Inside Land Park-Grid November 2023 by Inside Publications

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NATALY TIKHOMIROV: UNIVERSITY ART LAND PARK • CURTIS PARK • HOLLYWOOD PARK • SOUTH LAND PARK • THE GRID • OAK PARK Our Other Editions Serve: East Sacramento • Arden/Carmichael • Pocket

INSIDESACRAMENTO.COM 3104 O ST. #120 • SACRAMENTO, CA 95816

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1461 Birchwood Lane - $1,050,000 SOUTH LAND PARK ESTATES CORNER 4 bed 2½ bath single story home conveniently located near William Land Park. Updated kitchen with ofﬁce area. Slate patios and pool CONNIE LANDSBERG 916-761-0411 DRE-00850625

1118 Teneighth Way - $700,000 CUTE COTTAGE QUAINT LAND PARK STREET 2 bed 1 bath open and airy with pictures windows facing front and back. Original wood ﬂoors and tile bath. Covered patio LISA McCAULEY 916—601-5474 DRE-00933026

2426 Q Street - $595,000 CLASSIC MIDTOWN SACRAMENTO VICTORIAN 2 bed 2 bath, large living room with cathedral ceiling, hardwood ﬂoors. Recently updated kitchen with butcher block counters. KELLIE SWAYNE 916-206-1458 DRE-01727664

1055 Silver Lake Drive - $598,000 LOVELY SOUTH LAND PARK HOME CONVENIENT SPOT 3 bed 2 bath 1527 sf with red oak wood ﬂoors, updated kitchen with granite counters and custom cabinets. Mature landscaping MONA GERGEN 916-247-9555 DRE-01270375

SOLD

1223 Spruce Tree Circle - $419,000 DESIRABLE PARK PLACE SOUTH HALFPLEX 2 bed 2 bath, oversized 2-car garage. Newer roof, gutters and 2 skylights. Kitchen stove and 2 ovens. HOA includes Pickle Ball. CONNIE LANDSBERG 916-761-0411 DRE-00850625

1325 Robertson Way - $1,000,000 CLASSIC MONTEREY COLONIAL IN LAND PARK. 3 bed 2 bath two story with balconies, formal living and dining rooms plus family room and ofﬁce. Updated kitchen and baths SHEILA VAN NOY 916-505-5395 DRE-00924678

SOLD

2400 – 42nd Street - $536,000 CHARMER NEAR UC MED CENTER 2 bed, 1 bath, plus 1 bed 1 bath ADU. Beautiful original hardwood ﬂoors in main unit living and dining rooms, 1-car garage. Great opportunity. JOSEPH MANGANELLO 916-952-4933 DRE-02069277

3720 – 52nd Street - $440,000 EAST SACRAMENTO COTTAGE IS A TREASURE 2 bed 1 bath Sunny interior with fresh paint, handsome laminate French Oak ﬂooring, dual pane windows and drought tolerant yard DAVID KIRRENE 916-531-7495 DRE-01115041

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Grateful

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People are stunned to learn it takes an army to properly get a listing “show” ready. Thank you to all the amazing teams of dedicated people that support me every single day.

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proudly serving the greater sacramento region LAND PARK • CURTIS PARK MIDTOWN • EAST SAC HOLLYWOOD PARK • GREENHAVEN LITTLE POCKET

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EVERY DAY IS A GOOD DAY TO MAKE YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD A BET TER PL ACE. 27 S

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PATRICIA PRENDERGAST SARAH LAM: CALIFORNIA STATE FAIR

LEE ANN BROOK: CALIFORNIA STATE FAIR

NATALY TIKHOMIROV: UNIVERSITY ART

DAVID FIVEASH

EAST SACRAMENTO • McKINLEY PARK • RIVER PARK • ELMHURST • TAHOE PARK • CAMPUS COMMONS

ARDEN • ARCADE • SIERRA OAKS • WILHAGGIN • DEL PASO MANOR • CARMICHAEL

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Our Other Editions Serve: Land Park/Grid • Arden/Carmichael • Pocket

Our Other Editions Serve: East Sacramento • Land Park/Grid • Pocket

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Our Other Editions Serve: East Sacramento • Arden/Carmichael • Pocket

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Our Other Editions Serve: East Sacramento • Land Park/Grid • Arden/Carmichael

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3104 O ST. #120 • SACRAMENTO, CA 95816

THE MOST INTERESTING PEOPLE, PLACES, NEWS & VIEWPOINTS IN AMERICA'S FARM-TO-FORK CAPITAL

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3104 O St. #120, Sac. CA 95816 (Mail Only)

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NATALY TIKHOMIROV Nataly Tikhomirov is an award-winning artist whose watercolors, miniature lacquered boxes and iconography have been exhibited worldwide. She grew up in a small village in Russia but has lived in Sacramento for many years. Her work is on display in University Art’s window gallery through Nov. 10. Shown: Large watercolor from a series of rose and other ﬂoral portraits at the gallery. Visit goldcountryartistsgallery.net/nataly-tikhomirov or call (916) 502-6366.

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NOVEMBER 2023 VOL. 26 • ISSUE 10 6 10 12 14 16 18 22 24 26 28 32 34 36 40 42 44 46 48

Pocket Life Out & About City Beat Pocket Beat Building Our Future Giving Back Meet Your Neighbor City Realist Garden Jabber Dead Air Farm To Fork Sports Authority Open House Animals & Their Allies Spirit Matters Open Studio Restaurant Insider To Do

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Investigating human-machine symbiosis in art

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216 O Street • Downtown Sacramento Alexander Reben (American, born 1985), Dreams of the Cheese-Faced Gentleman, 2023. Oil on canvas, 28 3/4 x 28 1/2 inches (framed). Courtesy of the Artist.

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SEMPER FI AT 98

Richard Davis Photo by Aniko Kiezel

MARINES MADE HIM PROUD, TOUGH AND SUCCESSFUL bserving Veteran’s Day has special meaning for Pocket resident Richard Davis. He served in the Montford Point Marines, the Corps’

CM By Corky Mau Pocket Life

ILP/GRID NOV n 23

original all-Black unit that trained in a segregated boot camp in Jacksonville, North Carolina, during World War II. Now 98, Davis will watch special television programs and wear his Sam Browne belt. Daughter Jackie will make peach cobbler or homemade pound cake with strawberries and vanilla ice cream. Retired from a career in education, Davis shared with me his experiences serving in the historic Montford unit. It was 1942 and he just graduated from Compton High School. Older

brother Romeo joined the Army. Davis, then 17, was eager to serve in what he calls the “toughest outfit going.” By November, he was traveling by train and bus to North Carolina. “I grew up in the Watts neighborhood. I experienced racism at home, but I never experienced segregation until I left for boot camp,” Davis says. He adds, “I entered into a different world. Seeing ‘Colored only’ signs directing us to a different area of the train station was shocking. I thought

about trying the different drinking fountains to see if the water tasted different. I didn’t. “When we got to Washington, D.C., we boarded a bus headed for Camp Lejeune. We made a stop in Cherry Point, Virginia, to get food. The restaurant wouldn’t serve us until Red Cross workers spoke up on our behalf.” Between 1942 and 1949, more than 20,000 men were trained at Montford Point. Recruits were housed in prefab huts. They had to build their own camp. “The sand and mosquitoes were awful,” Davis says. “They toughened us up. Failure was not an option. We were all determined to prove that we could be equal to or better soldiers than our white counterparts.” Jacksonville was a hostile environment. The Montford Marines were confined to a couple of streets. After boot camp, he was assigned to the Fleet Marine Force and started his tour in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater. For two years, he managed the ammunition supply. He traveled to Guam, Okinawa, Palau and finished service in Honolulu. Davis was discharged in 1946 and used the GI Bill to attend Pepperdine College, earning degrees in education.

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His first classroom experience was in Compton. Over a 40-year career, he counseled students and was an education consultant. Davis and his wife Dolores, also a retired educator, recently celebrated their 75th anniversary. Daughters Marilyn, Jackie and Sandy are proud of their father’s achievements. In 2012, Davis, along with 1,500 fellow Marines, was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, in recognition of his service. The medal is the highest civilian award bestowed by Congress. His medal is encased in a glass display and sits in his living room, where Davis sees it every day. He fought bigotry at home and in the military. In spite of obstacles, he encourages young people to sign up. “The military experience didn’t break me. It taught me discipline, something I’ve applied in both my professional and personal life,” he says.

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Meals on Wheels by ACC invites the community to share holiday magic with homebound seniors. From Nov. 1 through Dec. 8, cash donations or items like new blankets, mittens, hats, socks

and scarves will be collected for the annual Project Warm Wishes. Last year, the community donated more than 8,000 items. All 1,300 program participants received a holiday gift bag. Cavallini & Co., Paratransit, Cafe Elk Grove and Sacramento Classic Thunderbird Club, among others, made generous donations. Countless individual donors helped make the 2022 campaign a success. A wish list is being prepared for the 2023 campaign. Drop donations at the Meals on Wheels office at 7375 Park City Drive. For information, call (916) 444-9533.

CRANE FESTIVAL In celebration of the seasonal migration of sandhill cranes to the Delta wetlands, the 25th Lodi Sandhill Crane Festival will be held at Lodi’s Hutchins Street Square Nov. 4–5. The event is free. Visit lodisandhillcrane.org to register for guided wildlife tours. Corky Mau can be reached at corky. sue50@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, Twitter and Instagram: @insidesacramento. n

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Southern white rhinoceros J Gregory with zoo staff Jocelyn Katzakian (left) and Rachel Winkler.

Commitment to Conservation SACRAMENTO ZOO WELCOMES ITS FIRST RHINO

he next time you’re at the Sacramento Zoo say hello to the zoo’s newest resident, 28-yearold southern white rhinoceros J Gregory—the first rhinoceros in the zoo’s 96-year history.

JL By Jessica Laskey Out & About

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“J Gregory is a calm guy who loves scratches from his keepers, likes to take naps and play in his wallow,” says animal care supervisor and ungulate keeper Jocelyn Katzakian, who first met her new charge at his former home at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. The rhino’s arrival means the zoo can continue conservation work that is integral to its mission. Both subspecies of white rhinoceros—the threatened southern white rhinoceros and the critically endangered northern white rhinoceros—need all the help they can get. For information, visit saczoo.org.

Community stakeholders, including city leaders, Downtown Sacramento Partnership, Ernesto Delgado (owner of plaza restaurant La Cosecha) and Sacramento Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, are building up the historic plaza named for the iconic labor leader and civil rights activist. They’ve already seen a 47% increase in park users this year thanks to activations and activities like the Bodega Days farmers market every Thursday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and weekly Zumba classes sponsored by La Cosecha. “We have community coming together and recognizing that this is a civic plaza that belongs to everyone and is capable of so much more,” Delgado told Fox40 during the Shine Award ribbon cutting. For information, visit downtownsac.org.

