Inside land park jul 2014

INSIDE

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PRSRT STD US Postage PA I D Permit # 1826 Sacramento CA

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LAND PARK CURTIS PARK SOUTH LAND PARK HOLLYWOOD PARK MIDTOWN DOWNTOWN

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A REAL GEM! Hidden away in Old Land Park. This home is stunning … can you believe this kitchen? WOW! All new - including plumbing and electric.

Only one original wall. Quality features throughout plus super deep lot (.20 acres). Constructed to 2012 building codes. 4 bedroom 3 bath home! $899,500 SHEILA VAN NOY 505-5395

SOPHISTICATED 3 bedroom, 2 bath in well-established Land Park neighborhood.

Master suite includes beautiful bathroom with claw-foot tub, large walk-in closet and French doors leading to backyard. Many options for entertaining with its formal dining room and tranquil patio with retractable awning and fan. $589,000 JESSICA BILLER 761-6035

EXCEPTIONAL PROPERTY The “Didion House” in Poverty Ridge! 4 bedrooms 2 full baths and 2 half baths with 3rd Àoor media room that features state-of-the art equipment. Turn of the century woodwork and detailing; new kitchen and full basement. Beautifully updated while reserving the home’s original quality and style! $1,495,000 SHEILA VAN NOY 505-5395

ROOMY 4 BEDROOM Hard-to-¿nd roomy 4 bedroom 2½ bath home on large lot. Lovely living room/dining room combination with corner ¿replace. Kitchen opens to large family room, built-ins, lots of light and door to patio and yard.

Large master also has a glass door to patio and backyard. $379,000 CHARLENE SINGLEY 341-0305

CURTIS PARK CLASSIC Welcome to this lovingly maintained 3 bedroom 2 bath Curtis Park home! The interior has been freshly painted and compliments the pretty hardwood Àoors and pretty curved ¿replace. Newer master suite features fun bathroom and walk in closet. $449,000 PAULA SWAYNE 425-9715

CONVENIENTLY LOCATED Land Park location, location, location within easy walking distance of Taylor’s Market and Light Rail. Recently updated 2 bedroom home with a new kitchen and bath. This property also features a deep 155 foot lot awaiting personal touch. $359,900 JAMIE RICH 612-4000

FABULOUS SLP YARD Magic Moment - When you realize you can pick your own fruits and vegetables galore - in your own backyard! A special South Land Park 4 bedroom 3 bath family home - Beautifully maintained and updated for you - Move in and enjoy! $499,500 SHEILA VAN NOY 505-5395

IN THE HILLS OF SLP Potential abounds in this 3 bedroom ranch style home! Great circular Àoor plan, oversized family room and hardwood Àoors under the carpet waiting to be rediscovered. Beautifully paneled den with ¿replace. Great SLP opportunity. $459,000 CHRIS BRIGGS 834-6483

BEAUTIFUL CURTIS PARK 4 bedroom 3 bath home tucked away on a tree lined street! Beautifully updated and built for entertaining. Kitchen opens to family room and is truly special as it has a huge gas range, convection oven, 2 dishwashers, 2 sinks and 2 disposals. Let the fun begin!! $719,500 SHEILA VAN NOY 505-5395

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COVER ARTIST Michael Bolton Michael Bolton grew up in Land Park and is a noted Carmel-bythe-Sea architectural designer who has recently devoted himself to painting. This painting received one of the three Publisher’s Awards selected by Cecily Hastings at the Fine Art Show at the California State Fair. The show runs from July 11 to 27.

Visit boltondesigngroupinc.com EAST SACRAMENTO

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LOCAL JUL 2014

PUBLISHER Cecily Hastings publisher@insidepublications.com 3104 O St. #120, Sac. CA 95816 (Mail Only) 916-441-7026 (Information Line) EDITOR PRODUCTION DESIGN PHOTOGRAPHY AD COORDINATOR ACCOUNTING EDITORIAL POLICY

VOL. 16 • ISSUE 6 7 8 10 14 17 18 20 24 26 30 32 34 36 38 42 44 46 48 50 52 54 57 58

Marybeth Bizjak mbbizjak@aol.com M.J. McFarland Cindy Fuller, Daniel Nardinelli Linda Smolek, Aniko Kiezel Michele Mazzera Jim Hastings, Daniel Nardinelli 916-443-5087 Commentary reflects the views of the writers and does not necessarily reflect those of Inside Publications. Inside Publications is delivered for free to more than 65,000 households in Sacramento. Printing and distribution costs are paid entirely by advertising revenue. We spotlight selected advertisers, but all other stories are determined solely by our editorial staff and are not influenced by advertising. No portion may be reproduced mechanically or electronically without written permission of the publisher. All ad designs & editorial—©

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Neighborhood Identity CELEBRATING THE DIFFERENCES IN OUR UNIQUE URBAN NEIGHBORHOODS

BY CECILY HASTINGS PUBLISHER’S DESK

W

hen my husband and I first arrived in Sacramento in 1989, we had no knowledge of the city or environs, and we didn’t know a soul. It was not exactly a great way to select a neighborhood in which to buy a home and raise a family.

We were grateful that we had an experienced real estate agent who spent an entire day with us and, starting in Midtown, took us through a number of neighborhoods moving eastward and then to the south. We wanted to get a feel for the architectural identity of each neighborhood. Looking back now, I realize that our driving tour was wholly inadequate in helping us make such a big decision.

Here’s what I recall in a nutshell: Midtown had inexpensive historic homes that needed work and had small yards, and there was a lively shopping district. But we were warned that there weren’t many children in the neighborhood and that the crime rate was fairly high. McKinley Park looked fabulous, especially the park itself, but we were told the public

schools were weak. The Fab 40s were gorgeous, but house prices were too high for us and there was almost zero inventory on the market at the time. We never saw River Park.

Heading across the H Street Bridge, we toured Sierra Oaks and thought it was lovely, with big lots and varied home styles. But the houses for sale were small and dated. The Wilhaggin homes we saw were too big, while the Arden Park homes were too small.

Carmichael was a mixed bag, with some larger, luxurious homes located next to tiny cottages. The lots were huge—too large for our needs. There wasn’t much shopping close by.

We ended up buying that McKinley Park house. And I later learned that I had been dead wrong in my judgment of Curtis Park.

Heading south, we loved lush and expansive William Land Park, but the homes we saw were either too large and expensive or too small and needed too much work. Curtis Park had the most amazing collection of eclectic architectural styles we saw all day.

We never saw South Land Park or the Pocket or even heard their names. We probably just ran out of time that day.

It was almost a year before we actually purchased a home. The

decision ultimately came down to two houses: one directly across the street from McKinley Park, the other across the street from Curtis Park.

We visited both houses numerous times. Each time we went to Curtis Park, we noticed that the park was empty and lacked amenities.

In comparison, fun things always seemed to be happening in McKinley Park, with its numerous facilities.

To be honest, the lack of activity in Curtis Park caused me to judge the neighborhood in a negative way. It seemed like people didn’t get out of their houses to enjoy the neighborhood. I worried about making friends.

We ended up buying that McKinley Park house. And I later learned that I had been dead wrong in my judgment of Curtis Park. In time, I discovered that Curtis Park is one of the most dynamic and engaged neighborhoods in the region, and substantially more active and organized than either McKinley Park or East Sacramento.

In publishing four neighborhood editions, covering more than a dozen unique neighborhoods, I’ve learned that every one of our neighborhoods has its own distinct personality.

It takes time to discover that personality. The process goes much more quickly if you meet long-term neighbors who share their experiences with you.

To be sure, numerous biases for and against different neighborhoods exist among neighbors. For some, it is just simple pride and a reaffirmation of the neighborhood they chose.

But others are snobby about architecture, history, location or

even class. And while most people would never publicly share their biases about people of different races and cultures, they seem to have no problem disparaging other neighborhoods.

When we started publishing in the Pocket and Greenhaven neighborhoods earlier this year, we selected these neighborhoods based upon their distinct neighborhood identity and strong sense of community, in addition to their home values and income levels that our advertisers find valuable.

Many factors contribute to what makes each neighborhood definable and recognizable, no matter what the income levels and property values.

We were amazed when some folks from East Sac and Land Park disparaged these neighborhoods because they include gated communities (as do Arden and Carmichael) and what they consider “suburban lifestyles,” usually dropping snide comments about Natomas into their remarks.

Or consider Oak Park, which in its early years was considered one of our city’s nicest neighborhoods.

PUBLISHER page 9

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Keeping Faith CITIZEN COMMITTEE CALLS FOR COMPLIANCE AUDIT ON MEASURE U SPENDING

expires in March 2019. The city has shown no signs of planning for the day when Measure U money runs out, other than to dryly note in the city’s recently approved budget that the city’s general fund faces a fiscal cliff in 2019 when its general budget deficit is expected to hit $41 million due to the loss of Measure U revenues and spiraling employee benefit costs.

BY CRAIG POWELL The failure to start planning now INSIDE CITY HALL for the transition will only make the loss of Measure U funding that ome city boards and much more painful in 2019. The city’s commissions have the failure to plan for a transition plays reputation of being rubber into the narrative that city officials stamps for the city council members intend for the loss of Measure U who appoint them. But the Measure funding to be as painful as possible U Citizen Oversight Committee, in 2019 so as to bully taxpayers into while getting off to a very slow start extending the tax. and wielding minimal oversight Measure U, passed by city voters powers, has surprised the pundits in November 2012, increased the city and produced a first report that sales tax rate by one-half percent keeps faith with city voters who are to fund a variety of city functions, entrusting the city with $30 million ranging from police and fire services in extra sales tax revenue each to parks and libraries. In the same year. election, California voters approved The committee’s report, coProposition 30, which increased authored by River Oaks resident and the state sales tax rate by a quarter CPA Jamie Matthews and Pocket percent (as well as hiking income resident and public health and taxes on higher-income state education manager Chris Shipman, residents). Together, the measures gives the city high marks for following raised the city sales tax rate to a through with campaign promises record 8.5 percent, tied with Galt for on how Measure U monies would be the highest sales tax rate charged by spent. But it candidly reveals that any government in the Sacramento the committee has to rely on city region. (The county sales tax rate, for management’s representations on instance, is 8 percent). how Measure U monies are being To help sell the Measure U sales spent. The report calls on the city to tax hike to city voters, the city hire an auditing firm to assure that council included in the measure Measure U monies are, in fact, being a requirement that Measure U spent as represented. spending be subject to oversight The report also urges the city to by a citizen oversight committee start transition planning for when and that spending be audited by Measure U, a six-year tax hike,

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Measure U Oversight Committee members Chris Shipman and Jamie Mathews

an independent auditor—common “confidence builders” to give voters assurance that their dollars will be spent as advertised and not on, say, sports arenas.

But the city council has not given the oversight committee independent staff or counsel; it has allocated it no budget, invested it with no subpoena powers or provided it with any other tools needed to function in a meaningful fashion. While the measure called for spending to be audited by an independent auditor, such a requirement is meaningless absent a compliance or performance audit that determines if dollars are actually being spent as promised. A financial audit merely checks that dollars are being accounted for but does nothing to confirm that the dollars are being spent in the ways the city promised to city voters.

One of the serious omissions in Measure U is the absence of

“supplanting protection.” Before your eyes gaze over, let me explain what supplanting protection is and is not. Let’s say the city’s general fund provides $1 million each year to operate the city’s animal shelter, but the shelter’s funding level falls far short of what animal lovers think it should be. (Hey, our family has two cats.) So, let’s say animal lovers convince the city council to place a tax hike measure on the ballot to raise taxes $1 million to double annual funding for the shelter. Let’s assume the measure passes with 80 percent of the vote (not impossible given the results of a recent national survey that found Sacramento is the seventh most cat-friendly city in the country).

Then let’s say that city unions press the city council to increase employee salaries (the city is currently locked in contract negotiations with all of its major unions) and the city, scrapping around for cash, decides

to withdraw its existing $1 million annual funding for the shelter, figuring that the shelter can get by on the $1 million new animal shelter tax (hypothetically) approved by voters.

Such budgetary sleight of hand is called “supplanting.” It involves withdrawing pre-existing general fund support for a program that is benefiting from a recently approved tax increase. It is a cynical maneuver used by unscrupulous government officials to rip off voters and taxpayers by breaking government’s promise to spend tax revenues as represented to voters. And it’s lawful for government to “supplant” unless a tax measure includes supplanting protection that forbids the maneuver. (The library parcel tax, Measure B, approved just last month by voters included an anti-supplanting section at the behest of Eye on Sacramento, courtesy of Councilmember Angelique Ashby.)

But Measure U includes no supplanting protection. Part of the reason is Measure U is not a special tax that provides funds for any specific programs. It is, instead, a general tax hike, which the city can legally spend on anything it wants.

General tax hikes require only a majority vote while special taxes, like the library tax, require a twothirds majority approval. Supplanting protections are typically used to protect the use of special taxes, not general taxes.

Nevertheless, the city sold Measure U to voters on the premise that proceeds would be used to increase funding for public safety, parks and libraries. So what happens when $300 million of arena bonds are sold (this year or next) and the $15.4 projected annual shortfall in arena bond payments (the difference between the $21.9 million annual arena bond payment and the $6.5 million annual arena lease payment paid by Kings owners) is not covered by hoped-for increases in city parking profits?

Absent major, unanticipated increases in the city’s other revenue sources, the city would have to cut other general fund spending to cover the $15.4 arena bond payment shortfall.

And what are the three biggest budget programs that together make up about 85 percent of the city’s general

fund budget? Answer: police, fire protection and parks.

So if the city council is compelled to cut, say, $15 million from police, fire and parks budgets in 2019 to fund arena bond funding shortfalls, it will be withdrawing existing general fund support from Measure U-funded programs. In short, it will be supplanting Measure U funding and diverting it to underwrite arena bond payments. That’s why Sacramento Bee columnist Dan Walters last year characterized Measure U as a disguised “arena tax.”

Shipman and Matthews take very seriously the oversight committee’s responsibility for assuring that the city is fully transparent in how it spends Measure U receipts. Shipman, as a veteran staffer of health and education programs and a graduate of the city’s management academy, and Matthews, with 12 years of experience auditing local government finances and consulting with local government officials on behalf of Gilbert Associates, are both savvy to the ways of government budgeting and spending, including the potential for Measure U supplanting.

They have both demonstrated a willingness to press the city for changes that enhance such transparency. Matthews, a selfdescribed professional skeptic, worked hand in hand with the city’s budget director, Leyne Milstein, to secure an expansion of the scope of the city’s next outside independent audit to include a compliance audit of the city’s Measure U spending.

Shipman, a longtime community and neighborhood activist, is pressing the city to develop metrics to measure and assess the effectiveness of Measure U spending, particularly as it relates to programs involving city youth and seniors. For her, tracking how money is spent is not enough.

Measurable results are what count.

As management guru Peter Drucker famously put it: “If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.” Shipman sees a need to build up our community’s “social capital” as a necessary element of community growth and health.

Shipman and Matthews, as well as their fellow oversight committee

T JUS

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PUBLISHER FROM page 7 After decades of decline, it started to turn around about 10 years ago, thanks in no small part to Mayor Kevin Johnson’s redevelopment efforts before he won office. Even as Oak Park is rapidly coming into its own, the stigma of the neighborhood’s name is still hard to reverse in some people’s minds.

During a community meeting last year regarding McKinley Village, one of the opposition group leaders worried aloud that the development would be another Natomas or South Sacramento and that it would become a “ghetto.” When audience applause followed that remark, I was embarrassed that members of my neighborhood would be so hostile and judgmental.

Our editorial mission is to help folks get to know their neighbors and community on a deeper and more meaningful level. Many factors contribute to what makes each neighborhood definable and

recognizable, no matter what the income levels and property values.

As we celebrate the Fourth of the July this year, we have charming organized parades in the neighborhoods of East Sac, River Park, Pocket, Arden Arcade and Carmichael, among others.

Each one has its unique feel and experience. Neighborhood parades are a wonderful way to connect with neighbors and build positive neighborhood identities. If you’ve never attended your neighborhood parade, by all means do so this year.

I consider it a privilege and honor to get to know so many wonderful people from every neighborhood we serve. Granted, there are huge differences in the unique identities of our neighborhoods. But isn’t it worth celebrating that Sacramento has so much diversity in its neighborhoods?

Cecily Hastings can be reached at publisher@insidepublications.com n

CITY HALL page 11

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The Ring Master CITY MANAGER JOHN SHIREY ON BUDGETS, DEVELOPMENT AND MORE

BY R.E. GRASWICH MEET YOUR NEIGHBOR

I

n Sacramento, the city council sets policy. The city manager runs the show. When John Shirey was hired at the city’s chief executive in 2011, his arrival ended a period of musical chairs at the manager’s office. Shirey recently talked to Inside Publications about a range of topics, from organizational problems at the fire department to the prospects of quitting his job if voters approve the strong-mayor initiative in November.

What kind of shape is the city’s budget in?

The good news is I’ll be able to present a balanced budget this summer. We had a deficit of about $12 million. We were able to reduce that to about $3 million, but we will be balanced ending the year. The bad news is that while we’ve seen an increase in property and sales taxes, our expenses are still increasing faster than our revenues. While I expect to have not great but good budgets for the next two fiscal years, that quickly changes in those out years and becomes pretty red, mostly because of increased pension costs.

Here’s a fact for your readers: We currently pay about $48 million per year to CalPERS. In five years time, that will increase to $82 million.

That gives people an idea of the increases the CalPERS board has been approving. We’re not alone. This is being experienced by most cities in the state.

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City manager John Shirey

You mentioned CalPERS raising the rates it charges cities to pay public employee pensions. How are you dealing with two other budget busters: the expiration of Measure U in

five years and $470 million in unfunded liability for long-term medical benefits for retired city workers?

Your question is right on the money. The PERS problem is

most immediate. The second is the expiration of Measure U, which comes in 2019, when it sunsets. Of course, the city council could decide to present that to voters and it could be extended. Another outcome is that it will expire. Then we will have a fiscal cliff. That cliff will be around $30 million. We can’t absorb that. I’m trying to convince the council to not spend all those dollars, but instead to create a cushion that will ease the drop-off come 2019. In addition, I’m hoping we have increases in revenue to cushion that blow. We’ll have to have discipline. We’ll have to have reserves. We can’t just keep spending it on new initiatives or more employees or whatever. I have to assume it will be allowed to expire. I can’t operate on the assumption that council will go back to voters and ask for an extension.

The unfunded health-care obligation to our employees is very troubling. Unfortunately, when that benefit was given to employees in the 1970s, no funds were ever set aside to pay for it. Apparently, I’m the first city manager who ever raised questions about that.

It’s an obligation that has serious consequences for this city’s future.

Right now, that’s about $472 million and growing by the minute. It will increase several thousand dollars during this interview. I convinced the city council to establish a trust fund.

We’ve set aside $4 million, and I’m going to recommend more. That seem like a small amount, but it establishes that we are at least acknowledging the problem. And it sends a good message to rating agencies.

SHIREY page 12

CITY HALL FROM page 9 members, Cecily Hastings (publisher of Inside Publications), Carlos Anguiano and Michelle Brattmiller, are proving that they are not rubber stamps for anyone in the important work they are doing on behalf of Sacramento taxpayers. They are also showing us all how important civic service—a major component of social capital, as Shipman would put it—is to the quality of life of our community.

What do Shipman and Matthews draw from the experience of serving on the oversight committee and authoring the committee’s report?

For Matthews, a 13-year Sacramento resident, “The experience has given me the confidence to know that I bring something to the table, to see that I could add value.” Shipman, a 24-year resident who has worked on the master plan of education for New Jersey and hospitals at Emory University in Atlanta and in Indiana, is committed “to keeping the city accountable, from helping high-risk kids, to improving graduation rates, to reducing gang involvement. I want to know: What has the city done to make things better?”

THREE COUNCIL RACES DECIDED WHILE ONE HEADS TO A RUNOFF

T

he results of last month’s city council races covered the spectrum from a slam-dunk victory in North Natomas (District 1) for first-term incumbent Angelique Ashby, who ran unopposed, to a lopsided win for Jay Schenirer in Curtis Park and Oak Park (District 4), a very tight outright primary victory for Rick Jennings in the Pocket/Greenhaven area (District 7) and a thrilling free-for-all race in East Sacramento and South Natomas (District 3), where the winner will be decided in a November runoff election.

