Tag Archives: Steve Hansen

Sac City Council: Post Clark Shooting

Community, , ,

Following the shooting by local police officers of Stephon Clark, the Sacramento City Council has taken action.  One possibility currently being debated is the prohibition against entrance of “abusive/threatening” protestors in all council meetings. Tension has risen since the shooting and activists have had to be accompanied out of meetings.

Quite simply, Councilman Steve Hansen said to one such activist: “Because you broke our laws we are asking you to leave.”  Some speakers have claimed that what has transpired in these meetings is not only “unfair,” but actually even illegal.

The establishment of Black Lives Matter occurred five years ago.  A “cease and desist” order was submitted to the council by Ben DeBerry for Brown Act violations protecting the public’s right to participate in council meetings.  On March 22, a protest was held at Evergreen State College and further events have been planned on the matter of inclusion and the problem of racism on campus as a response to the cancellation of this year’s “Day of Absence.”

 

Future Goals for Sacramento City Council

Infrastructure, ,

Steve Hansen, Sacramento Councilmember for the Fourth Council District recently discussed some of his goals for enhancing the region. Traffic and safety are high up on the agenda, in particular with regards to Freeport and Riverside boulevards.  One goal is to fix these so that there are no fatalities at all.  As such he is encouraging the council to adopt Vision Zero – which is “a traffic safety philosophy that rejects the notion that traffic crashes are simply ‘accidents,’ but instead preventable incidents that can and must be systematically addressed.”

In this vein, Hansen is trying to establish a safe connection for cyclists traveling between William Land Park and the Sacramento River Parkway Trail, especially given that the current situation at  Sutterville is dangerous for bikes as well as pedestrians.”  So traffic measures are key for Hansen.

Moving on to business developments, Hansen mentioned the work that is being undertaken in collaboration with the Greater Broadway Partnership Property and Business Improvement District vis-à-vis business owners.  Further, he has worked alongside the Sacramento Steps Forward for the last few months in an effort to improve the situation.

So it is the hope of the people of Sacramento that Hansen’s measures to enhance business opportunities and improve traffic safety are undertaken.

Water Meter Companies: Capitalism at Work

Community, ,

water-meter-readerSacramento contractors who are trying to get the job of installing water meters in the area are about to feel some healthy competition.  Of course price is always going to be a huge issue (whoever comes up with a lower price will certainly get considered) but it seems that this is not the only thing the Sacramento City Council is requesting of its contractors.  Now, they want customer service and local hiring too.

In terms of policy there has been a change.  While it used to be that the lowest bidder would automatically receive the contract, now that has been changed and in its stead what has been created is a “pool of pre-qualified companies that would win contracts based in part on subjective criteria, such as customer satisfaction.” According to a recent Sacramento Bee article by Cathy Locke, the three main areas to be considered are now therefore: pricing, qualifications of the contractor and performance-based criteria. The reason for the change is to enable the city to “award contracts to qualified contractors and repeat the process multiple times if the contractor performs well and within budget.”

Perhaps this capitalist move is in line with Sacramento City Council’s recent move of relinquishing some of its power “voting to allow residents the chance to enact a new commission with authority to redraw the city’s embattled political districts.”  In November, voters will be able to approve the commission regarding the shift of new independent resdistricting commission.  According to District 4 Councilman Steve Hansen, “the new commission makes the redistricting process truly independent. It gives the voters a reason to feel that the issue has truly been taken out of the hands of the elected officials.”