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POCKET CONTEMPORARY Lovely 3 bedroom 2 bath in a wonderful neighborhood. Very open Àoor plan with atrium and tons of light. Nice home for entertaining inside or in lovely, large backyard. Side yards are large, raised planter bed too! Patio cover is spectacular when in bloom. $349,900 LEIGH RUTLEDGE 612-6911, BILL HAMBRICK 600-6528

sold

WONDERFUL GREENHAVEN POCKET 4 bedrooms, 2½ baths, open Àoor plan great for entertaining! Features include family room ¿replace, master bedroom opens to 2nd bedroom, inside laundry. Beautifully landscaped with raised brick garden and extended driveway $349,000 LINDA WOOD 802-8042

pending

FABULOUS ELK GROVE Beautifully maintained single story 4 bedroom, 2 bath home located in quiet community. Great open kitchen, dining and family room combo. Master bath, walk-in closet, and sunken tub. Well-manicured backyard. Conveniently located! $379,900 SYLVIA MORENO 996-4760

GREENHAVEN PLANNED UNIT This single family 2 bedroom 1½ bath home features new exterior paint, open Àoor plan, spacious bedrooms, huge dining area, attached 1 car garage, community pool, plenty of parking, newer roof, covered patio, yard space, ¿replace, ceiling fans. Close to river, bike trails, parks, and downtown. $189,000 MONA GERGEN 247-9555

QUALITY GREENHAVEN HOME Lee Basford built 3 bedroom 2½ bath home close to the Sacramento River. New two-tone paint, re¿nished hardwood Àoors, remodeled kitchen, master bath, Pella dual pane windows, plantation shutters and so much more! Newer front and backyard landscaping, and a pool! Wow! $432,500 MONA GERGEN 247-9555

pending

ADORABLE HOLLYWOOD PARK Darling 3 bedroom home with hardwood parquet Àoors, living room ¿replace, cute kitchen and formal dining room. Central heat and air, dual pane windows and bonus rooms at the back have been used as family room and 3rd bedroom. Fruit trees and work shop in backyard. $159,000 PAULA SWAYNE 425-9715

sold

WELL MANINTAINED Impeccably maintained, roomy 3 bedroom 1½ bath on a big .2 acre lot. Lifetime roof, newer water heater and carpet. Heat pump and attached 1-car garage. Convenient to park and transportation. $187,000 LISA McCAULEY 601-5474

AMAZING REMODEL Recently remodeled 3 bedroom 2 bath home in the Didion School boundaries. New kitchen, electrical, baths, Àoors, windows, doors, paint in and out, baseboards, lighting, (includes LED lights), ceiling fans, landscaping, quartz counter top, farm house sink, designer tile Àoors and much more. $389,000 MONA GERGEN 247-9555

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COMFORTABLE SPACE 3 bedrooms 2 baths, nice Àoor plan with brick ¿replace in living room. Large backyard with fruit trees and a built-in BBQ. Walking distance to park; 2-car attached garage. Priced to sell! $155,000 LISA McCAULEY 601-5474

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COVER ARTIST Susan Sylvester “My interests lie in the use of imagery, speciﬁcally young adolescents, creatures such as bunnies, and imaginary landscapes as a vehicle to express emotions and relationships. For me, the narrative is in the realm of the psychological, rather than the literal.” Susan Sylvester has a studio in the Verge Center for the Arts. Visit susansilvester.com

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

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Our Newest Muse JEFF KOONS’ “COLORING BOOK #4” SCULPTURE FOR ARENA IGNITES A FIRESTORM

BY CECILY HASTINGS

PUBLISHER’S DESK

s I write this column on March 10, I’m listening in the council chambers to more than 50 speakers testify about why the city council should—or should not—approve a contract with world-class artist Jeff Koons for a sculpture that would be placed outside the new downtown sports arena. The piece, part of Koons’ “Coloring Book #4” series, carries an $8 million price tag. The announcement of Koons’ selection in February set off a fierce debate about the colorful metal piece that will sit in the plaza outside the city’s new arena, now under construction. While the artist’s concept was to create a simple, colorful, playful piece based on Piglet from A.A. Milne’s tales of Winnie-the-Pooh, the story behind it is far from simple. Objections from the public were based on the piece’s high cost; the choice of New York-based Koons rather than a local artist; the piece itself; and the process by which it was selected. Sacramento’s public-art selection process is complex and often misunderstood. Little attention is

usually paid to it $100,000 requiring city except in cases of a council approval. controversy. There are three The fiercest ways in which public opposition to this art can be selected in piece came from Sacramento: through members of the local open competition, arts community limited competition and who dislike this direct selection. Direct much cash going selection is rarely used to an artist outside and only under very our region, and specific circumstances. who feel cheated Open calls for by the selection competition limited to process. This specific geographic areas viewpoint is certainly are most common. understandable. The panel assembled And the most loyal to select the arena plaza support was from artwork was impressive Sacramento’s and included a fine group corporate class, of nine arts-oriented which is no surprise, professionals and the given the players SMAC chair. At its involved in the first meeting, the panel donation. decided that the plaza I am honored needed a substantial that I have been iconic sculpture. After appointed a member this meeting, the of Sacramento SMAC director was Metropolitan Arts given the idea by a Commission (SMAC) Kings representative to Above: The $80,000 sculpture designed by East Sac artist Marc Foster for McKinley Village housing project. for the past three purchase the Koons for Below: The $8 million sculpture by Jeff Koons for downtown arena years and chair of the $8 million; $4 million of commission’s Art in the cost would come from To select each public art project, Public Places committee for the past private donations. She then presented the SMAC director assembles a two. The city’s public art program the proposal to the panel, which panel of people from a variety of is based upon a 1977 ordinance that vetted the idea over the course of two backgrounds, including community requires 2 percent of the cost of public meetings. members, artists, collectors and construction of capital improvement The panel voted to approve SMAC commissioners. They meet projects to be spent on public art. In the project without considering numerous times and develop a plan this case, the public dollar portion of other proposals because of unique for the type of art appropriate for the cost is $2.75 million. Additional circumstances: the status of the the site, given the budget. Then they matching funds come from the Kings artist, the quality of the work and select the artist and the art itself. organization, which has partnered the unprecedented contribution of The SMAC commissioners approve with the city on the arena. all public art, with art spending over PUBLISHER page 7