PLAZA UPGRADES

BURNETT AWARDS

Cesar Chavez Plaza is getting a makeover. Thanks to a SMUD Shine Award implemented by the Downtown Sacramento Partnership, new amenities have been added with more to follow. Upgrades include seating areas and umbrellas, a mobile outdoor reading room with bilingual books, corn hole and table tennis sets customized by local artists Gabriel Romo and Jolene Rose Russell, and an “Imagination Playground” with oversized building blocks for kids.

The Sacramento History Alliance has honored five local businesses with Burnett Awards, recognizing local legacy businesses that have a history of contributing to the community. The 2023 honorees are The Firehouse Restaurant; La Esperanza bakery and supermarket; North Sacramento Land Company, which contributed to building the California State Railroad Museum, Sacramento History Museum and others; Pucci’s Pharmacy; and Sacramento Pioneer Association, a nonprofit formed in

1854 to preserve the history of early pioneers. “Owning a business with such a long history in Sacramento is a great joy,” says Joel Hockman, COO/CFO of Pucci’s Pharmacy, which, since 1932, has made a name as an independent pharmacy that gets medicine to those who need it most, including the unhoused and people living with HIV. “It also comes with great responsibility. … We work hard each day to deliver on that longevity and commitment to our community.” The awards are named in honor of the late former mayor, philanthropist and business leader Burnett Miller. For information, visit burnettawards.org.

GARDEN GRANTS Applications are open for the 2024 Saul Wiseman Grants awarded by the Sacramento Perennial Plant Club. Since 2015, the grants have provided funds to schools, nonprofits and community groups that serve Sacramento County’s diverse population through gardening and horticultural activities. The awards are named for longtime SPPC President Saul Wiseman, who launched the grant program and helped the club build financial stability through fall and spring plant sales. He died in 2021. “His energy and passion seemed boundless,” says Anita Clevenger, chair of the grants committee and longtime SPPC member. “Under his leadership, the Perennial Plant Club meetings were full of excitement, as he brought in good speakers and encouraged

people to learn. The club continues to thrive because he helped build it into a wonderful resource for area gardeners to network and learn.” Grant applications are due Jan. 12. For information, visit sacplants.org/ grants.

CALLING DREAMERS The Downtown Sacramento Foundation has selected 10 business concepts to move forward in the 2023–24 Calling All Dreamers business incubator program. The cohort includes Baker for Hire offering hands-on baking courses; eco-friendly tour company Capital Tuk-Tuk; upcycled and handmade artisan goods purveyor Ecojoyous; Gondo Fusion, a Cuban/Mexican fusion food truck; luxury home décor brand Lola Earl; Naan Tikka, a food truck featuring flavors from Peshawar, Pakistan; holistic care provider Nouvelle Healing; wellness café Planted Foods; Sour & Soul Baking Company; and Dreamland Cinema focusing on independent, arthouse, international and cult films. The cohort now embarks on a multimonth business development boot camp where they are paired with mentors to prepare for the next evaluation in December. Upon completion, one business will be awarded the coveted start-up package, including $20,000 in cash and in-kind services valued at $100,000. The second-place awardee will receive $10,000. All other entrepreneurs who complete the program will be awarded a cash prize

Sacramento Soccer Alliance U-13 team the Knights wins Palo Alto Tall Trees Tournament.

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SOCCER WINNERS For the second time, Sacramento Soccer Alliance U-13 team the Knights has won the Palo Alto Tall Trees Tournament. The team of 16 local boys under age 13 bested four other teams to claim the title. “We had our backs against the wall in the championship,” says coach Grant Yoshimura, who’s led the team since 2019. “What impressed me most is that our boys never quit and continued to fight until the very end. They showed true grit and resilience!” The Knights were happy to repeat history—they also won the tournament in 2021. For information, visit sacramentosocceralliance.com. Jessica Laskey can be reached at jessrlaskey@gmail.com. Submissions are due six weeks prior to the publication month. Previous columns can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @insidesacramento. n

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Former City Council member Robbie Waters in 2018. Photo by Aniko Kiezel

Assume Nothing LIBERAL RESIDENTS STILL EXPECT SAFE, CLEAN STREETS

obbie Waters was the last person on City Council who called himself a Republican. He served four terms representing Pocket and Valley Hi, then finished third in the 2010 primary. Career over. Today’s progressive City Council members may think Robbie’s conservative faith sank him. But that’s not true. Robbie—everyone called the old homicide cop by his first name—lost because voters wanted someone new. Another problem was Robbie didn’t campaign much. He was 74 and didn’t push

RG By R.E. Graswich City Beat

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doorbells. He bought cable TV ads and assumed re-election was inevitable. It wasn’t. City Council elections are nonpartisan. Ballots for council and mayor don’t include political affiliations. There’s no need, because there’s just one party: Democrat, with progressive stepchildren. A Republican doesn’t stand a chance in Sacramento. It’s a math problem. City electorate runs about 52% Democrat and 19% Republican. Around 5% belong to third parties. The rest, 24%, are undeclared, independent voters. I mention this because the City Council seized these numbers and made bad assumptions about homelessness. The assumptions involve how much liberal Democrats will stomach before they act like conservatives. Led by Mayor Darrell Steinberg, the City Council thinks there’s no limit to the pain liberal residents will take.

For years, the mayor and council followed a “see no evil” approach to homeless camps. Tents spread from the American River Parkway and 12th Street to X Street and Broadway, freeway underpasses and Downtown sidewalks. Homeless people commandeered public spaces with tents, bicycles, shopping carts and suitcases. They turned residential streets into junkyards, drug markets and fire hazards. The assumption by Steinberg and colleagues was that since city residents are mostly Democrats, they accept homeless camps and mayhem. The assumption presumes residents are consumed by internal guilt over their own comfort and success. Steinberg and friends are wrong. Homeless camps near Land Park, East Sacramento and Midtown generate natural responses from reasonable people who pay taxes, mortgages and rent. They want the streets cleaned up. Frustrated residents aren’t cruel or insensitive. They believe drug addiction, mental illness and poverty are systemic, societal problems. They know tent cities are inexcusable, emblematic of failed leadership. Residents are shocked to see city leaders condone camping, drugs, violence and crime. Over the years, Steinberg and the City Council became good at deflection. After running on a promise to end homelessness in 2016, Steinberg squandered seven years. He complained there wasn’t enough money. He said homelessness was a state and county problem. In 2018, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued Martin v. Boise, which cautioned cities against arresting certain campers without alternative shelter space. Martin offered methods to move homeless people, but Steinberg and the City Council pounced on the ruling as an excuse to duck responsibility. When the pandemic arrived in 2020, state health authorities told cities to avoid disrupting homeless camps. Another excuse. Camps metastasized. With residents working from home, the mayor and council assumed nobody would care. Residents did care. They voted for Measure O, a poorly written initiative to provide minimum numbers of shelter beds. Steinberg promised the measure would “clean up our neighborhoods.” It didn’t. Residents cheered a city ordinance to require minimal sidewalk clearances. The ordinance passed last fall. Minimal enforcement. This summer, Steinberg and the City Council ordered City Manager Howard Chan to improve aesthetics and create new homeless camps out of public view. The camps are called “safe ground.” Improvement, but not much. Sacramento remains California’s homeless capital.

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ĊĈĊĒćĊė ͹ęč ƭ ͺęč 11ĆĒ - 5 ĕĒ

EST. 1926

LYON VILLAGE

2580 Fair Oaks Blvd, Ste 30. Sacramento 916.487.7853

Into this void of bad assumptions marched District Attorney Thien Ho. He sued the city, demanding not money but enforcement of rules. Ho cited 14 camps that terrorize neighbors. He reduced seven years of failure to one sentence: “The city routinely informed the victims that nothing can be done.” Robbie Waters, the last Republican, isn’t around to see what happened to his hometown. He died from COVID in 2020. If a youthful Robbie could return, I’m sure he’d run for City Council again. Maybe even win. He never worried about party affiliations. Like Ho, Robbie knew compassionate people want safe, clean streets. Not assumptions. R.E. Graswich can be reached at regraswich@icloud.com. Previous columns can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @insidesacramento. n

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CozyRelations STATE FLOOD BOARD SUDDENLY LOVES FENCES, BUT WHY?

A state agency approved this fence. The question is why?

t’s not easy to get a state agency to do what you want, especially when the request involves breaking rules and ignoring precedents and safety concerns. But somehow, property owners near the Sacramento River levee turned the Central Valley Flood Protection Board into an ally. They convinced the flood board’s top bureaucrat to authorize temporary fences that block public access to the levee. They persuaded Executive Officer Christopher Lief to apparently violate the California Code of Regulations and approve the fences without public notice or board approval. Finally, they pulled three other public agencies and two state

RG By R.E. Graswich Pocket Beat

ILP/GRID NOV n 23

legislators into the controversy, turning them into accessories. A four-month investigation by Inside Sacramento discovered friendly relationships between several property owners and flood board staff soon after the flood agency underwent leadership changes this year. But the investigation hasn’t answered one big question: Why would a state flood agency suddenly bow to a group of property owners? Emails obtained under freedom of information requests reveal flood board staff used collegial, first-name references for property owners near the levee who acted as go-between for neighbors. The residents met with flood inspectors, spoke on behalf of fence contractors and handled the $500 fees required for fence authorizations. “I have left the checks in Wendy’s cubicle underneath her keyboard. She will process next time she’s in,” flood board engineer Dennis Bartolome tells his boss, Selva Selvamohan, Sacramento levee chief, in an email, after receiving fee payments from residents.

Bartolome explains one resident “mentioned to me that the contractors had to slightly maneuver the fence… Hence the zig-zag configuration.” The fences were installed haphazardly and fast. They follow a drunk’s sloppy path, scattered across the levee toward the river. Flood board inspectors see no problems. An email from inspector Karina Castro says, “They did a good job placing the blocks along the slope.” A lawyer for the property owners monitors the process. As the fences go up, the lawyer sends an email to the flood board team: “Thank you all for the help in resolving this issue. We look forward to continued positive dialogue.” Missing from the emails are explanations for the flood board’s reversal of practice and apparent violation of California Code of Regulations Title 23, which requires public notice and board approval for levee fences. For nearly two decades, the flood board allowed no new fences. Lief tells me via email his fence authorizations “appropriately balance the needs and desires of property owners to protect their private property from trespass.” His words are contradicted by flood board general counsel Jit Dua, who advised property owners to take their trespass concerns to local police. The flood board’s sudden love for fences created headaches for other organizations, including the Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency, Department of Water Resources and Army Corps of Engineers. The agencies previously expressed safety concerns about levee fences, gates and other encroachments. They wanted encroachments removed. Now they distance themselves from the new fences.

