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EDITORIAL POLICY
Chris Daubert (1950–2023) was an artist, teacher and curator who exhibited his drawings, paintings and large multimedia installations locally, nationally and internationally. He organized and curated more than 100 exhibitions in nonprofit, college and university art galleries. This work is part of the memorial exhibition “Right Here, Right Now” on display
Dec. 6–29 at Twisted Track Gallery at 1730 12th St. Shown: “The Collected Letters of Tony May,” oil on canvas, 18 inches by 20 inches. Visit twistedtrackgallery.life or contact Nisa Hayden at (916) 769-2700.
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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.
FTime Out
ARMY CORPS DELAYS EROSION-CONTROL WORK ON AMERICAN RIVER
or more than a year, American River Parkway supporters have called for a redesign of erosioncontrol plans by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The Army Corps intends to bulldoze through fragile river parkway landscape, destroy riparian habitat, replace shoreline with rock and rubble, and threaten countless wildlife to protect the city from floods. The project, called Contract 3B, runs from the Howe Avenue bridge to east of Watt Avenue.
But when a draft environmental impact report generated negative comments from the public and
C R CR
By Cathryn Rakich
agencies—as many as 1,900 letters—the Army Corps postponed its work until 2026.
Is this a procedural dodge or a serious re-evaluation of the Army Corps’ plans?
“Hopefully they will see there is plenty of room for major improvements and make significant design changes,” says Pete Spaulding with American River Trees, a local citizen’s group.
“We’ll use this additional time to push for a true pause, not just a delay.”
American River Trees wants the Army Corps to develop a lessdestructive plan, citing the work will create “massive damage” to the parkway.
The lower American River is among 200 free-flowing rivers and streams throughout the nation protected by the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.
Protected waterways are identified for their scenic, recreational, geologic,
wildlife, historic and cultural values.
The wild and scenic designation is the nation’s strongest protection for rivers.
County Supervisor Rich Desmond, in a recent report to constituents, says he is “confident that the work is necessary.” He believes the erosionprotection measures along the river are “commensurate with standards set by the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.”
Liz Bellas disagrees. She is director of the county’s Department of Regional Parks, responsible for ensuring the work is consistent with wild and scenic management requirements.
In her 51-page comment letter to the Army Corps, Bellas says, “Our conclusion is that the project within the American River Parkway, as proposed, does not meet this standard.”
Bellas says the draft environmental impact report is “replete with errors and inconsistencies” with “no
meaningful alternative” for bank protection or mitigation.
The Wild and Scenic Rivers Act promotes public participation when addressing river protection. Desmond says, “there has been and continues to be extensive outreach and education about the project.”
Bellas says the process for involving the public and responsible agencies was “inadequate for meaningful involvement in the planning process.”
American River Trees also disagrees with Desmond. “There was little to no outreach to the public,” the group tells the supervisor. “There were no advance neighborhood mailings, no public meetings.”
While the Army Corps made several public presentations, “they rarely answer questions or engage in any two-way, live conversation,” American River Trees says.
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• Peace on Earth is great. So is peace of mind.
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Representatives with American River Trees requested meetings with Cols. Chad Caldwell and James Handura of the Army Corps’ Sacramento District. They were denied. Desmond reports the Lower American River Bank Protection Working Group includes federal, state and county agencies and nonprofit groups working together to evaluate the erosion-protection work.
American River Trees notes, “Participation does not equal approval or support.” The group says federal, state and county agencies, and parkway advocates, such as Save the American River Association, identified “serious shortcomings in the project and draft environmental reports.”
Desmond tells constituents vegetation removal is required for erosion protection. The Army Corps plans to remove shrubs, brush and up to 700 trees, including heritage oaks.
American River Trees says trees and vegetation will take years to regrow, making the community less safe. The group cites “Best Practices for Vegetation Management on Levees,” prepared by the Corps and FEMA, and released this year. Per the document, “the right mix of well-established native vegetation can help reduce
soil erodibility …. Dense, interwoven root systems can physically stabilize riverbanks and slopes.”
In Regional Parks’ comment letter, Bellas says, “the impacts of bank protection to existing oak woodland and riparian habitat and recreation … are either mischaracterized or ignored.”
Construction at rivers designated as wild and scenic must preserve their free-flowing condition. Demolition must protect water quality. The immediate environment must be safeguarded.
Designated as wild and scenic in 1981, the American River extends from its confluence with the Sacramento River to Nimbus Dam. “This short stretch of river, flowing through the city of Sacramento, is the most heavily used recreation river in California,” the National Wild and Scenic River System says.
“We firmly believe we can get erosion control, flood protection, and a wild and scenic American River,” says Spaulding of American River Trees. “Let’s do it right.”
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
Climbable Critters
NEW ZOO INSTALLATION COMBINES FUN WITH EDUCATION
Next time you visit the Sacramento Zoo, don’t be alarmed if you see a giant red panda or humungous frog. In fact, go ahead and climb on them!
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By Jessica Laskey Out & About
These larger-than-life climbable animal statues from around the world are part of Critters Near and Far, a new limited-time installation created by Little Ray’s Exhibitions.
Each statue is paired with educational information so kids can learn while they play. The installation is free with zoo admission and available through Feb. 3. For information, visit saczoo.org.
AGENTS OF DISCOVERY
If you love Pokémon GO, check out Sacramento County’s new augmented reality game Agents of Discovery at Gibson Ranch Regional Park and River Bend Park.
BURNETT AWARDS
Sacramento History Alliance presented its annual Burnett Awards to four local businesses that contribute to the community.
This year’s honorees are Bogle Family Vineyards, Bertolucci’s Body and Fender Shop, W.F. Gormley & Sons Funeral Chapel and Otto Construction. Awards are named for the late Burnett Miller, a native Sacramentan, former mayor, philanthropist, business leader and history enthusiast. The awards ceremony raises money for the Sacramento History Museum.
For information and to nominate a business next year, visit burnettawards.org.
UNITED WAY
United Way California Capital Region needs volunteers to help with literacy tutoring and tax-preparing programs.
“Our literacy volunteers work with children to help them excel in school so they can succeed in college and career,” says Dawnté Early, president/CEO of United Way California Capital Region. “Our Free Tax Prep volunteers work with families to ensure they receive every dollar possible in tax credits so they can increase the amount of money in their bank accounts and support their families and their children’s education.”
Literacy volunteers work virtually or in person at local elementary schools for a couple hours each week. Free Tax Prep volunteers contribute four to eight hours each week for five to six months, with 40 hours of tax training through January. Tax season is January through May.
For information, visit yourlocalunitedway.org, under “Our Work.”
The free app encourages visitors to explore the park and find challenges that “will provide valuable insights about our local parks and open spaces, showcasing the many benefits of parks and recreation for people of all ages,” Regional Parks Director Liz Bellas says.
The app combines visuals and audio with the user’s environment in realtime. When visitors enter the park, they receive tips to help them find and complete challenges.
The game is best played on Wi-Fi, but a mission can be downloaded prior to visiting. Get the app on Apple App and Google Play stores.
PUBLIC PARK ART
A public art installation is up at the Hanami Line at Robert T. Matsui Waterfront Park.
“Hanami” was created by local artists Jennifer Madden and Jeffrey Reed of Reed + Madden Design. The piece draws inspiration from the Japanese tradition of hanami, which emphasizes the fleeting beauty and fragility of cherry blossoms.
The Hanami Line project features cherry blossom trees, public art and space for community gatherings.
Kids have fun on climbable animal statues at the Sacramento Zoo.
RECEIVING HOME
Children’s Receiving Home celebrates 80 years of support for neglected, abused and traumatized youth.
The organization provides services for children and youth in crisis including on-site preschool, outpatient mental health care and residential treatment. For information, visit crhkids.org.
GARDEN GUIDE
UC Master Gardeners of Sacramento County’s “2025 Gardening Guide and Calendar” is on sale.
The guide includes tips for gardeners of all levels, as well as plant and flower photos to get your own garden going. Calendar sales support Master Gardener community projects.
Order online at sacmg.ucanr.edu or purchase at Emigh Ace Hardware on El Camino Avenue, Green Acres Nursery & Supply, The Plant Foundry, Talini’s Nursery or Wild Birds and Gardens.
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OFF THE GRID
Capital Stage takes theater patrons “Off The Grid” to see Berkeley Repertory Theatre’s West Coast premiere of “Jaja’s African Hair Braiding.”
The adventure on Sunday, Dec. 8, includes parking at CLARA on N Street, a meet and greet with mimosas and snacks, roundtrip transportation to Berkeley Rep, a private taco lunch and a ticket to the performance.