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Access Issues A CLOSER LOOK AT PARKWAY FENCING CONTROVERSY

BY R.E. GRASWICH POCKET BEAT

magine having neighbors who are repeatedly at odds with the authorities, who behave as if rules don’t apply to them, who carry on with a sense of entitlement. Not exactly a boost to community values, right? If you live in the Pocket or Little Pocket, you have neighbors who begin to fit the description. I’m talking about residents who build, maintain and support fences that block access along the Sacramento River parkway. These neighbors have effectively turned the river levee parkway into a private garden for themselves. They are quick to scream about their absolute right to keep their fences— and keep you out. With illegal spikes, if necessary. These neighbors claim the standard homeowner concerns—safety and property rights—but overlook city codes and disregard state permits when such statutory burdens become inconvenient. Some have been caught turning their fences into public hazards. Documents obtained under Freedom of Information requests from the city of Sacramento and state

POC APR n 15

of California offer a fascinating image of our fence-building friends who can’t seem to follow the rules. Sadly, authorities seem to have found it easier to back down rather than do the right thing: remove the fences. There are nine fences and gates that block the river levee in the Pocket and Little Pocket, plus two more that restrict access at two South Pocket cul-de-sacs: Chicory Bend Court and Rivershore Court. Each case is different, but all involve the same issue: public access to the waterway that’s the lifeblood of our city, the Sacramento River. Let’s start with Chicory Bend and Rivershore, where residents built two illegal fences and blocked levee access

in 2009. The fences were constructed on public lands without a permit. They encroached onto restricted areas needed for emergency flood protection. Serious stuff, but it gets worse. City documents show that as early as February 2012, the Chicory Bend and Rivershore residents were told by authorities to remove the illegal fences. A Feb. 17, 2012, letter signed by parks director Jim Combs, transportation director Jerry Way and community development director Max Fernandez told the residents, “Under state law and the City Code, it is illegal to block access to a City park facility. The fences and gates are limiting the public’s access to the Sacramento River Parkway, a

regional parkway in the City’s park system. It appears keys may have been made available to residents in the immediate neighborhood; thus, effectively privatizing access to the parkway from these two locations. Each homeowner with keys to such gates is liable for violation of state and local laws.” The residents protested they were being mistreated. Last year, they recruited new City Councilmember Rick Jennings as their champion. When the city sent another letter on Oct. 27, 2014, saying the fences would be pulled down, the homeowners persuaded Jennings to intervene. Thanks to Jennings, who apparently believes certain residents POCKET BEAT page 8

PUBLISHER FROM page 5 $4 million to make the purchase. The arts commissioners reviewed the panel’s recommendation and approved the purchase for the same reason. Because the contract to purchase the artwork is worth more than $100,000, the city council needed to review and approve the purchase. That proposal included an extra $1.5 million to purchase art from local artists, including an extremely generous $1 million donation from local philanthropist Marcy Friedman, among other private donation pledges for a total of $4 million. It is a perfectly valid viewpoint that the community would have been better served by an open selection process that allowed for a wider choice of pieces and an informed debate. At the March 10 city council meeting, one eloquent speaker mentioned the selection process for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. The selection process involved a wide variety of artists, and the decision makers reviewed the proposals “blind”—that is, the artists’ names were hidden. They chose a design by a 21-year-old college student named Maya Lin over designs by prominent architects and artists. During a visit to D.C. a decade ago, my family and I found the design breathtaking. In my own neighborhood, I was honored to be selected as a member of the panel, overseen by SMAC, to choose the outdoor artwork for developer Phil Angelides’ McKinley Village housing project. The $400,000 for that artwork will come from private, not public, funds. This is the first time SMAC has been hired to perform art selection services in the private sector. We recently completed a monthslong process to pick the $80,000 sculpture that will grace the entrance park. We reviewed the work of dozens of local artists, then sought sitespecific proposals. Five finalists came and made their presentations using models, drawings and videos to pitch their designs. In the end, we selected East Sac artist Marc Foster and his amazingly beautiful 20-foot-tall steel sculpture called “La Feuille.” I am

confident we made the best possible decision. It just goes to show that a local artist can produce an amazing creation on a limited budget. While I find Koons piece artistically and visually compelling, many have suggested that our city may have been shortchanged by the direct selection of Koons without any other options being considered. Generally speaking, a broader choice usually results in a better outcome. And we may have been able to have had a sculpture that more visually related specifically to Sacramento.

