Around the nation, new Sacramento mayoral candidate Kevin Johnson is best known for his flashy drives to the basket and keen passing ability while a member of the NBA’s Phoenix Suns. But many Sacramentans know him differently, including Sacramento County Supervisor – and former mayor – Jimmie Yee.

Due to his admiration for Johnson’s non-basketball-related accomplishments, which consist of local, civic improvements, Yee announced his endorsement last week of Johnson in his bid to replace Sacramento Mayor Heather Fargo at a press conference outside city hall.

It has been nearly a decade since Johnson traded in his purple and orange-colored jersey in the “Valley of the Sun” for a business suit in the capital city of California. And since this time, Johnson has built an entirely different reputation in his hometown of Sacramento, where he has served as CEO of St. HOPE, his non-profit community development corporation. The corporation was designed to “revitalize inner-city communities through public education, economic development, civic leadership and arts enrichment.”

Through this corporation, Johnson led a resurgence of his alma mater – the underachieving Sacramento High School – which was eventually transformed into a high-performing charter school. The school has since received national recognition as a leader in the transformation high school movement.

Furthermore, Johnson drew much public attention through his improvements to the Oak Park community where he was raised.

Through a community development approach, Johnson’s St. HOPE has impacted Oak Park to the tune of 14 new business additions, 282 new jobs and $11 million in development.

St. HOPE-led improvements to the area include: a 25,000-square-foot, mixed-use facility and the rehabilitation of the 40 Acres Art Gallery and Cultural Center.

It is through these and other local projects that Yee said led him to his decision to endorse Johnson for mayor.

“The reason I’m endorsing Kevin is because he brings a breath of fresh air into the election and he could bring a new energy and vision to the city council, which it needs,” Yee said. “What he has done (in the community) is what impressed me to support him. He’s a hometown boy, who grew up in Oak Park and went to Sacramento High School and onto to the University of California, Berkeley and then he became a star in the NBA, being on the All-Star Team for three years. We all know accurately that Kevin can live wherever he wants, but he chose to come back to Sacramento and he chose to try to rebuild his old neighborhood of Oak Park and he’s done it.”

Yee added that he is also impressed with Johnson’s “down to earth” demeanor.

“The other part that impressed me is that even though he was popular and well known as a basketball player, it didn’t go to his head,” Yee said. “And right after he made it in the NBA, he came back to Sacramento and he decided he wanted to help the youth of Oak Park and he started St. HOPE academy. He put his money where his mouth was and he was willing to support the things that he couldn’t have when he was a kid. That shows you where his heart is and by putting his money where his mouth is, it shows commitment that he’s willing to do what he says.”

Yee said that he gained a greater appreciation for Johnson through his dedication to transforming Sacramento High School into a charter school.

“He decided that the education level at Sacramento High could be improved and he took it upon himself to do that by establishing Sacramento Charter High School,” Yee said. “And today, you can’t believe the success story of Sacramento High. He has more than doubled the number of students qualifying to attend the University of California [system].”

More specifically, 79 percent of the 2007 graduating class at Sacramento Charter High School met the University of California college entrance requirements.

By comparison, in 2003, only 38 percent of the school’s graduates were accepted to four-year colleges.

As St. HOPE’s involvement with the high school further matures, the organization continues to succeed as a whole.

St. HOPE’s overall current and planned economic and real estate development investments total $14 million and during the past five years, the organization has attracted another $14 million in philanthropic dollars to the community.

Johnson said that he greatly appreciates Yee’s endorsement, considering his experience and longstanding position in local government.

“It means a great deal to have someone of such legendary respect as Jimmie Yee to endorse me,” Johnson said. “I can’t think of a better person in Sacramento to have endorsing me than Jimmie Yee. He is so respected and he has so much knowledge in so many aspects of city government and he’s just going to be a tremendous resource.”

Yee said that his decision to endorse Johnson was not done without some serious contemplation.

“It’s not easy to step out from where I’m at to endorse Kevin Johnson, because there are repercussions anytime you come out and endorse an opponent against an incumbent mayor,” Yee said. “People have to understand that that’s what the democratic process is all about. It’s not easy to make a decision, but I’ve put a lot of thought into it and I made my decision.”

