A former faculty member of McClatchy High, Patrick Cosgrove’s works have been featured by Sacramento Fine Arts Center, Elk Grove Fine Arts Center, Santa Cruz Art League, Viewpoint Gallery Photographic Arts and more. His paintings reflect a search for rhythm, energy and a deep sense of home within the natural beauty of Northern California. Shown: “Three Mailboxes,” oil on canvas, 48 inches by 24 inches. To purchase contact patrickcosgroveart@gmail.com or visit cosgroveart.com.
SUBMISSIONS
SUBSCRIPTIONS
Submit editorial contributions to editor@insidepublications.com. Submit cover art to publisher@insidepublications.com.
Subscriptions at $25 per year guarantees 3rd class mailing. Pay online at insidesacramento.com or send check with name & address of recipient and specific magazine edition.
Fight Or Flight Fight Or Flight
BIRD HABITATS
Sunset along the lower American River. Hundreds of doublecrested cormorants perch high among cottonwood and black locust trees. The birds fly in nightly during winter to roost in a grove between Howe and Watt avenues.
The roost supports as many as 225 cormorants, likely the entire population on the lower American River, says Dan Airola, conservation chair with Central Valley Bird Club.
When Airola began observing the cormorants in 2019, there were 25 to 30 birds.
“It’s a very important place for this bird,” says Airola, also a member of the Sacramento Audubon Conservation Committee. “If you go anywhere along the river in the evenings, you will see cormorants flying both downstream to here and upstream to here.”
Yet, if the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ latest erosion-control work along the lower American River proceeds, hundreds of trees, including the cormorants’ roosting sites, will be bulldozed and replaced with rock and rubble.
The project, called Contract 3B, runs from the Howe Avenue bridge to east of Watt Avenue.
By Cathryn Rakich
Although the cormorants could relocate, “they have chosen this site, which indicates that it is better for
them than any available alternative site,” Airola says.
Open branches jet out over the river and provide sturdy perches for the cormorants to plunge into the water to feed on fish, dry off and rest.
“They like the trees that hang out over the water,” Airola says. “If anything disturbs them, they just dive off. They can get away quickly.”
The lower American River supports more than 200 bird species with its diverse habitats, including ponds, riparian vegetation, oak woodlands and grasslands.
The trees are important to ducks, herons and egrets who rest on logs and shorelines where foliage provides overhead protection. Birds such as hawks and magpies nest in branches. Resident, migratory and wintering birds forage in trees for insects and acorns.
Numerous species, including wood ducks and mergansers, nest in cavities of mature tree trunks near the river’s edge.
“The proposed Army Corps erosion project is slated to remove nearly all of these large, mature, streamside trees for riprap (large angular quarried rock) in this area,” says Candice Heinz, an environmental scientist who works in water resources.
The project targets more than 700 trees, including 300-year-old heritage oaks, for destruction.
“Some trees and shrubs located in the project footprint will need to be removed prior to the start of construction,” reports the Corps, adding that each site will be revegetated with “appropriate native species.”
“The proposed on-site replanting will consist primarily of small willows and coyote brush, and will not replace the habitat that these precious birds
Double-crested cormorants on lower American River.
Photo by Tony Whetstone
CARMICHAEL
www.eldoradosavingsbank.com
*The initial Annual Percentage Rate (APR) is currently 6.75% for a new Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC), and is xed for the rst 5 years of the loan which is called the draw period. After the initial 5 year period, the APR can change once based on the value of an Index and Margin. The Index is the weekly average yield on U.S. Treasury Securities adjusted to a constant maturity of 10 years and the margin is 3.50%. The current APR for the repayment period is 8.125%. The maximum APR that can apply any time during your HELOC is 15%. A qualifying transaction consists of the following conditions: (1) the initial APR assumes a maximum HELOC of $200,000, and a total maximum Loan-to-Value (LTV) of 70% including the new HELOC and any existing 1st Deed of Trust loan on your residence; (2) your residence securing the HELOC must be a single-family home that you occupy as your primary residence; (3) if the 1st Deed of Trust loan is with a lender other than El Dorado Savings Bank, that loan may not exceed $300,000, have a total maximum loan-to-value (LTV) of 65% and may not be a revolving line of credit. Additional property restrictions and requirements apply. All loans are subject to appraisal or property evaluation. This cost will be disclosed in your commitment letter and paid at loan closing. Property insurance is required and ood insurance may be required. Rates, APR, terms and conditions are subject to change without notice. Other
A
closure fee will be assessed if the line of credit is closed within three years from the date of
the rst anniversary of the
and
for
rely on,” Heinz says. “In addition, some studies suggest that the jagged riprap will likely never support the necessary root growth of large, mature trees again.”
Airola notes that mitigation plantings will take decades to replace the foraging habitats. “Oaks typically don’t begin to produce acorns until 15 to 20 years old,” he says.
Another impact on birds is the proposed removal of Urrutia Pond near Discovery Park. For mitigation, the large permanent pond will be replaced with seasonally flooded vegetation.
During the day, cormorants, gulls, geese, ducks, coots and other waterbirds feed and rest at Urrutia Pond. At dusk, hundreds of wintering birds arrive to roost on the calm water after feeding on the lower American River.
“The environmental and birding community understand and support the need for flood protection,” Airola says. “But we have not been given adequate information to convince us that the proposed flood-protection designs, which will destroy important habitat for birds and a variety of other wildlife, must be so damaging.”
After receiving more than 1,900 comments from the public and local agencies, the Corps has delayed Contract 3B until 2026. However, vegetation clearing begins this fall.
For information, visit americanrivertrees.com and spk.usace. army.mil.
Cathryn Rakich can be reached at crakich@surewest.net. Previous columns can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram: @insidesacramento. n
Readers ask how they can contribute to Inside Sacramento. Here’s how. Consider a paid supporting membership starting at $19.95 a year. Use the QR code and help support our mission to deliver local news. Sign up for our weekly newsletter at insidesacramento.com.
Love
When should you consider a new home?
As a homeowner, there may come a time when your current home just isn’t what you need it to be.
Here are four situations in which you should consider whether a new place is the right choice.
1. A Changing Household: Whether you’re having more children, inviting an older relative to move in, or becoming an empty nester, family changes may be a smart reason to buy a new place. At that point, you can choose a home that ts all of your needs.
2. A New Job: Have you found a new job with a different commute? It might be time to consider buying a home closer to the of ce. Shortening your commute could make your days more productive and improve your overall quality of life.
3. Changing Priorities: Urban, suburban and rural communities offer different things. If you want a slower-paced lifestyle, acreage to raise animals, or hustle and bustle, moving homes may be necessary.
4. Costly Renovations: If the updates your home needs are expensive, buying a new place might be a good move.
Where You Live
If you’re ready for a new home, get in touch today. We can work together to nd a place that meets your needs.
ANGELA HEINZER
916.212.1881 | angela@houserealestate.com
angelaheinzer.com House Real Estate CalBRE #01004189 Experience you can trust for over 35 years
Civic Dashboard of City and County Projects
Local Government Accountability & Monitoring by Inside Sacramento
FRONT STREET ANIMAL SHELTER
Increased euthanasia rates, animals released without spaying/neutering, healthy cats turned away, 1,000plus service calls awaiting a response.
EMPTY OLD SAC WATERFRONT SITE
Rio City Cafe closed after landlord—the city—failed to maintain outdoor dining deck. City loses $250,000 annual rent from mothballed restaurant. Eighty jobs lost.
SOUTHSIDE POOL CLOSURE
Public pool serves low income and minority residents. Closed by city for repairs in 2022. As Assembly member, Mayor Kevin McCarty secured $500,000 to
PEDESTRIAN DEATHS
More than 250 people killed by vehicles since 2017, fatalities and serious injuries on city streets by 2027.
AMERICAN RIVER LEVEE
Up to 700 trees and miles of habitat face destruction on American River Army Corps project, threatening wildlife and recreation. Residents want less disruptive approach to flood control
TINY HOMES FOR UNSHELTERED
houses for homeless people in 2022, but the dwellings sit empty due to red tape and location disputes.
BICYCLE BRIDGE OVER I-5
City ordered $12 million bike bridge at I-5 and Riverside demolished because of substandard concrete and rebar. City won’t explain why quality control procedures didn’t work.
SAC RIVER LEVEE PUBLIC ACCESS
Levee parkway and bike trail promised to PocketGreenhaven community in 1975, still not completed. City fearful of lawsuits by handful of anti-river access residents.
Use this QR Code to link to our webpage tracking the history, documents and updates to these projects each month. For more information contact publisher@insidepublications.com
End Of An Era
MIDTOWN FIXTURE READIES TO CLOSE ITS DOORS
After almost five decades as Sacramento’s go-to gift store, Mixed Bag in Midtown will close at the end of March.
Mixed Bag is known for fun, engaging merchandise, including cards, candles, ornaments, holiday décor, home goods, personal care items, toys and more.
Linda and Tom Novi bought the store, located at the corner of 24th and K streets, in 2019 from its original owner Susan Larson.
“We purchased Mixed Bag with a five-year game plan,” Linda says. “We are tired now and ready to sit back and
enjoy the family.” The store’s lease runs out March 31.
“We tried to sell but have not been able to,” Linda adds. “It’s tough retail out there. So many people are buying online.”
Linda and staff invite shoppers to stop in and say goodbye. “Our customers have been so loyal and supportive,”
Linda says. “Six months after we bought the store COVID hit. If it hadn’t been for our loyal customer base, we never would have made it through.”
Mixed Bag is open Monday through Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., with free parking.
exploration took undergraduates aboard a National Science Foundationfunded research ship.
Marois joined a vessel south of Honolulu to study ocean technology, which she discovered as a member of the St. Francis robotics team.
“I hadn’t even heard of the ocean tech industry before joining the team and I thought it was super cool,” says Marois, who wants to start an ocean tech company to address whale disentanglement, ocean restoration and marine ecosystem protection.
Black Student Success, located at Sac State. Key initiatives include reducing barriers to success, creating safe spaces on campuses, developing culturally relevant curricula, and enhancing recruitment and retention efforts for Black faculty and students.