Like the arena itself, the choice of Koons’ sculpture is a strategic risk for the city. A thoughtful idea was floated at the last minute to temporarily set aside the proposal and reconvene the original panel to open up the competitive process to include other qualified artists. Then, the panel could look at the resulting work alongside the Koons proposal before making a final decision. But the council didn’t want to consider this alternative, and on March 10 it voted to accept the project as proposed. The promise of the unprecedented donations—especially the $1 million donation from local arts philanthropist Marcy Friedman— combined with Koons’ status as a world-class artist was too hard to pass up. Not to be discounted is the fact that an extra $1.5 million in projects is still to be awarded to local artists as part of the Koons proposal. Years ago, I sat on a panel to decide on the public art that graces the historic water tower in East Sacramento. It was a nearly halfmillion-dollar project, and I remember that one of the works we reviewed for consideration was an image of a macramé plant hanger! Not exactly what was needed for a complex project located 100 feet up on a water tower.

About this upcoming sculpture, perhaps we should brim with excitement and not be bitter: about the art, the artist, the art panel or especially the arts commission that voted to approve the Koons deal. Like the arena itself, the choice of Koons’ sculpture is a strategic risk for the city. In my 26 years living here, I have witnessed plenty of often long-lasting bitterness over city decisions. Let’s not let the “Coloring Book #4” piece bring about any more.

FERGUSON POLICE OFFICER CLEARED I wrote my last three columns of 2014 about policing in our community, inspired by the tragic shooting last summer by a police officer of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo. Attorney General Eric Holder announced last month that a monthslong federal investigation completely exonerated Officer Darren Wilson of any wrongdoing. In the months after the shooting, Wilson was blamed, threatened, pilloried as a racist and eventually forced to resign. Last November, after a grand jury—having heard from some 60 witnesses—declined to indict the officer, Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, with councilmembers Allen Warren, Rick Jennings and Larry Carr by his side, said, “I’m obviously disappointed by the grand jury’s verdict. We may quibble and debate about the details of what happened in Ferguson on Aug. 9. What there is no controversy about is the fact that an injustice occurred.” Johnson’s comments were actually pretty mild compared to an outraged national commentator who said the decision “openly and shamelessly mocked our criminal justice system and laid bare the inequality of our criminal jurisprudence.” The Sacramento Police Officers Association and its president, Dustin Smith, took issue with Johnson’s comment. Johnson quickly held a meeting with police officers and sheriff’s deputies to clarify his remark.

“What they needed to hear from me is that what happened in Ferguson was not an indictment of police officers everywhere and especially not Sacramento, not the intent and not the case,” Johnson said. But now, many months later, after Wilson’s life was turned upside down and entire communities destroyed by rioting in its aftermath, it turned out that what happened in Ferguson was not even an indictment of what happened that fateful night last August between Officer Wilson and Michael Brown. And the sensationally oriented media is certainly to blame for openly and shamelessly mocking the criminal-justice system and accepting and promoting the myth that Officer Wilson was a trigger-happy cop going after a harmless victim while being protected by a racist justice system. It makes one wonder where Wilson goes to get his career and his reputation back. Cecily Hastings can be reached at publisher@insidepublications.com n

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deserve special security measures, the fences will be moved onto city land. Upriver at Benham and Surfside ways, the story is similar, with a few wrinkles. At Benham and Surfside, fences don’t merely block levee access. They block the entire levee. They run across the roadway and down the riverbank. Homeowners argue the fences were built with permits issued by the state. Fair enough. But the fences that exist are not necessarily the fences that were permitted. Let’s check the documents. The Benham fence received a State Reclamation Board permit in June 1993. There were 22 conditions listed on the permit. Eventually, the conditions grew to number 26. Condition 22 says, “If, in the opinion of the Board, the fence and gate become unnecessary due to changes in location of public access points or construction of other gated fences, the permittee agrees to remove the fence and gate at the request of the Board.” This means exactly what it says: One word from the state and the party’s over. By 2013, the state declared the Benham fence noncompliant when inspectors found “additional fencing, including injury-causing metal spikes,” among other problems. The homeowners removed the injurycausing metal spikes but kept the fence. The Surfside fence was permitted in 1971, when motorcycles and horses used the levee. By 2012, the Surfside fence had grown. Illegal wire spikes had been added. A letter citing the fence as “Non-Compliant

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with Conditions” was sent to Surfside homeowners. The notice said, “The wire spikes capable of inflicting physical injury are prohibited by Sacramento City Code.” Owners made a few changes, removed the injurycausing spikes and kept the fence. Today, both Benham and Surfside fences encroach on public property: They extend beyond the median high-water mark, which makes those sections illegal. Authorities have overlooked it. Such is life when you’re entitled. R.E. Graswich can be reached at reg@graswich.com n Publisher’s Note: We invited City Councilmember Rick Jennings to respond to our reporting on the parkway fence controvery. Here is his response:

ur neighborhood’s close proximity to open space and our rivers provide unique civic assets that we all treasure. Access to our rivers is a fundamental aspect of our community’s quality of life. City councils through the years have voted to ensure public access to the Sacramento River parkway through the adoption and support of the Sacramento River Parkway Master Plan. I am fully in support of the goals and objectives of the SRPMP. As your representative, finishing the parkway trail is a top priority. The policies of the council’s adopted SRPMP will govern our collective efforts. An important component in the SRPMP is the recognition of the needs of the overall community