SAFCA and the Corps refuse to comment on the authorizations. Water Resources say they don’t allow dangerous fences but won’t explain why the new fences are safe. Two state legislators who represent Sacramento believe the fences will disappear once the city completes its levee bike trail over the next three years. In theory, they’re right. The city is building an equity trail, linking Meadowview to Downtown. The property owners concede the levee trail is coming. But they won’t sell their easements and are forcing the city into eminent domain acquisition. Assemblywoman Stephanie Nguyen and State Sen. Angelique Ashby support the bike path. Neither will discuss why the flood board authorized new fences that must eventually be torn down. Lief joined the flood board in April with no apparent flood experience. He spent the pandemic as a facility planning director for the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Before that, he was a budget manager, auditor and hazardous substance scientist. Lief has 30 years with the state. He signed the fence authorizations in May, five weeks after he arrived. A man in a hurry. Why?

CORRECTION The October Inside Pocket column mischaracterized “concerns” by resident Mark Portuondo about persons walking and riding bikes behind homes near the Sacramento River levee. Portuondo was not specific about his “concerns.” R.E. Graswich can be reached at regraswich@icloud.com. Previous columns can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @insidesacramento. n

TRADITIONS FOR THE FUTURE LYON VILLAGE

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The shovel Dorothea Puente used to bury her murder victims, along with reels of news clips and historical photos of Sacramento. Photo by Aniko Kiezel

It Happened Here HISTORY CENTER NEEDS A SUITABLE NEW HOME

ike a lot of people in Sacramento, Marcia Eymann is anxious to find a permanent home, but not for herself or her family. She’s searching for a new place to house the Center for Sacramento History. It’s personal and professional. She’s city historian. Funded by the city and county, the 25,000-square-foot center is a fascinating, if hidden, repository of local and regional history. But because it’s located in a nondescript strip center north of Downtown with limited exhibit space, most treasures go unseen. For those lucky enough to spend time with Eymann or her seven employees, it’s easy to wander down a

GD By Gary Delsohn Building Our Future

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rabbit hole of intriguing exhibits that deserve to be seen by everyone. There’s the shovel Dorothea Puente used to bury her murder victims. A bed President Ulysses S. Grant slept in at a local hotel. About 8 million Sacramento Bee photos and millions of feet of film, including news clips from KCRA and KOVR. Mortgage, marriage and court records dating from Sacramento’s beginning. The cramped warehouse-type building that holds these treasures has serious shortcomings. During a 10-day heat wave, Eymann could smell some photo archives melt because the air conditioner couldn’t adequately cool the building. Founded in 1953, the center is close to the Sacramento and American rivers, so it’s vulnerable to floods. There have been other calamities, such as a cockroach infestation that destroyed some Sacramento Bee archives. Open to the public for research by appointment only, the center hosts filmmakers from around the world. Ken Burns used it as headquarters for part

of his documentary series on World War II. Sacramento was featured in the production. More recently, LeBron James’ film company came to research the story of Daniel Blue, a freed slave who lived in Sacramento and went to court in 1864 to win the freedom of a 12-year-old girl held nearby. The last known court case involving an enslaved person in California was also notable because Black residents were not allowed to testify in judicial proceedings. “When they were doing the film, they brought Daniel Blue’s great, great grandson here and we pulled out the assessor’s books and showed him where his property was,” Eymann says. “We pulled out the marriage records so he could see where they signed to get married, and he broke down when we showed him that. “He said, ‘I never felt like I belonged anywhere until I saw this.’ You have to understand the power of knowing that history. If we had a new facility, we would be able to have those things on display and be able to do more of that.”

The center has an extensive collection of California documents dating from the 1950s. Fascinating relics touch on People’s Park in Berkeley, Robert F. Kennedy’s assassination, Cesar Chavez, Black Panthers, California’s role in the Vietnam War and the Civil Rights era. An extensive collection comes from Joan Didion’s family. Eymann and staff produce short historical documentaries with local filmmakers about some of Sacramento’s troubled past, including John Sutter’s exploitation of Native Americans, the Ku Klux Klan’s prominence in the 1920s and the fight for fair housing led by legendary local lawyer Nathaniel Colley. With an annual budget from the city of about $500,000, the center needs more public support and private funds to become a major attraction and revenue-raiser. A centrally located spot where people can visit and learn will make a huge difference. Rasing money privately has been difficult. The Crocker Art Museum dominates much of the museum philanthropy. But Eymann is determined to try. As she puts it, “It’s been great that all this history has been collected and preserved, but there has to be some recognition of the treasures we have here.” For information on the Center for Sacramento History, visit centerforsacramentohistory.org. Gary Delsohn can be reached at gdelsohn@gmail.com. Previous columns can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @insidesacramento. n

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Reduction Formula BRING YOUR OWN CONTAINERS FOR DRINKS, FOOD

ou probably know the environmental three Rs: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Recycling is most familiar, but reducing has the biggest impact. Alex Aruj is determined to help Sacramentans learn how. “I watched the documentary ‘The Story of Plastic’ and I was shocked and outraged at the environmental degradation going on through the lens of the plastic waste crisis,” says Aruj, a former Bay Area resident who moved to East Sacramento in 2020. “(My group) Sacramento Reduces was inspired by a neighborhood initiative in Toronto, Canada, called Roncy Reduces that started because they were sick of seeing plastic waste in the streets. I figured that Sacramento was the perfect place to try it out.” Through Sacramento Reduces, Aruj encourages local businesses to allow customers to bring in their own containers for to-go orders, leftovers and beverages to reduce single-use plastics. Safety parameters were established by Assembly Bill 619, passed in 2019 that allows reusable food containers to be refilled by a food facility or consumer.

JL By Jessica Laskey Giving Back: Volunteer Proﬁle

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“There are no truly disposable containers,” Aruj says. “We think they’re compostable, but your paper coffee cup is lined with plastic, which is not what (compost) processors want. It’s hard to know what really is the sustainable choice.” The foundation for Aruj’s environmental work was set during a high school science class in the Santa Monica Mountains. Though his jobs haven’t been strictly related to nature—he started his career in translation and switched to technical writing and program management, eventually working for SalesForce— his volunteerism has always been environmentally based. “SalesForce had a volunteer quota for all employees, which opened my eyes to the opportunity,” Aruj says. “I worked with a group called Earth Force, which introduced me to ‘The Story of Plastic.’ But my coolest volunteer opportunity was going to New Mexico to help the group Veterans Off-Grid build a hoop house to grow their own vegetables and plants. It was a mashup of giving back to the veteran community and providing them with resources on their own land.” When Aruj moved to Sacramento at the start of the pandemic, he got involved with 350 Sacramento, a grassroots group inspired by national climate action organization 350.org that educates people on how we can bring our atmospheric carbon dioxide levels below 350 parts per million, the number scientists say is the safe upper limit to avoid “runaway climate change.” “Being new to Sacramento, this was a good way to plug in to what’s going on locally. It connected me with lots of

Alex Aruj Photo by Linda Smolek

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different people in Sacramento,” Aruj says. A year later, Aruj decided to take matters into his own hands. He started the “BYO” sticker campaign by printing stickers based on a Roncy Reduces template and visiting local businesses to discuss allowing customers to bring their own containers. “One of the dear 350 Sacramento members got written clarification from Sacramento County on reuse, which gave momentum and a clear path forward for Sacramento Reduces,” Aruj says. “Many businesses were excited to get onboard. (We surveyed) businesses in Old Sac with (sustainable innovation space) Atrium 916 … and we learned the costs can easily be several hundred dollars a week on disposables.” While participation was substantial—you can see participating businesses on the Sacramento Reduces website—Aruj decided to pull back and focus on his education.

ILP/GRID NOV n 23

He completed a 10-week fellowship with climate career accelerator Climatebase. He took an online course on the sustainability of social ecological systems, which he says was “a cold bucket of water. It pokes holes in the initiatives trying to reduce one thing and shows how important energy, water and food sources are to the overall sustainability of any system.” Undeterred by the challenges, Aruj is intent on helping “bring tools closer to people working on reducing our environmental impact.” One BYO container at a time. For information, visit sacramentoreduces.org or @sacramentoreduces on Instagram and 350sacramento.org. Jessica Laskey can be reached at jessrlaskey@gmail.com. Previous profiles can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @insidesacramento. n

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Shared Sustenance NONPROFIT HELPS FAMILIES ACCESS DONOR HUMAN MILK

E Janel Silva Photo by Aniko Kiezel

veryone should be given the option to feed their baby human breast milk,” says Janel Silva, a lactation consultant and co-founder and director of Human Milk Connection, a new nonprofit that helps families access pasteurized donor human milk. “There’s a knowledge gap that exists. People don’t know about (donor milk) and think the only option is formula,” she continues. “We’re working on getting the word out.” Silva spent years in the health care industry working with parents and infants, first as a birth doula, then as a lactation consultant. “My real love is lactation,” says Silva, a San Francisco native who moved to Curtis Park in 2000. “There’s an innate need to care for your offspring—or any child you come into contact with who needs you—and you need to feed them. “Breastfeeding is the biological norm but not everybody can do it. Sometimes they need help. Women are very vulnerable during this time. They need support, encouragement, knowledge, empowerment, kindness.” During a UC San Diego externship, Silva met Debbie Albert, a Natomasbased nurse lactation consultant. They realized how much education was lacking around the benefits of donor human milk—breast milk expressed by one person and donated for use by someone else who needs it, mostly through milk banks.

JL By Jessica Laskey Meet Your Neighbor

Hospitals use donor human milk often to help supplement premature infants. Once a baby goes home, access to donor human milk becomes tricky and costly. Silva and Albert decided to do something about that. Human Milk Connection was founded this year as “a fundraising and educational arm of milk banks in the state of California,” Silva says. “If someone qualifies for Medi-Cal, they may be eligible to get a large portion of the cost of donor human milk covered, but not all of it. We’re working to make that access more expansive.” She explains donor milk costs $3.75 an ounce. The average baby at two weeks consumes 25 ounces a day, or roughly $2,800 a month. The nonprofit built a relationship with the Mothers’ Milk Bank of San Jose to help get donor human milk to families in need. The goal is to raise enough money to fund as many California milk banks as possible. “We really want this to be a state where this is accessible to everyone,” Silva says. “Informal milk sharing is done all over the world, but it’s much safer to use pasteurized donor human milk (through a milk bank).” Women interested in donating breast milk can apply directly to the milk bank. Those who seek donor milk must obtain a prescription and apply to the bank to buy milk or, in some instances, have it donated. “There are great lactation resources out there, but our organization wants people to know that this option is out there, too,” Silva says. “Many families would be ecstatic to have the choice to use human milk. We want people to know they have that choice.” For information, visit humanmilkconnection.org. Jessica Laskey can be reached at jessrlaskey@gmail.com. Previous profiles can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. n

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Legal Force THIEN HO STEPS IN WHERE MAYOR, COUNCIL FALL SHORT

Thien Ho

n an unprecedented move, District Attorney Thien Ho filed a lawsuit against the city of Sacramento citing lack of enforcement of laws related to homeless campsites. I welcome this action. The policies and actions of Mayor Darrell Steinberg and the City Council have made Sacramento the most homelessfriendly city on the West Coast. We are a place where homeless people believe they can live permanently on our streets. A place where individuals can pursue homeless lifestyles with impunity, ignoring laws, municipal codes and ordinances along the way. Thanks to the leniency of city leaders, homeless people from around the country settle here. As a result, sections of the city are filthy, businesses fail and Downtown is a shambles. In announcing his lawsuit, Ho said, “Why is the district attorney suing the city of Sacramento? To give a voice to people that feel that their

JH By Jeff Harris City Realist

ILP/GRID NOV n 23

cries for help have fallen on deaf ears.” Clearly, citizens of Sacramento have reached a tipping point. Anger turns to despair as residents watch the city become decimated by camps. Public safety is a distant dream. Steinberg called Ho’s lawsuit “performative.” He said, “The DA’s lawsuit will not clear a single sidewalk nor get a single person off the streets. We are working day and night to enforce our laws and provide relief to our community while avoiding the futile trap of just moving people endlessly from one block to the next.” The mayor’s statement is not true. But it unintentionally explains the real problem: The mayor and council see cleaning up camps as a futile effort. In truth, there is nothing futile about clearing homeless camps. Without enforcement of ordinances related to camping, tent communities become entrenched. Campers transform into a protected class outside the law’s reach. Drug abuse and crime grow rampant. The City Council inadvertently exacerbated the homelessness situation by not understanding there must be a balance between compassion for unhoused people and addressing realities on the street.

