Inside Pocket Mar 2020 by Inside Publications

MARCH 2020

POCKET

POCKET • GREENHAVEN • SOUTH POCKET • LITTLE POCKET • RIVERLAKE • DELTA SHORES EAST SACRAMENTO • McKINLEY PARK • RIVER PARK • ELMHURST • TAHOE PARK • CAMPUS COMMONS ARDEN

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7316 Willow Lake Way - $429,000 ORIGINAL OWNER SOUTH LAND PARK HILLS. Wonderfully cared for 3 bed / 2 bath single story. Separate living room and family room, kitchen corian counters. CONNIE LANDSBERG 916-761-0411 DRE-00850625

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1230 Noonan Drive - $799,500 SOUTH LAND PARK TERRACE. 4 bed / 2 bath 2268 sf. One-of-a-kind contemporary with Fab kitchen, cherry cabinets, big island, stainless steel appliances, great master. DAVID KIRRENE 916-531-7495 DRE-01115041

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5948 Park Village Street - $525,000 EAST LAND PARK VILLAGE by TIM LEWIS. 3 bed / 2 bath Mediterranean style single story home in S Land Park. Fabulous upgrades throughout, Private custom patio. E 01870143 JAMIE RICH 916-612-4000 DRE-01870143

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7621 Chappelle Way - $495,000 ELK GROVE HOME BUILT IN 2015. 5 bed / 3 bath, exceptionally maintained Featuring upstairs loft, beautiful laminate ﬂoors, landscaped backyard. JULIANNE PARK 916-541-8403 DRE-01999740

SOLD

2431 Brentley Drive - $323,000 DARLING BRENTWOOD VILLAGE 3 bed / 1 bath. Lovingly care for with new interior paint, new carpet, refinished hardwood floors, new bath vanity, fireplace. KELLIE SWAYNE 916-206-1458 DRE-01727644

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106 Hidden Lake Circle – 440,000 AMAZING SINGLE STORY BENSON & SEDAR home. 3 bed / 2 bath on quiet street. Gorgeous kitchen remodeled in 2017. Spacious family room with ﬁreplace. River close. MONA GERGEN 916-247-9555 DRE-01270375

SOLD

9239 Chianti Way - $330,000 HEART OF ELK GROVE Stunning single story 3 bed / 2 bath home on large lot. Newer lighting and windows, park-like backyard, converted 3rd bedroom. HILARY BUCHANAN 916-397-7502 DRE# 01359213

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EVERY DAY IS A GOOD DAY TO MAKE YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD A BET TER PL ACE. MARCH 2020

MARCH 2020

EAST SAC

SUZANNE MURRAY

ARDEN

MARCH 2020

LAND PARK/GRID

POCKET

PATRICIA PRENDERGAST

BRYAN VALENZUELA

MARCY FRIEDMAN

CASSIE BERUBE

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

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

LAND PARK • CURTIS PARK • HOLLYWOOD PARK • SOUTH LAND PARK • THE GRID • OAK PARK

POCKET • GREENHAVEN • SOUTH POCKET • LITTLE POCKET • RIVERLAKE • DELTA SHORES

ARDEN

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

•

ARCADE

•

SIERRA OAKS

•

WILHAGGIN

•

DEL PASO MANOR

•

CARMICHAEL

LAND PARK • CURTIS PARK • HOLLYWOOD PARK • SOUTH LAND PARK • THE GRID • OAK PARK

ARDEN

POCKET • GREENHAVEN •

POCKET • GREENHAVEN • SOUTH POCKET • LITTLE POCKET • RIVERLAKE • DELTA SHORES

SOUTH POCKET • LITTLE POCKET • RIVERLAKE • DELTA SHORES

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ARCADE

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SIERRA OAKS

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WILHAGGIN

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DEL PASO MANOR

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CARMICHAEL

ARDEN

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ARCADE

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SIERRA OAKS

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WILHAGGIN

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DEL PASO MANOR

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CARMICHAEL

LAND PARK • CURTIS PARK • HOLLYWOOD PARK • SOUTH LAND PARK • THE GRID • OAK PARK

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info@insidepublications.com PUBLISHER Cecily Hastings EDITOR Cathryn Rakich editor@insidepublications.com

DOREEN IRWIN Doreen Irwin paints horses, pets, people and more, capturing her subjects in a realistic manner. She is an avid horsewoman, and retired after 37 years as a music professor at Sacramento City College. The public is invited to her 14th annual “Art in The Barn” show April 18–20 at her Elverta ranch. Shown: “Sweet Dreams,” oil, 18 inches by 14 inches, was awarded a 2019 INSIDE Publisher’s Award in the California State Fair Fine Arts Competition. It is available for purchase for $950. Visit doreenirwin. com or contact doreenirwin@comcast.net.

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MARCH 2020 VOL. 7 • ISSUE 2 6 10 12 14 16 18 20 21 22 24 27 28 30 31 32 36 38 40

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Mental Awareness

LET’S FOCUS ON REAL CAUSES OF HOMELESSNESS

lmost a year ago, Inside Sacramento began monthly coverage of the homeless problem in our area. A key focus has been the root causes of homelessness, including mental health and drug and alcohol addiction. In my May 2019 column, “Is Sacramento Dying?” Sacramento City Councilmember Jeff Harris said he favored an individual triage process to help understand the paths that bring

CH By Cecily Hastings Publisher’s Desk

POC MAR n 20

people to the streets. His goal is to avoid placing folks who are simply unable to afford or find shelter in the same category as addicts, criminals and the mentally ill. Of all the people who live on our streets, the mentally ill may be the most misunderstood. They create fear with erratic behavior. And while effective treatments are available, receiving and maintaining a therapy regimen is often problematic. Last September, we invited state Sen. John Moorlach (R-Costa Mesa) to our pages with an article titled, “Not Humane: Why Can’t State Help Mentally Ill Homeless?” He opined that housing is just one part of the solution. Another major problem is mental illness, which drives many homeless people to the street. He questions—like many of us—why political leaders allow mentally ill homeless to remain unsheltered.

Moorlach authored Senate Bill 640, which sought to clarify the definition of “gravely disabled.” The bill examined an individual’s ability to make informed decisions about his or her health. Sadly, SB 640 was shelved last year. Moorlach says his proposed changes would have expanded treatment opportunities for our most vulnerable, put them under conservatorships and involuntary housing when needed, and diminished inhumane neglect. He is gathering research for reconsideration of SB 640. In January, I attended the 2020 State of Downtown breakfast hosted by the Downtown Sacramento Partnership. The guest speaker was Dr. Drew Pinsky, a celebrated Pasadena internist and addiction specialist. I was familiar with Dr. Pinsky—Moorlach cited him in the article we published. Dr. Pinsky contends our situation in California is not a crisis of housing or homelessness. Rather, it’s a mental

health crisis. The media and political leaders have largely glossed over the mental health aspect in their rush to “solve” the homeless problem by building expensive housing. “Housing does not cause our communities to need to rake parks of hundreds of needles before children are able to play,” Pinsky told the Sacramento audience. “Housing is not going to help the paranoid, poorly clothed manic or paranoid schizophrenic. “In fact, the symptoms of these illnesses will cause the homeless to refuse to remain indoors and to accept help or treatment. To hear politicians use the rhetoric of a housing crisis is just recklessly negligent and just contributes to the misery and death of untold numbers.” Pinsky believes the current problem stems from civil commitment reforms created in the late 1960s that made it too difficult to care for individuals

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University Art UArt Sacramento 2601 J Street 916-443-5721 with serious mental illnesses if they refused treatment. As a result, many institutions that involuntarily housed mentally ill people were closed. Reforms began with the 1967 Lanterman-Petris-Short Act, written as a reaction to abuses. The law changed our civil commitment process in California. As a result, mentally ill individuals migrated to the streets, then often to county jails. Then and now, the outcome is not humane. “Never did I imagine I would live in a state which would systematically allow those with massive mental health needs to languish and deteriorate in the most unconscionable, abject circumstances,” Pinsky said. “The very symptoms causing desperately ill patients to spill into our streets are being protected in the name of compassion. This is dialing back to a Medieval understanding of psychiatric illness and is outrageous, particularly in the era of effective treatments which can restore patients to stability. “The public has to understand that stranding people with serious mental illnesses on our streets is crueler than housing and treating them against their will. As homelessness keeps getting worse, the need for this solution will become more obvious. It is anathema to

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the basic needs of civilization to allow the current situation to continue.” Pinsky continued, “Psychiatric symptoms are given privileged positions in the law. Not just the pathology, but the actual symptoms themselves are being privileged over the well-being of the individual displaying those symptoms, the safety of that individual, our ability to render care to them and the safety and sanitation of the surrounding community.” Pinsky believes homelessness demands a two-pronged solution: First, more involuntary housing. Second, reform the 1967 LPS Act. Pinsky says the passage of SB 640—Moorlach’s mental health reform bill—should receive top priority. “To show true compassion for these individuals, we must have the tools to combat their symptoms,” Pinsky said. The mental health issue might be easier to understand if we look at our own families. Even when folks are eager for help and lovingly supported, treatment can be difficult. Last summer, my husband Jim suffered a concussion when his car was rear-ended. At his age the brain is more vulnerable to injury from trauma. In the following months we both struggled with his symptoms, which included

memory loss and difficulty with decision-making and cognitive abilities. At one frustrating point he asked me whether this was what the minds of homeless people were like. His comment made me think! A few days later, I heard an interview with Dr. Daniel Amen, a psychiatrist, founder of Amen Clinics and an expert on brain health and mental illness. He referred to a study where a homeless population received SPECT brain imaging. More than 70 percent had brain trauma. After a tour of Sacramento with Mayor Darrell Steinberg, Pinsky reported he has hope for us to solve our crisis. “Especially,” he said, “since I have lost all hope for Los Angeles.” Steinberg addressed the breakfast audience and announced his embrace of the Haven for Hope model that has found success in San Antonio. Pinsky was enthusiastic and wished us well. Be sure to read Craig Powell’s piece this month for more information

on the Haven for Hope movement in Sacramento. Cecily Hastings can be reached at publisher@insidepublications.com. Previous columns can be found and shared at the all-new InsideSacramento. com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @insidesacramento. n

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Artist Under Fire GRAPHIC AUTHOR CAPTURES NOR CAL DEVASTATION Brian Fies. Photo courtesy of Karen Fies.

he Tubbs Fire raged through Northern California in October 2017. Parts of Napa, Sonoma and Lake counties were devastated, with major destruction in Santa Rosa. Award-winning cartoonist and author Brian Fies, who lives in Santa Rosa, will make two appearances in Sacramento to talk about his latest illustrated book “A Fire Story.” The work depicts Fies’ experiences with the disaster, including the loss of his home. “Although this ‘Fire Story’ is a graphic memoir, it isn’t just my story,”

CM By Corky Mau Pocket Life

POC MAR n 20

he told the Los Angeles Times. “It’s the story of thousands of people who lost everything, and hundreds of thousands who were affected less directly but still traumatically.” Fies will discuss his story at 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 28, at the Robbie Waters Pocket-Greenhaven Library. He will hold another book talk at the Downtown Central Library at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, April 14. Books will be available at both events.