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in balance with our neighbors that reside along and in close proximity to the levees. The focus on balance within this discussion is not only required by policy adopted by the city council, but it is also a foundational approach that I take when viewing public policy. Within the SRPMP there are two primary policies that underscore that balance: Policy 5: Public Access to the Parkway shall be limited to daylight hours (dawn to dusk). Policy 8: Access points and associated improvements shall be designed to minimize impact upon adjacent land uses. In addition, California Government Code Section 66478.4(b)(4) states that in making the determination of what is reasonable access, the local agency shall consider the following: the likelihood of trespass on private property and reasonable means of avoiding these trespasses. During our collective efforts to complete the parkway, the policy of balanced public access and neighborhood safety will guide us. The potential impacts to our neighbors need to be addressed as we protect the public’s right to access our rivers and the parkway. During my discussions with neighbors in our community, it has become clear to me that our neighbors value public access and understand the need for public safety. Understanding the need for balance was key for me in working through the issues with the fences that are on Chicory Bend Court and Rivershore Court. The residents of those two streets installed fencing that after installation the Central Valley Flood Protection Board required that the fences be moved out of the flood protection easements. There were three primary issues that needed to be addressed. First was to make sure that any fences do not interfere with flood safety. The fences once relocated will not interfere. This has been confirmed with the CVFPB. The second is that the fences would not limit public access. The parkway hours are from dawn to dusk. The gates are required to be open during

that time. If they are not, the city retains the right to remove the locks and/or the gates ensuring public access. The third is that there is no tax money used in the relocation of the fences. The residents will pay for the relocation or the fences will be removed. To be clear, these fences do not obstruct travel along the parkway trail, nor do they obstruct access to the parkway during normal operating hours. There may be some confusion with other fences that do indeed block access to the parkway during normal operating hours. Those fences are further north on the unimproved portion of the parkway trail. During the research on what could be done, it was discovered that there were backyard/side yard fences that were installed beyond the property owner’s lot. This is not an uncommon occurrence. There are hundreds of situations like this throughout the city. The city of Sacramento has a process to address the encroachment of backyard/side yard fences on city property. The current situation of having the backyard/side yard fences installed on city property will be addressed. Lastly, we need to move forward on finishing the parkway in the Pocket/ Greenhaven neighborhood. There are currently 71 properties that do not have the public easements necessary to finish the trail. Moving forward will take a collective commitment on behalf of our community. I am committed to having this discussion with our entire neighborhood with a goal to provide public access balanced with addressing the safety and privacy impacts on our neighbors living along the levee. Only as a committed community and a city will we finish the Sacramento River Parkway Master Plan. I feel it is extremely important that we engage the entire community in this important discussion. I am committed to a collective process of community participation and engagement. Rick Jennings represents District 7 on the Sacramento city council. He can be reached at rjennings@ cityofsacramento.org n

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Go, Team, Go LOCAL ROBOTICS TEAM HEADS TO ST. LOUIS FOR CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT

District, the high school, and corporate and community sponsors such as UNDC, SMUD, Chinese Community Center, JBB Forklift Service and Aerojet. Last season, the team made it to the semifinal rounds. Greene is optimistic about the team’s prospects this year in St. Louis. “The competition is completely different

BY SHANE SINGH

every year,” he says. “Our machines

POCKET LIFE

have always been robust and durable. But this year the robot is performing

he robotics team at John F.

exactly as it was designed to. The kids

Kennedy High School will

have over 5,300 hours invested in the

compete in a national robotics

design, building and programming of

championship tournament in St.

the robot, and every part was done by

Louis April 22 to 25.

a student. I couldn’t be more proud of what they have accomplished so far.”

The Kennedy team ranked third in

“Robotics has given me a real-

the qualifying rounds and took second

world experience,” says team captain

place at the Inland Empire regional tournament in February. The team won a wildcard slot to go to the First

The robotics team at John F. Kennedy High School will compete in a national robotics championship tournament in St. Louis April 22 to 25

Christina Trimingham, a senior in the school’s PACE program. “I learned how to be a professional during the

Robotics Competition championship.

design stages and in competition and

The team is looking to raise $25,000 to send 17 students and five

hope to apply the math skills I’ve

adult chaperones on the trip.

learned building a robot.” She likes building things, she says.

“The robot is ready,” says

“The most important part of this

industrial arts teacher Robert Greene, who coaches the robotics team. “The

program is prepping the students to

team is totally ready. All we need are

become engineering majors and go on

the funds to make it happen.”

to careers in engineering: mechanical,

The team, known as Kennedy

biomedical, structural, mechanical or

Robotics Team 3250, is an after-

geological—any kind of engineering,”

school program in which students

says Greene. “This is the launch pad.” If you would like to help fund the

work to design and build an intricate robot that can perform set tasks.

trip to St. Louis, go to first3250.com/

Through the program, they get hands-

donate For more information, contact team

on experience in design, fabrication, electrical, computer science and

adviser Robert Greene at robert-

media production.

greene@scusd.edu or 743-5044.

The robotics team is funded by a variety of sources including Sacramento City Unified School

POC APR n 15

Anthony Macy and owner Steve Macy with Colleen Callahan of Shasta Valley Shave Ice

drunk-driving awareness program. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve valued the opportunities that Kennedy High has given me for a balanced experience in academics, athletics and service,â&#x20AC;? she says. Remen has been a member of California Scholastic Federation, National Honor Society, The National Society of High School Scholars and

spend time with her family, friends

Create Your Dream Garden

and her golden retriever, Quinn.

with a little help from the experts

the Chinese National Honor Society. In her leisure time, she likes to

She has done volunteer work at Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Julie Remen

helped to feed, care for and prepare

COOL TREAT

dogs for adoption. She also is teaching

As temperatures start to warm, we want to note a local business designed to keep you cool: Shasta Valley Shave Ice. Local resident Steve Macy started the business about eight years ago. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was the chance to work with my kids and teach them a little about what itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s like to run a business,â&#x20AC;? he says. Macy orders his shaved ice syrup from a company in Honolulu called H.T.K. Hawaii. He currently offers 14 flavors and looking to add more. Shasta Valley Shave Ice is at 7325 Stanwood Way. If you are interested in serving shaved ice at an event, call 392-8272.

herself how to play the ukulele.