That’s the balance Ho demands. He is willing to legally force the city to achieve it. He wants the city to enforce its own rules. Nothing more, nothing less. As a councilmember in 2021, I started a cleanup of Commerce Circle. Some 160 camp vehicles were parked there for nearly two years. The area was a public safety and environmental catastrophe. There were rapes, prostitution, a murder. Public right of ways were blocked by debris. Drug sales went on around the clock. Constituents pleaded for relief from the harm created by campers. Some residents were threatened with violence. Fecal matter was strewn around the streets. Employees were afraid to go to work. Property values plummeted. The city conducted outreach and offered services to campers. Our offers were mostly refused. Finally, with help from City Manager Howard Chan, the vehicles were tagged and two weeks later forced to leave. Steinberg and City Council member Katie Valenzuela tried to stop my cleanup efforts on Commerce Circle and 29th Street. Thankfully, they failed. The mayor introduced a resolution that would prevent moving homeless camp vehicles unless we had a designated relocation site.

Thankfully, Steinberg’s resolution failed. It was a stinging defeat for him but gave constituents a glimmer of hope. When I introduced the ordinance to prevent people from blocking sidewalks with tents, other objects and debris, Steinberg and Valenzuela tried to remove the misdemeanor penalty. They wanted to make the law unenforceable. Thankfully, they failed. But they managed to add direction to city staff that campers should not be ticketed for blocking sidewalks. Apparently, Steinberg and Valenzuela believe laws should apply selectively to homeless people. Meaning not at all. Today the mayor says he supports enforcement. He’s being hypocritical. You might say he’s being performative. It’s no wonder thousands of residents feel their cries for help go unheard. The only elected representative who actively listens, it appears, is Thien Ho. Thank you, Mr. District Attorney, for forcing the city to do its job. 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, Twitter and Instagram: @insidesacramento. n

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Beautifully Remodeled Land Park Home on Teneighth Way! 4BD/3BA, 2073SF, gourmet kitchen, hardwood ȵoors, stunning pool! $1,299,900 JIM JEFFERS 916.730.0494 #00768740

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College Greens home with many upgrades. 4BD/2.5BA, courtyard, hardwood ȵoors, large sun porch. 2 car garage & mature fruit trees! $554,000 JIM ANDERSON 916.806.4061 #01268030

Quality built custom home, beautifully maintained by original owners. 3BD, 2.5BA, 1728 SF. Prime culde-sac location & proximity to schools. $535,000 RHONDA HOLMEN 916.296.8886 #01189785

Inviting 3BD/2BA Midtown Condo! Rare light-ȴlled corner unit. Captivating city views, renovations throughout + exceptional amenities! $480,000 BROOKE ROTHCHILD 916.220.0894 #02041946

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Land Park brick beauty! Remodeled kitchen, Grand living room w/ open beam wood ceiling, 3 ȴreplaces, pool, ADU, 3 car garage! $1,200,000 RHONDA HOLMEN 916.296.8886 #01189785

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LAND PARK OFFICE | 2620 21 ST STREET, SACRAMENTO | 916.453.3333 | GOLYON.COM The information in this advertisement, including, but not limited to, square footage and/or acreage, has been provided by various sources which may include the Seller, the Multiple Listing Service or other sources. Lyon Real Estate has not and will not investigate or verify the accuracy of this information. Prospective buyers are advised to conduct their own investigation of the Property and this advertised information utilizing appropriate professionals before purchasing this Property.

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Sunny

Side Up TRY SOLAR POWER TO ENLIVEN YOUR GARDEN

ind and sunlight allowed grandma to dry clothes on an outdoor line. Passive solar architectural principles were used by ancient cultures to warm and shade homes thousands of years ago. Today, housetraining the elements of weather stirs a dust devil of options for gardens. Wind and the sun deliver clean, renewable energy for gardening tools and decorative outdoor products.

DV By Dan Vierria Garden Jabber

ILP/GRID NOV n 23

Some are utilitarian, others save energy. Many are simply art. As gift-giving season approaches, neighborhood nurseries and home centers stock a variety of jaw-dropping options powered by nature and created by clever minds. And you thought sun was for tanning, and wind for flying kites? Movement is a key piece of garden design. It can be represented in a serpentine pathway or a plant that bends in the wind, like one of my favorites, “Morning Light,” an ornamental grass. Whatever keeps the eyes moving in a garden adds to the enjoyment. Wind moves the wings of life-like decorative birds, such as owls, eagles and flamingos for gardens. The wings and motions are eye-catching. Debbie Woodruff, owner of Fair Oaks Boulevard Nursery, stocks a variety of nature décor, including those windactivated birds, wind chimes and rain

chains, a fetching alternative to the gutter downspout. Wind chimes can be soothing with sound and motion, but annoying to some neighbors. When I was garden writer for the Bee, I drew calls and emails with each mention of wind chimes. Readers complained about “the noise!” Choose wisely, my friends. Kinetic wind spinner sculptures are movement art. They are focal points and can deter some garden pests. Green Acres Nursery in Elk Grove and other locations have large selections of wind spinners and solar mobiles. The solar panel, soaking up sun power, enables an impressive line of garden products. Solar landscape lighting began as a novelty but now fills store displays with choices. Panels gather sunlight by day and shed LED light at night. They can be moved as needed. Like solar garden lighting, the solar fountain eliminates the costly installation of wiring an outdoor power outlet. Energy from the sun, not a utility company, powers the fountain pumps. Solar fountains are available in a dizzying selection of prices, options and styles. Basically, kits come with a solar panel, cord, pump and spray pattern nozzles. Should you decide to place the fountain in a shady area, purchase a longer cord model that allows the solar panel to be set up in direct sunlight. A long cord will stretch 15 feet or so. Some solar fountain kits don’t need a cord. The solar panel and pump are in a single piece, often shaped like an oversized donut. The units float or can be attached to the bottom of your water basin of choice. Instant fountain! Certain models store energy and operate into the night, some with lighting.

The solar fountain is ideal for apartment balconies and smaller outdoor areas, offering visual candy and the relaxing sound of water. Unfortunately, solar fountain kits are difficult to find in nurseries, but online is a different story. Pond pumps and garden art pieces are additional solar-powered items that charge with a panel in daylight and glow at night. Greenhouses, insect-repellent lights and sheds can be illuminated with solar. The installation of a single, large solar panel can light everything. Solar also recharges robot lawnmowers. The technology for these mowers continues to improve. Prices remain high, but you may find them cheaper than a gas riding mower. The benefits: No more polluting gas mower, no need for a lawn maintenance company, much quieter and they can be managed with a smartphone app. Solar robotic mowers require blade maintenance and battery replacement, among other expenses. Solar power also can make shade in the backyard. Select models of retractable patio covers and awnings use stored solar power to open and close and keep us cool and sheltered. Invite the elements of weather to your garden parties. 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 the 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, Twitter and Instagram: @insidesacramento. n

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78 52ND ST 5224 T ST 1030 51ST ST 4150 MODDISON AVE

$510,396 $545,000 $599,000 $619,888

1221 48TH ST 1649 48TH ST 4751 D ST 1541 48TH ST 178 TIVOLI WAY 4739 C ST 4117 A ST 1417 55TH ST 5616 M ST 1439 43RD ST 657 45TH ST 1609 41ST ST 1064 41ST ST 1423 41ST ST

$620,000 $625,000 $655,000 $680,000 $686,000 $790,000 $897,000 $900,000 $1,095,000 $1,195,000 $1,400,000 $1,525,000 $1,650,000 $2,195,000

95821

3617 LARCHMONT SQ LN $315,000 3616 LARCHMONT SQ LN $324,000 2108 JULIESEE AVE $350,000 2621 ETHAN WAY $355,000 3220 BALMORAL DR $377,000 3180 YELLOWSTONE LN $430,000 3420 LERWICK RD $432,500 3100 BROPHY DR $479,000 2343 RAINBOW AVE $485,000 3305 CLUB LN $495,000 3916 ADELHEID WAY $510,000 2809 MORSE AVE $525,000 3004 KERRIA WAY $528,000 3921 KINGS WAY $530,000 4505 HAZELWOOD AVE $530,000 3611 WILLIAM WAY $550,000 3817 PASADENA AVE $555,000 4210 ZEPHYR WAY $575,000 4100 HORGAN WAY $599,000 2818 VERNA WAY $610,000 3807 HILLCREST LN $669,000 3541 GREENVIEW LN $685,000 2921 TIOGA WAY $710,000 2801 ECHO WAY $1,070,000

95822

7500 19TH ST 2501 FERNANDEZ DR 2017 WAKEFIELD WAY 2101 47TH AVE 5925 MCLAREN AVE 2354 52ND AVE 2241 VALKO AVE 7532 LEMARSH WAY 1980 65TH AVE

$330,000 $330,000 $345,000 $352,000 $361,000 $398,000 $400,000 $405,000 $407,000

6504 GOLF VIEW DR 6460 ROMACK CIR 2080 MANGRUM AVE 1733 63RD AVE 5636 NORMAN WAY 10 MIRANDA CT 6981 23RD ST 6643 DEMARET DR 2110 ONEIL WAY 2138 63RD AVE 5441 MICHAEL 7012 23RD ST 5321 DANA 2311 66TH AVE 2048 67TH AVE 2349 24TH AVE 2186 53RD AVE 2314 KNIGHT WAY 1600 AKRON WAY 2314 MURIETA WAY 2119 MEER WAY 4831 DEL RIO RD 4715 CRESTWOOD WAY 3832 W LAND PARK DR