In District 4, Schenirer, a firstterm councilmember, faced a spirited challenge from SEIU political director Ali Cooper, who challenged Schenirer on his vote on the downtown arena subsidy, his support of a modification of the big-box retail ordinance and his

raising of charitable contributions, particularly from a Walmart affiliate, to support a robust set of nonprofit projects in his district. Schenirer won handily with 5,312 votes or 62.8 percent to Cooper’s 3,105 votes or 36.7 percent. In the money race, Schenirer vastly outraised Cooper $134,000 to $45,000. Schenirer was also the beneficiary of an independent expenditure campaign organized by Sacramento Metro Chamber that paid for TV ads promoting Schenirer’s record.

In District 7, Jennings, a former school board member, edged out retired Sacramento fire chief Julius Cherry in a tight race. Jennings won the race outright with 5,046 votes or 50.6 percent to Cherry’s 4,187 or 42 percent. Third-place finisher Abe Snobar received 709 votes or 7.1 percent.

The District 7 seat opened up when incumbent Darrell Fong decided to jump into the race for State Assembly District 9. Both Jennings and Cherry had strong personal stories and campaigned door to door. They raised a comparable amount of money, with Jennings taking in $140,000 and Cherry collecting $128,000.

The mayor was a real presence in the District 7 race, with Cherry distancing himself from the mayor early, saying, “I’m not the mayor’s favorite candidate, but I’d like to be yours.” Jennings was criticized for being too close to the mayor, while Cherry was the subject of a hit piece slamming him for collecting the largest pension check of any retired city employee. The piece was financed by an obscure out-of-the-area PAC with alleged ties to Philip Morris, according to the Cherry campaign.

The real nail biter race of the night was the fight for the East Sacramento/ South Natomas seat vacated by two-decade incumbent Steve Cohn, who gave up his seat to run for State Assembly. A sizable field of seven candidates fought it out for a spot in the November general election, as no candidate was expected to capture a majority in the primary.

The presumptive favorite going into the election was financial planner Cyril Shah, who raised an eye-popping $182,000, more than three times

the amount raised by all the other candidates combined. But Shah barely squeezed his way into a second-place finish, edging out schoolteacher Ellen Cochrane for a spot in the November runoff. The big winner of the night was general contractor Jeff Harris, who came in with a surprising first-place finish. Despite raising just $10,000, Harris parlayed his long experience as a neighborhood volunteer, community activist and parks commission member into the top spot by winning 2,305 votes or 26 percent of the votes cast. Shah collected 2,104 votes or 23.8 percent and Cochrane received 1,967 votes or 22.2 percent, while Deane Dana received 844 votes or 9.5 percent, Rosalyn Van Buren won 811 voters or 9.2 percent, and Efren Guttierrez of South Natomas won 513 votes or 5.8 percent.

The big issue in the District 3 race was the McKinley Village development project, which was up for approval before the city council just as the council race hit full stride.

Cochrane was the organizer of the group opposing the project, a position that almost catapulted her into the runoff. Harris and Shah will face off against one another in November.

An interesting statistic: Shah spent a lavish $86.50 for every vote he received, while Harris spent a miserly $4.34 for each of his votes.

The only measure on the city ballot was Measure B, a temporary $12-per-year parcel tax hike to fund city libraries. It passed handily with 72.9 percent of the vote, exceeding the two-thirds majority vote needed for passage.

In county races, the big action was in the race to replace retiring district attorney Jan Scully after 20 years in office. Mary Anne Schubert, endorsed by both Scully and Sheriff Scott Jones, easily defeated Maggy Krell and Todd David Leras. Schubert won the position outright with 58.2 percent of the vote, while Krell received 32.2 percent and Leras received 9.4 percent. While the race for DA is nonpartisan, Krell, a Democrat, received the endorsements of the Democratic Party establishment, while Republican Schubert received almost universal

support from local law enforcement groups and officials.

Sacramento city schools board member Patrick Kennedy, who lost narrowly to Schenirer for city council four years ago, managed to soundly win the county supervisorial seat opened up by the retirement of longtime supervisor and former councilmember Jimmie Yee. Kennedy garnered 84.5 percent of the vote to defeat Jrmar Jefferson, who picked up 15 percent of the vote. Meanwhile, first-term county supervisor Phil Serna and longtime county supervisor Don Nottoli both ran for re-election unopposed. First-term county assessor Kathleen Kelleher also ran unopposed.

In the State Assembly race in District 9, Elk Grove councilmember and Sacramento sheriff’s captain Jim Cooper went toe to toe with retired city police captain and city councilman Darrell Fong. Cooper narrowly captured first place with 31.1 percent of the vote, while Fong took second place with 29.2 percent.

As the two top vote getters, both advance to the November general election.

In what appears to be an historic first, Republicans have been entirely shut out of the November general election in all of the state legislative races that touch upon the city of Sacramento, victims of the new top-two primary system. It raises the question: Where will Republican voters, who make up about 24 percent of all city voters, go on Election Day in November? Will they organize and throw their support behind one or more of the top Democratic finishers?

Will they split their votes among the Democratic contenders? Or will they just sit this one out? The answer may decide the outcome of more than one state legislative race this year.

Craig Powell is a local attorney, businessman, community activist and president of Eye on Sacramento, a civic watchdog and policy group. In 2012, he chaired the No on Measure U Committee. He can be reached at craig@eyeonsacramento.org or 7183030. n

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SHIREY FROM page 10 Now, take these three issues and put them together: It’s unsustainable.

We have to do something. We’re not going to be laying off people for the coming fiscal year, but I can’t guarantee that won’t be necessary down the road. Something has to give. These are unsustainable numbers.

You’ve been unable to get police officers to pay their pension share. What’s the prognosis?

Up until a few years ago, when I was hired, none of our employees were paying their pension share.

Now, 80 percent do, with the notable exception of police officers and sergeants. Our negotiations have moved to mediation-arbitration. It may come to an arbitrator deciding whether they pay their pension share or not. For every month that goes by and police officers and sergeants don’t pay their pension share, the city loses $450,000. That’s enough to hire four officers for a year.

The police say they are still understaffed, yet major crime stats are dropping. Maybe police staffing is at the right level?

I believe we are understaffed, and I think our new police chief, Sam Somers, is doing a terrific job using his resources wisely. That’s why we’re seeing good trends in terms of crime numbers. We’re also getting good help from the community. People are doing more for themselves, such as our Neighbor Next Door program, which has 12,000 subscribers. People are communicating with each other about suspicious things they see. What I do is look at our crime in terms of other cities, and we’re not as safe as we should be. One reason is we have an unusually high number of parolees living in Sacramento. We want to think that people who have gone through prison will start new lives, but sometimes they start new lives of crime. The good news is the crime numbers are down. The bad news is they are still relatively high compared to other jurisdictions. I am a firm believer that we need more policing

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and more people to do crime analysis, crime solving, and to work with our neighborhoods.

The fire department hasn’t changed its culture in generations. Now firefighters work 48-hour shifts but rarely fight fires. Most 911 fire calls are medical. Isn’t it time to update the fire department?

The reality is we no longer have a fire department. We have a paramedicine department. That’s not unusual. That’s the way most fire departments have gone across the country. About 70 percent of our calls are paramedic calls. Even fire calls are often false alarms or very minor fires, not the large structural fires you hear about every so often.

Our resources are not deployed accordingly. We don’t have enough paramedic resources. And the staffing model, which is 48-hour shifts, isn’t appropriate for people who are working in paramedicine. Think about somebody who’s putting an IV in your arm on his 36th hour on the job. We need to rethink how we deploy people who are on the medic vans as opposed to people on fire trucks and engines. It’s time to think about changing how we approach services. We need new, creative ideas in terms of the fire department, which is really a paramedic service.

Police and fire both build overtime into their cultures.

They say it’s cheaper, but is the city well served by cops and firefighters working so much overtime?

Overtime by itself is not a bad thing. Any organization that’s staffed around the clock can’t be managed without the use of overtime. That goes for utilities as well as police and fire. We have to have people available anytime for anything that might go wrong. It’s true that we can provide additional staffing cheaper by using overtime. However, it sometimes gets overused. When we have people who are making double their salaries by virtue of overtime, it suggests we have something wrong on the management side. We either don’t have enough

people or we’re granting too much OT. It’s not good to work people that many hours. They’re not as effective, not as alert. It takes a toll on their health. We have examples of where we’ve overused overtime, and we need to correct those.

Politically, the city council refuses to talk about privatizing services such as garbage, ambulance, even water. But could the city benefit from some privatization?

What’s important for us is to compare ourselves to the competition.

One thing the city hasn’t done is what I call “performance management,” which includes using metrics that measure how efficiently we provide services. We’re going to start doing that on July 1. That will give us data by which we can better see how we’re managing the organization, and to compare ourselves to the competition: other cities and the private sector. We should always be willing to provide services in the most efficient and most effective way. It shouldn’t matter whether that service is provided by a public employee or a private-sector employee.

The city council is studying ways to fund a new performing arts theater. Is this the right time to think about replacing the Community Center Theater?

I’d like nothing more than to see the capital city of California have a first-class performing arts center.

The issue has always been money.

This debate started long before I became city manager. I’m just trying to get some decisions made. One of the weaknesses of Sacramento is we don’t have a lot of wealth and we don’t have a strong corporate base. In other communities, they do, plus large foundations. They can undertake projects as large as putting in a new performing arts center. I’d like for us to be able to do the same. Whether we can remains to be seen.

The downtown arena is moving forward. What happens if the Kings come to the city midway into the project and say they need more money or else?

One of the strengths of this agreement, as opposed to the agreement that we had tentatively with the previous owners: This agreement makes it very clear that any additional costs or cost overruns are the obligations of the Kings and not the city. I’m not worried about that. It’s very clearly spelled out.

Sacramento was once a great agricultural processing center.

That’s gone. What’s our next great industry?

The recession showed us we have to have a diverse economy that doesn’t rely on government jobs and construction jobs. One of the things we’ve tried to do through the “Next Economy” plan is identify sectors for diversification, not just for the city but for the region. It identifies agriculture as a strength.

We are the capital of the richest agricultural valley in the world. We can rebuild that sector. It may have a different focus than it did in the past.

We’ve lost a lot of food processing businesses. That’s gone the way of a lot of manufacturing jobs. But where we have a strong possibility of gaining jobs is in the area of food research and food safety. With the presence of UC Davis, we can move into new areas of ag. We’ve got to look at how we can grow more food for a hungry land and a hungry world and make sure that food is safe. It’s false economic development to think we can just steal business from somewhere else.

We’ve got to grow our own.

Nobody’s talking about the downtown railyards anymore, with the arena moving to the downtown mall. What’s going on at the railyards?

I wish that project was moving faster than it is. The hang-up is there has to be an agreement reached with Inland American, which owns most of the land, and Union Pacific, which is the responsible party for the cleanup, and with a developer (Larry Kelley’s Downtown Railyard Venture group).

Those three parties need to come together and reach an agreement.

There’s little the city can do to force those parties to work together. But

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/ :[ :HJYHTLU[V 916-731-4444 with Larry Kelley’s company, we have the best chance we’ve had to finally see private development activity in the railyards. The new courthouse project is still alive, but there isn’t funding. Again, some of these other things need to happen before the courthouse can move ahead. It all depends on an agreement about how future environmental liabilities on the property will be handled among those three parties.

There are seven residential infill projects in the works: Sutter Memorial, McKinley Village, Setzer, New HelvetiaSeavey Circle, Curtis Park railyards, Delta Shores and the downtown railyards. This is unprecedented. How will you manage the impact on services and infrastructure?

It’s a wonderful sign for the city that we have that many projects pending. They are infill projects, and we are living up to the spirit and the word of The Blueprint, which was adopted sometime ago by our regional planning agency (SACOG)—that we should focus on infill. The obvious place for that is Sacramento, where we already have a concentration of jobs and we have more public transportation than other places. This is wonderful news for our economy, our air quality and environment. In terms of infrastructure, they will have to pay their share of the costs.

They will have to be self-supporting.

It’s our job to make sure they don’t become unfeasible for economic

reasons, so we have to work hand in hand with the developers and property owners. I’ve tried to bring a spirit of cooperation with the private sector, so we’re doing things in partnership.

You will have at least three new city councilmembers this November. How are you getting along with the council?

I think we have a great council, both the one that hired me and the one we have now. It’s unusual for Sacramento to have so much turnover. We’ve had people such as Steve Cohn, who served for 20 years, and Bonnie Pannell, who served for 15 years. We won’t have those kinds of tenures any longer. But that presents an opportunity for new, perhaps younger leadership to step up and provide fresh ideas and help us achieve some of these goals, such as more jobs and a stronger economy.

Strong mayor is on the ballot in November. You’re opposed.

Will you resign if it passes?

I’m a professional city manager.

That’s the career that I’ve chosen.

That’s what I believe in. I gravitated to this field because I felt it was the best form of local government. Right now, I can’t imagine a scenario that would make me serve as city manager under a system other than the one we have in place now. But I also keep an open mind on these things.

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More kittens are born each year than there are families available to give them a home.

Join the Sacramento SPCA in reducing pet overpopulation.

Schedule an appointment to have your cat spayed or neutered at its affordable, highquality spay/neuter clinic.

Call 504-2811

R.E. Graswich can be reached at reg@graswich.com. n

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Farewell, Dr. Fowler LOCAL VETERINARIAN REVOLUTIONIZED ZOO MEDICINE

director emeritus of the Sacramento Zoological Society board of trustees and professor emeritus of the School of Veterinary Medicine at UC Davis.

To honor his contribution to the zoo and zoological medicine at large, the zoo dedicated its state-of-the-art, on-site veterinary hospital to him in 2006.

“Dr. Fowler was an icon in the zoo profession whom I was fortunate to get to know as a warm and compassionate ambassador for the animals he loved,” said Mary Healy, the zoo’s director and CEO. “The zoo is honored to have a place to celebrate his legacy.”

And what a legacy that is.

BY JESSICA LASKEY LIFE IN THE CITY

I

f you’ve ever looked in wonder through the windows of the Dr. Murray E. Fowler Veterinary Hospital at the Sacramento Zoo, you’ve glimpsed the legacy that Dr. Fowler leaves in the wake of his passing last month at age 85 after 46 years of service to the Sacramento Zoological Society—and even more to the field of zoological medicine.

“In Murray Fowler’s 85 years, he revolutionized zoological medicine,” says Dr. Ray Wack, senior veterinarian at the zoo and clinical professor at the Wildlife Health Center within the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. “He started the first residency program in zoological medicine in 1974 and is responsible for training many of the zoo veterinarians around the world.”

Fowler’s profound impact started in 1958 when he became an instructor at UC Davis and, a few years later, agreed to oversee the world’s first veterinary program to specifically serve nondomestic animals in captivity or in the wild. He named the practice “zoologicial medicine” and, in 1967, became the Sacramento Zoo’s first regular veterinarian, giving his students a unique opportunity

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PARTY ANIMALS

Dr. Murray E. Fowler pioneered "zoological medicine" and, in 1967, became the Sacramento Zoo's first regular veterinarian

to work with zoo animals outside the Veterinary Medicine Teaching Hospital. In 1974, Fowler and the zoo entered into a joint venture, the Residency in Zoological Medicine program at UC Davis, the first of its kind in the country.

Over the years, Fowler worked tirelessly to learn about and improve the health of zoo animals and wildlife.

He published more than 200 articles

in peer-reviewed scientific journals and authored or edited 27 books, traveled to more than 60 countries as a lecturer and consultant and received numerous awards in recognition of his expertise and lifelong contributions to promoting animal health. Though he retired from UC Davis in 1991, he remained active with the American Association of Zoo Veterinarians and became

Get a chance to see all of Dr. Murray Fowler’s favorite animal friends at the Sacramento Zoo when Wells Fargo Wednesdays offers free admission for up to four kids (ages 2 to 12) with one paid adult on Wednesdays, July 16, 23 and 30, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

For after-hours activities that’ll make you roar with joy, don’t miss Twilight Thursdays this month on (you guessed it) Thursdays, July 3, 10, 17, 24 and 31. The zoo will be open until 8 p.m. for family-friendly activities, live music and dinner specials. Check out saczoo.org for theme nights and dinner descriptions.

Regular daily admission applies.

If twilight isn’t late enough for you, experience the zoo from dusk to dawn on July 12, 18 and 26 during a Family Overnight Safari. From 5:30 p.m. to 9 a.m. the next day, kids and their parents will camp out

I GOT SUNSHINE

on the zoo grounds for an evening full of fun: behind-the-scenes tours, performances and more, with dinner and breakfast provided! Reservations are required; visit saczoo.org Wondering how to put your money where your mouth is? Join the zoo and local attorney Mark S. Drobny for a free estate-planning seminar on Saturday, July 12, from 10:30 a.m. to noon. Drobny is a legal specialist in estate planning, trust and probate law, which makes him the perfect person to help you figure out a plan that makes the most of your moolah.

To register or for more information, call Lisa Clement at 808-8815.

The Sacramento Zoo is at 3930 W. Land Park Drive. For more information on all things zoo-related, call 808-5888 or visit saczoo.org

Surely you’ve heard the joke about it being so hot you could fry an egg on the sidewalk. Well, there’s a whole slew of chefs who’ve devoted their entire careers to doing just that (albeit with a little more finesse than an asphalt omelet). Check out the scientific marvel that is solar cooking at the Sacramento Solar Cooking Festival on Saturday, July 19, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in William Land Park.

Watch local and international solar chefs—some from as far away as Kenya, Norway, Uganda, Bolivia, Nicaragua, Germany, Canada and Hong Kong—demonstrate their solar-oven cooking techniques. You can also attend mini solar-cooking classes, learn about the power of solar cooking’s clean energy and learn how to make your own solar cooker. If you doubt your construction skills, you can buy one from an on-site vendor.

Already a master solar chef? Sign up to cook at the solar chef picnic.

The festival is free—just bring your appetite!

For more information, visit solarcookers.org

VANDALS IN THE WPA ROCK GARDEN The historic WPA Rock Garden in William Land Park needs your help. Sometime on either May 16 or May 17, the garden was the victim of vandals, when plants were uprooted and cacti were ripped to shreds.

This wasn’t the first time the WPA Garden has been damaged. “Duane Goosen has taken over management of the garden from Daisy Mah and has been working very hard to maintain the variety and beauty of the plantings, as well as adding new specimens,” says WPA Garden volunteer Sharon Kowall. “This is the worst single instance of vandalism he has observed. This garden is a wonderful asset to our community and community members should be alert to any such activity and report it.”

If you see suspicious activity in the garden (located at 15th Avenue just off Land Park Drive), call 311 or 264-5011.

HELPING FROM THE HEART For young people interested in a career in the medical field, there’s nothing quite as educational as working as a junior volunteer for Mercy General Hospital Guild, a

DANCING AND CAMPING AND CRAFTS—OH, MY!

Fairytale Town offers several summer camps for youngsters, including Farmer Brown’s Junior Farmers for children ages 4 to 6

volunteer-run organization that assists visitors and patients in myriad ways at Mercy General Hospital.

“The students’ volunteer service encompassed 1,918 hours in various areas,” explains Olivia Lage, a member of the guild and the scholarship awards chairperson. Lage and her team identify particularly outstanding junior volunteers each year and award scholarships of $800 each April to graduating high school seniors—a guild tradition since 1953.

This year’s recipients include Ella Alazaroy (Rosemont High School); Kritika Amanjee (Granite Bay High

School); Helen Chan (West Campus High School); Heather David, Briana Mercado and Emily Eby (C. K. McClatchy High School); Monica Jimenez, Gurik Sidhu and Edward Ne (Mira Loma High School); Paul Kozel (Folsom High School); Melissa Lee (John F. Kennedy High School); and Dominique Norton-Smith (Natomas High School).

Congratulations to these junior volunteers who go above and beyond—we hope to have you as our doctors one day.

The sun is shining, the weather’s warm—what better way to celebrate summer than to carouse around Fairytale Town?

This month’s festivities kick off with the International Celebration on Saturday, July 5, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The park will present a day of dances from around the world— including Chinese lion dancing and drumming, Scottish highland dancing, ballet folklorico and more—on the outdoor Mother Goose Stage. The program is free with paid park admission.