EXCEPTIONAL JFK SENIOR For the latest in our series on high school seniors, meet Julie Remen, a student at John F. Kennedy High School. Before Kennedy, she attended Leonardo da Vinci K-8 and Sutter Middle School. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Both of these schools offered rigorous honors programs that helped me prepare for the PACE program at Kennedy High School, drawing upon both my academic and my artistic capabilities,â&#x20AC;? she said.

Remen has applied to 14 colleges, including Sacramento State, UC Davis

varsity track. She served in student government. As senior class president, she has been responsible for planning senior homecoming events, senior ball and the Every 15 Minutes

,QVWDOODWLRQ

200

and University of the Pacific. So far,

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FREE WATERCOLOR CLASSES FOR OLDER ADULTS Land Park artist Kathy LemkeWaste will teach a free eight-week introductory watercolor course for adults 55 and older at Robbie Waters Pocket-Greenhaven Library starting May 1. The class will cover landscape, still life, figurative and abstract works, along with the basics of color theory and the elements and principles of design Space is limited. To register, go to saclibrary.org

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SUMMER ACADEMIES FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS This summer, Sacramento State will offer a series of weeklong

academies to give high school students hands-on, in-depth career exploration in seven different fields, including forensics, fashion, firefighting, engineering and robotics. The weeklong classes will run June 22 to 26 and July 13 to 17 and will be taught by experts in the fields, including Superior Court Judge Laurie Earl, who will teach civic duty, and Sacramento television reporter George Warren, who will teach multimedia journalism. To register or for more information, go to www.cce.csus.edu/ acads

CSUS FESTIVAL OF ARTS Sacramento State Universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s annual Festival of the Arts will take place April 8 to 12. During the festival, visiting artists and scholars will lecture, teach master classes and perform for the community. The Festival of the Arts is centered around the students. We

have performances by professionals in their fields, but they are offered with the students in mind,"says An Vo, external relations and communications coordinator for the College of Arts and Letters. Highlights of this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s festival include U-Create!, a street fair in downtown Sacramento featuring student and faculty projects and works from regional artists. The event will be at 7th and S streets on Thursday, April 9, from 5 to 9 p.m. Vertical dance pioneers BANDALOOP will make several appearances at the festival. Family Funday, a free event that will include art demonstrations and live music, will be on Sunday, April 12, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sacramento State is at 6000 J St. For more information, go to csus. edu/festival or call 278-6011.

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Expansive Plans THE MAYOR’S BUDGET MESSAGE PROPOSES WIDE-RANGING IDEAS

BY CRAIG POWELL INSIDE CITY HALL

s I wrote last month, the mayor and city council have taken aggressive steps in the past few months to assert much greater front-end control over both the city budget and the city manager (hiring an independent budget analyst, forming a new council budget committee, public outreach on budget matters). But the process changes were just the beginning. On March 10, the mayor took the unprecedented step of releasing a “Mayor’s Message on Budget Priorities” that lays out what is likely the most expansive plan ever proposed for the role of city government in Sacramento. It proposes a cautious approach to city spending and debt management in the near future while proposing more than a dozen new and unprecedented programs and initiatives. Notably, the mayor’s plan was not the product of deliberation and consensus by the council’s new budget and audit committee. Instead, it is the mayor’s own vision and was slated for initial council review late last month. If it ends up being approved by the council, it will represent marching orders to city manager John Shirey on

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how to draw up the city budget for the next fiscal year that begins July 1. The central premise of Johnson’s plan is that the city must exercise spending caution in the short term as the city nears a fiscal cliff in 2019 (due to escalating pension contributions and expiration of the Measure U half-percent sales tax hike), but that the city must ultimately fix its fiscal problems by taking aggressive steps to grow the local economy, resulting in higher city tax revenues. His ideas for growing the local economic pie are bold: He proposes a slew of new investments, plans and programs that, if approved, would inject the city more assertively into local economic development than ever before. It’s fair to ask: Are the twin strategies of near-term fiscal caution and a bevy of new city investments and programs reconcilable? That’s a very open question. In the short term, he wants to build up the city’s emergency reserves, but only by a smidgen (from 8.9 percent to 10 percent of the general fund, a $4 million increase). He wants to set aside an unspecified amount of Measure U revenues (now bringing in $11 million more per year than expected) for “contingency funding,” “one-time expenses” and “transition” once the tax hike expires in 2019. But until now, the city council, with the mayor’s concurrence, has been on a glide path to spend every last dollar of Measure U revenues before it expires. The talk at city hall is that lots of ideas are being floated for how to spend the $11 million windfall—none of which include returning the extra revenues back to city taxpayers via a rebate.