“Jaja’s African Hair Braiding” takes guests to a Harlem hotspot where West African immigrant braiders work their magic on locals’ locks amidst uncertainty and challenges.
The package is $295, which includes a $100 donation to Capital Stage. For information, visit capstage.org/off-thegrid-trips.
DOWNTOWN ICE RINK
Downtown Sacramento Ice Rink is open at Ali Youssefi Square at Seventh and K streets.
Visit the rink 2–9 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays, and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fridays through Sundays (weather permitting). Admission is $15 for adults and $8 for children 6 and younger. Skate rental is included.
Skating is free for active military and veterans and Sacramento Kings Kids Club All-Star members. Dignity Health and Western Health Advantage members get a $5 discount. Same-day SacRT pass or ticket holders get $2 off.
For information, visit downtownsac. org/icerink.
LEAF COLLECTION
The claw is back! City residents can pile yard waste in the street for collection by the claw through Feb. 3. Fill curbside containers first before making a pile, which should be no
larger than 4 by 4 by 9 feet. Keep piles 6 feet from obstructions, out of bike lanes and away from storm drains.
For information, visit sacleafsmart. org.
SOCCER ALLIANCE
A record 10 players from Sacramento Soccer Alliance have been accepted for the Cal North Olympic Development Program.
“The selection process is quite rigorous and these are the top players in the entire Northern California area from all the major clubs,” alliance Vice President and Coach Jonathan Lum says.
“This is a historic accomplishment,” alliance Director of Coaching Jack Gurr says. “Huge congratulations to these talented players, our dedicated coaches and the entire SSA community for this remarkable milestone.”
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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Downtown Sacramento Ice Rink is open at Seventh and K streets.
Photo courtesy of Downtown Sacramento, Mickey Morrow
Ten Sacramento Soccer Alliance players accepted to Cal North Olympic Development Program.
Officer Involved
50 YEARS AFTER POLICE KILLING, WOULD AFTERMATH CHANGE?
Fifty years ago, at 12:30 a.m. on Dec. 31, 1974, a Sacramento Police homicide lieutenant named Robbie Waters left the bar at Neptune’s Table restaurant on South Land Park Drive and killed Terry Lee Miranda with a bullet between the eyes.
There were mitigating circumstances. Moments before Waters pulled the trigger on his service revolver, Miranda pointed a shotgun at the detective and said, “We want your money.”
Miranda and his crime partner, Christopher Thomas Garland, were young criminals, Miranda 22, Garland 21. Neither expected to meet a plain-
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By R.E. Graswich City Beat
clothes policeman in the suburban mall parking lot.
They realized their mistake when Waters said, “I’m a cop. Drop the shotgun.”
A silent moment passed. Then Garland yelled, “He’s a cop. Kill him.”
Waters shot first. Miranda, mortally wounded and stumbling back, discharged one shotgun round into the winter night.
A final burst of gunpowder ended the violence. Garland, in a getaway car, punched the gas and sped toward South Land Park.
Waters aimed at the vehicle. He blasted out the back window and hit Garland as he gripped the steering wheel. Garland was arrested six hours later after he visited a hospital to treat his severed thumb.
Waters eventually left the police to become a politician. He ran for county sheriff and won, opened a hardware store and picture frame shop in Pocket, and served four terms on City Council, where he packed a derringer. He died in 2020 from coronavirus, age 84.
The Dec. 31, 1974, shootings were front-page news in the Bee.
Robbie Waters was my friend. We discussed the Neptune’s Table incident many times, often at Giovanni’s Old World New York Pizzeria, a few hundred feet from the robbery site.
Waters described how time froze when he squared off with Miranda. “It was no more than a second or two, but it seemed like an eternity.”
We discussed how disturbed he was by the aftermath. The robbers had connections to a prison gang. Authorities believed the gang sought vengeance. Waters had police protection to keep his family safe.
Today I’m intrigued by something else. I wonder how the shooting would
land now—same facts, but a new era of policies, politics and accountability. Would Waters’ exit from a bar at 12:30 a.m. influence the investigation? Would an off-duty cop face consequences for shooting into a moving vehicle after an armed robbery attempt?
Robbie told me his colleagues handled the case with professionalism. He admitted drinking that night— maybe six or seven vodka tonics. But then and now, alcohol consumption doesn’t disqualify someone from defending themselves against armed robbers. Waters legally carried his concealed weapon.
Neptune’s Table site today is an empty lot on South Land Park Drive.
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At his sentencing, Garland claimed Waters was “obviously drunk” when he shot Miranda as Miranda backed away. Waters gave no blood samples. Four civilian witnesses and six police officers testified he showed no signs of drunkenness.
Police colleagues investigated their lieutenant’s actions, but not without oversight. The district attorney sent investigators. Waters told me the California Highway Patrol was involved. He admitted modern rules would discourage shooting into an escaping vehicle.
Fifty years ago, Waters was a hero. Chief Deputy District Attorney Geoffrey Burroughs wrote the detective showed “an example of police professionalism at its best.”
I ASKED SACRAMENTO POLICE HOW THEY WOULD INVESTIGATE THE SHOOTING TODAY. THE DEPARTMENT DIDN’T OFFER AN OPINION.
Burroughs noted, “Had Lt. Waters made a mistake or lost control of the situation, it is fair to assume he would have lost his life.”
Of that, Robbie had no doubt. “They were going to kill me,” he told me.
I asked Sacramento Police how they would investigate the shooting today. The department didn’t offer an opinion.
I turned to veteran city police officers. They were babies or not born in December 1974, but they knew about the shooting.
They told me the investigation would require deeper involvement by outside agencies and inquiries into Waters’ blood-alcohol level. Shooting at the car was problematic. But the conclusion was the same. A shotgun cancels your options.
After the shooting, Neptune’s Table blundered onward. It became a disco, Scottish pub and sushi joint. The building was demolished about a decade ago.
Robbie Waters avoided that end of the mall. He liked Giovanni’s.
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
Coming Home
NEW NONPROFIT GIVES FOSTER YOUTH A PLACE TO BELONG
By Jessica Laskey
What happens when a child in foster care reaches 18 and “ages out” of the system?
“Far too often, kids lose where they live when they age out,” Suzanne Guinn says. “My good friend spent his whole childhood in foster care, got bounced around a lot, and on his 18th birthday became homeless. He didn’t understand that was coming. Sometimes it’s a surprise to the children.”
Guinn says 25% of foster care kids experience homelessness after aging out.
“It’s hard enough to be 18,” she says. “The decisions you have to make and things you have to do to become adult are challenging enough, but especially if don’t have parents to support you. It’s overwhelming. AcademySTAY does all of that.”
Guinn is a media expert donating time to get the word out about AcademySTAY, a new nonprofit that helps aged-out foster youth 18 to 24 transition to independence. The young people pursue college, trade school, apprenticeships or employment with furnished apartments, lifeskills classes and peer support.
Most important, the program offers foster youth a place to belong.
In October, the organization celebrated the grand opening of its first facility in Noralto (north of Del Paso Boulevard) that will house 58 young people. The site has an outdoor courtyard, community garden and student center for education, training and mental health support.
Guinn says the apartments are “cool and decorated really well” after renovations on the preexisting apartment building. The site was purchased last summer with help from donors who include academy Board Chair Jason France.
“I thought it would take years to raise the funds, but Jason immediately responded, ‘Let’s make it happen,’” AcademySTAY founder Jenny Davidson says. “He has been my co-founder and my greatest supporter in turning this dream into reality.”
Davidson’s inspiration is her son, Jordan, who died in 2005 as a newborn due to a genetic condition.
“It was a turning point in my life,” Davidson says. “A friend said to me, ‘Everyone will see that Jordan changed your life, but it’s up to you what that change is.’ That moment sparked a profound shift in me. The very next day, I enrolled in my first college class with the goal of creating a better world for children who get to stay.
“For nearly two decades since my son’s passing, I worked with families impacted by crime, but as 2023 approached—the year my son would have turned 18—I felt called to serve young people in his age group. This desire to return to my roots in child advocacy (with child protective services) led me to foster youth.”
Guinn, who was adopted and has “a lot of empathy” for foster youth, was attracted to the mission. She told Davidson when the academy was ready to launch, she would help spread the word to potential donors, agencies and school administrators.
Volunteers handled much of the work in getting AcademySTAY running. Key areas still need help, including life-skills facilitators, garden support, mentors, drivers to transport students, event support and ambassadors to spread the word.
“Our volunteers are the heart of AcademySTAY and we’re always excited to welcome new faces into our community,” Davidson says. For information, visit academystay.org.
