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KATE BLUE
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This piece was awarded a 2024 Inside Publisher’s Award in the California State Fair Fine Arts Competition. Kate Blue lives in Elverta, earned an art degree and worked in IT for more than 25 years. After retiring she returned to painting and since then has won multiple best in show awards and has been accepted repeatedly to the Crocker Kingsley show and Stockton Art League’s Juried Exhibition at the Haggin Museum. Shown: “Sacred Water,” 24 inches by 24 inches, oil on canvas. This piece is for sale at $2,800. Visit kateblue.com.
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I would recommend her to my closest
home buyer, I was a bit anxious and contacted Elise quite a lot with various questions and concerns. She was extremely responsive to my needs.I felt she knew what I was looking for, did not attempt to guide me out of my price range, and held my hand during the entire process, and beyond! She still makes herself available to me over a month after close of Escrow. I will absolutely contact her again should I ever decide to purchase again. ~ Lisa B.
Decision Time
MAYORAL CANDIDATES ANSWER QUESTIONS ON CITY’S FUTURE
Inside publisher Cecily Hastings interviewed mayoral candidates Kevin McCarty and Flojaune Cofer, and recorded their responses to important questions facing the city. Interviews were separate, but both candidates responded to the same questions. Views on homelessness, business retention and Proposition 37 appeared in September editions of Inside Sacramento.
The city’s budget was balanced with one-time backfills after years of workforce pay raises and other unsustainable financial decisions by the City Council. Next year’s budget looks worse. What cuts do you foresee, knowing that the city’s biggest expense is public safety?
By Cecily Hastings Publisher’s Desk
McCarty: I’m deeply troubled by our budget. When I was on the City Council 12 years ago, I supported the Measure U sales tax to support restoring city services after the Great Recession. The fact that we need to make these tough cuts and one-time backfills is very disturbing.
Our biggest expense is public safety—representing 80% of the discretionary city budget (general fund)—with another 10% for parks. All the core things that constituents count on. Our only way out is to grow and create new jobs, lower the regulatory processes, and focus on clean and safe neighborhoods by addressing public safety and homelessness.
Cofer: A lot of the deficit we have this year is based on staff pay increases that were approved in December 2023, two weeks before the city manager’s office announced the $66 million deficit. Why did it play out this way? I have lots of questions.
One of my goals for the council is to establish goals for the city departments to manage their budgets and staff. Secondly, before we get cuts, I also make sure we maximize our revenues.
That’s a conversation that our city should be having regularly. How do we get more money? And it is also important to see how many times a dollar turns over in Sacramento.
Every time I’m at Golden 1 Center and I see people spending $17 on Budweiser or Heineken, I think to myself, couldn’t you be spending that money on a local brewery that would then reinvest in our community and turn that dollar over one more time?
But we have more than $1 billion in deferred maintenance, and so we have real challenges with long-term solvency and how we’re going to build up the funds and where we’re going to spend money now.
While I do not want to contract out city services, I do want us to regulate employee overtime. I’ve been clear I do not want to lay any city staff off, but we must spend our labor dollars efficiently towards public safety outcome goals.
Cities across the U.S. report increased traffic fatalities and traffic-related injuries coinciding with lower levels of traffic enforcement by police. How can Sacramento make streets safer with decreased levels of traffic enforcement?
McCarty: I support an increase in traffic enforcement. I also support technology and smart and thoughtful street design that creates more pedestrian and cycling safety.
But it must be noted that most of the fatalities occur in parts of the city where people need to walk or cycle to
work, not by choice but because they cannot afford to drive a car.
Cofer: Traffic enforcement is very similar to law enforcement. As a preventative, we need to use traffic safety measures in the design of our streets that encourage safety to pedestrians. Not wait until an accident happens.
We need to invest in the things that yield better safety outcomes. We must better use our city dollars to leverage grants on the state and federal levels.
Mayors Kevin Johnson and Darrell Steinberg believed the city needed a “strong mayor” charter amendment to give them executive authority over the city. Will you pursue a “strong mayor” initiative in the next four years?
McCarty: I opposed all the previous strong mayor measures. I don’t see the voters wanting that, either. Some strong mayor cities have experienced corruption and cronyism. We need to use a collaborate approach to help solve our challenges. I’ve been successful over the years working with my colleagues and will be successful as your mayor.
Cofer: I opposed the last efforts for a strong mayor put forth by Mayor Steinberg. I reject the framing of strong mayor vs. weak mayor. I think it’s better described as an executive mayor vs. a collaborative mayor. Collaboration
Flojaune Cofer
Kevin McCarty
law office of brian d. wyatt ,PC
means we must work together to get things done. And when you do that, more people have buy-in.
With so much Downtown real estate controlled by the state and mothballed since the pandemic, what’s your plan to activate state buildings or move them into private or city hands to revitalize the Downtown core?
McCarty: More than 50% of our Downtown buildings are on the state tax rolls and they pay zero property tax. So, in the best of times, Downtown only created revenue because the workers generated revenues with their sales tax at lunch and happy hour and going shopping at the mall. Now we have neither and it is an existential threat to the core of Sacramento.
The first thing we need to do is get the state-owned real estate off the government rolls and into the private sector to be developed for housing and other uses. Gov. Newsom signed into law a bill I authored to make it easier to turn state property into housing. But we also need to streamline our development process to make the process more efficient and less costly. But it’s just a piece of the puzzle. We need to focus on bringing more activity, such as a campus with programs and
housing that can benefit being near the Capitol.
Cofer: We need to turn Downtown into a campus, one that is full of thriving college dormitories. We also need to create Downtown as the entertainment center for the region and as a great place for people to come and have lots of fun.
What are the businesses that we need to attract to the area so we’re taking advantage of how people want to engage with Downtown—but also making sure that we’re meeting the needs of our region? The future of our Downtown is one that is full of young people, open and available and with good public transit.
Mayors Joe Serna and Kevin Johnson created education initiatives and ran candidates for school board, knowing the city’s future depends on its children. How will you make an impact with Sac City Unified and its superintendent and board?
McCarty: I’ll see that the city partners with our school districts, not only Sac City, but the others in the city as well. I’ll support candidates for school board as I have done in the past. I want to elect school board members who will make tough and important
decisions for our schools and our kids. Sometimes I’ve supported teacherunion backed candidates. Other times, I’ve supported candidates who are independent.
Having vibrant programs to support and develop our youth is one of my three top priorities as mayor.
Cofer: I’m the daughter of two public school teachers. Education is obviously incredibly important to me. I’m really excited about the potential for partnerships with our city.
We need to work with the libraries because we have issues with our third-grade reading levels. I want a citywide book club. We need to partner with businesses and the unions and others to recruit young people as they’re getting ready to graduate from high school. We need to partner with Regional Transit on transportation passes.
Rio City Café recently closed after 30 years of service in Old Sacramento. The city is the landlord and refused to pay for repairs to the outdoor dining deck, erasing 70% of the cafe’s revenues. How will you reconcile the closure of this iconic restaurant with the city’s decades-long attempts to revitalize Old Sac?
McCarty: It’s a total shame. It’s a black eye for the city. We have a Major League Baseball team coming next year, and this is one of our marquee blocks on the river. We can’t have a vacant hole on our Old Sacramento riverfront.
This is on both Mayor Steinberg and City Manager Howard Chan. We needed to fix this and find money in the city budget to do it months ago. By not fixing this situation, the city will be losing money every month.
Cofer: This is one of those awful situations where again, as a city, we are speaking out of both sides of our mouth. On the one hand, we are trying to attract business and we’re trying to make Downtown and especially our waterfront a destination. But on the other hand, we have more than $1 billion in deferred maintenance.
Now we’re seeing an iconic restaurant close. And that’s on the city. We should be apologizing and creating a plan so this never happens in the future.
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
Celebrating Colley Colley
2 FILMS EXPLORE LEGACY OF SACRAMENTO’S FIRST BLACK ATTORNEY
Two short films exploring Nathaniel S. Colley’s legacy fighting racial discrimination in public housing will be shown Thursday, Oct. 17, at Sierra 2 Center in Curtis Park.
“Desegregating Sacramento: Celebrating Nathaniel S. Colley, Sr.’s 75th Anniversary Fighting Segregation” features work by local filmmaker Chris Lango.
Colley, the city’s first black attorney, fought racial discrimination at New Helvetia Public Housing on Broadway and Muir Way in 1952. His practice included civil rights litigation and criminal defense.
JBy Jessica Laskey Out & About
The screening, hosted by the Nathaniel Colley Civil Rights Coalition and Sierra Curtis Neighborhood Association, is free but an RSVP is suggested. Visit sierra2.org/activities/ upcoming-sierra-2-events.
SOCIETY FOR THE BLIND
Society for the Blind celebrates its 70th anniversary with a program and dinner showcasing the nonprofit’s work to promote independence and ensure people with vision loss have access to programs and eye care.