The Black-Serving Institution’s eligibility criteria includes maintaining a Black student population of at least 10% or 1,500 students and implementing robust Black student success programs. For information, visit csus.edu/president/inclusiveexcellence/black-student-success-co.
JL JL
By Jessica Laskey Out & About
STEM AT SEA
St. Francis High School alumnae Siena Marois has earned her sea legs.
The UC Davis freshman was one of 12 young people to complete Columbia University’s STEMSEAS Student Experiences Aboard Ships. The sixday geoscience and oceanography
BLACK STUDENT SUCCESS
Sacramento State is one of the first California colleges designated a Black-Serving Institution to recognize universities that excel at supporting Black students.
The initiative is overseen by the California State University Statewide Central Office for the Advancement of
THEATER HONORS
B Street Theatre has received the National Theatre Conference’s 2024 Outstanding Theatre Award for artistic innovation and organizational excellence.
As part of the win, B Street was asked to name the recipient of the 2024 Emerging Professional Award. The theater selected James Ellison,
Mixed Bag owner Linda Novi closes gift store at the end of March.
Photo by Aniko Kiezel
artistic director of Celebration Arts, for his “deep commitment to storytelling and community,” says Lyndsay Burch, B Street’s CEO and executive artistic director.
“This recognition celebrates the shared vision of both B Street Theatre and Celebration Arts to enrich our community through storytelling and connection,” Burch says.
For information, visit bstreettheatre. org and celebrationarts.net.
WILDLIFE BABY SHOWER
It’s baby season. To help orphaned critters, the Wildlife Care Association invites the public to a Wildlife Baby Shower & Open House on Saturday, March 22, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Every year, the volunteer-based nonprofit cares for more than 7,500 ill, injured and orphaned animals. The majority arrive during this critical time and require extra care for a fighting chance to return to the wild. The baby shower raises funds for specialized formulas, syringes, incubators and more.
The event includes facility tours, raptor education, children’s activities, merchandise and a taco food truck.
To sign up for a free tour ($10 donation is encouraged), visit eventbrite.com and search for Wildlife Baby Shower. Find a wish list of items to donate at wildlifecareassociation. com. The Wildlife Care Association is at 5211 Patrol Road at McClellan Park.
READING SERIES
CapLit, a new reading series and literary organization, brings writing and acting together for live literary performances.
The first event features readings from “Sacramento Noir,” an anthology of detective and mystery fiction, Friday, March 7, from 7–8:30 p.m. at the CLARA auditorium at 1425 24th St. The series continues in May, July, September and November. Admission is free ($10 donation is suggested).
CapLit also is a hub for writers, providing workshops, panels and opportunities to socialize and network. For information, visit caplit.org.
SPANISH CLASSES
Hoping to improve your Spanish skills? Practice in a low-pressure environment with Roberto Romero, former research librarian for The Sacramento Bee.
“Anybody with a desire to learn is welcome,” Romero says. “There is no age limit or required language level, just show up ready to learn.”
Classes are 6 p.m. every Tuesday beginning March 4 for eight weeks at 6925 Havenhurst Drive in Greenhaven. For information, email Romero at rhrg18@yahoo.com.
ART AFTER HOURS
Crocker Art Museum has launched Art After Hours, an artmaking program.
Participants meet fellow creators and instructors at stations throughout the museum for a “uniquely Crocker” craft night. Artists explore different mediums and leave with a completed artwork.
The first event is Thursday, March 6, from 6–8:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 for members and $25 for nonmembers. For information, visit crockerart.org.
BUSINESS TOOL
Do you own a small business or hope to start one? Take advantage of the city’s free online tool, SizeUp Sacramento.
SizeUp provides small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs with market research and data.
“In today’s data-driven economy, access to actionable information is vital for small business success,” Assistant City Manager Mike Jasso says. “This software ensures that every entrepreneur in Sacramento has data to compete and thrive.”
Users analyze business performances with industry-specific data. They identify customers, suppliers and opportunities, and optimize marketing strategies for target audiences. Information includes local spending habits and demographics.
For information, visit cityofsacramento.gov/city-manager/oied/ businessassistance/business-data.
FREE FORMALWEAR
Sacramento Public Library hosts free prom giveaway events across the region.
Students ages 13–19 can browse the libraries’ formalwear collections and take home an outfit for their special night. More than 900 teens shopped the prom giveaway last year.
For dates and locations, visit saclibrary.org/prom.
Jessica Laskey can be reached at jessrlaskey@gmail.com. Submissions are due six weeks prior to the publication month. Previous columns can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram: @insidesacramento. n
Wildlife Baby Shower raises funds for orphaned animals.
Photo by Paige Fandrei
STEMSEAS student Siena Marois pilots a remotely operated vehicle at World Championships.
Lyndsay Burch with B Street Theatre accepts National Theatre Conference’s Outstanding Theatre Award. James Ellison with Celebration Arts receives Emerging Professional Award.
Treasure Hunter
KAYAKER REUNITES RIVER VISITORS WITH LOST ITEMS
If you’ve ever lost something on the American River, Karl Bly can help find it.
The kayaker and founder of American River Lost & Found made it his mission to reunite owners with items lost in the currents. It’s his obsession.
“My dad introduced me to the river,” Bly says. “He would go out diving and I would kayak or canoe above him and follow his bubbles around. By the time I was 6 or 7 years old, I could paddle a boat.
“My dad was a treasure hunting explorer. Anything he found with a name on it—a wallet, a fishing license—he would pull out the phone book and call everyone with that last name until he found the owner.”
Bly’s first big find of his own was a wallet in a pair of cutoff jeans. He was 10.
“Treasure of treasures!” he says.
The wallet contained a driver’s license and CHP ID. Following his dad’s process, Bly called everyone with that name. The grateful traffic officer gave him a CHP baseball cap.
“It was the first big thing I found and returned. It made me feel like part of the community,” Bly says.
Since then, whenever Bly finds something, he posts it to his Facebook page—a faster process than the phone book.
Bly’s posts went viral with a unique discovery. Kayaking near Rio Americano High School with his son, Bly spotted a GoPro camera. He retrieved the camera and posted some of its 16,000 pictures.
The device belonged to a young woman who traveled the world with the camera. The post received 15 million views in three days. Bly says, “The next thing I know, people are trying to follow my personal page, interested in what I’m doing.”
He started a separate Facebook page called American River Lost & Found in 2017, and got thousands of new followers. Now he was obligated to go out and find things.
“It’s a feedback loop: you find something, you find the owner right away and it’s encouraging to go out and find more stuff,” he says. “It’s not just a hobby, it’s a full-fledged addiction.”
These days, requests arrive almost daily for sunglasses and cell phones. His strangest finds? Prosthetic legs. It happens more than you think.
Bly’s familiarity with the river lets him assist law enforcement when they search for drowning victims. His advocacy for waterway safety was learned the hard way.
“I do know more about this river than most people, so I can take a better stance,” Bly says. “When people lose stuff, I have to know where the trouble spots are where people are wiping out.”
Bly’s best advice?
“If you’re bringing it on the river, make sure it floats.”
By Jessica Laskey
For information, search American River Lost & Found on Facebook and follow @arkayaker and @american_river_lost_and_found on Instagram.
Jessica Laskey can be reached at jessrlaskey@gmail.com. Previous profiles can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram: @insidesacramento. n
Giving Back: Volunteer Profile
Karl Bly
Photo by Linda Smolek
Cultural Collisions, Irreverent Masterpieces
THROUGH MAY 4, 2025
Einar and Jamex de la Torre (born Guadalajara, Mexico, 1963 and 1960, respectively), Nueva Generación, 2021. Blown-glass, mixed-media sculpture, 22 x 10 x 22 in. Courtesy of Einar and Jamex de la Torre and Koplin Del Rio Gallery.
LDollars A nd Sense Dollars And
INTERIM MANAGER KNOWS HER WAY AROUND FINANCE
eyne Milstein has her work cut out for her. Appointed interim city manager after Howard Chan’s dismissal, Milstein is guiding Mayor Kevin McCarty and the City Council through a difficult budget cycle.
A $77 million deficit looms, less if state funds for homelessness materialize.
Milstein is the most dedicated city employee I know. She’s been on the job for more than 20 years. We talked about the budget, her interim role and the future.
“I love this city,” she says. “I have stayed because I love the mission of following the money and making Sacramento a better place.”
Milstein became interim manager thanks to her budget experience. She became the city’s finance director in 2008 and has been running budget preparations since 2017. She knows where the skeletons are buried, unlike an external candidate.
As assistant city manager for finance, she warned the City Council its spending trajectory would lead to deficits.
Her words of caution weren’t appreciated. At least one councilmember and a union representative suggested Milstein wasn’t being honest about the deficit.
Undeterred, she says, “I have a professional and ethical responsibility to tell the truth.”
As a former councilmember, I agreed with her budget assessments. Other members and former Mayor Darrell Steinberg disagreed. Unfortunately, Milstein was right. The city faces its largest deficit in history.
Under state law, the city must balance its budget. Options include seeking concessions from public safety unions, laying off employees, reducing city services, increasing service charges or cutting programs.
“As interim city manager, my focus will be on working closely with the City Council to balance the budget while safeguarding vital programs and services,” Milstein says. “I deeply value the dedication of our employees and am committed to supporting them through this transition.”
She continues, “At the same time, I remain focused on doing the right thing for our city and its future. These times may require hard choices, but I am confident that, together, we will navigate this transition and continue to best serve Sacramento.”
and approved unsustainable wage and benefit increases.
Changing the city charter to remove binding arbitration for public safety unions would provide leverage to negotiate affordable contracts. But that’s a bold move councilmembers probably won’t make. They typically support and fear unions at the same time.
Milstein is presenting options to City Council through April, with the goal of approving a balanced budget this summer. “They need to understand this universe much earlier in the budget process,” she says.
One option Milstein won’t present is to compete for permanent city manager.
