When I started House Real Estate in 2020, I never imagined that we’d help over 1,200 families move. This year, this incredible team reached a milestone of over one billion dollars in sales, and I couldn’t be more grateful. Thank you, Sacramento, for supporting us and helping House become the area’s #1 boutique real estate company. We love our city dearly, and our next wish is to have the fortune of working with you in 2025. Happy New Year from our House Family to yours.
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EDITORIAL POLICY
Aniko Kiezel got behind the camera 13 years ago after moving to Sacramento. She is a freelance photographer who shoots monthly for Inside Sacramento, photographs clients in her studio, and creates images for art shows and galleries. Shown: “Gnarly Trees,” solarized photograph, giclee print, 20 inches by 40 inches. Join Kiezel for an opening reception, Thursday, Feb. 20, from 5–7 p.m., at the PBS KVIE Gallery to view her award-winning work on display Feb. 4 to March 29. Kiezel’s portrait won a photography award in the 2024 PBS KVIE Art Auction. Visit anikophotos.com.
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quite a lot with various questions responsive to my needs.I felt she not attempt to guide me out of my contact her again should I ever decide to purchase again.
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Good Riddance
COUNCIL MADE RIGHT MOVE TO FIRE CITY MANAGER
Mayor Kevin McCarty took a bold step at his first full City Council meeting in December. He voted with five colleagues to fire City Manager Howard Chan.
We don’t know if McCarty led the revolt, or if the list of failures under Chan and former Mayor Darrell Steinberg prompted the council to remove the city’s chief operating officer. Councilmembers offered no explanations other than vague remarks about fresh starts.
There was only the final vote—6–3 against extending Chan’s contract for a ninth year. Rick Jennings, Lisa Kaplan and council newcomer Phil Pluckebaum voted to keep Chan. It would be nice to know the motives of all nine members. Their reasons would be instructive. But we got nothing.
During his mayoral campaign, McCarty said he supported Chan. But McCarty had good reasons to change his mind.
For starters, while serving in the state Assembly, McCarty authored funding for 40 “tiny houses” for homeless people in Sacramento. These
By Cecily Hastings Publisher’s Desk
homes have sat untouched and unused for years.
McCarty also secured state funds to help replace the swimming pool in Southside Park that serves low-income families in the neighborhood and nearby public housing.
The $500,000 provided by the Legislature for the swimming pool went unused for a year while potential contractors waited for the city to write a contract, consider bids and select a vendor.
Two summers passed without the pool reopening. I suggested a plan to transport Southside families to other pools with free passes. That idea was ignored.
The city manager’s officer never explained the pool delays—despite a promise from Steinberg that the pool would open last September.
As the new year began, the pool remained a hole in the ground after the city discovered pipes needing replacement. City staff under Chan apparently neglected to consider the consequences of deferred maintenance.
A third reason to deny extending Chan’s contract was the Rio City Café debacle I wrote about last summer.
The restaurant was one of the few city tenants in Old Sacramento that paid rent in the pandemic.
The city has known for 10 years the restaurant’s riverfront deck needed repairs or replacement. Nothing happened until last spring when an inspector declared the deck unsafe. Rio City lost access to its best tables and 70% of its revenue.
Under Chan, the city had more than 20 employees working on economic development. Somehow, none of them could ensure a beloved destination and substantial employer on city property had a safe, operational facility.
Rio City closed last summer. Owners Mark and Stephanie Miller left town after a 10-year run. We lost a landmark and wonderful small business partner, all because the landlord—the city manager’s office— failed.
Another fiasco has been covered extensively in Inside’s pages. Last year the city prepared to open a $12 million bicycle and pedestrian bridge across Interstate 5 and Riverside Boulevard near Land Park.
The bridge links the Del Rio Trail and Sacramento River Parkway bike trails and serves as a monument to the city’s commitment to recreation,
alternative transportation and accessibility.
But instead of opening ceremonies, city officials said the bridge featured inferior concrete and rebar. It must be torn down.
How did Chan’s public works team allow a bridge to be built across a major freeway with inadequate, unacceptable products? The city refuses to say, despite a legal duty to release relevant documents.
Now the mayor and City Council must move fast to find a new manager. No subordinates under Chan should be considered given the litany of breakdowns and failures.
NOW THE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL MUST
MOVE FAST TO FIND A NEW MANAGER. NO SUBORDINATES UNDER CHAN SHOULD BE CONSIDERED GIVEN THE LITANY OF BREAKDOWNS AND FAILURES.
Mark and Stephanie Miller
Kevin McCarty
Your son-in-law, Larry
• He has been “between careers” for three years.
• He plays video games all night, every night.
• He is building the world’s tallest pyramid of empty beer cans.
• He wants to open a tattoo parlor, an “investment opportunity” he offers you at least once a month.
• He thinks it’s “really cool” that your daughter will inherit your assets someday.
What if your estate ended up in his control? Call me for a free consultation and learn how you can plan for the “Larry” in your life. Or visit www.wyattlegal.com.
Some administrators at City Hall may be capable of thriving under new leadership. But with nothing but excuses and embedded mediocrity, it will be hard to recruit a top-level manager. Given the city’s ongoing budget deficit, the council can’t pursue new initiatives.
I’d like to see McCarty and the City Council add a declaration to their dismissal of Chan: Business as usual is no longer acceptable.
To help keep track of the municipal fiascos, Inside Sacramento is creating a Civic Dashboard to track troubled
The Interstate 5 and Riverside Boulevard bridge
projects. Look for this new feature in upcoming editions.
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.
Cecily Hastings can be reached at publisher@insidepublications.com. Previous columns can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram: @insidesacramento. n
Hall Of Fame
CALIFORNIA MUSEUM HONORS FIRST ALL-FEMALE CLASS
This year’s California Hall of Fame inductees include trailblazers in athletics, civil rights, culinary arts, entertainment and more.
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By Jessica Laskey Out & About
The first all-women class of honorees are cook, author and TV personality Julia Child, California’s first poet laureate Ina Donna Coolbrith, Olympic gold medalist Vicki Manalo Draves, civil rights activist Mitsuye Endo, primatologist and gorilla conservationist Dian Fossey, civil rights hero Alice Piper, and singer, songwriter and actress Tina Turner.
“These trailblazing women have shattered barriers, challenged societal norms and driven progress that has transformed California and the world,” California’s First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom says. “By celebrating their extraordinary and lasting accomplishments, we are moving closer
to truly honoring the rich diversity that defines our great state.”
Launched in 2006, the California Hall of Fame honors history-making Californians who made an impact on the state, nation and world. The award is presented by the governor and first partner who recognize honorees virtually and in a ceremony at the California Museum. For information, visit californiamuseum.org.
VISION FORWARD
Society for the Blind has launched its $1 million Vision Forward Initiative to help meet the demand for services,
create a resource and learning center in Midtown, and build up its endowment.
“Our Vision Forward Initiative will ensure our clients of all ages have access to our services for years to come,” Executive Director Shari Roeseler says. “This will help us serve more people, reduce wait times, offer the latest assistive technologies, and quickly respond and adapt to meet the needs of our clients.”
Founded in 1954, Society for the Blind is a rehabilitative teaching center providing services to Northern California and Nevada. The nonprofit offers low-vision eye care, life and job skills training, mentorship and tools to maintain independence for more than 5,000 youth, adults and seniors experiencing vision loss. For information, visit societyfortheblind. org.
DREAMER FINALISTS
Five business concepts will continue to the final phase of the 2024/25 Calling All Dreamers business incubator competition sponsored by Downtown Sacramento Partnership.
Finalists are Vietnamese market Cà Phê Diễm, comedy company Haus of Comedy, nacho vendor Nacho House, pet-friendly café Pittador Brews Specialty Teas & Coffees, and women’s clothing boutique Style For It.
Finalists will continue to work with their Capital Corridor SCORE mentors to refine their business plans and prepare for the final pitch to the selection committee.
The top awardee receives $20,000 in cash. The runner-up receives $10,000 and the other finalists $5,000 if they open a storefront Downtown. The winner will be announced later
This year’s California Hall of Fame inductees are (top row, left to right) Julia Child, Ina Donna Coolbrith, Vicki Manalo Draves and Mitsuye Endo, (bottom row, left to right) Dian Fossey, Alice Piper and Tina Turner.
this month. For information, visit downtownsac.org/do-business/callingall-dreamers.
STORYTELLING
A new monthly storytelling series, In a Nutshell, takes place at Sofia in Midtown. Hosts and curators are comedian Keith Lowell Jensen, book editor Amy Bee and author Aaron Carnes.