Founded in 1954, Society for the Blind provides blindness skills education and training. Services include a Low Vision Clinic, Aids to Independence Store and CareersPLUS Youth program helping children learn non-visual skills and techniques to achieve academic success and develop independent living skills.
The society operates a mobile Low Vision Clinic, donated by VSP Global, to bring eye care to remote areas of Northern California, and a Braille Production program to provide braille
ZOO ADDITIONS
If you haven’t been to the Sacramento Zoo lately, fall is a good time to visit and meet some new denizens.
The zoo welcomed a third okapi, a female named Kivuli, that staff hope to pair with a male okapi named Mo.
The zoo celebrated the birth of an endangered mongoose lemur—a milestone considering there are approximately 100 in human care.
The flamingo flock has grown by four chicks. Check out the renovated flamingo habitat across from the new southern white rhinoceros habitat.
Sacramento Zoo is at 3930 W. Land Park Drive. For information, visit saczoo.org.
MUSEUM EXHIBITS
California State Railroad Museum and its foundation have partnered with Sacramento Public Library to host two exhibits created by Parks and Tranquility Grant awardees.
“Chókim bètana wéeye (It Comes from the Stars)” is a sound and multi-media installation by Amy Melissa Reed, a descendent of people indigenous to the Sonoran Desert. The exhibit shows how water moves through the landscape and connects us all.
products to businesses, government agencies, schools and individuals.
Retinal Consultants Medical Group will be honored with the 2024 Briggs Award for its contributions to community eye care.
The anniversary event is Thursday, Oct. 24, from 5:30–8:30 p.m. at the Center at 2300. For information, visit societyfortheblind.org.
ROCK THE BLOCK
St. Michael’s Episcopal Church joins Habitat for Humanity of Greater Sacramento for a “Rock the Block” workday to help new homeowners in the Bryte and Broderick area.
Volunteers will perform home repairs, rebuild fences, plant community gardens, restore landscapes and help revitalize this underserved community of low-income families, seniors and veterans.
“Rock the Block” is Oct. 11–12 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. For information, visit habitatgreatersac.org and stmichaelscarmichael.org.
“Fieldnotes: California State Railroad Museum,” a video installation, was created by local artists and curators Chris Christion and Jessica Wimbley. The exhibit centers on Black railroad laborers and riders through archival materials and images.
“Public art is a powerful way to help connect people to each other and to our shared history,” Museum Director Ty Smith says.
For information, visit californiarailroad.museum.
MERCY VOLUNTEERS
Mercy General Hospital Guild wants volunteers.
Duties include working at the information desk in the main lobby, keeping families informed of loved ones’ surgery progress, staffing the gift shop and clerical work in the guild office.
Volunteers work four-hour shifts, with two shifts per month. The yearly membership fee is $20. Mercy General Hospital is at 4001 J St. For an application, call (916) 453-4699.
Film screening honors the late Nathaniel S. Colley.
SINGERS WANTED FOR HOLIDAY SHOW
If you’d like to sing holiday music with a live orchestra, here’s your chance. The Capital Chorale is looking for singers of all voice types to join rehearsals starting Oct. 24 at 6:30 p.m. at Pioneer Congregational Church at 2700 L St.
The concert, “A Festival of Lessons and Carols,” will be Friday, Dec. 20, at 7 p.m.
To join the roster of singers, email Music Director Elliot Jones at musicdirector@pioneerucc.org. For information, visit pioneerucc.org.
HISTORIC LANDMARK
A Colonial Revival house in Midtown has been designated a historic landmark by the City Council and added to the Register of Historic and Cultural Resources.
The home at 2025 P St. is an example of early 20th-century design with its hipped roof, symmetrical massing, fluted two-story pilasters capped by Ionic capitals and an open front porch with square fluted columns.
Levi Vandercook, a carpenter and amateur photographer, built the house in 1907, shortly after marrying Gertrude Mary Fraser. The Vandercooks were among the founding members of Westminster Presbyterian Church, where Levi served as an honorary life deacon.
“Levi Vandercook’s photo collection is a valuable record to the visual history of Sacramento and Northern
California during the first half of the 20th century,” says City Historian Marcia Eymann, who manages the Center for Sacramento History. For information, visit cityofsacramento.gov/communitydevelopment/planning/preservation.
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
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help support our mission to deliver local news. Sign up for our weekly newsletter at insidesacramento.com. Sacramento Zoo
addition of an endangered mongoose lemur and four flamingo
celebrates the
chicks. Courtesy of Sacramento Zoo
Change Theory
IF ANYONE THINKS COFER IS COACHABLE, THEY’RE WRONG
Some business owners I know want Flojaune Cofer to win the mayor’s race. That’s crazy, I say, a vote against the city’s future.
Whatever qualities voters might attribute to Cofer, alignment with the business community is not among them.
As a neighborhood activist, Cofer made no secret of following a democratic socialist political agenda that treats businesspeople as a trope— greedy capitalists, agents of commerce who conspire against common folk.
Anti-business agendas are foolish, at least in Sacramento, where most business operators are small, overworked and often transplanted from distant lands. In other words, common folk.
Still, progressive politicians embrace the anti-business angle. It sounds righteous and certifies the candidate as supportive of residents whose daily frustrations include paying too much for groceries, rent and insurance.
As a mayoral candidate, Cofer downplays her radical side. Her opponent, Assemblymember Kevin
McCarty, learned decades ago to steer a middle course when appealing to voters.
Cofer often sounds like she’s mimicking McCarty, without McCarty’s legislative substance.
Here’s where business support for Cofer gets interesting. Several businesspeople tell me they like Cofer despite knowing she’s not business friendly.
They think they can change her. They believe they can convince Cofer that mayoral success requires working with the business community.
My business friends think once Cofer settles in as mayor, she will choose pragmatism over global ambitions and democratic socialist dreams.
Really? Probing deeper, I learned the real reason behind business support for Cofer has little to do with her. It’s about McCarty.
Some of my business friends have history with McCarty, disagreements dating back 15 years when he was on City Council.
They know McCarty is more progressive than he presents at election time, a common feature among local politicians from Darrell Steinberg to Roger Dickinson. Sacramento voters are overwhelmingly Democrats, minus the socialist appendage.
River Parkway levee, I tried to help his opponent, an unknown novice named Katie Valenzuela.
I met with Valenzuela a couple of times and explained how City Hall worked based on my experience as special assistant to Mayor Kevin Johnson.
I wrote nice columns about her and emphasized her support for levee parkway access. My goal was to see Hansen gone. Valenzuela became the vehicle when nobody else had the guts to run against him. Somehow, she won.
Several political friends, old pros from my days in the mayor’s office, said I was stupid to support Valenzuela. They said she was a naïve and reckless progressive who would create four years of havoc at City Council. I told them they were wrong.
RG
By R.E. Graswich City Beat
The strategy I describe here means my business friends are gambling they can rehabilitate Cofer. They know they can’t change McCarty.
As betting strategies go, coaching Cofer is a loser. I’ve played this game before. It won’t work.
In 2020, eager to see Steve Hansen ejected from City Council because he didn’t support access to the Sacramento
Katie is smart and coachable, I said. She wants a political career. She may stumble, but she’ll learn to work with people beyond the political fringe. She seeks respect from everyone.
Turns out my political friends were right. I was stupid. Entranced by her electoral success, Valenzuela leaped into the frigid waters of radicalized politics.
After just one term, voters bounced Valenzuela from City Hall. They replaced her in the March primary with a sensible, moderate alternative, Phil Pluckebaum.
Valenzuela is smart and passionate but not coachable. Her political career is dead.
In the mayor’s race, I don’t want my business friends to make the same mistake I made four years ago with Valenzuela. If they think they can work with Flo Cofer, I present my experience with Valenzuela to say they are crazy.
Cofer is smart and charismatic. She filibusters when asked details. She softens her positions. But when she talked about defunding police and supporting homeless camps, she meant it.
On the other hand, McCarty is a political pro. Transactional and result oriented. He means business, if you know what I mean.
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
Kevin McCarty
Photo by Aniko Kiezel
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Learn more about the Dignity Health difference and the plans we accept at DignityHealth.org/OpenEnrollment.
IPlaying For
J L JL
By Jessica Laskey
Giving Back: Volunteer Profile
f you’re looking for Jonathan Lum, check the soccer pitch.
As vice president of the Sacramento Soccer Alliance, Lum says he has “no specific duties” for the nonprofit that provides communitybased competitive soccer to area youth. No specific duties mean he really does everything.
He runs tryouts. He coaches three teams—62 kids—five days a week with games every weekend. He recruits
“I was a late bloomer,” Lum says, “and a lot of the boys I coach now are also late bloomers, kids that got overlooked the first time around. That’s why I teach soccer—for perseverance.
Keeps
VOLUNTEER SOCCER COACH HELPS YOUNGSTERS BLOOM
“It’s a taught trait. That’s what I want all these boys to do: keep on trying. That’s life. I had so many doors slammed in my face, I wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for that.”