Jessica Laskey can be reached at jessrlaskey@gmail.com. Previous profiles can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram: @insidesacramento. n
Giving Back: Volunteer Profile
Jenny Davidson and Suzanne Guinn
Photo by Linda Smolek
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Fresh Star t Fresh Start
NEW MAYOR INHERITS A MESS, BUT HERE’S SOME HELP
Two questions linger from the mayoral election. What challenges face the apparent winner, Kevin McCarty? What improvements do residents want?
For answers, let’s start with the legacy of departing Mayor Darrell Steinberg. He was elected in 2016 on the promise to resolve homelessness. He leaves behind a broken promise.
Soon after arriving, Steinberg alienated the County Board of Supervisors by condemning their response to homelessness and mental health problems.
His soft stance on homelessness turned the city into a magnet for unhoused people. Tent populations exploded. Anti-camping ordinance enforcement ceased.
Collaboration between city and county finally resumed when City Manager Howard Chan and County
Executive Ann Edwards took initiative and bridged the divide. Working with the city, county officials funded a substantial shelter and housing program.
But collaboration came too late to salvage Steinberg’s image. His homeless “Master Siting Plan” was a failure. His initiatives for youth workforce development yielded meager results.
At City Council meetings, Steinberg refused to enforce rules of decorum. Council sessions were disrupted or shut down. The mayor created a culture of belligerence at City Hall.
His symbolic Gaza resolution deepened divisions. The demonstration that resulted cost $40,000 in police overtime.
After George Floyd’s murder and the unprecedented destruction of business corridors, the mayor did nothing to restore shops and save merchants. Downtown still struggles.
Steinberg tried to enact “use of force” language in city code that would have caused many good police officers to leave. Thankfully, his efforts failed. Police and city staff never felt supported by Steinberg.
By Jeff Harris City Realist
Mayoral spending sprees led to record deficits despite all-time high revenues. Steinberg leaves the City Council in a tough financial
predicament. Along with the budget, roads and parks deteriorated over the last eight years.
In a final gesture of failed leadership, Steinberg punted a decision to extend Chan’s contract, leaving the city manager’s future to the new mayor and council. This is political cowardice. Without a quick resolution, it creates a leadership vacuum.
In short, Steinberg leaves his city in far worse condition than when he arrived.
While new mayors bring fresh priorities and ideologies, they must understand basic functions and fundamentals of city governance. McCarty does—he served 10 years on City Council.
All City Council members should read Sacramento Community Surveys from the last five years. These documents hold many answers.
There’s good news in the surveys. Most residents love their city and plan to stay here over the next five years.
But there’s bad news, too. Confidence in municipal government—safety, the local economy and the city’s direction— dropped steadily over the past five years to the low 30% range.
Community surveys light a pathway for the new council.
First, the mayor must gain control over council meetings. Second, most
people feel the mayor and council do not address their concerns and priorities. Political leaders must listen to constituents.
From there, the mayor must demonstrate fiscal restraint and lead the council to realistic decisions about spending taxpayer dollars. And Downtown must be revitalized.
Finally, the mayor must regain the confidence of city staff and make them feel supported.
It’s simple. Residents want a clean, safe city with well-maintained roads and parks. They want thriving businesses. They want more housing at all income levels, and neighborhoods with equal access to services and resources.
They want homelessness resolved with compassion and laws enforced.
I’ve lived in Sacramento for nearly 40 years. It’s still a great city. With realistic leadership it can again become a destination city—a place to be proud of.
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
Left Behind
CITY ANIMAL SHELTER LEAVES HUNDREDS OF CALLS PENDING
The dog stood in front of a used tire shop in an industrial section of town. His gait was slow and weary over dirt and gravel. A cardboard box on a cement pad by the front door was his makeshift doghouse.
Filth gripped his ratty black and white fur. Twisted mats hung from his torso.
A passerby called 311 to report a loose dog in poor condition. A city animal control officer went out. He spoke to the dog’s owner and left— without the dog.
“We did go out and while it’s not the best setup for him, he does have access to the back area of the shop,” says Phillip Zimmerman, manager at the city’s Front Street Animal Shelter.
Scattered auto parts, stacks of used tires, grease and grime make up the “back area of the shop.” A cement floor is the dog’s bed. He lives there.
When animal control refused to act, private citizens stepped in. With the owner’s cooperation, they took the dog to a local clinic. Staff found thick mats on his underside soaked in urine, nails with years of growth, tangled fur infested with fleas.
City ordinances ban dogs from roaming loose. The law says pets must be restrained by leashes, tethers or enclosures.
Yet, Front Street’s animal control officer walked away.
The dog was four years behind on vaccinations, including rabies, and not licensed. Yet, Front Street’s animal control officer walked away.
Front Street Animal Shelter has more than 1,500 pending calls for animal control services. “We have calls that are pending all the way back to April of 2023,” Zimmerman says.
An inconceivable number—1,500.
status. They both average 65 to 70 calls a day.
Urgent calls include active dog attacks and sick or injured animals. Non-urgent calls are barking complaints and requests to pick up dead animals.
Zimmerman reports Front Street has no active pending urgent calls. Officers respond to urgent calls “as quickly as we can,” he says.
But “there are hundreds of other urgent calls pending, they just aren’t active.” For example, a neighbor’s dog attacks another neighbor’s dog, but the attacking dog is now confined.
Delayed response—or no response— is common.
City Councilmember-elect Phil Pluckebaum, whose district includes Front Street, calls this “unacceptable.” He adds, “Do we need more resources? Do we need to make policy changes? We need to have that discussion so folks can get the level of service they expect.” Reports of cruelty and neglect fall somewhere between urgent and nonurgent.
“People have differing opinions of what a bad condition is,” Zimmerman says. “Animals are considered property, and we cannot just take animals without probable cause.”
Matted fur pulling at his skin. Trapped urine causing a rash on his underside. Uncut nails crippling his paws. Fleas crawling over every inch of his body.
If that’s not probable cause, what is?
Zimmerman adds, “Helping owners and animals is a better option, especially when they are willing to accept help, as was the case in this situation, keeping the pets and their people together.”
Yet it was concerned citizens, not the city’s animal control, who took action.
By Cathryn Rakich Animals & Their Allies
California Penal Code states, “… whoever, having the charge or custody of an animal, either as owner or otherwise, subjects an animal to needless suffering, or inflicts unnecessary cruelty upon the animal, … is, for each offense, guilty of a crime.”
Yet, Front Street’s animal control officer walked away.
The county’s Bradshaw Animal Shelter has around 100 pending calls at any given time.
Front Street covers 98 square miles within the city limits. Bradshaw covers 776 square miles in the county.
Despite these differences, the two shelters each have 12 to 15 animal control officers, depending on hiring
The dog is back with his owners. But sometimes “keeping pets and their people together” is not the best option for the animal.
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
Pipe Dreams?
SAC STATE STADIUM PLAN OVERFLOWS WITH QUESTIONS
One of the most inspired quotes about cities comes from planner and architect Daniel Burnham, whose vision for the Chicago lakefront sparked an aesthetic renaissance still paying dividends generations after his death in 1912.
“Make no little plans,” Burnham said. “They have no magic to stir men’s blood and probably will not themselves be realized. Make big plans, aim high in hope and work, remembering that a noble, logical diagram once recorded will never die, but long after we are gone will be a living thing, asserting itself with ever growing insistency.”
That seems to be the mindset at Sacramento State, where President Luke Wood and Athletic Director Mark
G D GD
By Gary Delsohn Building Our Future
Orr have ambitious but vague plans for a new multi-purpose stadium to propel the school into a major athletic conference, such as the Mountain West or Pac-12.
“The stadium is a commitment to our belief that Sacramento has a spirit and passion to turn this city into a college football town,” Wood says. “It will be a stadium worthy of Sacramento State’s academic and athletic prowess, and it will also honor our position as one of the top media markets in the country.
We are excited about what the future will bring and can’t wait to open our new stadium.”
Given Sac State’s resurgence in football the past few seasons and local enthusiasm for sports, a new stadium with at least 25,000 seats sounds nice. It could accommodate college rugby and soccer, the Republic pro soccer team, plus concerts and more.
But from the breathless media coverage, you would think the stadium is a done deal.
“A move to big-time college sports would mean Sacramento State has finally arrived,” read a headline in the Bee.
On KHTK radio’s “Stiles and Watkins” sports talk show, the coverage gushed. Although co-host Allen Stiles raised questions about funding, he concluded: “The bottom line is they’re not coming out saying something like this if it’s not etched in stone.”
Should we save a date for the Notre Dame game?
Not quite. When Sac State announced its plans and released renderings from Populous, a global designer of concert venues, arenas
and stadiums, several questions went unanswered. Such as:
How much will it cost?
