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“The writing was on the wall. We thought we could ride it out, but … we just couldn’t continue to raise our prices,” said David Fahn, who owns Muzio with father Mervin Fahn, who bought into the business in 1955, eventually taking over the bakery. “We’re not making money, we’re losing money.”

“We needed to ask the employees to make some concessions in pay,” David Fahn said. “We notified the union that this was our final- final offer to keep us from the breaking point.”

But the concessions were too great, said Jerry Gil, an agent with the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union Local 58, the local bakers union. Among them, a cut in pay from $18 to $10 an hour. A second option would have cut pay to $16 an hour, but employees would no longer receive health benefits, he said.

A counteroffer in which employees would contribute more money toward the company’s benefits plan was rejected, Gil said.

Fourteen employees, including the company’s eight bakers, will lose their jobs. Source SacBee

Johnson is looking very nervous tonight.  She is answering the moderators questions very articulate, the answers are wrong, but she is articulate!

Cole Hamels escaped trouble to win his fourth postseason start, and Chase Utley hit a two-run homer in the first inning for the Phillies, who showed little evidence of rust.

They’ll try to make it two in a row at Tropicana Field when Brett Myers pitches against James Shields in Game 2 on Thursday.

The team that won the opener has won the Series 63 of 103 times, including 10 of the last 11. But the team with home-field advantage has won 18 of the last 22 titles.

The Rays flopped in their first game in Major League Baseball’s ultimate event, managing just five hits.

Hamels, MVP of the National League Championship Series, improved to 4-0 with a 1.55 ERA this postseason. The composed left-hander allowed two runs and five hits in seven innings.

Ryan Madson pitched a perfect eighth. Brad Lidge worked the ninth for his 47th save in 47 chances this year, silencing the Rays and their cowbell-clanging fans.

We are certainly looking forward to Game 2!

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Kevin Johnson received a big boost Sunday in the race for mayor against incumbent Heather Fargo, getting endorsed by Sacramento’s largest daily newspaper. 

The Sacramento Bee officially endorsed the former NBA star, citing that the city is ready for “new leadership and a new navigator,” according to the newspaper’s Web site. 

The newspaper’s editorial also referred to Johnson’s knowledge of some of Sacramento’s most troubled neighborhoods — including Del Paso Heights and Oak Park — and said the city was ready for change. 

Johnson told KCRA 3 Sunday the endorsement was “major” for his campaign, while Fargo said she “will probably win anyway.” 

“I think if people actually read that editorial and notice the fact that they highlight the fact that he’s (Johnson) under federal investigation but they’re (the Bee) still supporting him, there’s some mixed messages in that editorial,” Fargo said. 

Sacramento Bee page editor David Holwerk said Sunday that the editorial calls both candidates imperfect. 

“This one was made more complicated by the fact that the mayor was seeking a third term, which would be unprecedented here.” 

At a mayoral debate held Saturday, both Johnson and Fargo discussed how to improve the city’s economy, the proposal of a new arena at Cal Expo and recent cuts made to the police department.  Source

Here is the story from the Sac Bee:

Voters trying to decide who should be the next mayor of Sacramento face clear choices and a difficult decision.

Both the clarity and the difficulty derive from the records of the candidates for mayor. Heather Fargo, seeking an unprecedented third term, is for better or worse a proven quantity. Her opponent, Kevin Johnson, is for better or worse a mass of question marks and potential.

Both have strengths that appeal to voters. Fargo has deep experience thanks to her two terms as mayor and three terms on the City Council. Many voters are likely to be drawn to her as the candidate more likely to keep things running at City Hall.

Johnson, well known from his career as a basketball player but making his first race for public office, is a hometown success story with a deep commitment to Sacramento and to the Oak Park neighborhood where he grew up. Many voters will be drawn to him because of his energy and dynamic personality.

But while each of the candidates has distinct strengths, both candidates also have serious weaknesses.