By Jeff Harris City Realist
Although revenues are high, sales tax revenue is declining. As President Donald Trump’s tariffs and deportations hit home, more reductions in revenues are expected.
Beyond the current budget troubles, outbound years show deficits with dwindling revenues, the CalPERS discount rate, union negotiations and City Council expenditures. The new city manager—a search is underway— faces these challenges.
Nine city unions are negotiating new contracts. In past years, the council succumbed to union pressure
“No,” she says. “I want to finish my career in Sacramento as an assistant manager.”
Jeff Harris represented District 3 on City Council from 2014 to 2022. He can be reached at cadence@mycci. net. Previous columns can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram: @insidesacramento. n
Welcoming baby. With the warmest ‘‘hello’’ of all.
From the time you find out you’re expecting, you dream of the first moment holding your baby. And Dignity Health’s Family Birth Centers are here to help make that first “hello” as special as your new bundle of joy. We have a team of experts ready to guide you throughout your journey—from OB/GYN doctors and specially trained nurses, to doulas and board-certified lactation specialists. We even have virtual classes to help you prepare for the big day. Discover how we can support your birth experience. Take a virtual tour of our Family Birth Centers at DignityHealth.org/SacramentoBaby
Sensible Approach
NEW PROGRAM AIMS TO TREAT HOMELESS WITHOUT ER
G D GD
By Gary Delsohn Building Our Future
There are many reasons for Sacramento’s homeless crisis, and Dr. Gregory Kann, county director of emergency services, has come up with a plan that sounds like it can make a difference. It’s called TAD, for “Triage to Alternate Destination.” It could be shorthand for “empathy and common sense.”
In the past, when people living on the streets engaged with the 911 system, they were taken to an overcrowded hospital emergency room. Federal law requires they cannot be turned away without treatment. For this and other reasons, including how a growing number of people visit emergency rooms because doctor appointments are often booked up far in advance, ERs have, as Kann says, “become a public health emergency.”
Emergency departments aren’t equipped to provide meaningful treatment to people with alcohol, substance-abuse or other behavioral and psychiatric health issues—common among people living on the streets.
“The amount of time these patients can take up in an emergency department is stunning,” Kann says. “We do what we can. They may get some medicine and then often times they’re discharged, or it can take days to get them to a psychiatric care center. They’re able to go to a shelter for a day or two, but typically they are back on the street and homeless without having their underlying psychiatric illness addressed.”
The triage program is just starting. It allows paramedics—newly trained to recognize and deal with psychiatric issues and substance abuse—to deliver patients to one of three care facilities better equipped to meet their specific needs: Sacramento County Behavioral Health Treatment Center for behavioral health services, Sierra Vista Hospital for mental health, and Wellspace Health for alcohol or substance abuse.
“An effective triage program where our medics out on the street are trained and savvy enough to recognize who these people are so we can get them directly in front of trained psychological professionals can consistently make a difference,” Kann says. “I honestly don’t think we are providing them a service in the emergency department.”
Kann is known for his thoughtful approach to solving problems. He led efforts to improve the dismally slow process of offloading ambulance patients to area hospitals. Sacramento County had one of the worst records in the state, 97 minutes for people not suffering acute trauma. Delays have been reduced by more than half.
Sacramento County had 6,615 people experiencing homelessness in 2024, a 41% drop since 2022 for those not in shelters. Estimates vary on how many have substance-abuse, alcohol or psychiatric disorders.
But doing quick math, Kann says he expects county paramedics could take four or five patients a day to the treatment centers.
Spread out over time, the numbers are significant. They mean fewer people in emergency rooms. And if patients land back on the streets, they will at least have received some targeted treatment and maybe a better shot at breaking the homelessness cycle.
In October, when the county announced a $50,000 training grant to start the triage program, it listed several benefits, such as better patient outcomes and freeing up hospital space and resources. Also noted were greater patient satisfaction and community health benefits.
“We’ve been searching for decades really for some type of program where we can get people who need the services directly to a psychiatric care facility,” Kann says. “The vast number of these patients who we have been seeing in the emergency room need nothing from me as an emergency department doctor. Now that we have the legal ability to do so, with this program, we can get them to the place they need to be at the right time they need to be there.”
Gary Delsohn can be reached at gdelsohn@gmail.com. Previous columns can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram: @insidesacramento. n
Gregory Kann
Photo by Linda Smolek
Mural by Jose DiGregorio
After a running injury sidelined David’s marathon dreams, he discovered cycling—and never looked back. Now an avid cyclist, he has built a thriving community of riders, proving that setbacks can lead to even greater journeys.
eskaton.org/aib / i
The Keeper
CURTIS PARK TOUR FEATURES ‘ART GALLERY’ HOME
Andy Harris was a pioneer house flipper. By 1988, he was on his third house. He bought them, made repairs and resold for profit.
But he knew the Curtis Park home was special. It was designed by Earl Barnett, the architect who conceived Memorial Auditorium, Sutter Club, Westminster Presbyterian Church and Trinity Episcopal Cathedral.
It was no candidate for flipping.
“Being young and ambitious, I restored this house over two and a half years,” Harris says. “I did a little bit of the work myself but hired out the rest to experts.”
The home is just over 2,000 square feet with four bedrooms and two bathrooms. Two bedrooms and a bath are upstairs. The other bedrooms and bath are on the first floor. Harris uses one as a guest room and the other as a home office for his legal services business.
The plans drawn by Barnett are in the basement. The architect designed more than 100 local homes.
Harris’ work expanded the small original kitchen using space from the laundry room. “I added a full bath and completed the two bedrooms upstairs to what was once was an unfinished second floor,” Harris says. He matched the bath fixtures and octagonal ceramic tiles to the original first floor bathroom.
the edges. Harris declined the tour invitation but relented the next year.
By Cecily Hastings Open House
Photography by Aniko Kiezel
Harris wasn’t always committed to the home. “In the early 90s, I tried to sell it,” he says. “But it, like many of the homes in that market, languished without any offers. Even if it had sold, I would not have even broke even.”
In 2010, he was invited to join the Curtis Park Home Tour. Almost 20 years had passed since the renovation, and the house was rough around
“With more time and money, I decided to renovate it once again. This time I was going to get exactly what I wanted,” he says. “Which was an art gallery of a home!”
In other words, a beautiful home nobody would want to live in.
He hired a designer and selected a unique color palette. He sought a minimal approach
Andy and Kristy Harris
C A N C E R C A U S E T O CANCER CAUSE TO
IMAGINE A WORLD WITHOUT CANCER
Although some $2 trillion has been spent on research since 1971, cancer remains a leading cause of death in the United States.
Ijaz S. Jamall and Bjorn Brücher have extensively researched the causes of cancer and believe there might be a more effective way to treat the disease, prevent its spread, and reduce the number of deaths. Jamall and Brucher are co-founders of the Cancer Metastases Research Fund (CMRF), a
support studies on the development of cancer, its treatment, and its spread.
Both men are members of the European Academy of Sciences. Jamall, a toxicologist, is a former professor at St. John’s University, who was also an associate clinical professor in the volunteer clinical faculty of the UC Davis School of Medicine. Brücher, a cancer scientist and surgeon, is a professor at the Medical University Lausitz-Carl Thiem in Cottbus, Germany.
Jamall and Brücher maintain that current cancer treatments—
R K RK
By Rebecca Kuzins Sponsored Content
I M A G I N E W O R L D W I T H O U T C A N C E R
chemotherapy, radiation, and immunology—do not provide long-term
cancer mortality rates for most solid cancers remain relatively unchanged over the past 80 years with some gains from the decline of smoking for lung cancer, and early screenings for breast and prostate cancers.
During a recent interview at his home, Jamall discussed the CMRF’s research. The diagnosis of cancer, he explained, is based on pathologycharacterizing the abnormal appearance of a tumor cell under a microscope.
“Pathology makes the diagnosis from a tissue biopsy specimen. However, there is a misconception that this can explain what causes the disease or even how cancer progresses from its early stage to the more advanced state,” he said.
The progression of cancer is subclinical - meaning patients usually do not have any symptoms at various stages of development of the disease. By the time symptoms appear and cancer is diagnosed, the disease is in an advanced
majority of cancer cases – 80 percent –are diagnosed in an advanced stage.
Jamall and Brücher argue that physicians should adopt a cause-based approach to cancer treatment instead of the current symptoms-based approach. A cause-based approach could enable physicians to diagnose cancer before it manifests itself as a disease, which could buy time to treat the disease in its
earliest forms with far better outcomes for cancer patients.
“There are two primary questions that form the basis for understanding the development of cancer and these have not been elucidated for question is how the majority of cancers arise. The second question is which explained.
Through their research, Jamall and Brücher discovered the plausible origin cell.
They have concluded that the majority of solid cancers (epithelial cancers make over 80% of all cancers) develop in response to a six-step sequence. Jamall said the disease can likely be blocked or treated at any stage in this sequence.
In step one, a pathogen (diseasecausing stimulus), such as a bacterium, virus, or carcinogen, leads the affected tissues take defensive measures to heal.
A stimulus that is untreated and unabated can result in chronic can be healed; but if it is not healed, it of scar tissue inside the body, but this because its molecular signaling is altered. “Think of it as a nest of
cancer development,” said Jamall. The generation of this precancerous niche is step four.
a ‘chronic stress escape strategy’. This response can return the body’s cellular functions to normal. But, if the response fails, a normal cell becomes a cancer cell - step six.
Jamall and Brucher have published 17 papers about their discoveries during the last 10 years and the CMRF now plans to conduct clinical trials on medications that might more effectively treat cancer and its spread (metastases).
CMRF is seeking to raise a minimum of $2 million to fund these trials.
If you would like to contribute to CMRF, you can make a donation on its website https:// cancermetastasesresearchfund. org; click on the word “donate” on the home page. You can also send donations to the CMRF at 3929 Las Pasas Way, Sacramento 95864.
In addition, you can contact Jamall at the website or address if you would like him to describe CMRF’s work to an interested group. n
Dr. Ijaz S. JamallBjörn Brücher, MD.
to furnishings and commissioned several custom pieces.