Each month, In a Nutshell invites four experienced storytellers to tell a true story based on intriguing, offthe-beaten-path prompts designed to challenge the storytellers to dig deeper and engage audiences.
This month’s theme is “Strange Bedfellows,” featuring comedian Johnny Taylor Jr., on Friday, Feb. 28, at 7 p.m. For tickets and information, visit inanutshellstorytelling.com.
SANDHILL CRANES
Take a free guided tour of sandhill crane habitats with the city’s Oak Park
Community Center on Saturday, Feb. 8.
Bus transport takes guests from the community center to the Consumes River Preserve for a light walk on an accessible trail. Next, continue on a short drive to the Woodbridge Crane Reserve for a viewing and listening session, followed by a picnic hosted by Rancho San Miguel Market and Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op.
To register, visit cityofsacramento. gov, search “Oak Park Community Center,” then select “View Activities Here.”
OPEN GARDENS
UC Master Gardeners of Sacramento County holds free monthly Open Garden days where visitors can roam demonstration gardens, learn planting and landscaping techniques, and talk with master gardeners.
Bring samples of problem plants and mystery pests, and get one-onone advice based on the most recent research-based sustainable practices.
Open Garden days are at the Fair Oaks Horticulture Center from 9 a.m. to noon on Feb. 8, March 8, April 9, May 10, June 21, Sept. 13 and Oct. 8. June 26 will be 4–7 p.m.
This year’s Harvest Day is Saturday, Aug. 2, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. For information, visit sacmg.ucanr.edu.
CROCKER ART TOURS
Crocker Art Museum brings back its popular “Meet Me at the Museum” series, a free monthly tour designed for visitors living with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
Tours are on the second Friday of each month beginning at 11 a.m. This month’s tour is Feb. 14. Advance registration is required. Visit crockerart.org/events/series/meet-meat-the-museum.
SINGERS WANTED
Capital Chorale seeks singers of all voice types for a performance Friday, April 4, of Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass and other works with orchestra and soprano soloist Robin Fisher.
Rehearsals begin Thursday, Feb. 6, at 6:30 p.m. at Pioneer Congregational Church at 2700 L St. To be included
in the roster of singers, email Music Director Elliot Jones at musicdirector@ pioneerucc.org.
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
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.
14 KARAT
YELLOW AND WHITE GOLD
Keith Lowell Jensen hosts In a Nutshell at the Sofia.
Guided tour takes guests to the Woodbridge Sandhill Crane Reserve.
Personnel Problem
Unlike children, city managers should be neither seen nor heard.
They are more like cinematographers on a movie set, hired to bring light, shadows and texture to a director’s vision and make the stars look beautiful.
As city managers go, Howard Chan wasn’t Hollywood or heaven’s gift to Sacramento. He was a decent
RGBy R.E. Graswich City Beat
bureaucrat, loyal to his lieutenants, but detached to the point of obliviousness.
Significant problems with Chan’s departments, including animal care, parks, public works, even bridge construction, were met with stoicism worthy of Zeno of Citium.
Inside Sacramento reported on various troubles caused or exacerbated by Chan’s flock of department heads. Responsiveness from the city manager’s office ranged from little to nothing.
In such times, it’s a short stumble from stoicism to indifference.
Given these imperfections, Chan was vulnerable for dismissal when the new mayor and City Council arrived just before Christmas. Chan was on the job eight years, an eternity for city managers on I Street. His “sell by” date expired.
Or did it? When I worked as special assistant to Mayor Kevin Johnson, we burned through four city managers in four years.
The turnover taught me to dream of longevity and appreciate the difficulties that come with finding a good fit for the city manager’s corner office.
While I don’t weep for Howard Chan—his pension package lets him savor life for decades in relative splendor without work—I worry about how he was bounced.
The extraction was messy, mysterious and confusing. Residents— the people for whom City Hall exists— weren’t told why.
There was a broken promise by Mayor Kevin McCarty, who weeks earlier informed voters he supported giving Chan one more year.
Worse, there was no sensible explanation by the City Council for the city manager’s sudden severance.
There were platitudes about “fresh starts” being necessary. There were hints that a three-hour backroom meeting with Chan and the council convinced McCarty and five other members it was “time for a change.”
But there was nothing cogent or conclusive to explain why someone who spent 22 years with the city instantly deserved the boot.
Don’t forget, only a year ago the City Council loved Chan so much it rewarded him with a Himalayas-size salary, twice the money California pays its governor.
Finally, a clown show erupted. Chan exercised bumping rights and returned as assistant city manager—a move McCarty and the council didn’t predict. (Where was City Attorney Susana Alcala Wood when this happened?)
The lack of candor over Chan’s firing was a massive blunder for a City Council trying to correct course with three new shipmates after sailing in circles for eight years under Mayor Darrell Steinberg, the Captain Bligh of local politics.
For McCarty, the vote against Chan was politically tragic.
McCarty’s first act as mayor should have been big, bold, positive and
NEW MAYOR, COUNCIL BOTCH THEIR FIRST BIG DECISION
Howard Chan
Sacramento Community Meeting
Featured Speaker: Councilmember Phil Pluckebaum
Law Enforcement representatives will also speak
Wednesday, February 19
7pm - 8:30pm
Clunie Center, Alhambra Room 601 Alhambra Blvd.
memorable. Instead, it was memorable, small, secretive and nasty.
“Of course that’s not the way I wanted to start off,” McCarty tells me.
“We all talked about that at the council meeting. But the times choose us. We don’t choose the times.”
The other big problem involves what happens now. New city managers don’t materialize from a LinkedIn post.
The city hires an executive recruitment company. The firm reviews its files and delivers suitable resumes to City Council. Interviews follow.
In the end, a council vote is taken. A dart is thrown.
The process is problematic. A recruitment firm might be shortsighted. It may have certain preferred candidates. Favorites might somehow miraculously rise to the top, aided by the inclusion of under-qualified candidates.
The city’s trust in the process is blind. Maybe the city gets lucky. Maybe not.
Two certainties: The recruitment firm conducts a “nationwide search,” whatever that means. And the process is expensive and disruptive.
Given the dice-roll factor, it’s not surprising that city managers are often inside hires. The “nationwide search”
extends 35 feet. After Chan’s heaveho, councilmembers shouldn’t rush to embrace a Chan-trained replacement.
Which leaves us with the dart throw. Whatever happens, McCarty and the City Council owe everybody a serious explanation.
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
JL
By Jessica Laskey
Giving Back: Volunteer Profile
Matt King knows how to get creative. He was named 2024 Volunteer of the Year by the city’s Department of Youth, Parks, & Community Enrichment, thanks to his creative efforts to revitalize William Chorley Park in South Sacramento.
Park’s Ranger
ONE MAN’S JOURNEY REVITALIZES COMMUNITY
“Even the parks department didn’t want to go there,” King says. “It had been ignored for about 10 years. The grass was 7-feet high. There was graffiti all over the bathroom. There were feces and needles all over the playground, drug and gang activity. It was bad and just got worse.”
A longtime South Sac resident, King took matters into his own hands after he saw a post on Nextdoor lamenting the state of the park. He realized uplifting this asset in his neighborhood would align with his own “journey to uplift.”
As a union carpenter, King has skills to make changes happen. As a recovered alcoholic and meth addict who celebrates 27 years of sobriety, he was involved in AA before neighborhood activism.
“I don’t mind helping others because in turn, that’s what helps me stay sober,” King says. “Giving back to my community is the best way to fight anxiety and depression.”
He started with cleaning up Chorley Park. Next, he painted the bathrooms. Then he sought help from elected officials, “looking up phone numbers and yelling at people like (former city councilmember) Jay Schenirer,” he says.
“I would put them on blast until they did something,” King says. “It got me a little ways and people started paying a little attention to it.”
When Caity Maple took over Schenirer’s South Sac seat, King formed a relationship with her and city parks officials. Progress followed.
King encouraged SMUD to upgrade the park lights. With help from Maple and grants, a new playground arrived.
King’s big win was installation of the city’s only 18-hole Frisbee golf course,
thanks to a partnership with the Sacramento Disc Golf Association.
“All that sweat equity paid off,” King says. “There are families and kids there now. These kids needed this. Not everybody has the luxury of going to the movies or spending time at a mall, so where do they get to go? To a park.”
King founded the nonprofit Chorley Park Community Association to raise funds to put in other amenities like a splash pad. He and his wife Lindsey throw events such as Trunk or Treat and Old School Sundays with classic cars and live music, often funded from their own pockets.
When not focused on Chorley Park, King plants trees at parks across town. He helps at a community woodshop in Oak Park and works on reactivating the community garden at John Morse Therapeutic Center for at-risk special needs kids.