MCKINLEY PARK HAIR If you were a client of McKinley Park Hair Company in East Sacramento and were distressed to hear about it closing at the end of last month, don’t fret. Coowner George Agajan is opening a new salon in the Pocket at 5318 Riverside Blvd.—aptly named Riverside Hair Company. Agajan and co-owner Bill Howard operated McKinley Park Hair for 40 years. As the cost of doing business

grew, they decided to downsize to a smaller salon. Beloved stylists George, Dave and Robin will make the move to the new salon. Riverside Hair Company opens for business on March 3. For more information, check out @riversidehairco on Instagram or call (916) 451-3373.

EVERY VOTE COUNTS Three voting centers in our community are open to drop off mail-in ballots: Belle Coolidge Library, Robbie Waters Library and ACC Greenhaven Terrace. If you prefer to vote in person, these locations will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, March 3.

BALD FOR A CAUSE Support friends and family and help fund childhood cancer research at the third annual St. Baldrick’s head-shaving event at Riverside Sports Bar on Saturday, March 14. Festivities continue all afternoon, with head shaving set for 3 to 5 p.m. To participate or donate, visit stbaldricks. org. For more information, contact Danee McMahan or Jason Jugoz at (916) 346-4672.

PRIDE OF POCKET NOMINATIONS Do you know someone who helps make this neighborhood a wonderful place to live, work and play? Nominate that person for recognition at the 2020 Pride of the Pocket event on Wednesday, May 20, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., at the Didion School Amphitheater. Nomination forms are available at pocketgreenhaven.org/pride-of-thepocket. Deadline to submit nominations is March 16.

Parks commissioner Devin Lavelle enjoys the neighborhood parks with his wife Fiona, and children Henry and Charlie.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DR. SEUSS Families are invited to the Robbie Waters Library at 10 a.m. on Saturday, March 7, to celebrate the birthday of Dr. Seuss. Theodor Seuss Geisel, born March 2, 1904, wrote and illustrated iconic children’s books such as “Green Eggs and Ham” and “The Cat in the Hat.” Local officials will read Geisel’s works. Free books will be given to children while supplies last.

CRAB & SHRIMP FEAST There’s always time for another crab feed. The Elks Lodge’s annual Crab & Shrimp Feast is Saturday, March 14. For $60 a person, guests will enjoy antipasto, green salad, pasta, garlic bread, crab and shrimp. The evening includes a raffle and silent auction. Doors open at 6 p.m., with dinner at 7 p.m. Purchase tickets at the lodge or call (916) 422-6666, ext. 1.

PARK CLEANUP As District 7 parks commissioner, Devin Lavelle helps keep our 20 neighborhood parks in top condition.

Lavelle is a state policy researcher, but has made public service a family affair. “It’s a great fit for me and my family. My sons, Henry and Charlie, love helping out,” he says. Next up on Lavelle’s schedule is sprucing up the ballfield at Sojourner Truth Park. He needs volunteers to help Saturday, March 7. Tools and snacks will be provided. To commemorate Earth Day on April 22, more volunteers will be required to clean the Sacramento River Parkway. We’ll have details in next month’s column. Lavelle says, “It’s not only a great way to meet your neighbors, but a fun way to get some exercise and give back to your community.” To volunteer for these events, contact Lavelle at parks@ devinlavelle.com or (916) 808-7192.

FUNDRAISER FOR AUSTRALIA Students from the Kennedy High School music department will hold their Spring Concert at 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 5, in the school auditorium. The performance will benefit victims of the Australia fires. Donations of $5 or more will be accepted. Enjoy musical pieces

performed by the school choir, orchestra, and jazz and concert bands.

STEAK & OYSTERS SPHSS Portuguese Hall will hold a Steak & Oyster Dinner at 6 p.m. on Saturday, March 21. The cost is $50 per person for dinner and entertainment. For more information, contact Gina Cedros at (916) 698-3293.

PICKLEBALL, EVERYONE? If you’re like me and want to try pickleball, there’s a free clinic at ACC from noon to 2 p.m. on Thursday, March 26. Players of all levels are invited to join outdoor games from 9 a.m. to noon

on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays beginning the last week of March. The cost is $3 per session. If you would rather play indoors, drop-in sessions happen at the Elks Lodge. Games are free for lodge members and $5 for non-members. Play from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Sundays, or 10 a.m. to noon on Mondays and Wednesdays. Corky Mau can be reached at corky. sue50@gmail.com. Submissions are due six weeks prior to the publication month. Previous columns can be found and shared at the all-new InsideSacramento. com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @insidesacramento. n

DO YOU KNOW SOMEONE WHO HELPS MAKE THIS NEIGHBORHOOD A WONDERFUL PLACE TO LIVE, WORK AND PLAY? NOMINATE THAT PERSON FOR RECOGNITION AT THE 2020 PRIDE OF THE POCKET EVENT.

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Completion of the Sacramento River Parkway through Little Pocket was one of several topics at last month’s debate between City Councilmember Steve Hansen (left) and Katie Valenzuela, Hansen’s opponent for the District 4 seat. CBS13 News Anchor Steve Large (center) moderated the debate.

Local Anesthetic HOW COUNCILMEMBERS RULE THEIR ROOSTS

acramento City Council members can make things happen. But they are even better at stopping a project cold. The council, which includes eight district representatives and the mayor,

RG By R.E. Graswich Pocket Beat

POC MAR n 20

is supposed to be collaborative and democratic. But City Hall tradition allows councilmembers to act as rulers of their own little kingdoms—especially if they want to kill something. If a councilmember doesn’t support a plan in his or her district, it has a nearzero chance of happening. The opposite is also true. In Pocket and Greenhaven, Councilmember Rick Jennings decided to finish the Sacramento River Parkway atop the river levee. “We have to keep the promise that the city made to the community in 1975 and finish this trail,” he says. It took five years to pull together the funds, but once Jennings let his City

Council colleagues know he wanted to complete the levee project, he had their support. Why did it take the council 40 years to act on the river parkway? Simple: Two earlier Pocket councilmembers— Lynn Robie and Robbie Waters—didn’t want to upset property owners along the levee. They buried the parkway plan. Armed with political influence, riverfront homeowners blocked public access to the city’s greatest natural resource for four decades. Local councilmembers supported the property owners by ignoring the city’s promise to finish the parkway. It took a one-term councilmember, Darrell Fong, to finally say enough’s

enough, let’s get the parkway built. When Jenkins replaced Fong in 2014, he followed Fong’s lead and pushed for the long-overdue project. From there, Jennings’ enthusiasm pushed the City Council forward. Now residents are watching the bad old process repeat itself in Little Pocket. That’s where Councilmember Steve Hansen, collaborating with about 40 riverfront homeowners, has blocked completion of a one-mile stretch of the river parkway. Hansen won’t reveal his true motives. But he acts like a lawyer for the 40 or so homeowners. He prevents the greater community from enjoying river access.

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SACRAMENTOCHORAL.COM Meantime, the rest of the City Council does nothing—thanks to the tradition of local lordship. Even though the council (Hansen included) unanimously supported Jennings’ river access plans in Pocket and Greenhaven, councilmembers won’t challenge Hansen in Little Pocket. They won’t help his district unless Hansen wants help. He doesn’t. That’s why public access to the river in Little Pocket is stalled until Hansen exits the City Council. There are rare exceptions to the local lordship rule. Last summer, Meadowview Councilmember Larry Carr furiously argued against the presence of a homeless shelter in his district across from the Pannell Community Center. Pressured by Mayor Darrell Steinberg, the council majority ignored Carr and approved the shelter. The council knew Carr was a lame duck—he already said he would not run for reelection. His opinions ceased to count. In 2014, Councilmember Steve Cohn lost an important vote in his East Sacramento district. He opposed plans for McKinley Village, a new subdivision, but the council approved the development anyway. Cohn left the council months later to run for the state

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Assembly. He lost to fellow Councilman Kevin McCarty. Cohn almost lost another big East Sac development vote in 2007, when he expressed concerns over the expansion of Mercy General Hospital. He ultimately joined the majority and approved the project after the hospital promised to make its new cardiac wing more pedestrian friendly. McKinley Village and Mercy Hospital were big deals. The shelter in Meadowview was consumed by Steinberg’s promises to resolve the homeless crisis. With smaller, less controversial projects, such as the river levee parkway, the council falls back on tradition. That’s how two councilmembers— Robie and Waters—whose tenures spanned 29 years, managed to keep the City Council from completing the river parkway promised in 1975. And how Hansen manages to block public access to the river in Little Pocket today. R.E. Graswich can be reached at regraswich@icloud.com. Previous columns can be read and shared at the all-new InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @insidesacramento.com. n

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Fountain Valley

IS CAPITOL WATER FEATURE DOWN TO ITS LAST DROP?

t’s been awhile since Sacramento’s design and architecture mavens had a big conflict with the state over a building project. But there is a passionate little battle taking place right now over the fate of the historic but dry fountain west of the Capitol. This fight is nowhere near as pitched as the disagreement that festered between the city and state over the

GD By Gary Delsohn Building Our Future

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giant East End office complex near the Capitol in the early 2000s. That project achieved some important urban renewal objectives, clearing blight and consolidating scattered state offices and workers. But critics said the potential for a more eclectic and pedestrianoriented streetscape was squandered. The fountain fight is quaint by comparison. While the Capitol fountain has an interesting history dating to the 1920s, when it was built apparently in part to reinforce the idea that Sacramento was the state’s permanent capital, it’s been dormant since 2010. More recently, it was shut down for good by Gov. Jerry Brown in deference to California’s drought. Although I’m not sure the fountain was ever the “beacon of civility and grandeur” one local design critic has

called it, when the water was bubbling and the fountain was illuminated at night, it was a nice welcoming spot in the open space between the two BeauxArts-style state buildings on either side, next to the state Capitol. The fountain and two buildings— the Jesse M. Unruh Building and the recently renovated Stanley Mosk Library and Courts Building—are part of a federally registered historic district known as the Capitol Extension Group. The name doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue, although the fountain does have passionate devotees. Last July, after years of on-again, off-again conversations about repairing the fountain, the California Department of General Services issued a draft environmental impact report that seemed to seal the amenity’s fate.