Is it getting a little too warm outside? Duck into Puppet Art Theater for a playful puppet version of “Little Red Riding Hood” on Saturday, July 5, and Sunday, July 6, at 12:30, 1:30 and 2:30 p.m. The story has been slightly reinvented— including the addition of Little Red’s LAND PARK LIFE page 16

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LAND PARK LIFE FROM page 15 dog Fifi and a delicious pepperoni pizza—but is sure to delight all ages.

Tickets are $2 for nonmembers, $1 for members, in addition to paid park admission.

Talk about all-inclusive: Arts for All Day on Saturday, July 12, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. will feature performances, visual art shows and “funshops” for kids of all ages and abilities, presented by I Can Do That!

Take in a performance by ACT ON!, the children’s theater camp of I Can Do That!, view visual art created by students from the program and participate in “funshops” where you can make flying saucers, pipe cleaner jewelry, rumba shakers and more.

The program is free with paid park admission.

Are your kids itching to see some live theater? The Fairytale Town Troupers will present Disney’s “Sleeping Beauty” on Saturdays and Sundays, July 19, 20, 26 and 27, at noon and 1:30 p.m. in the Children’s Theater. Tickets are $2 for nonmembers, $1 for members, in addition to paid park admission.

If the tykes are tearing around the house looking for things to do, don’t forget that the Fairytale Town FunCamps are still going—and might be just the remedy for parental perplexity during summer vacation.

Kids ages 4 to 6 can attend Earthworks Garden FunCamp July 7-11; Puppet Palooza July 14-18; Little Artists July 21-25; and Rock School July 28-Aug. 1. Kids ages 6 to 12 campers can attend Zap! Boom!

Pow! Comic Book Basics July 7-11; Farmer Brown’s Farmers July 14-18; Mad Food Science July 21-25; and Adventure Play July 28-Aug. 1.

Looking for something the whole family can enjoy together? Why not have a family campout at Fairytale Town on Saturday, July 26, from 5:30 p.m. until 7 a.m. the next day? Spend the night in the park and participate in exciting arts and crafts activities, a scavenger hunt, a live theater show and a sing-along. Wake up the next morning to a continental breakfast and a slew of precious family memories.

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activities for kids ages 2 through 8, including face painting, bubble blowing and craft making.

Rancho Cordova Library is at 9845 Folsom Blvd.

For more information, call 2642920 or visit saclibrary.org

MULCH MADNESS

Comcast employees and their families helped students spruce up the campus at Ethel Phillips Elementary School on 21st Avenue on Comcast Cares Day, April 26.

For more information on all Fairytale Town activities, call 8087462 or visit fairytaletown.org

COMCAST CARES Have you driven by Ethel Phillips Elementary School on 21st Avenue lately? If you have, you might have noticed that the exterior is looking spiffier than ever. That’s thanks to Comcast Cares Day on April 26, a day when Comcast employees and their families helped students create murals, landscape, plant, clean and spruce up the campus.

Now in its 13th year, Comcast Cares Day is the largest singleday corporate volunteer effort in the United States—to date, more than half a million volunteers have contributed more than 3 million volunteer hours. In California alone, more than 4,000 Comcast employees, their families and friends volunteered at 16 schools or community-based organizations this year, adding to the national total of 80,000 Comcast volunteers participating in more than 700 projects around the world.

In addition to giving Ethel Phillips Elementary School a much-needed makeover, the Comcast Foundation also presented the school with a financial grant to upgrade its computer equipment and install an Internet Essentials kiosk where lowincome families can sign up for lowcost Internet service and computers.

PARK PRETTIFICATION Historic Oak Park is known for many things—some better than others, like the Oak Park Farmers Market—and the city is working to make improvements to the area, the most recent being the renovation of McClatchy Park at 3500 5th Ave. The project broke ground in April.

Plans include a new playground complete with climbing features, a carousel-inspired water play area, new tennis courts, skate park, jogging trail, basketball courts and more. The site—which was originally home to an amusement park called Joyland at the turn of the century—hosts lots of local activities, including the weekly farmers market on Saturdays from May through October, Little League baseball and disk golf.

So stop by and see the park’s progress, whether you’re shopping for fresh produce, attending a weekly yoga class or chef demonstration or letting the little ones blow off some steam. You’ll be proud to call Oak Park—and its newly polished McClatchy Park gem—home.

THE BEAR NECESSITIES Do you have a beloved teddy bear at your house? Take Teddy out for a day of picnicking and partying at the Teddy Bear Picnic at Rancho Cordova Library on Saturday, July 12. at 2 p.m.

As part of the library’s summer reading program, there will be

Get out your garden gloves: Land Park Volunteer Corps will have its next work day on Saturday, July 12, from 8 to 11 a.m.

Have you noticed that Land Park is in better shape than almost all of the 200-plus parks all over the city? That’s thanks to the dedicated neighbors who’ve donated their time to trim, brush, clean, dig, plant and prettify since the corps began in May 2010.

Land Park Volunteer Corps will have its next work day on Saturday, July 12.

“Mulch the Park” is still in full swing, so get ready to dig in and continue the park’s proud trajectory of improvement. The Swanston Statue Garden still needs attention— though the fountain has been beautifully restored, thanks to the corps—and there’s still a lot of bush trimming, pond cleaning, weed barrier sheeting and cleanup to do. So roll up your sleeves and jump in! (If you’re getting hungry just thinking about it, fear not: Espresso Metro sponsors breakfast, and a generous anonymous donor will make sure corps members are fed come lunchtime.)

For more information, call lead coordinator Craig Powell at 718-3030.

Feel like donating? Send a check to Land Park Volunteer Corps, 3053 Freeport Blvd., #231, Sacramento, CA 95818. The corps’ base camp is located behind Fairytale Town at 3901 Land Park Drive.

Jessica Laskey can be reached at jessrlaskey@gmail.com n

Emily Eby AT MERCY GENERAL HOSPITAL, SHE LEARNED WHILE HELPING

BY JESSICA LASKEY

approximately 200 students out of the incoming freshman class of 5,000 who have access to honors classes and scholarship funds.) But more than the money, Eby is grateful to the program for opening her eyes to the real world of medicine.

VOLUNTEER PROFILE

F

or Emily Eby, her experience as a junior volunteer at Mercy General Hospital has literally brought her life full circle.

“I was born at Mercy,” Eby says, “so when I was researching different hospitals for volunteer opportunities, it was at the top of my list.”

Eby, 18, graduated from C.K. McClatchy High School last month and is headed off to UC Davis in the fall to pursue studies in medicine— which is what brought her to Mercy in the first place.

“I got involved as a junior volunteer last year because it was a great way to do community service and figure out for myself what I wanted my career to be,” Eby says. “I was interested in surgery, but now that I’ve actually worked in a surgery waiting room, I’m leaning more toward nutrition and psychology.”

Eby’s involvement in the Mercy General Hospital Guild volunteer program gave her firsthand experience in the hospital, from running a hospitality cart for families in surgery waiting rooms to overseeing the information desk where visitors come to ask all kinds of questions.

“Just being there makes a huge difference to people,” Eby says. “I like the idea of helping people, and it was amazing to see how, working at a desk, it was so easy to make a big impact.”

“The junior volunteer program gave me a chance to learn what I want to do. I discovered it wasn’t like what ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ or other TV shows make it out to be ... It made me even more impressed by people who work there every day.”

Mercy General Hospital junior volunteer Emily Eby

Eby’s helping hands earned her more than just the appreciation of patients and their families. She was awarded a Mercy Guild scholarship in April for her 100-plus hours of

outstanding service, which will help her when she takes off for UC Davis. (She also received a Regents scholarship from the university for her incredible GPA; she’ll be one of

“The junior volunteer program gave me a chance to learn what I want to do,” Eby says. “I discovered it wasn’t like what ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ or other TV shows make it out to be.

It’s different in the halls. It made me even more impressed by people who work there every day.”

One day, that could be Eby herself.

Interested in volunteering?

Contact the Mercy General Hospital Guild office at 731-7189. n

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The Misunderstood Pit Bull BRINGING HOME A DOG WITH A BAD REP AND A SWEET DISPOSITION

BY R.E. GRASWICH CITY BEAT

A

year or two after our family dog, a stray German shepherd named Jade, died a peaceful death from old age, my wife Elizabeth decided we needed a new family pet. There were three conditions. The new dog had to be female. She had to be an orphan from the city’s Front Street Animal Shelter. And she had to be something other than a pit bull.

My wife had never been around pit bulls. She had no personal experience with the breed. She just didn’t like them. Her prejudice was the classic type that grows from the toxic brew of myth and fear and media reports and legends, some true, some embroidered, some lies, all repeated relentlessly until they harden into accepted fact.

I was in no position to argue.

Pit bulls can be dangerous. They are extraordinarily powerful. Their strength can intensify negative consequences of behavior that would be considered normal in other breeds.

Many of them have been notoriously tormented by sadistic human captors and exploited for violence.

There was another consideration.

By the time my wife was ready for her new dog, I had been serving

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Elizabeth Graswich and Madeleine Rose

as a volunteer at the Front Street shelter for a few years. I had taken dog-handling classes and knew how to safely remove a 65-pound pit bull from his kennel, leash him and take him for a walk. (Pit bulls are far easier to remove than a trio of Chihuahuas, which can bolt through the smallest opening and dash madly through the shelter. They have done this to me twice.)

Thus experienced, I thought it only fair to warn my wife before we toured the shelter: We will see pit bulls,

more pit bulls, a few fill-in-the-blank breeds, a Chihuahua or three, and pit bulls. I told her: “It’s not the shelter’s fault, but pit bulls are really overbred in Sacramento, and a lot of them end up in the shelter, and, well, you’re going to run into a lot of them.”

The warning didn’t bother Elizabeth. Determined to rescue a shelter dog, she pressed ahead. She counted on the fill-in-the-blanks to make her day.

When we entered the kennel area, the first two young females we saw

were Coconut and Paisley, both brown and white, about 50 pounds. Clearly pit bulls. Elizabeth peered into the kennels. She read the information cards. Both dogs had been at the shelter for about three months.

Neither looked sinister. They were sort of cute. Elizabeth agreed to meet them, one at a time, in the socializing yard, a fenced area at the back of the shelter.

Coconut arrived first. Aloof, calm and indifferent, she did nothing to sell herself. Fair enough. Next we brought out Paisley. She sniffed us, then patrolled the fence line, nose to the ground, tail wagging, enjoying her freedom. She came back and sniffed us again. She was pleased to be out of her kennel but didn’t want to make any emotional attachments, as if she had been disappointed by people and wasn’t ready for more rejection.

My wife looked at me and said, “What do you think?” Before I could answer, she said, “I want her.”

Paisley, to judge from her astonishingly white teeth, was about 1 year old. She was not spayed, a condition that under shelter laws would have to change before she could come home. We paid our fees and were instructed to return in four days, after surgery.

On the appropriate day, Paisley was handed over. We were warned she was raw from surgery and would be groggy and sensitive. (She was neither, oblivious to her scar.) We were required to sign up for pit bull training classes.

I won’t say the first few weeks were easy. Madeleine Rose—we ditched the name Paisley—ate two wooden door moldings and chewed on the leg of an antique bedroom bureau.

In late afternoon, she would become

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Madeleine stopped eating furniture and behaving like Curly Howard. She became the perfect family dog: sweet, clever, loyal and gentle, a 49-pound lapdog, cherishing the people around her.

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Her Just Desserts FREEPORT BAKERY CO-OWNER TAKES THE LEAD AT NATIONAL ORGANIZATION

money was almost gone. We were looking at closing it down. We were even talking to an attorney, but we decided to give it one more try and worked with a strategic planner and participated in full-day workshops back East.

“We just kept asking ourselves, ‘What do bakers want?’ ” The teamwork and dedication paid off. Not only is the RBA still in business, it’s thriving. Its widespread membership keeps Goetzler traveling frequently to attend the road shows that she sees as the backbone of the RBA’s mission.

“We used to do a big trade show every year, but had to eliminate that for the expense,” Goetzler says.

“Now that people can find and buy equipment online, the trade shows lost momentum. But we also lost the connection with people—road shows allow you to network, to support each other and learn.”

In her new role as president, Goetzler travels to as many shows as she can, from Tucson to Long Island.

But she wouldn’t change her busy schedule for the world.

“As president, I’m going to support them,” Goetzler says. “We do hands-on workshops, bakery tours, educational classes and vendor display areas for local vendors. We try to go to places that have lots of bakeries but that don’t get the chance to go to big shows.

“If the show is in your town, you can have employees come and participate. We’re even bringing a road show to Sacramento in January 2015.”

BY JESSICA LASKEY SHOPTALK

B

akers share, Marlene Goetzler says. “We’re very generous with information.”

Goetzler should know. As the coowner (with her husband, Walter) of the popular Freeport Bakery for the past 27 years, Goetlzer knows how far the exchange of information—recipes, business tips—can go toward making a bakery business soar. This acute acumen is perhaps part of the reason Goetzler was tapped this year to be president of Retail Bakers of America (RBA), a job that’s just as sweet as it sounds.

“The RBA has about 550 members and we focus on certification and education for bakers, including webinars and road shows,” says Goetzler, who has served on the RBA board for the past seven years.

“We have a service called Baker to Baker, a Web-based support group you can come to if you’re having a problem with an employee, if you have a question about a formula or a piece of equipment you’re using.

The only thing we don’t discuss is pricing.”

The group’s goal of bolstering bakers across the country is a challenging one and requires a lot of infrastructure, which is why when Goetzler took the reins, she had her work cut out for her.

“The current board is just amazing,” Goetzler says, “but when I first became involved with the RBA, the building (we’d had) 10 years ago in Washington, D.C., was gone, we only had four part-time employees”— down from 20 full-time—“and the

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ILP JUL n 14

Marlene Goetzler is the co-owner of Freeport Bakery

So while Goetzler is running all over the country, who’s holding down the fort on Freeport Boulevard?

“I have a great support staff,” Goetzler says. “I’ve been able to be on the RBA board for the past several years without affecting the bakery.

We’re even doing a little facelift to the front this summer, a little ‘zhuzhing.’ ” For this busy bakery business woman, life sounds pretty sweet.

Hungry for something delicious?

Check out Freeport Bakery at 2966 Freeport Blvd., call 442-4256 or go to freeportbakery.org Interested in all things baking?

Find out more at retailbakersofamerica.org

WHAT’S IN YOUR MATTRESS? Admit it. If you’ve had your mattress for at least a few years, perhaps even less, you’ve probably already noticed that dreaded “two dips and a hump” bedscape that is all too familiar to conventional mattress owners.

Save kicking out your bed partner (“Sorry, Hon, you make the mattress sag”), what’s an uncomfortable sleeper to do?

Jill and Chip Huckaby, owners of European Sleep Design, are out to fix that failed mattress model once and for all.

“You’re only as good as your weakest link,” Jill Huckaby says, “and polyurethane foam (traditional mattress cushioning) is the weakest link.”

Huckaby explains that conventional companies—she rattles off their names, and I definitely recognize my own mattress maker in that list—all use polyurethane (read: synthetic) foam cushioning as the top layer of their products.

“It’s the egg crate-looking stuff,” Huckaby says. “Memory foam is also polyurethane, just denser and heat sensitive. Densities can vary.

The softer, lesser-quality poly will compress faster, but if it’s really hard it’s not comfortable to lie on.

“Other companies are trying to sell you a $2,000 to $3,000 mattress that looks like it’s two-stories high, but

Jill and Chip Huckaby are the owners of European Sleep Design

they’re using foam to build it up. You bought that 24-inch mattress, which just means there are more layers of cheap foam inside.”

Deflated density is one thing, but Huckaby also explains that polyurethane is made of petrochemicals, products that release volatile organic compounds (VOCs) as the mattress ages, not to mention the flame-retardant chemicals that are added to meet fire resistance laws.

But what if you’ve been smart and instead of relying on layers of foam, you’ve sprung for a spring mattress?

Metal coils can’t fail, right?

“The coils are tempered steel for rigidity,” Huckaby explains. “If you cut open a 5-, 10-, 20-year-old mattress, the coils are still usable, but the steel is so hard, it just holds your body mass up. It’s not conforming.

The foam on top is where the contour support comes from, and in short order, within months of purchase, it starts to compress and form body impressions.”

Huckaby is not trying to be an alarmist, but it is pretty frightening to think about all the compounds we

could be ingesting just by trying to get a good night’s sleep. With all these scary stats, what’s the solution for true beauty rest?

“We’re not your typical mattress store,” Huckaby says. “We bring our components in from Europe. The German and Swedish designs are more advanced. They put more effort into building products for durability and performance with natural, nontoxic materials.”

So how much better built is a European Sleep Design mattress?

“When you come in, you can feel and see the difference,” Huckaby says.

“We’re a full-disclosure company. All our mattresses have a zippered cover so you can inspect the internal organs of your mattress. The cover is made of knit organic cotton backed by a layer of organic merino wool, which means it has the pliability to conform to your body contours.

“Wool wicks moisture to keep your temperature regulated and acts as a natural fire barrier; flame retardants on other mattresses are known carcinogens, but our materials are all Öeko-Tex certified nontoxic.

“Next is a layer of all-natural latex that we source from Holland, which provides greater elasticity and a better feel. Then there are up to 3,500 micro coils—the support layers— from Germany and Sweden, which are high-grade steel and smaller in diameter than traditional coils so they can nest like a honeycomb. They’re individually pocketed, which makes them very flexible and map very closely to your body.”

The final foundation of the mattress is a suspension system of flexible wooden slats that are entirely customizable to the sleeper’s support needs, even with two very different snoozers in one bed.

So what are you waiting for? Your best, most natural, comfortable sleep is just a mattress away.

Ready for some high-quality Zs? Contact the Huckabys at European Sleep Design at 989-8909 go to sleepdesign.com or visit their Folsom showroom at 6606 Folsom-Auburn Road, Suite 5.

SHOPTALK page 22

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Steve Demetre is the owner and operator of Demetre Landscapes

SHOPTALK FROM page 21

YARD DUTY

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South Land Park

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“After 30-plus years, you get to know a lot of people,” says Steve Demetre, owner and operator of Demetre Landscapes. That person-toperson connection is what has kept Demetre in business since 1984.

“I’d always been interested in landscaping,” Demetre says, “so when I left Bell Hardware Nursery & Landscape,” which he’d owned with his brother, Doug, since 1979, “I decided to start my own business.”

He loaded up on horticulture classes at California State University, Sacramento, American River College and UC Davis Extension so that when he and his business partner started Demetre Landscaping, he was more than ready.

Now, Demetre counts clients in numerous neighborhoods, including Rancho Cordova, the Pocket, Land Park, Curtis Park, Tahoe Park, East Sacramento, Fair Oaks, Carmichael and Citrus Heights, to name a few, and a stellar record with the Better Business Bureau.

“I operate on the premise that people are willing to wait patiently if they know you’re going to do a good job,” Demetre says. “We stay on the job 100 percent until it’s done. We don’t have two or three jobs going at one time. I work with the crew so it’s done right the first time.

“We’ve made a lot of people happy.”

So happy, in fact, that Demetre often does repeat business. Where he did a front yard, he’s called back “a year or 10” later to complete the backyard. The company can tackle so many yard issues that it’s no wonder he’s so busy all the time: he and his crew handle irrigation, planting, sod, lighting, drainage, pruning, you name it—just no hardscaping.

“I’m 66 years old. I don’t do that anymore,” Demetre says with a laugh.

The workload got even harder nine years ago, when his business partner died.

“He used to run the crew, but now it’s all me,” Demetre says. “I’ll drive the big loading truck before 2 p.m. and then switch to a smaller truck to do bids and repairs.”

And some tasks aren’t even landscape-related: Demetre regularly has customers call and ask his advice on where to find household items. Like with his landscaping, Demetre always takes the time to give his clients as much attention and accuracy as possible.

“It’s a comfort zone people have with me,” Demetre says. “As you can imagine, I’ve been doing this for a long time. I’ve learned a lot over the years.

“And things run smoother when you’ve been doing it so long.”

Does your yard need some sprucing up? Call Demetre Landscapes at 6488455 or go to demetrelandscapes.com Jessica Laskey can be reached at jessrlaskey@gmail.com n

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Moving Past Trauma FORMER REFUGEE HELPS FELLOW IMMIGRANTS FIND A SAFE HARBOR IN SACRAMENTO

BY TERRY KAUFMAN LOCAL HEROES

M

arius Koga is an expert on the traumatic effects of war, deprivation, dislocation and transplantation.