He partnered with Maple and SMUD on Project Be the Light in Meadowview, where he and 80 volunteers put up Christmas lights on 35 houses.
“It really brought out the community and brought a sense of the holiday spirit back to the hood,” King says.
It’s no surprise the city parks team named King its 2024 Volunteer of the Year.
“I don’t want to be in the spotlight like that,” he says. “I’m doing it because maybe when I die, I can say, ‘I did that.’”
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
Matt King
Photo by Linda Smolek
Full Agenda
KRELL GETS BUSY IN HER NEW ASSEMBLY JOB
From immigration policy to human trafficking legislation, Maggy Krell has a long list of goals as the city’s new state Assembly representative.
Housing comes first. Throughout the campaign and since her election last November, Krell listened to constituents. She found clarity in the public’s priorities.
“What I’m hearing is the cost of living and specifically the cost of housing is too high in California,” she says.
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By Jeff Harris City Realist
Krell’s approach to housing solutions involves collaboration with city and county leaders. One possibility is to repurpose unused state properties for housing and educational uses.
Soon after taking office, Krell walked Downtown streets with Mayor Kevin McCarty and representatives from the Downtown Sacramento Partnership.
Among the discussions were the possibilities of collecting property taxes on state buildings to bolster city revenue—an old idea that deserves consideration.
I met Krell in 2013 when I campaigned for City Council. At that time, she was running for Sacramento County district attorney against Anne Marie Schubert. Krell lost and returned to work at the state attorney general’s office under Kamala Harris.
Krell focused on stopping slave labor and sex trafficking. Her efforts contributed to the seizure and shutdown of the “adult services” website Backpage.com by federal authorities in 2018.
Later that year, Krell became general counsel to Planned Parenthood. She is a champion of women’s access to reproductive health care and worked to enshrine abortion rights in the California Constitution.
As an assemblymember, Krell wants to install legal guardrails around social media companies such as Instagram and TikTok to prevent human trafficking.
She knows content restrictions disrupt social media sites and require creative legislation. While she promotes protective legislation, Krell continues to aid victims of trafficking and establish pathways for victims to build successful lives.
The state’s immigration policies intersect with Krell’s anti-trafficking efforts. Many exploited workers are undocumented. Other undocumented immigrants operate in underground economies and exploit workers. Krell wants to establish legislative
safeguards against wholesale deportations, while protecting victims.
Krell is fiscally realistic. For budgetary goals, she says, “Replenish the state’s rainy-day budget fund and raise the cap on how much we put in it.”
Whenever I speak with Krell, I come away believing she’s a truth seeker. Politically, she’s a centrist, earnest and practical—the hallmarks of a true public servant.
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
Maggy Krell
It’s American Heart Month.
Show your heart some love today for a healthier tomorrow.
At Dignity Health Heart and Vascular Institute of Greater Sacramento, we recognize the vital role heart health plays in your overall well-being at any age. In the last 10 years, there has been a significant increase in heart attacks in adults between the ages of 18 and 44, but 80% of heart disease is preventable. By taking steps today like eating healthier, managing stress and tracking your blood pressure, you can greatly reduce your future risk. You’re never too young to start caring for your heart. If you’re in need of a checkup or something more advanced, turn to us. We care for more hearts locally than any other health system.
Learn more at DignityHealth.org/HeartandVascular.
Next Level
Without hesitation, Jennifer Brent says spay and neuter is the most important service the Sacramento SPCA offers the community.
“I think it’s the most powerful tool we have to limit pet overpopulation,” says Brent, who was recruited last year to head the SSPCA after CEO Kenn Altine retired.
Brent says the SSPCA is a national leader in spay/neuter, calling its 10,000-square-foot Zoe K. McCrea Animal Health Center “phenomenal.” The center performed more than 18,000 low- and no-cost spay/neuter surgeries in 2024.
exceeds capacity,” she says, citing the nationwide veterinarian and registered veterinary technician shortage.
The SSPCA has six veterinarians. The health center has four surgery suites, each with two tables, allowing for eight surgeons to perform spays/neuters at a time. Last year saw fewer surgeries than previous years due to staffing shortages.
“We could definitely add more surgeries, but I don’t know if we would ever meet the demand,” Brent says, noting the high number of pets acquired during the pandemic who still need altering. “There is such an overwhelming number of people who want the services.”
Brent says the need to increase spay/neuter capacity will be part of a “strategic plan” she is developing with senior staff and the SSPCA Board of Directors, with input from volunteers, donors, constituents and leaders from other local animal shelters.
“I think the strategic plan will tell us what the needs are in the community. Tell us where we can best serve the most people and the most animals,” says Brent, who hopes to have a plan in place by April.
Brent lived in Los Angeles for 30 years before moving to Sacramento to head the SSPCA, which has an $11 million annual budget and 121 employees. Her most recent stint was eight years as executive director of the California Wildlife Center in Southern California, with a $2 million annual budget and 14 full-time employees.
Brent’s companion animal experience includes roles at the Jason Heigl Foundation and Michelson Found Animals Foundation, both animal welfare advocacy groups. She also served as a commissioner to the Department of Animal Services for Los Angeles from 2014–2016.
“Really my background is in companion animals,” Brent says. “With wildlife, you can’t touch the animals. You can’t make eye contact. Wildlife was an interesting time, but I have a much closer connection to companion animals.”
Despite no previous hands-on experience heading a companion animal shelter, Brent says her role at the SSPCA is a continuation of her time at the wildlife center. “It was all about providing financial sustainability, working on infrastructure,” she says.
“It’s a similar structure. A nonprofit. Working with animals. A strong volunteer core. Working with staff. The development portion is just as important and challenging in wildlife as it is in companion animals.”
Brent brings the experience of running mega adoption events in the LA area, partnering with city and county animal shelters, “and also working with foundations and understanding the dynamics of all those pieces working together to help animals,” says Dawn Foster, SSPCA director of communications.
Brent, who moved to East Sacramento last October, has two senior rescue dogs. Elf is a yorkie/chihuahua mix from the Downey shelter in Los Angeles County. Olivia is a long-haired chihuahua abandoned outside the East Valley shelter in the city of Los Angeles.
“East Sac is perfect for the dogs,” she says. “We can walk to McKinley Park. The people have been lovely.”
At the SSPCA, “I love to go to the kennels and see the animals, see them get adopted and get some cuddles,” Brent says. “There are so many wonderful systems in place. We can only just get to the next level.”
By Cathryn Rakich Animals & Their Allies
But with a wait time of four to six months to schedule a spay/ neuter appointment, Brent also recognizes a challenge. “We would love the wait time to be less. The reality is demand far
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
NEW SSPCA HEAD BRINGS ANIMAL WELFARE EXPERIENCE TO SACRAMENTO
Jennifer Brent with her dogs Olivia and Elf Olivia and Elf.
Photo by Linda Smolek Photo Linda Smolek
Elevate
Sold On Downtown Downtown
INVESTORS LIKE WHAT THEY SEE AT 400 CAPITOL MALL
Agood way to measure the city’s health is whether smart people invest money here. By that gage, the recent purchase of the Wells Fargo Tower at 400 Capitol Mall is encouraging news for Downtown.
A partnership affiliated with late local developer Buzz Oates recently paid $117 million for the elegant building. That’s a big drop from 2019, when the tower sold for almost $200 million.
But if Downtown were dead or dying, as some suggested after the pandemic, remote work for state employees and civil disobedience in 2020, these savvy investors would not have made the deal, even for a discount.
“We did not have to acquire this building by any stretch,” Dan Corfee, one of the partners, tells me. “We felt we
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By Gary Delsohn Building Our Future
already have a big presence in Downtown Sacramento with our 555 Capitol Mall and we were not looking to expand our presence there.”
So why did Corfee’s Preferred Capital Advisors participate in a $117 million transaction for 400 Capitol Mall when the office market struggles and many state workers remain on hybrid schedules?
“Office is currently out of favor nationally and it’s certainly out of favor in Sacramento,” Corfee says. “But we feel the building presents a lot of opportunities. Sacramento may not be 100% back, but it’s a good market and it’s a nice place to work and there’s a lot of amenities. Compare that to some of the other suburban markets and I think Downtown has a lot to offer.”
The “Downtown is dying” crowd surely took notice of the reduced price for 400 Capitol Mall. Skeptics saw a steeper discount when Renaissance Tower at 801 K St. sold at auction for $21 million last year. Renaissance Tower went for $80 million in 2016.
But when we talk about the health of Downtown, it’s misleading to speak
in general terms. Some blocks are doing much better than others.
Renaissance Tower anchors a stretch that feels rundown and deserted, especially at night. I parked near there recently for a Kings game. Afterward I looked over my shoulder as I walked briskly to my car.
