SACRAMENTO, March 12 (UPI) -- Former NBA star Kevin Johnson is running for mayor in Sacramento, his home town.
Since he retired from the Phoenix Suns in 1998, the 42-year-old Johnson, a graduate of Cal-Berkeley, has had a hand in several ventures, including public service and business.
He founded Saint Hope, a non-profit organization that runs Sacramento Charter High School, and owns several properties in the city's Oak Park section.
"As I went out the last month and talked to people around the city, folks have said to me they believe city government is non-responsive, tired, uninspired and bureaucratic," he said when he announced his candidacy in the Democratic primary on June 3. They want something different in Sacramento. Sacramento seems like a city that is against everything and for nothing."
Johnson is one of five announced challengers to four-time incumbent Mayor Heather Fargo, who again is running for re-election.
A California State University study concluded the race will be "wide open."