$415,000 $415,000 $415,000 $420,000 $425,000 $430,000 $430,000 $430,000 $431,000 $437,000 $438,000 $452,000 $455,000 $460,000 $465,000 $480,500 $520,000 $525,000 $597,000 $606,000 $685,000 $775,000 $780,000 $1,612,000

95825

2236 WOODSIDE LN #16 $235,000 660 WOODSIDE SIERRA #4 $235,000 508 WOODSIDE OAKS #8 $240,000 2412 LARKSPUR LN #239 $245,000 1035 FULTON AVE #374 $250,000 2286 WOODSIDE LN #4 $282,000 539 WOODSIDE OAKS #3 $287,000 2280 HURLEY WAY #75 $305,000 1608 HOOD RD #G $340,000 3234 CASITAS BONITO $346,000 2116 WINAFRED ST $400,000 2300 PARKWOOD DR $440,000 2661 LA MESA WAY $483,000 6 ADELPHI CT $485,000 2113 WELDON WAY $498,000 2552 VILLA TERRACE LN $605,000 1039 COMMONS DR $619,000 1222 COMMONS DR $655,000 3117 VALENCIA WAY $660,000 2491 SIERRA BLVD $825,000

95831

6241 RIVERSIDE BLVD #214 $310,000 23 QUAY CT $419,000 1223 ALDER TREE WAY $425,000

7736 GEORGE RIVER LN $450,000 1183 CEDAR TREE WAY $530,000 1239 WOODFIELD AVE $530,000 1194 SILVER RIDGE WAY $535,000 6541 PARK RIVIERA WAY $540,000 67 BINGHAM CIR $560,000 801 PARKLIN AVE $575,000 6817 GLORIA DR $579,000 7326 CAMINO DEL REY ST $589,000 7710 DUTRA BEND DR $590,000 448 DEER RIVER WAY $604,000 7415 MOONCREST WAY $629,000 100 STARLIT CIR $635,000 1237 58TH AVE $636,000 6689 SPURLOCK WAY $642,500 15 PRINCEVILLE CIR $649,900 1331 MANZANO WAY $660,000 7328 PERERA CIR $751,000 6611 BENHAM WAY $808,000 91 STARGLOW CIR $830,000 7743 DUTRA BEND DR $858,000 6341 S LAND PARK DR $900,000 7765 DUTRA BEND DR $995,000 7150 POCKET RD $1,250,000

95864

1011 SINGINGWOOD RD $339,000 3132 BERKSHIRE WAY $410,000 3104 CHURCHILL RD $425,000 4612 OXBOW DR $445,000 3647 LUSK DR $448,000 2905 HOLT WAY $475,000 4021 LUSK DR $480,000 4341 BAYWOOD WAY $515,000 1201 EASTERN AVE $535,000 3237 WEMBERLEY DR $575,000 4515 ULYSSES $645,000 4036 CAYENTE WAY $730,000 4096 CRESTA WAY $740,000 841 LAKE OAK COURT $785,000 3860 SAN YSIDRO WAY $815,000 4218 GUILDFORD CT $840,000 634 CASMALIA WAY $860,000 4441 ASHTON DR $955,000 821 LARCH LN $1,025,000 4631 NICKELS WAY $1,050,000 3551 BUENA VISTA DR $1,100,000 4643 AMERICAN RIVER DR $1,715,000 4049 RAMEL WAY $1,780,000 1840 ROCKWOOD DR $2,080,000 441 HOPKINS RD $2,987,500 1310 CARTER RD $3,100,000

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Dead Air

CAPRADIO’S HIGH-VOLUME CRASH HAUNTS SAC STATE

apital Public Radio was a beacon of objective news coverage and thoughtful analysis sailing blissfully amid the sea of blather, bile and self-promotion on commercial radio. Beyond the microphone, CapRadio was Sacramento State University’s version of Animal House. Unpaid loans for millions of dollars. Unauthorized contracts and purchases.

RG By R.E. Graswich

ILP/GRID NOV n 23

Gifts of $56,794 and $10,000 not properly documented. All problems that point to negligent leadership at KXJZ and KXPR, the main call letters that comprise CapRadio. Nobody knew the stations were run like a freshman dorm. Now we know. Vlad Marinescu, vice chancellor and chief auditor at Cal State University headquarters in Long Beach, set a fiscal investigation team loose on CapRadio this year. The auditors discovered 27 pages of disaster related to disengaged leadership. The audit revealed endless examples of incompetent management. The investigators dealt with numbers, contracts and receipts. Personalities were avoided. The result is a meal with only appetizers served.

Thanks to the audit, we know more or less what happened at CapRadio. But we don’t know why the local NPR, classical music and jazz outlets became such a mess. The audit bulges with incriminating evidence. Titles are noted—executive vice president and GM—but no names. One GM quit when auditors showed up. Chains of guilt are left unlocked. After the audit was released, new Sac State President Luke Wood took operational control. He forced CapRadio’s board of directors to resign, an excellent if overdue response. But questions remain. The board included several Sac State administrators and professors, local attorneys, business leaders and developers. Did their AirPods play just static the last few years?

Answers are important, given the prestige and authority CapRadio enjoys in Northern California. Local residents pay the stations millions of dollars in gifts and donations throughout the year and at pledge drives. While Sac State holds the broadcast licenses and lends its name every hour when the stations identify themselves, the university doesn’t program content. CapRadio operated as a Sac State auxiliary, allegedly following protocols but more or less running itself. The board of directors oversaw the stations, but clearly didn’t spend much time examining the books or raising money. In an act of kindness, the audit offered no discussion about the board’s accountability.

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3001 P St. Sacramento, CA

But the audit exposed a huge leadership gap between Sac State and its radio stations. Into that gap tumbled CapRadio’s ability to make responsible decisions. Trouble started in 2019 when CapRadio decided to leave its campus studios and move to a building at Seventh and I streets. CapRadio also leased a performance space at Eighth and J. University officials endorsed the move. Sac State secured an $8 million commercial loan to outfit the new headquarters. CapRadio promised to repay the loan, then devoured the cash in two gulps. After three payments, the loan fell delinquent. The audit is hazy about what happened next, but in June the university gave a Downtown contractor $1,153,956 to cover CapRadio’s unpaid construction bills. Sac State also swallowed the station’s rent for the campus studios, plus debt service on the $8 million loan. The audit says, “It is unclear whether (CapRadio) will be able to make payment on its obligations to the campus, or even continue to make payments on the new downtown locations and associated leased equipment and furniture.” Sac State

confirms the stations are nearly insolvent. Other problems involved games people play with donations. CapRadio deposited gifts into unauthorized accounts, violating university rules. Then there’s the piano. CapRadio decided it needed a concert-ready grand piano. It found one for $175,000. The owner agreed to sell the piano for $90,000 and take an $85,000 tax write off. Trouble was, the IRS didn’t accept the $175,000 appraisal because it was done by the seller’s business partner, not a qualified appraiser. No problem, said CapRadio, which booked the theoretical $85,000 as a gift to bolster its fund-raising profile. Amid the wreckage, President Wood hopes to keep CapRadio on the air. Salvation will cost the university millions of dollars. Wood can start by rewriting CapRadio’s “core values.” Focus on the one that says, “We never take ourselves too seriously.” R.E. Graswich can be reached at regraswich@icloud.com. Previous columns can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @insidesacramento. n

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Urban Legend

OTOW ORCHARD SHINES AMID THE SPRAWL

ne of the many aspects I love about Sacramento is how, in the middle of urban and suburban sprawl, we have pockets of agriculture—acres that reflect our agrarian roots. In this beautiful place, we are reminded of the connection to fertile soil and ideal growing conditions on almost every block. Otow Orchard in Granite Bay captures this convergence between a populous region and its steadfast agricultural lands. Minutes from

GM By Gabrielle Myers Photography by Aniko Kiezel Farm To Fork

ILP/GRID NOV n 23

Douglas Boulevard’s big box stores and shopping plazas rests an oasis of fruit trees tended by the Otow family since 1911. Row upon widely spaced row of persimmon, pear, apple, kiwi, plum, peach, citrus, fig, jujube and olive trees line the 40 acres. Stacks of bee boxes sit between the rows. Grapevines twist on fences. One section produces strawberries. Many of the trees were planted in 1911 by Kitchitaro Kawano and his wife Momi after they emigrated from Yamaguchi, Japan. Several of their persimmon trees tower over the rolling land. Despite internment at Tule Lake and displacement during World War II, the family held the land. Many fruit trees survived. Chris Otow Kuratomi, granddaughter of the founders, and her husband Tosh Kuratomi manage and live on the farm. Chris grew up on the property and helped harvest fruit, build irrigation lines, erect fruit boxes, drive tractors and trucks, and take unsalable

Chris Otow Kuratomi, granddaughter of the founders, and her husband Tosh Kuratomi

produce to feed the cows. She recalls how after her parents built the irrigation pond, she and her brother and sister would swim and raft in the cool water. Chris attended the speech pathology program at Sacramento State and, like

Tosh, worked at local schools. They left teaching and returned to the farm in 2005. The couple helped Chris’ mother, Helen Otow, run the orchard. Helen died last year, but Chris and Tosh developed

a popular fruit and produce stand to maintain and extend the farm’s reach. Otow Orchard is famous for hoshigaki permissions, peeled, strung up, slow-dried and massaged for three to six weeks. The Otows grow the hachiya variety for this elaborate fall ritual. Rows of golden persimmons hang in the barn. The drying process usually begins in October, with most of the permissions dried in time for Thanksgiving. This traditional Japanese preservation process has been retained by the Otows and speaks to California’s gastronomic uniqueness in its expression of our multicultural and immigrant roots. The Otows raise several persimmon varieties, including maru, fuyu and vodka persimmons in addition to the hachiya. They offer a wide range of homegrown produce at their busy market stand, such as heirloom okra, winter squash, peppers, long beans, cucumbers, summer squash, eggplants

and tomatoes. The family sells honey from the orchard and helps local farms, such as WoodRose Country Gardens, sell produce. In addition, the Otows donate to a senior nutrition program. During the afternoon I talked with Chris and Tosh, many locals came by the farmstand to buy fruits and vegetables. Community connections show the strength of the local farm-tofork movement. When asked why she continues the hard job of farming, Chris jokes that she farms “because my husband wants to drive a tractor.” Her love of community and land is clear as she emphasizes the importance of her “family customers, and the fruits and

veggies are so good when they are fresh. It’s nice that people can enjoy something fresh grown right here.” Otow Orchard’s hoshigaki persimmons are available in November. The farmstand runs daily except Monday at 6232 Eureka Road. For information, visit otoworchard.com. Gabrielle Myers can be reached at gabriellemyers11@gmail.com. Her latest book of poetry, “Too Many Seeds,” can be ordered from fishinglinepress. com. Previous columns can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @insidesacramento. n

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One, Done

FOR KINGS, A SINGLE GOOD SEASON IS NO GUARANTEE Kings prepare for new season as they introduce players at Media Day. Photo by Aniko Kiezel

he first thing to remember about the Kings is basic math. One plus zero doesn’t equal two when the numbers involve good NBA seasons. Kings fans should be forgiven when they assume the team’s 2022-23 success automatically means the new campaign will produce greater glories. I’ve heard people who should know better—pundits who follow the NBA for a living—predict last season’s surprise third-place finish, 48-34 record and sudden respect for a doormat squad ensures continued progress in 2023-24. Don’t believe it.