He has spent years studying posttraumatic stress disorder, tracking the psychological landscape of refugee populations resettled in the United States and writing scholarly works on the science behind the debilitating brain changes that plague these populations. He holds degrees in medicine and public health from prestigious universities and is a well-respected international expert on PTSD. Even if he didn’t have these credentials, Koga would be an expert: He spent more than a decade imprisoned, beaten and tortured in postwar Romania, where he incurred the wrath of the Communist government for speaking out against the psychological control of political dissidents. He fled under cover of night in 1989 to a refugee camp in Serbia, leaving behind everything he had known, then found his way to the United States, a land of both opportunity and lack of interest. “We refugees come from cultures with a communal mentality,” he observes.

“In the American system, there is no

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Marius Koga is an expert on the traumatic effects of war, deprivation, dislocation and transplantation

discrimination; everybody is equally disregarded.”

For immigrants whose wounds are still fresh, that sink-or-swim mentality is one more nightmare with which they must cope. Koga himself struggled with the demons of his immigrant experience while establishing a career, as well as a home for his wife and two children, in Sacramento. He knew that he was

more fortunate that most. “These refugees move from pre-migration trauma to post-migration stress,” he says. In addition to a new language, they are expected to learn a new culture, new ways of interacting, new definitions of right and wrong. Men who once held important jobs and supported families find themselves emasculated by a system in which they have no jobs, no stature and no

power. Depression, domestic violence and divorce are epidemic. “Those who make it do so only after years of trial and tribulation,” says Koga.

Koga ended up using his own immigrant experience to change the way California’s health system manages these fragile communities.

As the director of refugee health research for UC Davis’s School of Medicine, he oversees a system that is tracking, in real time, the mental health of large groups of immigrants across the state. Physicians at nine major county clinics are capturing data on the prevalence of psychiatric disorders and disparities among patients and transmitting it to Koga’s team. “We’re getting a GPS on the lives of refugees,” he says, “profiling them and seeing pathologies.”

He also founded VIRTIS, the Veteran, Immigrant and Refugee Trauma Institute of Sacramento, a nonprofit whose logo is Odysseus’s ship. Like Odysseus, immigrants must undergo a huge transformation to survive and move beyond their pasts. Koga compares the recently arrived refugee to a glass of wine into which poison has been introduced: “No matter how much you dilute it, you won’t get the poison out. There is no way to heal unless you adopt a completely different paradigm,” he says. Treatment must address “not just wounding of the brain, but wounding of the soul.”

Funded by Koga and other volunteers, VIRTIS provides critical services and resources to refugees, including free psychological counseling, mentoring by former refugees with similar backgrounds, and training for educators and law

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“We refugees come from cultures with a communal mentality,” he observes. “In the American system, there is no discrimination; everybody is equally disregarded.”

He points with pride to the partnership between VIRTIS and UC Davis Medical School. “We want to recruit others to underwrite this work,” he says. “My biggest challenge is ensuring that VIRTIS will continue even if people leave. I

want to translate it into a model that is bigger, wiser and smarter.”

The organization’s original focus on refugees from Eastern Europe has expanded to encompass refugees from Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan and other turbulent regions. VIRTIS is steeling itself for an influx of Syrian refugees over the next few years. For Koga, the stories continue to resonate. “I was a refugee myself,” he says. “I remember the border guards and the dogs. I look at everyone as myself. I hear stories of loss, grief, trauma, confusion. My years of imprisonment are nothing compared to what I hear.”

He sees an even deeper purpose to his work. “I’ve written about the anatomy of evil, and my work with refugees keeps me close to the source of evil,” says Koga. “I have empathy but also a desire to fight the enemy.

I want to get beyond what happened to me and ask, ‘How is it possible for people to do this?’”

For more information about VIRTIS, go to virtis-ptsd.org Terry Kaufman can be reached at terry@1greatstory.com n

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Family Friendly A LAND PARK HOUSE GETS A 21ST-CENTURY MAKEOVER

BY JULIE FOSTER HOME INSIGHT

“A really nice family lived here before us and raised their kids here.

It had a good feel.�

W

ith the idea of children in their future, Scott and Gayle Govenar knew they needed more space than their two-bedroom, one-bath house could

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provide. So when a 3,600-squarefoot house facing William Land Park came on the market, they were interested.

In 2005, they became the third owners of the house, built in 1951

by Newton Cope. (Cope is famous locally as the man who turned an 1853 firehouse in Old Sac into The

Firehouse Restaurant.) Though the house had been well maintained, it needed updating and reconfiguring.

Scott, a fan of midcentury modern HOME page 28

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27

The existing crystal chandelier, though not technically midcentury modern, worked perfectly in the room, so the Govenars left it in place in a tribute to the original home.

HOME FROM page 26 architecture, envisioned a home that combined their need for more family space with the clean, modern look he appreciated.

“Scott had the vision for this house,” says Gayle. “I don’t think I have that kind of vision for seeing how we could open it up and achieve what we wanted.” What she appreciated was the house’s familyfriendly vibe. “A really nice family lived here before us and raised their kids here,” she explains. “It had a good feel.”

Remodeling took eight months.

Wanting no delay once the project commenced, they stored all the appliances and materials in the garage before building began. During construction, the couple lived in the house except for two occasions: when the maple flooring was installed and when the walls were plastered.

The house needed major updating of its heating, plumbing and electrical systems.

“When you buy an older house, you have the expectation that you will need to do these things,” Scott explains. “And you have to have contingencies since you don’t know what’s behind those old walls.”

The interior was a mishmash of colors and patterns. The light fixtures

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and window coverings were outdated, and concrete tiles covered most of the floor, though the white carpeting in the living room was spotless.

The front and back yards needed attention.

Previous owners had painted the living room’s flagstone fireplace white.

Adding a raised concrete hearth stained a warm brown, along with shelving and cabinets of zebrawood, added a warm snap of color.

The couple refreshed the dining room by removing the draperies and a set of accordion doors and painting the walls. The existing crystal chandelier, though not technically midcentury modern, worked perfectly in the room, so the Govenars left it in place in a tribute to the original home.

Creating an open, efficient area for family and social gatherings meant reconfiguring the kitchen. The couple removed a wall and relocated a small bathroom. A new pantry created more storage space and lessened counter clutter. A new entryway allows for an enticing visual sweep of 60 feet through the kitchen and playroom to the revitalized backyard.

Anigre, an African hardwood, was used for the kitchen cabinets.

Countertops are dark gray flecked with black. Dark-blue concrete tops

Remodeling Homes for Life • Design/Build to your budget • Kitchen / Bath Remodels • Additions • Guest Cottages The Govenar family

the island. On the walls, glass tiles in light blue and opaque white are interspersed with small blue ceramic Spanish accent tiles.

Throughout the house, art by local artists including Joan Moment, Darrell Forney, Gary Dinnen, Eric Dahlin, Peter and Camille VandenBerge, John Tarahteeff, Alan Post, Shirley Hazlett and Ianna Frisby adorns walls and shelves.

“A good designer who is willing to work outside the box smoothes the entire process. It is really an exercise in flexibility.”

“Sacramento has an incredibly robust art scene with some of the most talented artists.” Gayle explains.

“We enjoy supporting them and their work. We especially enjoy meeting them on the Studio Arts tour in September.”

Landscaping, which took a year, began once interior work was complete. What was a “sea of grass” in the front yard became a charming entry/family area buffered from the street, yet still offering views of the park. “We wanted a place where we

could sit and the kids could play,” Gayle says.

Local landscape architect David Gibson planted a hedge of Grecian laurel to divide the space into two distinct areas. On one side of the hedge is a grassy street-side verge. On the other, there’s a patio and a grassy area for children to romp. The frontentry gate is made of powder-coated steel in a simple geometric pattern.

Built from artificial flagstones painted white, the backyard fireplace creates a visual link between the inside and outside spaces.

Utilizing artificial flagstones saved a considerable sum as well. Artificial turf in a shady spot of the backyard play area keeps the children and the sweet family dog from tracking mud into the house.

Looking back on the project, Gayle says she was astounded by the number of decisions involved in remodeling an older home. The process, she points out, requires patience and a sense of humor.

“A good designer who is willing to work outside the box smoothes the entire process,” she says, noting the contributions made by designers Kari Miner and Cheryl Holben, Kristy Lingner of River City Builders and landscape designer Gibson. “It is really an exercise in flexibility.”

If you know of a home you think should be featured in Inside Publications, contact Julie Foster at foster.julie91@yahoo.com n

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29

Where Friendship Flowers IN LAND PARK, A GARDEN CLUB HELPS GROW BONDS BETWEEN NEIGHBORS

BY JILL MAHURIN MEET YOUR NEIGHBORS

I

t was an early-spring morning and Elaine Owens’ 50-year-old wisteria was in full bloom. The grapelike flowers, hanging from a special trellis she had built for the plant’s enormous trunk, filled the afternoon air with their heady perfume. To boot, the azaleas had unveiled their splendid ruffles. It was time, she decided, to invite the neighborhood garden group over.

By 4 p.m. the next day, Owens, her neighbor Lindsay Nevis and other members of the garden group had gathered in Owens’ Land Park yard under the wisteria to sip wine, sample cheeses and compare gardening notes.

“It was a phenomenal sight,” says Nevis, founder of the neighborhood garden group. “It reminds me of something you would have seen in the ’50s, where a bunch of people get together and have a glass of wine and kind of catch up.”

Nevis, a retired speech therapist, started the garden club with the hopes of helping neighbors get to know each other despite their busy lives. During Nevis’ 17 years in the neighborhood, home turnover, the demands of work and busy kids’ schedules had kept people too occupied to get acquainted.

“I think there was a sense for a lot of neighbors that ‘Hey, we don’t know the people who just moved in. They’ve got young kids and we never see them,’” Nevis says. “That was one of the reasons I started thinking about what could we do. And, of course, so many people in this neighborhood have amazing gardens.”

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Lindsay Nevis and Elaine Owens

Nevis’ garden group meets once a month, starting in spring when gardens flower and on through the fall as the leaves turn colors. During the gatherings, neighbors examine up to three gardens a night and get to ask the owners about things like soil amendments, shade plants or how the compost project is coming along.

Nevis and Owens, a retired real estate agent, first invited the neighbors to Owens’ house for a Christmas party, using the neighborhood watch list.

“We had a really nice turnout,” Nevis recalls. “People were just so happy to get together and meet their neighbors.”

The following spring, Nevis asked three neighbors to host appetizers in their gardens on the same night at staggered times. She sent out invitations to the neighborhood to meet at 5 p.m. at the first yard, 6 p.m. at the next and 7 p.m. at the last.

“What was great about that was that if you were an early person, you could go to the 5-to-6 event. Then, when the 6 o’clock group moves on

to the next place, it’s a really easy transition to say, ‘See you later’ and not feel awkward,” Nevis says.

“For the people who really enjoyed themselves, that went on until 11 or 12 o’clock at night.”

The group quickly discovered that they had two Master Gardeners living among them. They all glean gardening tips from the two experts.

“We have deep clay here, so it makes it a real challenge because so many plants need that loamy type of dirt to really do well,” Nevis says.

GARDEN CLUB page 33

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Pretty as a Picture THESE CLUBBERS LOVE TO PAINT ON PORCELAIN

BY GWEN SCHOEN THE CLUB LIFE

Y

ou can do this,” said a confident Bonnie Lee Boeck.

“You just need to know a few techniques.”

I am quite certain that producing the beautiful painted porcelain pieces filling Boeck’s Auburn home takes a bit more than knowing a few techniques.

How about a steady hand, an eye for color, a skill for creating balance and more than a little artistic talent? I’m not sure I could produce such amazing art if it were paint-by-numbers.

Porcelain paint, which is done in very thin layers, is applied in stages, working light to dark.

If it truly is possible for anyone to create porcelain art, where would you begin? Boeck, a member of Camellia City Porcelain Artists, whipped out a list of members in the area who teach in their home studios. That’s how

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Bonnie Lee Boeck, a member of Camellia City Porcelain Artists, started painting 17 years ago.

she got started painting 17 years ago. During a long recovery from an illness, her husband decided she needed something to occupy her time, so he introduced her to a porcelain artist and teacher in the Bay Area.

“I was instantly hooked,” said Boeck, who has since moved to Auburn. “Then I got my mother involved and she became addicted as well.”

“Really, you could do it,” she persisted. “First, you sprinkle out powdered paint. Blend it with

medium. Load your brush and then gently draw the brush across the porcelain in a curved line. See how easy?”

I wasn’t convinced. A few years ago, I tried my hand at painting ceramics. “Absolutely not the same thing,” Boeck scolded. “Ceramics is a craft. This is art. In 1980, President Jimmy Carter deemed porcelain painting an art, not a craft. The resolution, passed by Congress, states that ‘the art of painting on porcelain requires great skill, intensive training

and great artistic ability and produces works of beauty.’”

OK, then. I am forever destined to be a crafter.

“Porcelain painting starts with a white porcelain surface which has been glazed. The powdered paints used are mineral based,” Boeck explained. “After the paint has been mixed with a medium, it is applied to the porcelain with a soft brush, just as you would when painting a canvas.

Porcelain paint, which is done in very thin layers, is applied in stages, working light to dark. After each

layer, the porcelain is kiln fired, then repainted and fired again. Once it’s fired, the paint is permanent. It’s a long process.

“What I enjoy about porcelain painting is the translucent look,” said Boeck. “That makes it possible to create beautiful layers of color and the appearance of texture. You can’t do that with any other painting technique.”

I was thinking about my grandmother’s collection of porcelain teacups as I looked around Boeck’s home. Certainly this art form is not limited to teacups. There were amazing framed paintings on the walls, vases that looked like stained glass, trays, bowls and platters. Boeck had selected a variety of subjects, including the traditional flowers, but also wildlife and cottage scenes. My favorite was a framed picture of three very happy, elegant pigs. Grandma would have loved it.

The Camellia City Porcelain Artists club sponsors lots of workshops and demonstrations during its meetings and encourages beginners and the curious to attend. The club meets at 10 a.m. on the fourth Monday of the month, August through May, at Shepard Garden and Arts Center in McKinley Park. Most meetings include a workshop or speaker demonstrating various painting techniques. The club frequently has special meetings and events on weekends. Annual dues are $30 a year, but visitors are always welcome.

Usually 25 to 30 artists attend meetings.

If you’d like to know more about porcelain art, circle the weekend of Oct. 11 and 12 on your calendar and plan to attend the club’s annual Porcelain Fired Art Show at Shepard Garden & Art Center. You will also find more information on the California China Painting Art Association website, ccpaa.net If you know of an interesting club in the area, contact Gwen Schoen at gwensclubs@aol.com n

GARDEN CLUB FROM page 30

While neighbors share similar soil, their garden projects vary greatly.

One is trying new ways of mulching, while a couple of others are turning their garden sheds into woman caves. One family hired a landscape architect to update their front yard; another remodeled the backyard with a cabana/entertainment room and pool.

Part of the fun is seeing how the gardens change from season to season and year to year.

“I had the garden group come when we had just built this raised bed and there was nothing in it,” Nevis says.

“I put a stake in it that said “under progress.” Then I had the group come back the following year to see how it developed. I’m trying to move toward native plants that are heartier and to get more butterflies and hummingbirds.”

One factor the gardens all share is shade. One family’s backyard is too shady for a vegetable garden, so they planted vegetables in the front yard.

“It’s like adult play,” Nevis says. “It’s engrossing and it can be expensive, but it doesn’t really have to be. My Japanese maple has put off babies and I’ve shared some of those.

People separate (and share) irises, daylilies … I’ve had plants that I can’t stand anymore and I say, ‘Do you want it?’

“Our new neighbors have so much shade... some of the gals went down and said, ‘Hey, let’s try this’ or ‘Here’s some cuttings.’ But I think the main thing is just to support what everybody wants to do in their gardens.”

Nevis’ efforts have blossomed into a nice success. The garden group has given rise to an annual Christmas gathering, as well as spontaneous neighborly friendliness.

“Now when I see someone on the street,” she says, “I wave to them and I know their name, and I can chat about their garden.” n

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33

Big Bucks COMPETITION PITS FUNDRAISERS AGAINST EACH OTHER

BY GLORIA GLYER DOING GOOD

T

he Man/Woman/Students of the Year fundraiser sponsored by the Greater Sacramento chapter of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is a contest with a worthy goal: Candidates compete to see who can raise the most money for the organization.

This year, the competitors raised a record-breaking $480,000, $100,000 above last year’s total.

The top fundraiser was Alex Stamas, who raised more than $125,000 to receive the Man of the Year crown. Stamas is in high school but competed in the adult category.

The other Man of the Year candidates were Jim Anderson, Doug Brauner, Ronnie Cobb, Roland Guillen and Jason Silva.

Dulcy Wilson, a leukemia survivor, was crowned Woman of the Year; Bernice Creager was the runnerup. Other candidates were Yvette Cockrell and Niki Hirst.

Lauren Montee and Austin D’Souza from Cosumnes Oaks High School won the Students of the Year title. They competed against Julianna Hess and Megan HesterMcCullough (Sacramento City College); Christopher Hicks and

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Brendan MacDonald (Davis Senior High School); and Russell Patty and Jason Heathers (Rio Americano High School).

The winners get to name a research grant in honor or in memory of a person of their choice and direct it toward a specific LLS research portfolio.

To get involved with next year’s contest, contact Jennifer Pear at Jennifer.Pear@LLS.org or 929-4720.

For more information, go to mwoy. org/sac

CONSIDER THIS PLACE The Sharing Place, a project of Swing at Cancer, is calling for support via the most reliable way: cash. The Sharing Place needs the funds to continue its mission of providing lodging to families whose children or adult family members are receiving medical care in Sacramento-area hospitals. It’s easy to help out: Write a check to Swing at Cancer and mail it to 5105 F St., Sacramento, CA 95819. For more information, call (916) 452-4663.

THANKS FOR FIVE YEARS After five years of leading the Sacramento chapter of ALS Association, Amy Sugimoto is stepping down as executive director.

She’s returning to WEAVE, where she had previously served as retail operations manager. At WEAVE, she will focus on developing sustainable revenue streams through a new retail concept to be launched.

At ALS Association, Sugimoto helped develop programs and services

for patients and caregivers. Among her achievements, she partnered with UC Davis and Forbes Norris to bring two ALS clinics to the region. She also established the Summer Soiree event and increased revenue from the Walk to Defeat ALS by 150 percent. For more information, go to alssac.org

A CAPITOL CAMPAIGN For the first time in several years, the California State Employees Charitable Campaign increased its take, raising $6.6 million for thousands of nonprofits across the state. The campaign, in its 57th year, allows California state employees to use payroll deduction to support nonprofits of their choice. More than 80,000 state employees in the fivecounty capital region participate. For more information, go to csecc.org

CONNECTING United Way has created an online volunteer center to connect the region’s volunteers and donors with nonprofits. You can go to the site to volunteer, donate unused materials and household items to nonprofits, learn about upcoming special events and advocate for causes. In other words, the online center will do just about everything for those seeking to help or be helped.

To visit the center, go to volunteercenter.uwccr.org

CRAB FUNDS Are crab feeds worthwhile? Ask the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Back in February, its

10th annual crab and shrimp feed raised more than $87,000 for the organization. About 800 crab lovers attended the event, dining on seafood prepared by Dos Coyotes. Save Mart and American Health Care sponsored the feed.

The foundation will hold its Walk to Cure Diabetes on Sunday, Oct. 5.

The foundation will hold its Walk to Cure Diabetes on Sunday, Oct. 5, starting at the west steps of the State Capitol. Corporate teams lined up include Bank of America, General Produce, Save Mart, UC Davis Med Center, SMUD and Hewlett-Packard.

For more information, go to norcal. jdrf.org

GIVING TO A GIVING PROGRAM Walmart gave Saint John’s Program for Real Change a $50,000 grant to expand its employment readiness program, which teaches homeless mothers skills to find a job.

Walmart also gave a $50,000 grant to Placer Food Bank in Roseville for its backpack program and $25,000 to Greater Sacramento Urban League for its education and training program.