“I wanted every detail perfect,” Harris says. “I was completely starting over, so I put almost everything in the house on Craigslist and started with an empty palette. I did, however, keep a couple things that I truly loved, like the Persian rug in the living room and a Moroccan tribal rug in the guest room.”
He visited galleries with his designer, bought two large abstract paintings by Bernie Weston and commissioned other art.
In 2017, he got married. Kristy Harris gained a husband plus a showcase home.
“The first time I walked in Andy’s home, I thought, this man is terrific and he has really great taste. How could I be this lucky?” she says. She has zero desire to change anything. “Andy’s positively influenced the minimal side of my personality.”
I always ask homeowners what projects they have in store for their home. Almost everyone describes something they hope to change.
Andy Harris is the first homeowner to answer, “Nothing.” He says, “After 37 years, I finally love it just the way it is.”
The Harris home is featured in this year’s Curtis Park Home
Tour showcasing five homes and gardens Saturday, April 26, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets—$25 in advance and $30 the day of tour—are available at sierra2.org or the Sierra 2 office at 2791 24th St. The event is presented by Sierra Curtis Neighborhood Association and features food trucks, live music, home and garden vendors, picnic
tables and chairs at the north end of Curtis Park.
To recommend a home or garden, contact cecily@insidepublications.com. More photography and previous columns can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram: @insidesacramento. n
Skinny Delight
IBy Dan Vierria Garden Jabber
n the age of Ozempic and Sono Bello, The Skinny Garden is trendy and unique. It was always skinny, stretching two football fields along the backside of Sacramento Charter High School in Oak Park. At its skinniest, the ribbon of plants measures 10–12 inches wide and squeezes between a chain-link fence and sidewalk along V Street.
The garden boasts hundreds of perennials, small trees and art.
Wood-plank paintings by neighborhood children line the fence, along with decorative framed mirrors and signs to discourage littering and flower picking. Many plants are identified by metal labels, others go unnamed.
V Street resident Anne Fenkner created the garden. Fenkner is an urban forester for The Davey Tree Expert Company, a certified arborist and UC Master Gardener.
“It has become a popular walking route,” says Fenkner, who hears compliments from passersby when tending the garden. “I consider it neighborhood improvement.”
Her inspiration sprouted from respectful and dignified interactions between Sac High staff and students.
“Ten years ago, I would sit on my porch and watch students lineup at the old, rusty gate across the street,” Fenkner says. “The students would respectfully wait for the staff to open the gate to begin the school day. They would unlock the gate and politely welcome each student. They had so much respect for the kids.
“It was dignified, even though they were entering the school along this crappy fence. That got me thinking about the ugliness of the fence and how I might introduce nature around it and give the area a more restorative, dignified appearance.”
Neighborhood walkers, runners and parents pushing strollers are drawn to the sidewalk fronting The Skinny Garden. A few neighbors pitch in to help maintain the garden. The relationship with the school has been mostly cooperative, with an occasional hiccup.
Zelkova, Chinese pistache, cork and valley oaks are among The Skinny Garden trees. Fenkner hopes her tree planting serves as an example to improve school greening efforts and inspire others to take advantage of the California Schoolyard Forest System initiative.
The statewide effort aims to increase tree canopy on school properties, providing shade to protect students from heat caused by the changing climate. Fenkner says studies show when viewing vegetation, student stress levels decrease while test performances and attitudes improve.
Anne Fenkner
Photo by Linda Smolek
LONG, THIN GARDEN BRIGHTENS OAK PARK CAMPUS
“Personally, I am passionate about expanding tree canopy on every California schoolyard,” she says.
Before planting trees, there were years of digging planting holes. Fenkner unearthed plants from her yard and transplanted them along the fence.
“My idea was to make an organic garden and keep it heavily mulched with woodchips,” she says.
Depleting her home-grown plant supply, she bought plants at nurseries and plant sales, especially UC Davis Arboretum sales. Friends and neighbors donated plants. She estimates her expenditures in excess of $7,000. One day the bill at Annie’s Annuals & Perennials in Richmond was $700.
Trial and error ensued. Perennials became preferred over annuals, although annuals such as zinnias often color areas where needed.
Asters, cannas, yarrows, salvias, roses and butterfly bushes are among the plantings.
“Perennials make it easier to maintain,” Fenkner says.
She gave up on vegetables after repeated attempts. The soil was not conducive to edibles. One possible
reason: the Sac High oval track merges with The Skinny Garden.
“The soil is bad, the vegetables had no taste,” she says.
Uneasy about campus maintenance crews spraying chemical herbicides on her newly planted garden, Fenkner asked the head of maintenance to not spray Roundup near The Skinny Garden. She quotes his response as, “I won’t if I don’t see weeds. Keep them off the fence.” A lasting agreement was reached.
Her most time-consuming task is watering. Two hours of watering a day during the hottest months is mandatory. The garden abruptly stops at the end of a hose that cannot be tugged another inch. For now, The Skinny Garden is on a restrictive diet.
Dan Vierria is a University of California Cooperative Extension Master Gardener for Sacramento County. He can be reached at masterg29@gmail.com. For answers to gardening questions, contact UCCE Master Gardeners at (916) 876-5338, email mgsacramento@ucanr.edu or visit sacmg.ucanr.edu. Previous columns can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram: @insidesacramento. n
Self Help
AUTHOR AND MOVEMENT INSTRUCTOR LEADS WITH KINDNESS
Iwas a young girl who never felt comfortable in her skin or content in my body,” Jesse Bennett says. “I was good at being positive and caring to others, but I wasn’t kind to myself.”
“When I started practicing Pilates and yoga in college, it was a gamechanger,” she continues. “I fell in love with how the practices changed how I felt in my skin. I want to give that gift to other people, to empower women to love who they are and where they’re at.”
Bennett looks content these days. A mother of two, she teaches yoga
and Pilates at Roseville’s Life Time health and fitness club, hosts monthly movement sessions on KMAX 31’s “Good Day Sacramento” and just published her fifth book for children.
Bennett’s love of movement started in college at USC and carried her around the country while her husband completed training as an orthopedic surgeon. When she was pregnant with their first child, she discovered the wonders of prenatal yoga and incorporated it into her practice.
“Pregnancy makes you realize being a woman is so powerful. We’re connected to ourselves in a way that is so special and such a miracle,” she says.
wider audience. The result was her first book, “The Yoga House.”
“For ‘The Yoga House,’ I used my kid’s colored markers and pencils (to illustrate the book). I want other people to know that if I can write and illustrate a book, they can too,” she says. “When I read to schools in the area, one of my messages is, if there’s something you’re compelled to put out into the world, do it. The world needs your voice.”
Bennett published four more books through Archway Publishing, an arm of Simon & Schuster. Each book deals with a different theme, but the power of kindness is a common thread.
“I’m so grateful to be affiliated with them and be part of their community,” Bennett says.
When she’s not writing, illustrating or teaching, Bennett travels the region for book talks at schools.
She encourages young readers to make their own books, which is why she’s adamant about using only accessible materials to illustrate. Proceeds from book sales go to the schools or other causes close to Bennett’s heart.
“I want my books to feel like a hug, for kids to feel loved for who they are,” Bennett says. “If I can do it, they can do it.”
JL JL
By Jessica Laskey Meet Your Neighbor
Personal experiences inspired her work as a children’s author. When her daughter was having trouble sleeping, Bennett wrote a meditation for the youngster based around breathwork at bedtime. It worked wonders.
Bennett began to think about how she could share these lessons with a
Her second book, “Sunshine,” brought an opportunity to reach more people. To promote the book, she appeared on “Good Day Sacramento” and made friends with anchor Cody Stark. This connection led to the TV team calling on Bennett for regular yoga segments, especially during the pandemic. Five years on, she has a monthly slot on the show.
For information, find Bennett on Instagram @jesse.bennett. Her books are available on Amazon.
Jessica Laskey can be reached at jessrlaskey@gmail.com. Previous profiles can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram: @insidesacramento. n
Jesse Bennett
Photos by Aniko Kiezel
SAVE THE AMERICAN RIVER PARKWAY!
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers “Erosion Control” Contract 3B (Howe Ave to East of Watt Ave/Mayhew Drain) Your voice matters Demand protection without devastation! Vegetation removal scheduled for Fall 2025!
If you don’t take action TODAY....How to take action....
Destruction of irreplaceable wildlife habitat
685+ trees (including 300+ y/o heritage oaks) gone forever
Loss of recreational access (trails, beaches, boat launch, etc.)
Parkway closed to public for 2+ years
100+ truck loads/day through neighborhoods (air pollution, dust, noise)
Dr. Ami Bera (Congress): repamibera@mail.house.gov – (916) 635-0505
Visit AmericanRiverTrees.org for more info. Thank you!
“Keep it Wild! Keep it Scenic!”
Coffee Grand Opening
BY
Balance Coffee Shop recently celebrated its grand opening in Midtown. The business began as a mobile coffee trailer. Owner Nancy Guzmán and her trailer can still be found most Saturdays at the Midtown Farmers Market and around the community. Visit balancemeoutnow.com to find out where she will be next.
PHOTOS
AUBREY JOHNSSON
It’s The Law
UNWANTED ANIMALS SOAR UNDER FRONT STREET MANAGEMENT
There are many ways to work around the law. Let’s start with the nearly 600 dogs and cats in “foster to adopt” at the city’s Front Street Animal Shelter, headed by Manager Phillip Zimmerman.
The concept is simple. California law requires shelters to spay or neuter animals prior to adoption. Under “foster to adopt,” animals are released to “adopters” as “foster pets.”
As foster pets, they don’t need to be altered before leaving the shelter.
The foster parent/adopter agrees to bring the animal back for spay or neuter when a surgery appointment is available. Then the official adoption can take place.
What’s wrong with this picture?
Front Street’s spay/neuter appointments are delayed up to six months. If you want to adopt today, the surgery date would likely be August.
