The swearing-in of Kevin Johnson

Posted by Matt

www.fromthecapitol.com

Kevin Johnson both talked to his past and set out goals for the future Tuesday night in a speech at his mayoral swearing-in event at Sacramento Memorial Auditorium. Most of the speech focused on Johnson's plan to address the three issues he said were paramount during his campaign: fostering jobs and economic development, reducing crime and promoting education. "I will find the dollars to make sure we have more police officers on the streets of Sacramento." And, "We will identify an external team to conduct a full audit of our city's finances." …

"Typically, the inauguration of the mayor is a small and private affair," Johnson said in his speech. "I wanted to do something different. I wanted to make it about community. I wanted to make it about civic engagement. I wanted to make it about all of you." …

With a speech theme of "Together We Can," Johnson tried to evoke the feeling associated with President-elect Barack Obama's "Yes We Can" campaign theme. "Together we can make this vision a reality. Together we can create a better Sacramento. Together we make this a world-class city. Together we can create a city that works for everyone," he concluded.

By far the highest-spending state

Posted by Dan Walters

sacbee.com/capitolalert

In the midst of a historically severe state budget crisis, the Census Bureau has released new data indicating that when it comes to spending money, California stands alone among the states.

The new Census Bureau report tags total state spending last year at $233.6 billion, roughly 15 percent of the state's economic output. The total includes not only the state's general fund spending, roughly $100 billion, but proceeds of special-fund revenues, such as gasoline taxes, borrowed money and federal funds.

California's total is about half again as big as that of the second-place state, New York, and well over twice that of Texas. It is, moreover, 65 times as much as that of the least-spending state, South Dakota.

Not surprisingly, California's total spending last year was $33 billion more than its total revenues, with bond proceeds accounting for most of the difference. The largest spending category was education at $72.8 billion, followed by welfare at $56.3 billion and health care, including hospitals, at $17.7 billion.

The Census Bureau says California was $114.7 billion in debt last year. The full report, including finances of other states, is available at www.census.gov/ govs/www/state07.html.

Discounts and doldrums

sacbee.com/blogs Frugality, bargains and plenty of places to park.

Black Friday unfolded at Sacramento's Westfield Downtown Plaza on Friday morning with less-than-overwhelming crowds and a sense that the economic downturn is for real.

"I'm looking for deals and I'm not buying as much," Deanne Velasco of Rio Linda said as she clutched a KB Toys bag containing a train set for her young son. She runs a crafts business, an industry that she said has been hit hard by the recession.

A little before 8 a.m., the only sense of frenzy was at Forever 21, where 40 or so women were lined up for the store's opening. Otherwise, things were orderly, maybe downright peaceful.

Janet Handley of Elk Grove was buying clothing for her two college-age children and acknowledging that things are iffy this year. She's a curriculum director for the public schools in Benicia – a position that she says could be on the chopping block if the district needs to cut back. She's cutting back as a precaution.

"I'm going to do about a third less than what we would normally do," she said.

Robert and Deneen Brown, a Seattle couple visiting family, were done shopping a little after 8 a.m. "We only have three bags," Deneen said. "Before, we would have had a carload."