Gloria Glyer can be reached at gglyer@sbbmail.com or (530) 4775331. n

HAVE “INSIDE,” WILL TRAVEL 1. Erla Goller, Gina Viani, Diane Grenz, and Carolyn Chatfield in Machu Picchu, Peru 2. Jini Bauer, Carol Bass, Patti Malhoski, Marijana Pavic, Ginny Douglas, Pat Ingoglia, Dorothy Calkins, Nancy Harris, Cindy Daugherty, Vicki Silverbach, Eileen Hayes, Lynn Hall, Barbara Bussey at the Kasbah du Toubkal retreat, Atlas Mountains, Imlil, Morocco 3. Roma Heerhartz next to the sculpture of Gregorius of Nin in Split, Croatia 4. Charla King, Marilyn Poindexter, and Marsha Geremia in Ireland 5. River City Chorale of Sacramento toured the Rhine River singing in various venues 6. Bryan and Brooke Hill at Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris, France

Take a picture with Inside Publications and e-mail a high-resolution copy to travel@insidepublications.com. Due to volume of submissions, we cannot guarantee all photos will be printed.

ILP n INSIDEPUBLICATIONS.COM

35

Tag, You’re It! WHY IT’S IMPORTANT TO LABEL YOUR PLANTS

BY ANITA CLEVENGER GARDEN JABBER

M

y husband gave me a set of tall metal plant markers for our garden years ago. They are still on a shelf in the garage. Back then, I knew the names and locations of everything I’d planted. Labels were for public gardens and forgetful gardeners.

Not for me.

I still know the names of my 60-odd roses, but it sometimes takes me a moment to pull them out of my memory. Will there be a time when I can’t recall them at all? Already I don’t remember the identities of other plants in my garden or in the driveway “pot ghetto.” Once, they all had plastic stick tags, but many are now gone or illegible. Not only do I forget their names, but I don’t remember what I’ve planted or where.

I dig into forgotten dormant bulbs in the winter, wonder what is popping up in the spring and mourn the loss of a small smothered plant during fall cleanup. I need to do better at keeping track.

Things are much better organized in the public gardens where I volunteer. In the Historic Rose Garden in Sacramento Historic City Cemetery, we list all of the roses

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by location in a database, and we hang laminated tags on each rose.

Water-efficient plants at Fair Oaks Horticulture Center are marked with sturdy metal stakes bearing plant labels. It’s good information for visitors and gardeners alike.

Many kinds of plant markers, mounted on wires or stakes, are sold in garden centers and online.

There are some drawbacks to putting upright markers in the garden. I’ve tripped over them again and again.

Inexpensive ones bend out of shape.

Heavy-duty ones can hurt you. They may get overgrown or moved out of position. Still, it’s a simple way to mark what you have—or what you have lost. A sign next to a dead plant or in an empty space may indicate that a plant is gone for good or is just dormant and will come back.

Gardeners are optimists and know that hope and some plants spring eternally.

Every potted plant in my garden came with a label on its pot or a tag stuck into the pot. I find plastic “stick tags” all over the place, like little white grave markers reminding me of dearly departed plants.

My friend Barbara Oliva says that tags “go walking.” While I’ve never seen one move on its own, I’ve watched squirrels toss them aside as they frantically bury a nut, and I’ve heard about dogs or children pulling

them out. Worse yet, kids sometimes move the tags around. Tags break, get buried or fall out. For a while, I used popsicle sticks, but they are only good for a little while until they rot. Plastic or metal is much more durable and more likely to stay put if attached to something rather than stuck into the soil. For roses and other plants with woody stems, you can use wraparound plastic tags that loop and lock. You can also punch a hole into a stick tag and attach it to the plant, its pot or support, or a stake. The tags for my tomatoes are at eye level, fastened onto each cage with a zip tie.

Our favorite material for fastening hanging tags in the cemetery rose garden is strips of nylon stockings, which are an increasingly rare commodity now that women wear pants or go bare-legged. The nylon

is soft, unobtrusive and rots away after a couple of years. More sturdy materials can damage the plant.

Twine, string and wire all have their advocates.

Most “permanent” marking pens will fade in the sun, leaving faint frustrating traces. A soft pencil makes surprisingly durable markings. Other alternatives are printed labels, paint pens or garden pens.

There are many creative ways to label your plants. I’ve visited friends’ gardens where they paint the names of roses onto rocks, plates or handmade ceramic plaques. If you aren’t into garden art, you can make a schematic map of your garden, identifying the locations of your plants. Many people use garden journals to write down what they’ve planted and where, illustrating them with sketches or photos. A simple list of what you’ve planted is better than what I usually do: digging a hole, thrusting a plant into it and losing its tag in the process.

A rose by any name smells as sweet. If you want to know how to take care of it, buy another just like it or recommend it to a friend, you need to know what the heck it is.

Anita Clevenger is a lifetime Sacramento County UC Master Gardener. For answers to gardening questions, call 875-6913 or go to ucanr.edu/sites/sacmg n

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ILP n INSIDEPUBLICATIONS.COM

37

Trash to Treasure POWER INN ART PROJECT TURNS DUMPSTERS INTO CANVASES

BY DEBRA BELT ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

I

t was going to be a great idea or we were going to become a laughingstock,” says Sally Freedlander, vice chair of the Power Inn Alliance board of directors, about the Art of thwe Dumpster project on display this summer at 3101 Power Inn Road.

A look at the dumpsters painted by 10 regional artists confirms that it is a brilliant idea. From bold to cool to glistening chrome, the lowly receptacles have been transformed into symbols of creativity and possibility. “To see what these artists did, how they took one thing and turned it into something completely different, is just one small example of what we can do with our surroundings,” Freedlander says.

Commissioned by Power Inn Alliance, which advocates for the Power Inn business and transportation triangle, and curated by Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission, Art of the Dumpster brings together artists Brenda Louie, Nathan Cordero, Waylon Homer, John Berger, Gioia Fonda, Jim Piskoti, Mark Emerson, Joy Bertinuson, Robert Ortbal and Susan Silvester in an exhibit in which 22-foot-long dumpsters serve as their canvases.

Each artist brought a different approach to the project. Together, the works form a cohesive statement of ingenuity.

Emerson, a veteran painter, transferred his trademark bold and geometric style to an Atlas Disposal dumpster using exterior house paint and 11 daring colors including black, turquoise, orange and light pink. This, he says, is the largest piece he’s ever worked on. The dumpster was “rusty and dirty,” he says, but he wiped it

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The Art of the Dumpster project on display this summer at 3101 Power Inn Road features artwork by 10 regional artists

"Bulldozer with Passengers" by John Piskoti

Joy Bertinuson created a functional piece inspired by a parklet, which invites visitors to sit down and relax

down, scraped off the Atlas label and went to work, spending about six weeks to lay down a double coat of paint and pattern.

Silvester went after her dumpster with a spray washer and primer paint.

“There was rust and gunk and the surface was slick,” she says. Using house paint and acrylics, Silvester created an elaborate forest scene with dreamlike characters. One side depicts daytime in pale green and blue. On the other side, nighttime is rendered in deep blues. “I don’t see it as a dumpster,” Silvester says. “It’s another surface, a blank space that needed painting.”

Piskoti, a retired art professor, tapped into the trash aspect of his dumpster. Large yellow bulldozers dominate the surface of his work, and purple mountains of garbage make up the background. Seagulls and a skunk watch over the scene.

LED lights extend upward to indicate puffs of smoke from the bulldozers.

“I remember going to the city dump,”

he says, “and I was struck by this surreal apocalyptic scene of garbage and bulldozers and seagulls. It was an out-of-this-world experience, and it’s played out every day all over the world.”

Piskoti’s visual commentary reflects the active industry in the Power Inn area, which Freedlander describes as a center for innovation, green jobs and repurposing. The area’s Atlas Disposal is on the "cutting edge of trash, using anaerobic digestion for waste management and employing food waste to run trucks,” she says. “The Art of the Dumpster project initiates inventive thinking and uses art, business and advocacy to draw people into the heartbeat of the Power Inn area.”

Ortbal says this was a different kind of project that called for a different kind of approach. He sorted through 10 possible ideas and opted to have his dumpster painted in chrome. Working with Sacramento Chrome & Paint, Ortbal specified a

Bertinuson's dumpster is one of two with artwork both inside and outside. John Stuart Berger's creation can be seen in the background.

line near the bottom of the dumpster that shows the original surface in varying degrees. “I was trying to get at perceiving the world in a different way—our ethereal nature versus our corporal nature,” he explains. It’s a conceptual piece with a lot of nuance.

Chrome is a highly reflective surface that functions like a mirror, tapping into our narcissistic tendencies. (Some people may check their reflection when viewing the piece.) Ortbal also predicts that the photographic appeal of the chrome piece will be a magnet for social media.

With all the work and creativity invested in the project, one question looms: What will happen to the dumpsters after this summer’s exhibit? Emerson says he wouldn’t mind if his dumpster returned to

its original purpose. But according to Freedlander, it will be impossible to send the dumpsters back to their former life. “We plan to take the collection and sprinkle it throughout the Power Inn community at entry and focal points,” she says. “Our next task is to identify areas and work with landowners to place the art there. We are very optimistic.”

Freedlander says she hopes the art will encourage community dialogue and interaction all summer long with Second Saturday celebrations July 12 and Aug. 9 and free public access from sunup to sundown every day through Aug. 30.

For more information about Art of the Dumpster, go to powerinn.org/art Debra Belt can be reached at fab. studio@att.net n

ILP n INSIDEPUBLICATIONS.COM

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Neighborhood Real Estate Sales Sales Closed May 1 - 20, 2014

95608 CARMICHAEL

4920 OLIVE OAK WAY $410,000 6153 VIA CASITAS $155,000 4909 BOYD DR $249,000 4345 JAN DR $275,000 4353 GALEWOOD WAY $275,000 6105 PALM DR $436,000 25 RIVER BLUFF LN $540,000 5419 KIRKLAND WAY $303,000 1639 ARDEN BLUFFS LN $552,000 5259 MISSION VIEW CT $298,000 6000 ARD AVEN PL $725,000 3200 ASHWOOD LN $200,000 6040 TELESCO WAY $250,000 5900 RANGER WAY $325,000 2553 EL VITA WAY $369,000 6326 PERRIN WAY $390,100 4832 NORTH AVE $425,375 1682 DEL DAYO DR $875,000 6406 LINCOLN AVE $304,500 5631 ENGLE RD $215,000 2404 FALLWATER LN $273,000 6935 LINCOLN CREEK CIR$419,000 2366 VIA CAMINO AVE $132,000 3824 HOLLOWAY LN $162,500 4109 GEYSER LN $420,000 6536 MILES LN $140,000 3216 PETTY LN $158,000 2425 GUNN RD $161,000 4834 CAMDEN CT $340,000 4647 LADERA WAY $359,000

5500 WYNDHAM HILL CT 4727 OAK TWIG WAY 4961 OLIVE OAK WAY 4249 GLENRIDGE DR 5314 ANGELINA AVE 5305 BAUMGART WAY 3700 GORDON WAY 6034 WINDING WAY 3700 ORANGERIE WAY 2917 PALM ESTATES CT 6907 LINCOLN AVE 5205 WHISPER OAKS LN 5541 DYE WAY 7110 STELLA LN #15 2436 VIA CAMINO AVE 5858 SHARPS CIR 4817 MELVIN DR 4720 MARGUERITE WAY 6152 VIA CASITAS 5133 KOVANDA AVE 4307 GALEWOOD WAY 5209 SAGEL CT 4776 OAK TWIG WAY 7220 WILLOWBANK WAY 6032 CHERRELYN WAY 6111 WINDING WAY 5712 FRONTIER WAY 5519 TASHI BELL LN 3927 OAK VILLA CIR

$475,000 $380,000 $465,000 $260,000 $276,000 $280,000 $850,000 $279,000 $284,500 $465,000 $376,000 $426,500 $454,000 $104,000 $125,000 $249,900 $270,000 $575,000 $99,000 $252,500 $349,000 $260,000 $361,250 $385,000 $207,000 $220,000 $455,000 $489,000 $127,000

95816 EAST SACRAMENTO, MCKINLEY PARK

541 38TH ST 1550 36TH ST 216 23RD ST 2731 D STREET 3835 H ST 952 33RD ST 3271 B ST 1125 34TH ST 1511 26TH ST 2504 H ST 3708 S ST 253 39TH ST 601 34TH ST 3117 C ST 1435 38TH ST 1564 34TH ST 3129 CARLY WAY 1547 34TH ST 3177 CARLY WAY 632 39TH ST 1901 23RD ST 719 36TH ST

$420,000 $292,000 $282,000 $354,000 $317,000 $525,000 $360,000 $405,000 $435,000 $553,000 $396,000 $465,000 $570,000 $430,000 $1,225,000 $260,925 $263,000 $329,000 $355,000 $375,000 $379,900 $680,000

95817 TAHOE PARK, ELMHURST 3900 12TH AVE 5508 2ND AVE 3742 BIGLER WAY 5905 TAHOE

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2533 54TH 3335 7TH AVE 2617 51ST ST 2964 43RD ST 3985 SHERMAN WAY 2935 32ND ST 4717 V ST 3351 42ND ST 3331 SAN CARLOS ST

$329,000 $155,000 $304,000 $125,000 $235,000 $170,000 $316,000 $190,000 $230,000

95818 LAND PARK, CURTIS PARK

1972 BIDWELL WAY $353,200 2040 BIDWELL WAY $427,000 1341 MARIAN WAY $735,000 2610 14TH ST $295,000 2724 9TH AVE $381,000 1288 MARIAN WAY $485,000 564 6TH AVE $340,000 2516 SAN FERNANDO WAY $188,000 1531 7TH AVE $810,000 2117 17TH ST $318,000 2666 CURTIS WAY $499,000 1521 W ST $297,500 1845 CARAMAY WAY $360,000 2816 4TH AVE $429,000 2801 14TH ST $545,000 1545 11TH AVE $672,500 2661 DONNER WAY $369,000 1630 9TH AVE $434,700 1020 U ST $435,000 1329 VALLEJO WAY $561,500

3731 17TH ST 2773 PORTOLA WAY 2746 MARSHALL WAY 733 MCCLATCHY WAY

$735,000 $308,000 $540,000 $275,000

95819 EAST SACRAMENTO, RIVER PARK

640 40TH ST $609,900 4100 FOLSOM BLVD #2A $420,000 5737 MONALEE AVE $462,500 5331 SANDBURG DR $445,000 1332 40TH ST $1,050,000 4408 C ST $465,000 558 LAGOMARSINO $479,500 650 52ND ST $370,000 5413 E ST $450,000 544 36TH STREET $510,000 5669 ELVAS $395,000 282 40TH ST $510,000 710 50TH ST $615,000 1425 57TH ST $510,000 5190 MODDISON WAY $334,000 401 SAN ANTONIO $383,000 530 SANDBURG DR $405,000 658 41ST ST $428,025 95 51ST ST $300,000 1352 61ST ST $391,000 4911 B ST $394,500 5400 AILEEN WAY $398,500 5125 J ST $319,000

REAL ESTATE page 43

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41

Don’t Meet Me at the Fair ANNUAL SUMMER EVENT ISN’T ALWAYS KIND TO THE ANIMALS

BY SUE OWENS WRIGHT PETS & THEIR PEOPLE

O

n July 11, the California State Fair will open at Cal Expo, marking 160 years of operation if you count the first agricultural exposition held in San Francisco in 1854. Sacramento has been the state fair’s permanent home since 1859, though the fair has been held at several locations in our city prior to its final move to Cal Expo in 1968. Many older Sacramentans grow misty-eyed recalling the halcyon days when the fair was held on Stockton Boulevard, with its mature shade trees that sheltered fairgoers from the hot August sun. For me, this eagerly anticipated yearly event marked the end of summer vacation and the last hurrah of fun before school started.

In those days, families could dine on delicious homemade meals prepared by local church groups, which also provided complimentary fans for fairgoers to cool themselves while listening to the orchestra playing on the bandstand. Rainbowcolored dancing waters spouted from

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a fountain gracing the facade of the grand old brick Counties building.

That fountain no doubt soothed a few tired feet and cooled the kiddies.

Animal attractions historically have been featured at the state fair, including horse races. I recall the excitement of cheering on our favorite Thoroughbred in many a photo finish.

Undeniably, the most exciting venue has always been the midway, with its thrilling rides and other amusements.

I watched my father pitch his hardearned dimes to win souvenirs for his family at the carnival. Sometimes he’d let me pitch some coins, too, but Dad was a deadeye shot. He nearly

always won a prize, to the delight of his young daughter. Those prizes included stuffed toys, glassware and even live animals such as chameleons, turtles, yellow chicks and fuzzy ducklings. What child could resist?

Fairgoers were intrigued by the exotic chameleons displayed on a bright-green sandwich board to demonstrate their amazing camouflage abilities. Everyone wanted a chameleon, including me. At the end of the day, fairgoers went home with a menagerie of prize pets and no clue of how to properly feed or house these delicate creatures. They came with no care instructions.

Offering live animals as prizes is not a good lesson in kindness to animals for a child, but plenty of other bad lessons have been taught to kids every year at the California State Fair, including live birthing of calves and nursing sows immobilized in cruel birthing crates. You may remember what happened to a stressed pregnant cow several years ago when it panicked and escaped its enclosure. I look forward to the fair every year. I have missed only one in my life, but this tragic incident almost soured me on attending it ever again.

I understand that the bovine births are now being televised from remote cameras to reduce the animals’ stress in an already-stressful situation.

The state fair has never seemed to me a very kind place for animals.

Animals and entertainment for the masses isn’t always a good mix. I find myself pitying the poor creatures in livestock barns, races, rodeos, elephant rides, petting zoos and on the midway. Sacramento summers are typically hot, and though some precautions are taken to cool them, many of the animals look miserable.

I’m sure that is even truer for animals in midway sideshows. Back in the 1960s, fairgoers might have seen sideshow “freaks” like the Amazing Five-legged Lamb and the Giant Vietnamese Rat, which wasn’t really a rat at all but a capybara, a large semiaquatic rodent from South America.

The fair finally ceased giveaways of animals on the midway, but I was dismayed last year to see that goldfish were still offered as prizes in various carnival booths. Goldfish are also

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living, feeling beings, and they have no place on the state fair midway.

Think how hot the water in those tiny fish bowls must get on a triple-digit day. You can imagine where those fish end up when the novelty wears off, if they survive that long. Animal-rights groups have been trying to persuade officials to stop allowing goldfish to be offered as carnival prizes at this year’s fair. I hope they succeed. The animals have never been winners in these games of chance. In fact, most have no chance of survival.

I hope that the California State Fair will restrict prize giveaways on their midway to stuffed toys and other inanimate objects and will take steps to ensure that henceforth our state fair is kind to all animals.

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43

Nice Guys Win TAKE A MOMENT TO SAY SOMETHING UPLIFTING OR ENCOURAGING

This “nice” stuff wasn’t as easy as

in my workplace.” The second part

it sounds. I was beginning to wonder

were a true reflection of Apostle

is an effort “to say something nice,

if nice guys really do finish last.

Paul’s admonition in Colossians 4:5-6:

uplifting or encouraging.”

is to bring out the best in others in a

my email program chirped. Hoping

conversation, not put them down, not

I may have missed the formal day,

the Baptists were sending revised

cut them out.”

but I can still salvage the sentiment.

instructions, I quickly checked my

After all, chaplains get paid to avoid

in-box.

uplifting things.

R

ecently I was sitting in my hospital office, staring at the June calendar, when I

noticed I’d missed participating in the eighth annual Say Something Nice Sunday on June 1.

In case you missed it, too, the day

“Be gracious in your speech. The goal

office charting patient visits when

derogatory comments and promote

SPIRIT MATTERS

An hour later, I was back in my

to visit patients, this should be easy.

Well, I thought, as I left the office

BY NORRIS BURKES

say something nice to me. His words

demeaning or derogatory to anyone

At a nearby nurses’ station, I saw

The email was from Rev. Christopher Flesoras, a Greek Orthodox priest from Roseville. He’s

my first opportunity to kick off my

a newly commissioned chaplain in the

pledge drive. Behind the desk sat

Air National Guard and is in line to

a familiar doctor wearing a bright

replace me when I retire next month.

checked shirt.

His email contained a nice thank-you

“I like that pink shirt, doctor,” I said.

for my mentorship during the past year.

He responded with a glare.

“He doesn’t think it’s pink,” a

He sounded as if he could be bucking to become grand marshal

nurse said in his defense. “He says it’s

of the Say Something Nice Sunday

orange.”

Parade, even.