Lum’s wife played soccer through high school. Their three sons followed mom and dad into the game. The eldest, Evan, absorbed the lessons of perseverance.
Lum joined the soccer alliance when Evan was in fourth grade. “I used to get dirty looks about him,” Lum says. “He’s a late bloomer like me, but he’s a hard worker. After (a star player) left, Evan started running 3 miles a day and doing two-hour workouts a day. Now he’s a leader in the back.”
Lum prides himself on finding ways to connect with players on all three of his teams, age groups 11–14. It works. His 2010 team, the Lightning Boltz, won 11 championships.
“The 2010 team is a top seven team in Sacramento,” Lum says.
Lum’s coaching reputation attracts players from around the region, including East Sac, West Sac, Elk Grove, South Sac, Land Park and Greenhaven. Kids and parents want high-quality, competitive play without the high price tag of year-round competitive clubs. The alliance keeps fees down and offers scholarships.
Along with the kids, the soccer community keeps Lum inspired. He often finds himself coaching against people who coached him in his youth or who played on the same team. One example is Tim Wehling, a longtime teammate who became a co-coach with Lum.
Lum fields phone calls from local high school coaches who ask how many alliance players they can expect when freshman year starts.
players and coaches. He orders uniforms and manages equipment. He runs meetings.
“I am nobody, but I am the glue that keeps it together,” he says.
And he does it for no money. The soccer alliance is run by volunteers, plus two paid coaches. Lum wouldn’t trade it for anything.
“My wife is always asking me why I do this,” the Pocket native says. “Because I want to bring good soccer to
the area and teach these kids the right way to play.”
Lum started playing soccer in kindergarten in Greenhaven. As his skills improved, he sought more competitive outlets such as Capital Valley Futbol Club. He played at John F. Kennedy High School and for Cruz Azul in an adult league. He ran summer soccer camps at Cosumnes River College.
But the game never came easily.
“I like giving kids, just regular kids from the area, the opportunity to play at this level,” Lum says. “It’s really neat to see these kids grow and play.”
For information, visit sacramentosocceralliance.com.
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
Jonathan Lum
Photo by Linda Smolek
Quality, Functionality, and Sustainability
Belton King Power Sofa
Martta XL Full Reversible Chaise
Monika Cot Chair
Fantasy Cot Chair
Leadership Matters
BIG CHOICE AWAITS VOTERS IN NORTH SAC
Do you feel good about Sacramento?
Consider the declining state of Downtown, the impact of homelessness, the degradation of parks and infrastructure, and lack of safety many residents feel.
The city needs a leadership change—a clearer vision about what makes the community livable.
Thankfully, Mayor Darrell Steinberg and Councilmember Katie Valenzuela will soon leave City Hall. Their policy decisions (with complicity by council colleagues) led to a record deficit during a period of all-time high revenue.
Another deficit involves the lack of fiscal responsibility within city leadership.
City Council needs a balance between ideological ambitions and the dollars available to implement those
goals. Ambitions are fine, but the council must maintain robust services and safety for residents.
The way to achieve balance is by electing people to City Council with better sensibilities than those currently seated.
In East Sac District 4, there’s hope with incoming Councilmember Phil Pluckebaum. He’s moderate in policy and understands the dire financial situation. He replaces Valenzuela in December.
In North Sac District 2, there’s a November runoff between Stephen Walton, a community advocate and real estate professional, and Roger Dickinson, a former county supervisor and state assemblymember. Dickinson lost his last election bid in 2014.
Walton grew up in District 2, graduated from Grant High School and joined Forward Together, the city’s Marysville and Del Paso boulevards advisory committee. His family has been community anchors for more than 90 years. His father is a pastor.
and budget. He stood with District Attorney Thien Ho when Ho announced his lawsuit against the city over Camp Resolution, a homeless camp on Colfax Avenue in North Sac.
Walton was eloquent about Camp Resolution. He spoke about balances between the needs of homeless people and the need to keep the community safe.
He recognized the campsite was untenable and understood occupants lacked a reasonable model for selfgovernance.
Camp Resolution was dismantled by police in August, a failed experiment. Crews collected 1,100 needles, 5 pounds of illegal drugs and a mountain of trash.
The camp was supported by Steinberg, Valenzuela and former Councilmember Sean Loloee, under federal indictment for fraud and employment violations at his grocery stores.
I attended Walton’s campaign kickoff. Attendance was good, the spirits high. Walton knows success depends on energizing the community and getting out the vote.
His concern for North Sac, Del Paso Heights and Woodlake, and keen sense of fiscal reality set him up for success on City Council. Walton embodies the balance the city needs in leadership.
MAVIGLIO CAMPAIGN
Inside Sacramento contributor and political consultant Steve Maviglio is running for American River Flood Control District Board. Maviglio is endorsed by U.S. Rep. Doris Matsui, State Sen. Angelique Ashby, County Supervisors Phil Serna and Patrick Kennedy, and City Council Members Eric Guerra and Phil Pluckebaum. The flood district handles levee maintenance along the American River.
By Jeff Harris City Realist
I asked Walton about his knowledge of city functions, budgets, homelessness, parks and youth initiatives, and his desire for improvement.
I was impressed. Walton knew granular details about the city charter
Walton supports Proposition 36, a state initiative to reinstate criminal penalties for theft offenders and drug sellers. It includes provisions for mandated rehab for repeat drug offenders. It’s an important measure on the November ballot, but Dickinson was undecided at press time.
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
Big Art, Bold Ideas
THROUGH JAN 12, 2025
David Černý (Czech, born 1967), Albert Einstein light, 67 x 63 x 4 in. Photo by Pablo Quezada, courtesy of Centro Cultural Tijuana (CECUT). This exhibition was organized
(CECUT),
Clinic coordinators
Tiffany Van Hook and Van Hook and Carol Mefferd with two two feline patients feline patients.
It started in the Galapagos 20 years ago. The first spay/neuter clinic was on Isabela Island. The first patient was a dog named Luna.
In March, Sacramento hosted its first three-day MASH in partnership with Sacramento County’s Bradshaw Animal Shelter, converting a county-owned building at McClellan Park into a spay/ neuter hospital.
“People were absolutely desperate for the free service,” says volunteer Hilary Bagley Franzoia, who scheduled the MASH appointments. “They seemed fully aware that spay and neuter costs are exorbitant.”
More than 200 people called for appointments in the first 10 minutes, Franzoia says. Hundreds waited for the next MASH in May.
The third clinic in July targeted owned and feral felines (also called community cats). Carriers and humane traps littered the floor. Cats and kittens were assigned a MASH number written on duct tape and stuck to the feline’s head.
“We’ve tried many things, like paper collars,” Clinic Coordinator Tiffany Van Hook says. “Tape on the head works best.”
Registered veterinary technicians prepped the felines for surgery. Two veterinarians worked surgery tables, while a third examined post-surgery incisions, checked gum color and watched for alertness. Animal Balance staff and volunteers kept recovering
patients warm while monitoring body temperatures.
Bradshaw volunteers assisted with checking in and checking out patients, scrubbing and wrapping surgical instruments. “It’s a process,” says Megan Gram, Animal Balance’s Pacific region director.
Over the three-day clinic, 195 cats were spayed and neutered—at no cost to pet owners. They also received free vaccinations, flea treatment and microchips.
Partner organizations, such as Bradshaw Animal Shelter, secure the location. Animal Balance ships the supplies. Most MASH are two to three days, four days if necessary, altering 200 to 250 dogs and cats at each clinic.
Cats and kittens recover recover following spay/neuter surgery spay/neuter surgery.
Where to Start?
Since deploying to Sacramento County, four MASH clinics have spayed and neutered nearly 1,000 dogs and cats. Two more clinics are scheduled for October and November. The city’s Front Street Animal Shelter plans to launch MASH clinics in 2025.
MASH focuses on communities without accessible or affordable veterinary services.
“The No. 1 ZIP code of unaltered animals entering the shelter is in the Florin area,” says Annette Bedsworth, director of Bradshaw Animal Shelter. The second is North Highlands.
“I believe in targeted spay and neuter,” she adds. “If I can ultimately show that spaying and neutering these ZIP codes makes a difference in the number of animals entering the shelter, it’s going to speak volumes.”
Animal Balance has no headquarters. Staff travel from across the country to run three to five clinics a month, primarily in Texas, Arizona, New Mexico and California (so far, Sacramento, Fresno, San Jose, Solano County and Santa Cruz). Community cat trap-neuter-return projects have been held in Hawaii.
In the Bahamas, Animal Balance set up a clinic in a metal shed with no air conditioning. “We made it work,” Van
Hook says. More than 3,400 dogs and cats were spayed and neutered.
From remote islands to Sacramento suburbs, “we can make a MASH clinic anywhere, as long as we have the people, the supplies and the community to bring in the animals,” Van Hooks says. “We go where the need is.”
To donate, volunteer or for information, go to animalcare. saccounty.gov and animalbalance.org.