Plus, the building is less than onethird occupied. The primary tenant has long been the state.
Wells Fargo is on the healthier edge of the business district. It’s about 90% occupied and a short walk to Golden 1 Center, Downtown Commons, the river and restaurants.
And it’s one of the best-looking buildings in the region, aging gracefully after 31 years. Renaissance Tower, age 36, lacks the open floor plans found at 400 Capitol Mall. The K Street building’s angular design always struck me as overdone.
“When you look at the rent (list) for this building and the activity levels, these are good companies for Sacramento,” Corfee says of 400 Capitol Mall. “If you’re betting on them moving out of town, I think you’re misreading things. The area
has room for improvement, and we invest a lot to make sure the streets are clean and people feel safe, but it’s a nice place to be.”
If the soccer stadium planned for the railyards is built, people who work Downtown can walk from dinner to see the NBA, pro soccer and Major League Baseball while the A’s play several seasons in West Sacramento.
“How can you say Downtown is dead when you can walk to three major league sports venues all within a mile of one another?” Corfee asks. “That’s pretty appealing.”
Downtown still has problems. There are too many boarded-up buildings. Parts of the core don’t feel safe at night. Homelessness seems less widespread, but the problem is far from solved.
If you’re looking for hope amid the gloom, 400 Capitol Mall is a good place to start.
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
Wells Fargo Tower
Photo by Linda Smolek
Available Properties
3574 El Ricon Way Arden Park Beauty! 3 bed, 2 baths with spacious chef’s kitchen, pool and spa, pool house and huge 4+ car garage. $1,050,000 Andy Thielen LIC#01227077 916-230-3778
3716 Pullman Dr $479,000 Great home, fantastic price. Move-in ready! Updated bathrooms, fresh paint, new HVAC. Spacious backyard close to schools & shops Andy Thielen LIC#:01227077 916-230-3778
4133 Hovnanian Drive 1 Bed + Den/2nd bedrm, 1510 SF , updated, well maintained GEM, open oor plan.Welcome to Fabulous 55+ Four Seasons! $519,000 John Woodall LIC#01232653 916-421-5421
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500 J Street #1608, Sacramento CA$1,225,000 The iconic Kimpton Hotel at the Sawyer. Home to the city’s movers and shakers. Luxurious 2 bedroom condo, skyline views Pettit Gilwee LIC#01956019 916-330-0490
4240 Echo Rock Ln - ROSEVILLE $949,000 This elegant home is truly a precious gem. 3bd/2.5ba modern kitchen, and lush views of the golf course Garrett Abben Heckes LIC# 01753569 916-217-8547
WAction Time
NEW LAW TARGETS RETAIL CRIME, ADDICTION, OVERDOSES
BY RICH DESMOND AND THIEN HO
ith the passage of Proposition 36, California voters made it clear they support common sense criminal justice reforms that prioritize treatment for those who need help while holding people accountable for crimes that damage neighborhoods and small businesses.
We were happy to work with a bipartisan, statewide coalition of elected officials on this measure that will bring hope back to local communities.
Since the passage of Proposition 47 in 2014, addiction to fentanyl and other dangerous drugs became an epidemic. Overdoses skyrocketed. Participation in drug courts plummeted. Research shows substance abuse is especially prevalent within unhoused communities.
Proposition 47 took away the ability for judges to mandate and hold drug offenders accountable for completing treatment. The law didn’t contemplate the public health crisis of fentanyl.
And it allowed people desperate to support drug habits to steal up to $950,
every day—even multiple times per day—without real consequences.
This created a “theft tax” of hundreds of dollars per year paid by working families already struggling with inflation.
Today, the crises of homelessness, drug addiction and retail theft are hollowing out communities across California. Open-air drug markets and tent cities are too common.
Instead of costly measures that target individual symptoms, we need changes to public policies that allowed this triple epidemic to metastasize into a perfect storm of suffering.
And that’s exactly what Proposition 36 does by expanding the treatment and accountability tools we need to break the cycle of addiction.
Proposition 36 focuses on treatments contained in Proposition 47 by restoring consequences for people who fail to pursue the help they need.
Proposition 36 restores the ability for judges to require people repeatedly convicted of crimes involving fentanyl and other dangerous drugs to complete treatment as an alternative to jail.
It also offers access to addiction specialists, shelter and job training. Criminal records can be expunged
upon completion of treatment programs.
With overdoses now the leading cause of death among Californians aged 15–44, Proposition 36 adds the drug that drives this wave of fatalities—fentanyl—to the list of hard drugs that can bring prison time for dealers.
The measure will save lives and prevent overdoses and the substantial downstream costs that emerge when addicts find no alternatives to dealing or stealing.
It builds on important steps in the last two years to create more treatment beds and expand eligibility for immediate interventions to address mental illness and substance abuse.
Now the hard work begins to implement Proposition 36.
We need coordinated efforts by law enforcement agencies and the district attorney to identify and hold accountable those committing retail theft drug crimes. We need county government to build up and support treatment resources.
And we need our businesses and communities to educate themselves and their customers about the new law and report crimes when they occur.
Proposition 36 came with many promises. A promise to small businesses that they will see relief from a theft epidemic. A promise to communities that we will not tolerate tent cities that operate as drug markets. A promise to people who commit theft out of necessity or openly use drugs that they will receive access to social services and treatment.
And a promise to voters that we can reimagine our criminal justice system as one that holds people accountable and gets them help.
The crises of drugs, crime and homelessness cannot be ignored nor punished into submission. We need policies that will save lives, protect small businesses and working families, and bring more of our unhoused neighbors indoors.
We need to begin an era of mass treatment. Proposition 36 will help us get there.
Rich Desmond is Sacramento County supervisor for District 3. He can be reached at (916) 874-5471 or richdesmond@saccounty.gov.
Thien Ho is Sacramento County district attorney. He can be reached at (916) 874-6218 or daoffice@sacda.org. n
Tree Hugger
HOMEOWNERS WANTED MORE SPACE, PLUS A HERITAGE REDWOOD
The McKinley Park Tudor started out with a garage. Over the years, the garage gave way to a storage shed. When Theo and Paige Martenis bought the home in 2015, they decided their growing family needed more living space.
The answer was an ADU—accessory dwelling unit. The shed that replaced the garage was replaced by an additional 1,000 square feet of living accommodations.
“We want to have another child,” says Theo, whose daughter Sofia is 4. “We needed a place where family could stay with us and help.”
There was just one big hangup. A giant heritage redwood stood on the lot line with neighbors to the rear. Both households love the tree and wanted it preserved.
The mission to save the redwood was accomplished by architect Dennis Greenbaum and contractor Michael Higgins with MT Higgins Construction.
“We gave the architect the directive to build around the tree,” Theo says. “And we worked diligently with the architect, contractor and an arborist to spare the tree as little trauma as possible.”
By Cecily Hastings Open House
by Aniko Kiezel
The result is so dramatic it’s hard to imagine how it was done. The design boxes the redwood with windows on two floors. Integrated blinds allow the tree to be viewed or not. Windows open for ventilation. “It turned out even better than we imagined,” Theo says.
Photography
The new unit has living, dining and kitchen spaces on the first floor, plus a full bath. Upstairs are two bedrooms and another full bath.
A sleek steel and frosted glass-paneled garage door faces the side street and opens the unit. Generous sliding doors greet the backyard, shared with the original house. A balcony overlooks the garden.
I interviewed the homeowners as they completed the project. They weren’t sure if they would stay in the main home or move to the ADU. “It turned out so lovely we may want to make it our master suite,” Theo says.
Inside and out, the unit has a more modern aesthetic than a traditional Tudor home.
The couple spared no design details on the new living space. Rooms feature oak floors, Carrara marble counters and a generous island. The bathrooms have marble tile, and an egg-shaped bathtub and steam shower.
The original home is 1,750 square feet with three bedrooms and two baths. Previous owners made modern improvements. The couple added a few updates.
Theo and Paige Martenis with daughter Sofia.
The design to accommodate the tree left the new unit with multiple nooks and crannies. One member of the family especially loves the complications.
“Sofia has a number of hiding places that we can use for storage,” Theo says.
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
Unit y Unity Academy
EAST SAC SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HELPS STUDENTS BE THEIR BEST
For LuTisha McGregor, principal at Umoja International Academy in East Sacramento, it’s all about love.
“I lead with love,” says McGregor. “I tell my students and staff I love them every day and the parents every week.
JBy Jessica Laskey Meet Your Neighbor
That’s the type of leader I am. I want to come on campus and feel and see the love.”
