7.04.08

Happy Fourth of July to everyone! This is a particularly special holiday for our nation and for me given the election season that is upon us. With so much momentum and interest from the presidential election to the mayoral campaign here in Sac, America is abuzz with democracy. As I was out participating in the "Spirit of the Pocket" Parade this morning and Sandy Sheedy’s "4th of July Public Safety BBQ" in Woodlake Park, I could actually feel the energy that these elections are bringing to the community. It's exciting.

We are so lucky to be living in America with the freedoms that we have. It reminds me, though, of all of the men and women who sacrificed or put their lives on the line for us over the last 232 years to ensure that we could maintain our independence and ideals as a country. I want to recognize in particular the veterans that are living in our city today. On Memorial Day, as I was leaving the "Reading of the Names" event at the Capital, a veteran ran up to me, grabbed my arm and said, "I'm going to vote for you Kevin, but please promise me that you won’t forget about the veterans...that you'll remember us and give us the respect we deserve." Certainly today, I want to take a moment to thank our vets and remind myself to make good on my promise to him.

7.1.08

As I drove up to Inderkum High School yesterday for a community meeting with Sac PD I was surprised to see hundreds of people pouring out of their cars moving with such a sense of urgency toward the school. It was like a scene you'd see when people are heading to a sports game or concert. The event, though, was much more important. People came in droves because they were worried about their safety.

I'm incredibly troubled by the reports of the recent crime spree in Natomas where innocent citizens have become the victims of violent crimes and theft. At the meeting I was shocked, saddened and outraged to hear the situation the residents of Natomas are facing. The stories of mothers and grandmothers who are caring for young children threatened and assailed by criminals in broad daylight in our city are unacceptable. I know I would never want my family members to be in that kind of situation and know that others feel exactly the same way.

This is why I'm so frustrated by the lack of focus on public safety by the current administration. I was dumbfounded early in the primary when Fargo was being dismissive of the rising crime statistics, claiming that people feel safe, and that crime has not risen dramatically. Later she had to acknowledge that she had been wrong, that the data I was using showing a spike in crime during her two terms in office were correct. To me, this lack of awareness is exactly what the problem is in the city. We cannot close our eyes and pretend this issue doesn't exist.

Yesterday the Bee reported that R.E. Graswich is considering running for Robbie Waters' City Council seat and that I had endorsed him. I think it's important to know the facts on this. First of all, when I spoke with R.E. he indicated that he'd only consider running if Waters does not run. Secondly, I greatly admire Graswich and his work.  I think he'd be a strong candidate and it's important for a broad range of people to run for political office.  That's what democracy is all about.  That said, the only race I am focused on right now is my own.  I'm putting my full energies toward running for Mayor and will not be getting involved in any city council races before the general election in November.

7:30pm -- Boston, MA
Tonight I attended a banquet of the Pioneer Institute, which held its annual "Better Government" competition. The Pioneer Institute creates incentives for initiatives and projects that make government more efficient and effective. It was inspiring to see so many unique and programs aimed toward improving schools. It seemed serendipitous that this year's awards were for innovation in public education.
I believe that the greatest responsibility our government has is to ensure that all children are well-educated.  That’s not happening in our country now. America is lagging behind its counterparts across the world in producing workers who are prepared to be productive in our increasingly global economy.
My "take away" from this evening’s dinner was that we have to create an environment in Sacramento that fosters and encourages “better government."  As I’ve said, as Mayor, things will no longer be “business as usual."  However, if we want to break that mold, we have to have an environment and context where people feel as if they can challenge the status quo.  In fact, they shouldn’t just feel ok about doing that, they should feel inspired to do that.
I don’t believe that we have to be the tired, bureaucratic, unresponsive, uninspired city government that residents believe we are today.  I believe that something else is possible.  In fact, I know it’s possible.