“Be gracious in your speech. The goal is to bring out the best in others in a conversation, not put them down, not cut them out.”

was organized by a Baptist church in

“Aren’t those red squares on a

But his note, like his recent life,

Charleston, S.C., to encourage people

white background?” I asked her.

took a solemn turn. Flesoras asked

the Say Something Nice pledge

to be nice. Participants are asked

“Don’t red and white make pink?”

for prayers for his 41-year-old wife,

because people like Flesoras inspire

to take a two-part Civility Pledge.

“I tried to tell him that,” she

Krissy, as she undergoes more clinical

me to believe that being nice to others

trials for lung cancer.

just might help our world. And just

The first part contains a promise to

whispered. The doctor dismissively

“Refrain from saying anything ugly,

swiveled his chair away from us.

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ILP JUL n 14

“Please ask your readers to pray for

At the end of the day, I’ll be taking

to be clear, I know June 1 has passed,

Krissy,” he said. “Every prayer lifted

but I’m thinking we’ll need more than

up and intercession with God is a

just one Sunday a year.

blessing for her and, by extension, for our family.”

This athletic mother of two had

Norris Burkes is a chaplain, syndicated columnist, national

been battling lung cancer for the past

speaker and author of the book “No

two years. And before you ask, she

Small Miracles.” He has posted a link

never smoked cigarettes. In fact, she’s

to Krissy Flesoras’ blog documenting

the one out of every nine lung-cancer

her saga and providing resources for

victims stricken through apparently

those who support people with lung

no fault of their own.

cancer on his website, the chaplain.

Wow. Here was a guy who took a moment, literally on his way to the doctor’s office with his sick wife, to

net n

Art Preview GALLERY ART SHOWS IN JULY

The b. sakata garo gallery will exhibit lamps by Garry Knox Bennett July 1 to Aug. 2.Shown: Bronze daffodil lamp. 923 20th St.; bsakatagaro.com

Archival Gallery presents new summer-themed paintings by Robin Leddy Giustina and sculpture using found objects by Richard Feese July 9 to Aug. 4. Shown: “Bikes and Legs”

by Robin Leddy Giustina. 3223 Folsom Blvd.; archivalframe.com

ART HOUSE presents Friends of ARTHOUSE Artists from July 12 to Aug. 4. Shown: Orange Perfume by Elaine Bowers.

1021 R St.; arthouse-sacramento.com

“Champagne” is the first exhibition in the newly remodeled space at Verge Center for the Arts.

Curated by San Francisco visual and performing artist Yarrow Slaps, the show runs through Aug. 24. Shown: a painting by Angela Dalinger. 625 S St.; vergeart.com

Viewpoint Photographic Art Center’s annual Members Show is always exciting for the quality and range of photographic art it showcases. The exhibit runs July 8 to Aug. 2.

Shown: “Golden Gate Structure” by Rhonda Campbell. 2015 J St.; viewpointgallery.org

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45

Swim Smart SIX SAFE-SWIMMING TIPS THAT AREN’T COMMON SENSE

landlocked timeout because she knows you shouldn’t swim right after you eat. Nonsense. There has never been a single documented case of a person drowning as a consequence of eating. The swimming-eating myth probably arose from the commonsense observation that if you exercise hard on a full stomach, you may get a “stitch” in your side. Few recreational swimmers swim at that level of intensity, and even if you did, a cramp isn’t going to make you sink like a rock. Your muscles will work just fine—and get you to the shore or shallow water if necessary.

BY DR. AMY ROGERS SCIENCE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD

T

his month, many of us will escape the heat in a pool or the Sacramento or American rivers. Swim safety is a priority, with the No. 1 goal being to prevent drownings. But there’s more to a healthy swim experience than not drowning. To enhance your aquatic adventures, here are six smart swimming tips that come from science, not common sense.

Clear water isn’t necessarily clean water. Swimming pool water should be clear, but clarity alone doesn’t mean the water is free of disease-causing microorganisms because germs are invisible to the eye.

A pool’s main defense against germs is a mixture of chlorine-containing molecules collectively called free chlorine. At the proper concentration and pH, free chlorine will kill bacteria and other microbes in the water.

If you’re wondering whether your favorite pool has the right chemical balance to control germs, you can check it yourself by buying chlorine test strips and dipping one in the water. Or use your nose: There should be a faint whiff of bleach near the water surface.

46

ILP JUL n 14

An excessive “chlorine” smell at the pool means someone needs to add more chlorine.

An excessive “chlorine” smell at the pool means someone needs to add more chlorine. Most people think that an eye-irritating odor around a pool is a sign of too much chlorine in the water. In fact, that strong smell isn’t free chlorine.

It’s chloramines. Chloramines are formed when free chlorine reacts with contaminants in the pool, especially urine. The way to get rid of that smell is to shock or superchlorinate the pool with enough free chlorine to turn the chloramines into a gas (ammonia) that dissipates into the air. Be aware that a stinky pool may also be a germy pool because, unlike free chlorine,

chloramines are not very good at killing microbes.

Avoid swimming in public waters after a heavy rainfall.

Runoff from a storm washes soil, animal waste and sewage overflow into lakes, rivers and ocean shores, increasing the number of potentially dangerous bacteria in the water. The effect is temporary; most diseasecausing germs naturally die off within a day or two.

Go ahead and swim after eating. Junior just finished a bowl of ice cream and wants to jump in the pool. But Mom puts him on

Use extra sun protection around water. Solar ultraviolet radiation causes sunburns and damages DNA, raising your risk for skin cancer. Being near water increases your sun exposure because some of the radiation is reflected. If you’re in the path of that reflected ultraviolet light, you get a double dose, from above and below. The direction of the reflected light depends on the angle at which the sun is hitting the water. At midday, when the sun is straight overhead in the sky, light is reflected straight up—at people in or on the water. If you’re in a boat, a hat alone won’t protect your face. By contrast, in late afternoon, WRITING LIFE page 49

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The Big Picture TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS NEED TO TAKE HEALTH IMPACTS INTO ACCOUNT

BY WALT SEIFERT GETTING THERE

M

aking decisions can be difficult, as anyone who lives with an endlessly equivocating Libran knows.

Good decisions are guided by information about all potential consequences. When choices are made in a knowledge vacuum, or if only partial ramifications are considered, outcomes are likely to be less than optimal.

That’s why governments (and private developers) are starting to do health impact assessments before embarking on major transportation and development projects.

Transportation projects are often especially massive in scope and cost.

Their impacts are profound and enduring.

Ideally, health impact assessments make health an explicit consideration when evaluating all public policies— not just transportation and land-use projects. It’s a more holistic approach.

Community health shouldn’t be ignored. Health assessments create better projects and policies by involving the public and evaluating long-term effects. They insure benefits and harms are equitably

48

ILP JUL n 14

spread among the vulnerable, such as the young and old or economically disadvantaged.

Canadians and Europeans have done formal health impact assessments for several decades. More recently, U.S. agencies have started to use them, mostly on a voluntary basis. In 1986, the World Health Organization urged policymakers to “be aware of the health consequences of their decisions and to accept their responsibilities for health.”

The California Department of Public Health notes that “the most important determinants of health and disease are subjects of policymaking in institutional sectors outside

the authority of the public health sector.” In other words, government officials make a multitude of decisions that affect health, usually without any input from public health professionals. Dr. Richard Jackson, a former California state health officer, said, “Transportation decisions are health decisions.”

You might think that impacts to human health are already analyzed in the environmental impact reports required for major projects. They are, but only to a degree. The physical environment is the focus of those reports, not health. Transportation projects do affect air and water quality. In turn, poor air quality is

associated with strokes, heart disease, lung cancer, asthma and other respiratory diseases. Water quality may affect cancer rates and cause other diseases.

Dirty air and water have decidedly unhealthy consequences, but in developed countries such as the United States, those consequences are only part of the picture. Other impacts of big transportation projects directly affect human life and limb.

A road widening usually results in higher vehicle speeds and greater difficulty in crossing the street.

This can lead to vehicle crashes, more serious crashes and motorist, pedestrian and bicycle injuries and fatalities. The dangers and downright

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BeltLine had been built without the assessment.

When updating its general plan, the Humboldt County board of supervisors had its public health agency consider the health impacts of three future growth alternatives, ranging from restricting development to existing urban areas to allowing continued sprawl. The public health officer partnered with a nonprofit to conduct a health impact assessment. County planners and a community group participated.

The conclusion was that the most compact development alternative would improve health outcomes for almost all 35 community-prioritized indicators, while the sprawl alternative would harm health.

Knowledge is power, including the power to do good.

Walt Seifert is a bicyclist, pedestrian, driver and transportation writer. He can be reached at bikeguy@ surewest.net n

expands. Even from a modest depth of, say, 10 feet, the change in volume of the air can be enough to damage your lungs. If you hold your breath while rising from greater depths, air expansion can kill you.

Use these science-based tips when applicable, and use common sense for everything else. Have fun and be safe in the water!

Amy Rogers is a writer, scientist and educator. Learn more at her website, ScienceThrillers.com n

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biking trail under the elevated Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) train tracks for 12 miles from East Oakland to Hayward. Proponents hoped that more open green space would make it easier for residents to be active and help fight the increasing incidence of diabetes and obesity. The assessment concluded the project would increase physical activity, foster social contacts between neighbors and reduce stress.

By recommending that the greenway connect to existing bike or walking paths, the assessment further encouraged activity. Discussions revealed security concerns were a barrier to greenway use. The assessment recommended lighting, other design features and creating a citizen watch group to patrol the trail.

In Georgia, health assessors made similar recommendations for the Atlanta BeltLine, a project to develop 22 miles of an abandoned railroad. According to the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, the project will “promote the health of local residents” far more than if the

WRITING LIFE FROM page 46 the sun is lower on the horizon and light skips off the water at an angle closer to the ground. People on the shore will catch those reflected rays.

Don’t borrow air from a scuba diver. Do you ever take a big breath and see how deep you can dive?

Or have you been snorkeling and followed a fish to the bottom? Then you’ve tried freediving, which is swimming deep while holding your breath. Serious freedivers include spear fishermen and anyone catching California abalone, which by law may not be taken using scuba gear.

Say you’re freediving and you encounter a scuba diver. You borrow some air from the scuba tank. This gives you extra time to explore, maybe to bag another abalone, and then you hold your breath and swim to the surface as usual. Sounds great, right?

Wrong. The air from the scuba tank is compressed by the pressure of the water column above you. As you ascend, the pressure decreases, and the air you’re holding in your lungs

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nastiness of roads designed to maximize speeds and car volume discourage trips made by public transit, walking or cycling. The resulting reduced physical activity has a huge and negative impact on health.

There is an average increase of about 40 minutes per day of physical activity for participants in the Natomas Unified School District Safe Routes to School program. This is according to a health assessment done by the Centers for Disease Control and the UCLA School of Public Health. The extra activity increased the percentage of students who are active for at least 30 minutes every day from 12.8 percent to 21.4 percent.

There are many examples of health impact assessments improving, creating support for and even justifying and helping to secure funding for projects.

A health impact assessment for the East Bay Greenway proposal lent support to the project and came up with recommendations to make it better. The proposed project was to build a greenway with a walking/

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49

Soccer Star SACRAMENTO REPUBLIC FOOTBALL CLUB PRESIDENT SHOOTS FOR THE MAJOR LEAGUE

BY R.E. GRASWICH SPORTS AUTHORITY

W

arren Smith was in high school when he played his first soccer game.

He survived less than one minute.

As the game began, the ball came toward Smith. An opposing player executed a technique known as the slide tackle. The opponent slid into Smith and Smith’s leg snapped.

The broken bone ended his soccer career.

Fortunately for Sacramento soccer fans, the devastation of a high school sports injury didn’t destroy Smith’s appreciation for soccer or sports.

Today, as president of the Sacramento Republic Football Club professional soccer team, Smith is trying to lead the city to the promised land of bigtime soccer.

He’s off to an impressive start. The Republic, which two summers ago was a figment of Smith’s imagination, is the hottest ticket in town, with about 5,100 season ticket holders and more box-office demand than can be satisfied. Not bad for a club that lacks a permanent home and plays in a developmental minor league.

“We’ve been blessed with early success,” Smith says. “But I tell our

50

ILP JUL n 14

Warren Smith is president of Sacramento Republic Football Club

people we’ve got a long way to go.

This is only the beginning.”

Smith knows about pacing and patience. He has seen countless pro sports teams disintegrate in Sacramento, from indoor (and outdoor) soccer and outdoor (and indoor) football to hockey. Amid the wreckage of broken franchises, Smith can present himself as a unique Sacramento sports promoter, the guy who has done it right, twice.

About 18 years ago, Smith and Bob Hemond dreamed up Raley Field and the Sacramento River Cats, which became one of the most successful minor-league baseball teams in history. Smith went on to run minor-

league baseball and soccer franchises in Portland, Ore., rescuing them from bankruptcy and helping turn them into multimillion-dollar assets. He did this without leaving Sacramento.

Today, Smith is applying the triumphs and errors from his sports background to the Republic, which is building a temporary home at Cal Expo after selling out three games at Hughes Stadium on the Sac City College campus.

“It’s pretty basic,” he says. “We keep close watch on our expenses and put our focus on marketing and promotion. Sports teams get in trouble because they spend too much.

We won’t do that.”

For an entrepreneur who has inspired soccer fans across the Sacramento region to buy Republic tickets, hats, shirts and scarves, Smith has a professionally detached view about soccer. Maybe it’s the broken leg.

“Let me make it clear, I love soccer,” he says. “But what we’re doing isn’t about soccer. It’s about Sacramento. We want to give Sacramento an attraction where people can gather and have fun and celebrate our community.”

Soccer is the perfect vehicle for Smith’s dream of community involvement because Sacramento loves soccer. Before Smith sold one

Republic ticket, he immersed himself in data that confirmed 130,000 soccer players in the region and some of the nation’s highest TV ratings for World Cup matches. He knew pro soccer would work, if the product, marketing and promotion were done right.

One early challenge was hooking up with the right league. In the United States, pro soccer leagues come and go like commuter trains, leaving and arriving on the hour. Smith went with the USL Pro league, a 14-city alignment with player development pipelines to the big-time, Major League Soccer.

“Let me make it clear, I love soccer,” he says. “But what we’re doing isn’t about soccer. It’s about Sacramento. We want to give Sacramento an attraction where people can gather and have fun and celebrate our community.”

That’s why Smith cautions Republic employees about getting too excited about early success. The long-term goal is full membership in the MLS. Smith won’t celebrate until

the Republic and Sacramento are established as MLS material.

“We need three things to get an MLS franchise,” Smith says. “First, we need a proven market. We’re demonstrating that right now.

Second, we need representative owners. We’ll have that. And third, we need a downtown urban stadium, or at least a clear path to one with site control and a financing plan.”

The stadium piece is most difficult.

Smith is considering eight sites around the downtown grid, including the railyards, where a new arena for the Kings was planned before the switch to Downtown Plaza. Smith figures he will need $100 million for an 18,000-seat pro stadium. He hopes taxpayers will agree to subsidize about $30 million.

Talk of a rival suburban MLS stadium in Elk Grove doesn’t bother Smith. The MLS, he says, isn’t interested in suburban stadiums, noting, “They’ve learned the model works best in the urban core, where you generate excitement before and after games, which only last 90 minutes.”

For the next few years, the Cal Expo stadium, named Bonney Field after the plumbing company, will have to satisfy Sacramento’s thirst for soccer. With only 8,000 seats at Cal Expo, Smith worries about disappointing eager fans. He knows selling tickets can be either the easiest thing or the hardest thing in sports.

R.E. Graswich can be reached at reg@graswich.com n

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THEATRE GUIDE Maple and Vine

The Submission

Thru – July 20 Capital Stage Company 2215 J St 476-3116 Capstage.org Katha and Ryu have become allergic to their 21st century lives. After they meet a charismatic man from the a community of 1950s re-enactors, they forsake cell phones and sushi for cigarettes and Tupperware parties.

Exploring feminism, racism, homophobia, and marital strife.

Provenance Thru July 26th B Street Theatre 2711 B St 443-5300 Bstreettheatre.org This is a charming metaphysical drama and magical story of Cleo, a librarian, high atop a mountain. Her self-imposed isolation is broken, only to teach an older gentleman to read, and Frances, a worldly woman, on a quest to read a list of 100 books.

Teatro Espejo One Act Festival

»Thru – July 5« Big Idea Theatre 1616 Del Paso Blvd, Sac 960-3036 BigIdeaTheatre.com Complex, new drama about an AfricanAmerican family struggling to leave the projects, has just been selected for the nationals preeminent play festival. A young, white, gay playwright, submitted his work under a pseudonym in the hope of increasing its chances for production by hiring a black actress to stand in for him as author.

Great Train Robbery Ride July 12 – July 26 Sacramento River Train 400 N Harbor Blvd, W Sac 800 866-1690 Lauren.dinnertrain@gmail.com Take a ride back to the Old West on the Sacramento River Train! During the 3 ½ hr trip, keep an eye for outlaws who tend to hide out along the tracks. Guests will de-board the train and a BBQ lunch will be served in kid-friendly Elkhorn Park.

South Pacific

Thru July 27th Wilkerson Theatre 1723 25th St Teatroespejo@hotmail.com “Las Nuevas Tameleras” is a bilingual play, captures three contemporary Latinas in an uproariously comical attempt at making tamales for the first time.

Journey’s End Thru July 6th California Stage Theatre 2509 R St 451-5822 CalStage.org This study in war abandons the notions of “war” that echo in hometown newsprint or the mouths of politicians in favor of the War lived by those who fight. A surreal Waiting for Godot with only cold lead and poison gas to look forward to.

July 22- July 27 Wells Fargo Pavillion 1419 H St 557-1999 This Rodgers and Hammerstein classic features some of the most beautiful music ever composed for theatre. Love transcends both the harsh realities of war and social stereotypes in this sweeping tale that won a Pulitzer Prize and 10 tony Awards. “some Enchanted Evening” and “I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair.”

Davis Shakespeare Festival Thru Aug 3rd Veterans Memorial Center 203 East 14th & B St, Davis 530 802-0998 Shakespearedavis.org “Much Ado About Nothing” and “She Loves Me”.... check website for scheduled performances.

Les Miserables

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Thru July 13th Davis Musical Theatre 607 Pena Dr, Davis 530 756-3682 The musical masterpiece that has swept the world for over 25 years, comes to the Davis Musical theatre Company stage for the first time in this end of the season.

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Many Hats MORE THAN AN ACTOR, HE ALSO WRITES, TEACHES, DIRECTS AND DOES VOICEOVERS

BY JESSICA LASKEY ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

W

hen people use the term “Renaissance man,” they’re usually being generous. If you’re using it to describe Matt K. Miller, you’re being accurate.

Miller is one of those rare artistic professionals who does more than just act. He also directs, teaches, writes award-winning plays and lends his expressive, resonant voice to everything from commercials to anime. Yes, you read that right: anime.

“When I was living in Los Angeles, I submitted a cassette tape—that tells you how long ago it was—to an anime producer I knew,” says Miller, who was cast as Tenchi in the Cartoon Network anime series “Tenchi Muyô!”

Matt Miller

“I really tried to do it all in L.A. I got a lot of anime work because I could record really fast.

You have to be able to act, have a character and match the ‘lip flap’ of the animation."

Miller’s cartoon work is just one fascinating facet of his career, which started back in his native Rockville Centre, N.Y. He did theater in high

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school and college, then looked for a place where he could spread his wings.

He didn’t want to go straight to New York without a union card, so he headed to Chicago instead. It was the early 1980s, a good time to be an actor in the Windy City. With consistent acting work, it wasn’t long before he earned his membership card for all three unions: Actors’ Equity Association, the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. After eight years in Chicago, Miller moved to Los Angeles in 1990.

“I really tried to do it all in L.A.,” Miller says. “I got a lot of anime work because I could record really fast. You have to be able to act, have a character and match the ‘lip flap’ of the animation. It’s tricky, but I happened to have a knack for it.”

There, he added to his résumé, working in anime, theater, television and film. He had roles on the soap operas “Santa Barbara” and “General Hospital” and appeared in the film “Gods and Generals.” But Miller wasn’t satisfied living in L.A. “I was working a lot but had no real artistic satisfaction,” he admits.

“I wasn’t happy in L.A. My first marriage was breaking up, and I

found I was happier doing work out of town.”