What’s the financing plan?
If funding comes from student fees or university bonds, do students, faculty and Cal State trustees need to sign off?
Will a major conference accept Sac State before the stadium is built?
Can you tear down the existing stadium, build a new one on the same site and be ready for the 2028 season?
Officials say Sac State will continue to play at old Hornet Stadium. They
Renderings courtesy of Sacramento State University and Populous
didn’t explain how football will work around demolition and construction.
And on and on. Stadiums are complicated. They require approvals. They take time to fund, plan and build. They demand real market due diligence.
For perspective, I turned to Joe Davidson, a stalwart of Sacramento sports journalism. For more than three decades at the Bee, Davidson has written about local sports with enthusiasm while never losing sight of reality.
“I’ve seen moments of optimism before,” Davidson tells me. “We could certainly all appreciate the ambition and excitement of potentials, but there’s a reality blast here of how much is the new stadium going to cost, who’s paying for it, how much has been raised, how much more has to be raised?
“Because Sac State athletics can’t be taken seriously for conference
realignment or promotion until there are facilities in place. Not a framework of paperwork that there will be a new stadium, but an actual stadium. And I think the Pac-12 and Mountain West will continue to look elsewhere until that happens.”
Like Davidson, I would like a new stadium at Sac State. College football generates revenue and civic pride. But it’s hard to get too jazzed until we have detailed answers.
“I hope it all works,” Davidson says. “It would be a lot of fun. I think it would be great for the city, but the big reality is: how soon can these facilities get built, and where is the money?”
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
CAN YOU TEAR DOWN THE EXISTING STADIUM,
BUILD A NEW ONE ON THE SAME SITE AND BE READY FOR THE 2028 SEASON?
Elisabeth de Gaust, DDS
General and Cosmetic Dentistry
Practicing dentistry gives me the opportunity to help my patients improve their oral health resulting in a beautiful smile that lasts a lifetime.
Risk Averse
SELF-DEFENSE IS MORE THAN THROWING PUNCHES
One recent afternoon, I stood in a Midtown workout studio called Her Elevated, dressed for movement with other women. We were learning to defend ourselves.
I was ready to throw some punches. But when instructor Lisa Thew, owner of selfdefense training company Diamond Defense, started the class, I was handed a binder and asked to sit on a couch.
For the next hour, Thew took the group through lessons in risk assessment and awareness that form the basis of Rape Aggression Defense.
It’s a system of self-defense that uses unique strengths of the female body. The system works for women of all ages and physical abilities.
No punches were thrown until the next hour. Then we learned techniques from the Korean martial art form hapkido to resist and escape an attack. The main point was not to stage our own superhero action sequence.
“The RAD approach is holistic—you don’t just throw punches,” says Thew, who was introduced to the defensive system 20 years ago. “We talk a lot about how to prevent ourselves from ever having to deal with that in the first place, how can we not be targets.”
“It’s like wearing a seat belt,” she continues. “You never want to be in a car accident, but when we get in a car, you put it on. I think about self-defense like that. You never want to have to use this, but you want that seat belt on just in case.”
After her introduction to the defense technique, Thew was hooked. She felt joy “watching my fellow co-workers learn and become empowered throughout the three-day course.”
She took so many defense classes that an instructor suggested Thew get certified. Five years later, she founded Diamond Defense.
Thew taught classes on and off between jobs. When she and her wife, Kelley Ogden, moved to Sacramento in 2005, Thew did sales and marketing for Outword Magazine. Then she moved into box office management at Sacramento Theatre Company.
She worked as executive assistant for the Sacramento Rainbow Chamber of Commerce and did box office duty for Capital Stage and B Street Theatre. She eventually landed at UC Davis School of Medicine, managing the standardized patient program.
Throughout her career, Thew wanted to devote more time to training women and girls to defend themselves. When a neck injury sidelined her for months and forced her to leave her job, Thew decided, “I need to be doing (Diamond Defense). This is the time.”
She planned a class schedule and built relationships with women fitness studio owners to host classes. Thew teaches at KSMY Martial Arts on Riverside Boulevard and Her Elevated on S Street.
“If you’re a human female, you have options to defend yourself,” Thew says. “It’s important to learn what those options are, and they’re not the same for everyone. We figure out what yours are and teach you how to use them. We all have options. Learn yours.”
As I strode outside after class, I felt more capable in my own abilities, less afraid and more aware walking down the street. Self-defense is a girl’s best friend.
JL JL
By Jessica Laskey Meet Your Neighbor
For information, visit diamonddefense. com and @diamonddefense1 on Instagram.
Jessica Laskey can be reached at jessrlaskey@gmail.com. Previous columns can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram: @insidesacramento. n
Lisa Thew
Photo by Aniko Kiezel
Team Effort
HOLIDAY HOME TOUR FEATURES FAMILY’S THIRD REMODEL
Ryan and Heather Filippini go way back. They met as youngsters at St. Anne’s Catholic School in Lodi, followed separate paths to college, got reacquainted in Sacramento and married in 2010.
Now they work mostly from home. Ryan works in real estate. Heather works for a tech support company. East Sac is their base.
“Our first East Sac home was a two-bedroom, one-bath near Bertha Henschel Park,” Ryan says. “We then upgraded to a larger house across the street. We loved our neighbors and our tightknit neighborhood, especially during COVID lockdowns.”
In March 2023, the couple found a Cape Cod-style residence on 41st Street. “With two children, age 9 and 11, this home was ideal for us,” Heather says. “We jumped right in and made it happen.”
But the house needed upgrades and improvements. It would be the family’s third renovation project—one more test of their ability to work as a team.
By Cecily Hastings Open House
Aniko Kiezel
Repairs on the 2,175-square-foot, threebedroom, three-bath vintage layout took months. The Filippinis rented back their previous home and stayed in hotels.
“The floors gratefully had always been covered with carpet and never refinished,”
Photography by
Heather, Eve, Ryan, and Emilia Filippini with Sunny, their dog.
Heather says. “But Ryan is a skilled carpenter, and we could both visualize how even just resurfacing, retexturing and repainting could go a long way.”
The couple handled much of the demolition themselves. Now the living room is open to the entry hall and dining space. French doors between the backyard and living room are painted black to add depth.
White kitchen cabinetry stayed, but the family replaced tiles and appliances. New hardwood floors in the kitchen tie everything together.
A back porch became a new sunroom. It has a long leather sectional sofa and black and white checkerboard marble floor. Black and white accents extend to other rooms.
The center stairway is highlighted with dozens of small, square, black framed photos—a family gallery. Upstairs bedrooms are light and bright with multiple windows.
The windows are decorated with natural woods and white and cream shades with colorful accents. The bathrooms have white and gray marble
counters and mosaic floors with subway tile walls.
The backyard is a green paradise highlighted by a rock waterfall built by the former owner. “Years ago, the yard was on a garden tour and folks really like seeing that waterfall,” Heather says.
I’m always curious how couples adapt and persevere through months of hard, heavy remodels.
“We have a similar vision for our home design,” Ryan says. “But sometimes we face decision-making fatigue, so the other of us has to step in to resolve.”
This pair found the challenges empowering.
“We realized that we have a lot of skills together as a couple,” Heather says. “Combined with the knowledge we have amassed along the way on three projects.”
Ryan agrees. “It feels great to know we can so positively transform
an old house into a new home tailored for our family.”
The Filippini family home is on this year’s Sacred Heart Holiday Home Tour, Dec 6, 7 and 8. Tickets are $35 to $45, available online or at Sacred Heart School at 856 39th St. on event days. Visit sacredhearthometour.com.
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
Essential Work
Over the past two years, I’ve talked to many residents about floodcontrol improvements taking place along the American River. The overwhelming sentiment has been one of appreciation for the federal funds and resources flowing into our region to bolster public safety. However, some residents argue that the work may not be entirely necessary. I disagree.
As a resident, a member of the County Board of Supervisors and member of the Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency, I consistently support flood-control projects that are essential for our community.
While we enjoyed a recent period without a significant storm event along the American River, the threat of flooding is always present. A catastrophic event can strike at any moment, putting our homes and lives at risk. We shouldn’t gamble that it won’t happen.
History shows how vulnerable we are. In 1986, our flood-control system faced a severe test and nearly resulted in widespread levee failures. We were fortunate, but our neighbors to the north weren’t so lucky. They endured devastating floods. Every year, floods in other locations remind us that nature is unforgiving.
It’s crucial that our levee standards reflect the seriousness of this risk. Much of our infrastructure dates back over 75 years and doesn’t meet modern engineering standards. Lessons learned from the 1986 floods prompted a thorough review by federal, state and local officials. The findings highlighted essential improvements needed to safeguard the half-million residents living behind American River levees.
