Latest news with #commissioners
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Sacramento residents: We need you to fight against proposed parks department cuts
The City of Sacramento faces a $44 million city budget structural deficit. As commissioners for the City of Sacramento's Department of Youth, Parks and Community Enrichment, we have heard from neighbors who have expressed to us their fears about how Youth, Parks and Community Enrichment's staffing, programming and services will be impacted. The current city budget proposes to eliminate 70 vacant full-time equivalent positions, with 54 of those coming from the Youth, Parks and Community Enrichment department. Any and every cut to the Youth, Parks and Community Enrichment budget will severely impact the essential services our department provides to the City of Sacramento and its ability to add and expand programming. Each cut to our budget means less maintenance in our 237 city parks, less programming at our 15 community centers and fewer operating hours at our 17 aquatic centers. The Department of Youth, Parks and Community Enrichment serves and represents our neighbors by creating beautification projects across the city with community partners and volunteer groups. Most importantly, as commissioners, we advocate for our neighbors and community groups with department staff and with our city council members. At our monthly public meetings, community groups have shared how rising rental costs affect their programs. Sadly, this is a direct result of previous cuts to Youth, Parks and Community Enrichment to balance the city budget. Budget negotiations are always difficult. Neighbors love their parks and also don't want to see staff cuts in public safety, public works or the other imperative city services across the near 20 city departments. It is our job as commissioners to rally park advocates and users across the city, and let the Sacramento City Council know that the final city budget they pass must preserve Youth, Parks and Community Enrichment's proposed investments for quality recreation facilities and community livability and deliver core services through a diversity and equity lens. And it's not just parks services that are at stake: In the last budget year, Youth, Parks and Community Enrichment invested $1.1 million dollars in youth employment, providing job opportunities for 300 youth, completing 30,000 hours of work at various parks, community centers, local businesses and schools. Additionally, the Older Adult Services Division provided respite for family caregivers through the Triple-R Adult Day Program, and Older Adult Services staff answered 9,872 calls or visits for Resource and Referral services at the Hart Senior Center, gave out more than 8,000 Meals on Wheels meals and delivered 58,680 units of service with in-person and virtual activities. This is just a small glimpse of the vast array of services provided through the city's Department of Youth, Parks and Community Enrichment. We believe in balancing the city budget. Too often, however, our youth, parks and community enrichment bear the brunt of budget eliminations. We have to do better. Jeanine Gaines is a District 8 parks commissioner and chair of the City of Sacramento's Department of Youth, Parks and Community Development. Joe Flores is a District 7 parks commissioner for the City of Sacramento's Department of Youth, Parks and Community Enrichment.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Tarrant County judge on redistricting: 'The mission is to get three Republican commissioners'
The Brief Tarrant County's redistricting plan is facing criticism for allegedly diluting the votes of non-White residents. County Judge Tim O'Hare openly states his goal is to guarantee three Republican commissioners on the court, increasing conservative leadership. Seven maps are currently under consideration before a vote on Tuesday, amid concerns about transparency and the use of outdated 2020 census data. TARRANT COUNTY, Texas - A plan to redistrict Tarrant County has recently come under fire after critics say it may be biased against non-White voters. County Judge Tim O'Hare isn't trying to hide his motive for redistricting: To further increase conservative leadership in Tarrant County by decreasing the number of Democrats in the commissioners court. O'Hare, the Republican county judge, presides over a panel that currently has two Republican and two Democrat commissioners. In his first one-on-one interview with FOX 4 since taking office, O'Hare welcomed us into his Southlake county courthouse office. What they're saying "On Tuesday I hope we pass a map that guarantees, or comes as close as you can to guarantee, three Republican commissioners," O'Hare said. "That was my plan and what I campaigned on openly and publicly, dating as far back as May 2021." He responded to critics who are opposed to his effort to redraw Tarrant's district lines, with allegations that his plan lacks transparency and sufficient public input, along with claims that it is racially discriminating and violates the federal voting rights act. "It's purely partisan. I'm not going to try to hide from that or act like it isn't. That's exactly what it is," O'Hare said. "We've had four different meetings in each precinct, we put maps online for anyone to look at and see and go over them. We've given people the opportunity to submit their own maps and weigh in with comments through the website, through emails, through the public forum, through commissioners court meetings… So, I don't know how anyone with a straight face can say this is not transparent." When asked if he believes the redistricting plan constitutes racial gerrymandering, O'Hare made his end goal clear. "At the end of the day, I'm doing it to put another Republican on the commissioners court, period, the end," the judge said. "I don't look at it in terms of race, I look at it in terms of policy. I look at it in terms of results," O'Hare went on. "The mission is to get three Republican commissioners on the commissioners court." O'Hare compared his redistricting effort to a reversal