A majority of those out-of-town opportunities were coming from Sacramento Theatre Company, where Miller was performing regularly. (In fact, the first time I ever saw Miller onstage was at STC in 2003 in “Fully Committed,” a manic one-man show in which Miller played a total of 40 distinct characters.) STC’s thenartistic director, Peggy Shannon, loved working with Miller so much that she offered to keep him busy onstage if he moved to Sacramento.

Move Miller did, in the one week he

had off between “Fully Committed” and his next show.

"I rented a truck, packed up my stuff in L.A. and got outta Dodge,” Miller says.

Now situated in Sacramento, Miller has worked as both an actor and director with nearly every professional theater company in town, including STC, B Street Theatre, Capital Stage and New Helvetia. He even served as STC’s artistic director during the 2010-2011 season. But it was his connection to Sacramento Shakespeare Festival that got him going on his current career track.

"I directed ‘Twelfth Night’ for the festival,” Miller recalls, “and because the plays are technically part of a class at Sacramento City College, the school made me an adjunct professor so I could direct. After ‘Twelfth Night,’ they offered me Storytime— directing children’s theater—and this year I’ll be teaching Intro to Acting as well.”

Miller is not new to teaching, considering he’s done one-on-one actor coaching for years as well as

led master classes for STC’s Young Professionals Conservatory and sessions at various summer camps.

But teaching gives him the stability he was longing for, especially since settling down with his wife, Katherine, and having a child.

“People kept telling Kat that she should meet me,” Miller says.

(You can hear his grin all the way through the phone.) “So many people tried to set us up that she thought, ‘Is he paying you people?!’” The persistence paid off: After a six-month engagement, the pair married onstage at STC in May 2006 and welcomed their son, Max, two years later.

While Miller and his wife are both professional actors, they might have to make way for the newest addition to the acting clan. “Max played Tiny Tim in ‘A Christmas Carol’ at STC,” Miller says proudly. “He stole the show. Now he’s been asking when he can be in a show again.”

With a Renaissance man like Miller as his dad, you can sure that Max will be wowing the world in no time. n

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Celebrating Spiritual Awareness COMMUNITY SUPPORT GROUP HOSTS HOLIDAY CARNIVAL

By Jessica Laskey RIVER CITY PREVIEWS

Y

ou can celebrate not only the founding of our fair nation, but also the universal good that lives in us all at the Center for Spiritual Awareness’ 4th of July Carnival: Picnic & Performance in West Sacramento.

The CSA was founded in 1998 to provide compassionate, spiritual support to its members and the community at large—regardless of race, gender, religion or sexual orientation—under the spiritual leadership of the Rev. Georgia Prescott. Combine that with traditional Fourth of July fare (hot dogs, potato salad and apple pie), original performances and familyfriendly activities galore, and you’ve got one kickin’ carnival.

Festivities begin at noon, when children are turned loose outside the CSA’s 12,500-square-foot facility to bop in the bounce houses, enjoy the slick Slip ’n’ Slide, get their faces painted and dunk (or get dunked) in the dunk tank. At 1:30 p.m., the CSA Teens group will present an original theater piece, “America the Change,” that incorporates spoken word, dance

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Scene from the Center for Spiritual Awareness' 4th July Carnival. Photo by David Seals Photography

and musical duets on cello and violin to explore their experiences growing up American.

Next, the team at Generation Next Media will perform “The Living Constitution: A Lively Look at the Creation of America,” which was commissioned by the Sacramento Public Library for its 2012 “One Book” celebration and has since been performed around the region at elementary schools, high schools and churches. The witty, high-energy romp through 250 years of the making of a nation will have history buffs, patriotic parents and energetic kids highly entertained.

Admission to the picnic is free.

Admission for both performances is a suggested donation of $10 for adults and $5 for children under 12, though no one will be turned away for inability to pay. Satisfy your hunger with a hot dog, potato salad and

beverage combo for $2, plus plenty of separate side dishes and desserts to choose from.

For more information, call CSA at 374-9177. The Center for Spiritual Awareness is at 1275 Starboard Drive in West Sacramento.

ROCK THE CROCKER Summer is in full swing, so why not cool off and catch some even cooler activities at the Crocker Art Museum this month?

First up is Art Mix/Hip Hop from 5 to 9 p.m. on Thursday, July 10.

Get hyped for everything hip-hop including live performances by FLOW Sacramento (featuring the Element Brass Band), hip-hop DJ sets by Sacramento’s best mix-masters, a music video showcase presented by Sol Collective, a DIY beat laboratory and writing workshop, wearable

mix tape art making, plus in-gallery performances by Foreign Native.

Shop at the Hip Hop Pop Up Shop for local music, merchandise and more, enjoy under-$5 drink specials all night and 10-minute talks on the current exhibition “African American Art: The Harlem Renaissance, Civil Rights Era and Beyond If classical music is more your jam, don’t miss the Classical Concert at 3 p.m. on Sunday, July 13, featuring musicians from the Camellia Symphony under the direction of conductor Christian Baldini.

The concert will highlight female composers and their compelling stories, and music, to complement the “Workt by Hand: Hidden Labor and Historical Quilts” exhibition.

Be a cool cat and get down at the Jazz in the Courtyard concert at 6 p.m. on Thursday, July 17, featuring MJ’s Brass Boppers, a “singing and swinging” party band that will

transport you to New Orleans with its sensational Southern sound. Tickets are $6 for members, $10 for students and kids, $12 for nonmembers.

Has your tyke ever dreamed of being locked in a museum overnight like Ben Stiller in the kooky adventure movie “Night at the Museum”? From 5 to 9 p.m. on Thursday, July 24, make their dreams a reality with the Night at the Museum event presented by the Crocker with the help of the Sacramento Theatre Company. Kids can wear their PJs or dress up as their favorite character from the movie while they enjoy art activities, live animal shows, screenings of the film, dancing and more at this familyfriendly fun fest. The event is free for members and is included in general admission.

For tickets and more information on all Crocker events, call 808-1182 or go to crockerartmuseum.org The Crocker Art Museum is at 216 O St.

UNDER THE BIG TOP It’s supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!

“Mary Poppins” flies into the Wells Fargo Pavilion from July 8 through 13 as part of the Sacramento Music Circus season.

You surely won’t need a spoonful of sugar to swallow this whimsical Disney classic, complete with flying nanny (played by Julie Andrews in the film, who won an Academy Award for her portrayal), bottomless bag and famously hummable songs. For this show only, you can get a $20 discount off tickets in the yellow, red or blue seating sections for kids ages 4-12.

Just don’t feed the birds …

Ride an umbrella from England to the sunny “South Pacific” for the musical of the same name on July 22 through 27. The Rodgers and Hammerstein classic will have you singing before you even sit down, with songs like “Some Enchanted Evening,” “Bali Ha’I,” “Younger Than Springtime” and “I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair,” tunes that helped the show win a Pulitzer Prize for drama in 1950 and 10 Tony Awards when it debuted on Broadway in 1949. The

show, which explores themes of love, war and race amid a lush musical backdrop, inspired the movie that was the third-highest-grossing U.S. film in the 1950s.

For tickets and more information, call 557-1999. The Wells Fargo Pavilion is at 1419 H St.

THE FOREST FOR THE TREES See the great outdoors depicted by a great artistic eye when artist Matt Bult’s solo exhibition “Meadow/ Wood” comes to the Alex Bult Gallery (the names aren’t coincidence: the gallery is owned by Bult’s son) from July 10 through Aug. 2.

Bult is a multimedia mastermind, making arresting artwork with everything from traditional acrylics and watercolor to assemblage and collage to found pieces of wood. This particular exhibition was inspired by a meadow near Bult’s Nevada City home and is dedicated “to the memory of our dog Kira, who passed away on March 10th, 2014,” Bult says.

Meet the award-winning artist at the preview party from 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, July 10 or during the Second Saturday artist reception from 6 to 9 p.m. on Saturday, July 12. For more information, call 476-5540 or go to alexbultgallery.com The Alex Bult Gallery is at 1114 21st St., Suite B.

BIG FUN! Just as it’s starting to get blistering outside, it’s time for the state’s biggest outdoor extravaganza: the 2014 California State Fair is open for business July 11-27 at Cal Expo. Just be sure to bring your sunscreen.

With 70 exhilarating midway rides, statewide competitions for everything from art to agriculture, wine and beer gardens, livestock displays, live horse racing, free concerts galore and more food than you could ever consume in one sitting—get a deep-fried Snickers; you’ll thank me—the State Fair has the most summer excitement you can get for a single ticket.

For tickets and more information, go to bigfun.org Cal Expo is at 1600 Exposition Blvd.

DROP-DEAD AWESOME Whether you’ve jumped on the zombie bandwagon or cover your eyes during ads for “The Walking Dead” television show, the Trash Film Orgy (TFO) Zombie Walk is sure to draw undead aficionados of all kinds on Saturday, July 12, which also marks the opening of the 14th annual TFO Film Festival.

Started in 2001, the Zombie Walk is designed to promote the TFO Film Festival, and it’s better than ever this year. Beginning at 5 p.m. at Roosevelt Park (940 P St.), get your zombie

on at the free Carnival of the Dead, which will include hours of undead entertainment (including live music with Tragically White), food trucks (including Squeeze Inn and Fuzion), professional make-up stations, a zombie shooting gallery, dancing, carnival games, vendors, contests, prizes and more. At 9 p.m., the Dead Walk starts, which is a largescale performance art experience where folks dress up as zombies and infiltrate the streets of midtown.

New this year, the TFO will actually shut down 10th Street to do a zombie parade to the tunes of the Undead Marching Band.

Once you’ve dragged your undead self around midtown, the party continues at 10 p.m. at the Dead Party at the Crest Theatre (1013 K St.) for the opening night of the TFO Film Festival, which will feature a stage performance and a special screening of “Dawn of the Dead.”

Though the Crest event is only for adults 18 and over, the rest of the evening’s events (the Carnival of the Dead and the Dead Walk) are open to all ages. Bloody good!

For more information, go to trashfilmorgy.com

SUMMER STRUMMIN’ What do you get when you combine talented young musicians, top-notch instruction and fun, free performances? The 25th annual Festival of Concerts, presented by the Sacramento Youth Symphony’s Summer Chamber Music Workshop and directed by Susan Lamb Cook, on July 9, 16, 18, 19 and 20 at various venues.

Founded in 1990 by Cook, the summer session of the SYS Summer Chamber Music Workshop introduces young musicians to chamber music literature and rehearsal techniques through individualized coaching in duets, trios and quartets with music professionals, as well as public performance opportunities. Over the years, the program has gone from teaching 15 participants with three teachers to serving more than 70

Artist Matt Bult's solo exhibition comes to Alex Bult Gallery July 10 through Aug. 2

PREVIEWS page 56

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This year’s Festival of Concerts will feature student chamber ensembles at noon on two Wednesdays, July 9 and 16, at Westminster Presbyterian Church (1300 N St.) and at 3 p.m. on Friday, July 18 at Capistrano Hall at California State University, Sacramento (6000 J St.). The students will be joined by faculty performers at the Festival Chamber Concert at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 19 in the Music Recital Hall at CSUS. The annual Concert in the Courtyard, featuring orchestra, piano and woodwind students from the SYS

Chamber Music Workshop joined by faculty players, will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, July 20 at St. Anthony’s Memorial Center at St. Anthony’s Church (660 Florin Road), with a reception following in the courtyard.

For more information, call 731-5777 or go to sacramentoyouthsymphony.org

LOOKING GOOD The name of the GOOD Street Food + Design Market really says it all. The modern market is an amalgam of local vendors selling everything from food to furniture

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with an emphasis on education and community, and the next market takes place from 1 to 5 p.m. on Sunday, July 6 on Del Paso Boulevard.

The award-winning event is designed to bring consumers and creators into direct contact.

Merchants must go through a rigorous selection process to offer their wares, which range from artists offering home decor, furnishings, clothing and jewelry to fine food purveyors, local chefs, grocers, bakers and organics urban farmers serving delectable—and sensible—food items.

Groove to live music while you shop for local products and you’ll be saying

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one thing when the afternoon is over: “That was GOOD!” The GOOD Street Food + Design Market takes places the first Sunday of every month at 1409 Del Paso Blvd. For more information, go to gooddesignmarket.com Please email items for consideration by the first of the month, at least one month in advance of the event. Jessica Laskey can be reached at jessrlaskey@ gmail.com n

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The 25th annual Festival of Concerts, presented by the Sacramento Youth Symphony’s Summer Chamber Music Workshop is scheduled for July 9, 16, 18, 19 and 20 at various venues.

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OUT

CONTRIBUTED BY JILL BOOTH MACDONELL Green Thumbs The Land Park Volunteer Corps’ work day on May 3 was fruitful and productive. Join the corps on Saturday, June 7 from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Fuel up with a complimentary breakfast from Espresso Metro and cool off after a day of digging with lunch provided at the picnic tables at Base Camp (behind Fairytale Town). For more information, call lead coordinator Craig Powell at 718-3030 or email him at ckpinsacto@aol.com.

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Two Good THESE TWO MEAT & CHEESE SHOPS ARE TOPS IN DOLING OUT DELICIOUSNESS

BY GREG SABIN RESTAURANT INSIDER

T

here’s something convivial about a plate of meat and cheese. Maybe it’s because it’s meant to be shared, each diner groping and grabbing, stabbing at the plate with knives, forks and fingers. A pile of beautifully shaved meat sitting daintily, enticingly on a strong wood-grain board surrounded with pickled bits is as close to art as simple food gets.

Sure, you can create a visual, auditory, olfactory and gustatory masterpiece with an amazing variety of equipment, time and skill. You can master the world of molecular gastronomy or modernist cuisine or zero-gravity braising. You can paint a plate with smears and smudges and foams. But that’s a different world.

The world I find myself gravitating toward is one of perfectly aged ham, sliced translucent-thin, a solid triangle of sheep’s milk cheese and a pile of vinegar-soaked veggies. It’s a world I do not tire of. A world that I’ll return to for any occasion, not just a special occasion.

Lucky me, then, that I got to sample the wares at Sacramento’s two newest meat-and-cheese joints.

We’ll start with Block Butcher Bar. Located right next door to LowBrau Bierhall on 20th and K streets, Block feels a world away from the high-pitched party atmosphere at the popular sausage-and-beer hangout. Owned by the same group as LowBrau, Block feels like a place for more quiet contemplation—serene revelry, if you will.

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Warm your belly with a classic from The Cultured and The Cured, mac and cheese made with fiscalini cheddar and parmigiano reggiano

The music is low. The waiters and waitresses show no skin. The walls are adorned with meat hooks and pickling spices. The beauty of wood and steel and hundreds of bottles of whiskey creates the right vibe for you to enjoy the simple, but by no means plain, treats that will be put before you.

Other than a handful of appetizers and a decent grilled cheese sandwich, Block’s menu is as simple as “pick your meat, pick your cheese.” That’s it.

The meat selection is lovely, sophisticated and not so large as to be overwhelming. The cheese selection is easily broken down into four simple

categories: cow, goat, sheep and blue.

This is not an intimidating selection for the average diner. You do not need to have majored in curds and minored in whey to understand what is going on. However, should you just not want to choose, the cultured servers will be happy to bring out a plate of their favorites. But whatever you do, don’t skip the Iowa white spread, a seasoned whipped lard concoction that melts on toast and tastes wonderfully like pig butter.

Along with the well-curated selection of meats and cheeses is a selection of brown alcohol large enough to make comprehending it difficult. More than 100 bottles of

whiskey rise up the ceiling, looming over the bar with their glowing brownness. Whether you are a fan of single-malt, blended, bourbon, rye, American, Canadian, Irish, Scotch or Japanese (that’s right, Japanese), you’ll find a nip of something to your liking. For nondrinkers, there’s an exceptional array of hand-mixed colas and other nonalcoholic treats.

Compared to the cacophony next door at LowBrau, and the overall party happening most nights on 20th Street, Block feels like a little oasis where adults are allowed to eat, drink and feel comfortable acting like adults.

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A bit farther down J Street in East Sac, you’ll come across a brighter, lighter, cheerier version of Block Butcher Bar: The Cultured & The Cured. This little (and I mean little) meat-and-cheese shop feels much more like a shop and less of a restaurant than Block. The deli case is front and center, showcasing another well-curated variety of incredibly fine culinary delights.

A small selection of plates is available to eat on-site or off, but they are worth the stop. This is going to sound like a bit of overstatement but here goes: C&C probably has the best mac and cheese in town.

There, I said it.

Rich, thick, cheesy, it’s everything you want mac and cheese to be. A fork will stand up in it. A crispy cracker of fried prosciutto actually does stand up in it. Peas are thrown in when in season. It’s my ultimate m&c.

Get ready for another: best grilled cheese in town, too.

I don’t know that I’d order a grilled cheese anywhere else. These people turn perfectly delicious firm

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cheeses into beautiful lava flows of scrumptious dairy on ridiculous bread, then add little touches like sauteed seasonal mushrooms. I have simply never had better.

Other dishes blow it up as well.

Yummy bites like brie and asparagus bread pudding and fresh pea soup are handled deftly and with skill.

With a few tweaks to the seating arrangement (on a recent visit, all the tables were on the sidewalk) and the addition of a beer and wine license (can’t even bring your own), it’ll be a perfect hang for after-work and earlyevening meals.

Insider tip: C&C will deliver across J Street to local favorite Bonn Lair.

Block Butcher Bar is at 1050 20th St.; 476-6306; blockbutcherbar.com The Cultured & The Cured is at 3644 J St.; 732-3600; culturedandcured.com Greg Sabin can be reached at gregsabin@hotmail.com n Block Butcher Bar is located on 20th Street in Midtown

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INSIDE’S

The Coconut Midtown

Italian Stallion

2502 J Street 440-1088 Lunch Delivery M-F and Happy Hour 4-6

3260B J St. 449-8810

L D $-$$ Beer/Wine Food with Thai Food Flair

L D $-$$ Thin-Crust Pizza, Deserts and Beer in an intimate setting and popular location

The Waterboy

La Trattoria Bohemia

2000 Capitol Ave. 498-9891

Midtown

MIDTOWN

Jack’s Urban Eats

1800 L St. 447-9440

L D $ Full Bar Made-to-order comfort food in a casual setting • Jacksurbaneats.com

Aioli Bodega Espanola L D $$ Full Bar Patio Andalusian cuisine served in a casual European atmosphere

Biba Ristorante 2801 Capitol Ave. 455-2422 L D $$$ Full Bar Upscale Northern Italian cuisine served a la carte • Biba-restaurant.com

Buckhorn Grill 1801 L St. 446-3757 L D $$ Wine/Beer A counter service restaurant with high-quality chicken, char-roasted beef, salmon, and entrée salads

Café Bernardo 2726 Capitol Ave. 443-1180 1431 R St. 930-9191

1230 20th St. 444-0307

B L $ Wine/Beer Southwestern fare in a casual diner setting

Moxie

5340 H St. 473-3333

2028 H St. 443-7585 D $$-$$$ Eclectic menu in a boutique neighborhood setting

1215 19th St. 441-6022

Chicago Fire

1716 L St. 443-7685

Paesano’s Pizzeria 1806 Capitol Ave. 447-8646 L D $$ Gourmet pizza, pasta, salads in casual setting • Paesanos.biz

Paragary’s Bar & Oven 1401 28th St. 457-5737 D $$ Full Bar Outdoor Patio California cuisine with an Italian touch • Paragarys.com

Suzie Burger 29th and P Sts. 455-3300 L D $ Classic burgers, cheesesteaks, shakes, chili dogs, and other tasty treats • suzieburger.com

58 Degrees & Holding Co.

The Streets of London Pub

1217 18th St. 442-5858

1804 J St. 498-1388

L D $$$ Wine/Beer California cuisine served in a chic, upscale setting • 58degrees.com

L D $ Wine/Beer English Pub fare in an authentic casual atmosphere, 17 beers on tap

Fox & Goose Public House

Tapa The World

1001 R St. 443-8825 B L D $-$$ Wine/Beer English Pub favorites in an historic setting • Foxandgoose.com

Harlow’s Restaurant 2708 J Street 441-4693 L D $$ Full Bar Modern Italian/California cuisine with Asian inspirations • Harlows.com

Italian Importing Company 1827 J Street 442-6678 B L $ Italian food in a casual grocery setting

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5530 H St. 452-8226

L D Full Bar $$-$$$ Patio Mediterranean cuisine in a casual, chic atmosphere • Luccarestaurant.com

B L D $ No table service at this coffee roaster and bakery, also serving creative artisanal sandwiches

B L D $-$$ Full Bar Outdoor Dining Fresh Mexican food served in an upscale, yet familyfriendly setting • Ernestosmexicanfood.com

Opa! Opa! 5644 J St. 451-4000

1615 J St. 669-5300

Old Soul Co.