The EIR was issued in connection with state plans to renovate and upgrade the 91-year-old Unruh Building as part of a 10-year building repair and construction initiative. The Unruh has a variety of fire, life safety, building code and other deficiencies that need repair. The renovation is projected to extend the life of the building by at least another 50 years, with construction expected to begin next winter and be completed by the end of 2023. “The Capitol fountain was constructed in the 1920s, has been non-operational since 2010, and is deteriorating,” the draft EIR concluded. “There are issues with electrical shortages in the fountain lighting, failure of mechanical equipment, leaks in the fountain bowl and associated

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A vintage postcard shows the brilliantly lit Capitol fountain at night. valves, and a possible drain line collapse.” In other words, the fountain, which is not exactly an architectural masterpiece, was not worth saving, General Services concluded. During the comment period after the EIR was issued, however, more than 100 people weighed in opposing its removal. Their feelings were well represented in an October “Viewpoints” column in the Bee by Eleanor and Gregory VanAcker, members of Preservation Sacramento. “The Capitol fountain,” they wrote, “is repairable and can be fully functioning with recirculated water, using less than one toilet flush of water per day. When functioning with active water sprays, it is a focal point for

downtown workers, tourists and visitors to enjoy. The fountain ensures an appealing view of the state Capitol: its active water would draw tourists, and it frames the Capitol when taking photos.” At least one state legislator, Democrat Assemblymember Kevin McCarty of Sacramento, seems to agree. McCarty has asked General Services to hold off on its plan to remove it. But as was the case with the far more impactful East End office project, the assemblymember and local preservationists may be fighting a losing battle. Gary Delsohn can be reached at gdelsohn@gmail.com. Previous columns can be read and shared at the all-new InsideSacramento.com. Follow on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @ insidesacramento.com. n

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Haven in Progress

PROVEN HOMELESS STRATEGY GAINS MOMENTUM

t the Downtown Sacramento Partnership annual State of Downtown breakfast, Mayor Darrell Steinberg said he wants to build a Haven for Hope-style homeless treatment facility. He issued a challenge to the community to identify a site within 90 days. I’m a strong advocate for local governments to move beyond ineffective low-barrier “Housing First” homeless policies. Rather, we must aggressively

CP By Craig Powell City Politics • OPINION •

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treat the root causes of homelessness in a long-term, clinical environment. Studies show the predominant causes of homelessness are drug addiction (primarily meth) and mental illness. Many people struggle with both. At low-barrier shelters, intoxicated people can be admitted. Criminal backgrounds are never checked. Residents aren’t required to remain sober. They’re just prohibited from using or possessing drugs in the shelter. Low-barrier policies do little to change the trajectory of drug addicts and mentally ill homeless people, beyond bringing them indoors and feeding them. Promoting a long-term clinical solution to homelessness has been the top priority of Eye On Sacramento for the past two years. Last year, a grassroots group was organized to persuade the community that a shift in policy is essential: 1) to deal with our

growing homeless crisis; 2) help people relaunch their lives and reclaim dignity, independence and self-sufficiency; and 3) reduce the threat homelessness poses to safety and health. The new group, incorporated as a nonprofit with the name Hope for Sacramento, has been meeting with policymakers, elected officials and service providers, and speaking before the City Council, County Board of Supervisors and community groups to identify solutions. I serve as vice president of Hope for Sacramento. Our president is Sacramento health care executive Chris Jones. I want to thank the more than two dozen readers who offered to help. They were invited to a February orientation where they learned how to plug into the growing campaign for a robust clinical solution to Sacramento’s homelessness. One facility is a national model for clinical treatment of the homeless:

Haven for Hope in San Antonio, a 22acre campus divided into a low-barrier shelter that houses about 800 people most nights, and an adjoining intensive residential clinical treatment facility called the Transformational Campus (also housing about 800) that offers every conceivable service, from drug rehab and mental and physical health care to job training, LGBT youth care, veteran support and job placement. The facility is managed by a nonprofit, community-based organization. Its $21 million annual budget is funded by private dollars (50 percent) and grants from state, county and city. Street homelessness in San Antonio dropped 91 percent after Haven for Hope opened in 2010. It has a track record of helping people change their lives. The typical stay is about eight months.

Sacramento County Supervisors Patrick Kennedy and Susan Peters, and County Executive Nav Gill have toured Haven for Hope. Now Hope for Sacramento is organizing a group tour. While Steinberg’s support is vital, he joins other local leaders who see the need for a residential clinical care facility. Writing in the Bee, City Councilmember Steve Hansen said support is growing: “For the last few months, Sacramento leaders of government and health care have quietly been laying the groundwork for a campus that would bring comprehensive services and housing to people experiencing homelessness.” UC Davis Health CEO Dr. David Lubarsky supports the Haven for Hope idea. Help from regional health care systems is a key to building the extensive service network needed to support and staff a residential care facility. Under Lubarsky’s leadership, UCD commissioned a feasibility study. Regional health care systems have already given generously to the city’s shelter program—nearly $10 million, with Sutter Health contributing $5 million.

Haven for Hope San Antonio was built for $101 million with corporate and foundation grants and individual donations (55 percent), and city, county and state funding. The cost in California in 2020 will be higher. But state and local spending on homelessness has exploded—with little to show for it. The state budget includes $650 million in new homeless spending. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposed budget for the next fiscal year calls for an increase of $750 million. Sacramento may not match the corporate base San Antonio enjoys, but we do have generous, communityminded corporations, foundations and philanthropic individuals and families. The San Antonio experience demonstrates that private-sector leadership is essential. A nonprofit management structure, led by an experienced, respected and independent board of directors, can deliver performance and evidence-based results, free of political influences. Our elected officials must solve this problem. Housing First policies— which are the law in California—often fail to deal with the root causes of homelessness. They are a bottomless financial pit, operating shelters and building new housing to satisfy an

inexhaustible demand for permanent, dependent housing for a growing homeless population that never gets better. New public housing projects in California cost an average of $500,000 per apartment, although Sacramento’s newest project, Twin Rivers on Richards Boulevard, is being built for $732,000 per unit, the highest cost in the state. A Haven for Hope Sacramento, with the capacity to handle 1,600 to 2,000 homeless people each night, would put local government in a legal position to enforce its anti-camping ordinances in parks, parkways and city streets. Under the Ninth Circuit Court’s Martin v. City of Boise decision, such ordinances cannot be enforced unless a community has enough shelter beds for people living outside. With Haven for Hope, the homeless would have a choice to accept shelter at the facility or at another shelter, go elsewhere or face prosecution. Homeless encampments could be removed and the public’s safety and health protected. The only humane, fiscally sane and politically survivable escape for politicians is to help homeless people regain their dignity, independence and self-sufficiency. These goals require an intensive residential clinical setting.

Hope for Sacramento is developing criteria to evaluate sites for Haven for Hope. If you have suggestions, please let me know. And please contact me if you’d like to be a part of the Hope for Sacramento effort. Craig Powell is a retired attorney, businessman, community activist and president of Eye On Sacramento, a watchdog and policy group. He can be reached at craig@eyeonsacramento. org or (916) 718-3030. Previous columns can be found at the all-new InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @ insidesacramento. n

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Scandal Haunts Measure G STATE SHOWS WHY ‘CHILDREN’S FUND’ SHOULD FAIL

f Sacramento voters need a reason to reject Measure G, the Children’s Fund Act, on March 3, Derrell and Tina Roberts have provided it. Years ago, the husband and wife cofounded a North Sacramento nonprofit called the Roberts Family Development Center. On the surface, the center exists to help vulnerable young people. Unfortunately, State Attorney General Xavier Becerra says the center has been even more helpful to the Robertses. Derrell Roberts is one of the architects and primary supporters behind Measure G, which will skim about $12 million each year from police, fire, parks and other city services. The cash will go into the pockets of nonprofits—such as the Roberts Center.