Recognizing this ongoing threat, Congress committed more than $1 billion to enhance our flood-control system. These funds are strategically invested in key areas, including the Folsom Dam and Sacramento Weir and Bypass, as well as addressing criticalerosion issues along the river.
soil-composition studies and analyses to determine the actions needed to protect our lives and homes.
We cannot rest on the 200-year minimum level of protection, which merely serves as a benchmark achievement and not a final level of assurance.
Yes, flood-control improvements will have an impact on vegetation, trees and shrubs, and will temporarily disrupt access to areas of the parkway while erosion work is performed. However, it’s essential to remember that these projects come with comprehensive mitigation strategies.
I’m committed to ensuring our floodprotection work minimizes disruptions to the natural environment.
Replanting and enhancing vegetation along the river after this work will restore and even improve the natural habitat over time. Just as we have
seen in other areas where erosioncontrol measures occurred decades ago, the environment will rejuvenate, and we will emerge far safer while ensuring we have more resilient and effective flood protection.
Investing in flood control along the American River is not just a matter of infrastructure—it’s a matter of life and safety for our community. The improvements being constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, state authorities and Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency will help safeguard our future against threats of flooding. The safety of our homes, families and community depends on it.
Rich Desmond represents District 3 on the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors. He can be reached at richdesmond@saccounty.gov or (916) 874-5471. n
By Rich Desmond
To capitalize on enhancements at Folsom Dam, our downstream levee system must be equipped to manage flood releases of the magnitude experienced in 1986—and even greater. We must trust the expertise of scientists and experts who employ risk modeling, hydrology, hydraulics, and
WE ARE. IN 1986, OUR FLOOD-CONTROL SYSTEM FACED A SEVERE TEST AND NEARLY RESULTED IN WIDESPREAD LEVEE FAILURES. WE WERE FORTUNATE, BUT OUR NEIGHBORS TO THE NORTH WEREN’T SO LUCKY.
Beyond aphid and powdery mildew, great challenges hide in weeds. Gardeners inevitably encounter these tests of body and will.
This year was frustrating for Sacramento gardeners. Extreme summer heat lingered into “Hottober,” dealing damage and triggering exasperation. Weather, a perennial challenge, elevated its threats to botanical happiness.
At the Fair Oaks Horticulture Center, I listen to disheartened gardeners. This year we discussed perished fruit trees, baked perennials, uncooperative vegetables. For some people, it was too hot to venture outdoors.
Reliable practices from past gardens may not be suitable for extreme weather. Once heat extracts moisture from the soil and bakes the surface,
plants become stressed. Stressed plants decline and invite damaging pests that seek out the weakest prey.
Adequate irrigation, mulch and protection from sun give plants their best chance for health and survival.
Drip irrigation with a controller/timer ensures plants won’t miss essential watering cycles in scorching weather.
Sacramento’s tree canopy is a blessing, especially if it provides lateafternoon garden shade. If not, shade cloth will reduce the damage and is essential during periods of extreme heat. Any late afternoon shade you can provide is helpful.
Mulches—wood chips, bark and straw for veggies—help retain soil moisture and reduce soil-borne diseases and weeds. I’m too often reminded by gardeners that they didn’t mulch around plants. My thoughts: “If you had only spread a 2- to 3-inch layer of mulch around that tomato plant…”
Some gardening challenges are inevitable. As we age or deal with disabilities, simple tasks become burdensome. Our bodies remind us when it’s wise to slow down or change course.
By Dan Vierria Garden Jabber
What once was a single day of wielding a shovel to turn garden soil may require two or three days. Same
Dig Deeper
AS GARDENERS FACE HURDLES, PERSEVERANCE IS KEY
with weeding a flower bed or pruning overgrown shrubs.
As strength and dexterity ebb, getting down becomes easier than getting up.
Vegetable and flower gardeners, young and old, can ease the difficulty by planting in raised beds, 12 to 24 inches high. Newer elevated bed kits that raise planting surfaces 30 to 36 inches above the ground are even better for aching joints. Galvanized livestock watering troughs are another option.
Tools, off the shelf or makeshift, can ease the pain and workload. An old broom handle is long enough to poke planting holes for seeds while standing. Long auger drill bits work well for bulbs and plants if the soil isn’t heavy clay or littered with rocks.
Rolling chairs allow for a more comfortable seated position while planting and weeding. In recent years, choices and styles have greatly improved.
Another bonus: These helpful tools and products make thoughtful holiday gifts.
I encounter many younger gardeners. They are enthusiastic, eager to learn, but confront endless obligations that compete with their gardening time. For younger gardeners, time can be a burden.
A weekend soccer tournament might mean nobody watered the plants and weeds grew another 6 inches. Family commitments turn good intentions into a whitefly infestation. Gardens require regular attention, but so do work, children and family matters.
When time is scant, consider downsizing. Plant only a few containers of flowers or three or four vegetables, rather than a dozen. Houseplants can be a gateway to gardening when career, kids and family are the focus.
Start small, meet nature halfway and avoid getting overwhelmed. Each season teaches new skills, what to avoid and how to manage time.
Persistence is the bane of all challenges. Most gardeners carry the persistence gene. It’s a dominant trait.
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
As a kid, I spent many hours at the Crocker Art Museum. Between school trips and weekend jaunts with my artist parents, I wandered the halls finding favorite paintings and artifacts.
One constant was the presence of Lial Jones, the Crocker’s Mort and Marcy Friedman director and CEO. Deeply kind despite an imposing presence, Jones would greet us with a smile. I was star-struck, knowing she ran the place.
Now Jones is retiring. In January, she leaves a 25-year Crocker legacy that could fill volumes.
J LBy Jessica Laskey Meet Your Neighbor
Under Jones, the collection grew by 23,000 objects, attendance and membership doubled, and programming expanded. She oversaw the tripling of the Crocker’s physical footprint with the addition of the Teel Family Pavilion.
“That was just a building,” Jones says. “Museums are about the mission and the Crocker’s mission is to create greater awareness and appreciation of visual art. Buildings are simply tools to achieve the mission. What you do with it is what’s important.”
She continues, “From the very first day I started here, I said what will matter is whether the Crocker matters to Sacramentans. The way we bring them in so they can have their lives changed, find works of art that bring them meaning, see something they’ve never seen before and use that to make their experience of life richer.”
Jones grew up fascinated with decorative arts and objects thanks to her grandfather and mother, who sold
END
ERA Of An
CROCKER MUSEUM CEO LEAVES ENDURING LEGACY
antiques while working as a fashion merchandiser.
Early exposure to antiques, auctions and collecting led Jones to volunteer at a historic house museum in high school and land her first paid museum job at 18. She’s been in the field for 50 years.
She absorbed museum studies and American history in New York and Delaware, and worked for the Delaware Art Museum for 20 years before moving to the Crocker.
“I already understood that if you’re talking about furniture, most folks have a pretty good idea about it—they deal with it on a daily basis—but art is a little more obtuse to many,” Jones says. “I found it really fulfilling to help people understand and appreciate fine art, more than discussing the merits of a chair.”
Jones was interested in connoisseurship, or understanding a piece of art and what makes it good, which includes knowing “its history, the milieu in which it was created, information about the artist—it all goes into it.”
She tried to pass those interests along to anyone who visited the galleries.
“A museum helps people approach works of art and how they make meaning,” she says. “I always tell
people my job is to help people understand how art makes meaning versus what a specific painting means. It’s a subtle distinction. If you learn how an artist makes meaning, you can translate that to other works of art. You’ve got to look to see. Most of us just look.”
Jones plans to take time off, focus on personal projects and figure out her next chapter.
“I’m most excited about somebody else coming in and taking the museum to next level,” the East Sac resident says. “I envy the next person. It’s very exciting to have the potential to do fabulous things here and I’m sad I’m not going to do them, but I’m tired!”
Whatever the future holds, Jones’ love of museums will endure.
“I love the power of museums,” she says. “I see them as institutions that have the ability to make the community better, individual lives better, for people to be transformed if they allow themselves to be.”
For information, visit crockerart.org.
Jessica Laskey can be reached at jessrlaskey@gmail.com. Previous profiles can be found at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram: @insidesacramento. n
Lial Jones
Photo by Aniko Kiezel
Off Track
AS RACING DIES, THERE’S ALWAYS ROOM FOR HOPE
Iworry about losing these experiences as horse racing dies in California.
First comes the freedom to move around. Horse racing is the only sporting event where fans—real fans, not tourists planted at reserved tables in the grandstand high above the finish line—are always in motion.
