“Call me Kevin “Green Shades” Johnson. I’ve had a few nicknames, but none I’ve liked as much as “Green Shades.” The idea of walking around with cool looking, green-tint sunglasses is the image I want to project for Sacramento. Our weather is perfect for sunglasses, at least 300 days per year. And green is the color of the new Gold Rush headed to Sacramento.

Call you “Green Shades”? OK, will do boss.  Curious: who came up with that name ? Usually nicknames are given to people because of habits or passions. I could see someone like, oh, Heather Fargo being called “Green Shades” (since “green” was the majority of her agenda), but you? Not so much. I don’t recall you ever having been associated with anything “green” other than money or being a noob until now. Please share your “green” background as it applies to technology..

It’s the Green Rush.

We want the world to rush into the Emerald Valley, just like it did in 1849. Only this time, the world will be chasing green tech and clean tech, not gold nuggets from the banks of the American River.

The “Emerald Valley” ?  You sound like the Wizard of Oz. Who is coming up with this stuff? Is that RE Graswich hiding behind the curtain?

I have been amazed by the support since my State of the City speech Thursday (February 25, 2010) at the Hyatt Regency.

It’s been a whole two days since your address (compare to “speech”), calm down. New nickname suggestion: Jumpy.

I covered a lot of ground while speaking to about 900 business and community leaders at the Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce luncheon. But none of the topics have resonated as quickly and completely as the conversation about our upcoming Green Initiative.

OK, was it a “conversation,” or was it you cranking the hype machine and your supporters parading by with an open cup to get a drink of your lime Kool Aid? I mean seriously, Mayor Johnson. Heather Fargo was about as green as they come. Your ideas are hardly original. Perhaps the excitement you sense is from people just giddy about the fact that you are finally on about something other than Kevin Johnson?! I dunno. Ask RE Graswich, he probably has the scoop for you.

The Green Initiative will be the one big new regional initiative organized by the Mayor’s office in 2010. As you know, I love nothing more than identifying an area of critical need and gathering momentum to attack it.

Ok, it’s not a NEW initiative. With all due respect Fargo was laying the framework for it when you were playing games down in Phoenix still.  I’m not trying to be offensive, but someone needs to tell it like it is,  and I’m afraid I’m the only one who is at liberty because everyone else is writing for a newspaper and can’t say what they’re really thinking.

And yes, we know all about how you attack things… with no analysis, no buy-in, no collaboration, no clue. I truly hope you’re re-thinking your approach to “critical need”, slowing your “momentum”, and backing off your “attack” dog leadership style that–quite frankly–has gotten you pretty much nowhere so far.

This year’s target is the Green Wave.

The Green Wave? Is that a weapon used by the Green Lantern? Please, enough with the cheesy nicknames. You’re trying way too hard. You gots ta shill.  If you keep this up NO respectable technology firm is going to want to build a business in Sacramento..and you might scare the existing ones away in the process!

The mission is simple. The best and the brightest people in finance flock to New York. The most talented entertainers make their way to Los Angeles. Brilliant techies find a home in the Silicon Valley. If you want to play in the political big leagues, go to Washington. We can the same for Sacramento – make our region the world’s home for all things Green.

First of all, just because you can state a mission simply does not mean it is in fact SIMPLE. Second, your statement about the best finance people “flocking” to New York” will not bode well with all the world class finance people in San Francisco. Third, “brilliant techies” are global and the brilliant engineers I know in Germany, India, France, and Macedonia would not agree with you. Matter of fact, I bet your operating system was written by a “brilliant techies” in Redmond, Washington. Also, from a PR standpoint I would  suggest a more professional moniker like “computer scientist.”

The Green Revolution is already underway, with more than 100 local Green and Clean companies bringing innovation, research and development and jobs of all levels to Sacramento.

Yes and this is due in large part to the efforts of your predecessor believe it or not.

We must expand these efforts, using our resources such as UC Davis and Sacramento State, plus the innovative organizations already here, such as SMUD and PG&E.

Why weren’t you giving this speech back in January 2009? Oh well, better late then never.

Add venture capital and the fact that California’s policies and regulations are created at the State Capitol, and you have every reason to believe Sacramento is ready to become home to the new Green Gold Rush.

You mean “Green Rush”? And where is this “venture capital” money going to come from? And how are people going to get trained for all these new jobs? Would you care to share some statistics on the percentage of regional residents whom are qualified to do these jobs? Perhaps you have a job training program in mind to re-train all the teachers trhat are about to get pink slips? Please share this “simple” vision, Mayor Johnson. We are all ears.

It starts with each of us in the region – raising our Green IQ, living sustainable lifestyles.

LOL!  Oh come ON. What a load of BS.  There’s only one [political] IQ in need of raising Mr. Mayor and it’s not that of  collective citizens. It doesn’t START with any of the things you mentioned. It STARTS with a sustainable and realistic PLAN which–correct me if I am wrong–only consists of some rhetoric, a few cheeseball buzzwords, and a proclamation at this point.

If you see me wearing green shades, don’t think I’m trying to look cool. And don’t think I’m looking at the world through rose-colored glasses.

Oh really? Cuz at the outset you said green shades were “cool looking.”

Sacramento is going to make the world green with envy.

No, if you keep acting like Michael Scott with your  “theme party” planning committee style approach to bringing green technology jobs to Sacramento, your green rush grand opening is going to resemble the grand opening of the Pink Flamingo in the movie Bugsy.

Mayor Johnson, you need a PR reboot. And by the way, when are you going to hold a REAL state of the city for citizens??