RG By R.E. Graswich City Beat

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Derrell Roberts has never been shy about promoting a voter initiative that will enrich him. But he has been shy about something else—how Becerra described the Roberts Center as nothing more than a “mere shell” and personal piggy bank for the Robertses. I’ve known Roberts for many years, but when I asked him about this, he declined. The attorney general alleged the Robertses diverted thousands of state dollars for personal use and gouged farmworkers on rent deposits. When caught, the Robertses stalled for more than a year, forcing Becerra to sue in 2017. In total, about $650,000 in state money disappeared after the Robertses became property managers for three farmworker housing centers in San Joaquin County, the attorney general said. The Robertses settled the complaint last summer. They agreed to pay back $400,000. The Robertses didn’t admit guilt, but the lawsuit and 239 pages of evidence are devastating—a roadmap of what can happen when a nonprofit has minimal accountability. The lawsuit is a sober antidote to Measure G. The suit and settlement were kept quiet until December, when city officials received a copy. Sacramento has spent

about $1.6 million in contracts with the Robertses over the past 10 years. The city quickly froze current contracts and ordered an audit. Other clients of the Robertses—especially local school districts—should respond with similar alarm. Measure G would make skimming easy for nonprofits that comingle business with pleasure. The law puts an amateurish, non-elected committee in charge. It prevents the City Council from challenging the committee’s decisions to give money to specific operators such as the Robertses. And Measure G is poorly written. There’s no language to cover what happens if the City Council rejects the committee’s three-year spending proposals and annual evaluations. The measure expires in 15 years, so the City Council could reject five spending plans and forget about the Children’s Fund. The Roberts fiasco shows what can happen to respected nonprofits. Darrell and Tina Roberts have been local fixtures for decades. Their board of directors included representatives from Kaiser Permanente, Wells Fargo, the Kings, Sacramento State, VSP, the Bee and law firms. Rep. Doris Matsui, Mayor Darrell Steinberg and County Supervisor Phil Serna were honorary members.

Despite the gold-plated board, the Robertses allegedly had no trouble mixing state money earmarked for farmworkers into their personal bank accounts. The evidence includes credit card payments the Robertses rang up at restaurants and hotels. They have eclectic taste, blowing $5,116 in one sitting at Ella on K Street and $25 at Country Waffles on Sunrise Boulevard. And remember, the Robertses were admired. Imagine what bad nonprofits do. If Measure G passes, the Robertses will be first in line for the city’s millions. The Roberts Family Development Center is still open. When the Robertses settled, they paid the state $100,000 and now must pay $7,500 a month through December 2022. The settlement doesn’t explain where the money comes from, but the city and school districts should ask. So should voters when they think about Measure G. R.E. Graswich can be reached at regraswich@icloud.com. Previous columns can be found at the all-new InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @ insidesacramento. n

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MAYOR UNDERCUTS MEASURE G Measure G, the taxpayer giveaway to nonprofits such as the Roberts Family Development Center, has been out-maneuvered. Mayor Darrell Steinberg, who opposes Measure G, the Children’s Fund Act, on the March 3 Sacramento ballot, plans to run his own version of a youth initiative in November. Under Steinberg’s proposal, the city would allocate at least $2.5 million annually for the next four years to youth nonprofits. The dollars would rise when the city has surpluses. The city currently spends about $36 million a year on youth services. Measure G would take about $12 million annually from the general fund and give the money to nonprofits. Services such as police, fire and parks would be cut. Steinberg asked the City Council to place his measure on the November ballot whether or not Measure G passes. If voters approve Measure G, Steinberg’s measure would override it. —R.E. Graswich

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g H n i o d p n e i F Margaux Helm

COUNSELING CENTER PROVIDES AFFORDABLE THERAPY s a board member for the last four years of the HOPE Counseling Center, Margaux Helm has helped the nonprofit offer a variety of professional counseling services for

JL By Jessica Laskey Giving Back: Volunteer Proﬁle

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families, couples and individuals using a flexible-fee structure. HOPE quite literally makes “hope” accessible. “There are so many people in our community who don’t have the resources to afford counseling,” says Helm, a licensed marriage and family therapist and fourth-generation Sacramentan who runs her private MFT practice out of her childhood home in Arden-Arcade. “HOPE allows people to access quality services based on need and income. We have a lot of clients in need, and HOPE is able to offer them support.” Helm first became interested in working with HOPE because of the

center’s use of the EMDR (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing) method, an evidence-based therapy that addresses traumas and relational deficits. Helm—a certified EMDR practitioner and consultant—calls it “a gift” that the center can offer this therapy at an affordable price. Most EMDR therapists are expensive due to the extensive training required to become certified. HOPE combines contemporary psychotherapy, like EMDR, with transpersonal values that promote social, spiritual, emotional and physical well-being through its network of qualified therapists at three locations in Midtown, Roseville and Folsom. The center also serves as a training institute

to support associate clinical social workers, marriage and family therapist associates, professional counseling associates and MFT trainees as they go through the process of becoming licensed. “I’m particularly drawn to HOPE’s high standards and professionalism,” Helm says of the 11-year-old organization, which raises much-needed funds every October at its HOPS for HOPE fundraiser at the Milagro Centre in Carmichael. “Helping them helps the community.” Helm further helps her community by providing pro-bono counseling through the Soldiers Project, which provides free, confidential and unlimited mental health services to any activeduty service member or veteran who has served since Sept. 11, 2001. Helm works with the project in honor of her late parents, who were both veterans. The former WEAVE executive (Helm served as director of programs for 12 years before leaving to focus on counseling) also helps her husband raise puppies for Canine Companions for Independence, which provides trained assistance dogs to people with disabilities at no cost. When she’s not busy serving her Sacramento community, you might find Helm at the bookstore she co-owns in Portland that provides resources for personal and spiritual growth. “I’m trying not to call it a New Age bookstore, but that’s what it is,” Helm says with a laugh. After earning her BA in business at Sac State, Helm moved to the Pacific Northwest and opened the bookstore as a way to provide positive resources to her community. She was so inspired by the process that she decided to seek more “direct service,” eventually earning her master’s in counseling at the University of Puget Sound. “So much of the distress right now in the world is around interpersonal relationships,” Helm says. “People think that mental health is about a diagnosis, but it’s really about being a human being and needing support.” Support that can be found at HOPE. For more information, visit hope-counselingcenter.org or margauxhelmmft.com. Jessica Laskey can be reached at jessrlaskey@gmail.com. Previous profiles can be found and shared at the all-new InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @insidesacramento. n

home furnishings company Joybird. When the products hit the warehouse, there was a line out the door. “It was so popular that it looked like Black Friday after customers heard about the inventory from social media posts,” Weathington says. “We still get more inquiries asking when will get more Joybird furnishings.” The folks at Joybird take a lot of pride in supporting Habitat and ReStore. “At Joybird we believe design is personal and no one is making design more personal than Habitat for Humanity. We are honored to be a small part of the work they do,” says Aubree Salmon, Joybird project manager. She explains Joybird furniture is custom built with a liberal return policy. If a buyer doesn’t like the color or look, or it doesn’t fit properly, the buyer has a year to return it. Rather than take the product back, Joybird donates it. Andrea Weathington “It’s really important that our products are used again,” says Laurie Badger, Joybird’s customer happiness efficiencies manager. “We really like Habitat’s mission and it aligns with our mission.” The Joybird team of Badger, Salmon and Jennifer Nguyen was honored at Habitat’s recent 26th annual Hammy Awards celebrating donors, sponsors and trade partners. “It was really, really exciting,” Salmon says. “It’s kind of mind blowing to see the impact we’ve had in Sacramento and the good work Habitat Other donated items include useable does in the community.” To reach its goal of $1.5 million furniture and home furnishings from in revenue, Weathington plans more individuals and families who would outreach for donations from individuals rather donate these goods than send and businesses while promoting the them to a landfill. Some of the donations store aggressively through social and are used but still in good shape. Some traditional media. are new. “We have a lot planned,” she says. ReStore received a donation of many new Keurig coffeemakers, which were a “We are putting together do-it-yourself events every quarter at the ReStore to hit with ReStore shoppers. Other highhelp our customers with various homeend donations include Lumen’s light improvement products.” fixtures and returned products from Costco and other retailers. Scot Crocker can be reached at scot@ One popular category at ReStore crockerbranding.com. Previous columns includes furniture sent back to manufacturers by customers. Instead of can be read and shared at the all-new taking the product back, manufacturers InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @ and retailers donate to ReStore. insidesacramento. n A big hit at ReStore was the sale of

Habitat Helpers REJECTS ARE GOLDEN AT RESTORE WAREHOUSE

ost people know about Habitat for Humanity and its mission to provide affordable housing. But fewer are aware of ReStore, Habitat’s 45,000-square-foot warehouse selling donated construction materials, home furnishings, fixtures and other items. The ReStore warehouse at 819 North 10th St. generates significant revenue to support Habitat’s primary mission of bringing people together to build homes, communities and hope. Basically, Habitat rallies volunteers to build homes for people in need. To support the mission, Habitat raises money through financial donations and events. ReStore dollars

SC By Scot Crocker Inside Downtown

provide a catalyst for more homebuilding projects. In the past year, ReStore generated about $1.3 million while diverting 950,000 pounds of materials from landfills. “It’s been a good year for us,” says Andrea Weathington, ReStore’s resource development officer. “Our goal for the upcoming year is to reach $1.5 million in revenue.” With five full-time and five parttime employees under the direction of Phil Miller, ReStore is on a mission. Weathington handles promotion and community outreach to seek collections from businesses, construction firms and other sources. Donations to ReStore run from common to unique. And the constant flow of new products keeps new and loyal customers coming back for more. “We have the support of construction companies who provide us with leftover building materials that we can sell for 30 to 70 percent off,” Weathington says. “We get cabinets, lots of light fixtures, doors, windows, materials and more. Other contractors looking for a good deal can find what they need here.”

brand-new furniture from Los Angeles

ONE POPULAR CATEGORY AT RESTORE INCLUDES FURNITURE SENT BACK TO MANUFACTURERS BY CUSTOMERS. INSTEAD OF TAKING THE PRODUCT BACK, MANUFACTURERS AND RETAILERS DONATE TO RESTORE.