With 30 minutes between each race, horse players have ground to cover. Find a quiet place to review the program or Racing Form for the upcoming race. Then get moving. No time to waste.
My first destination is the paddock, the equivalent of a theater’s backstage. From there, look for a betting kiosk, a miniature slot machine that takes your cash, provides a receipt and pays back when your hunch finishes in the money. Finally, find a spot near the rail to watch the horses thunder down the homestretch.
The paddock is my favorite place, a sanctuary where you can stand 10 feet from an athlete—a racehorse—and look into his eyes and study the muscles in his flanks and gauge his disposition and admire his teeth. Try that at a basketball game.
Grooms and trainers saddle their racehorses in the paddock. They whisper advice to jockeys or drivers. Ten minutes before post time, they lead the animal toward the track.
Baseball’s ritual batting practice is the only sports warmup that approaches the sublime anticipation of the paddock. Sadly, few baseball fans watch or appreciate batting practice. In the paddock, race fans become supernumeraries in the opera’s background.
The most graceful first act in sports takes place outside the paddock, the moment when a jockey lofts into the saddle or a harness driver slides into the racing bike.
Harness drivers at Cal Expo are less poetic but equally fluid when they ease into the bike. The horse is often moving. The seat is tiny. There are wheels and shafts to consider.
While all this happens, the driver dips backward, sits and swings both legs over in a smooth maneuver. Never bet on a clumsy driver.
These are experiences I worry about losing as horse racing dies in California. The bleak prognosis is no exaggeration.
Golden Gate Fields folded this year, leaving Northern California without a fulltime track. The State Fair added a weekend of racing. Pleasanton’s fairgrounds ran a fall thoroughbred meet. Neither replaced Golden Gate Fields.
investigators, licensing personnel and headquarters on Hurley Way—are mostly funded by Del Mar and Santa Anita. Those Southern California tracks consider the burden unfair.
To cover expenses, the racing board slightly lowered the tariffs on the two big SoCal tracks and raised fees for everyone else. Thankfully, the board spared NorCal from devastation.
The moves preserved Cal Expo’s winter harness meet, a half-century tradition Friday and Sunday nights, December to May.
The Cal Expo paddock is a dump compared to the gilded paddocks at Del Mar and Santa Anita. At big tracks, paddocks ringed with flowers and statuary worthy of a celebrity wedding evoke racing’s past glory.
By R.E. Graswich Sports Authority
Jockeys can’t mount a horse alone. They grab the reins and clutch a handful of mane, bend their left knee and hop. An associate grabs the bent leg and propels the jockey skyward. I’ve seen it a thousand times. Always inspiring, a graceful ballet pas de cheval.
In Southern California, Santa Anita threatens to close. California tracks lack authorization to offer gambling alternatives—slot machines and sports betting—that support racing in other states.
Pathetically, the California Horse Racing Board struggled to close an $18 million budget gap to fund itself this year.
Money from racetracks keeps the racing board in business. Each track covers its own stewards, veterinarians and drug tests. Ancillary duties—
Cal Expo’s paddock is a forlorn patch at the grandstand’s south end. A fabric tent keeps rain away.
Even without grandeur, the Cal Expo paddock is cozy on drizzly Friday nights. Love to see you there before it’s all gone.
R.E. Graswich can be reached at regraswich@gmail.com. Previous columns can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook or Instagram: @insidesacramento. n
Cal Expo’s paddock stays busy during harness season.
INSIDE OUT
Happy Holidays from Inside Sacramento!
PHOTOS BY LINDA SMOLEK
Complaint Desk
WE ALL HAVE PROBLEMS, SO WHY NOT PRAY?
Sometimes, I feel like the man who had enough with life’s difficulties and went to live in a monastery.
Once in the monastery, the man was instructed to speak only two words per year.
After his first year, he met with his abbot. His two words, “Bed hard.”
After his second year, he told his abbot, “Food bad.”
Finally, on his third year, he came to the abbot’s office and said, “I quit.”
“I’m not surprised,” the abbot responded. “You’ve done nothing but complain since you arrived.”
My complaints are more mundane. I fret over lost keys.
When she hears me muttering about problems, my wife asks, “Have you prayed about it?”
I say, “Honestly, my prayers would sound more like complaining.”
“What’s wrong with that?” she asks. Her question inspired me to think about a guy who did a fair bit of complaining: Moses.
You know about Moses. He bugged the Egyptian pharaoh to free the Jewish people from slavery. Once the people were liberated, Moses ran his egress route through the relentless heat of the Sinai Desert.
His people quickly forgot their freedom and started whining about the lack of good takeout food. (Read the Biblical version in Numbers 11.)
Moses resented the situation. He asked God, “Why are you treating me this way? What did I do to deserve this? Where am I supposed to get meat for all these people?”
men from among the leaders of Israel, men whom you know to be respected and responsible, and you won’t have to carry the whole thing alone.”
In the end, Moses wasn’t struck dead for his audacious request. Quite the opposite. God answered the prayer by providing help from Moses’ friends.
I don’t pretend to know how prayer works. But I think Moses’ prayer was effective for two reasons.
First, the prayer was simple and direct.
It wasn’t flowery and packed with analogies, metaphors or obtuse tangents. God likes direct words.
When I encounter someone complaining about their raw deal, I tell them: Stop gossiping about God. Talk to God directly, not behind his back. Go right up to God (wherever you talk to God) and say, “Hey, God! My life stinks!”
Second, Moses’ prayer worked because God knew it was honest.
It’s a prayer with various wordings, but the gist is, “I’m powerless to do anything by myself. I need help.”
It was the same kind of prayer my wife challenged me to pray.
A little later, she asked, “Find your keys yet?”
“No, but I think God’s given me a plan to find them,” I said.
“Really?”
“Yeah,” I answered. “How do you feel about having 70 readers come over and help me look for my keys?”
“Do you have 70 readers?”
Luckily, I didn’t need to answer. Like a miracle, I noticed the keys sitting on the kitchen counter.
By Norris Burkes Spirit Matters
He continued. “If this is how you intend to treat me, do me a favor and kill me. I’ve had enough.”
Instead, God threw down a challenge and told Moses, “Gather together 70
Then turn it into prayers Anne Lamott describes in her book, “Traveling Mercies.”
“Here are the two best prayers I know: ‘Help me, help me, help me’ and ‘Thank you, thank you, thank you.’”
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
KEITH WAY $215,000 871 WOODSIDE LN #3 $218,000 637 WOODSIDE SIERRA #2 $250,000 2416 LARKSPUR LN #231 $260,000 1523 HOOD RD #J $264,000 2202 WOODSIDE LN #1 $267,000 1604 HOOD RD #D $295,000 3229 CASITAS BONITO $315,000 2431 PENNLAND DR $360,000 2470 NORTHROP AVE #10 $362,000 2324 BARCELONA WAY $376,100 2020 DELMA WAY $425,000 1526 GANNON DR $450,000 2333 BARCELONA WAY $460,000 2117 BYRON RD $475,000 609 DUNBARTON CIR $475,000
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UNIVERSITY AVE $563,000
95831
7772 PARK RIVER OAK CIR $445,000
Chicken Run
LOCAL POULTRY HIDES IN PLAIN SIGHT IN NEWCASTLE
Despite its deep farm-tofork roots, Sacramento is not an easy place to find locally raised and processed poultry.
When scanning the meat section at area stores, local poultry seems almost invisible.
There are large California operators—Mary’s Chicken and Diestel Ranch—but few local producers. Searching for local birds, I found Sinclair Family Farm in Newcastle.
Situated in the Sierra foothills, Sinclair boasts a range of humanly treated meat products. Karin Sinclair told me her farm provides much more than poultry. She raises and sells meat
from cows, sheep, pigs, rabbits, ducks and goats, plus chickens and turkeys.
The ranch was once a pear orchard. Our tour found cattle resting under a grove of oak trees. I noticed Sinclair’s love and respect for her animals as we walked through grass fields and sidestepped blackberry bushes.
The caring attitude became clear when Sinclair told me her oldest cow was 16.
Sinclair works two plots with her Sinclair Family Farm and Carson Valley Meats companies. She raises animals on the 130-acre Newcastle property and another 60 acres in Gardnerville, Nevada. Rotating animals through both pastures produces well-fed, healthy animals year-round.
She kept the Newcastle farm’s 20 varieties of oak trees to drop acorns that animals devour to produce marbled fat.
By Gabrielle Myers
Aniko Kiezel Farm To Fork
At Gardnerville, Sinclair cultivates two hay pastures for cattle. The animals eat grasses grown in Gardnerville or Newcastle, supplemented by local alfalfa and hay.