As the city came out of recession, the council regularly put unanticipated annual budget surpluses into city reserves to rebuild them following a steep draw-down during the recession. But Johnson is proposing that only $5 million of last year’s $17 million surplus be saved and the rest spent on one-time projects like the downtown streetcar project and emergency radio upgrades. (That’s still an improvement over city staff’s recommendation, which was to spend all but $1 million of the surplus.) To provide money for economic development spending, Johnson proposes that property taxes flowing into the city’s coffers as a result of the end of redevelopment (a flow that should grow to $25 million or more annually as the city’s $1 billion redevelopment debt is paid off) be directed into an “innovation and growth fund” (a new name for the current Economic Development Fund) to make direct investments in “targeted … projects and programs with a significant return on investment and impact on the city.” It appears that the mayor is proposing that the innovation fund take over the direct investment role that SHRA used to play before the state legislature pulled the plug on redevelopment three years ago. There are a few problems with such an approach. First, the return of property tax revenues to the city from the end of redevelopment merely restores to the city revenues that used to flow into the city’s general fund before redevelopment projects diverted such taxes into paying off redevelopment debt. This is the “dividend” that cities, counties, school

districts and special districts have been looking forward to collecting from the demise of redevelopment. Secondly, I don’t recall coming across a direct investment by SHRA that made “a significant return on investment.” In fact, most of the projects SHRA funded with direct investments in recent years involved bloated costs and taxpayer waste. (Apartment rehab projects funded by SHRA typically cost more than $300,000 per apartment unit, triple the cost of buying such apartments on the market.) If the mayor contemplates letting SHRA restart its direct investment program with cash from the innovation fund, the city will likely experience the same poor results as before. It may be that the mayor sees the innovation fund as a municipal venture capital fund, providing capital to promising tech companies. (Shirey once suggested the creation of such a fund.) But the venture capital business is no place for untrained and inexperienced city staffers. Seasoned pros in the venture capital business typically see only one investment in 10 succeed. Do we really want city government trying to pick economic winners and losers in the tech field with taxpayer money when we have unmet needs like inadequate police staffing and degraded park maintenance? The list of the mayor’s program and project ideas is long and includes creation of a central city master plan, designation of the railyards as an “innovation district,” the streetcar project, a new performing arts center to replace the Community CITY HALL page 14

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CITY HALL FROM page 12 Center Theater, a downtown housing initiative to build 10,000 new housing units in the next 10 years, a new study on reuse of the Natomas arena, implementation of the mayor’s gang prevention task force strategic plan, the Solutions City initiative (a partnership between the city and Starbucks to foster youth employment) and the creation of a city youth and education department. He also proposes a number of quality-of-life projects, including $500,000 for the Housing Solutions Program for the homeless, an income inequality task force (to study factors impacting poverty and available solutions, “including a possible city minimum wage”), a reinvigorated Green Initiative, and the replacement of streetlights with energy-efficient LED technology. He also reiterates his support for police body cameras, sensitivity training for police, new efforts to recruit a more diverse police force and increasing the number of police officers by 15 per year for 20 years, as well as the adoption of a fire master plan. In what may be a reversal of his views on public funding for a new soccer stadium, the mayor wants the city to commission a downtown railyards soccer stadium feasibility study to “answer key questions about the facility’s location, design, cost and development timeline.” The mayor has previously stated quite unequivocally that he would not seek taxpayer funding for a new soccer stadium and that such a stadium should be built entirely with private funds. But if private parties

will be constructing and paying for a new soccer stadium, why aren’t those private parties commissioning a soccer stadium feasibility study rather than city taxpayers? Why would the mayor want the city to commission such a study? It appears to this political observer as a thinly disguised opening gambit for a campaign to secure taxpayer funding for a new soccer stadium. On the heels of an expensive arena subsidy deal that will have city taxpayers on the hook for $300 million in arena bonds for the next 35 years, Johnson will have some heavy lifting to do to sell the idea of a public subsidy for a new soccer stadium. The mayor also calls for a $1 million contribution toward a trust to cover the city’s towering $452 million liability for retiree health care costs, which would bring the balance of the trust up to $6 million, or 1.3 percent of the city’s liability. You can see the problem. He also wants the city manager to conduct a study of ways the city can address its $2.3 billion in total liabilities. As the mayor states, “Sacramento’s long-term liabilities threaten to overwhelm the budget and limit the services the city provides.” The obvious critique of the mayor’s plan is that he’s trying to do too much all at once. He has an exceedingly optimistic faith in the ability and resources of the city to tackle more than a dozen new policy initiatives and projects simultaneously. History has shown that the city has a difficult enough time managing a single major project, like the downtown arena, which has chewed up a great deal of the city’s managerial

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bandwidth for three years. City government may do better to focus on its core competencies, identify cost efficiencies, restore basic city services deeply cut during the recession and make Sacramento a greater place to live and a better (and more affordable) place to locate, operate and grow a business. On the budget front, his plan to concurrently reduce city liabilities, increase budget reserves, create new programs and make substantial new investments in a wide array of new projects and programs seems to defy financial gravity. To be sure, Shirey has his work cut out for him devising a budget that meets all of the mayor’s budget priorities.

STUDIOS FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS ON N STREET The city was poised last month to give its final approval to $5 million in funding for “Studios for the Performing Arts” at the nowshuttered Fremont School on N Street in Midtown, a $6.6 million renovation project that will authorize a new nonprofit organization to operate the studios. The Sacramento Ballet and a half-dozen other local performing arts organizations have signed letters of intent to lease space in the studios. The hope is that the facility will be a hive of artistic creativity and collaboration and allow arts groups to conserve resources by sharing studios, offices, rehearsal, performing and classroom space. While the managing nonprofit will be contractually responsible for maintaining the aging facility, the nonprofit and the studios’ proposed tenants aren’t exactly flush with financial assets. Given the long history of financial crises among Sacramento arts groups, it should surprise no one if the city is asked to bail out the studios’ finances in the coming years.