POC n INSIDESACRAMENTO.COM

Lost But Not Forgotten M

The Forgotten Railroad Workers Memorial Monument, by artist Xuejun Yang, is on display at the California State Railroad Museum. Photo courtesy of the U.S.-China Railroad Friendship Association.

any of us know of the Transcontinental Railroad—a significant venture in United States history when an expansive railway system was built to connect our country in ways people could only imagine. However, not all are aware of what went into constructing such a large undertaking and what it cost a specific group of people—Chinese workers. The California State Railroad Museum has set out to expand our knowledge with an exhibit called the Chinese Railroad Workers’ Experience. Between 1865 and 1869, approximately 15,000 Chinese migrants, comprising 90 percent of the railroad workforce, labored at a grueling pace and in treacherous conditions to help construct America’s first Transcontinental Railroad. “The story of the Chinese railroad workers is one of hard work and perseverance,” says museum guide Debbie Hollingsworth. The exhibit provides a view of the Chinese workers, marginalized by history and facing extreme prejudice, who built the western portion of the railroad connecting Utah to California. “One of the most challenging tasks facing the Central Pacific Railroad was the need to drill train tunnels through the rock-solid granite of the Sierra Nevada.” Modern-day tools were not an option. Instead, Chinese workers drilled tunnels using black powder and hand tools. “By far, the most difficult was the Summit Tunnel,” Hollingsworth shares. “Working in teams of two or three, one person would hold the drill (an iron rod with a star tip), while another hit the

CM By Caitlin McCulloch

EXHIBIT SHEDS LIGHT ON CHINESE WORKERS’ CONTRIBUTION TO TRANSCONTINENTAL RAILROAD

POC MAR n 20

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drill with a sledgehammer. They did this until they made a hole big enough for explosives and a fuse. Teams of workers started on each end of the 1,695-foot tunnel and worked inward. It was a slow process. They averaged only a foot per day.” Extreme weather conditions forced the workers to soldier on through snowstorms, avalanches and blizzards. This only added to the Chinese workers’ hardships, which included discrimination, such as significantly lower wages than white workers. In addition to the museum exhibit, the Forgotten Railroad Workers Memorial Monument from the U.S.China Railroad Friendship Association is on display. Last September, 150 years after the railroad was completed, the California State Railroad Museum held

a Buddhist blessing ceremony for this bronze work of art. “Venerable Ju-Hsian Shih from Fo Guang Shan Bodhi Temple blessed the monument honoring the workers on the Central Pacific Railroad,” says Elizabeth Lew-Wong, whose greatgrandfather was a “coolie,” otherwise known as a laborer, on the railroad. “She also prayed for the deceased 1,200 workers, of which many of their bodies never were returned to China … It was very moving,” Lew-Wong adds. The Chinese Railroad Workers’ Experience is a must-see. The California State Railroad Museum is open Monday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets are $12 for adults, $6 for children 6–17 and free for children 5 and younger. Afterward, further your experience of the Transcontinental Railroad’s

THE EXHIBIT PROVIDES A VIEW OF THE CHINESE WORKERS, MARGINALIZED BY HISTORY AND FACING EXTREME PREJUDICE, WHO BUILT THE WESTERN PORTION OF THE RAILROAD CONNECTING UTAH TO CALIFORNIA. Chinese labor force by swinging by 11th and J streets to view a mural by local artist Maren Conrad. This seven-story masterpiece is not to be missed. Caitlin McCulloch can be reached at mcculloch.caitlin@gmail.com. n

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Wow Factor

DUAL ARDEN OAKS HOMES RETAIN THEIR BEVERLY HILLS GLAM

imilar to a scene in a Nancy Drew mystery novel, homeowner Cathy Skeen pushes open a secret door concealed within a library bookcase and walks through the hidden passageway. What’s on the other side? Another complete house. Cathy and husband Dave Skeen purchased the dual floor plan residence in 2015. Together, the two homes total approximately 7,000 square feet with 22 different rooms—not to mention five separate heating systems. The secret door is just one of the many “wow” features of these two secluded homes tucked away behind a gated cul-de-sac in Arden Oaks, a wellmanicured, fashionable neighborhood shielded by Watt and Eastern avenues, north of Arden Way.

CR By Cathryn Rakich Open House

POC MAR n 20

According to the Skeens, a developer from Beverly Hills built the unique abodes in 1982 for his wife. “He showed it to her and she said, ‘Go ahead and sell it, I’ll never live here,’” Cathy says. The next owners occupied the estate until they died, and it sat vacant for three years before the homes went on the market and the Skeens scooped them up. “We wanted to keep some of the eclectic things because they are so unique,” says Cathy, who was adamant about maintaining the embellished elements of the Beverly Hills-inspired homes. Gilded moldings decorate the ceilings, mirrors and interior doors. More than 20 crystal chandeliers from France hang in almost every room, including walk-in closets. However, the outdated oak-centric kitchen in the main house (where the Skeens live) had to go. The couple started by employing Nar Bustamante and Ashlee Richardson of Nar Design Group to create an open, inviting and modern place for cooking and gathering. The first thing to catch your eye is the ultra-contemporary, emerald-cut crystal light fixture, hanging above the

Dave and Cathy Skeen with Roscoe.

lights. When lit from within, the mirrors turn clear. “If you turn it on, it’s an art piece,” Dave says. The two center mirrors open to reveal a flatscreen TV. After the kitchen and family room were modernized, “we better have a powder room that looks like it belongs,” Cathy says. To add glam to the guest half bath, an original swan-head faucet was repurposed from one of several Roman tubs in the home, along with Swarovski crystal faucet handles. Changes to both homes involved replacing floors with carpeting and woodpatterned tile, stripping lots of wallpaper and painting. “Every wall in this house had wallpaper,” Cathy says. “And the ceilings too,” Dave adds. The homeowners were careful to preserve the original deep-vein blue Carrera marble that surrounds the master bedroom fireplace (and living room fireplace) and covers the walls, floor and Roman hot tub in the master bath. “Three contractors came out,” to consult on remodeling the bathroom, Dave says. “They couldn’t guarantee they could take off the marble without destroying it. And you cannot replace it.” In the second home—on the other side of the secret passageway—the Skeens maintained the retro-red kitchen with a cherry-colored sink, tile countertops and backsplash, as well as the rich oak bar and bright red leather booth that seats up to 10. “It’s kind of like Cheers,” Cathy says. More Roman tubs, gilded moldings, crystal chandeliers and even a “beauty salon” with a marble basin and ornate ceiling add to the wow factors. Speaking of the numerous chandeliers—Dave disassembled, rewired and rebuilt every one with LED lights. “I put in all LED lights throughout entire house and outside,” he says. While the original goal of owning two separate-but-attached homes was so a family member could live nearby, the Skeens now use the second house for “industrial gatherings,” Cathy says, such as a recent cookie-decorating party, and as a place to stay when guests are in town. The main house is for “more formal” affairs. To recommend a home or garden for Open House, contact Cathryn Rakich at crakich@surewest.net. More photography and previous columns can be found and shared at the all-new InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @insidesacramento. Select photos by Fred Donham of PhotographerLink. n

polished Carrera marble island, that plays off the oversized range hood adorned with extra-large faceted gold tiles. “Nar has such an imagination,” Cathy says. “I was thinking French provincial— and he came in with this.” The kitchen cabinets are “waterfall blue” and “designer white,” and provide a façade to disguise the industrial Sub-Zero refrigerator. Rolling countertop doors conceal deep storage for hiding away small appliances. The backsplash is marble to complement the countertops, but for a twist the tiles are triangle in shape. Not to be outdone is the 7-foot-long stainless-steel sink with two bronze faucets. “The sink is super amazing. It’s my coffin,” Cathy says with a laugh. Removeable boards fit across the top for various tasks, such as chopping, straining and washing—or turning the sink into a serving buffet or hiding dirty dishes. “We like to entertain and this sink has been a godsend.” As an added bonus, the window over the sink offers a stunning view of the lush backyard featuring an aqua-blue swimming pool with a mermaid mosaic surrounded by sea life. Along the pool’s outer edge are three alcoves, each with its own waterfall encased by boulders, river rocks and greenery. Nearly 150 trees, including 25 mature redwoods, provide privacy on the 1.3-acre lot. From the kitchen, make your way into the family room elevated 18 inches to bring the floor level with the rest of the home. “When we raised the floor, we were going to raise the rock fireplace,” Dave says. But the county nixed that plan due to integrity issues with the flue. “We were stuck,” he says. “We didn’t want to box it in—but didn’t want this big ugly rock thing.” With inspiration from designer Bustamante, the wall of rock was turned into a work of art. First, the stones got three coats of Cadillac gold paint. Next, the wall was framed with a black steel grid and one-way mirrors, then flooded with LED

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“WE WANTED TO KEEP SOME OF THE ECLECTIC THINGS BECAUSE THEY ARE SO UNIQUE,” SAYS CATHY, WHO WAS ADAMANT ABOUT MAINTAINING THE EMBELLISHED ELEMENTS OF THE BEVERLY HILLS-INSPIRED HOMES.

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Profitable Handout CITY COULD CASH IN

ON SOCCER INVESTMENT

Jeff Harris

love it when Sacramento City Council members criticize my work. It means they care. One of my favorite councilmen, Jeff Harris, took exception to a column about the city’s partnership with the Sacramento Republic, the local sports club ready to leap into Major League Soccer. Harris wrote to say he disagreed with the headline over my story, which led with the words, “Soccer Handouts.” If I wanted to be cagey, I would have told him I didn’t have control over the headline, that a belligerent editor slapped the offending words above the story and it wasn’t my fault. But that would be a lie. In fact, I suggested the headline to the editor. I hoped it would attract readers such as Jeff Harris.

RG By R.E. Graswich Sports Authority

The story mentioned how the City Council agreed to provide at least $33 million for incentives to the Republic when it builds a new soccer stadium in the Downtown railyards. The biggest chunk of the incentive—$27.2 million—is a loan to the Republic. I thought the loan was ironic. After all, the city is always short of cash and asking taxpayers for more money. Meantime, Ron Burkle, who owns the local soccer team, measures his wealth with a billion-dollar scale. He doesn’t need a loan. Also, I was concerned by how Mayor Darrell Steinberg negotiated the general terms with Burkle and MLS executives before any agreement could be discussed by the City Council. By the time the soccer incentive reached the council for public review, it was a done deal. But that doesn’t mean it’s a bad deal, Harris insists. If the partnership works out the way Harris, Steinberg and other councilmembers hope, Sacramento will benefit in several ways—financially, culturally and economically in a bleak corner of the city. “I’m not interested in being sold a bill of goods,” Harris says. “I’m pretty sure

I haven’t drunk the Kool-Aid when it comes to Major League Soccer. But I do see potential here. We can end up with a new stadium. Plus we get a jumpstarted railyards and infrastructure. And we can make money on the deal.” The pot of gold Harris seeks will be found in something called an Enhanced Infrastructure Finance District. By forming the district, the city can generate money to pay for infrastructure at a distressed site, such as the old Southern Pacific yards. The finance district will benefit from taxes paid by the Republic and the entertainment attractions Burkle plans to build around his stadium. Without infrastructure, those businesses and their taxes would not exist. That’s why the city is making the loan. Harris volunteered to lead the new finance district. This is good for two reasons: One, Harris is not a sports guy. He’s not star-struck by the MLS. Two, Harris is a business guy who knows how to meet a payroll. Few councilmembers pay closer attention to the people’s money than Harris.