RG By R.E. Graswich Sports Authority

ILP/GRID NOV n 23

Decades ago, when I wrote about the Kings for a daily newspaper, excitement peaked in late October, just before the season kicked off. New players adapted to the mix. The latest system was a big improvement over the previous scheme, which was better suited for college or high school basketball. Anticipation was feverish. At this point I turned to Billy Jones, the Kings’ weary trainer, a man who wrapped a million ankles, and asked what he thought. Jonesy never publicly criticized the Kings, but always told the truth. Every year, his answer was the same: “Let’s wait and see what happens against the guys in purple and gold or red and black.” Jonesy knew the Kings weren’t the only team that changed personnel, fired coaching staffs and rewrote playbooks over the summer. He understood whatever brilliance the Kings might conjure, the Los Angeles Lakers, Portland Trail Blazers and Phoenix Suns don’t spend their off seasons

killing time, waiting for opponents to catch them. Everyone tries to get better, constantly, even if that means incremental improvements. Often, and despite everyone’s best intentions, teams manage to make themselves worse. I’m not here to suggest the Kings will backslide and tumble back to their accustomed place in the basement. There’s no reason to believe the team will resume its status as a perennial lottery franchise and surrender its playoff visitation rights after a glimpse against the aged but superior Golden State Warriors. Like many Kings fans, I was captivated by the Kings last season. I crazily thought they would defeat the Warriors and get clobbered in the second round against whoever they played, given their clueless defense and lack of playoff experience. Such optimism was dumb. As the first round unfolded, the Warriors behaved as if they spotted the Kings

a couple of games to show love for their former coach and friend, Mike Brown. They sized up the Kings, made life interesting for a couple of games, then hit the jets and moved to the next opponent. So much for Sacramento. It’s also worth remembering one year ago, nobody but the most demented Kings fan expected the team to play half as well as it did. Everyone underestimated Brown, not for his ability to teach pick-androll competency or exploit youthful backcourt speed, but for something far more difficult and less measurable. He made playing for the Kings fun. That was Brown’s majestic contribution, the intangible gift he delivered to a franchise whose dismal reputation meant prospective draft picks and veterans approaching trade deadlines would text their agents and say, “Anywhere but Sac.” By transforming the Kings into a reasonable if not enviable destination, Brown performed a miracle.

WE’RE OPEN

The Kings were a team to avoid for four decades. Brown’s ability to erase disgrace and rid the team of its careerdeath stench was the sort of thing other coaches marvel over at league meetings and late nights in hotel bars on road trips. Making the Kings fun and attractive was astonishing. Brown did it fast, more or less overnight. None of which guarantees the Kings will continue to improve. The NBA grows more mercurial and less predictable every year. Competitive powers abound in the Western Conference, leaving minimal room for injuries and losing streaks. The Kings have limited space to make mistakes. They need luck, never an abundant resource with this franchise. The best thing Kings fans can do is relax and enjoy the fun while it lasts. My reporting on the Kings began during the Regan administration. Those days were called Morning in America. Maybe this is Lunchtime in Sacramento. R.E. Graswich can be reached at regraswich@icloud.com. Previous columns can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @insidesacramento. n

Look Good but can’t See Well?

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optician with on-site lab Compass is a real estate broker licensed by the State of California and abides by Equal Housing Opportunity laws. All material presented herein is intended for WbTdoaBsWdbB_ ltoldpOp db_| BbM Wp KdalW_OM Toda pdtoKOp MOOaOM oO_WBJ_O Jts VBp bds JOOb yOoW OMà VBbUOp Wb loWKOÛ KdbMWsWdbÛ pB_O do zWsVMoBzB_ aB| JO aBMO zWsVdts bdsWKOà !d psBsOaObs Wp aBMO Bp sd BKKtoBK| dT Bb| MOpKoWlsWdbà __ aOBptoOaObsp BbM pntBoO TddsBUO BoO Bllod{WaBsOà WKObpO !taJOo Û Û à

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Easy Returns SHE SOLD IT ONCE, BUT THIS HOME’S A KEEPER

y friend Sue Watkins has bought, fixed up and sold more homes than just about anyone else. The daughter of a local developer, Watkins loves a challenge and enjoys remodeling. I met Watkins in 1995 when she bought and remodeled the Tudor home—once owned by her grandfather—next door to us on 33rd Street facing McKinley Park. Before her move to East Sac, she lived in a 1950s Fair Oaks home she bought from the original owners. She remodeled the kitchen and kept most of the design intact. “I loved the neighbors, the neighborhood and the easy access to Fair Oaks Village,” she says. When she sold the home three years later, she never imagined returning. But after many years and several life and home changes, including a move to Bodega Bay and Sebastopol, she longed for Fair Oaks. “In 2020, my former Fair Oaks neighbors called me up and told me my old house was for sale,” Watkins says. “And I was just starting to look in a very competitive pandemic-driven market.” From Sebastopol she checked the photos online. “Not one thing had been changed so I snapped it up without even an in-person visit.” She sent her contractor over since she couldn’t get there. “He reported back that, ‘Between you and me, we can make it whatever you want,’” Watkins says. “So, there it is, four owners and I’ve been the second and the fourth.” This time Watkins planned an update. She added 715 square feet, plus 1,000 feet of covered and screened

CH By Cecily Hastings Photography by Aniko Kiezel Open House

ILP/GRID NOV n 23

decks under a new roof. She now shares the house with her 100-pound black and tan coonhound Judd. She knocked out the wall between the kitchen and living room, creating a great room with living, dining and kitchen. There’s space for a ping-pong table. There are now two bathrooms, a master suite, guest room and office.

She decided to embrace the midcentury modern theme, using black, white and gray, paired with colorful accents. The kitchen island is faced with graphic tile, a vibrant peach color in semi-circle pattern. “I started with one wall of the master bedroom in a black-and-white forest wallpaper. But when it was

installed, I decided I needed more so I installed it on all the walls,” she says. “I’m now surrounded by a cool forest.” She added a pool, patio and pool house for storage. Mature fruitless olive and palo verde trees are new. The property was relandscaped with new fences and a cobblestone paver

ILP/GRID n INSIDESACRAMENTO.COM

driveway leading to the garage from the street. Recently her sister and brother-in-law moved from Land Park to Fair Oaks. “It’s great to be so close to family,” Watkins says. “I’m often asked why I moved back. It’s having the most wonderful neighbors and neighborhood,” she says. “They all remember me as the gal that once had her own peacocks on her property. They are the best.” Cecily Hastings can be reached at publisher@ insidepublications.com. To recommend a home or garden, contact publisher@ insidepublications.com. More photography and previous columns can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram: @insidesacramento. n

ILP/GRID NOV n 23

CARROTS This root vegetable is related to parsnips, fennel, parsley, anise, caraway, cumin and dill. It can be eaten raw or cooked, or even baked in a cake. Eat it: For better flavor, steam, rather than boil, them

BRUSSEL SPROUTS A cruciferous vegetable, it’s related to cabbage, kale, collard greens and broccoli. It contains healthful phytonutrients. Eat it: Toss with olive oil and roast in a hot oven with onion and bacon..

YELLOW FIN POTATOES This all-purpose potato has yellow flesh, a creamy texture and a slightly sweet, buttery flavor.

Eat it:: Mash them with lots of butter and cream, of course!

Monthly Market A LOOK AT WHAT’S IN SEASON AT LOCAL FARMERS MARKETS IN NOVEMBER

MANDARIN ORANGE

This small citrus fruit has few seeds and a loose, puffy orange skin that is easy to peel, making it a popular addition to children’s lunchboxes. Eat it: Peel and enjoy.

ARTICHOKES

The edible, immature flower of a cultivated thistle plant, this plant originated in the Mediterranean, but now California grows nearly 100 percent of the country’s crop. Eat it: Steam until tender, then dip the leaves in melted butter or flavored mayonnaise.

CHARD

This nutritious, hearty green, a relative of the beet, can be blanched, braised, sautéed or steamed. Eat it: Make a quick sauté with onions and garlic..

ILP/GRID n INSIDESACRAMENTO.COM

Nine newborn puppies at a homeless camp.

Where’s The Urgency?

WANT FEWER UNWANTED PETS? START WITH THE UNHOUSED

t’s illegal in California to deprive an animal of food, water or shelter. It’s a crime to tether or chain a dog to a stationary object for longer than three hours in a 24-hour period. It’s against the law to allow that rope or chain to become entangled. Are unhoused people exempt from these laws? Their dogs are denied food, water, shelter and the ability to move freely on a daily basis.

CR By Cathryn Rakich Animals & Their Allies

ILP/GRID NOV n 23

I’ve seen it. Empty food and water bowls, covered in dirt and grime, scattered about the camp. Dogs tied 24/7 to trees and poles, tangled with inches to move. Oblivious, indifferent or incapable owners. “They don’t pet them. They don’t walk them. They keep them tied to trees,” says Debbie Tillotson, who has cared for approximately 24 dogs at eight homeless camps near the American River for almost two years. Tillotson and friend Debbie Massaro bring food, water and supplies to the camp dogs nearly every day. They pay for everything themselves. “I never see these people loving their dogs or talking to them,” Tillotson says. “The owners are all in tents, smoking or doing drugs. The animals are lying in the dirt. Lying in the filth. Lying in the rain. That’s their entire existence.”

