Sacramento State is a jewel in the Sacramento region, said Mayor Kevin Johnson during his state of the city speech in the University Ballroom today. Johnson detailed his plan for the Sacramento region in the upcoming year.

Johnson said that he is committed to the relationship between Sac State and the City of Sacramento established earlier in the August 2008 Memorandum of Understanding and wanted to expand it.

“We don’t just want sign a document once a year,” Johnson said. “When I campaigned for Mayor, Sac State was the most underappreciated resource in the Sacramento region.”

Johnson said that he is meeting with Sac State President Alexander Gonzalez on Thursday to discuss the relationship between the campus and the city.

He also said that Sac State is crucial for Sacramento’s growing green technology industry.

“For green tech, you need capital, research and intellectual capital,” Johnson said. “Sac State has two of those three.”

Sophomore anthropology major Stephanie Solorio said that she supports Johnson’s efforts with the school, but thinks he will not be able to make it a reality.

“I think he will try,” Solorio said. “But he won’t be able to succeed because of the economic crisis. I support him completely, but he will most likely not follow through.”

Faculty Senate Chairman Bruce Bikle said he thinks Johnson will be able to make improvements to Sac State and the city’s relationship.

“Our relationship with Sacramento has always been on and off,” Bikle said.

He did mention that Johnson entered into a recession, which Bikle said might help Sac State connect with the city. Sac State already provides applied research and revenue sources to the region, and economic stimulus projects could expand that. College students also patronize businesses and spend money in the region.

“Students are a major revenue source for the city by buying beer and pizza,” Bikle said.

Johnson’s speech also discussed how he plans on making Sacramento a destination city, not just the midpoint between San Francisco and Lake Tahoe.

His vision includes making the Sacramento area a green technology center, building a new arena for the Sacramento Kings and making Sacramento one of the safest cities in California.

The Memorandum signed by Gonzalez and former mayor Heather Fargo states that Sac State and the City of Sacramento would discuss opportunities for collaboration for planning and smart growth. They would also review the economic and workforce development projections for the city and make recommendations to address emerging trends.

It also set to establish a process for facilitating service learning, internship and applied research opportunities for Sac State students and faculty with city management, departments and programs.

Michael Mette can be reached at [email protected].