3:10pm -- Boston, MA
I was asked to speak today at the Harvard University Divinity School's "Summer Leadership Institute." This group from across the country comes together for a number of weeks to read cases, think, learn, and write. I love coming to Cambridge, and I love being able to be on this campus because...it's Harvard!
Was reflecting quite a bit today about my experiences in NYC yesterday and decided to gear my remarks toward education. With Bloomberg’s advice and the “Thurgood” play ringing in my ears, I skewed the speech with the following perspective: Education is the lynchpin of any city.  If kids are getting a great education and are engaged in school, they are much less likely to be involved in criminal activity. Further, if we are producing an educated workforce, then employers will be flocking here. They need a highly skilled labor force.  Moreover, college graduates make $1M more over the course of their careers than non-graduates do.  Think about the money that is pumped into our economy by having a better educated generation of young people. If we want a healthy, vibrant city, then we have to have great schools.  That’s the bottom line.

12:30pm - New York City

Last night I took a red-eye out of Sac to New York City, where I had the pleasure of meeting with Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Bloomberg is fascinating. He's a man of contrasts; he's a billionaire, yet he has broad-based appeal among New Yorkers, enjoying an 80 percent approval rating with blacks and Latinos. He rides the subway to work five days a week. He's action- oriented, cuts to the chase, and is a decisive leader.

Walking into City Hall to meet the Mayor was fascinating. Instead of having a ceremonial office, the Mayor established what he calls “The Bullpen."  It resembles a newsroom -- desks everywhere and no walls. Bloomberg sits at a desk in the middle of the Bullpen, completely unassuming and open. There’s no hiding in the Bullpen; everyone can be seen at all times.  It is an indicator of how he governs. He’s open, accessible, and transparent.

Bloomberg's governing style is unique. He doesn’t get into the details. Instead he focuses on the big picture, which he says is critical..  “Your job as Mayor is to lead the city… to create the vision… to bring people together,” he said.

It struck me that this type of leadership is exactly what we need in Sac. I want to unite people around a common vision for what Sacramento can be. Bloomberg’s style helped to crystallize that for me.  “You fought hard on the court, you fought hard for schools, you’re going to fight hard for the city overall… that’s what a great leader does.  Nothing stands in their way.”

He’s right. We need to operate with a sense of urgency in city government.

Bloomberg’s advice was to focus on “the only two issues that really matter… public safety and education.”  “Kevin,” he said, “If you reduce crime and ensure you have great schools everything else comes. Economic development and other factors will follow suit if people feel safe and kids are well educated.”

Bloomberg is making education his top priority. The results have been dramatic. This morning’s New York Times had a front page report noting the rise in academic achievement levels. Nearly 75 percent of the Big Apple's students are proficient (or above) in math, a dramatic increase from just five years ago.

Another interesting topic we discussed was the city's approach to homelessness. Bloomberg ensures that homeless people aren't swept under a rug, and are given the services they need (job training, drug treatment, psychological and physical treatment). Thats part of the reason homelessness has decreased by two-thirds under the Mayor.  If New York can get these kind of results, we surely ought to be able to solve the problem  in Sacramento.

3:30pm - New York City

The National Board of Directors of LISC (Local Initiatives Support Corporation) is a nonprofit dedicated to helping community residents transform distressed neighborhoods into healthy and sustainable communities. I sit on the Board, and on its Development Committee, which met today before the general board meeting tomorrow..

Even though our nation's economy is dragging, it was amazing to hear about all the resources available for community development. During the course of the meeting, I couldn’t help but think of the Sacramento community and neighborhood association meetings I’ve attended in the last couple of weeks where residents throughout Sacramento are looking for answers -- and dollars. They want to revitalize their communities, and they know that requires resources. From Stockton Blvd and Fruitridge to Meadowview, there’s a strong desire to improve our neighborhoods. Hearing presentations today, I repeatedly thought of the opportunities that Sacramento could be taking advantage of that go untapped. There are significant funders across that nation that invest in community development projects, and I want to ensure we are bringing those resources to Sac. As Mayor, I will use the connections and relationships I’ve developed to ensure the city is positioned to receive these types of funds.