SACRAMENTO JUMPS INTO THE CONTEMPORARY ART MARKET The city council approved a plan last month to purchase for $7.5 million (plus $500,000 in transportation costs) a sculpture to be created by popular contemporary artist Jeff Koons of New York and installed in the plaza adjoining the new downtown arena. The council foray into the overheated contemporary art market came following two contentious council meetings that featured strong objections from local artists who were excluded from consideration for the major commission by the Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission and its nine-member selection committee. With three owners of the Kings (Vivek Ranadive, Kevin Nagle and Phil Oates) chipping in $1 million each for the piece, the city’s share of the cost will be $2.7 million, plus another $3 million or so in interest over the next 35 years. The balance of the cost will be picked up by the Kings. A city ordinance mandates that at least 2 percent of the construction cost of all new public buildings be spent on public art. Since the arena has a construction cost of $273 million, it has a mandated public art budget of $5.5 million. Local arts philanthropist Marcy Friedman is contributing $1 million towards works by regional artists for placement in or around the arena or along K Street. Koons’ “Coloring Book” sculpture will join Downtown Plaza’s Indo Arch, Terminal B’s Red Rabbit and Terminal A’s “Samson,” the twin pillars of 1,400 pieces of stacked luggage, as focal points for endless debates over the value of major contemporary art pieces around town. (My personal favorite: Red Rabbit. My last favorite: Indo Arch.) Craig Powell is a local attorney, businessman, community activist and president of Eye on Sacramento, a civic watchdog and policy group. He can be reached at craig@ eyeonsacramento.org or 718-3030. n

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Welcome Home BEAUTIFUL HOUSES OPEN THEIR DOORS FOR ANNUAL CURTIS PARK TOUR

desserts and chocolate delicacies, wine and food tastings, live music, live and silent auctions and a raffle. Proceeds benefit Fairytale Town’s programs and park improvements. Tickets are $50 per person or $90 per couple. Cocktail or business attire is suggested. Sacramento Masonic Temple is at 1123 J St. Fairytale Town is at 3901 Land Park Drive. For more information, call 808-7462 or visit fairytaletown. org

BY JESSICA LASKEY LIFE IN THE CITY

t’s that wonderful time of the year when the sun is shining, the weather is warming up and the beautiful homes of Curtis Park are opened wide to welcome guests for the annual Curtis Park Home and Garden Tour, hosted by Sierra Curtis Neighborhood Association. This year’s tour will be held on Saturday, April 25, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. SCNA’s biggest annual fundraiser, the tour features houses that honor the neighborhood’s prewar-built history, with bungalows, Spanish Revival, Tudor and Storybook-style homes. The Sacramento Capitol A’s, the local chapter of the Model A Ford Club of America, will display historic autos outside tour homes. For tickets, call 452-3005 or go to sierra2.org.

IT’S AN EGGSTRAVAGANZA! Fairytale Town Spring Eggstravaganza will be held Saturday, April 4, and Sunday, April 5, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The fun-filled family weekend will include daily egg hunts at noon, 1

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TO MARKET, TO MARKET

Fairytale Town Spring Eggstravaganza will be held Saturday, April 4, and Sunday, April 5, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event includes performanaces by Magical Moonshine Theatre.

and 2 p.m., as well as prizes, springthemed activities and visits with Peter Cottontail. Duck into the Children’s Theater at 12:30, 1:30 and 2:30 p.m. on either day for a performance of Magical Moonshine Theatre’s “Tales of Br’er Rabbit,” complete with large tabletop puppets, a live banjo and singing. (Tickets are $2 for nonmembers, $1 for members.) Spring Eggstravaganza is free with paid park admission. Weekend admission is $5.50 for adults and children ages 2 and older, free for children 1 and younger. If the kids can’t get enough live theater, come back to the play park for the Fairytale Town Troupers’ presentation of “Once Upon A Time 1959” on Saturdays and Sundays, April 18, 19, 25 and 26, at noon and 1:30 p.m.

During the Troupers’ first production of the season, the park’s most famous storybook characters will come to life. The year is 1959 and Robin Hood, Cinderella, Jack and Jill and tons of other colorful characters find themselves lost in a fantastical fog after being spirited away from their storybook homes. They must work together to uncover the mysterious force that united them and find their way home. The show features upbeat, original songs that would be equally at home in the 1950s as they are in this modern-day Fairytale Town tale. Tickets are $2 for nonmembers, $1 for members (in addition to paid park admission). Fairytale Town will hold its third annual Mad Hatter Meets The Great Gatsby Fundraiser on Thursday, April 23, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Sacramento Masonic Temple downtown. The event will feature

Vic’s IGA Market at 5820 South Land Park Drive closed its doors last month before filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. The store was part of the IGA Market chain overseen by Vic De Stefani, a local grocery mastermind who’d been in the business for 64 years before his retirement in 2011 at the age of 82, according to The Sacramento Bee. The chain was made up of seven stores that stretched from South Sacramento to Folsom before De Stefani sold them off as he neared retirement. Vic’s IGA Market suffered from what many mom-and-pop establishments are fighting at the moment: the inundation of big chain grocery stores that can afford to undersell the local competition.

