Sometimes, the old ways are best.
Like the time tested trick of ending an argument by sending the disputing parties into a room and telling them not to come out until they’ve found a solution.
That’s what I did Tuesday night when I stopped the Sacramento City Council meeting in mid-round and asked the city attorney, city manager’s staff and representatives from Nestle to move into a side room and work out their differences.
It wasn’t pretty. It was highly unorthodox. It was big news. But it worked.
I was hoping the Nestle controversy wouldn’t come to that.
For me, the Nestle story is pretty simple. It’s all about jobs. Nestle is bringing jobs to Sacramento with the company’s new water bottling plant.
I hate to state the obvious, but jobs are good.
I appreciate the concerns of citizens who worry about water use and conservation. The city has asked residents to conserve. The city can't ignore industrial water use. Those concerns should be discussed and addressed.
But in this case, Nestle followed the rules. They pulled their permits and put construction crews to work.
They were pumping money into the Sacramento economy when a political fight broke out involving a city council member, the city attorney and city manager’s staff. Nestle was left on the sideline, saying, “What did we do to deserve this?”
Putting the politics aside, let’s remember one thing:
Nestle is bringing jobs at a time when jobs are desperately needed in Sacramento.
It’s easy for some people to dismiss the significance of the 40 or so jobs the plant will provide. It’s especially easy if you already have a job.
But for the more than 2,000 people who applied for those 40 jobs, the presence of Nestle in Sacramento is not a political or environmental question. It’s a matter of economics and hope.
When I heard Nestle was bringing a plant to Sacramento, I was excited. I believe Sacramento should do everything possible to encourage businesses to move here and hire our citizens.
I’m sorry we sent the wrong message to Nestle and the business community.
As far as I’m concerned, the more jobs, the better. Now let’s get back to work.
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