Harris represents the railyards, so he has professional interest in soccer’s success. He thinks the city will make a return of better than 7.5 percent on its loan to the Republic, though we won’t know that for decades. “We don’t have a final document that lays out all the terms,” he says. “That still has to be hammered out. So I can’t tell you exactly how I think it will play out. But from the numbers I’ve seen, I think we have a very good chance of getting an excellent rate of return.” Here’s another reason why Harris is optimistic. He sees the Republic and MLS as a positive addition to Downtown, with tickets priced low enough for families. “The thing I like about Republic soccer games is I can afford it,” he says. That’s something Burkle better remember when he starts selling tickets for the 2022 MLS season. R.E. Graswich can be reached at regraswich@icloud.com. Previous columns can be read and shared at the all-new InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @insidesacramento.com. n

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Chef Roger Thompson

Changes in Latitudes UC DAVIS DISHES OUT DIVERSE DINING EXPERIENCE

C Davis’ newest restaurant provides the community with one of the most unique university dining experiences. The minds and mouths making the decisions in dining services are nurturing an environment of hand-picked, hyper-local

TMO By Tessa Marguerite Outland Farm-to-Fork

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ingredients and flavorful, international dishes in all campus dining—especially in its newest addition, Latitude Restaurant and Market. Latitude focuses on the diversity of its community by serving scratch-made cuisine from regions around the world. “Our goal is making dining the least stressful and most enjoyable part of the day,” says Kraig Brady, director of dining services. Approximately 20,000 meals are consumed each day on campus at UC Davis by students, staff and visitors, according to Brady. While there are multiple options to choose from—residential dining commons, restaurants, markets with grab-n-go

options, coffeeshops, food trucks and concessions at sports games—Latitude is unlike any other dining experience on campus. The restaurant opened in January and serves regional-based foods with four main platforms focusing on LatinAmerican, Asian, European, and Middle Eastern and Indian cuisine. Within the modern building located on Bioletti Way south of Hutchison Drive, patrons will find savory, sweet and spicy dishes from around the world. The two-story building seats 500 people with spacious indoor and outdoor dining areas and to-go options. Latitude is open to the public for lunch and dinner Monday

through Friday during the academic year. To make dishes as authentic as possible, chefs seek out new spices and produce items. However, many of the ingredients for these meals (and other meals on campus) are supplied directly by UC Davis-grown foods within walking distance or even on campus. Chefs in Latitude’s kitchen use many ingredients grown on UC Davis soil to make tasty meals such as entraña con chimichurri Argentino (grilled skirt steak with chimichurri), tonkotsu ramen (pork ramen with soft poached egg), moules-frites (mussels and fries) and tomato bisque with cashew cream. Utilizing hyper-local ingredients is part of the university’s Aggie Grown campaign. The Aggie Grown campaign began when UC Davis dining services decided to take advantage of the many agricultural endeavors on campus. Now, dining services collaborates with the UC Davis Pastured Poultry Program, Meat Lab, Goat Dairy, Olive Oil Center, Honey and Pollination Center, Student Farm and research facility Russell Ranch.

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Kraig Brady

Chamayo Yniguez, associate director of dining services, and Kue Her, senior executive chef, are passionate about supporting local farms and farmers. Her oversees the culinary program, connects local ingredients to chefs and helps develop new recipes depending on what is available or in season. Yniguez and Her partner with the Student Farm on campus to use some of its produce for dining services. The 23-acre teaching farm is for any student at UC Davis who wants to learn about gardening—and reap some of the rewards. The innovative Aggie Grown campaign familiarizes students with fresh, healthy, hyper-local alternatives to most dining experiences. Students “get to experience local agriculture like they’ve never experienced before,” Brady says. Dining services on campus is continuously imagining new ways to create more sustainable ways of eating. Recently, dining services introduced the blended burger, which has increased nutritional value and reduced fat content with 30 percent mushroom and 70 percent beef. The blended burger was presented to students by the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science in a living lab (blind tasting) and was favored over burgers made entirely with beef and other blended burgers.

At Latitude Restaurant, some dishes will be served on a daily basis with the additional “chef’s choice” specials rotating weekly. Chef favorites include picanha (Brazilian salted skewered sirloin cap), pollo en salsa de coco (braised chicken in coconut sauce) with arroz con coco (rice with coconut), paella mixta (paella with meat and seafood), coq au vin (red wine braised chicken) and urid dal (black lentil stew). Latitude Market offers artisan sandwiches, a sushi bar, made-to-order drinks and shakes, gelato, and premade to-go meals and sides. Brady stresses that this broader range of meal options will not only add new varieties in flavor, but also elements of inclusivity, education and, hopefully, comfort. Offering this food on campus “brings a sense of home and familiarity,” Brady says. “It allows someone who may not be familiar with someone else’s cuisine to learn about someone else and how their food tastes.”

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For more information, visit housing. ucdavis.edu/dining/latitude. Tessa Marguerite Outland can be reached at tessa.m.outland@gmail.com. Previous columns can be found and shared at the all-new InsideSacramento. com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @insidesacramento. n

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Say Little; Do Much

ADVICE FOR WHEN YOU ARE AT A LOSS FOR WORDS

am a professionally employed chaplain. I’m schooled, ordained and certified. I’ve even been to war. But I recently attended three funerals that reminded me how I can feel as helpless as anyone when trying to comfort a heartbroken friend. The first funeral was in Grass Valley for Joe Feld, a Pearl Harbor survivor. The hardest part was squeezing into my old uniform. The easiest part was honoring his military service and sharing his humor. At 96, Joe saw death as more relief than grief. Things got harder the next day when my wife and I drove to Loomis for the funeral of 29-year-old Kirsten Nichols. Kirsten’s dad is a long-time chaplain friend, Dennis Nichols. What do you say when death comes out of order? An old proverb suggests that happiness comes when “grandfather dies, father dies, son dies.”

NB By Norris Burkes Spirit Matters

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What could we say to Dennis and his wife, Sue? What would we write in a card? What would I whisper during the condolence hug? I can only hope I gave Dennis the sacred space he needed to tell me how lost he found himself. But I felt the most consternation about Rebecca Yule’s funeral in Stockton. She was the sister of my best friend of 44 years, Roger Williams. Just before Christmas, Becky developed a sudden terminal infection. Becky lived with Roger and his wife, Belinda, for the past two years. Our lives often intersected over the delicious meals she cooked, all the while exchanging funny stories and political views. Still, I struggled with inadequacy. After all, Roger manages a department of hospital chaplains. He sits with families as their tragedies unfold in the ER. He prays with patients as cancer ravages their bodies. He holds babies after they die. How do you bring comfort to someone who has heard and seen all this? While every situation is different, I can list the things I did not say at these funerals. I did not preach, “Everything happens for a purpose.” That’s because if there’s a purpose for drunk drivers, cancer or tornadoes, I haven’t found it. Instead, I tried to show my friends,

“God is here. I am here. We will walk through this together.” While I believe in heaven, I certainly did not tell anyone that their loved one went to a better place. As a novice minister, I have said that only a few times, before being asked, “How is that ‘place’ better than being with me?” Or the grieving relative would say, “Then God can take me there, too!” Instead, I asked my friends what they think happens after this life. Roger answered by telling me of a dream Becky had about heaven and her certainty that she would see her loved ones. I surely didn’t tell the grievers, “I know how you feel.” Instead, I may have said something like, “I have a sister whom I couldn’t imagine losing. I’d love to hear what your sister meant to you.” I can assure you that I never promised, “God won’t give you more burdens than you can handle.” This is a misquote of the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 10:13, which says, “God will not allow us to be tempted beyond our ability to escape.” Its most logical interpretation is that God will help us resist temptations, not death. It seems people use that verse to speak for God, but I’ve found it more helpful to say something like, “God must have loved you very much to have given you a sister like that.”

Finally, I absolutely avoided using the word “if.” As in, “If there is anything I can do, just ask.” I learned from my sister not to say that to anyone unless you’re ready to back it up. At my father’s funeral, my sister Julie stood ready to accept all offers. When people asked if there was something they could do, she had a sign-up sheet for them to answer phones, drive relatives to the airport or bring meals during the following month when people tend to forget the survivors. It will forever warm my heart to remember the man who signed up to mow my mother’s lawn for a year. Not everyone will know what to say to the anguished, but deep down most of us don’t need my sister’s list to help the grief-stricken. So, my best advice when you find yourself at a loss for words is this: “Say little. Do much.” The doing will say more than you can ever imagine. Norris Burkes can be reached at comment@thechaplain.net. Previous columns can be found and shared at the all-new InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @insidesacramento. Burkes is available for public speaking at civic organizations, places of worship, veterans groups and more. For details and fees, visit thechaplain.net. n

Give Them an Inch TACKLING VIGOROUS AND INVASIVE PLANTS

t’s bad enough that we have to fight weeds or deal with unsuitable plants that we inherited when we bought our properties. It’s worse if you are the one who innocently planted something that has turned into a monster. Plants that are described as “vigorous” may be ready to take over your yard. Some grow too big, too fast. Others have roots that spread aggressively. Still others spread by seed. I don’t really consider plants “invasive” that are easy to remove. California poppies, sweet peas and other plants that self-seed can be readily pulled out if they pop up in

AC By Anita Clevenger Garden Jabber

unwanted places. Forget-me-nots are easy enough to pull out, but their seeds stick tenaciously to pants, socks and shoelaces. I try to cut them back or remove them before their seeds mature, but every year I end up tediously picking off seeds one by one. Truly invasive plants are the ones with persistent roots that are virtually impossible to eradicate. You can pull them out, dig them out, even use herbicide, to little or no avail. The first invasive plant that I added to my garden was my neighbor’s horseradish. Even though I didn’t care for its taste, it was in my garden to stay. The only way to remove horseradish is to dig it out, removing every bit of root. Usually, some root is left behind and you have to keep digging, year after year. The advice to control horseradish is to keep it in a container. That’s the way to grow mint too. For years, I kept mint under control in a pot sunk part-way into the ground. That worked fine until it finally escaped. It was amazing how quickly it spread, and how hard it was to remove.