Leading with love led to the school’s name change. Long known as Kit Carson, the combination middle and high school was one of three Sacramento City Unified School District campuses renamed in what Sac City officials call a “commitment to address school facility names that do not support the district’s values.”
As McGregor puts it, “Changing the names from horrible white men who killed people.”
Sutter Middle School became Miwok Middle School. Peter Burnett Elementary School changed to Suy:u Elementary School. Kit Carson transformed into Umoja, thanks in large part to McGregor.
“We’re a school with a Black woman principal,” says McGregor, a selfdescribed “Sac City kid” who attended Phoebe Hearst Elementary and John F. Kennedy High School before college at Alabama A&M University and earning a doctorate in educational leadership at Argosy University.
“I understand the suffering of the Native Americans, but (Black people)
suffered, too,” she says. “I brought up the name Umoja, which is the first foundational principle of Kwanzaa that means ‘unity’ in Swahili. That’s what I wanted: unity as it relates to education, making sure we’re all one, united and collaborating for everyone.”
The name captures the environment of a school that’s become a hidden gem in East Sac.
“Very few people know the school exists,” says parent Linda Smolek, Inside’s photography coordinator who has two kids at Umoja. “Even people in East Sac give me a blank look when I tell them where my kids go to school. I often get asked if it’s a private school.”
McGregor explains that for middle schoolers (seventh and eighth grade), Umoja is a school of residence, drawing students from within the district. As a high school, it’s a school of choice, without residential boundaries.
Umoja is also an International Baccalaureate World School, where students can earn IB diplomas. For students whose interests might not include college, the school will offer a trade-tech career pathway this fall.
“It’s a great environment to be in,” McGregor says. “It’s rigorous with high expectations, but we have all kinds of support and resources, like counselors and a full-time social worker on staff. The IB mindset is about developing the whole child.”
It’s also about community. When McGregor transitioned into administration from her career as a physical education instructor, she worried she would lose connections. That’s proven far from true.
“It’s actually better for me because I’m the support not only for the kids— they always come to my office—but I also support the adults,” she says. “We have a calming room with massage chairs that’s for everyone. I’ll even cover classes so (teachers) can take a
LuTisha McGregor Photos by Linda Smolek
moment.
She continues, “There
For information, visit umoja.scusd. edu.
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
Info Woes
GARDENERS BEWARE, THERE’S BAD ADVICE OUT THERE
Intrepid gardeners venture forth this spring with enthusiasm and confidence that the new growing season will be better than Marie’s Donuts.
Unfortunately, mixed results may be the awful truth. At worst, great expectations of a beautiful garden could shrivel into catastrophic failure. Oof.
Where did we go wrong? In these times of despair, gardeners seek remedies and answers. Be careful where you look. Social media, podcasts and streaming can deliver bad gardening information culled from folklore and misinformation.
Bogus advice is a painful reminder of the minefield gardeners must tiptoe across for solutions.
An article by a South Carolina tomato grower will be of limited help here. Proceed with caution when perusing The Old Farmer’s Almanac. Beware of YouTube videos, podcasts
and blogs from faraway places, hosted by “influencers” of dubious repute.
Remember, all gardening is local. The best advice is based on scientific research.
Sacramento has unique gardening guidelines. Summer temperatures are higher in urban areas, cooler in rural locations. What worked five years ago is not necessarily true today.
Smoke and pollutants from wildfires, droughts and water restrictions, extreme summer heat and milder than normal winters affect gardens.
Plants that thrived a decade ago may not work in current conditions. There are sudden events that can transform gardens. A toppled 40-foot redwood instantly transitions a shady garden into full sun and the need for heattolerant plants.
Choose reliable sources and avoid advice that encourages the use of kitchen products. Mixing “magic potions” to kill insect pests or weeds often results in killing the plant and the beneficial insects in the vicinity.
Vinegar, Epsom salts, dish soap and hydrogen peroxide are common ingredients for concocting homemade remedies. Resist the urge. They will likely waste your time and money.
By Dan Vierria Garden Jabber
Weeds are a major local problem. Heat, coupled with watering, prompts bumper crops of annoying spring and
summer weeds. Vinegar, best used in salad vinaigrettes, somehow has been deemed a weapon of mass destruction for weeds. Spray it on and watch weeds shrivel and die! Except that’s not how it usually works.
Grocery store vinegar has around 5% acetic acid, hardly enough to slow stubborn weeds. Horticultural vinegar, with a concentration of 20% or more acetic acid, is much more effective but may be difficult to find in small quantities. It can burn skin and damage eyes if not used properly.
While we take chances spraying any herbicide, keep in mind using a hoe and pulling weeds are both honest labor and environmentally responsible. Applying 3 to 4 inches of bark mulch or woodchips in early spring eliminates a weed problem. No need for herbicides!
Scientific research is where the best gardening information resides. It debunks myths and mistruths. It promotes sustainability, environmental responsibility, and healthier plants and soil.
If you are unsure about the best way to proceed, check these local sources:
The UC Master Gardeners of Sacramento County website at sacmg. ucanr.edu is an information bonanza. Or call the help desk Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m.–noon and 1–4 p.m., at (916) 876-5338. The Facebook page is
informative and entertaining, as is the YouTube Channel.
Fred Hoffman’s website at farmerfred.com and podcast “Garden Basics with Farmer Fred” are folksy and loaded with local scientific information.
Sacramento Digs Gardening blog at sacdigsgardening.californialocal. com is available on several platforms, including Facebook, Instagram and X. Content focuses on local gardening and cooking garden edibles. It’s provided by Debbie Arrington, a master rosarian, and Kathy Morrison Hellesen, a UC master gardener.
Other go-to sites are UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden at arboretum.ucdavis.edu and Sacramento Tree Foundation at sactree.org. Choose wisely, my friends.
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
Living Labs
NONPROFIT CONNECTS NEIGHBORS TO NATIVE PLANT SPECIES
The next time you see bursts of poppies, lupins and yarrows along the highway and wonder how they grow in such harsh environments, you’re probably looking at the work of Miridae Living Labs.
Specifically, you’re looking at the work of Miridae Living Labs’ Seed Pile Project, run by a team that includes Caroline Larsen-Bircher, co-founder and director of Miridae Living Labs.
As the nonprofit arm of Miridae, a landscape design-build firm, Miridae Living Labs brings science education to the community, with hands-on programming such as the Seed Pile Project.
“The main thing Miridae Living Labs is working on is community science. It’s often called citizen science,
J L JL
By Jessica Laskey Meet Your Neighbor
but we prefer the word ‘community,’” Larsen-Bircher says.
She continues, “For our Seed Pile Project, which is going into its fourth year, we give community members across the greater Sacramento area packets of local California native seeds. We ask them to drop the pile somewhere in their built environment— in their neighborhoods, transportation corridors, along their commute—and go back and collect data every month to see which wildflowers are doing well.”
These community scientists contribute to a network that helps inform design decisions at Miridae and local infrastructure projects.
“By knowing which types of plants tolerate the urban environment and spread inexpensively by seeds, Caltrans can toss them out (at job sites) and we’ll know there’s a high likelihood of germination,” Larsen-Bircher says.
Beneficial insects—or insects in general—have long been a passion of Larsen-Bircher. As a kid, she would “run around and play with bugs, stare at ants and try to figure out the world around us.”
Her interests led to a Ph.D. in ecology at UC Davis, where she met Billy Krimmel, founder of Miridae (named for the Latin term for a family of insects known as “plant bugs” or mirids) and co-owner of Miridae Living Labs.
Miridae has a three-pronged approach to promote native biodiversity in the urban environment. The firm oversees landscape architecture and construction on residential, high-acreage and community projects.
Miridae Living Labs provides education through hands-on mobile science classes, initiatives that include the Seed Pile Project and creation of “living lab” gardens. Among local sites are Sierra 2 Center and David Lubin Elementary.
Miridae Mobile Nursery brings plants to people. A customized box truck drives to neighborhoods and community events where it transforms into a curbside native plant shop.
“The Mobile Nursery is a huge favorite and has been an amazing success,” Larsen-Bircher says. “We pushed to get it going during the
beginning of COVID because we needed a place where people could gather safely outside and access native plants. All the profits go to Miridae Living Labs.”
Whether helping kids and adults explore the natural world or learning more about how they can positively impact native plants and arthropods, the Miridae team is determined to promote conservation and connection, one lupin at a time.
“Getting people to connect to the tiny world around us gets them excited,” Larsen-Bircher says. “It’s a low barrier to entry. There are bugs and plants everywhere. It’s something that’s accessible. Science doesn’t have to just be in a lab.”
For information, visit miridaelivinglabs.org. Follow them on Instagram @miridaelivinglabs to find out how to get involved in the Seed Pile Project.