of what's happened over the years in several now majority-liberal counties. "I didn't see these people come out and complain about what Dallas, Harris, Bexar or Travis County was doing, but they're complaining about what we're doing because they don't want to lose seats, but we know if they were in charge because they did it in those counties, that's their blueprint, we know if they were in charge here they do the same thing," the judge said. There is also speculation that O'Hare's focus is aimed specifically at unseating District 2 Commissioner Alisa Simmons. The two have often sparred during meetings on a variety of topics. That said, the judge denies wanting to unseat the commissioner. "I campaigned on this issue dating as far back as 2021," O'Hare said. " At the time I did that, I had never heard her name, didn't know who she was, had picked her out of a lineup of one, so the answer to that is just simply 'no.'" Another concern from critics is whether the 2020 census data used to create the maps is too old. But the mayors who support the plan point out that Tarrant redistricting has been delayed even longer – nearly 15 years. O'Hare says there are now seven maps up for consideration before Tuesday's vote. "I believe Tarrant County would be better served if we have strong Republican leadership," said O'Hare. "Tarrant County voters have elected Republicans to every single countywide office dating back 30 years, but we have two to two when it comes to Republicans and Democrats on commissioners court. I think it should more accurately reflect our voting population, so I want to see it go three to one." The backstory SMU mathematics professor and researcher Dr. Andrea Barreiro has dissected and analyzed the newly proposed maps for Tarrant County districts, the work of a county-hired consulting firm and the public legal interest foundation. In an interview on Thursday, she said the goal of the redistricting appears to be to diminish the voting power of non-White county residents. Cities including Fort Worth, Arlington, Mansfield and Grand Prairie have signed a letter expressing their opposition to the proposed map. The group called the effort ill-timed because it's the middle of the decade and, in their opinion, the census data from 2020 is outdated. In early April, the commission voted three to two, with commissioners Alisa Simmons and Roderick Miles opposing, to approve a contract with the Public Interest Legal Foundation to provide consultation with re-drawing district lines. What's next Opponents of the plan have vowed to wage a legal battle if it's adopted. O'Hare said he believed that would go in his favor. The Source Information in this article came from Tarrant County Judge Tim O'Hare and previous FOX 4 reporting.
Washington Post
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Washington Post
College Football Playoff shifts to straight seeding model, no automatic byes for top league champs
The College Football Playoff will go to a more straightforward way of filling the bracket next season, placing teams strictly on where they are ranked instead of moving pieces around to reward conference champions. Ten conference commissioners and Notre Dame's athletic director came to the unanimous agreement they needed Thursday to shift the model that drew complaints last season.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
College Football Playoff shifts to straight seeding model, no automatic byes for top league champs
The College Football Playoff will go to a more straightforward way of filling the bracket next season, placing teams strictly on where they are ranked instead of moving pieces around to reward conference champions. The 10 conference commissioners and Notre Dame's athletic director came to the unanimous agreement they needed Thursday to shift the model that drew complaints last season. The new format was widely expected after last season's jumbled bracket gave byes to Big 12 champion Arizona State and Mountain West champion Boise State, even though those teams were ranked ninth and 12th by the playoff selection committee.
BBC News
08-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Government steps in to help run Spelthorne Borough Council
Government-appointed commissioners are to intervene in running a Surrey council with debts of more than £1 McMahon, Minister of State at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, said the government had appointed officials to oversee Spelthorne Borough interventions come after government inspectors expressed concerns over its record of implementing recommendations from external auditors and from the Local Government leader Joanne Sexton said the council was "determined to address the challenges facing the authority" and would work "collaboratively with the commissioners to ensure long-term improvement in the areas highlighted". Under the intervention, which will last until May 2030, commissioners Lesley Seary, Peter Robinson, Deborah McLaughlin and Mervyn Greer will oversee changes to council services to deliver "value for money and financial sustainability".Commissioners will be in place until January 2026, at which point their role will be of March 2023 Spelthorne's debt stood at nearly £1.1 authority was found to have the second highest level of debt for a district or borough council in England, after nearby Woking, relative to its size.A letter from the government to Daniel Mouawad, Spelthorne's chief executive, says the commissioners will aim to close budget shortfalls and reduce the council's "exceptionally high level of external borrowing".Costs for the commissioners will be met by the council rather than the government, Mr McMahon inspection of the authority in January found the council had a "culture of optimism bias", lacked consistent leadership, and did not have the awareness to identify issues or areas for some degree the authority had been "blindsided" by the financial situation, the inspection report added.A council spokesperson added that most decisions would continue to be made by the local authority, but with the oversight of the commissioners.