FERAL CAT WALK
In honor of National Feral Cat Day, join the Coalition for Community Cats at its annual 5K Feral Cat Walk on Sunday, Oct. 13. Meet at the California Automobile Museum, 2200 Front St. Registration begins at 9 a.m.; the walk begins at 10 a.m. Registration is $40 and includes an event T-shirt. Proceeds benefit community cat spay/neuter programs. To register, visit c4ccwalk. eventbrite.com.
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
Out Of Commission
REALTORS RIDE OUT ROUGH SEAS, HOPE FOR CALM FUTURE
The National Association of Realtors is on a losing streak. They need some wins.
The largest trade association in America with 1.5 million members, the Realtors’ group began its downward spiral in August 2023. That’s when The New York Times published allegations of sexual harassment by the association president.
It was a classic “Me Too” scandal. President Kenny Parcell allegedly engaged in years of inappropriate behavior toward multiple women with no accountability. He denied the complaints but resigned soon after the story broke.
Other problems lurked with the potential for even greater impact.
Those troubles burst into public view on Halloween 2023 when a federal jury in Kansas City ordered the association to pay nearly $1.8 billion in damages
G D GD
By Gary Delsohn Building
for artificially inflating commissions paid to agents.
Laura Kusisto, national legal affairs reporter at The Wall Street Journal, covered the story. In a podcast, she said, “The essence of this case is that the current system for commissions, one in which the seller’s agent pays the buyer’s agent’s commission, is an antitrust violation. It amounts to a collusion, a conspiracy between real estate agents around the country to keep fees high and to hurt consumers.”
A few months later, Bob Goldberg, who served as the association’s CEO, resigned. This January, the Realtors announced Tracy Kasper, who was president for just a few months, received a threat to disclose a past personal matter unless she “compromised her position.” She reported the threat to law enforcement and stepped down.
In March, the Realtors announced settlements in a slew of lawsuits about commissions. The association agreed to pay $418 million in damages.
The American University Business Law Review says, “The $418 million settlement upends long-standing industry practices that allowed sellers to set buyers’ agent fees, taking the bargaining power away from these buyers and keeping commissions in the United States higher in comparison
to most of the developed world. This settlement has the potential of driving down commission rates and shrinking the number of real-estate agents.”
John Pope, a Folsom Realtor for more than 40 years, tells me the organization’s legal troubles are “all we’ve been talking about on a daily basis for months and months in our industry.”
New rules took effect Aug. 17. Realtors who represent buyers now must sign a contract with their client, something California was already doing, Pope says.
For nearly 30 years, sellers typically paid agents on both sides of the transaction and decided how much each agent would receive, usually 5% or 6% of the sale price. The agents then split the fee. When a home went on sale, the listing showed the percentage the buyer’s agent could expect.
Under new rules, multi-listings no longer disclose whether the seller has offered to pay the buyer’s agent or how much. Buyers sign agreements explaining how much their agents receive before they tour homes with an agent.
Buyers now negotiate directly with their agents, rather than letting the seller set both cuts. This doesn’t guarantee commissions will decrease. That’s up to buyers and their agents.
“It’s too early to say how this will change things for consumers and brokers,” Pope tells me. “For a lot of them, it won’t change things that much. But there will be a group of consumers who say, ‘Maybe this is an opportunity to negotiate for what I want in a broker and how much I am willing to pay them.’”
If commissions get smaller, buyers may benefit by paying lower home prices. Or sellers may benefit by keeping more profit. It depends on local market dynamics.
Recent news reports say higher interest rates, a surplus of brokers and new rules caused thousands of Realtors to quit.
“For a while, I didn’t want to pick up a newspaper because the coverage was so bad,” Pope says. “Time will tell what exactly this will mean. But I think in the very near future we will have gotten used to this new way of doing things.”
Another reminder that one constant in business and life is change.
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
NEW CENTER OFFERS INSTRUCTION IN MUSIC AND LIFE
Daniel Owens has a theory. He says, “In every art form, there are envelope pushers and archivists. Both play very important roles. But it’s been very helpful for me to figure out which one I am.”
All That Jazz
music industry and gain performance experience through group practice sessions.
Throughout his career as a musician and teacher, Owens pushed. He was halfway through a degree in classical trombone performance at San Jose State when he realized he didn’t fit the classical world. He transitioned to jazz and salsa, composing and performing his own work.
His decision to study trombone was unconventional. Raised in a musical family and playing piano, in middle school he craved the community of a band. He switched from piano to trombone and “caught the bug,” joining every band possible.
In college, he studied classical trombone instead of jazz. Classical students got an hour of music instruction per week instead of 30 minutes. He knew practice was key to a musical lifestyle—a message he instilled in students he taught in San Jose, New York and Sacramento.
Owens sees the center as filling a void in music instruction.
“Music education has some fundamental flaws,” he says. “It’s very much about how to play an instrument and very little about making a living as a musician—taxes, contracts, understanding how to take on students, which is all part of the art form.”
Owens is pleased by the “really beautiful, budding music scene” in Sacramento, and support from the city’s Office of Arts and Culture. But he notes, “From a jazz-centric point of view, there’s a voice missing. I wanted a place that had more to offer, a gathering place and a microcosm of the music industry for beginners to professionals.”
“The lifestyle creates the art,” Owens says. “I always ask my students, ‘Are you sleeping right? Making yourself meals? Exercising? Do you find yourself getting frustrated (when you practice)? What are your tools for dealing with that?’”
A new crop of students has access to Owens through The Center for Musical Arts, a hub of lessons and performance Owens founded in July with four friends at 21st Street and Broadway.
The center offers instruction in strings, brass, woodwinds, piano, percussion, guitar, bass and voice. There’s space for students to explore the
“CMA is about the music, the community and growing the scene here from an empathetic place with patience, upping the standards across the board,” he says of his arts center.
The center has six practice rooms. Two fit small ensembles. A bigger room hosts large groups, workshops, live performances and events such as the weekly Shed Sessions Owens leads with Joey Archie.
JBy Jessica Laskey Meet Your Neighbor
While “sheddin’” (a jazz term for practicing), students work on fundamentals as a group, focusing on one jazz standard per month. A public jam session the last Monday of the month pulls everything together.
“I’ve found a great deal of joy around teaching the fundamentals,” Owens says. “I might not be playing a gig in front of a crowd every night, but if my job is to have my horn with me and talk about music, then I’m living a pretty great life.”
For information, visit centermusicalarts.com. The Center for Musical Arts is at 2564 21st Street.
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
Daniel Owens
Photo by Aniko Kiezel
Anything’s Possible
HOME NEEDED WORK, BUT THIS COUPLE WAS READY
Monica Hernandez is proud of her hometown. She went to McClatchy High School, City College and Sacramento State. It’s no coincidence she and husband Kevin Flanagan ended up homeowners in Curtis Park.
Flanagan grew up near Monterey, attended Sac State and returned home after graduation. He met Hernandez a few years later. They were together for eight years before getting married in 2015.
“Our first house was much smaller and located in the Med Center neighborhood of Oak Park,” Hernandez says. “The house was built in 1914, and we took on many
By Cecily Hastings
Open House
Photography by Aniko Kiezel
Monica Hernandez and Kevin Flanagan
‘old home’ projects as do-ityourselfers in the 11 years we lived there.”
But the couple had grander plans.
“We found this Curtis Park Tudor home in 2020, just before the pandemic lockdowns,” Flanagan says. “We were attracted to the neighborhood, but also the great bones of this home.” The layout is 2,460 square feet on two floors with four bedrooms and two bathrooms.
The couple assumed the neighborhood was unaffordable. But this house was in original condition with some 1970s remodeling. It needed love from two do-it-yourselfers. “The price was right,” Flanagan says.
“We love this neighborhood, and this street in particular, and we have wonderful neighbors and the walkability to the park and other places. I bike to work,” says Hernandez, a former teacher who works for the state.
While the couple makes progress on long-term renovation plans, they call the home a “work in progress.”
First order was a new roof and updated plumbing. Next came air conditioning.
Design-wise, they agreed to stay true to the vintage look and appeal while adding contemporary touches.
“Before we even purchased the home, we pulled up the worn carpets and found gorgeous wood floors,” Hernandez says. “Refinishing the floors and totally repainting everything really revealed the classic bones of the home. The exterior paint job instantly made the home feel like it was all ours.”
Changes to the kitchen and dining area are most dramatic. They interviewed several designers and hired Ashlee Sherzad of Nar Design Group.
Now the dining room opens to the kitchen and connects with an island that has counter seats for two. Deep
blue color on the island cabinets contrasts with white kitchen cabinetry. White trapezoidal tile with black grout covers the walls floor to ceiling, a seamless look.
A dramatic dark grey plaster hood— it looks like raw steel—and black steel range provide a dramatic contrast.
The original front door is arch topped. The new back door has the same shape. The island’s pendant fixtures reflect a similar arch. A coffee and appliance bar replaced space originally for a washer and dryer.
“Kevin is the family dishwasher, so we moved the kitchen sink to have a full view of the backyard and pool,” Hernandez says.