In Fargo’s case, the weakness is her leadership, or in some cases the absence of it. In two terms as mayor, she has worked hard on a vital public safety issue – flood control. While she can point to progress downtown and in midtown neighborhoods, that progress has been halting, and much of it took place without her involvement. Her efforts to lead on the development of a new arena for the Sacramento Kings were inept. She has seemed oblivious to the rise in crime in recent years and the needs of the city’s public schools. This is not the kind of track record voters should expect from such an experienced officeholder.

Kevin Johnson, too, is flawed. His efforts to rebuild Oak Park through both the St. HOPE nonprofit and his development business have been admirable. But they are clouded by a federal investigation of St. HOPE’s Hood Corps contract and Johnson’s inclination to take on too many projects at once.

His conduct of this campaign has raised questions about his judgment. With the city facing a huge budget deficit next year, he has promised to increase spending on public safety and has signed a pledge to support a vague but expensive proposal by the powerful firefighters union. The most charitable interpretation of these actions is that he has a lot to learn.

So how, given the candidates’ strengths and weaknesses, are voters to decide? Start by naming your top priority for the city – developing the riverfront, combating gangs, diversifying the local economy, whatever – and then ask yourself this: Is that goal more likely to be accomplished through more of the same or through a new direction in the mayor’s office?

The answer, it seems to us, is that it’s time for new leadership and a new navigator. That makes Kevin Johnson the better choice.

Johnson, more than Fargo, has a vision for what Sacramento’s next century could look like. He’s spent time traveling to other cities, networking and learning about innovations that would help Sacramento mature.

More than Fargo, Johnson has an interest, and an awareness, in the city’s more troubled neighborhoods. He’d be a champion of Del Paso Heights, Meadowview and Oak Park, along with newer neighborhoods, such as the Pocket area and North Natomas.

In voting for Kevin Johnson, Sacramentans will be opting for change, not writing a blank check. They will be saying they are willing to take a chance on him, because they believe he can grow into a mayor who can make Sacramento a better place to live.

The next mayor must guide the city through a period of financial challenges. That will require energy, to be sure, but it also will require toughness, flexibility and vision. In this race between two imperfect candidates, Kevin Johnson has the better chance to deliver what Sacramento needs.  Source

BELGRADE, Serbia – Former NBA star Vlade Divac has become an adviser in Serbia’s government. 

The 40-year-old said he will be in charge of humanitarian issues and sports, and will work with Vice Premier Ivica Dacic. 

The ex-Los Angeles Lakers and Sacramento Kings center told reporters Thursday he has taken up the post in order to help promote humanitarian work in Serbia.

After retiring from basketball, Divac moved to his native Serbia, where he has a business and runs a humanitarian organization.

Over the summer, Mervyns had filed for chapter 11 protection from its creditors in U.S. bankruptcy court for the District of Delaware. The company said at the time that it planned to continue business as usual while it reorganized. 

The privately-held retailer, which has languished for several years, operates about 175 locations in seven states - but primarily in California. 

Industry observers said the chain’s heavy concentration in California, which is among the states hardest hit by the housing crisis, had made a turnaround very hard. 

The 59-year-old chain had also been squeezed between high-end department stores and discounters like Wal-Mart Stores. 

It had been shuttering stores and leaving states such as Oregon and Washington since 2005, after a consortium of private equity players including Sun Capital Partners bought Mervyns from Target for $1.2 billion. 

Mervyns officials declined to comment Thursday evening, except to say there would be some type of announcement from the company on Friday. Employees at Mervyns corporate headquarters told CBS 5 that they were asked not to talk with the media.

Around sunset, residents were warned to stay on alert during the night and winds more than 60 mph were forecast.

More than 1,000 firefighters and nine water-dropping aircraft battled the 4,700-acre Marek Fire at the northeast end of the San Fernando Valley, and the 5,000-acre Sesnon Fire at the west end.

Winds blew up to 45 mph with gusts reaching 70 mph at midday. They were forecast to diminish in the evening before roaring over 60 mph after 11 p.m.

“This fire has the real potential of moving from where it is now … as far as Pacific Coast (Highway),” said Los Angeles County Fire Chief P. Michael Freeman.