buying my textbooks. What made it weird was the guy was on his cell phone, but still trying to get my boyfriend and I to sign up, volunteer and donate money and he was really pushy.
ReplyDelete"I'm broke after buying my textbooks," I replied. Which really isn't far from the truth!
The folks at ACORN were accused of doing the same sort of thing during the general election. They also made up names so they could get paid per signature. The Republicans tried to make it out like Obama was involved with fraudulant voting. Looks like some local people who don't like Kevin Johnson are using the same tactics at the GOP.
ReplyDeleteIs the Midtown Monthly site gone for good? I hasn't been working for a long time.
ReplyDeleteI can access MidMo (link on this blog or other ways)from home (Mac/Safari), but not work (PC/Explorer).
ReplyDeleteanonymous up there talking about ACORN: A lot of "Strong Mayor" proposal supporters have been trying to deflect criticism of their initiative by pushing the "Kevin Johnson=Barack Obama" line, even though Kevin Johnson didn't have the support of Sacramento's Democratic Party (Fargo did) and a whole lot of people voted for Barack Obama but not Kevin Johnson.
ReplyDeleteMost of the neighborhoods that Johnson won in the election are suburbs that swing heavily Republican. The central city, the biggest bulwark of Democrats in the county, voted for Fargo by a wide margin.
So, really, it looks like some people who like the "strong mayor" proposal are also using the same tactics as the GOP...because that's closer to their own political interests?
We are just getting done with eight years of rule by a President who was convinced that a more powerful executive, and less democracy, was the answer to our problems. Trying to push that "unitary executive" agenda on the city level, by messing with the city charter, doesn't sound like change to me.
smart post bill!
ReplyDeletei just checked the Midmo site and it's working fine.
The MidMo site works for me with linux Ubuntu w/Firefox and XP w/IE and Firefox.
ReplyDeleteSounds like some of you LIBS are getting a taste of how it feels to be HYPOCRITS now go worship your beloved Barack HUSSEIN Obama good luck youll need it.
ReplyDelete-miller
update the midmo site! update the midmo site! i am in charge of my work website, and even though it looks like shit, I know that keeping it updated takes about three minutes of my time.
ReplyDeleteThe MM site wasn't working for me either yesterday, but it works today.
ReplyDeleteI'm the one that actually updates the MM site and it takes longer than three minutes! I haven't gotten anything to upload from Tim and Liv, but those two are some of the busiest peeps that I know! I'm sure it will be updated soon.
Equating the Mayors dodgey petition signing effort with the fine work ACORN does all across the country is an insult to the people in ACORN who work tirelessly for the betterment of their communities. KJ is attempting a power grab pure and simple. Ditto Bills point about the danger of a unitary executive. I imagine someone from KJ's organization left the anon. post in another attempt to equate KJ with Obama, can't blame em', one always wants to be alligned to the most popular politician in America, but dishonesty is a hallmark of Chamber of Commerce backed Pols like KJ not Our Dear Leader President Obama.
ReplyDeleteThis is a repost from an email I got...now there is a petition to stop the amendment of the city's charter!
ReplyDelete"Dear Friends,
Your action is needed to protect the city from a dangerous proposal that would amend the city's charter and take power away from the people.
The proposed amendments would eliminate a system of fair and democratic government and replace it with a system open to cronyism, patronage, favoritism and pay for play politics. This proposal would take power away from the people by authorizing the Mayor to be the sole decision-maker in determining how taxpayer money is spent in the budget. And that's just the beginning of what's wrong with this proposal.
Please sign the following petition to protect a system of fair and responsible government and our right to have a say in how our city spends its money:
http://www.gopetition.com/online/24510.html
This is the beginning of a grassroots campaign to demonstrate that there is strong community opposition to this proposal. We must educate our friends and neighbors now. Signature gatherers, who are being paid up to $3 per signature, have been misinforming and misleading the public about what this proposal really does. They hope to fool voters into approving a measure that will decrease the power of the people and transfer that power over into the hands of one person.