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
Kate Hayes, Billy Krimmel and Caroline Larsen-Bircher
Photo by Aniko Kiezel
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Fi
fi Scott must be the only woman who flipped a car while skidding around the track at Hughes Stadium. She did this while chasing Stan Mulock and 18 other men in an automobile race not meant for women.
Scott was running 10th when she flipped with five laps to go. It’s unknown what type of car she drove, though she liked Hudsons. Reports from that night in June 1955 describe all 20 vehicles as jalopies, battered 1940s precursors to NASCAR machines.
Fifi walked away. Her jalopy died. If sexists in the audience of 2,800 assumed Scott’s crash proved women
Hell On Wheels
MALE DRIVERS COULDN’T SLOW DOWN FIFI SCOTT
were bad drivers, they had Mike DeFuentes to consider. He flipped in the semi-main event.
I’ve always been curious about auto races at Hughes Stadium. Seeing the old horseshoe-shaped monument today, it’s hard to imagine 20 cars banging around the quarter-mile oval.
Now the surface is blanketed with soft, rustcolored rubber, ideal for track meets. In the 1950s, the track was clay, packed hard as concrete.
Motor racing promoters fired up old jalopies and new stock cars under the early NASCAR banner at Hughes. They ran midget cars and motorcycles. Drivers punched accelerators with minimal regard to safety, relying on roll bars and open-face helmets. Spectators ducked flying debris.
Then there was Fifi Scott. She was a stubborn pioneer for women’s access and equal treatment. Fifi pushed her way into events where she wasn’t wanted.
Hughes Stadium promoter Bill Hunefeld staged something called a “Powder Puff Derby” for women drivers. Main events were for men.
Fifi Scott drove in women’s races. But she insisted she was good enough for main events. She wanted to compete in qualifying heats, just like the boys. She entered. Went fast. And qualified.
As far as I can tell, Scott was the first woman to compete in NASCAR races in Sacramento, Oakland, Los Angeles and Phoenix. Six altogether. The Bee reported she “usually gave a good account of herself as long as the car stood up.”
and mechanics, Sacramento’s gift to western automobile racing will drive today at the Contra Costa Speedway.”
Sacramento’s gift was Fifi Scott. Born Louella May Eichelberger, raised near Seventh and P streets, she turned 29 in the summer of 1955. She’d been driving race cars for two or three years.
Those were busy days for Scott. She was raising a 10-year-old daughter named Vivian, pushing a cab around town for Union Taxi, and keeping house on Wilcox Avenue in Del Paso Heights for her husband, Dale Scott, a well-driller and auto mechanic. Dale Scott served as Fifi’s pit crew.
Pressure no doubt weighed heavily on Fifi Scott. By 1956, she stopped racing. Her final appearance seems to have been a destruction derby at West Capitol Speedway under the stage name Fifi McGillicuddy.
Racing archives reveal no further entries for Fifi Scott, Fifi McGillicuddy, Louella May Eichelberger or variations.
Fifi and Dale Scott divorced in 1957. Removed from weekends filled with gasoline, grease and exhaust fumes, her life remained eventful. She moved to West Sac, married twice more, outlived her first and second husbands, divorced her third. She died in 2006 at 80.
Today there are no markers at Hughes Stadium to honor Fifi Scott’s ghost, no mention of her accomplishments at West Coast NASCAR events. But she was remarkable—a woman who raced equally with men.
The Tribune’s Alan Ward supplied prescient outrage almost 70 years ago when he spoke his mind about Fifi Scott. His column was titled “On Second Thought.”
Two Sacramento Bee clips from June and July 1955 publicize Fifi Scott’s driving skills.
She is so mad she might not move over when another car, running to her left, tries to pass. That, chums, will be something.”
By R.E. Graswich Sports Authority
Her tenacity angered the boys. Alan Ward, writing for the Oakland Tribune in June 1955, noted, “Over the protests of a dozen pilots, car owners
“She is so peeved at male drivers, owners and mechanics who sought to bounce her from the race before it started, she’ll do better than her best to humiliate the smart Aleck males.
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
INSIDE OUT
Sacramento Police Department was victorious in a recent Heroes Cup, a friendly soccer tournament between law enforcement agencies and fire departments from Northern California. The event raises money for Firefighters Burn Institute.
For information, visit ffburn.org.
Heroes Cup
PHOTOS BY AUBREY JOHNSSON
Keep The Faith
RELIGION AND POLITICS MAKE POOR PULPIT PARTNERS
Like most pastors, I send out a weekly email to church members and friends previewing my sermon topic and promoting upcoming events.
After the November election, I received this email from a person I’ll call Joe Christian:
“Please remove us from your e-mail list. I wish to get as far away as possible from the poison in this country that is evangelical Christianity.”
I’ll admit the email saddened me. But I understood.
Joe C. mistook me for those evangelicals I call the “Christmericans.”
N B NB
By Norris Burkes Spirit Matters
That’s what I consider believers who morph Christ into their patriotism. They promote a certain candidate or issue. They insist on a form of biblical interpretation for both Christians and non-Christians.
These evangelicals are led by people who try to convince parishioners they are being persecuted and have lost the freedom to profess their beliefs and follow Christ.
They urge their communities to ban library books, elect people to City Council using methods that exploit controversies, such as gay rights, abortion and immigration.
If that describes your church, then may I forward Joe’s email and ask you to answer?
In the meantime, I’ve told Joe in no uncertain terms: “I am evangelical, just not THAT kind of evangelical.
“I am not the kind of evangelical who engages with the political process to protect my ‘biblical values.’”
No, I do not use my pulpit to preach for or against issues such as abortion, euthanasia, gay rights or science.
And during the eight Sundays I’m away from my pulpit, I invite a local woman pastor to cover my preaching duties. (Shout-out to Cherise. My folks love you!)
As some evangelicals keep preaching the “Christ-merican” idea, they may enjoy some growth—for a little longer, perhaps.
In the meantime, I accept all as my brother.
And even as some dismiss me as their “liberal brother,” I’ll continue to interpret Jesus’ teaching in the light of modern knowledge, science and ethics. I’ll lean into reason and experience over doctrinal authority.
I’ll address folks such as Joe in more relatable language, admitting that, yes, I am evangelical. But only in the sense that I think Jesus spoke with common sense. I encourage all to consider Jesus’ ideas.
And I will try to make my church a safe place to explore faith.
I’m evangelical because I believe the Bible retains a message for every generation. I’m evangelical in that I
believe Jesus loves all of us the way he loves each of us. And he intensely loves each of us as if we were the only ones on earth.
I’ll keep standing in my small pulpit with the same message I always bring: “Love the Lord Your God with all your heart and your neighbor as yourself.”
Not long afterward, Joe replied with kind words.
He wrote, “Thank you, Norris. I apologize for my abrupt tone. I painted with too broad of a brush.”
No problem. As my hospice team used to tell our patients, “We’re all just walking each other home.”
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
95815
95822
1716 68TH AVE $335,000
95816
95819
95817
95818
95821
2871 SANTA PAULA CT $270,000 3566 LARCHMONT SQUARE LN
$300,000
3633 WHITNEY AVE $447,000 2901 GLACIER ST $449,000 2107 RASSY WAY $455,000 4400 BARON AVE $465,000 4104 BOONE LN $495,000 3828 JO ANN DR $503,000 3990 HILLCREST LN $505,000 2544 ANDRADE WAY
RUBICON WAY
ELIZABETH AVE
95825
1019 DORNAJO WAY #129 $200,000 2208 WOODSIDE LN #5 $224,900 606 WOODSIDE SIERRA #6 $240,000 637 WOODSIDE SIERRA #1 $251,000 2464 LARKSPUR LN #348 $269,340
1019 DORNAJO WAY #218 $271,500
2100 S KEITH WAY $299,000
2000 BOWLING GREEN DR $369,000
879 COMMONS DR $429,000 940 COMMONS DR $465,000 910 COMMONS DR $482,625
1260 VANDERBILT WAY $542,000
2002 UNIVERSITY PARK DR $650,000
3201 SUNVIEW AVE $650,000
315 E RANCH RD $690,000
95831
6241 RIVERSIDE BLVD #205 $210,000 703 ROUNDTREE
Hyper Local
WINERY-KITCHEN BRINGS ALL THINGS GOOD TO MIDTOWN
Revolution Winery & Kitchen embodies vine to bottle and farm to fork. The menu celebrates local fruit, breads, produce and wine grapes, all from within 100 miles of Midtown.
Chef-owner Gina Genshlea was raised on a sustainable farm in South Sacramento. She says her family “grew everything” they ate.