A spot of color comes from leaded stained-glass windows installed decades ago. The windows add bright accents to the dining and living rooms.
“Our wish list includes new, upgraded double-pane windows so we hopefully will be able to incorporate some (stained glass) in the replacement process,” Hernandez says.
Both bathrooms were remodeled with vintage-style tile, fixtures and subtle blue and gray paint. Bedrooms and office spaces are original with upgraded paint and modern lights.
The couple say the neighborhood and neighbors are the best ever. The point is made for Hernandez whenever
she sits at the kitchen island, drinking coffee and organizing her day as residents walk past with kids and dogs. 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
Grieving a loved one’s death is never easy, as I learned 20 months ago when my husband Jim passed away.
Loss Leader
SHE HELPS MANAGERS COPE WITH HEARTACHE
focused on how to support an employee who loses a loved one.
Fowkes knows about grief. Her son Jimmy died of cancer in 2014. He was 21.
“Our family went through an eightyear journey battling his cancer, which was diagnosed at age 13,” Fowkes says. “Both my husband and I struggled with our careers as we juggled work and the time needed for our family.”
The book provides guidance for leaders on what to do when a grieving employee returns to work. “I wanted it to be practical and user-friendly,” Fowkes says.
Researching the book, she spoke with executives and managers locally, nationally and internationally for perspective.
“Leaders often believe that they should know what to do and how to make it better for a bereaved employee who’s coming back to work,” she says. “Instead, they need to allow themselves to be guided by what their employee says they need, because everyone’s grief is different.”
“What I kept hearing was, ‘I went back to work and the silence was deafening,’” she says. “Most feel ignoring the situation is not helpful at all, and even hurtful.
“I wanted to write something that was broader and richer than just my own experience. I drew upon the experiences of 25 different people in a lot of different industries and with a lot of different losses.”
She continues, “Of people who have lost loved ones, probably 80% are working. Only retired and elderly folks would be exempt from this situation.”
She calls the book “a path forward during an experience that no one ever wants to go through.”
In 2016, Fowkes started Salt Water (findyourharbor.com), an online community for people dealing with grief and loss.
“So much of it is simply saying, ‘I am so sorry this has happened to you,’” she says. “The hard part is that you are talking to someone whose life has shattered.
By Cecily Hastings Meet Your Neighbor
My biggest challenge was managing my publishing business alone. Jim retired several years earlier, but he was my business partner for more than two decades.
My focus was off, my employees unsure how to deal with me. No one wanted to deliver bad news. I struggled with decisions. It took time, but we all adjusted.
During that time, a friend gave me “Leading Through Loss,” a book by local author Margo Fowkes. I read several books on grief, but this was different. It
The book addresses how to handle grief while teleworking, and what to do if you are grieving. Appendixes offer resources, a sample bereavement policy and what a workplace grief support group looks like.
Fowkes continues to interact with workforce leaders through her management consultancy, OnTarget Consulting.
Woven into the book are stories about people who returned to work after a death. Some experiences were positive, others not so much. The stories prompted Fowkes to write the book.
“Salt Water is for those who have lost someone they can’t live without—a child, sibling, a spouse, parent, close friend—and the people who love them. We provide a safe harbor where you can find comfort support, and tools to survive your loss and rebuild your life.”
“Leading Through Loss” is published by Find Your Harbor Press and is available from Amazon and other booksellers.
Cecily Hastings can be reached at publisher@insidepublications.com. Previous profiles can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram: @insidesacramento. n
Margo Fowkes
Photo by Aniko Kiezel
Photo by Linda Smolek
Gardening is a labor of love, but also choice. Some plant in spring and are burned out by fall. For this group, fall and winter are for cleanup, tucking a few pansies and violas into pots, and holiday hibernation until roses demand pruning in January and February.
The more energetic group plants a winter garden of leafy greens and root crops—kale, chard, carrots, beets, garlic, shallots, lettuce and other coolseason edibles. The reward is gardengrown produce year-round. In cool months there are fewer pests and rain helps irrigate. Workload and chance of failure are reduced.
Those revitalized and energized after the long, hot summer can plant trees, perennials and shrubs. All will benefit from still warm soil and surprise you with significant root and top growth when spring rolls around.
If you still have lawn, October is perfect for reseeding bare areas and fertilizing. Directly sow seeds of stock and sweet peas, and swap out the dead and dying summer annuals for calendula, snapdragons and primrose. Installing drip irrigation or repairing or expanding systems is easier with temperatures in the mid-60s. So is spreading bark and wood chip mulch under trees and in flower beds.
Fall Forward
SEASON MAY BE SHORT, BUT IT’S TIME TO GET BUSY
The Big Leafy too often transitions from blistering hot to chilly and wet, allowing minimal days of local autumn color. Our magnificent trees should not be denied the opportunity for extended applause and encore performances.
Eventually, the heat concedes, and Sacramento is blessed with orange and crimson leaves, but for how long?
Gardeners have an elevated appreciation of the city’s leaf canopy. Shade, beauty and finally wonderful
composting material are welcome perks.
Gardeners also relish comfortable fall temperatures to refresh and reflect on what transpired and what awaits. We can accomplish much when granted an overcast day and a hoodie.
Somehow, you and the garden survived yet another summer. July was hottest on record. Our gardens were parched and scorched from brutal triple-digit days. An unseasonably cool handful of August days renewed hope vegetables would again set fruit and ornamentals could shed survival mode and generate blooms.
So here we stand, dirty fingernails, hand pruner in back pocket, anticipating seasonal change. There’s hope we will not be deprived of our fall rewards.
By Dan Vierria Garden Jabber
Grant us fallen leaves cartwheeling in the breeze, enough time to jumpstart carrots and beets, cure pumpkins
and winter squash, and divide day lilies. And please grant us a long stretch of spectacular fall color.
Fall color begins earlier in the Sierra and gradually descends to the foothills and valley. Some years Sacramento hits its color peak as late as November.
Three things determine fall color: leaf pigment, temperature and shorter periods of daylight. Once the production of chlorophyll (green pigment) ceases, other pigments emerge in crazy hues of yellow, orange and red. It’s a chemistry thing.
If temperatures remain unseasonably high, the fall color period is shorter. That can and does happen here. Cooler, cloudy days extend the show.
A fall season of some length allows gardeners time to adjust and prepare for the next planting and summer garden cleanup.
Plant bulbs, too. Narcissus and daffodil perform especially well, but don’t dismiss ranunculus, sparaxis, tulips, freesia and iris. Planted in containers and beds in fall, the spring show will be camera-worthy.
It’s easy for gardeners to be distracted in fall. Children return to school, youth sports demand time and, before you know it, Halloween screams “Boo!” Garden planning and chores may sink to low priority.
No need to stress. Make a short list. Prioritize the important tasks. Tackle one at a time. Allow time to visit Apple Hill, shop a fall plant sale, sip a pumpkin spice latte or dive into a pile of leaves. If Mother Nature cooperates with a true fall, do not squander the gift.
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
What About The Trees? What About The
ARMY CORPS PLANS MAY SPELL DISASTER FOR PARKWAY
Heritage oaks have stood along the American River Parkway for more than 300 years.
Valley, blue and live oaks provide shade and shelter for wildlife. Tree canopies cool the river water, critical for spawning salmon and trout. Squirrels and birds rely on the acorns for food. People bike, hike and picnic under twisted branches.
If left to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, as many as 700 trees, including sycamore, alder, ash, cottonwood and 100-foot-tall heritage oaks, will topple.
Trees marked for saving are “likely to die in the future,” he adds.
Trees also will be bulldozed at staging areas and truck access ramps.
A 330-year-old valley oak, with a trunk circumference of 17 feet, stands on the south side of the lower American River. While scheduled to be saved, this towering tree is in the path of a truck ramp, putting its roots at risk.
“I don’t know how they’re going to save it,” Brattain says.
Promises to minimize the impact on trees during erosion-control work near Sacramento State and Campus Commons left the riverbanks barren. “There wasn’t one bush or tree that was saved,” Brattain says.
Existing trees and vegetation performed well during past high water levels over most of Contract 3B sections, Brattain notes. By bulldozing trees and “competent soil and vegetation,” the Army Corps will be “advancing the erosion front. If they just leave it alone it would be fine.”
The Army Corps says relying solely on vegetation to protect the levy is too risky. Riprap minimizes damage to riparian vegetation and wildlife habitat, it says.
Brattain disagrees. “They will be ripping out all riparian vegetation where the riprap will be placed and eliminating any possibility of deeperrooted native vegetation or trees from ever growing there again,” he says. “This is not the same as the native vegetation that can support the existing ecosystem.”
By Cathryn Rakich
The project, known as Contract 3B, targets several miles along the American River from the Howe Avenue bridge to east of Watt Avenue. The erosion-control work is part of the Army Corps’ plan to protect the neighborhoods from floods.