C R CR
By Cathryn Rakich Animals & Their Allies
The gestation period for a dog or cat is approximately two months. That’s the problem. Zimmerman “is using ‘fostering’ like most shelter directors use the term ‘adoption’ so he can release without spay and neuter,” animal advocate and attorney Hilary Bagley Franzoia says.
“California shelter laws are designed to curtail the unwanted surplus by only releasing—via legal adoption where ownership changes hands—with alteration. Without this mandate, breeding and the surplus of unwanted pets increases,” Bagley Franzoia adds.
Yet Front Street sends out unaltered animals daily. If the “foster pet” is lost, dumped, rehomed or bred, there are no repercussions. What if the animal bites someone, attacks another dog or is injured?
“Legally, the city still owns those animals,” says Bagley Franzoia, who headed the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Animal Cruelty Unit and Animal Cruelty Task Force.
Front Street has one full-time employee to oversee both the dog and cat foster programs, including the hundreds of unaltered animals in so-called “foster to adopt.” Part-time interns pitch in. A former Front Street volunteer calls the tracking system “abysmal.”
Zimmerman blames the spay/neuter backlog on resources—a nationwide shortage of veterinarians and vet technicians. Yet Front Street has three
full-time vets, access to contract veterinarians and significant financial assistance from its nonprofit arm, Friends of Front Street.
“The lack of prioritizing spay and neuter has contributed to this crisis of unaltered animals,” says local animal advocate Julie Virga with Fix Our Shelters, a nonprofit watchdog group.
In the coming months, Front Street will partner with a national mobile spay/neuter clinic to alter “foster to adopt” animals. But what about animals who continue to flood the shelter? What are the longterm plans?
“When offered high-volume spay/neuter surgical teams to alter the backlog of shelter pets, Front Street management had no interest,” Virga says. “If you don’t have a permanent, functioning spay/neuter program, you’ve got a problem.”
Zimmerman also embraces “community sheltering” and “finder fostering,” ideas pushed by UC Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program as part of its “reduced intake model” to keep shelter numbers down.
“For the last five years, animals in our community have been breeding out of control due to ‘reduced intake’ programs,” Virga says.
The numbers tell the story. In 2022, Front Street took in 6,309 strays—and euthanized 747. In 2023, the shelter took in 7,727 strays and euthanized 1,132.
In 2024, the numbers grew—8,457 strays, 1,462 killed.
“By never catching up with his legal obligation to spay and neuter before ‘giving away’ animals, he increases the unwanted, unplaceable surplus—the very thing he complains about, and the thing the public works so hard to reduce,” attorney Bagley Franzoia says.
Then there’s Front Street’s policy to turn away strays. Posted on the shelter’s website: “Just because a cat is outdoors doesn’t mean that it is lost…. For this reason, we do not accept healthy stray cats.”
Front Street instructs people to return stray cats and kittens, many as young as 8 weeks old, to where they were found, regardless of whether they are spayed or neutered.
A recent court ruling in San Diego found turning away stray animals, or dumping them in communities to fend for themselves, violates California law that says shelters must receive and care for animals. “It is one of their primary duties,” Bagley Franzoia says.
“Leaving animals to suffer and die on the streets due to starvation, vehicles, predators and lack of shelter is not a humane solution,” Virga says. “Shelters have a legal obligation to accept stray animals and provide them with necessary care.”
It’s time to stop releasing unaltered animals, stop turning away stray pets and prioritize spay/neuter.
The City Council, Mayor Kevin McCarty and the next city manager must protect homeless animals by forcing Front Street Animal Shelter to follow the law.
Cathryn Rakich can be reached at crakich@ surewest.net. Previous columns can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram: @insidesacramento. n
INSIDE OUT
Mercy celebrates 100 years
PHOTOS BY ANIKO KIEZEL
Dignity Health Mercy General Hospital recently celebrated 100 years of providing care to the Sacramento community. Mercy Foundation President and CEO Kevin Duggan hosted the event. Community members and local officials joined in the celebration. The event also featured a performance by the Sacred Heart Parish School Choir and a display of historic photographs and memorabilia.
Hospital president Steven Foster
Mercy Foundation President and CEO Kevin Duggan
Sacred Heart Parish School Choir
Verbal Sparring
Imet Bill at Baylor University. He was a fellow ministerial student who imprinted his fraternity shirt with a mock Latin phrase, “Quid tibi est?”
In 1978, Google was a long way off, so my fellow pledges asked him to translate it.
“What’s it to you?” he asked. “Oh, come on,” we said. “Just tell us what it means.”
Mocking us as lowly plebes, he weighted the last two words, “What’s it TO YOU?”
This game went on for a few minutes until we heard the literal translation: “What’s it to you?”
N B NB
By Norris Burkes Spirit Matters
SOME SPIRITUAL QUESTIONS DON’T DESERVE ANSWERS
Game, set match. He had us. I shrugged it off because I’d dealt with people like him before— sanctimonious, self-proclaimed experts who never offer any level ground to those of us who search.
One such encounter involved a church youth group leader named Sherry.
She always flashed a bright smile before she pitched her loaded question, “Have you received the gift of the Holy Spirit?”
The question is a trap, much like, “Have you stopped beating your wife?”
It was impossible to give Sherry the right answer. If I said, “Yes, I’m full of the spirit,” she’d lay out her Bible like a religious yardstick to determine if my holy spirit measured up to hers.
If I said, “No,” I confirmed her impression I wasn’t a good Christian.
Worse yet, a “no” brought the worst question from Sherry: “Do you want to speak in tongues?”
This question was a reference to the ecstatic and unintelligible language spoken by people in charismatic churches. Another linguistic trap set by Sherry.
I bring up Bill and Sherry because I suspect some of you have been turned off to religion by such people. If so, you’re the victim of loaded questions fired at innocent bystanders by pious church goers.
These inquisitors want to reduce your spirituality to some kind of test only they can pass. They ask questions such as: “Don’t you believe in Jesus?
Don’t you want the spirit in your life?”
Or, “If you were to die tonight, did you know you’ll go to hell?”
How do you answer questions like that from folks like this?
Advice columnist Carolyn Hax suggests we regard people’s “nutritional label” and ask if they are worth the time. If not, she says, “Friends with a low decency content need to be treated as junk food.”
This rule also holds in our efforts to find a spiritual community. Some people and places are junk food. But we can find quality people when we make the effort to look for them.
Spiritual junk food doesn’t fill you up any more than Sherry’s version of the “holy” spirit. You only encounter God through a spiritual relationship.
As in all successful relationships, you ask questions, engage in dialogue, maybe even lose your temper, but also learn to laugh at yourself and forgive others.
Meantime, to all you who’ve had someone discourage you from involvement with the local church, I offer a strategy suggested by another pseudo-Latin phrase, “Illegitimi non carborundum.”
It roughly means, “Don’t let the idiots get you down.”
Google it and you might find a more colorful translation. But that’s enough Latin for one day.
Norris Burkes can be reached at comment@thechaplain.net. Previous columns can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram: @insidesacramento. Burkes is available for public speaking at civic organizations, places of worship, veterans groups and more. For details and fees, visit thechaplain.net. n
COLDWELL BANKER
TUSCAN-INSPIRED ARCHITECTURE!
3BR/3.5BA/2367sf Cortona Model in the Pavilions. High ceilings & open oorplan. $765,000 TOM PHILLIPS 916.799.4571 CalRE# 01401559
STUNNING CUSTOM-BUILT 3BR/3.5BA nestled at the end of a private, gated road. $1,199,990 NICKI KALTEIS 916.214.2049 CalRE# 02102682
MODERN-SPACIOUS & BRIGHT! Remodeled 4BR/4.5BA/3700 sf home w/pool. Gourmet kitchen w/large marble island. $1,800,000 TOM PHILLIPS 916.799.4571 CalRE# 01401559
SIERRA OAKS VISTA 6B/5.5BA/6914Sq w/ high ceilings thru out, wine closet, chef’s kitchen & pool w/ blt-in spa. $2,599,000 TIM COMSTOCK 916.548.7102 CalRE# 01879462
STUPENDOUS RESIDENCE 5BR/4BA w/beam ceilings, pool, spa & many fruit trees. $2,325,000 PIERRE VIARD 916.767.6813 CalRE# 02128355
DESIRABLE ARDEN PARK! 3BR/2BA/2229 SF on over one half acre lot. Co-Listed w/Barbara Frago –CalRE# 00580837 $985,000 TIM COMSTOCK 916.548.7102 CalRE# 01879462
Hopped Up
ALARO BREWS WINNING TOUCH WITH BEER AND FOOD
Alaro Craft Brewery and gastropub expands the long history of Midtown microbreweries with a farm-to-fork emphasis.
In the old Rubicon brewery location on Capitol Avenue, owners Ray and Annette Ballestero built an elevated beer experience with Spanish-style tapas and small bites, along with classic pub offerings such as burgers, sandwiches, soups and salads.
At Alaro, the Ballesteros decided to “highlight classic beer styles.” While beer doesn’t always have a culture that connects with dining, the couple developed cohesive pairings between beer and food.
Alaro opened in June 2018 and became a favorite for its causal atmosphere, excellent food and award-winning beers.
The menu by Chef David Santana, formerly of The Waterboy next door, includes elegant Spanish
G M GM
By Gabrielle Myers
Kiezel
classics such as pulpo Gallego (Galician-style octopus), gambas al ajillo (garlic shrimp), hogs and rocks (pork cheeks and clams in a paprika broth with aioli), patatas bravas (crispy potatoes with Spanish sauces), croquetas, marcona almonds, marinated olives and house-made chicharrones.
I’ve visited Alaro for the pulpo Gallego several times. It’s a tender and crispy octopus dish with molho cru, an olive oil-based sauce with onion, garlic, parsley, red peppers and an acid—usually lemon or vinegar.
Santana confits the octopus in olive oil with shallots, lemon peels and rosemary. He gently cooks in the oil bath, letting the olive oil penetrate and tenderize the meat. The final stage requires a quick sear to order.
