Mayor's travels draw criticism

As part of her quest to make Sacramento the greenest city in the country, Mayor Heather Fargo has seen the world, traveling to London, Alaska, Paris and other far-flung locations to study the impacts of global warming.

Since October 2005, she's traveled nearly 124,000 miles on 25 trips – 20 of them to climate change conferences or meetings where the environment was prominent on the agendas, city records show.

Though many of those miles were traveled in the name of conservation, Fargo's journeys created about 25 tons of carbon emissions, based on Sacramento Municipal Utility District estimates – only a small portion of which were offset by sponsoring organizations.

And while Fargo said she sought out sponsored trips, the travel nonetheless cost taxpayers at least $44,000, for Fargo and occasionally for accompanying city staff members. It took Fargo out of Sacramento 135 days, causing her to miss 16 of 113 council meetings – 14 percent.

Some environmental experts question the necessity for journeying so far afield. And while some of Fargo's peers say she's emerged as a leader in the push toward a more environmentally conscious Sacramento, local environmentalists complain that Fargo hasn't shared innovative ideas culled from her trips and has failed to show leadership on some key local environmental and land use decisions.

Graham Brownstein, executive director of the Environmental Council of Sacramento, said disillusionment among local environmentalists grew after the mayor's recent State of the Downtown address on greening the central city. In her comments, Fargo advised citizens to lower their carbon emissions by walking more and getting rid of incandescent light bulbs.

"She seemed so completely detached about the reality of the scope of challenges we face with global warming, that it was almost beyond comprehension," Brownstein said. "Is that all she learned at those conferences? What else is there other than light bulbs?"

Fargo said her trips have resulted in important local environmental advances, including the creation of a city blueprint to cut energy use and greenhouse gases, called the Sustainability Master Plan.

And she said the conferences have allowed her to gather information, fight for funds and advocate on important issues, such as flood control and eminent domain. They also allow her to make and maintain relationships and raise her profile, she said, including on environmental issues.

"When I evaluate whether or not to travel, I look at what's good for the city and whether there's a benefit that makes sense, both in (terms of) my time and city resources," Fargo said. "I meet other mayors and talk about what cities need to do and can do."

City Councilman Ray Tretheway and West Sacramento Mayor Christopher Cabaldon both said Fargo has emerged as a leader at civic conferences. She's the incoming president of the League of California Cities, for instance, and a member of the advisory board for the U.S Conference of Mayors.

"She rolls up her sleeves, puts down her purse and goes to work," Cabaldon said, who himself has traveled abroad only once in his seven years as West Sacramento's part-time mayor. "Other mayors make a quick speech, do a press conference and they're nowhere to be seen. If you go to Washington, D.C., you won't find (Fargo) at the local club or bar."

Tourism benefits cited

For two months, The Bee has conducted dozens of interviews and analyzed hundreds of documents, most obtained through a Public Records Act request, to put together a list of where Fargo goes and what those trips have contributed to the city.

Fargo said one of her most important criteria in evaluating a potential trip is who foots the bill. She noted costs for her journeys to Israel, London, Paris, Japan and two trips to China were largely covered by other organizations, sparing the city the cost.

For her China trip in 2005, for instance, the Sacramento Convention and Visitors Bureau paid $3,300 and considered it a good marketing opportunity, bureau officials said.

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