American River Trees, a citizens group calling on the Army Corps to rethink its plans, says the work will amount to “massive damage” to the parkway and wildlife habitat.
More than 1,900 letters from residents and environmental organizations during the comment period called for a less destructive approach to erosion control.
Yet Army Corps maps, updated in June, “show no meaningful reduction in the area designated for vegetation and tree removal compared to maps provided in December 2023,” American River Trees reports.
The Army Corps admits additional trees could be targeted for removal.
During demolition, the contractor has the option to bulldoze even more.
“In some cases, they may just decide to go ahead and remove some of these trees anyway, even though they’ve promised to save them,” says Bill Brattain, a civil engineer and consultant who lives on the south side of the river parkway.
“I wouldn’t put it past the Army Corps to say, ‘We need to take these out.’ Then boom, it’s done, and there’s nothing we can do.”
The Army Corps’ plan includes installing riprap (rock and rubble to protect shorelines), which requires excavating trenches at the river’s edge.
Oaks have shallow roots that spread past their canopy. “They’re going to be digging through the roots of these trees that extend down to the water, cutting off their water source,” says Brattain, who worked for the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board for 25 years.
Areas where people picnic, swim and launch watercraft will be inaccessible when riprap turns the riverside to rubble.
American River Trees notes topsoil added near Sac State is already eroding, exposing riprap and preventing vegetation from fully returning.
When asked for the criteria for determining which trees will be destroyed, the Army Corps reports it’s still in the “design process” and “a final inventory of possible tree removals” will be made public this fall.
When asked if the Army Corps will meet community members to review which trees will be removed, the Corps points to its website.
In other words, prepare for the worst and don’t bother hoping for the best.
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
Bill Brattain with 330-year-old heritage oak on American River Parkway.
Imposter Syndrome
STEINBERG’S CURSE WAS OBVIOUS: HE REPLACED A SPORTS STAR
Too bad Darrell Steinberg followed a sports legend into the mayor’s office. Chasing Kevin Johnson’s shadow for eight years, Steinberg stumbled and fumbled, doomed from the start.
Homeless counts rose from 2,700 to 10,000 under Steinberg. City budgets shifted from austere and balanced to disaster zones filled with temporary fixes. The City Council patched a $66 million deficit this year. Expect worse in 2025.
On the sports front, Steinberg tried to snare Major League Soccer. He lacks a team, league, stadium and financing plan. But he’s optimistic.
Contrast these failures with the arena and cultural gathering place at Seventh and K streets built on Johnson’s watch. I was Kevin’s special assistant during his first mayoral term and know how this happened.
Primary credit for Golden 1 Center rests with the late NBA Commissioner David Stern. But Stern and Johnson produced a generational win for the city.
Stern and Johnson worked as a team. The commissioner devised the strategy. The mayor ran the plays. Together they kept the Kings in town and created a sports and entertainment district.
Absent Stern and Johnson, a boarded-up shopping mall would intensify Downtown’s troubles today.
The lack of victories and coherence over the last eight years at City Hall wouldn’t surprise Johnson. He never liked Steinberg. Kevin considered Darrell just another politician.
The disdain was mutual. Steinberg took office in 2016 eager to distance himself from his predecessor. The new mayor made homelessness his crusade. He figured his legislative connections would generate support to reduce the legion of people living on sidewalks.
But Steinberg never produced like Johnson. Sacramento Steps Forward, the nonprofit that coordinates regional homeless services, was Johnson’s creation. Steinberg leaves nothing of similar weight. Homeless camps and despair ballooned on his watch.
Steinberg brought no improvement to the unhoused crisis until his eighth year, when homeless numbers slightly shrank. The decline was likely a blip caused by new data protocols.
his showmanship and star power. The city survived with tough decisions and layoffs.
By contrast, the City Council welcomed Steinberg. He faced the pandemic supported by millions of federal and state dollars, then squandered much of the money.
Steinberg is the first Sacramento mayor to follow an NBA star. But he’s not the first to misunderstand the civic importance of sports.
For 40 years, public sports passions confused mayors and pushed them into unfamiliar positions. Sports can humiliate a politician.
In 1985, when Mayor Anne Rudin attended her first Kings game, the crowd booed. Rudin tried to explain how she supported the team’s move from Kansas City and worked to resolve zoning restrictions on land for Arco Arena.
But her fear of sprawl in North Natomas—a legitimate concern—made her an enemy of sports fans.
Sports burned Rudin again in 1989. She led the City Council in a unanimous vote to pay a $50 million relocation fee to move the Los Angeles Raiders to Sacramento.
The deal collapsed when local investors clashed over stadium ownership percentages. Raiders owner Al Davis concluded Sacramento wasn’t serious. He moved back to Oakland. The $50 million went toward neighborhood projects.
Mayor Joe Serna Jr. tried to enlist regional governments to help build sports facilities. City and county officials from Woodland to Auburn laughed him out of their offices.
Frustrated by sports, Mayor Serna watched idly as West Sac grabbed the River Cats.
Mayor Heather Fargo met with David Stern at City Hall to discuss strategies for a new arena. The meeting went nowhere. Stern visited the State Capitol. He got a cigar from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Several arena plans died before Johnson became mayor.
Steinberg wasn’t a total loser. He twice persuaded voters to raise sales taxes. Johnson would not have bothered. As a rich sports star, he never liked taxes.
By R.E. Graswich Sports Authority
Steinberg’s legacy also comes up short from economic perspectives.
Kevin Johnson arrived in 2008, the depths of the Great Recession. He met a hostile City Council jealous of
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
Kevin Johnson
Photo by Steven Styles
Good Grief
FEELINGS OF LOSS ARE SOMETHING WE ALL CAN SHARE
Iwas 28 when the Air Force sent me to Air University at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama, to complete Chaplain Basic Training.
For three weeks, I was elbow-toelbow with other young chaplain wannabes.
On my left sat the first of many chaplain priest friends. Yet from the beginning, Father Frank found me disturbing on two levels.
First, he couldn’t believe I didn’t drink. Second, he suggested, “A good drink could fix your akathisia.”
“What’s that?” I asked.
“Akathisia describes a complete inability to sit still.”
Within a few days, I was able to win Frank over without alcohol.
We shared laughs, giggled during lectures, passed notes and kicked each other under the table to keep quiet. I began to feel Catholic priests would
likely go to heaven. He learned Baptist teetotalers could be fun.
The classmate seated to my right wasn’t as sociable. Bobby kept to himself, looking straight ahead, volunteering little more than name and religious denomination.
Finally, during a lecture on grief, Bobby dropped a bomb. He said, “I know you probably think I’ve seemed detached these past several days.”
A chorus of “No-duh” rippled through our student body.
“My mother died the day after we arrived.”
Suddenly, it became quiet enough to hear a chaplain cuss.
Our class said a prayer for Bobby. The course director offered him emergency leave, but Bobby refused, holding tight his military bearing.
After class, a few of us invited Bobby to a nearby bar. He declined, so we went without him.
Inside the bar, I stuck with Pepsi while we commiserated on Bobby’s behalf, noting how tragic it was to lose a family member while so far from home.
After a few drinks, Frank slammed his hand on the table.
By Norris Burkes Spirit Matters
“Bobby didn’t trust us,” he said. “We sat shoulder-to-shoulder with him all month and he was locked up too tight to share with his clergy brothers.”
“Perhaps we could have helped him,” said one chaplain.
“How could we?” asked Frank. “He didn’t trust us to help him.”
“We could have carried his class assignments,” suggested one lieutenant.
“I would have given him my phone card to call his family,” I said.
To each idea, Frank pushed back, “If only he had trusted us.”
A few years later, I saw Frank at a chaplain’s conference in Denver.
“How you doing, Baptist?” he asked.
The word “fine” came to mind, but thinking back to Bobby, I didn’t lie. I trusted Frank more than that.
“Not good,” I said as I began to cry.
Some readers know the story I told Frank.
A few months prior, I’d rushed to give solace after a mass shooting at Cleveland Elementary school in Stockton. I was the chaplain who told six parents their child had been killed.
I fell into the arms Frank extended. He held me and wouldn’t let go.
That night, he invited me to join him and two other priests at a local bar— the same opportunity he offered Bobby years before.
As we talked in that dark, private space, I sipped my Pepsi and felt a restoration budding in my soul.
During the next few hours, my priestly friends told stories of grief. They taught me grief can’t stay in the dark. It must come out or it never heals.
Why did I choose now to tell this story? Because my 90-year-old mother died recently and I won’t keep that a secret.
She was the most wonderful mother who taught me faith, laughter and love. I want you to know I feel grief and so should you.
By the way, that night in Denver I finally took Frank’s advice and accepted his offer of a Colorado Bulldog. It’s a White Russian cocktail, with Pepsi. I drank three that evening.
When we stood to leave, the ceiling seemed to move.
“Don’t worry. We got you, Baptist.” Frank promised. And they did. They walked me back to my room, arm in arm, like the brothers they’d become.