Childhood was filled with chestnuts, pecans, walnuts, olives, stone fruits, chickens, cows, pigs, goats, house-cured prosciutto and coppa, plus grapes and wine production.
With winemakers Colleen Clothier and Samuel Wharton, Revolution pulls
the best local wine grapes. The crew crushes, ferments, ages and sells its wines in the heart of town.
The company uses some off-site storage, but most wine is produced and bottled on S Street.
The selection captures the powerhouse our region represents. Varieties of white and rose include sparkling, gewurztraminer, grenache blanc, vermentino and skin-fermented vermentino, and chardonnay, along with rose of valdiguie and rose of syrah.
As for reds, Revolution features barbera, syrah, pinot noir, tempranillo, cabernet sauvignon, malbec, cab franc and petite sirah.
Blends aren’t overlooked, such as sacteaux, which contains cabernet sauvignon, zinfandel, malbec, petite sirah and alicante bouschet.
Genshlea wants to “bring a piece of the farm into the city, bring something here that grows nearby.”
By Gabrielle Myers
Aniko Kiezel
Clothier and Wharton built relationships with local growers, such as Heringer Estate in Clarksburg, Josh Lyman in Amador and Chuck
Mansfield of Goldbud Farms in Placerville.
Winemakers and growers collaborate on when to plant, style and pick date. Clothier and Wharton bring the grapes to town and practice whole cluster fermenting with native yeasts and low intervention winemaking, which provides consistency. Red wines are
unfiltered and filled with complex flavors and antioxidants.
Some Revolution wines are bottled for the company’s wine club. Most go into refillable kegs for a tap system, one of California’s largest.
From the kegs, wine pours into glasses and reusable bottles. The system cuts down on bottle waste.
Revolution opened in 2007 and arrived on S Street in 2010 next to Temple Coffee, Pushkin’s Bakery and Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op.
Genshlea began with charcuterie boards, soups and salads. She gradually added seasonal selections of appetizers, burgers, pasta, polenta, rice dishes and New York steak.
Revolution uses local stone fruit and produce from Twin Peaks Orchards in Newcastle and Yeung Farms in West Sac. Bread comes from Village Bakery Gina Genshlea
Photography by
Farm To Fork
in Davis. Apples and apple juice arrive from Apple Hill, of course.
Having once lived down the street from Revolution, I enjoyed dinner and brunch often and the options for those of us with food allergies and preferences. Menus are clearly labeled and servers knowledgeable about food allergies. The kitchen accommodates.
I struggle with gluten and dairy allergies and appreciate how Genshlea and her team use separate fryers for gluten and dairy-free items, even with different salt and pepper containers.
I’ve enjoyed burgers with buns, tempera-fried cauliflower, cured salmon and eggs, and grilled New York steak
and frites with joy at the restaurant. And the kitchen offers many options for vegans and vegetarians.
Revolution Winery & Kitchen is at 2831 S St. Visit rev.wine or call (916) 444-7711.
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
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READERS NEAR & FAR
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Kevin Woodruff at Piazzetta San Marco in Venice, Italy.
Edita and Ramon Nazareno at Stone Bridge spanning the Danube River in Regensburg, Germany.
Elaine Lintecum and Anthony Herrera visiting Saint John in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
George and Eileen Nyberg with the doorman at The Shelbourne hotel in Dublin, Ireland.
5. Strummer, Treble and Zildjian with Rhapsody Beckett at Clerigos Tower in Porto, Portugal.
Michael, Janie and Zachary Fong with Kamm Kojima visiting Pike Place Market in Seattle, Washington.
7. Marlene Oehler in Budapest.
C. Paul Frydendal and his sister Linda Olson at Urquhart Castle near Inverness, Scotland.
Delta Destination
By Greg Sabin Restaurant Insider
CITY CHEF MAKES HIS MARK IN CLARKSBURG
You wouldn’t expect fantastic pizza at an old hardware store on the banks of the Sacramento River, but Matt Brown knows better. His restaurant, Husick’s by Forester, is a gem.
Just a few minutes off Interstate 5, Husick’s is from another place and time. Opened more than a century ago as a hardware store in Clarksburg, the site is now a dining destination for wine tasters, boaters and Delta locals. In easy traffic, it’s about a 20-minute drive from Downtown.
Chef Brown worked in several local kitchens, and each stop brought more praise than the last. He cooked at Hook & Ladder, created the food program at The Jungle Bird tiki lounge and drove the exceptional kitchen at The Golden Bear. Plaudits followed.
His last stop was as a founder at Bodega Kitchen & Cocktails. He put together one of the most exciting local menus, much to his satisfaction. But a new project beckoned.
“I’d been looking for my own restaurant for a while, and when this
opportunity came to me, I couldn’t turn it down,” Brown says.
Opened last September, Husick’s quickly showed the Brown touch. The large dining room and small open kitchen were a little funky. Previous owners installed pizza ovens in the quirky space. Brown decided to make the riverside restaurant a pizza destination.
“I really believe you have to work with your space,” he tells me. “Whether it’s the local produce, the equipment or the dining room.”
Hummus and crostini
Photos by Linda Smolek
Brown makes fine use of those pizza ovens. Hand-pulled dough leaves the oven teetering between crispy and fluffy. Each pie is big enough for two or three diners.
The standout for me is the “Forester.” It’s a sophisticated combination of roasted red potato, rosemary, caramelized onions, chevre, mozzarella, confit garlic and fresh arugula after baking. But that’s not all.
“I’ve got to consider the locals in everything I do,” Brown says. “We’re doing a lot more than just pizza. I don’t want anyone to get pizza’ed out.”
Lunch sandwiches alone are worth the visit. Every sandwich arrives on focaccia bread made daily.
The steak sandwich is more Italian beef than classic steak, with giardiniera (pepper relish) and provolone. The muffaletta is a taste of New Orleans with wine country upgrades including country pate and house-made aioli.
For me, the sandwich highlight is the “Ham ’n’ Jam,” a gorgeous combo of Black Forest ham, provolone and seasonal jam. On my last visit the jam was an incredible cranberry and fig concoction on pillowy focaccia.
Dinner menus include a beautiful hanger steak and chicken cassoulet, plus weekly specials. The wine and beer lists are hyper-local. Craig Haarmeyer’s local chenin blanc is on the list, along
with other Clarksburg names such as Bogle, Lambeth, Silt and Heringer.
And there’s more to come.
“I feel like we’re barely at level one,” Brown says. “I’m hoping to expand our offerings in a number of ways.”
Expansions could include picnic items for boaters and wine tasters. Or a pizza patio with an external oven for large groups. More live music and a full bar could happen.
I have a feeling Matt Brown is just starting. Whatever his next steps, local diners will benefit.
Husick’s by Forester is at 36510 Riverview Drive, Clarksburg; (916) 917-4701; husicksbyforester.com.
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
Roasted beet salad
Calabrian chicken and soppressata pizza
Shooting Star
FREELANCE PHOTO CAREER THRIVES ON PERFECT IMAGERY
Aniko Kiezel and I have something in common. We both hate to have our picture taken. But to Kiezel’s credit, I’ve never had more fun—or liked a photo of myself more—than when she photographed me for Inside Sacramento.
“Above all, I try to make the person I’m photographing feel comfortable,”
says Kiezel, who photographs for Inside along with other publications and private clients. “I like to put them at ease and make them know I’m going to make them look good. If I’m having a good time, you’re going to have a good time.”
Kiezel photographs all kinds of people—artists, business owners, politicians, students, actors and more. She’s expert at striking up conversations with strangers.
and steel wool. Her artistic talents blossomed as a teen when she studied classic films and went on to work in art direction for advertising agencies.
Her first job was at Sacramento Savings and Loan with its in-house agency. When she and several friends decided to try their luck in Los Angeles, she found work as a print producer for Vidal Sassoon. From there, she moved to a design firm in Santa Monica that connected her to the entertainment world.
“Everyone questioned me, but it turned out that Kevin Costner saw it and hated what they’d signed off on. When he found out I hadn’t, he said all future posters for ‘Dances with Wolves’ must be signed off on by me.”
Word spread and Paramount Pictures came calling. Kiezel produced prints for 80 movies—a dream come true for a kid who grew up loving film.
JL JL
By Jessica Laskey Open Studio
“I get around and, as a result, I meet a lot of people,” Kiezel says. “It’s broadened my world. I meet people who under normal circumstances I would never meet. Nothing turns me on more than getting involved and storytelling about other people’s passions.”
Storytelling comes naturally to Kiezel, who grew up in Hungary, Belgium and Montreal. At age 6, she made a dinosaur from a coat hanger
She describes a surreal experience working on marketing materials for the 1990 film “Dances with Wolves.”