Tillotson and Massaro have struggled to get camp dogs spayed and neutered. Three female pit bull mixes are on their second and third litters. A shepherd mix recently gave birth to nine puppies—eight females. Mom nursed her brood in a dirt-filled hole until Tillotson provided a canvas pen to keep the young safe. The owner sold the puppies to passersby for $50 each. At Mercer Clinic, held once a month at Loaves & Fishes, pets of the unhoused receive free medical services, such as vaccinations and flea treatment. The clinic does not spay or neuter. Mercer is run by UC Davis veterinary students with no university funds. For spay/neuter, Mercer relies on the Sacramento SPCA, which has a wait list of up to six months. “Six months is insane for a homeless person’s dog.” Tillotson says. “They are on chains. They can’t get loose. Any male dog out there running around will get them pregnant.” Inside Sacramento reported on Tillotson and Massaro’s efforts in June. The two women shared their stories with the city’s Animal Care Services Citizens Advisory Committee in March, pleading for help. Lynette Hall, the city’s community engagement manager, facilitated the March meeting. Hall said she would follow up with the women. “Never heard from her,” Tillotson says. I reached out to Jenna Topper, homeless outreach coordinator for the city’s Front Street Animal Shelter. No response. “The city respectfully declines this interview request,” Tim Swanson, the city’s media guy, told me. Front Street’s chief animal control officer Kimberly Green also ignored my request. “Animal control? I still haven’t seen anybody out there trying to help these animals,” Tillotson says. “They don’t want to go down there. These people can be violent. Mentally ill. Doing drugs. And the animals suffer for it. Animal control is not trying to find a solution to the problem.” Topper, who heads Front Street’s Homeless Outreach and Assistance

Program, or HOAP, visited the river camps last month, seven months after Tillotson and Massara brought their concerns to the animal advisory committee. Topper scheduled nine of the camp dogs for spay/neuter surgery. But still no sign of animal control. I asked Front Street why the owners of dogs living in homeless camps without food, water or shelter, tangled on tethers, are not cited for breaking the law. “As with any laws, our officers can use their independent judgment if an animal owner is going to be cited, whether they are housed or unhoused,” Front Street’s communications manager Ryan Hinderman told me. Sacramento County District Attorney Thien Ho called on Mayor Darrell Steinberg and the City Council to hold unhoused people accountable for their offenses, which include animal neglect and abuse. “Laws apply to everyone, even unhoused people,” Ho says. Is it any wonder why thousands of stray animals enter local shelters every year? As of mid-October, Front Street took in more than 6,000 strays. Nearly 1,000 were euthanized. “It’s a puppy factory down there,” Tillotson says. “You want fewer dogs at the shelter? Start fixing them.” Lengthy spay/neuter wait times are blamed on a veterinary professional shortage. With a budget of $7.3 million, why doesn’t Front Street hire contract veterinarians? Reach out to private vets? Use UC Davis vet students? Why aren’t vulnerable camp dogs moved up on the spay/neuter priority list? City Councilmember Katie Valenzuela, whose district includes Front Street Animal Shelter, ignored multiple requests for comment. Phil Pluckebaum hopes to replace Valenzuela in next year’s election. “It requires a lot of care, attention and cost to be a good responsible pet owner,” he says. “Mandatory spay and neuter is definitely a strategy worth looking at.” Tillotson says, “There are so many levels of wrong having to do with animals and it starts down here with

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the homeless. It’s a horrible life and the animals don’t deserve it.” Cathryn Rakich can be reached at crakich@surewest.net. Previous

columns can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @insidesacramento. n

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Pray On It HER SPIRITUAL POWERS KEEP THE FAMILY IN LINE

K is an old-time church abbreviation for “preacher’s kid.” My wife and I are both PKs. Her dad pastored Fairvale Baptist Church for 49 years in Fair Oaks. My father pastored multiple churches, moving us every three or four years to a different California congregation. We were PKs and proud of it. But my siblings and I knew our title was sometimes applied in a pejorative sense to describe bratty kids that ran unabated through the sanctuary before and after service. As in when the choir director stagewhispered to the choir, “Wouldn’t you know it? It’s those PKs running through here like hooligans!” My mom used to advise me that if I was ever asked why PKs don’t behave, I should tell my detractor that PKs are

NB By Norris Burkes Spirit Matters

ILP/GRID NOV n 23

bratty because they spend too much time around DKs—deacon’s kids. I suppose it was inevitable that Becky and I would have our own gaggle of PKs. After I graduated from seminary, we welcomed our firstborn the way most people do. But over the next five years we moved through the process of adopting a sibling group of three. So, I often tell people we have one homemade child and three storebought children. My humor means no disrespect to the adoption choice. In fact, quite the opposite. I use the expression to convey a sense of purposeful decision. We didn’t simply want more children. We wanted these children. But I must tell you prayer was the only way we could raise four children. And Mrs. Chaplain was a PW. No, not pastor’s wife. She has a reputation as a PW, prayer warrior. I use the term warrior because her prayers sometimes result in people getting hurt. Some years ago, she prayed that our college-age daughter, Sara, would find a way to get more rest. Sara was a world traveler, an avid lacrosse player and majoring in three subjects.

Prayer outcome: A week later, Sara broke her thumb. It wasn’t an ordinary break. It required surgery and rehab. I guess the prayer worked. Sara dropped her extracurricular activities and lived a slower-paced life. Simultaneously, my wife prayed to find more quality time with our then 12-year-old daughter, Nicole. With Sara recovered from thumb surgery, Nicole broke her foot. The doctor prescribed no walking, and Nicole spent many hours with Becky during the next two months. Prayer request granted. About the same time, Becky started praying for me. Like my oldest daughter, I had been keeping a hectic schedule. Becky prayed I’d reduce my writing deadlines to spend quality time with family. Her prayer established a “target lock” on me one Saturday afternoon as I finished a writing project and was assembling my entry for a contest, all while multitasking on a sermon in the midst of making travel arrangements for another cross-country speaking tour. I grabbed my chest. Pain stretched from navel to throat. Breathing hurt. I thought, heartburn, I’ll be OK. But as a hospital chaplain, I’d heard too many people sing the heartburn tune of

denial that later turned out to be their funeral dirge. With the calm demeanor of a drowning rat, I asked my PW to drive me to the emergency room. Within a few minutes of arrival, I took my first nitroglycerin tablet. The pain subsided. The short version of this story is I spent 23 hours in the cardiac ward under observation. Diagnosis: heartburn from hell. The prayer hit its mark with precision, but fortunately was only a warning shot. My busy schedule slowed significantly. My wife cut another notch in her prayer belt. At this point, I should say if you’ve read this far and still want me to pass on a prayer request to the PW, be forewarned. I’ll ask you to sign a release form. Norris Burkes can be reached at comment@thechaplain.net. Previous columns can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter 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

ACROSS 1 P.F. ___’s 6 Metaphorical hurdle to jump through 10 Unleashes (on) 14 Edmonton NHL player 15 ___ child (person without siblings) 16 Have down pat 17 Suds that may be sudsy 19 Cambodia’s continent 20 Cutesy name for the pads on feline paws 21 Eighth of a circle 23 Excited about something 25 Cooped (up) 26 Liability’s counterpart 29 “Come again?” 32 Moans and groans? 34 “Aye aye, ___!” 35 Meh 36 Word before “joke” or “bod” 37 ET of ’80s TV 39 Kin, for short 41 Operation Phone Home org. 42 Design detail, brieﬂy 44 Blunder 3/4

46 ___ chocolate cake 48 Utter delight? 51 En ___ (all together) 52 Places 53 Bidirectional 55 Move from the bar to a table, say 57 Performance for RuPaul 61 Pretentiously cultured 62 “Been there!” 64 Powerful wind 65 Meat spread 66 Caramelfilled chocolates 67 Cotton swabs have many 68 Tiff 69 Like sugar DOWN 1 Expense 2 “The Farmer in the Dell” syllables 3 ___ vera 4 Beginners 5 Hot drink with a colorful name 6 Schmooze 7 Babies’ bodysuits 8 World Cup cheer 9 Fire-related prefix 10 They may do triple axels 11 Tricks of the trade 12 Fifty-fifty flips 13 Buzzer beater?

18 Rodent ﬁrst sent to space in 1961 22 Tax pro 24 “Weekend, here I come!” 26 “Therefore ...” 27 Shows heavily represented at the Daytime Emmys 28 Source of extra income 30 Stroller in Stratford 31 Nary a soul 33 Vehicle for sand or snow 38 Greek life group 40 Portmanteau for some parents of child stars

43 Feline makeup that Taylor Swift draws “sharp enough to kill a man” 45 Numbers to be crunched 47 Avoids the spotlight 49 Secretive org. 50 Yellow jacket relative 54 “It’s ___!” (“Oh, it’s on!”) 55 Pasta sauce brand 56 Pointers 58 Robust 59 Central Plains people 60 Egyptto-Libya direction 63 Mushroom’s top

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Marjorie Methven Photos by Aniko Kiezel

Multi-Track Artist FORGOTTEN RAIL WORKERS INSPIRE PAINTER’S REALISM

hen Marjorie Methven landed in town to earn a teaching credential and master’s degree at Sacramento State, she had no idea she was returning to her roots. “While doing research for my master’s thesis on visual selfnarrative, I started to look into my

JL By Jessica Laskey Open Studio

ILP/GRID NOV n 23

own genealogical history,” Methven says. “It turns out that my greatgreat grandfather settled in Antioch and my great uncles worked for the railyard (in Sacramento) in different capacities at the turn of the 20th century. I didn’t know that before I moved here. It was quite serendipitous.” Before the research, Sacramento was just a place on the map to Methven, who grew up in Minnesota and went to college in Wisconsin. Once here, her digging turned up more interesting items. There’s an obituary for one of her great uncles, whose suicide note was printed alongside his death notice in The Sacramento Union. She also found

a number of historical pictures of women who worked for the railroad. This inspired a new painting in Methven’s signature style—figurative realism captured in oil paint that lends a dream-like quality to realistic imagery. In the piece, a group of Black women wearing dress coats and holding shovels are depicted against a geometric background, with details from the original photo augmented by the artist’s imagination. Many of Methven’s paintings depict women and are based on the artist’s “own past history and feelings from past experiences.” Her work has a gestural, emotive quality that makes her pieces energetic and haunting.

While showing her work at area galleries, including the Artists Contemporary Gallery, Solomon Dubnick Gallery and 750 Art Gallery, Methven enjoyed a 25-year career in education. She taught high-risk kids at American Legion continuation high school, art at a post-secondary academy in Natomas, middle schoolers at Fern Bacon and high schoolers at Hiram Johnson. After two serious accidents, including a head-on car collision, Methven retired at age 59 and turned her attention to art. She loves to work outdoors and stays busy on a series of increasingly abstract landscapes of the Delta. (If her work looks familiar, it was featured on the March cover of Inside.)