Photography by
Raised in Placerville, Sinclair became interested in agriculture as a youngster. She passed those passions onto her children. Her daughter received a sheep for her ninth birthday. Her son got a cow when he turned 9.
Sinclair Family Farm began in 1998. Karin assumed control after her divorce. Now her son, mother and “significant other” Mike Holcomb live on the ranch and handle operations.
Sinclair’s involvement in local ranching and the farm-to-fork mission is impressive. She’s a 4-H club leader and founding member of Placer Grown farmers market.
She wants to win approval for a local slaughtering facility. Resistance from neighbors and complex regulatory hurdles slow the progress.
When it comes to local meat, she says, “Most people have lost connection to the who, what, when, where and why.”
Sinclair notes while people want local and humanly raised meat, they prefer to not see or contact the realities of meat processing.
Other challenges involve water.
Sinclair Family Farm is converting irrigation into leak-free underground pipes. Unused water is recycled to a pond where bass, perch and bluegill swim.
Sinclair’s meats and local honey, jams, jellies, pickled and preserved vegetables, breads, locally roasted coffee and beer can be ordered from the Carson Valley Meats website and picked up at the farm in Newcastle or locations around Sacramento.
Novice or more adventurous chefs can enjoy a diverse range of cuts, including
beef head, tongue, liver and heart, along with traditional cuts.
We roasted a Sinclair whole chicken with fresh rosemary and sage, sea salt, pepper and olive oil. Each bite reflected the legacy of grass fields, soil filled with healthy microbes and the clean air of the foothills.
For information, visit sinclairfamilyfarm.net or carsonvalleymeats.com.
Gabrielle Myers can be reached at gabriellemyers11@gmail.com. Her latest book of poetry, “Break Self: Feed,” is available for $20.99 from fishinglinepress.com. Previous columns can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram: @insidesacramento. n
Pat Stoddard Aragon and Karin Sinclair with their dogs
READERS NEAR & FAR
2.
3.
4.
1. Teresa Long at Ueno Park in Tokyo during cherry blossom season.
Ron and Kelly Brown in Tangier, Morocco.
Keith Syda at the historic Mosque-Cathedral in Cordoba, Spain.
Lisa and Howard Schmidt at Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City.
5. Stacey Medinas and son Jack Medinas at the Colosseum in Rome.
6. Pat Orner and Corky Mau at Nelson Mandela's home in Johannesburg.
That’s Italian
EAST SAC HOT SPOT BUILDS ITS LEGACY ON OLD FAVORITE
Eight years ago, the Selland Family Restaurants debuted their newest concept, OBO’ Italian Table & Bar. The Folsom Boulevard space once housed Andiamo, a beloved East Sacramento institution. OBO’ kept the Italian fire
G
SBy Greg Sabin Restaurant Insider
burning and became a neighborhood favorite.
Similar to Selland’s Market-Cafe, OBO’ combines hot case and cold case foods—beet salad, Caesar salad, chicken breast, mac and cheese. The similarities stop there.
OBO’s menu runs deep into Italian recipes and preparations. Pasta dishes and Italian sandwiches fill the menu and leave room for pizza.
First let’s talk about the building.
The low-slung, handsome brick edifice seems from another age, industrial and weathered. Step inside and the brightness of a sunny day fills the space at lunch. High ceilings and modern lights soften the room at dinner.
Photos courtesy of OBO’ Italian Table & Bar
Large wooden tables, some for communal dining and others for parties, spread across the room. Window walls lend an ethereal air.
A marble-topped bar fills one corner. A towering shelf of Italian liqueurs and American favorites rise to the ceiling. The bar feels like a departure from Selland’s other fast casual eateries.
Unlike those grab-and-go spots, OBO’ feels like a place where you can sit, have a drink, eat a plate of pasta and catch up with a friend.
At lunch, employees from the adjacent Sutter Heath campus arrive, alongside neighborhood regulars enjoying a languorous meal. The buzz is constant with to-go orders.
At dinner, afterwork parties spend time at the bar while their pizzas bake. Or Sutter workers take something home for the family. The room gets loud and boisterous for those who come for a night out.
The menu has plenty to choose from, but the pasta plates are serious. This is no Italian deli that serves tortellini
as an afterthought. These are crafted dishes with undeniable intentions.
The short rib lasagna is intense and decadent, a dense rectangle of short rib ragu, pancetta, tomato, parmesan and toasted breadcrumbs.
The rigatoni with bolognese hits all the marks. A seasonal plate of gnocchi with sage, sausage and butternut squash was well executed.
The sandwiches hold their own. A Chicago-meets-California Italian beef comes together with shaved short rib, fontina, giardiniera and spicy lemon mayo on a toasted hoagie. The meatball sub is foundational with classic meatballs covered in marinara and mozzarella, all on a ciabatta roll.
The pizzas are in line with Selland’s other pies at the market-cafes. The crust is just past tender, bordering on crackery. Toppings are generous, combinations creative. A seasonal pie with pear and prosciutto hits the top rank, edging out the sausage and alfredo, with a generous helping of kale, potato and parmesan.
OBO’ Italian Table & Bar has everything you want from an East Sac (or Midtown or Downtown) restaurant: quick and hearty lunches, easy takeaway dinners, fresh and seasonal entrees, and a happening bar.
Thanks to OBO’s enviable location near health care facilities and East Sac homes, it survived the pandemic. It’s fair to say OBO’ fills the gap Andiamo left and will fill it for decades.
OBO’ Italian Table & Bar is at 3145 Folsom Blvd.; (916) 822-8720; oboitalian.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
Meatballs in tomato sauce
Caesar salad
Adventure Art
CERAMIC ARTIST FINDS INSPIRATION EVERYWHERE
JL JL
By Jessica Laskey
For an artist, inspiration comes from anywhere. With ceramic artist Peter VandenBerge, anywhere equals a lifetime of adventure.
“Adventure can take any form,” says VandenBerge, born in the Netherlands in 1935. “It can be in the studio making art, it can be in Indonesia in the rice fields riding the big, horned buffalo. Everything is an amazing adventure.
Those are the kinds of things you can remember and that come out in your work.”
VandenBerge’s work earned global appreciation over his 70-plus-year career. He’s known for large ceramic busts featuring elongated features reminiscent of Easter Island heads— one of VandenBerge’s many influences.
The artist partly credits his imaginative way of seeing the world to
time spent in Indonesia as a child. His father worked as a geologist for a Dutch oil company and brought the family to Sumatra and Java.
The budding artist encountered exotic animals and art forms, including Indonesian shadow puppets. The images became a huge influence for VandenBerge.
His childhood was far from idyllic. When the Japanese invaded Indonesia
Open Studio
Peter VandenBerge
Photo by Linda Smolek
during World War II, VandenBerge and his family spent three years in concentration camps being “terribly mishandled.”
But art created a bright spot. At a camp in Adek, the precocious VandenBerge asked a Japanese soldier for a pencil and paper. The soldier complied. Soon VandenBerge was drawing constantly, as “there was nothing else to do.”
The experience intensified his interest in art and led to a full-circle moment decades later. In 2006, the Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park in Japan sought one of VandenBerge’s sculptures. The museum invited him and his daughter, Camille, also a sculptor, to spend a month in Japan working and giving talks.
“I thought, this is what art is about, interacting with each other and making it a worthwhile experience,” VandenBerge says. “It was very satisfying.”
VandenBerge’s journey to international prominence started at Sacramento State, where he earned his bachelor’s degree and studied with Ruth Rippon. A chance encounter with sculptor Robert Arneson led VandenBerge to complete a master’s degree at UC Davis.
He shared space at UCD’s TB-9 ceramics studio with students who would also have major art careers, such as David Gilhooly, Chris Unterseher and Margaret Dodd.
“TB-9 was a great place to be,” VandenBerge says. “Everybody was interested in what everybody else is doing. We had great interactions and shared ideas.”
VandenBerge soon realized “to earn a living just being an artist was not an easy proposition,” especially while supporting wife Marilyn and children Camille and Christian.
He began teaching at San Francisco State, where he “met good artists who all had an influence on me.”
Ruth Rippon alerted VandenBerge of a job at Sac State. He taught there for more than 30 years, retiring in 2003. Along the way, he taught at other colleges, including State University of New York, College of Ceramics at Alfred University and University of Washington.
As an exhibiting artist, VandenBerge’s work is collected by Crocker Art Museum, San Francisco MOMA, Smithsonian Institute, Oakland Art Museum, Whitney Museum of American Art, Shigioki Museum and many more.
Today he’s busy with smaller sculptures that might become larger pieces. Much of that work happens in his home studio in East Sac, where he has lived for more than 50 years, or at daughter Camille’s art compound in Arden.