A landscaper planted a cat’s claw vine (Macfadyena unguis-cati) to cover a concrete block wall to the rear of our yard. When we wanted to take out the vine 10 years later, it had other ideas. The vine had developed large tuberous roots that have been impossible to fully remove. We will be digging this plant out for the rest of our lives. I always shudder when I see people landscape with horsetail (Equisetum hyemale). My friend, Barbara Oliva, fought a losing battle to this plant at her home. It’s beautiful, but must be contained. Running bamboos and showy milkweeds are other invasive plants that I’ve managed to avoid. Some plants are officially considered “invasive” by the California Invasive Plant Council because they spread into natural areas and harm the environment. CAL-IPC’s “Don’t Plant a Pest” brochure recommends alternatives to some of the plants that cause the greatest problems. For a list of recommended alternatives and information on ordering the brochure, visit cal-ipc.org/solutions/prevention/ landscaping/dpp.

You also can search an inventory of plants that threaten California's natural areas, including invasive plants and "watch" plants that are a high risk of becoming invasive, at cal-ipc.org/plants/ inventory. A vigorous plant can be a blessing or a curse. Be wary when fellow gardeners offer to pass along a plant to you. It’s very possible that it has taken over their gardens, which is why they have plenty to spare. The next Open Garden will be Saturday, March 14, from 9 a.m.–noon at the Fair Oaks Horticulture Center, 11549 Fair Oaks Blvd. in Fair Oaks. Anita Clevenger is a platinum Sacramento County Master Gardener. For answers to gardening questions, contact the UC Master Gardeners at (916) 876-5338 or mgsacramento@ ucanr.edu, or visit sacmg.ucanr.edu. Previous columns can be found and shared at the all-new InsideSacramento. com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @insidesacramento. n

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TO DO THIS MONTH'S CULTURE & ENTERTAINMENT HIGHLIGHTS

“ Michael Himovitz Redux at Archival Gallery. Photo by Kurt Fishback.

Michael Himovitz Redux

African Storytelling Festival

Archival Gallery March 5–28 Second Saturday Reception: March 14, 6–9 p.m. 3223 Folsom Blvd. • archivalgallery.com This group exhibition features artists who were represented by Second Saturday co-founder Michael Himovitz at his eponymous gallery in the 1980s. The retrospective raises money for the Artists in Crisis Fund.

Fairytale Town Saturday, March 21, 11 a.m.–3 p.m. 3901 Land Park Drive • fairytaletown.org Local storytellers share stories tracing the history of African-Americans from Africa to the New World. Free with paid park admission. Members and children 1 and younger are free.

Homegrown: A Festival of New Works

JL By Jessica Laskey

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Sacramento Ballet March 26–29 The Soﬁa, 2700 Capitol Ave. • sacballet.org This evening of world premieres features work by Jennifer Archibald, Nicole Haskins and Isaac Bates-Vinueza. Pre-performance chat with artistic director Amy Seiwert begins one hour before performance. Tickets are $60.

PREVENTION: The Cure for Gun Violence National Council of Jewish Women Sacramento Sunday, March 1, 3–5 p.m. Congregation Beth Shalom, 4746 El Camino Ave. • ncjwsac.org/events This panel discussion features Dr. Bill Durston (Americans Against Gun Violence), Amanda Wilcox (Brady Campaign), Pastor Joy Johnson (Sacramento ACT), Jessica Riestra and Luis Orozco (March For Our Lives California). $10 suggested donation.

Saint-Saëns Thundering Organ Symphony Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera March 13 & 14, 8 p.m. Fremont Presbyterian Church, 5770 Carlson Drive • sacphilopera.org This organ recital, featuring performer James Jones, includes Beethoven’s Symphony No. 4 and Saint-Saëns’ Symphony No. 3. Tickets are $52, $42 and $32.

Jacqueline B. Hairston Sacramento Community Concerts Association Sunday, March 22, 3 p.m. Riverside United Methodist Church, 803 Vallejo Way • sccaconcerts.org Pianist Jacqueline Hairston is a 2019 Lincoln Center “Master of the Spiritual” honoree, guest conductor at Carnegie Hall and an award-winning composer-arranger. Tickets are $25; $5 students. African Storytelling Festival at Fairytale Town.

Fragility of Goodness: Music from the Balkans Vox Musica Sunday, March 1, 5–6:30 p.m. Beatnik Studios, 723 S St. • voxmusica.net This unique concert of Balkan and Georgian music features local Zado European Music Ensemble and Balkan music specialists Ivan and Tzvetanka Varimezova. Tickets are $20 presale; $25 at the door.

Women United Action Group Luncheon United Way Thursday, March 26, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. Memorial Auditorium, 1515 J St. • yourlocalunitedway.org/women-united-luncheon Women from across the region gather to celebrate and raise funds for local foster youth with a lunch and fashion show. Three local leaders share inspirational stories about their experiences in foster care. Tickets are $155 VIP; $95 individual.

Rookery Tour Bufferlands Saturday, March 14, 9 a.m.–noon Sacramento Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant, Elk Grove • regionalsan.com/event/rookery-tour View of nesting herons, egrets and double-crested cormorants— more than 150 nests—high in the riparian forest. To make reservations and confirm meeting location, contact Roger Jones at (916) 875-9174 or jonesro@sacsewer. com.

Book Launch Party Sierra 2 Center Saturday, March 7, 2–4 p.m. 2791 24th St., Room 10 • sierra2.org Sacramento authors Anne Da Vigo and Bill Pieper present two new works of fiction. Da Vigo reads an excerpt from her thriller, “Bakersfield Boys Club.” Pieper reads from his linked short-story collection, “Borders and Boundaries.”

Second Saturday Art Walk First United Methodist Church Saturday, March 14, 4:30–9 p.m. 2100 J St. • ﬁrstumcsac.org More than 15 local artists will show their work, including oils, pastels, pencil, acrylic, ceramics, plants, jewelry and photography. Enjoy complimentary refreshments at this free event.

The Great STEM Summit Square Root Academy Saturday, March 14, 9 a.m.–2 p.m. Sam & Bonnie Pannell Community Center, 2450 Meadowview Road • squarerootacademy.com Scholars of all ages can invent, hack and experiment with cutting-edge tech in the MakerZone and listen to inspiring speakers at this free event.

Gun-violence prevention panel at Congregation Beth Shalom.

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Women United Action Group Luncheon with fashion show at Memorial Auditorium.

Shulem Lemmer in Concert Mosaic Law Congregation Sunday, March 8, 5 p.m. The Center at 2300, 2300 Sierra Blvd. • mosaiclaw.org Shulem Lemmer made history as the first born-and-raised Orthodox singer to ever sign a major record deal in the U.S. Music in honor of Rabbi Reuven Taff. Tickets are $18 students; $72 general seating; $100 reserved seating.

Global Rhythms: Jessica Fichot Crocker Art Museum Thursday, March 26, 6:30 p.m. 216 O St. • crockerart.org Drawing from her multi-ethnic French/Chinese/American upbringing, Fichot’s music takes listeners on a journey into the land of 1940s Shanghai jazz, gypsy swing and international folk. Tickets are $15 members; $25 nonmembers.

Dancer Isaac Bates-Vinueza in Sacramento Ballet's Homegrown: A Festival of New Works. Photo by Keith Sutter.

St. Patrick’s Day Parade Old Sacramento Waterfront Saturday, March 14, 11 a.m.–3 p.m. (parade at 1 p.m.) Old Sacramento Waterfront District • oldsacramento.com Join hundreds of colorful marchers dressed in green along with Irish and Highland dancers, pipe and drum bands, historic re-enactors and a variety of cultural organizations.

Robin Hill: Critical Matters 2.0 JAYJAY Gallery Through March 28 5524 B Elvas Ave. • jayjayart.com Robin Hill’s award-winning multimedia work focuses on the intersection between drawing, photography and sculpture.

Open Garden UCCE Master Gardeners Saturday, March 14, 9 a.m.–noon Fair Oaks Horticulture Center, 11549 Fair Oaks Blvd. • sacmg.ucanr.edu Enjoy mini-demonstrations on various topics like container gardening, debugging, composting, propagating herbs, tools for orchard care and more.

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Shulem Lemmer at The Center at 2300.

St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Old Sacramento. Photo courtesy of Downtown Sac.

“French Confetti,” paper, plaster and pigment on panel, by Robin Hill at JAYJAY gallery.

Songs in the Key of Life Sacramento Master Singers Saturday, March 14, 7 p.m. Sunday, March 15, 3 p.m. The Soﬁa, 2700 Capitol Ave. • mastersingers.org Experience all the stages of life with music from Joni Mitchell, Cole Porter and Eriks Esenvald, solos by guest artists Buffy Baggott and Omari Tau, and the world premiere of Ron Kean’s “Dancing with Creation.” Tickets are $39 adults; $35 seniors; $19 students. $1 of each ticket will benefit Music Partners in Healthcare.

A Universe of Sounds Sunday, March 15, 2:30 p.m. Sacramento Symphonic Winds El Camino High School Center for the Arts, 2340 Eastern Ave. • sacwinds.org This concert features music by David Maslanka, Eric Whitacre, James Curnow, John Mackey, John Williams and more. Tickets are $15 general; $10 students and seniors; children through 8th grade free.

