If you think church means sitting quietly in a pew, listening to organ music and thinking reflective thoughts, then you've never been to the Arcade Church Block Party. Bounce houses, classic cars, face painting, area civic snd health groups, motorcycles, and more food than you can imagine were all served up to a huge crowd, while band after band took the stage for entertainment.

This was the Committee's third year as part of the block party. It seems like just a few weeks ago that in 2006, we manned a booth and gathered petitions to get cityhood on the ballot. Now two years later, we are still moving toward that goal, getting closer a step at a time.

Thanks to everyone at Arcade for letting us be a part of this exciting day. Save us a couple burgers and Little Debbie's for next year!

For many on the committee, July 4th is our favorite holiday of the year. It's always exciting to see celebrations of community spirit and patriotism, and even better to be a part of the festivities.

This year's July 4th Parade by the Fulton-El Camino Parks District was a rousing success by all standards. Joined by our friends Jim & Bunny Flanagan, who brought their 1941 Cadillac Eldorado, and Cub Scouts from Pack 335 (from Mission Avenue Open School), committee members, families, and other supporters were proud to be part of the parade.

Walkers were pleased to hear shouts of suport and encouragement from those watching on the street. It was exciting to see that the public knows that the incorporation process is still moving forward, and judging by the feedback we received, more local residents are showing their support.

The parade also marked the debut of our new committee T-shirts, with Uncle Sam reminding us that it's our suty to choose. Keep watching the site for information on how you can get one of these shirts for your very own, and be the fashion hit of the season!

After the parade ended, we met and talked with several residents (and a few others) at our booth in Howe Park, and were again excited to see the level of support and encouragement we received. Of course, free sandwiches from Chick-Fil-A and cold water courtesy of Emigh Hardware only helped to make the day better.

Thanks to all who turned out to make this event so memorable.

In the early hours of Saturday morning, Howe Park is usually quiet as the neighborhood stirs to life. But this week, the park awakened to the sounds of a small community being built from the group up, to sustain several hundred volunteers in the second annual Arden Arcade Relay for Life event. Teams from all over our area, including Best Buy, Raley's and several from Sac State, along with our committee, gathered to walk in this fundraiser for cancer research.

Participating teams for the relay agree to have someone walking the 1/6 mile track for 24 hours straight, typically in one hour increments. Several committee members, their families, and other supporters, stayed active on the track for hours on end, while other team members camped out inside the track area and urged their teams on.

Fortunately, several sponsors provided a constant supply of food and drinks to sustain the walkers. Sac Metro Fire also bar-b-queued dinners for the walkers, and hosted a movie night with popcorn for those staying over with their teams.

The committee raised nearly $750 for cancer research, and we look forward to topping that amount next year!

On Saturday, April 19th, the Arden Manor Park District held its inaugural Celebration Day. Committee members Cole and Michele Sawyer, and Chair Joel Archer were proud to be included in the festivities.

Following a morning pancake breakfast, attendees were treated to traditional picnic games such as potato sack races, as well as a magician, and exhibitions by local police, fire, and Red Cross units. Several community agencies, including our committee, were on hand to meet the attendees and distribute educational materials. A garage sale fundraiser was also held to support the district's Piranha swim team.

Our representatives were pleased to be able to chat with the people that came by and answer questions they had about incorporation. We look forward to partnering with the Arden Manor Recreation and Parks District for years to come, and wish the district much success for future celebrations.

Recently the committee was made aware of a staff report document form the City of Sacramento Planning Commission that details the city's plans for future annexations. Although the city has publicly denied being interested in annexing Arden Arcade at this time, we are listed in the document as one of their proposed annexation targets. You can see the document on the City of Sacramento web site here. Arden Arcade information is on page 12.

The document does report that Arden Arcade is in the process of putting incorporation on the ballot, and that annexation plans will move forward if the incorporation fails. So if we fail to become a city, we can look forward to increased taxes and fees, and even less representation than we have now.

