On March 28, 2008, in the Grand Ballroom at Sacramento State University, Mayor Heather Fargo greeted her esteemed 2008 State of the City audience with a sense of euphoria only Jason Castro could truly appreciate:

“The optimism and opportunity in Sacramento is so clear… as I look out across the room I see your beaming faces reflecting that optimism..the optimism and energy in this room today is as strong as it has ever been..”

Bear in mind, it would be another month before she disclosed the severity of the budget crisis, and when she did, Sacramento area business owners slammed her for misleading them about the city’s dire financial situation, and promptly announced their endorsement of Kevin Johnson

But who cares about any of that, right? Let’s talk about the sunshiny State of the City address. The State of the City address takes place every year at a location of sponsor Sacramento Metro Chamber’s choosing. For $90 a pop ($60 if you are a Metro Chamber member), you can eat chow and hob-nob with Sac’s community leaders and business elite, and of course soak up the rays of beaming sunlight radiating from the mayor’s podium.

Had you been among the beaming faces at this year’s address, you would have heard Mayor Fargo wax philosophical on critical topics such as:

• How the “dating scene” has picked up steam downtown and how that will naturally lead to more overnight hotel stays there
• How many publications have referred to Sacramento in recent articles
• How Sacramento is so beautiful, and becoming the destination of choice for tourists
  
• Her dissenting opinion of the federal government’s AE Flood Zone designation of our levee system: “Natomas levees are stronger than they’ve ever been..” (Stay tuned, you might just hear this quote again some day.. in a congressional hearing) Update: In KCRA debate last week Fargo said we are in “serious danger of catastrophic flooding”
  
• Unprecedented commercial development city wide, and how these “investments” are “adding to the quality of life residents are enjoying in every neighborhood”
• Investment in the arts, namely the Crocker Art museum
• The “greening” of the city, and the now famous recommendation that residents can help fight global warming by switching to fluorescent light bulbs, walking more, and going to SMUD’s web site for more ideas. This is what 25 trips around the world @ $44,000 bought us
• How the “odd couple” Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jerry Brown have supported sustainability
  
• How “disengaged youth and the fallout of growing youth violence and gang activity hurts us..” .. and how private business owners should donate money to the city for its youth program that places “pre screened” youth in summer jobs.

I wonder if those business leaders were still beaming after Fargo acknowledged the soaring delinquency problem that is having a measurable negative impact on their businesses, and then tried to pick their pocket for $1,600 to help fund job training for kids who are likely not even part of the problem. For some reason I’m thinking more than one person in the room was scratching their head, if not tempted to chuck a tomato .. or three,

I’m not an expert on job training, but Fargo’s Sacramento Works for [Pre-Screened] Youth program sounds better suited for a city like Granite Bay than it does Sac. While it’s impressive—OK it’s miraculous—someone was able to convince Fargo we have an unacceptable drop-out rate, they apparently forgot to tell her that kids running over cops in the Wal Mart parking lot, robbing local businesses, and shooting babies in Elk Grove aren’t doing what they’re doing because they can’t get a job at Target.

There are endless directions one could take the commentary from here, but at a minimum I think it’s it’s important to state that it is unacceptable when someone like me, who hasn’t a single day of law enforcement training, knows more about the psychology of gangbangers from listening to rap than the mayor knows when she has direct access to any employee in the entire law enforcement community, not to mention the ability to call a town hall meeting at the drop of a hat.

“But Joe!” you scream. “Heather Fargo is a UCD educated environmentalist with a degree in greeneology dude! Is it reasonable to expect her to have an interest in law enforcement?!” Hmm, that’s a really good point. She seems to only be interested in talking to the police department when her mayoral seat is in jeopardy.

The more I think about it, Fargo’s environmental bias explains why she would choose to tackle our crime problem over a lunch with Arnold and other mayors, instead of rolling up her sleeves and getting it done with local law enforcement experts, community activists in places like Oak Park and Del Paso Heights, and of course the KIDS living with the criminals in those neighborhoods. Then again, anyone who has lived in Sacramento for any length of time knows our Heather only rolls up her sleeves when it’s time to plant a new tree.

As Fargo’s luminous 2008 State of the City address began to wind down, she left her audience with a bewildering quote they are probably still pondering to this day: “Our lunch here at Sac State today is a great time to shatter an old myth: Believe it or not, Sacramento is a regional center for high education..”

Believe it. I think that “myth” is secure until Mrs. Fargo’s office is moved from city hall to city museum.

Unfortunately for Fargo, the beaming, optimistic energy she saw in the faces of Sacramento’s business elite that day evidently didn’t go back to the office with them; the same group recently announced their endorsement for Kevin Johnson.

Joe

PS: I vote for next year’s State of the City Address to be for all residents, and held at Arco or Cal Expo. We need to start acting like a community.

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Source: City of Sacramento 2008 State of Sacramento doc
Drawing: Joe
Medium: Pencil>Sharpie>Scan>Photoshop