An East Sac resident for more than a quarter-century, Methven travels the region to find inspiration, such as the abandoned mission building “surrounded by huge artichoke plants with purple spikes” she spotted and turned into a painting. Often, she finds inspiration closer to home. “I took a tour of the railyard before they started to tear it apart and took all kinds of pictures of the inside of the buildings,” Methven says. “I even had written records from the workers.” The information, along with research from California State Railroad Museum archives, will

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inform a new series of paintings that includes the one of the women workers. Methven is now 70 and recovering from a knee replacement. But this new artistic inspiration won’t let her slow down. “I haven’t shown for a while,” she says, “but I keep working.” For information, find Methven on Instagram @marmethven. Jessica Laskey can be reached at jessrlaskey@gmail.com. Previous profiles can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @insidesacramento. n

Cecily Hastings Publisher ILP/GRID n INSIDESACRAMENTO.COM

Carry On NEIGHBORHOOD HANGOUT THRIVES WITH NEW APPROACH

GS By Greg Sabin Restaurant Insider

ILP/GRID NOV n 23

n June 2022, when Jen and Gary Sleppy announced they were closing The Shack, their beloved East Sacramento restaurant, it was a blow. The neighborhood hangout was a refuge for beer and burger lovers who considered the 90-year-old spot a home away from home. Thankfully, an experienced restaurant and brewing group took over and continued the traditions of The Shack. The view from Folsom Boulevard has always been humble. Holding down the corner at Folsom Boulevard and 52nd Street, the building began as a hot dog and root beer stand in 1932 and never changed much. The Sleppys took over in 2005. Combining their experience in hospitality and love of beer, they created one of the first specialty beer bars in town. The commodious outdoor patio grew and now feels like a tropical getaway. Through 17 years, the couple created an environment, casual and clever, that brought in a crew of delightfully odd regulars (me included). Those regulars will never forget the spectacular burgers and gumbo dished out by chef Antwyne Bates, the hospitality of manager Christopher Fairman or the subversive trivia nights hosted by Sacramento Beer Week founder Dan Scott. It was, therefore, a gut punch when Jen and Gary’s stewardship ended. But it wasn’t long before the successful team at Urban Roots Brewery & Smokehouse took over and put a new spin on the old place. Within a few months, Urban Roots founders Rob Archie and Peter Hoey and team reopened the space as Cerveceria at The Shack. “Cerveceria” is Spanish for brewery or alehouse, and nods to the venue’s departure from burgers and American comfort food to a new Mexican menu. Given the range of Archie and Hoey enterprises, it wasn’t surprising that they took a new approach. Their barbecue and brewery Urban Roots, their fried chicken joint Bawk and their speakeasy The Roost each have their own personality.

Photos by Linda Smolek

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The new menu features Mexican favorites made with care and skill. Tacos dominate the options and range from vegetarian fare such as fried mushrooms and chile relleno to carnivore delights of smoked brisket and carne asada. These are not small tacos. Served on house-made corn tortillas, these are full-sized taco expressions. For me the standout is the quesabirria. The heavyweight offering comes with melted cheese inside the tortilla and a fried cheese skirt outside. Stuffed with braised beef and a heaping pile of cilantro and onions, these delights are dipped in a side of rich beef consommé. The taco-meets-French-dip enterprise is undeniable. If you don’t take at least two naps after consuming, then you’re doing something wrong. Posole, a traditional hominy and pork stew, is punchy and intense, marrying velvety hominy and braised pork with a pungent chile broth. Other soups and stews are equally excellent. The beer list features mostly Urban Roots brews with some guest taps. Luna de Miel (imagine a sophisticated version of Negra Modelo) is the

flagship. It should be. It’s one of the best beers made in the West. Additionally, a full bar with margaritas, micheladas and agua frescas brighten the otherwise beerfocused drink menu. One food item gives a wink and nod to the old Shack, a double cheeseburger. Not fancy, just good. Two all-beef patties, special sauce and all the toppings pay homage to the Sleppys and everything they created. Carrying on a tradition isn’t easy. Putting your own spin on it is even harder. Cerveceria at The Shack puts together good food, excellent beers and professional hospitality, while feeling a bit like the old place. I’m not sure we could ask for more. Cerveceria at The Shack is at 5201 Folsom Blvd.; cerveceria916.com; (916) 346-4677.

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The Beatles Guitar Project Rock Orchestra.

TO DO THIS MONTH'S CULTURE & ENTERTAINMENT HIGHLIGHTS

By Jessica Laskey Calendar Editor

PERFORMANCE

The 55th Anniversary of the Beatles White Album The Beatles Guitar Project Rock Orchestra Tuesday, Nov. 21, 6:30 p.m. Harris Center for the Arts (10 College Parkway, Folsom); harriscenter.net Tickets: $19–$47 Celebrate the release of the Beatles 1968 “White Album” with this 40-piece rock orchestra, plus students from Sacramento Preparatory Music Academy. Proceeds support music education at SPMA. Best of Broadway Cabaret Sacramento Area Regional Theatre Alliance Saturday, Nov. 11, 3 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.

ILP/GRID NOV n 23

Parkside Community Church (5700 South Land Park Drive); sarta.com/cabarettickets Tickets: $15–$20 Be enchanted by legendary Broadway standards we all know and love. Proceeds benefit SARTA.

ART

Art To Wear & More Show and Sale Sacramento Center for the Textile Arts Nov. 11 & 12, 11 a.m.–4 p.m. Shepard Garden and Arts Center (3330 McKinley Blvd.); sactextilearts.org Check out the daily fashion show at 10 a.m., then shop the marketplace featuring handcrafted wearable art pieces. Admission is free. Proceeds benefit SCTA scholarship fund.

(Re)Constructing Memory ARTHOUSE on R Nov. 11–Dec. 4 Artist Reception Saturday Nov. 11, 5–8 p.m.; Artist Talk, 7 p.m. 1021 R St., arthouseonr.com Explore the complexity of memory through mixed media works by Erin Kaczkowski and Amy Vidra. Exhibition curated by Arthouse artists Natalie Sakurai and Kate Farrall. Black & White and Color Method Framing Friday, Nov. 3, 4–8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 4, 11 a.m.–4 p.m. 1791 Tribute Road; methodframing.com Visit this pop-up art show featuring work by local artists Sandra Cappelletti and Sue Torngren in a mutual challenge to step out of their comfort zones. Davy Fiveash & Richard Stein Archival Gallery Nov. 2–25 Second Saturday Reception Nov. 11, 5–8 p.m. 3223 Folsom Blvd.; archivalgallery.com Davy Fiveash presents a new collection in fabrics and mixed media with religious and historic iconography. Richard Stein presents a seasonal look at California landscapes.

AI: Authentic Intelligence – New Art by Real Artists Twisted Track Gallery Nov. 3–25 Receptions Nov. 3 & 4, 6–8 p.m. 1730 12th St.; twistedtrackgallery.life Former JAYJAY gallery owners Lynda Jolley and Beth Jones assemble artists committed to the studio as a laboratory where some experiments explode and others develop into surprises.

FAMILY FRIENDLY

Roy C. Marcum Animal Care Faire Bradshaw Animal Shelter Saturday, Nov. 4, 11 a.m.–3 p.m. 3839 Bradshaw Road; animalcare.saccounty.gov Explore pet-related booths, support local nonprofit animal rescues and shelters, stock up on goodies from small businesses and makers, and more. Admission is free. Dogs on leash are welcome. 5000 Watts Art + Tech Square Root Academy Saturday, Nov. 4, 6–10 p.m. Esther’s Park (3408 3rd Ave.); squarerootacademy.com At this intersection of art and technology, artists and makers transform the park into an electric playground open to the whole family.

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Touch-A-Truck! Junior League of Sacramento Saturday, Nov. 11, 9 a.m.–1 p.m. Sacramento City College North Lot (3835 Freeport Blvd.); jlsac.org Tickets: $10 general admission Get a hands on opportunity to see and touch heavy machinery and meet the people who operate them. Proceeds support Junior League community programs and events. Wall of Honor Carmichael Recreation and Park District Saturday, Nov. 4, 10 a.m. Patriots Park (6825 Palm Ave.); carmichaelpark. com Recognize community members who gave their lives in the line of duty with the California Highway Patrol, Sacramento Sheriff’s Department, Sacramento Metro Fire District and U.S. Military. Fall Book Sale Sacramento SPCA Nov. 7–11 6201 Florin Perkins Road; sspca.org Peruse a wide variety of books of all genres and support the animals.

HOLIDAYS

Crocker Holiday Artisan Market Crocker Art Museum/ Creative Arts League of Sacramento Nov. 24–26 Scottish Rite Center (6151 H St.); crockerholidayartisanmarket.com Tickets: $10 general, $9 Crocker members and seniors, free 12 and younger Shop for distinctive, one-of-a-kind treasures from more than 100 artists.

Work includes glass, textiles, wood, ceramics, paper, photography, painting, sculpture, textiles, jewelry and more. Holiday Arts & Crafts Fair Parkside Community Church Saturday, Nov. 11, 10 a.m.–1 p.m. 5700 South Land Park Drive; parksideucc.org From quilts to bath salts, find something special to put under the tree. Proceeds benefit Planned Parenthood Mar Monte. Christmas Market Trinity Respecting Earth and Environment Sunday, Nov. 26, 8:30 a.m.–1 p.m. Trinity Episcopal Cathedral (2620 Capitol Ave.); trinitycathedral.org Find unique gifts created by local craftspeople. Holiday Bazaar The Art Studios Saturday, Nov. 11, 4–9 p.m. 1727 I St.; theartstudiossacramento.com Shop handmade pottery, prints, original paintings, blown glass, cards, jewelry, knitwear, homewares, framed work and more by local artisans. 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, Twitter and Instagram: @insidesacramento. n

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“Winding River” by Richard Stein at Archival Gallery.

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Capital City Squares attend annual International Association of Gay Square Dance Clubs convention in Ottawa, Canada.

2. Roberto H. Romero with grandson Elijah Cruz in New York City. 3. Lucas and Linnea Gerkovich in front of the Millennium Falcon in Disney's Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. 4. A 50th birthday celebration for Shirley Liu with family (Georgia, Coco, Tom, Presley, Pat, Amy, Shirley, Peter, Tony, Santino) at Lake Como, Italy. 5. Mary Esparza, Irene Sanchez, Yvette Lanausse and Stella Lanausse at the Acropolis in Athens, Greece.

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SWEET MIDTOWN BUNGALOW 2BR/1BA 1920 Craftsman. Hardwood koors, updated kitchen. STEFFAN BROWN 916.717.7217 CalRE# 01882787

WELCOME TO MCKINLEY VILLAGE 3BR/2.5BA. Fully equipped kchn w/SSA. Spacious bedrooms. $718K PIERRE VIARD 916.767.6813 CalRE# 02128355

ARDEN PARK TREASURE 4 bds, 3.5 baths and 3,000+ sq.ft. on a coveted street. LIBBY WOOLFORD 916.502.2120 CalRE# 01778361

MCKINLEY VILLAGE DREAM 4+BR/4BA. Modern luxury and comfort. Large corner lot $1,149,500 PIERRE VIARD 916.767.6813 CalRE # 02128355

EAST SAC GEM 3BR/1BA Open concept w/updated kitchen and bathroom. Low maintenance bkyrd. ELISE BROWN 916.715.0213 CalRE# 01781942

RURAL PARADISE 4BR/2.5BA on 2.3 Acres in Roseville. Backyard with pergola and pool. $1.36M ANGIE WESTBERG 916.296.3751 CalRE # 02034542

SOLD

DESIRABLE DUTRA BEND 2 Story halfplex with 3 of 4 BR downstairs. Primary suite and loft upstairs. $590,000 SABRA SANCHEZ 916.508.5313 CalRE# 01820635

PENDING

MOVE-IN READY 4BR/2BA Single story in South Land Park Hills. Thoroughly updated. Large lot. SABRA SANCHEZ 916.508.5313 CalRE# 01820635

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