He still finds inspiration everywhere.
“You can walk down the street and find all kinds of things—things you tend to overlook,” he says. “Like the white parking lines that have been driven over so much. The paint is lifted off and you can see images in there if you let your imagination go. You can make a whole story. I’m always thinking, how do I make something more interesting?”
For information, visit petervandenberge.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
ART
Sandy Delehanty
PBS KVIE Gallery
Dec. 17–Jan. 31, 2025
“Meet the Artist” Thursday Dec. 19, 1-4 p.m.
2030 W. El Camino Ave.; kvie.org/gallery
Peruse watercolor images of Yosemite and Lake Tahoe.
Chris Daubert Memorial Exhibition
Twisted Track Gallery
Dec. 6–29
First Friday Reception Dec. 6, 6–9 p.m.
Second Saturday Reception Dec. 14, 5–9 p.m.
Closing Reception Dec. 29, 1–4 p.m.
1730 12th St.; (916) 639-0436 or (916) 7692700
Honor the memory and work of artist, educator and curator Chris Daubert who passed away in 2023.
Time and Place: Deb Hall
ARTHOUSE Gallery
Dec. 12–Jan. 6, 2025
Opening Reception Saturday Dec. 14, 5–8 p.m.
1021 R St.; arthouseonr.com
Feast your eyes on colorful abstract artworks conveying stories rich in detail and metaphor.
Home for the Holidays
Archival Gallery
Dec. 5–28
Second Saturday Reception Dec. 14, 5–8 p.m.
3223 Folsom Blvd.; archivalgallery.com
See what “home for the holidays” means to Archival artists in this group show. Don’t miss the annual light-up window display.
TO DO
THIS MONTH'S CULTURE & ENTERTAINMENT HIGHLIGHTS
By Jessica Laskey Calendar Editor
Cornucopia
Axis Gallery
Dec. 6–15
Second Saturday Reception Dec. 14, 5–7 p.m. 625 S St.; axisgallery.org
Join the gallery community in a relaxed and convivial atmosphere for this openthemed, all-members exhibition.
LIVE PERFORMANCE
Nutcracker
Sacramento Ballet
Dec 13–22
SAFE Credit Union Performing Arts Center (1303 L St.); sacballet.org
Celebrate the season with this beloved classic accompanied by the Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera.
A Master Singers Christmas
Sacramento Master Singers
Dec. 14 & 15, 3 p.m., First United Methodist (2100 J St.)
Dec. 23, 7 p.m., Harris Center for the Arts (10 College Pkwy., Folsom) mastersingers.org
Tickets: $37 adults, $15 students
Revel in the beauty of the holiday season with familiar Christmas tunes and carols.
Jingle All the Way!
Sacramento Master Singers
Saturday, Dec. 14, 11 a.m.
First United Methodist (2100 J St.); mastersingers.org
Tickets: $7 adults, $3 children
Have fun at this 45-minute familyfriendly concert where children can sing along.
Home for the Holidays
Sacramento Choral Society & Orchestra
Saturday, Dec. 14, 3 p.m.
Sacramento Memorial Auditorium (1515 J St.); sacramentochoral.org
Tickets: $53–$77, 50% discount for students
Ring in the most wonderful time of the year with festive holiday music, a puppet show and more.
A Service of Lessons & Carols
St. Michael’s Episcopal Church
Sunday, Dec. 15, 5 p.m.
2140 Mission Ave.; stmichaelscarmichael.org
Delight in the sights and sounds of this free annual service presented by the St. Michael’s Chancel Choir.
“South Fork of the Yuba River” by Sandy Delehanty at PBS KVIE Gallery.
CROSSWORD
Hard at work 65 Tugs sharply 66 Has the rights to DOWN 1 Accessories for messy eaters
2 Commercial space?
3 Saudi Arabian capital 4 *Tech specs? 5 Australian bird 6 Admit (to) 7 *Spinning machine for polishing a gemstone 8 “That’s untrue about me!” 9 Hella cool 10 Rhyme writer 12 Fuel additive brand
13 Wine, in France 15 Slimy garden pest 16 Nutrient in oysters 19 “Pressure” singer Lennox 22 Music genre for being “in your feels” 24 Certain 35mm camera
26 World of Coca-Cola’s city: Abbr. 27 Helpful website section 30 Moisture on a lawn at dawn 31 Romantic words 32 Quality of light, fluffy matzo balls
34 What’s blackand-white?
35 *He adlibbed an economics lecture in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”
36 Organizer near a workbench
38 Jaguars’ environment?
39 Cuddler on the outside 40 Fuss
42 Pierce with a fork
44 Show off your muscles 51 Doorframe piece 53 Small whirlpool 54 Midmonth day
56 Rattles on 58 Timid
60 “___ Knows One?” (Passover song)
PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER
The Four Cups by Rebecca Goldstein
Collected
Tinker the Toy Maker
Celebration Arts
Dec. 6–22
2727 B St.; celebrationarts.net
Tickets: $25 general, $20 seniors, $15 students
Take in an original holiday story about a talented craftswoman whose work is stolen by a nefarious toymaker.
Amahl and the Night Visitors with Four Lost Santas
Light Opera Theatre of Sacramento
Saturday, Dec. 21, 2 p.m. & 6 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 22, 2 p.m.
Sierra 2 Theater (2791 24th St.); lightoperasacramento.org
Tickets: $15–$30
Experience these two charming Christmas works staged with a live orchestra.
A Christmas Fantasy
Sacramento Symphonic Winds
Sunday, Dec. 8, 2:30 p.m.
Sacramento State (6000 J St.); sacwinds.org
Tickets: $15 general, $10 student, free for 8th graders and younger
Enjoy “Armenian Dances” by Alfred Reed, the overture from Rossini’s “The Barber of Seville,” “Feliz Navidad” by Jose Feliciano and more.
Sing & Rejoice!
Sacramento Valley Concert Choir
Thursday, Dec. 19, 7:30 p.m.
Unitarian Universalist Society (2425 Sierra Blvd.); svcchoir.org
Hear a little of everything— secular, spiritual, traditional and contemporary.
A Festival of Lessons & Carols
Capital Chorale and Orchestra
Friday, Dec. 20, 7 p.m.
Pioneer Congregational UCC (2700 L St.), pioneerucc.org
Tickets: $25
Listen to music by Bach, Haydn and Rutter, and lessons read by Capital Public Radio’s Donna Apidone, and join in an audience singalong.
COMMUNITY EVENTS
Sacred Heart Holiday Home Tour
Sacred Heart Parish School
Dec. 6 & 7, 10 a.m.–7 p.m.
Dec. 8, 11 a.m.–5 p.m. sacredhearthometour.com
Tickets: $40 presale, $45 day of tour, $35 seniors Tour beautifully decorated East Sac homes showcasing festive holiday décor.
Political Memorabilia & Pop Culture
Show & Sale
American Political Items Collectors
Saturday, Dec. 14, 10 a.m.–2 p.m.
Sierra 2 Center (2791 24th St.); apic.us/apic-regional-shows
Admission: $5, free for kids and students
Buy new and vintage political collectibles, buttons, posters and pop-culture memorabilia. Receive free appraisals of political trinkets.
Jingle Bell Pup Crawl
Sacramento SPCA
Saturday, Dec. 14, Noon–4 p.m.
Various Midtown businesses; sspca.org/pup-crawl
Tickets: $35 advance, $45 day of Give back to the animals while sipping, savoring and shopping at
Midtown businesses. Check in at Truitt Bark Park for a map. Tickets include a T-shirt, jingle bells for the pup, discounts, specials and giveaways.
Klamath Undammed
California Museum
Saturday, Dec. 7, Noon–4 p.m. 1020 O St.; californiamuseum.org
Learn about Klamath River dam removals from Tribal members who led the decades-long campaign. This free event includes panel discussions, film screenings, basket-weaving demonstrations and a book signing.
Winter Wonderland
Fairytale Town
Dec. 7 & 8, 14 & 15, 1–7 p.m.
3901 Land Park Drive; fairytaletown.org
Tickets: $12 members, $15 nonmembers; $18 after Dec. 6
Get in the holiday spirit with Santa Claus, nightly snowfall, holiday carolers, photos on Santa’s sleigh and more.
Jessica Laskey can be reached at jessrlaskey@gmail.com. Submissions are due six weeks prior to the publication month. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram: @insidesacramento. n
Political Memorabilia & Pop Culture Show & Sale at Sierra 2 Center.
“The
Letters of Tony May 2” by Chris Daubert at Twisted Track Gallery.
“New Woman” by Jon Lowe at Archival Gallery.
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