Arden Arcade's venerable Northminster Presvyterian Church played host to our latest commubnity information meeting, with a focus on how the new city will be able to work with outside organizations such as schools, parks and libraries to strengthen our community. Cathy Capriola, Administrative Services Director for Citrus Heights, spoke compellingly abolut what their city has done to improve several San Juan Unified schools, along with local parks and libraries.

Ms. Capriola also shared how Citrus Heights has developed a philosophy of "We don't have to own it to help", which has allowed the city to directly fund special projects with these organizations, as well as helping to secure funding through state and federal grants for other programs.

The committee sincerely appreciates Ms. Capriola's willingness to come out and share her valuable insight into this topic.

At their regular meeting on March 5th, Sacramento LAFCo announced that due to improper oversight of consultants working on the incorporation project, the goal of a November 2008 election was no longer reachable.

Following is the Committee response:

Arden Arcade Cityhood Proponents Demand the Right to Vote this Fall

Sacramento Local Area Formation Commission’s (LAFCo) Failure to Complete Necessary Studies on Time Should Not Delay Cityhood Efforts

The right for people to choose their own government is one of the bedrock principles on which this nation was founded. On March 5th, the Sacramento Local Area Formation Commission (LAFCo) denied the residents of Arden Arcade the opportunity to vote for cityhood in the election this November.

Despite the contractual obligation of LAFCo to complete the necessary studies, LAFCo has admittedly mismanaged the contracts, and work will not be completed in time to make the November 2008 ballot deadline. The cityhood proponents are aggressively investigating the reasons for this mismanagement and are seeking legal advice and all venues to rectify this injustice.

Incorporatiom Committee members were pleased to present a community business forum. We were joined by several local leaders to hear an exciting talk from Henry Tingle, City Manager of Citrus Heights. Henry shared with us how Citrus Heights has been able to partner with area businesses to help improve commerce in the city.

At the regular meeting of Sacramento Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCo), the commission announced that it had failed to properly manage contracts with consultants who had been hired to complete an Environmental Impact Report and a Comprehensive Fiscal Analysis. Executive Office Peter Brundage admitted responisbility for the mishandling, stating that the problem was entirely his fault.

LAFCo commissioners have taken the position that because the contracts were mishandled, it is no longer possible to have the vote for incorporation on the ballot in November, 2008. Incorporation Committee members are taking a closer look at the situation to see if other remedies are feasible.

Incorporation Committee members Trish Harrington and Joel Archer were invited to speak at the regular association meeting to present reasons for cityhood. Dr. Mike Duvenek also spoke in opposition to incorporation. After brief presentations by all three, audience members engaged in a spirited debate over the merits of becoming a city. Several members testified as to how they have seen improvements in police protection, code enforcement, and other municipal services in the newer cities in Sacramento County.

At the end of the session, it was suggested that the association host another informational meeting, strictly as a question and answer time. Watch for details as they become available.

On January 8, the Arden Arcade Incorporation Committee hosted another community informational meeting at the Arden Dimmick Library. Like previous meetings, committe members made short presentations about areas of interest to local residents, and how cityhood could improve life for all of Arden Arcade. Particular emphasis was given to digging deeper into the facts for a clear understanding of what cityhood would mean to area residents.

Our special guesst for the evening was Ralph Marcello, Arden Arcade resident and municipal auditor, who spoke about the financial viability of the proposed city, as well as answering questions on financial matters from the audience.

Despite horrible weather and technical difficulties, the event was well-attended, and committee members were encouraged by the reactions of our guests.

The Arcade Library near Marconi and Fulton played host to our regular community informational meeting. Several community residents came to hear presentations by committe members and enjoy learning more about cityhood.

Committee Chair Joel Archer spoke about the vision the committee has for cityhood, about making Arden Arcade a safe, propserous, and beautiful community for all our residents.

Imagine going to the dealer to buy a new car, agreeing on a price, getting approval for financing, and signing a contract. Then when you come back to pick up your new car, being told that you would have to come up with an extra ten thousand dollars to pay for someone else's car as well.