Having enjoyed octopus at fine dining places in town and many restaurants around the world, I say Alaro’s pulpo Gallego ranks among the best with a tender, savory appeal and well-matched sauce.
The kitchen keeps things local with Ray Yeung’s Yolo County tomatoes, plus regional kale, radishes and butter lettuces.
In a nice touch, Alaro offers Spanish seafood tins—canned sardines, mussels, smoked trout, mackerel and squid. And there’s organic soft-serve ice cream made by Straus Family Creamery in Petaluma.
Photography by Aniko
Farm To Fork
Ray Ballestero
Ray Ballestero is a master brewer with more than 40 years of experience. Before opening Alaro, he brewed for three decades as a hobby and became a beer judge. He studied at the UC Davis Master Brewers program, supplementing his background in nutritional medicine and integrative health.
Annette was among the founders of River City Brewing Company and has been involved in the fair trade business
for years. The food, drinks, uniforms, ceramics and even decor at Alaro show concern for the social, environmental and financial situations of their small producers.
The brewing team, led by Chris Keeton and assistant Jason Martinez, helped guide Alaro to a 2024 U.S. Open Gold Medal for La Boheme beer, named “Best Pilsner in the World” by Forbes magazine. Castillo Classic IPA, which Ray has brewed for more than
years,
Alaro beer styles range from pale ales and pilsners to saisons, stouts, porters and lagers. While beer on tap is available, customers can get 500 ml bottles, squealers, growlers and kegs to go. There’s wine, too.
Alaro Craft Brewery is at 2004 Capitol Ave.; (916) 436-7711; alarobrewing.com.
Gabrielle Myers can be reached at gabriellemyers11@gmail.com. Her latest book of poetry, “Break Self: Feed,” is available for $20.99 from fishinglinepress.com. Previous columns can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram: @insidesacramento. n
30
won a gold medal at the Great American Beer Fest.
Air Born
JKBy Jessica Laskey
Meet Your Neighbor
at Boston loves to defy gravity. The high-flying athlete has been an aerialist since 2012 when she sought a new way to stay fit. Her sport involves yoga-style movements in the air, using silks, hoops, hammocks or ropes.
“I have a background in Olympic weightlifting and Crossfit, but I kept getting injured,” Boston says. “I needed something different for my body and I was looking for a creative outlet. I stumbled on an aerial class and was instantly hooked.”
Boston is always up for a challenge, which is why she loves aerial performance and the fire service. She became a firefighter in 2006.
“A common thread in my life is that I always like to challenge myself to learn new things and develop,” Boston says. “The fire service is constantly evolving because the world is constantly evolving. I study a lot of different things. With my personality, I need to learn every day.”
Her work provides plenty of learning opportunities. As a
professional aerial performer, she learned to market herself and build relationships to get gigs. As an aerial coach, she learned to run a business and connect with students of all levels.
“My goal was to make aerial accessible for everybody and cater to everybody that wanted to try,” she says. “It’s one of many reasons my company is called Rebel Aerial. There are no boxes here.”
As a performer, Boston brings aerial artistry to events throughout the state, including Art Mix at Crocker Art Museum, corporate events, celebrations, weddings and the local mural festival Wide Open Walls.
An instructor since 2013, she taught all over before settling into a 6,500-square-foot location last June called Phoenix Loft. Leasing her “own four walls” was a 10-year goal and part of her dream to develop a Sacramento circus center. Boston completed the Instructor in Circus Arts program at the École Nationale de Cirque in 2017.
“It’s an amazing location and the owners are amazing,” she says of the building on Lathrop Way in North Sac. “They did a ton of work to the inside for us and gave us this beautiful foundation for us to build on. It’s nice to be able to open those doors when I go teach.”
The Phoenix Loft offers level-one, intermediate and advanced classes for all apparatus—silk, hammock and lyra hoops—as well as yoga and acro yoga with Boston and a handful of other independent instructors, including Boston’s aerial partner, Monica Padilla. Next year they hope to offer rope and juggling to round out the circus experience.
“People are concerned they’re not strong enough (to do aerial),” Boston says. “But just like anything, you learn from the ground up and build strength as you learn. If you don’t try, you’ll never know.”
For information, visit thephoenixloft. com. Follow @thephoenixloft and @ rebelaerial.artistry on Instagram.
Jessica Laskey can be reached at jessrlaskey@gmail.com. Previous profiles can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram: @insidesacramento. n
Kat Boston
Photo by Aniko Kiezel
2025 Advertiser Hall of Fame
PLEASE SUPPORT THESE FINE BUSINESSES. WE THANK THEM FOR BRINGING THE BEST OF OUR NEIGHBORHOOD TO YOU EVERY MONTH!
29 Y E A R S YEARS
• Elise Brown, Realtor®
27 Y E A R S 27 YEARS
• Coldwell Banker, Sacramento Metro
• El Dorado Savings Bank
• Pet Pals
• Rich Cazneaux, Realtor®
• Sutter Terrace Dental
25 Y E A R S YEARS
• Tim Collom, Realtor®
23 Y E A R S YEARS
• Coldwell Banker Sierra Oaks
• Dignity Health
• Dunnigan Realtors®
• SMUD
22 Y E A R S YEARS
• Jeanine Roza, Realtor®
• Rio Del Oro Raquet Club
• Sacramento Country Day School
21 Y E A R S YEARS
• Downtown Sac Partnership
• Fremont Presb. Church
• Windermere Real Estate
• Sacramento Ballet
• Sellands, Ella & The Kitchen
20 Y E A R S YEARS
• 57th Street Antique Mall
• Angela Heinzer, Realtor®
• Bella Bru
• Reid and Price, Realtors®
EAST SAC + LAND PARK/GRID + ARDEN + POCKET
19 Y E A R S YEARS
• Cheryl Nightingale, Realtor®
• St. Michael’s Episcopal Church
18 Y E A R S 18 YEARS
• Christian Brothers High School
• David Kirrene, Realtor®
• Fulton Ave. Association
• St. Francis High School
17 Y E A R S 17 YEARS
• Sacramento Turn Verein
16 Y E A R S 16 YEARS
• Avid Reader
• Friends of East Sacramento
• Brian Wyatt Law Offices
• Chris Little Real Estate
• Jesuit High School
• The Jewish Federation
• Our Lady of Assumption
• St. Ignatius School
15 Y E A R S YEARS
• Artisan Window & Sash
• City of Sacramento
• Crocker Art Museum
• Mercy McMahon Terrace
• Race For The Arts
• Relles Florist & Gifts
• Sacramento Choral Society & Orchestra
• Sacramento SPCA
• Stephanie Glorioso Epolite
14 Y E A R S 14 YEARS
• Broadway Sacramento
• East Sac Dental
• East Sacramento Chamber of Commerce
• Garage Door Specialists
• Tom Gonsalez, Gonsalvez Realty
• Jamie Rich, Realtor®
• Jonathan D. Mack, Loan Specialist
• Tom Phillips - Realtor®
13 Y E A R S YEARS
• Arden Village Service
• Capital Confections
• CSUS College of Continuing Education
• Temple Coffee
• Wenelli’s
• Willo Salons
12 Y E A R S 12 YEARS
• Brookfield School
• Grebitus Jewelers
• Law Office of Mark J. Lamb
• Article Fine Consignment
• Steffan Brown Realtor®
11 Y E A R S YEARS
• Berkshire Hathaway Home ServicesDrysdale Properties
• Paloma Begin, Realtor®
• Sacramento
Gay Men’s Chorus
• Sacramento Home & Landscape Expo
• UC Davis Health
• University Medical Imaging
10 Y E A R S YEARS
• Old Sugar Mill
• Mona Gergen, Realtor®
• Pedro Gomez - Porta Realty
• Rio City Café
• Sacramento Creative Arts League
• The Plant Foundry
8 Y E A R S YEARS
• EZ Living Cleaning
• New York Life Insurance Company
Laura Jensen Siddique
• Renee Catricala, Realtor®
• Sara Raudelunas, Realtor®
7 Y E A R S 7 YEARS
• Dentistry of East Sacramento
• Mansour’s Oriental Rug Gallery
6 Y E A R S YEARS
• A Therapeutic Alternative
• Girl Scouts of Central California
• Laura Miller, Realtor®
• Leatherby’s Family Creamery
• Mr. Moulding, Mouldings & Doors
• The Hearing Solution
5 Y E A R S YEARS
• Carmah Hatch, Realtor®
• Exotic Plants
• Gateway International Charter School
• Renewal By Andersen
• That Guy Eyewear
• Timothy Scott
• Tri-Counties Bank
• Yolo Cares
Neighborhood Real Estate Sales
95608
95816
95821
2222 BURNEY WAY $250,000
SANTA PAULA CT $270,000 2501 DARWIN ST $365,000 2149 MEADOWLARK LN $385,000
COSTA AVE
95817
95818
95822
2110 AARON WAY $325,000 2827 MEADOWVALE AVE $359,000 2560 FERNDALE AVE $367,000 1409 STODDARD ST $370,000 2021 BERG AVE $385,000 1949 NEWPORT AVE $397,500 7514 LOMA VERDE WAY $400,000 7408 AMHERST ST $400,000
95815
AVE $482,000 5807 LONSDALE DR $500,000
95819
95825
95831
READERS NEAR & FAR
8. Steve Williamson and Cecily Hastings on a Milford Sound Cruise after hiking the Milford Track in New Zealand. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
1. Karl Reiber in Avebury, home to one of England's many ancient stone circles.
2. Mónica Vázquez and Elizabeth Fujii at Pyramid of the Sun in Teotihuacán, Mexico.
3. Tracie Haidle and Manya Edwards at the southern tip of South America in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina.
4. Debbie Silva , Neil Ross and Kathy Gaddi at the Leault Farm in Kincraig, Scotland.
5. Murray and Margie Ng on the Canada side of Niagara Falls.
6. Tom Nardinelli at Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa in Ko Olina, Oahu, Hawaii.
7. Donna Ouchida and Andy Dong at Lake Pehoé in Torres del Paine National Park in Chile.
Take a picture with Inside and email a high-resolution copy to travel@insidepublications.com or submit directly from our website at InsideSacramento. com. Due to volume of submissions, we cannot guarantee all photos will be printed or posted. Find us on Facebook and Instagram: InsideSacramento.
