Mayor-Elect Kevin Johnson Hosts Meeting With Region's Mayors
Thursday, November 20, 2008
SACRAMENTO – Today Sacramento Mayor-elect Kevin Johnson brought together 13 area mayors to begin developing regional strategies to tackle the challenges facing Sacramento area communities.
“Economic development, fighting crime, creating better schools, and improving air quality all are significant challenges facing Sacramento Valley communities,” said Mayor-elect Kevin Johnson at the meeting in downtown Sacramento. “We thrive when our neighbors thrive so we must work together – at the local, state and federal level – to tackle these challenges head-on. This meeting is the first of many to share ideas on the critical issues facing our communities.”
The mayors discussed ways to effectively come together to exchange ideas and solve some of the most critical issues facing each one of their communities. Among the many topics discussed were worsening local budget deficits caused by the state’s budget crisis and the broader economic downturn and the recent report by the Sacramento Regional Transit Agency that financial difficulties may delay expansion plans into new areas.
“Even though our communities are near each other, it can sometimes feel like you’re out there on your own. So it’s very exciting to get the chance to meet and share ideas because we all face a lot of the same issues,” said incoming Roseville Mayor Gina Garbolino.
Currently, 2.1 million people live in the Sacramento region, and that number is projected to increase to 3.1 million by 2035.
“Over the last several years, the cities and towns across our six county region have worked together on the issues that affect all of our communities and we look forward to strengthening the relationship we have with Sacramento, our regional hub,” said Rancho Cordova Mayor Linda Budge. “We really appreciate Kevin Johnson’s efforts to reach out to all area mayors to make sure this relationship continues.”
The following attended the meeting: Mayor Linda Budge (Rancho Cordova), Mayor Christopher Cabaldon (West Sacramento), Mayor Gary Davis (Elk Grove), Mayor Gina Garbolino (Roseville), Mayor Bill Harris (Marysville), Mayor Diane Hodges (Live Oak), Mayor Russ Kelley (Loomis), Mayor Michael Martin (Winters), Mayor-elect Leslie McBride (Yuba City), Mayor Steve Miller (Citrus Heights), Mayor Keith Nesbitt (Auburn), and and Mayor Brett Storey (Rocklin).
**News clip of the meeting on Channel 13: http://cbs13.com/video/?id=
**To view pictures of the event, please visit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/