“I was doing a press check with the studio producer looking over the color (on the movie poster), making sure it looked good, and he signed off. But I didn’t like it. I said, ‘I’m here doing a job, I’m not going to sign off on something I don’t like.’
That led to working on LA Workbook, an industry reference for photographers, illustrators and advertising professionals. The job took her to Hong Kong and Tokyo.
When the recession hit and her parents’ health declined, Kiezel returned to Sacramento and “had to start all over,” she says. She decided to step behind the camera as a freelance photographer.
“It was nerve-wracking for the first couple years,” Kiezel says. But
Aniko Kiezel
Photo by Aniko Kiezel
persistence and talent brought gigs all over town.
She started photographing for Inside, became active on social media, participated in Open Studios through Verge Center for the Arts and set up a studio at Two Rivers Cider.
New opportunities came 10 years ago, when Kiezel photographed more than 80 businesses for Inside’s first two
local guidebooks. “She did an amazing job,” Publisher Cecily Hastings says.
When she’s not on assignment or working with clients, she experiments with images and creates photo exhibitions, this month at PBS KVIE Gallery and in April at Twisted Track Gallery on R Street.
“There’s a freedom of expression to go out with my camera and flow with
my ideas,” she says. “Nobody’s telling me what to do, so I’m pulling from all my skills and my aesthetics ability. I’m a happy camper.”
For information, find Kiezel on Instagram @anikophotos or online at anikophotos.com. Kiezel’s exhibition at PBS KVIE Gallery runs Feb. 4 to March 29.
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
LIVE PERFORMANCE
Take It to the Limit:
The Ultimate Eagles Tribute Moon Coin Productions
Friday, Feb. 7
Crest Theatre (1013 K St.); eaglestributeshow.com
Tickets: From $45
Rock out to favorites like “Hotel California,” “Heartache Tonight,” “Peaceful Easy Feeling” and “Take It Easy.”
Romeo & Juliet
Sacramento Ballet Feb. 14–16
Safe Credit Union Performing Arts Center (1301 L St.); sacballet.org
Korean choreographer Young Soon Hue unveils a groundbreaking interpretation of this classic ballet set to Prokofiev's striking score played by the Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera.
Russian Masters: Prokofiev and Stravinsky
Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera Saturday, Feb. 8, 7:30 p.m.
Safe Credit Union Performing Arts Center (1301 L St.); sacphilopera.org
Tickets: $35–$115
Prokofiev’s “Piano Concerto No. 3” is performed by Sacramento native Parker Van Ostrand, plus Stravinsky’s “Pulcinella Suite.”
Sing at an open mic accompanied by jazz pianist Joe Gilman. No cover charge. Thai food available. Sign up via the website.
Teagarden Jazz Festival for Young Musicians
Saturday, Feb. 8, 8 a.m.–8:30 p.m.
Sacramento State Capistrano Hall (6000 J St.); teagardenjazzfestival.org
General admission: $15; free for students
Student bands perform before a live audience with feedback clinics and jazz workshops.
Fences
Celebration Arts
Feb. 14 – March 2
2727 B St.; celebrationarts.net
Tickets: $25 general; $20 seniors; $15 students
Set in 1950s Pittsburgh, this powerful drama explores the relationship between a father and son as they grapple with dreams deferred and the weight of societal expectations.
Cowboy Bebop Bounty Live!
GD Theatres
Friday, Feb. 14, 8–9:30 p.m.
Crest Theatre (1013 K St.); crestsacramento.com
Bebop Bounty Big Band brings together storytelling and high-octane jazz in a multimedia experience.
Singer Susan Skinner, clarinetist Del Gomes and the Hey Day Ensemble highlight nearly a century of jazz and pop selections.
ART
Collidoscope: de la Torre Brothers Retro-Perspective Crocker Art Museum
Feb. 9–May 4
216 O St.; crockerart.org
On exhibit are 40 mixed-media works, including blown-glass sculptures and installation art, by internationally acclaimed artists and brothers Einar and Jamex de la Torre.
“Trotsky’s
Dream” by Einar and Jamex de la Torre at Crocker Art Museum.
Eagles tribute band “Take it to the Limit” at Crest Theatre.
Aniko Kiezel
PBS KVIE Gallery
Feb. 4–March 29
Opening Reception Feb. 20, 5–7 p.m.
2030 W. El Camino Ave.; kvie.org
Known for her wide-ranging subjects featured in Inside Sacramento and elsewhere, Hungarian-born Kiezel’s portrait won a photography award in the 2024 PBS KVIE Art Auction.
Urban Abstractions:
A Solo Show by Gerry “GOS” Simpson ARTHOUSE
Feb. 7–March 3
Opening Reception Feb. 8, 5–8 p.m. 1021 R St.; arthouseonr.com
This colorful and creative exhibit is a response to transformations in urban landscapes across America.
Mel Smothers, Eric Wyss, Maureen Hood Archival Gallery
Second Saturday Reception Feb. 8, 5–9 p.m. 1730 R St.; (916) 639-0436 or (916) 769-2700
This retrospective of architecturally inspired pieces, often with an Asian influence, celebrates the ceramic artist’s 99th birthday.
Steve Briscoe: Disputed Territory Kerry Cottle: Back to the Wasteland Axis Gallery Through Feb. 23
Second Saturday Reception Feb. 8, 5–8 p.m. 625 S St.; axisgallery.org
This exhibition includes graphic and sculptural works by Briscoe, and bioplastic and paper-pulp paintings by Cottle.
COMMUNITY
Ford Mustang’s 60th Anniversary
California Automobile Museum
Starting Feb. 8
2200 Front St.; calautomuseum.org
Celebrate this American automotive creation with a rotating exhibit of Mustangs from 1964 to today, plus interactive experiences and digital displays.
Mardi Gras Dinner Fundraiser
St. Michael's Episcopal Church
Saturday, Feb. 22
2140 Mission Ave.; stmichaelscarmichael.org
Enjoy an evening of music, Southern comfort food and fun.
Our War Too: Women In Service California Museum Feb. 4–May 4 1020 O St.; californiamuseum.org
This exhibit honors the 350,000 American women who served during World War II. Includes unique and colorful artifacts from the National World War II Museum.
Bufferlands Bird Walk Sacramento Area Sewer District Sunday, Feb. 2, 8–11:30 a.m. SacSewer's Bufferlands, Elk Grove Walk grasslands, wetlands and riparian forest to view waterfowl, raptors and wintering songbirds. Free but advanced registration is required by emailing Steve Scott at scotts@ sacsewer.com.
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
Clarinetist Del Gomes and singer Susan Skinner at Twin Lotus Thai.
“After Dorothea Lange 39” by Mel Smothers at Archival Gallery.
INSIDE SACRAMENTO PUBLICATION
BY SHELDON YEE
As the New Year approaches We have a confession Inside Publication Survives economic recession.
To its reader audience It still creates thunder As other magazines Have sadly gone under.
Not totally surprising What could be the reason? We stay relevant Season after season.
Reporting on stories
Throughout our community Bring together all In a spirit of unity.
Ensuring local businesses Can express their voice And consumers at large Fully exercise their choice.
Editorial reporting
From writers who care Perspective only possible From being right there.
It takes more than words To convey from our heart That’s why we include Countless photos and art.
Inspiring its readers To be their best self By adventuring the world Not staying home on the shelf.
Whether active locally Or across the nation It begins by reading Inside Sacramento Publication.
Palindromic mathematician Lovelace
Pounded with a fist
Wiretapped, maybe
Animal, vegetable or ___
Retired boomer?
Flipped out
Rudely ignore
Related (to)
“It’s Raining ___” (gay anthem)
Stroke the fur of
Eggs, to biologists
Former Bolivian president Morales
Unit of resistance
Overindulged kid
Frat guys
Place to give a cat scritches
Focus of some early farmers’ worship
Financial losses, figuratively
Wellbalanced and sensible, and what 20-, 32- and 41-Across should be 59 Four Corners state
“All right, you win this time!”
“Not in a million years!”
Goalless score
Jockey (for) 65 Most spoken lang. in the world 66 Fill with wonder 67 Like the Crying Cat Face emoji 68 Street tormented by Freddy Krueger DOWN 1 Pear with russet skin 2 Trade show 3 Disappearing from public view 4 Hazardous household gas
Santa ___, California 45 What a blowhard or balloon may be full of
5 Love dearly 6 Bear called xiongmao in Mandarin 7 Box full of bucks
8 Casino token 9 Yellowfin or albacore 10 Plunge made by Greg Louganis 11 “John Wick” star Reeves 12 Wing it onstage 16 Member of a high-IQ society 18 Business school subj. 21 Massive in scale 24 Key near ] 26 Soundboosting gear
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