Mayor Fargo, in a written statement to The Union, responded to The Union’s inquiry as to what she felt about Yee’s endorsement, considering her many years of working with Yee in local government.

“These things happen in campaigns. People make endorsements for different reasons,” Fargo wrote. “I am proud of the endorsements that I have received, including many local business leaders, community leaders and the entire city council.”

Fargo told the Associated Press she was “looking forward to holding my record up against [Johnson’s] record. I think the voters will find more credibility and progress in my record than his.”

“We’ve been making a lot of progress throughout the city,” she said in the AP report. “[Johnson] has a great image and a great star quality as a basketball player, but that’s a far different job than being mayor of a city.”

Public reports point to Fargo having $55,000 raised for the June election; Johnson recently loaned his campaign $500,000.

Yee was extremely brief when asked to comment about why he feels that Johnson is the superior candidate compared to Fargo.

“The one thing I have made a commitment to is that I’m not going to badmouth Mayor Fargo,” Yee said.

Yee explained his response, noting that his words paralleled the sentiments of Johnson.

“Kevin Johnson and I both believe the campaign should be run on the high road and so instead of focusing or commenting on the negative things about the current mayor, our purpose is to focus on the good things that Kevin Johnson will bring to the office,” Yee said.

In terms of influencing votes in the election, which will be held June 3, Yee said that his endorsement of Johnson will attract many votes for Johnson from the Asian community.

“I’m certain that it will (attract Asian voters) because I’ve been in the (Asian) community for a long time,” Yee said. “I’m a hometown boy and I’m a native of Sacramento. I grew up in Sacramento and I’ve socialized and I’ve worked on many organizations within the Asian community. They know who I am, they respect me and I think I make good choices. And I don’t do it without a lot of thinking, so I had given it a lot of thought before I joined Kevin. But I think he is the right person at the right time.”

Sacramento resident Victor Yee (not related to Jimmie Yee) said that as someone of Asian decent, he was influenced by Jimmie Yee’s endorsement.

“Jimmie Yee definitely influenced my decision to vote for Kevin Johnson,” said Victor Yee during a March 16 public gathering at Johnson’s headquarters at 16th and U streets in Sacramento. “Jimmie Yee is very well respected and I wasn’t familiar with Kevin until Jimmie brought him to my attention. He’s done so much for Sacramento and that’s why I’m here today.”

Jimmie Yee said that if Johnson becomes the city’s next mayor, he will have a lot of responsibilities and important decisions ahead of him.

“Right now with the ($50 million) budget deficit that the city of Sacramento has, that’s a huge problem that will still have to be worked out,” Jimmie Yee said. “Economic development is another thing and I know that Kevin Johnson, being a business person, is very good with development. The railyards certainly is a huge project and Kevin will have to put himself in gear to try to get that thing done.”

Concerning the arena issue, Jimmie Yee said that Johnson already understands that public financing is “not the way to fly” and that if there is ever going to be a new arena in Sacramento, the funds would have to be acquired by alternative means.

“I think we all want to keep the Kings here,” Jimmie Yee said. “The Kings are a big asset. They put the city of Sacramento on the map and they’re a big part of why people want to live in Sacramento.”

Johnson said that although he is pleased with Yee’s endorsement and would appreciate endorsements from other high-ranking officials, he places great value on endorsements of any local citizen.

“It doesn’t matter where you live, it doesn’t matter if you’ve ever held an elected office, you have a vote and I want people to get in the habit of understanding how valuable and what a privilege it is to be able to cast that vote,” Johnson said.

Although one high-ranking local official, County Supervisor Roger Dickinson, expressed to The Union his interest in the mayoral race, he added that he has no definitive plan to endorse one of the candidates.

“I haven’t made any decision about an endorsement at this point, but I wouldn’t rule out an endorsement,” Dickinson said.

But as for Jimmie Yee, his commitment to endorsing Johnson remains notably strong and extremely positive.

“I look forward to a very exciting campaign and I know that when the votes are all counted, Kevin Johnson will be our next mayor for the city of Sacramento,” Jimmie Yee said.