Raise A Pint
R STREET’S BELOVED PUB HITS 50-YEAR MILESTONE
IG
SBy Greg Sabin Restaurant Insider
n 1975, Bill and Denise Dalton opened an English-style pub at 10th and R streets. The building was a warehouse and factory, more than 60 years old, fronted by bricks with high ceilings.
It was an unlikely setting, a traditional English pub in an industrial part of town.
Fifty years later, Fox & Goose Public House is a permanent fixture. The pub helped launch music careers, political careers and hospitality careers. It inspired convivial evenings of laughter and friendship for generations.
Named after Bill Dalton’s hometown pub in Yorkshire, Fox & Goose is more than a good bar, more than one of the
city’s best breakfast spots. The Goose’s dedication to community, arts and Downtown is exceptional.
Throughout my life, Fox & Goose has been part of the city scene. I’ve eaten plenty there, drank many pints, performed at open mic, won a pub quiz, lost several pub quizzes, and broke bread with family and friends in nearly every decade.
The first thing to notice at the Goose is the unparalleled conflict between cozy trappings of a traditional English pub and the soaring vastness of an old warehouse. Ceilings reach to unnatural heights. Old posters advertising English cigarettes, beers and various
sundries are placed high enough to put a crick in your neck.
Yet the old brick bar lined with British ale handles and the preponderance of wood create a coziness unexpected. Metal framed industrial windows let in more light than any drinking establishment in town.
Pubs in England are known for food, some notoriously so. Others adopted the ethos of the “gastropub” as the English food scene improved. At the Goose, the dinner menu offers serviceable fish and chips, a fine hamburger and worthy shepherd’s pie. Breakfast made the Goose legendary.
Pub Burger and Sunrise Mimosa
Photos by Linda Smolek
The crumpets and olallieberry scones are worth the visit. A housemade corned beef hash, full English breakfast—with fixings from tomatoes to beans—or the rarebit omelet pull customers through the door.
One recent Wednesday morning, I almost couldn’t get a seat. With politicians and office workers dining alongside residents of revitalized R Street, busy mornings at the Goose are standard.
The bar is a treat. Beside traditional lagers and ales, a decent wine selection is available. Creative cocktails move beyond standard two-ingredient pub drinks.
The Goose is a cultural institution. Open mic night was a proving ground for Jackie Greene, Cake and other acts that became famous. The monthly traditional Irish jam is a can’t-miss for fans of Emerald Isle music. The run of
musical performances from folk to jazz and more make the Goose a landmark.
Current owners Peter Monson and Jessa Berkey continue 50-year-old traditions without a hitch. Monson started working at the Goose more than 25 years ago as a busser and host. When he and Berkey took over in 2013, it was a passing of the torch.
I’m not alone in wishing Fox & Goose Public House a happy 50th. Raise a pint to one our city’s cornerstones next time you’re in the neighborhood.
Fox & Goose Public House is at 1001 R St.; foxandgoose.com; (916) 443-8825.
Greg Sabin can be reached at saceats@gmail.com. Previous reviews can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram: @insidesacramento. n
Terrestra in the news... Terrestra in news...
Full English breakfast
Major League Insults
DON’T FORGET HOMETOWN BASEBALL, IN BLACK AND WHITE
People are excited about the team once known as the Oakland A’s playing home games in a minor-league ballpark in West Sacramento. Not me.
This fascination with the A’s and Major League Baseball is a sucker’s game, a modern version of the old carnival stall hook-a-duck.
The A’s are carpetbaggers. They swoop into town in search of accommodation, untethered to commitment. They linger as long as convenience allows, then vanish into
African American papers. Sacramento wasn’t big enough to support a team. But the local market had baseball history and resources worth remembering.
The Larks and San Francisco Sea Lions scheduled a dozen games at Edmonds Field, the Sacramento Solons’ home at Riverside Boulevard and Broadway.
The West Coast Baseball Association charged ticket prices equal to the Solons. This was serious baseball, not a discount show.
League president was Abe Saperstein, who managed and promoted the Harlem Globetrotters. Olympic track hero Jesse Owens was vice president.
In a demonstration of the league’s legitimacy, Gov. Earl Warren threw out the first pitch in San Francisco on May 12, 1946, for a game between the Sea Lions and Los Angeles White Sox. The home team won 11-3 before 705 fans.
The Sea Lions had two stars, pitcher Art “Smokey” Demery and outfielder Jesse Alexander. Demery was a big leaguer. He played outfield for the Baltimore Elite Giants of the Negro National League. Alexander excelled in center field despite having only one arm.
The West Coast league folded after two months. Integration was finally coming to the majors. Jackie Robinson suited up for Brooklyn in April 1947.
Last year, Major League Baseball recognized statistics from the Negro Leagues. Stats are sacrosanct with baseball people. Acknowledgement of Negro League numbers starts a tentative acceptance process, if not full apology, by the gatekeepers.
By R.E. Graswich Sports Authority
the night. They won’t even mention their stopover city’s name.
Smart people tell me the A’s threeseason residency makes Sacramento a contender for big league permanence, either through expansion or the A’s themselves. This is nonsense.
The team’s new $1.5 billion stadium breaks ground next month in Las Vegas. Once the A’s depart Northern California, under no circumstances will the San Francisco Giants allow an expansion team into the territory.
The River Cats are original tenants of the little ballpark on the marshy side of the river. They thrived there for 25 years.
But if local baseball fans put their financial muscle behind the A’s and run out of nickels and dimes for River Cats tickets, damage will be long-term. The River Cats will play in a ballpark filled with empty seats.
Sacramento is a small town, baseball wise. There are only so many fans. Traditionalists—the kind of people who look at a scorecard and know what 6-4-3 means—are dying. There are too many seats for sale with two teams in West Sac.
Which means you won’t find me attending A’s games. I’m boycotting the pit stop. Saving my love for the River Cats.
Another thing I plan to do is learn everything about another Oakland baseball team that played in Sacramento, the Oakland Larks.
The Larks were members of the West Coast Baseball Association, a professional league formed in 1946 for players barred from the majors. Black players.
The West Coast league was a big deal. Newspapers from Seattle to San Diego covered the games, not only
For now, comprehensive Negro League individual game statistics are beyond reach of official records. But research continues. The West Coast Baseball Association was declared a minor league, so Larks and Sea Lions stats won’t count.
That won’t stop me. I want to learn about those dozen Larks and Sea Lions games at Edmonds Field. How Jesse Alexander played outfield with one arm.
With stories like that, who needs the Philadelphia Kansas City Oakland West Sacramento Las Vegas A’s?
In scorekeeping, 6-4-3 means a double play, shortstop to second to first.
R.E. Graswich can be reached at regraswich@icloud.com. Previous columns can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram: @insidesacramento. n
The Oakland Larks played several home games in Sacramento. From left, Charles “Specs” Roberts, Joe Plate, John Litzie.
• What you wore then, you wouldn’t wear now.
• You’ve moved on from cassette tapes, floppy discs and dot-matrix printers.
• Your family has grown up. Your “kids” have even had kids.
• The laws affecting your estate have also changed.
• Your old documents may create unnecessary taxes or trips to court.
Shouldn’t your trust work the way you want? Call me or visit www.wyattlegal.com. I’ll review your old plan without charge. Save yourself or your spouse from a huge hassle if something happens.
Late Bloomer
OCTOGENARIAN PAINTER FINDS NO LIMITS ON SUCCESS
David Sobon, who founded Wide Open Walls mural festival, has something special on his own walls.
“As I gaze at two of my Norma Roos paintings in my living room, I see something different every time I spend time with them,” Sobon says. “The passion, emotion and skill that she has in her abstract work just boggles my mind.”
Sobon is not alone. Roos, 88, is having commercial succcess with art that’s lived in her soul since childhood. Her abstract paintings sold fast in two solo shows at Twisted Track Gallery on R Street.
mobiles and collages and studying different artists. I developed their creativity alongside my own. Creativity is limitless.”
Roos’ professional path didn’t include art until later in life. She attended Sacramento City College, then received a bachelor’s degree and teaching credential from Hayward State and a master’s from UC Davis.
A dozen years ago, Roos tried to get her work into local galleries. “There was a lot of rejection,” she says. An encounter with David Sobon proved serendipitous.
JL JL
By Jessica Laskey Open Studio
“I love creativity,” Roos says. “I drew a lot as a young child. In junior high, an art teacher saw potential in me and told my mom she should put me in art classes. That never happened. My mom was a single mom doing the best she could. So I did it on my own, studying art history and different art concepts.”
As Roos educated herself, she brought her findings to work—a kindergarten classroom.
As a teacher for more than 30 years, Roos did “a lot with my students to help them love and appreciate art. We did art projects every week, from painting portraits and finger painting to making
When she started “taking art more seriously,” she returned to Sac City to study with Fred Dalke, Michaele LeCompte, Teiko Sasser, Laureen Landau, Terry Peterson and Marcelle Wiggins.
As someone who believes “there’s always room for improvement,” Roos dedicated herself to exploring different mediums, including vibrant abstracts in color and black and white.
“At our first chance meeting years ago, I was immediately attracted to the kind, soft-spoken beautiful person she was,” Sobon says. “I was immediately invited to come take a look at her work in her home and I instantly became a collector.”
Sobon helped Roos hold an art auction in 2018. Roos says the event “didn’t take off,” but Sobon introduced her to the team led by Matt Haines at Twisted Track Gallery. They saw star talent.
In 2022, Roos had her first Twisted Track show, which Sobon reports made her “the bestselling artist ever in Twisted Track Gallery history.”
Norma Roos
Photo by Linda Smolek
After her second show in September, Roos returned to her home studio to brainstorm her next project. She’s excited to try metallics and muted colors.
“You can plan it all out, but there are always changes. You have to be
flexible,” Roos says of her painting process, which usually includes listening to jazz.