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
Neighborhood Real Estate Sales
95815
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SUTTER PARK WAY
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2632 BALL WAY $350,000 2842 CLAIRE CT
3632 ARDMORE RD $426,000
2470 CARLSBAD AVE $430,000
3629 WHITNEY AVE $430,000
4604 WHITNEY AVE $449,900
3400 SHADY LN $450,000
3231 EDISON AVE $450,000
3300 ARBOR WAY $475,000
2555 CASTLEWOOD DR $480,000
3404 TOLEDO WAY $498,000
3300 HARMONY LN $515,000
3438 MONTCLAIRE ST $560,000
3833 DURAN CIR $589,900
4412 ELIZABETH AVE $620,000
4527 WOODSON AVE $630,000
3930 IRELAND ST $650,000
3808 LASUEN DR $680,000
3203 NORRIS AVE $817,000
3133 BECERRA WAY $820,000
3045 POPE AVE $1,350,000
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7514 LOMA VERDE WAY $290,000
7449 WILLOWWICK WAY $380,000
5612 NOLDER WAY $390,000
2001 KIRK WAY $400,000
7520 THORPE WAY $408,000
2801 SWIFT WAY $420,000
7519 COSGROVE WAY $425,000
2009 WAKEFIELD WAY $430,000
2121 48TH AVE $430,000
2131 ARLISS WAY $435,000
2961 TRENTWOOD WAY $439,000
7549 LOMA VERDE WAY $440,000
7054 HOGAN DR $448,000
2760 HING AVE $450,000
7320 PUTNAM WAY $450,000
5609 BRADD WAY $459,970
5652 NORMAN WAY $470,000
5121 25TH ST $489,000
1176 25TH AVE $491,000 7447 TISDALE WAY $520,000 1117 WOODSHIRE WAY $541,000 7418 HENRIETTA DR $546,000 1645 WAKEFIELD WAY $552,000 5417 ROSITA WAY $700,000
5856 13TH ST $706,000 916 ROEDER WAY $795,000
43RD AVE $875,000 4850 MONTEREY WAY $975,000
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963 FULTON AVE #557 $190,000
734 WOODSIDE LN #9 $200,000
728 WOODSIDE LN EAST #4 $200,000 637 WOODSIDE SIERRA #5 $210,000
2336 SANTA ANITA DR $410,000 2319 HIGHRIDGE DR $500,000 1212 CLINTON RD $550,000 773 BLACKMER CIR $825,000
Cultural Feast
FARMER HONORS HER ANCESTOR’S TECHNIQUES AND SEEDS
Kristyn Leach is a farmer and seed producer with a mission. She wants to spread seeds from her Korean heritage and share stories from the Asian Diaspora, enriching our connections to locally grown, culturally significant food.
G M GM
By Gabrielle Myers
by Aniko Kiezel Farm To
The journey carried Leach from farm fields around Winters, Sunol and Sebastopol to South Korea. She grew Korean-based crops for San Francisco restaurateur brothers Dennis, Daniel and David Lee, whose modern Korean cooking captivated the Bay Area before the pandemic.
“They really helped me get started,” Leach says of the Lees. “We worked directly with each other, and we started growing exclusively for them.”
The brothers provided seed money for Leach to sublease an acre of farmland in Sunol, where she grew food for the Lee’s Namu Gaji and Namu Stonepot restaurants, now closed.
After several growing seasons, Leach worked with Kitazawa Seed Company, an Oakland firm founded in 1917. With guidance from Kitazawa owner Maya Shiroyama, Leach did field trials for the company.
A trip to South Korea in 2014 brought an awakening for Leach.
“That trip really changed my perspective,” she says. “Before going to Korea, I did not realize how much diversity there was in the crops. There’s a wealth of genetic diversity, and that diversity is tied to culture and food, in the different ways that plants and human cultures evolve with each other.”
The journey made Leach believe contemporary practices of big agriculture were pushing aside the biodiversity found in cultural foods. With such practices, she decided, “Then we are going to have a reductive view of what we can grow and will only have access to a handful of crops.”
After her trip, Leach asked Shiroyama if she could develop a collection of Korean heirloom seeds for Kitazawa. From there, Leach started her own company, Second Generation Seeds.
“People would send in their own stories of their relatives who had passed away and who were the last in the family keeping the seeds in tiny
Photography
Fork
Drying leaves at Second Generation Seeds.
Kevin McCarty FOR MAYOR
Experience to Lead Sacramento Forward
SERVICE TO SACRAMENTO
Kevin McCarty has worked for Sacramento for the past two decades – ten years in the State Assembly and ten years on the City Council.
THE MCCARTY PLAN
NO MORE CAMPING ON OUR STREETS
“We must clean up our streets. We need to move homeless out of our neighborhoods and into shelters where they can get services. I will audit all programs dealing with the homeless. I will work with the neighborhoods and businesses to find real solutions. This is my #1 priority.”
NO CUTS FOR OUR POLICE AND FIRE DEPARTMENTS
“Our Police and Fire Departments are still not back to pre-recession levels. Now is not the time to make more cuts to our vital services.”
INVEST IN OUR CITY
“Cut red tape for small businesses to thrive. We will direct resources for violence prevention and programs for our youth.”
Paid for by McCarty for Mayor • FPPC#14609 • 1809 S Street, #101-368, Sacramento, CA 95811
gardens or in pots on a balcony,” Leach says. “We would receive letters hearing those stories and people would share the seeds with us.”
Leach recently shifted her farm operation from Winters to Sebastopol. She practices Korean “natural” agriculture, which she describes as related to biodynamics and permaculture. Her approach focuses on minimal tillage to cultivate fungal populations. It even involves fermented seaweed and lactobacillus cultures.
Second Generation Seeds has a network of farmers in Northern California and Washington state who strive to preserve the genetic diversity
of heritage crops from Asia, Southwest Asia, North Africa and Palestine.
On the cultural front, Leach works with UC Davis in the Student Collaborative Organic Plant Breeding Education program.
She helped pilot a project that joined the Asian American Studies and Plant Sciences departments in seminars about Asian American contributions to U.S. agriculture and the economy.
These days, Leach works on stem lettuce, a Chinese vegetable that can be eaten like asparagus. Leach produces crosses of stem lettuce and distributes it to farmers nationwide to collect ag data and feedback from growers and their customers.
The program coordinates with UC Davis Assistant Professor Ga Young Chung, whose students capture the cultural perspectives of each crop.
The work reminds us how the region’s ethnic diversity and our ancestor’s stories about food and family can be preserved and celebrated.
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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Norman and Sulai Meder at Machu Picchu in Peru.
Natalie Melvin in front of the Louvre museum in Paris, France.
Vanessa Pettit, Elaine Nakata, Sharon Robles-Yee and Maria Ho at Lion of Lucerne in Switzerland.
Donica and Terri Stiles on their hotel rooftop overlooking the Acropolis in Athens, Greece.
5. Kathy and Walt Menda at the Nishi Hongwanji in Kyoto, Japan.
6. Chuck Halnan at Canyon de Chelly National Monument in Arizona.
Recovery Mode
EAST SAC CLASSIC STAGES GRAND COMEBACK AFTER FIRE
On Jan. 26, 2023, James Takashiba woke in the early morning to a fire notification from his alarm company. His family’s restaurant, Hana Tsubaki, was burning.
The fire department was on scene and quickly subdued the fire, but not before the kitchen suffered major damage.
For many longtime residents, Hana Tsubaki, a Japanese restaurant in East
Sacramento, had been there forever.
The butterfly roof and red and black paint stood out on J Street almost unchanged since 1978.
But that’s too simple. To keep a restaurant open for nearly 50 years, an operator must push through adversity.
The Takashibas pushed hard.
Like most restaurateurs, the family pivoted when COVID-19 closed dining rooms in 2020. The family adopted a curbside pickup model and stayed afloat. When restrictions lifted, it seemed the worst had passed.
Then came the fire.
By Greg Sabin Restaurant Insider
For longtime patrons and neighborhood regulars, the concern was palpable. Other classic eateries such as Sam’s Hof Brau succumbed to fire and never returned.
Eighteen months after the blaze, Hana Tsubaki reopened. With packed tables and unrestrained smiles, generations of fans are delighted.
To understand the experience at Hana Tsubaki is to appreciate a different time, an era before strip-mall sushi restaurants dotted the landscape and ramen shops were as ubiquitous as burger counters.
The dining room encourages relaxed, contemplative eating. The space is elegantly paneled in wood, with rice paper shoji screens covering the windows. From the ceiling hangs streamers of linen, ethereal and warm, creating a sense of a cozy cocoon.
I finally figured out the subdued atmosphere on my latest visit. Hana Tsubaki has no television. Flat screens seem obligatory in many modern
Japanese restaurants, but the lack of screens in this classic room makes for serene dining.
What also sets Hana Tsubaki apart is its expansive menu. While sushi is present, it’s not the focus.