With the cityhood proposal submitted and agreed on months ago, Sacramento LAFCo has decided to change the rules again in mid-stream to require that the Incorporation Committee fund an additional $40,000 to pay for studying whether it would be in the best interests of Arden Arcade to be annexed to the City of Sacramento.

The Incorporation Committe not only believes that ti is unfair for LAFCo to require additional studies that were not in the original agreed-upon proposal, at the committee's expense, but that annexation by the city of Sacramento would be one of the worst possible alternatives for our community. Being absorbed into the big city would mean the loss of our special districts (water, parks, and Sac Metro Fire), along with the exchange of one large buerocracy for another. Not one of the many benefits the committee has identified from cityhood would come to pass as a result of annexation.

We encourage all Arden Arcade residents to contact your County Supervisor and your LAFCo Commissioner to voice your opinions on annexation.

Members of the Arden Arcade Incorporation Committee were proud to join with local businesses and organizations by taking part in the Arden Arcade 4th of July Parade and Celebration, hosted by the Fulton - El Camino Parks District.

Members of the committee marched the parade route, accompanied by a vintage Mercedes-Benz convertible, with a banner reading "Reserved for Future Mayor of Arden Arcade". Those watching the parade as it passed showed their appreciation with cheers and shouts of support.

After the parade had completed its route, members joined with others at Howe Park, where a booth was set up to meet with community residents and discuss the benefits of cityhood. Committee member and resident Ed Dickey noted that "we were all very encouraged by the support of those who stopped by. Many people told us that they were in favor of cityhood, and several asked for more information about the initiative. But not one person that I talked with spoke out against the effort".

With the temperature topping out in the upper 90's, committee members were especially pleased to be located next to Emigh Hardware, who were giving bottled water to guests, and Merlino's, who tempted the crowd with lemon and strawberry freezes.

On February 27, 2007, members of the Arden Arcade Incorporation Committee met at the offices of LAFCO to turn in 12,626 signed petitions from local residents supporting cityhood. Although the signatures have yet to be validated, the number gathered is well in excess of the needed 9500. Because of this, the committee members feel very confident that there will be more than enough valid signatures to place the issoe of cityhood on the ballot in November, 2008.

At this point, it is the responsibility of LAFCO to validate the gathered signatures. LAFCO is a county organization whose purpose is to oversee the process of incorporation for any area of Sacramento County that wishes to do so. LAFCO will also oversee other requirements for cityhood, such as environmental impact reports and other research and documentation.

Incorporation Committee Chair Joel Archer said that with the petitions turned in, we have passed another major milestone on the path to cityhood. With the number of petitions that have been gathered, we have demonstrated to the county, and to our community, that this issue is real, and important to the citizens of Arden Arcade.

On February 15, 2007, the Arden Arcade Incorporation Committee joined with supporters, local school and civic groups, area dignitaries, and the community at large to celebrate reaching the first major milestone in the drive toward cityhood, reaching the number of petition signatures needed to place the question on the November 2008 ballot.

The evening started off with exciting music, courtesy of the El Camino High School band. Next, the U.S. Flag was presented by Cub Scouts from Pack #335 (Mission Avenue Open School). To cap off the opening of the event, a special video presentation was shown, with slides detailing the many points of interest within our community.

Committee Marketing Director Josh Wood then acted as Master of Ceremonies while various committee members made short presentations on the history of the cityhood initiative, the proposed financial management of the new city, opportunities for planning and development, and other topics of interest. We were honored to have the current Mayor of Rancho Cordova, David Sander, and Citrus Heights Council member, Jeannie Bruins, speak about how cityhood has improved the security, economy, and quality of life for their communities.

As the grand finale of the evening, Committee Chair Joel Archer took the podium to announce that the petition drive has succeeded in acquiring 13,591 signatures, well in excess of the 9500 needed to place the issue on the ballot. While these signatures still needed to be validated by the County, the number of signatures gathered was a testament to the strong sense of purpose that the cityhood initiative has forged within the community.

Several local media outlets, including news teams from various television channels, were on hand to record the success and pass information along to the community.