8:00pm - New York City

After the Board meeting, I was lucky enough to catch a show (it's hard to resist when staying so close to the Theater District).  I nabbed a ticket to “Thurgood," starring Lawrence Fishburne. It is a 90-minute, one man show in which Fishburne is incredibly impressive telling the story of the life of Thurgood Marshall.

Marshall is best known for successfully arguing the “Brown v. Board of Education” case to end segregation in public schools, and later as a Supreme Court Justice. The play, however, told the more nuanced story of a man who even as a child was a fighter.  He was always focused on “righting wrongs” and fighting for racial justice.  He did so with conviction, humility, and humor.

As you know, my motivation for returning to Sac and Oak Park was to improve the life outcomes of young people. At St. HOPE, we are doing just in our schools. The play reminded me how education must be the crux of everything we do. When he won “Brown v Board of Education”, Marshall guessed that segregation in schools would end within five years. He was wrong.  We still have significant problems in our public education system. If we’re going to live up to our promise as a nation to be the land of equal opportunity, then we have to fight for great schools for all kids with the same vigor that Thurgood Marshall did in the 50’s.  As Mayor, I will prioritize ensuring that we have one of the state’s best public education systems.  We owe that to our kids.

I highly recommend the show to anyone who might have the opportunity to see it. Four stars!

Dear Friend,

What a night we had on Tuesday. Kevin proved all of the naysayers wrong by
not only thoroughly trouncing two-term incumbent Heather Fargo, but in the
way he did it. Kevin, who was trailing in the latest Sacramento Bee poll,
not only picked up the undecided voters but he also successfully undermined
Fargo's support among her base voters.

Similar to the KCRA debate results, where Kevin started out the night with
two-thirds of undecided voters leaning towards his opponent and finished up
the night with two-thirds of the undecideds favoring him, on Election Day,
the undecided voters unequivocally chose Kevin to be the next mayor of
Sacramento.

Kevin's support was broad. His seven point lead was indicative of the wide
range of support he earned on the campaign trail. Business and labor, Democrat and Republican, young and old, from Natomas to the Pocket, people
came together and supported the one candidate that they felt would represent
them in City Hall.

The opposition tried to use every dirty trick they knew to prevent Kevin
from prevailing. Tuesday night, the voters of Sacramento soundly rejected
the dirty politics and embraced change. We promised from the very beginning
that we would run a positive campaign that we could all be proud of. Even
in the face of a $150,000 smear campaign, we kept talking about the issues
that matter to the residents of this city. Once the votes were counted, it
was clear, the voters of Sacramento were not going to fall for the
opposition's bag of tricks. They were looking for the real deal and the real
deal is Kevin Johnson.

It was an exciting night. In case you couldn't join us in Oak Park for the
victory celebration, you can see what you missed.
http://videos.sacbee.com/vmix_hosted_apps/p/media?id=1915021

Although county election officials won't certify the results of the election
until the nearly 20,000 additional ballots are counted in the next few
weeks, and therefore it is uncertain whether a November run off election
will be necessary, in Kevin's words: "We're just getting warmed up."

Thank you to the thousands of Sacramentans that went to the polls to support
Kevin's vision of a city that works for everyone. Thank you to the hundreds
of young people who took to the streets over the last week to spread Kevin's
positive message of change and leadership to every corner of Sacramento.
And thank you to all of you who have steadfastly supported this campaign
over the last 91 days.

We couldn't have done this without you and Sacramento will be a better place because of you and your commitment to see
new leadership and real progress sweep over this city.

Please stay tuned, there's more to come...

Erin Lehane
Campaign Manager

According to R.E. Graswich at Channel 13, the mayor and the city may face federal charges and penalties from a violation of the Hatch Act. The Hatch Act is a federal law that prohibits federal, state and local employees from using their position to influence a political campaign. Graswich is questioning whether or not the Mayor's call to the Chief of Police to attempt to re-open a closed investigation violated the federal law. See Graswich's "scoop" here, and stay tuned...