Family recipes for sesame chicken and broiled mackerel with teriyaki sauce take top honors. Simple and exact preparations create special dishes at Hana Tsubaki. Sauces sing. Presentations thrive on minimal flourishes.
Whether preparing sesame chicken, tempura shrimp or tonkatsu pork cutlet, the kitchen’s deep fryer performs at impressive levels. Dishes so simple and common bring the gift of familiarity.
But these fried delicacies are anything but common. They balance
Chirashi
Photos by Linda Smolek
between crispy exteriors and moist middles.
Udon noodle bowls are comforting and homey with thick, chewy noodles and rich broth. Hot pots (nabemono) include classics such as sukiyaki, a sweet and savory stew with sliced beef and plenty of veggies.
The sushi menu is no afterthought. If anything has changed in Hana Tsubaki’s four-plus decades, it’s the expansion of sushi to fit modern tastes and expectations. Newer sushi styles
with fish, fish eggs, fried bits and sauce are well executed.
The sushi bar shines with small traditional sushi dishes, nigiri and sashimi. A paper-thin piece of flounder (hirame), draped over a tangy morsel of sushi rice, topped with a dot of siracha and a single sliver of green onion is as good a bite as you will get at any local restaurant.
Recognizing classics in your own town can be hard. They feel as if they have always been there and will never
leave. It’s with relief to say Hana Tsubaki is back—like it never left.
Hana Tsubaki is at 5006 J St.; (916) 456-2849; hanatsubakirestaurant.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
Sesame chicken and tempura combination
No Boundaries
ARTIST-EDUCATOR LOVES MEDIUMS OF ANY SHAPE, STYLE
My earliest memory of Maureen Gilli is from fourth grade at Sacramento Country Day School.
She wheeled her art cart into the classroom and showed us an example of that day’s project: bird masks made from paper.
I marveled at her work. The detail of feathers. The expressive owl face. All from simple pieces of cut paper. I stared in awe. I thought, maybe someday my work will be that beautiful.
Thirty years later, the awe has not diminished. Today I’m in Gilli’s Citrus Heights home. Her work graces the walls, staircase, ceiling and tabletops in every medium you can imagine.
“I’ve made art my entire life. It’s never been a choice. I have to make things,” Gilli says. “I’m on this earth to make stuff.”
As a young person in Phoenix, art was an escape for Gilli. Her mentor, Barbara Bailey, recognized the youngster’s skill and entered her work in art contests. When Gilli moved to Sacramento, she embarked on a more formal artistic career.
Coincidentally, when Gilli arrived with husband Dino and their children, she discovered her one-time mentor had also moved to the area. The two reconnected. Gilli shared her desire to earn a credential to teach art in schools.
Bailey, an arts educator, offered to let Gilli shadow her. Gilli soon landed a job as an art resource teacher at Deterding Elementary School in Carmichael.
Gilli taught art at several public schools over the next several years. She worked as an art docent for the San Juan Unified School District in a program to introduce students to art history.
“Arts are basic to your life. They teach life skills, confidence and a sense of self,” Gilli says.
During this time, Gilli used her art skills in a new way, as a storyteller,
JL JL
By Jessica Laskey
Open Studio
Maureen Gilli
Photo by Linda Smolek
performer and mask maker for Mask, Movement and Mime, an arts program she created with fellow teacher Cookie Mackenroth.
Gilli and Mackenroth traveled all over Northern California performing with handmade masks, teaching children to express themselves
for kindergarten through fifth grades before moving into sixth and seventh grades.
“I always started in clay and then introduced different mediums to help students find their niche,” Gilli says. “Contour drawing is also great for children because they learn to use their eyes, which makes it so much more fun to look at things. That’s what’s so exciting about creativity.”
Gilli’s own creativity has taken her on explorations through various mediums. She loves cultural research.
through visual and performing art.
Gilli landed at Country Day in 1997 to fill in for an art teacher on maternity leave. She enjoyed the job and stayed, teaching art
nds a co o r m e dium she wan dive take classe Co S com mediu i h
She finds a technique, color scheme she wants to try and dives in. She’s taken several art classes at Sierra College to learn the basics of new art forms. This has led to work that includes polymer figurines to metal sculpture. She often combines several mediums at once, as in her series of paintings with copper incorporated onto the canvas. She makes jewelry inspired by amulets. Her handmade cards sell quickly at High-Hand Art Gallery in Loomis, where she’s a permanent artist.
“It’s very spur-of-the-moment,” Gilli says of inspiration. “I love to work spontaneously. In the moment, every medium is my favorite to work in.”
For information, visit Gilli’s website at artandeye.net. High-Hand Art Gallery is at 3750 Taylor Road, Loomis. 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
FESTIVALS & FUNDRAISERS
Midtown Halloween Festival & Pooch Parade
Midtown Sutter and Midtown Association
Saturday, Oct. 26, noon–3 p.m.
James Marshall Park (915 27th St.); exploremidtown.org
Watch costumed canines strut their stuff at this free, family-friendly festival.
Enjoy German bier, wine, music and dancers, plus the Rockbierfest band.
Día de Los Muertos Fiesta
California Museum
Saturday, Oct. 12, 6–10 p.m.
1020 O St.; fiesta2024.eventbrite.com
Tickets: $10 (plus fee) in advance through Oct. 11
Celebrate the museum’s new exhibit, “Arte de Inspiración: Dia de Los Muertos 2024,” with exhibits, food, performances, workshops, pop-up shops and more.
National Feral Cat Day 5K Walk
Coalition for Community Cats
Sunday, Oct. 13, 10 a.m.
California Automobile Museum (2200 Front St.); c4ccwalk.eventbrite.com
Registration: $40
Take a Downtown stroll to raise funds for community cat spay/neuter programs.
Open Trail Day
Bufferlands
Saturday. Oct. 19, 7:30 a.m.–5 p.m.
Sacramento Area Sewer District, Elk Grove; sacsewer.com/bufferlands
Walk at your own pace along several miles of riparian forests, woodlands and wetlands with biologists and docents answering nature-related questions.
LIVE PERFORMANCE
Literary Death Match
Stories on Stage Sacramento
Friday, Oct. 11, 7 p.m.
The Auditorium at CLARA (1425 24th St.); storiesonstagesacramento.org
Tickets: $25
The international competitive reading and performance series returns to Sacramento for the second year.
Crumbs from the Table of Joy Celebration Arts
Oct. 11–Nov. 3
2727 B St.; celebrationarts.net
Tickets: $25 general, $20 seniors, $15 students
This charming, funny and moving play follows 17-year-old Ernestine Crump as she adjusts to life after the passing of her mother.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets™ in Concert
Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera Friday, Oct. 4, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 5, 2 p.m.
SAFE Credit Union Performing Arts Center (1301 L St.); sacphilopera.org
Tickets: $93–$175
Relive the magic of Harry Potter accompanied by a live performance of John Williams’ score.
Long Ago and Far Away
Sacramento Symphonic Winds
Sunday, Oct. 6, 2:30 p.m.
Capistrano Hall at Sac State (6000 J St.); sacwinds.org
Tickets: $15 general, $10 student, free for 8th graders and younger
Listen to the “Star Wars Trilogy” by John Williams, “The Washington Post” by John Philip Sousa and more.
The Hey Day Hop
Hey Day Quintet
Wednesday, Oct. 2, 6 p.m.
The Annex at Twin Lotus Thai (8375 Folsom Blvd.); twinlotusthai.com
Tickets: $10
Get your toes tapping with mixedtempo music designed for those who love to dance. Reservations required.
Aftershock Festival
Danny Wimmer Presents Oct. 10–13
Discovery Park (1000 Garden Hwy); aftershockfestival.com
Tickets: Start at $189
Don’t miss one of the region’s biggest music festival with headliners Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Mötley Crüe and more.
ART
Fall Sale
Art by Fire
Saturday, Oct. 19, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Shepard Garden and Arts Center (3330 McKinley Blvd.); artbyfire.org
Shop for handmade pottery, glass, sculpture and other art made with fire.
The Night Lights: Brian Seek
Viewpoint Photographic Art Center
Oct. 9–Nov. 2
2015 J St.; viewpointphotoartcenter.org
This solo show features a series of low-light, long-exposure photographs.
Latitude/Longitude: Brad Morlock
ARTHOUSE Gallery
Oct. 11–Nov. 4
Opening Reception Oct. 12, 5–8 p.m. 1021 R St.; arthouseonr.com
Explore large-format pieces made with brick charcoal and printmaking paper.
This exhibit showcases the college’s permanent collection of art by students, professors and artists working in the region, as well as new acquisitions.
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
Art by Fire Fall Sale at Shepard Garden and Arts Center.
“Reflects II” by Brad Morlock at ARTHOUSE Gallery.
more information, you can meet with me or attend one of my Kaiser Permanente Medicare Health Plans seminars. Please call:
reside in the Kaiser Permanente Medicare health plan service area in which you enroll. For accommodations of persons with special needs at meetings call TTY 711. Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc. 393 E. Walnut St. Pasadena, CA 91188-8514
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