1901 16th St. 441-5850

BLD $ Wine/Beer Unique boulangerie, café & bistro serving affordable delicious food/drinks all day long • lesbauxbakery.com

Nopalitos

L D $$ Full Bar Patio Regional Mexican cooking served in a casual atmosphere • Paragarys.com

Ernesto’s Mexican Food

L D $$-$$$ Full Bar Patio Regional Mexican cuisine served in an authentic artistic setting • zocolosacramento.com

Lucca Restaurant & Bar

2730 J St. 442-2552

B L D $-$$ Wine/Beer Outdoor Dining Crepes, omelets, salads, soups and sandwiches served in a casual setting

1801 Capitol Ave. 441-0303

L D Wine/Beer $ Fresh Greek cuisine in a chic, casual setting, counter service

L D Full Bar $$$ Modern American cuisine in an upscale historic setting

1730 L St. 444-1100

5090 Folsom Blvd. 739-1348

Les Baux

D Full Bar $$ Middle Eastern cuisine in a Moroccan setting

Centro Cocina Mexicana

Crepeville

Zocolo

2115 J St. 442-4388

Mulvaney’s Building & Loan

D $$ Full Bar Chicago-style pizza, salads wings served in a family-friendly atmosphere • Chicagofirerestaurant.com

L D Wine/Beer $-$$ Italian and Czech specialties in a neighborhood bistro setting

Kasbah Lounge

B L D $-$$ Wine/Beer Patio Casual California cuisine with counter service

2416 J St. 443-0440

3649 J St. 455-7803

L D $$-$$$ Full Bar Patio Fine South of France and northern Italian cuisine in a chic neighborhood setting • waterboyrestaurant.com

2115 J St. 442-4353 L D $-$$ Wine/Beer/Sangria Spanish/world cuisine in a casual authentic atmosphere, live flamenco music - tapathewworld.com

Thai Basil Café 2431 J St. 442-7690 L D $-$$ Wine/Beer Patio Housemade curries among their authentic Thai specialties Thaibasilrestaurant.com

Selland's Market Cafe

EAST SAC 33rd Street Bistro 3301 Folsom Blvd. 455-2233 B L D $$ Full Bar Patio Pacific Northwest cuisine in a casual bistro setting

Burr's Fountain 4920 Folsom Blvd. 452-5516

B L D $$-$$$ Wine/Beer High quality handcrafted food to eat in or take out, wine bar

Star Ginger 3101 Folsom Blvd. 231-8888 Asian Grill and Noodle Bar • starginger.com

Thai Palace Restaurant 3262 J St. 446-5353 L D $-$$ Wine/Beer Authentic Thai cuisine in a casual setting

B L D $ Fountain-style diner serving burgers, sandwiches, soup and ice cream specialties

Clark's Corner Restaurant 5641 J St. L D Full Bar $$ American cuisine in a casual historic setting

Clubhouse 56 723 56th. Street 454-5656

BLD Full Bar $$ American cuisine. HD sports, kid's menu, beakfast weekends

Evan’s Kitchen

DOWNTOWN Foundation

400 L St. 321-9522 L D $$ Full Bar American cooking in an historic atmosphere • foundationsacramento.com

Chops Steak Seafood & Bar 1117 11th St. 447-8900 L D $$$ Full Bar Steakhouse serving dry-aged prime beef and fresh seafood in an upscale club atmosphere • Chopssacramento.com

855 57th St. 452-3896

Downtown & Vine

B L D Wine/Beer $$ Eclectic California cuisine served in a family-friendly atmosphere, Kid’s

1200 K Street #8 228-4518

menu, winemaker dinners • Chefevan.com

Educational tasting experience of wines by the taste, flight or glass • downtownandvine.com

East Sac-Midtown Taqueria

Ella Dining Room & Bar

3754 J St. 452-7551 B L D $ Authentic Mexican specialties in a Southwestern setting

Español 5723 Folsom Blvd. 457-3679 L D Full Bar $-$$ Classic Italian cuisine served in a traditional family-style atmosphere

Formoli's Bistro 3839 J St. 448-5699 B L D Wine/Beer Patio $$ Mediterranean influenced cuisine in a neighborhood setting

1131 K St. 443-3772

L D $$$ Full Bar Modern American cuisine served family-style in a chic, upscale space • Elladiningroomandbar.com

Esquire Grill 1213 K St. 448-8900 L D $$-$$$ Full Bar Outdoor Dining Upscale American fare served in an elegant setting • Paragarys.com

Estelle's Patisserie

901 K St. 916-551-1500 L D $$-$$$ French-inspired Bakery serving fresh pastry & desserts, artisan breads and handcrafted sandwiches.

EstellesPatisserie.com

T N RA U A ST RE IL Y M FA D AN LL SE A

French-inspired pastries, cakes and breads handcrafted on-site every morning by artisan bakers and chefs!

FRIDAYS Doughnut Day &

SUNDAY Croixnut Day (flavor changes every week)

FRENCH TEA SERVICE $25/PERSON Set menu includes: tea sandwiches, assorted pastries, macaroon, tarts and choice of organic tea (reservation required)

Located on the corner of 9th & K in downtown Sacramento M-F 7-6, Sat 8-6, Sun 8-4 | 551-1500 | info@estellspatisserie.com

( A L L J U LY ) LUNCH, DINNER & HAPPY HOUR SPECIALS RARE BOURBONS & BOURBON DRINK SPECIALS WWW. ELLA DINING ROOM AND BAR.COM 1131 K STREET DOWNTOWN SACRAMENTO 916.443.3772

Sacramento’s Oldest Restaurant

ESPAÑOL Since 1923

East Sacramento’s Urban Winery Open for Wine Tasting, Lunch & Dinner Wednesday - Sunday

Concerts in our Patio For schedule visit us on

CabanaWinery

ITALIAN RESTAURANT

$10 OFF Total DINNER food order of $40 or more

With coupon. Cannot be combined with other discounts.

Expires 7/31/14.

$5 OFF

Total LUNCH or DINNER food order of $25 or more With coupon. Cannot be combined with other discounts.

Expires 7/31/14.

5723 Folsom Boulevard 457-1936 5610 Elvas Ave. (Between H & Fst.)

(916)476-5492

cabanawine.com

Dine In & Take Out • Cocktail Lounge • Banquet Room Seats 35 Lunch 11-4 pm • Dinner 4-9 pm Sundays • 11:30-9 pm • Closed Mondays

www.espanolitalian.com Closed June 27 - July 7

ILP n INSIDEPUBLICATIONS.COM

61

Fat's City Bar & Cafe 1001 Front St. 446-6768 D $$-$$$ Full Bar Steaks and Asian specialties served in a casual historic Old Sac location • Fatsrestaurants.com

The Firehouse Restaurant 1112 Second St. 442-4772 L D $$$ Full Bar Global and California cuisine in an upscale historic Old Sac setting • Firehouseoldsac.com

Frank Fat’s 806 L St. 442-7092

L D Full Bar $$-$$$ Chinese favorites in an elegant setting • Fatsrestaurants.com

Il Fornaio 400 Capitol Mall 446-4100

Mikuni Japanese Restaurant and Sushi Bar 1530 J St. 447-2112 L D Full Bar $$-$$$ Japanese cuisine served in an upscale setting • Mikunisushi.com

Morton’s Steakhouse 621 Capitol Mall #100 442-50 D $$$ Full Bar Upscale American steakhouse • Mortons.com

Parlaré Eurolounge 10th & J Sts. 448-8960

Ten 22

McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood Restaurant 1111 J St. 442-8200 L D $$ Full Bar Upscale seafood, burgers in a clubby atmosphere • Mccormickandschmicks.com

13th Street and Broadway 737-5115 steakhouse • Ironsteaks.com

D $$$ Wine/Beer Five-course gourmet demonstration dinner by reservation only • Thekitchenrestaurant.com

Jamie's Bar and Grill

La Rosa Blanca Taqueria

427 Broadway 442-4044

2633 Riverside Drive 448-9988 L D $$ Full Bar Upscale American cuisine served in a contemporary setting • Riversideclubhouse.com

Taylor's Kitchen

L D Wine/Beer $$ American bistro favorites with a modern twist in a casual, Old Sac setting ten22oldsac.com

D $$S Wine/Beer Dinner served Wed. through Saturday. Reservations suggested.

LAND PARK Casa Garden Restaurant 2760 Sutterville Road 452-2809 L D $$ • D with minimum diners call to inquire $$ Wine/Beer. Elegantly presented American cuisine. Operated by volunteers to benefit Sacramento Children's Home. Small and large groups. Reservations recommended • casagardenrestaurant.org

2924 Freeport Boulevard 443-5154

Tower Café 1518 Broadway 441-0222 B L D $$ Wine/Beer International cuisine with dessert specialties in a casual setting

Willie's Burgers 2415 16th St.444-2006 L D $ Great burgers and more. Open until 3 am weekends

ARDENCARMICHAEL Andaloussia 1537 Howe Ave. 927-1014 L D $-$$ Authentic Moroccan cuisine, lunch & dinner specials, belly dancing weekends • bestmoroccanfood.com

Bella Bru Café 5038 Fair Oaks Blvd. 485-2883 B L D $-$$ Full Bar Espresso, omelettes, salads, table service from 5 -9 p.m. • bellabrucafe.com

Café Vinoteca 3535 Fair Oaks Blvd. 487-1331 L D $$ Full Bar Italian bistro in a casual setting • Cafevinoteca.com

Chinois City Café 3535 Fair Oaks Blvd. 485-8690 L D $$ Full Bar Asian-influenced cuisine in a casual setting • Chinoiscitycafe.com

Ettore’s

L D Full Bar $$-$$ Fresh Mexican food served in a colorful family-friendly setting

Leatherby’s Family Creamery 2333 Arden Way 920-8382 L D $ House-made ice cream and specialties, soups and sandwiches

Lemon Grass Restaurant 601 Munroe St. 486-4891 L D $$ Full Bar Patio Vietnamese and Thai cuisine in a casual yet elegant setting

Matteo's Pizza 5132 Fair Oaks. Blvd. 779-0727 L D Beer/Wine $$ Neighborhood gathering place for pizza, pasta and grill dishes

The Mandarin Restaurant 4321 Arden Way 488-47794 D $$-$$$ Full Bar Gourmet Chineses food for 32 years • Dine in and take out

Roma's Pizzeria & Pasta 6530 Fair Oaks Blvd. 488-9800 L D $$ Traditional Italian pizza & pasta Family Friendly Catering + Team Parties • romas-pizzaand-pasta.com

Roxy 2381 Fair Oaks Blvd. 489-2000 B L D $$-$$$ Full Bar American cuisine with a Western touch in a creative upscale atmosphere

Ristorante Piatti 571 Pavilions Lane 649-8885 L D $$ Full Bar Contemporary Italian cuisine in a casually elegant setting

Sam's Hof Brau 2500 Watt 482-2175 L D $$ Wine/Beer Fresh quality meats roasted daily • thehofbrau.com

Thai House 427 Munroe in Loehmann's 485-3888 L D $$ Wine/Beer Featuring the great taste of Thai traditional specialties • sacthaihouse.com

Willie's Burgers

B L D $-$$ Wine/Beer Patio European-style gourmet café with salads, soup, spit-roasted chicken, desserts in a bistro setting • Ettores.com

burgers and more n

4235 Arden Way 487-4979 L D $ Beer/Wine British Pub Grub, Nightly Dinner Specials, Open 7 Days

ILP JUL n 14

3032 Auburn Blvd. 484-0139 2813 Fulton Ave. 484-6104

2376 Fair Oaks Blvd. 482-0708

Kilt Pub

62

2225 Hurley Way 568-7171

L D $$-$$$ Full Bar Upscale neighborhood

1022 Second St. 441-2211

Hock Farm Craft & Provision L D $$-$$ Full Bar Celebration of the region's rich history and bountiful terrain • Paragarys.com

The Kitchen

Riverside Clubhouse

Grange

1415 L St. 440-8888

Iron Grill

Rio City Café

L D $$-$$$ Full Bar Seasonal menu of favorites in a setting overlooking river • Riocitycafe.com

B L D Full Bar $$$ Simple, seasonal, soulful • grangerestaurant.com

2535 Fair Oaks Blvd. 481-5225 L D $ Full Bar Made-to-order comfort food in a casual setting • Jacksurbaneats.com

D $$ Full Bar Relax with drinks and dinner in this stylish downtown space

1110 Front St. Old Sac 442-8226

Jack’s Urban Eats

B L $ Award-winning baked goods and cakes for eat in or take out • Freeportbakery.com

2966 Freeport Blvd. 442-4256

L D $ Full Bar Featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. Dine in or take out since 1986

L D Full Bar $$$ Fine Northern Italian cuisine in a chic, upscale atmosphere • Ilfornaio.com

926 J Street • 492-4450

Freeport Bakery

5050 Fair Oaks Blvd. 488-5050L D $ Great

WE ARE NOW OPEN IN DOWNTOWN SACRAMENTO!

New Client Special: Unlimited Month For $100 barre studio

Downtown Sacramento | 1011 8th Street & J Street | 916.400.3343 Roseville | 1611 Lead Hill Blvd. | 916.783.8367 Folsom | Broadstone Marketplace | 2766 East Bidwell | 916.351.8361 sac@thedaileymethod.com www.thedaileymethod.com

SENIORS EAT FREE!

J O I N U S F O R O U R F AT H E R ’ S D A Y

If you’re a senior, at least 55 years young, purchase one entrée at regular price and receive a second entrée FREE!

A S I A

B I S T R O

www.fatsbistro.com

1500 Eureka Road, Roseville (916) 787-3287 2585 Iron Point Road, Folsom (916) 983-1133

Maximum discount $15, one discount per senior. Offer good May 1 - July 31, 2014. Dine in only.

Must present proof of age. Not valid for Happy Hour nor in combination with any other offer.

What to Plant?

Where to Plant?

When to Plant?

We solve problems, renew old gardens or create a garden oasis just for you.

We are a father daughter team with 40 years experience in the nursery business and garden design. Our experience makes us uniquely qualified to help your garden thrive.

$200 for 2 Hour Consultation (drawing and notes included)

Visit TheGardenTutors.com or Call 606-6029 ILP n INSIDEPUBLICATIONS.COM

63

Coldwell Banker

#1 IN CALIFORNIA

ADORABLE LAND PARK COTTAGE! 2BD hrdwd flrs, CH&A, dual pane windows, updtd bath w/jetted tub, vintage tiled kitchen, liv rm frplc, french doors in din rm to great deck, & a beautiful park-like yrd w/winding paths. $289,000 PALOMA BEGIN 628-8561 CaBRE#: 01254423 GREAT ELMHURST DUPLEX! Close to UCD Med Center, shopping, Sac State. Each unit has a frplce, wood flrs, all newer applnces & a garage. Unit on 54th St side has granite cnters, tile flring, marble bathrm counters, freshly painted, newer fence. Unit on V St side, 2bd/2 full ba, blt-ins. $398,950 CORRINE COOK 952-2027 CaBRE#: 00676498 MIDTOWN DUPLEX! Desirable location. C-2 Zoning. 1bd, 1ba units. Close to restaurants, galleries, eclectic boutiques & public transportation $399,000 MIKE OWNBEY 616-1607 CaBRE#: 01146313

MIDTOWN – TAPESTRI SQUARE! New Semi-Custom hms. FINAL PHASE! $405,000 to $795,000.

Models Open Th-Su 11a-4p at 20th & T St.TapestriSquare.com MICHAEL ONSTEAD 601-5699 CaBRE#: 01222608

CURTIS PARK CUTIE! 3 bedrooms, 2 baths with a sitting room off the master bedroom. Remodeled kitchen and pretty backyard. $559,000 SUE OLSON 601-8834 CaBRE#: 00784986

NESTLED ABOVE THE SHORE OF THE AM. RIVER! On over an acre, this sunny split-level hm is freshly renovated, with 3bd/2.5ba, den, gourmet kitch-fam rm & frml dining rm. HUGE VISTA RM RIGHT AT THE RIVER'S EDGE! Lrg river-front patio & lawn big enough for cocktails for 100 guests! Lrg bsemnt. 2 car attached garage. $1,595,000 GEOFF WILLIAMS 341-7456 CaBRE#: 01460174

TREMENDOUS POTENTIAL! 4bd/2ba, 2289 sqft hm w/ great bones. Frml entry, wonderful living rm lrg brkfst rm, partial basement, & detached 2 car garage. $584,900 BOB LYSTRUP & PALOMA BEGIN 628-5357 or 628-8561 CaBRE#: 00991041 & 01254423

LOTS OF POTENTIAL! 3 bedrooms, 2 baths on wonderful lot. Lots of potential and close to park. $499,000 SUE OLSON 601-8834 CaBRE#: 00784986 COZY UPDATED POCKET HALFPLEX 2/2 halfplex w/remodeled kitchen,bath. Frplc, freshly painted inside/out, 2-car garage. Home, pest inspections completed, recommended work done. Move-in ready. Close to shopping, SABRA SANCHEZ 508-5313 CaBRE#: 10820635

LARGER CORNER LOT! Updated kitchen w/granite countertops & stnless appliances, wood floors in LR and DR, enclosed breezeway, RV accessibility. $239,000 SUE OLSON 601-8834 CaBRE#: 00784986

SOUTH LAND PARK! Original Owner & in beautiful condition. Marble flrs in entry & frml dining rm w/frplce. Lrg master ste has spacious bthrm. Glass doors in front & off back of hm. Blt-in pool & a grassy side yard.

Carport, granite in the kitch & tiled flrs. $450,000 SUE OLSON 601-8834 CaBRE#: 00784986

PICTURE PERFECT IN THE POCKET! Refined Elegance awaits you in this 3 story custom 4143 SF rare find located in the desirable Dutra Bend at Riverlake. $999,000 JEANINE ROZA & SINDY KIRSCH 548-5799 or 730-7705 CaBRE#: 01365413 & 01483907

PENDING

CHARMING BRICK TUDOR! The bright & cozy living rm w/reconstructed frplce opens to the frml dining. The updtd black & white kitch is spacious w/rm for a little eat- in table. Entertain in the lrg bckyrd w/deck & brick patio.

New tandem 2 car gar. $359,000 THE POLLY SANDERS TEAM 341-7865 CaBRE#: 01158787 & 01781942 JUST LISTED! This Land Park 2 bed, 2ba offers spacious den and family rm along with pool. Great Mid-Century home for entertaining. $317,000 THE WOOLFORD GROUP 834-6900 CaBRE#: 00679593, 00680069, 01778361

THE L STREET LOFTS! City living w/open views, concierge, quality finishes! 4 unique flr plans from $345,450. Models Open W-M, 10a-5p. LStreetLofts.com MICHAEL ONSTEAD 601-5699 CaBRE#: 01222608

SPACIOUS HOME! 3bd/2.5ba hm, features a generously sized frml living & dining rms. Kitch boasts tons of cabinetry & space for informal dining & opens to family rm w/blt-ins & frplc. Lovely backyard. $389,900 THE WOOLFORD GROUP 834-6900 CaBRE#: 00679593, 00680069, 01778361 STUNNING SAC RIVERFRONT MASTERPIECE! Breathtaking views & tranquil setting. Situated on just under 1ac. 5bd, 4ba, 4,490 +/- sf, plus a 4,000+/- sf prking gar for up to 12 cars! $1,595,000 MAGGIE SEKUL 341-7812 CaBRE#: 01296369

METRO OFFICE 730 Alhambra Boulevard, Sacramento 916.447.5900

BRIGHT & AIRY! Spacious flr plan w/separate living/dining rm & fam rm. Adjacent rm off the fam rm could be 4th bd, game rm or office. Upstrs has a loft, 2bd w/a Jack & Jill bath & lrg mstr ste. Bckyrd w/covered patio. $369,000 CHIP O’NEILL 341-7834 CaBRE#: 01265774

FANTASTIC LAND PARK LOCATION! Wonderful 3bd/3ba hm. Open concept liv rm & din rm, a huge kitch, patio area for entertaining, 2-car garage, & a great bckyrd. $589,000 BOB LYSTRUP 628-5357 CaBRE#: 00991041

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