Camellia Chapter Monthly Meeting Embroiderers’ Guild of America Tuesday, March 17, 7 p.m. Arden-Dimick Library, 891 Watt Ave. • (916) 223-2751 Guests of all ages welcome. Meeting will include show-and-tell and monthly guild business.

Bufferlands Rookery Tour at Sacramento Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant in Elk Grove.

Jessica Laskey can be reached at jessrlaskey@gmail.com. Submissions are due six weeks prior to the publication month. Previous columns can be found and shared at the all-new InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @insidesacramento. n

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Bryan Valenzuela

Pushing Boundaries CELEBRATED MURAL PAINTER STILL CALLS SACRAMENTO HOME

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hen I catch up with artist Bryan Valenzuela on the phone, he asks if it’s OK that he’s talking to me on a headset while he paints. In San Francisco. On the side of a building. Three stories up. Valenzuela is hard at work on a 48-foot mural in the courtyard of a renovated hotel. What should have taken only a couple of weeks is taking far longer due to unseasonal rains that halt his progress for days at a time. Valenzuela says he doesn’t mind the pauses, but he does worry that he has other projects to attend to and, more importantly, “the faster I get it done, the sooner I can see my dog.” The Orange County native isn’t complaining about the work—in fact, he’s immensely grateful that he’s gotten to a point in his career where all he does is make art. Although, painting wasn’t his first love—he started as a writer, which isn’t surprising when you consider how much text is featured in his artwork. Valenzuela has become known for his unique and utterly arresting style that involves, as he puts it, “the atomization of the figure by carving out shape and light with handwritten text. Though virtually unnoticeable from afar, once the viewer steps closer to each work, they are engulfed in a barrage of words intermingled with other mixed media elements, such as needle and thread, acrylic paint and collage.” After going to high school in the foothills, Valenzuela attended Sacramento State, where he was “lured” into the art department. He graduated in 2003 with his bachelor’s degree in art studio, and has worked and exhibited steadily since then. But the Boulevard Park resident says the moment his career really took off was when he was commissioned by the city of Sacramento and Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission to

JL By Jessica Laskey Open Studio

create the public art installation “Multitudes Converge” at the newly completed Golden 1 Center in 2016. Valenzuela’s hanging sculpture is made up of approximately 400 blownglass spheres in shades of blue and turquoise with hints of gold. “After that commission, I was swept out to sea on a current I didn’t expect,” Valenzuela says. “Golden 1 made it so I could be an artist fulltime. I feel really lucky that I’ve been able to bounce from one project to

a good home base. It’s like a small town that’s also a city—a real hidden gem. It has an amazing, supportive, talented art community and a great pace of life. When you go to other cities like New York, you get off the subway and there’s this ‘whoosh’ of activity. I like the burst of energy, but it’s nice to have a break when I come back.” another, but it’s definitely been a That break will probably be whirlwind.” short-lived if the current demand Since Golden 1, Valenzuela for his talents is any indication. has completed projects all over After completing the mural in San California—including “Kumbaya Francisco, Valenzuela is off to Malibu Moment” for Sacramento’s Wide for another project, then back to Open Walls mural festival in 2017—as Sacramento for a commission with well as in Chicago, New York, New the 1810 Gallery, followed by a solo Orleans and Brooklyn. But no matter show at Beatnik Studios in April and where he travels, he’s always happy to potentially another mural for Wide come home. Open Walls. “Sacramento has been really When he has time in between, he’s good to me,” Valenzuela says. “It’s composing, performing, recording

and touring with the band Exquisite Corps—music is another one of his creative outlets—or walking his dog to his favorite Midtown haunts. Life is a whirlwind right now to be sure, but Valenzuela wouldn’t have it any other way. “I keep challenging myself to do more and more ambitious work and keep pushing the boundaries,” Valenzuela says. “I keep challenging myself to do better.” For more information, visit bryanvalenzuela.com. Jessica Laskey can be reached at jessrlaskey@gmail.com. Previous profiles can be found and shared at the all-new InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @insidesacramento. n

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Glad to be Back SACRAMENTO INSTITUTION RETURNS, THIS TIME IN EAST SACRAMENTO

’ve lived in Sacramento for almost 40 years, so I’ve been to Celestin’s Restaurant. It seems like a fact of life for any long-term diner in this town—if you’ve been around for more than two decades, you’ve eaten at Celestin’s. You might have dined at the J Street location, where Patrick Celestin and his wife Phoebe held court starting in 1983. That same

space became the first home of Kru Contemporary Japanese Cuisine, by the way. If my spatial geography is on point, I believe that same space is now the tiki bar extraordinaire, The Jungle Bird. If you weren’t around for Celestin’s 1.0, then you most likely stopped in at Celestin’s 2.0, aka Celestin’s Restaurant & Voodoo Lounge at 1815 K St. The space was much larger than the petite J Street location in which the

windows would often steam up from the hot bowls of gumbo coming out of the postage stamp of a kitchen. The K Street spot sported a hip bar and plenty of dining space. But, in 2011, the Celestins felt the place had run its course. Fast forward to 2018. A small kitchen and dining room come available on a cozy East Sacramento street. It’s a perfect opportunity for the local pair to

reinvigorate their restaurant, this time stripping it down to basics and letting the simple things shine. Two years in and Sacramento seems appreciative that Celestin’s Restaurant is back in the local food scene, dishing out bowls of gumbo, Caribbean cuisine and creole favorites. The 3.0 edition of the restaurant is small by any standards. Just

GS By Greg Sabin Restaurant Insider

Marquise au Chocolat a l' haïtienne

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Scallops in Coconut Lime Sauce

10 tables and a handful of counter seats make up the dining room. The kitchen is in full view of every seat. It’s intimate, casual and totally inviting. The menu has changed, but only by narrowing its focus. Whereas the previous iteration had a fairly extensive list of dishes, this new Celestin’s offers a pared down list of favorites with a few select choices for vegans and vegetarians to boot. My favorite dish, grio, is unchanged from the first time I had it in 1992. It’s a simple Haitian dish featuring chunks of pork marinated in sour orange, lime and spices, then fried to crispy perfection. Served alongside are tostones (twice fried plantains) and timalice sauce (fresh lime, shallots, thyme and habaneros). That’s it—fried pork, fried banana cousins and a spicy/sweet/ citrus sauce. Do you need anything else? I never have. However, it’s important to go outside your comfort zone, and I actually sampled a host of dishes other than grio so that you, dear reader, get a broader view of the delicacies coming out of Patrick Celestin’s kitchen. The simple, some might say predictable, shrimp po’ boy is actually unpredictably excellent. The local Acme roll stands in well for New Orleansstyle French bread while still being undoubtedly Californian. The shrimp, fried off beautifully, sport a coating of cornmeal that gives a lovely bite to the whole sandwich. Dressed with the standard lettuce, tomato and creole mayo, it’s a treat. But really what you remember, if you’ve been to Celestin’s in the last

four decades, is the gumbo. Celestin is a master of the roux, and coaxes the maximum depth of flavor from a chocolate/brick concoction that rivals any west of the Mississippi. The house special gumbo offers generous portions of chicken, sausage, rock cod, scallops and shrimp. A vegetarian option is available too. It’s an impressive task to finish a bowl at a single sitting. But really, why would you need to? The next day’s leftovers make for fine dining at home. Besides, you’ll want to save room for dessert. My favorite on the dessert menu is, maybe predictably, the key lime

pie. We’re not reinventing the wheel here. We’re not deconstructing an old familiar. We’re just enjoying a traditional dish done traditionally. Its only rival might be the insanely excellent slice served by Kira O’Donnell Babich at the Real Pie Company at Broadway and 24th. Great crust, tart and sweet filling, mounds of whipped cream. It’s a treasure. I could sum up Celestin’s with some heart-stringy wrap-up of how we should always appreciate what we have since you never know when it’ll be gone. But I’ll just be personal for a moment and say Celestin’s Restaurant brings me joy,

and I’m sure glad it’s back in my life. And, to be honest, I’m glad it’s back in your life too. Celestin’s Restaurant is at 3610 McKinley Blvd.; (916) 258-4060; celestinsgumbo.com. Greg Sabin can be reached at gregsabin@hotmail.com. Our Inside Sacramento Restaurant Guide and previous columns can be found and shared at the all-new InsideSacramento. com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @insidesacramento. n

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Best Feline Friend

Carol Stirnaman

CARMICHAEL OCTOGENARIAN MARKS HER SECOND DECADE OF HELPING

fter the death of her husband in 1998, Carol Stirnaman needed something to occupy her time. Always a pet lover, the Sacramento-born resident considered volunteering at a local animal shelter.

CR By Cathryn Rakich Pets and Their People

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“I was looking for some type of volunteer work and I wanted it to be with animals,” she says. “I had cats and dogs all my life. I’m one of those people who just falls in love with animals.” Stirnaman heard about Happy Tails Pet Sanctuary, a nonprofit animal-rescue group with an adoption center in East Sacramento, via a story on the local news. Her attention was piqued when she learned Happy Tails is “no kill”—pets taken into Happy Tails are not euthanized for space or behavior issues, only for medical reasons that affect quality of life.

“So, I went down to check it out. That’s how I got started.” This year marks Stirnaman’s 20th anniversary as a Happy Tails volunteer, first as an adoption counselor matching people with cats in need of a loving home. Then, a year later, she added foster parent to her volunteer title. Now, at 86, Stirnaman reports she has fostered 438 kittens and cats for Happy Tails. “I counted up how many fosters I’ve had—I keep all the paperwork,” she says, remembering the first feline was a tiny grey one. “Then two beautiful little calicos.”

Stirnaman retired in 1993 as a mechanical technician at the Sacramento Army Depot on FlorinPerkins Road. “I repaired radios for the Army. I started with the government when I first got out of school.” She and her husband Edward wed in 1955 and were married for 43 years. She has lived in the same home in Carmichael for 65 years, where she and Ed raised their two daughters. That same house is now foster cat central. Living alone has allowed Stirnaman to convert an extra bedroom into a “foster kitten room” with scratching posts, cat trees, pet

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