Overall we had a great time watching the game, although it would have been nicer if it were a little closer!  Great job Grant. Much respect

10. Angelo Tsakopoulos said his house was no longer available for the reception after learning his name had been misspelled on the invite.

09. The federal government check Johnson was going to use to fund the reception bounced.

08. Johnson couldn’t pay the paparazzi enough to cover the event, ruining his plans to “put Sacramento on the map.”

07. Angelo Tsakopoulos recently discovered he had accidentally double-booked his house with a Tea Party rally..  Johnson lost the coin toss.

06. Michelle Rhee got sick of Kevin Johnson calling it “My Big, Fat Greek Wedding .”

05. HoodCorps canceled their offer to provide valet service after it was revealed that guests had been instructed not to tip them.

04. The closest fire station is browned out that day, which posed a safety hazard for the planned fireworks show.

03. The Phoenix-based florist canceled after discovering it was on Johnson’s DO NOT PAY boycott  list.

02. Chief Braziel threatened to quit  if Johnson didn’t withdraw his request for the Sac PD SWAT team to provide security.

01. Michelle Rhee canceled the wedding after seeing the invitation in the Bee, telling Johnson  “WHAT wedding? When I agreed to marry you, I didn’t say anything about a wedding! Cancel it or I’m not going through with this!”

First, the incoming councilperson might want to downplay the award.  Granted, the realty community is probably thrilled about it  (understandable), but it’s safe to say many Natomasans don’t share their enthusiasm. Just ask outgoing council person Ray Tretheway.

Some would like us to believe North Natomas is merely suffering from growing pains; but as the recent election proves, the pains run much deeper in the land that the City of Sac forgot.

Case in point 1: The “Adopt a Park” program. This program was created by neighborhood activists who tired of watching North Natomas parks deteriorate in the absence of proper city maintenance. I’m all for maintaining parks, but forcing residents to be responsible for them is shameful–especially when they are  paying the city to do it  in the form of mello-roos assessments!  If the city can’t provide the services, at least suspend the mello-roos!

Case in point 2: The  Community Service Center. This center was put in place by neighborhood activists (led by the tireless Angelique Ashby–who unseated the tired Ray Tretheway), to assist the resource-strapped Sacramento Police Department in fighting crime in the area. The center is staffed by volunteers. By all measures it has been a success and one could argue that it has helped reduce crime in the area. But why was it necessary in the first place? Once again City negligence. The city built an urban sprawl area without the public safety resources to staff it.

Case in point 3: The missing fire station. I’ll make this short and sweet. For the number of people in North Natomas there was supposed to be two fire stations. Both were in the original master plan. Only one was built. This left thousands of residents in harm’s way. It literally took an act of congress to get this fire station built post de facto because of the moratorium on building. Once again more negligence on the part of the city.

Case in point 4: The revolving door of establishment. North Natomas must have set some record by now when it comes to the coming and goings of restaurants and retail establishments. Granted, ALL neighborhoods have suffered from the economic crunch, but North Natomas has been especially punished. Most notably they have lost major anchors Borders Books and Sam’s Club. Countless others have either went belly up or bailed. Whatever the reason, North Natomas has established itself as a dicey place for commerce, and is in need of some good will–uh, of course not THE Goodwill though.

Other points: Excessive commercial office space (mostly abandoned), poor performing schools, graffiti, a disproportionate amount of low income housing, excessive loitering on the part of bored teens, unchecked curfew, unfulfilled amenity promises,  totally unchecked street racing on Del Paso Road, pedestrian challenged layout, absence of bike trails and access, et al.

Personally I think there is a lot of work to do be done in Natomas and I disagree with Sac Magazine’s award. They can keep it.  That would be my position if I was the incoming D1 council person . I’d say “Thanks but no thanks; keep your award until it is warranted.” After all, if what Sac Mag says about North Natomas is correct, then why didn’t Ray Tretheway get re-elected?

In sum, I wish Angelique Ashby well.  She’s got a long road ahead of her and I don’t think  ill-conceived awards like “best neighborhood in Sac” are going to make the ride any smoother. That said,  she’s off to a great start with her “Community Connections” movement. In my opinion it is a superb first step in what surely should be a 10 step rehab program for the land the City of Sacramento forgot.

Image: http://www.natomasbuzz.com  (corner of Natomas Blvd and I-80–abandoned retail projects)

Dear Mr President, this is why the word  “hope” should never be used as the basis of a political campaign.