“I go into my soul and go as deep as I can possibly go. I’m a very spiritual, religious person. I ask for help when I’m doing each and every painting,
guidance and delivery to do my very, very best and to enjoy what I’m doing.”
Find Roos on Instagram @ normasroos. Twisted Track Gallery is at 1730 12th St. For information, visit twistedtrackgallery.life.
Jessica Laskey can be reached at jessrlaskey@gmail.com. Previous profiles can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram: @insidesacramento. n
TO DO
THIS MONTH'S CULTURE & ENTERTAINMENT HIGHLIGHTS
By Jessica Laskey Calendar Editor
LIVE PERFORMANCE
Valerie: A Tribute to Amy Winehouse
Saturday, March 8, 8 p.m.
The Rink Studios (1031 Del Paso Blvd.); valerieamyband.com
Tickets: $25–$172
This Santa Cruz-based band, fronted by powerhouse vocalist Elsa Cedeno, pays tribute to the soulful hits that define Amy Winehouse.
Visions
Sacramento Ballet
March 21–23, 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
The Sofia (2700 Capitol Ave.); sacballet.org
Tickets: $35–$75
Be dazzled by an innovative program featuring four world premieres by internationally acclaimed choreographers.
California Capital International Documentary
Film Festival
March 7–9
Rancho Cordova City Hall (2729 Prospect Park Drive) & Rancho Cordova Youth Center (10455 Investment Circle); calcapdocfest.org
Tickets: $7 general, $15 for three, $30 virtual, $50 all-access
Check out 45 international and local documentaries.
Romantasy! – Songs of Romance and Fantasy
Sacramento Master Singers
March 15–16, 3 p.m.
First United Methodist Church (2100 J St.); mastersingers.org
Tickets: $37 adults, $15 students
This concert blends the enchanting elements of romance and fantasy.
Cavalleria Rusticana
Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera Saturday, March 15, 7:30 p.m.
SAFE Credit Union Performing Arts Center (1301 L St.); sacphilopera.org
Tickets: $40–$115
Step into a passionate world where love, betrayal and honor converge in a Sicilian village.
European Masterworks
Sacramento Choral Society & Orchestra
Saturday, March 1, 3 p.m.
SAFE Credit Union Performing Arts Center (1301 L St.); sacramentochoral.org
Listen to works by Morten Lauridsen, Samuel Barber and Franz Joseph Haydn.
A Place for Us: A Leonard Bernstein Tribute
Sacramento Symphonic Winds Sunday, March 9, 2:30 p.m.
Capistrano Hall, Sac State (6000 J St.); sacwinds.org
Tickets: $15 general, $10 students, free for 8th grade and younger
Enjoy Bernstein classics, including the “Candide” suite, “On the Town,” “West Side Story” and more.
Jim Henson’s Labyrinth in Concert
GD Theatres
Valerie: A Tribute to Amy Winehouse at The Rink Studios.
“Dinky Diner” by Kathy Dana at Twisted Track Gallery.
Tuesday, March 25, 7–9 p.m.
Crest Theatre (1013 K St.); crestsacramento.com
Tickets: $66–$103
Experience Jim Henson’s magical movie with a band performing in sync with David Bowie’s original vocals.
ART
Marvin Lipofsky Blows Glass Crocker Art Museum
March 9–Aug. 17
216 O St.; crockerart.org
Examine this pioneering Californiabased glass artist’s career and contributions.
Jill Estroff and Arsen Asatrian Archival Gallery
Through March 29
Second Saturday Reception March 8, 5–8 p.m. 3223 Folsom Blvd.; archivalgallery.com
Jill Estroff presents a floral collection of bold expressionistic brushwork and color. Arsen Asatrian shares a mixed-media collection of poppies along with figurative works.
Glass Ceiling Axis Gallery
March 1–30
Second Saturday Reception March 8, 5–8 p.m. 625 S St.; axisgallery.org
Explore how women are treated in the workplace through a variety of art mediums.
Escapism 2.0: John Horton
ARTHOUSE Gallery
March 6–April 7
Opening Reception March 8, 5–8 p.m. 1021 R St.; arthouseonr.com
This series represents an evolution from the painter and sculptor’s previous work, building on familiar ideas.
SheVisions
Twisted Track Gallery
March 7–30
First Friday Reception March 7, 6–9 p.m.
Second Saturday Reception March 8, 5–9 p.m. 1730 12th St.; (916) 639-0436 or (916) 7692700
Enjoy work in various mediums by 11 female artists.
Unfolding Layers: Carlaina Brown janeGallery
Through March 16
1000 Alhambra Blvd.; janegallery.com
Explore complex, layered compositions by this Sacramento artist.
Dear Mum: Loraine Watson-Fox
The Art Studios
Saturday, March 29, 2–8 p.m.
Sunday, March 30, 1–5 p.m. 1727 I St.; the artstudiossacramento.com
Mixed-media pieces offer a window into a mother and daughter who share anxiety, depression and undiagnosed ADHD.
DECOLONIZATION
Verge Center for the Arts
Through March 23
625 S St.; vergecontemporary.org
This solo show features monumental paintings by Spencer Keeton Cunningham, a member of the Colville Tribe.
Student Awards Show
Kondos Gallery
March 24–April 10
Sacramento City College (3835 Freeport Blvd.); scc.losrios.edu/about-us/kondos-gallery
This juried exhibit showcases art in various mediums by Sacramento City College students.
COMMUNITY EVENTS
Sacramento Jewish Film Festival
Jewish Federation of the Sacramento Region Streaming through March 9 sacjewishfilmfest.org
Tickets: $15 general, $5 Next Gen, $125 allstreaming, $50 Next Gen all-streaming Stream 14 films from all over the world that celebrate the Jewish experience.
Rise Against Hunger
St. Michael’s Episcopal Church
Saturday, March 29, Noon–2 p.m. 2140 Mission Ave.; stmichaelscarmichael.org
Help pack meal bags that reach hungry people throughout the world.
Spring Sale
Shepard Garden & Arts Center
Saturday, March 15, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Sunday, March 16, 10 a.m.–3 p.m. 3330 McKinley Blvd.; sgaac.org
Shop for plants, jewelry, crafts, flowers, pottery, textiles, food and more at this free event.
A Free Talk on Christian Science
First Church of Christ, Scientist, Sacramento Saturday, March 8, 11 a.m.
Scottish Rite Center (6151 H St.); (916) 4428220
Hear Alexandre Fischer, a Christian Science practitioner and lecturer, speak
on “Is Jesus’ healing work a model for today?”
Camellia Show
Camellia Society of Sacramento
Saturday, March 1, 3–6 p.m.
Sunday, March 2, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
Scottish Rite Center (6151 H St.); camelliasocietyofsacramento.org
Explore displays of camellias in all sizes and colors.
Signs of Spring
Bufferlands
Saturday, March 8, 9 a.m.–Noon Sacramento Area Sewer District, Elk Grove; sacsewer.com/bufferlands
Take a 2-mile guided hike to view wildflowers, migrating birds and other signs of spring. Free but registration is required by emailing Chris Conard at conardc@sacsewer.com.
Winter Shorts Fest
Sacramento French Film Festival
Saturday, March 1
Tower Theatre (2508 Land Park Drive); sacramentofrenchfilmfestival.org
View screenings of silent comedies from the 1910s, and films nominated for Oscars and César Awards (French Oscars).
Jessica Laskey can be reached at jessrlaskey@gmail.com. Submissions are due six weeks prior to the publication month. Previous columns can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram: @insidesacramento. n
“Blue Poppies” by Arsen Asatrian at Archival Gallery.
“Patterns of Interference" by Carlaina Brown at janeGallery.
Dream Rebuilt
OUR FUTURE DEPENDS ON JUSTICE AND SUSTAINABILITY
BY ALIA HAMDANI
The local Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration committee invited area students to write essays about King’s inspiration. This year’s $500 winner is Alia Hamdani from McClatchy High School.
Martin Luther King Jr. wrote the “Letter from Birmingham Jail” on April 16, 1963. He emphasized, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”
Why has so little changed in the past 62 years, aside from desegregation? Burdens such as homelessness that create significant challenges that
affect health care access, crime, safety, workforce stability and tax dollars are why.
Homelessness creates a chain reaction that influences various aspects of our economy, not just the individuals directly involved, clouding our once easily attainable white-picket-fence dream.
To form my vision for a better future, I would combat generational homelessness by building shelters and educating youth about the issue. By guiding the younger generation, we can prevent homelessness and rebuild the American dream.
King emphasized the fight for justice and equality in his “I Have a Dream” speech, stating, “We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so we’ve come to cash this check… that will give us upon demand
the riches of freedom and the security of justice.”
Empowering youth with knowledge allows us to address homelessness at its roots and help the lower class achieve the American dream as well as bring them “the riches of freedom.”
Similar to homelessness, overconsumption stems from a growing population. While the urge to consume is strong, we should strive to resist it as I believe we could have a better future without it. By encouraging donations of excess resources, we can create a future that promotes equity and helps lower classes pursue the “American dream.”
Don’t we want our kids and their future kids to enjoy green parks? Give people something to be united by, such as helping them achieve the same success you have. Then you have a future that is the true American
dream: to live prosperously with no one to take away your right to live freely. My vision for a more equitable future focuses on everyone’s well-being, as true progress requires unity. In “Zlata’s Diary,” Zlata Filipović highlights the power of people coming together against war. She writes, “People came out to be together, they don’t want war… I kept thinking about the march I joined today. It’s bigger and stronger than war. That’s why it will win. The people must be the ones to win, not the war, because war has nothing to do with humanity.”
We must address related challenges such as economic inequality, social justice and environmental sustainability. By uniting our efforts, we can create a brighter and more equitable future for everyone, because together we are bigger than the problems we make. n
PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER
Nestled on a serene,
Global Luxury Specialist International Diamond Society CalRE #02097085 | 916.508.0898 homesbyjenniferberry.com jennifer.berry@cbnorcal.com