We must protect our right to have a voice in city government. Please educate your friends, family and neighbors about this dangerous proposal by forwarding this petition to everyone you know and asking them to sign it. Attached is a copy of the proposed amendments and a position paper which outlines why this is such a bad proposal.
Together, we can protect the power of the people and avoid corruption and abuse in our government. Thank you!"
Obviously it hit the fan...
ReplyDeleteYour Personal Information
Recently an organization called Sacramentans for Accountable Government was formed. An email went out from that organization and when some clicked on the link to show where the organization got their email from it indicated “Friends of Obama”. Some questioned if “Friends of Obama” was “Sacramento for Obama”, it is not. Some also questioned if Sacramento for Obama was being utilized as an organization for this effort because of my personal involvement, it is not. My involvement in this organization is as an individual and no tools whatsoever from Sacramento for Obama are being used.
Sacramento for Obama has and will continue to have a very strict policy that we DO NOT give out our member’s information without their permission. We have been asked on multiple occasions for our database and have said no, including SAG. The only exception to this was last summer when the National Obama campaign asked us to download our database into the National campaign database. Even then, we sent out an email to the membership and told all of you of the ask and asked that you reply if you did not want Sacramento for Obama to give your information to the national campaign.
I cannot emphasize strongly enough to you, our awesome membership, how seriously Sacramento for Obama (and me as an individual) takes the privacy of our database. Again, your personal information WILL NOT be shared with anyone without your permission.
Kim Mack
Chair, Sacramento for Obama
I don't think Sacramento for Obama gave their email list to "Sacramentans for Authoritarian Government", Kim. I think someone took it from them without permission. Many people who signed up for "Sacramentans for Obama" but never signed up for the SAG email list got email invitations--one deceptively titled as the next steps for Obama supporters but actually a KJ/Strong Mayor rally, the second an invite to the SAG event at the Grand last week.
ReplyDeleteWho would have had access to that information, and is also involved with the SAG group?
And who the hell is paying for all these signature gatherers, anyhow?
SOUR GRAPES! Fargo lost. Seems like Fargo's cronies are all bent out of shape because Mayor Johnson wants to actually improve the city and get things done. And no I'm not talking about "zapping garbage". NOW former "mayor" Anne Rudin is spearheading an initiative that opposes a mayoral system that will get this city moving again. Who the hell is paying for these signature gatherers anyway???
ReplyDeleteThe online petition has two factual errors. That the initiative would allow the Mayor to adopt a city budget and appoint department heads without public input or City Council confirmation. WRONG.
Who are these Fargo cronies trying to hoodwink? Fargo lost...get over it.
Anne Rudin is about as relevant as leg warmers and Hall and Oates.
Lets modernize Sacramento. Not go back to the 80's.
I don't believe anyone on this thread was lamenting Fargo's loss in relation to the shady methods being employed to ram the "strong mayor" initiative onto the ballot.
ReplyDeleteI would say in general anyone who takes office and then makes their first order of business expanding the authority of their office through specious means should be a cause of concern. Especially, someone with as shall we say "curious" a background as KJ's.
Ever heard of a guy named Silvio Berlusconi? He thought it was pretty rad to take office and then promptly enhance his authority too. Italians love him!
Hoodwink. bleh. I shudder to think what a "modernized Sacramento" means to you.
Hoodwink. bleh. I shudder to think what a "modernized Sacramento" means to you.
ReplyDelete**************
No need to shudder. I just don't think the city council works in it's present state. The city threw A LOT of money away during Fargo's tenure. Have you seen the gigantic John Saca-hole in the ground where "The Donald" was supposed to live? Now the City is in the red and has to cut services and fire people.
to the latest anonymous: That's the real irony...the folks behind this initiative are the development and real estate interests, who supported Johnson because they didn't think Fargo and the current council were pro-development enough for them.
ReplyDelete