WHAT ON EARTH? It’s getting wild at the Sacramento Zoo. As the weather heats up, so do the awesome activities. First up is Earth Fest and the Recycle Rummage Sale on Saturday,

April 4, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. This “party for the planet” will feature environmental, wildlife and conservation organizations posted throughout the zoo to teach visitors how to protect and preserve the earth, as well EdZOOcation Stations stocked with animal bio-artifacts, roaming outreach animals and informative keeper enrichment talks throughout the afternoon. Looking for a fun souvenir? Instead of buying something new, why not take a peek at the Recycle Rummage Sale and see what treasures you can find? Proceeds from the sale benefit the zoo’s conservation programs around the city and the world. Are you psyching yourself up for the school-free days of summer? Sign the kids up for the zoo’s Summer Camps and keep them busy and entertained for a few months longer! General registration begins on April 7 and classes fill up fast, so visit the Summer Camps & Classes page at saczoo.org. Ready to run with the pack? The zoo’s 35th annual ZooZoom Walk.Run. Fun is back on Sunday, April 19, from 7 a.m. to noon for serious runners and casual strollers alike. The flat course, which winds through scenic William Land Park, can be completed in 5k and 10k increments. There’s also a children’s fun run and an animalthemed runner costume contest. Race fees include admission to the zoo after you’ve finished jogging, and proceeds benefit the nonprofit Sacramento Zoological Society. For more information, call Fleet Feet Sports at 441-1751 or visit sacramentozoozoom. com If planning for the future has you hiding your head in the sand, let legal specialist Mark Drobny show you the ropes at his Estate Planning Safari on Wednesday, April 29, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Drobny will navigate the “jungle” of financial topics. For more information or to reserve a spot, call 808-8815. Now that spring has sprung, are you trimming your trees more frequently? Don’t stuff all that plant waste into your green bin just yet: The zoo can use it to feed the animals! Every year around this time, the zoo asks for donations of “browse,” nontoxic leafy branches from trees and shrubs that go to feed animals

only). For more information, visit sierra2.org Sierra 2 Center for the Arts and Community is at 2791 24th St.

MUNCHIE MANIA

The zoo’s 35th annual ZooZoom Walk.Run.Fun is back on Sunday, April 19

like the giraffes, bongos, chimps, lemurs and many species of bird. Not only is browse a supplement to the animals’ diets, but they also enjoy nibbling leaves, stripping bark and chewing on stems, which stimulates their minds through natural behaviors, just like in the wild. To find out if your browse is on the approved list, visit saczoo.org/browse. To make an appointment to donate, call 808-5888 or email browse@ saczoo.com The Sacramento Zoo is at 3930 W. Land Park Drive. For more information on all zoo events, call 808-5888 or visit saczoo.org

GRIMM KEEPER Lend an ear to the heavenly music of the All Saints Episcopal Church’s Choral Evensong on Sunday, April 26, at 4 p.m. and be treated to their last concert of the season, a solo organ recital by Patricia Grimm. After an elegant evensong conducted by Scott Nelson, accomplished organist Grimm will take to the keys. Grimm has a bachelor’s degree in sacred music from Duquesne University, a master’s degree in choral conducting from Kent State University and a master’s in collaborative piano from The Hartt School of Music. She’s currently completing a Ph.D. in musicology and

music theory from the University of Connecticut. She studied piano at The Juilliard School and has performed at the Edinburgh International Music Festival in Scotland and the Trinity Wall Street Music Series in New York City as a collaborative pianist. She regularly performs throughout the country in duo recitals and as a member of the Cypress Ensemble, a piano quartet based in New York City. She moved to Sacramento in 2013 and now serves as the organist at Fremont Presbyterian Church. Tickets are $10 general admission, free for children 12 and younger. For tickets and more information, call 455-0645 or visit allsaintssacramento. org All Saints Episcopal Church is at 2076 Sutterville Road.

TIME TO HUNT FOR EGGS

One of Land Park’s favorite foodie activities continues this month: Land Park Food Truck Mania, presented by SactoMoFo (Sacramento Mobile Foods) and Land Park Community Association, returns to the park on Sunday, April 19, from 4 to 8 p.m. Find your friends, gorge on some gourmet food from local food trucks, groove to the music and let the little ones run wild with plenty of kidfriendly entertainment. Land Park Food Truck Mania takes place in Land Park at the corner of Freeport Boulevard and Sutterville Road. For more information, visit sactomofo.com

GIVE A LITTLE, GET A LOT Have you been hoping to get more involved in your community this year? Now’s your chance. Lend a hand at one of Land Park Volunteer Corps’ monthly work days in the park, taking place this month on Saturday, April 4, from 9 a.m. to noon. Participants will be provided with all the tools they need to help lead coordinator Craig Powell and fellow Corps members spruce up the park and keep it looking its best throughout the seasons. A light breakfast and lunch will be provided. All you have to do is show up at the large picnic grounds behind Fairytale Town (3901 Land Park Drive) ready to get down and dirty. For more information, call Powell at 718-3030.

HOPE FLOATS

Sierra Curtis Neighborhood Association’s Spring Egg Hunt will take place on Saturday, April 4, at Sierra 2 Center for the Arts and Community. The day will kick off with a pajama parade at 9:30 a.m., a photo session with the Easter Bunny and kiddie crafts at 10 a.m. and the main event— an egg hunt divided into two age groups (0-3 and 4-12)—at 10:30 a.m. The annual event is free. Photos with the Easter Bunny are $5 (cash

Surely you’ve heard of the sinking Titanic. But have you heard about Molly Brown, the determined American who not only survived the Titanic but went on to own one of the richest mines in the United States at the turn of the 20th century? Let Molly kick up her heels and sing you her tale when Runaway Stage Productions presents the musical “The Unsinkable Molly Brown” LIFE IN THE CITY page 19

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Late-in-Life Farmer HE LEFT THE CITY TO GROW HEIRLOOM TOMATOES

BY GWEN SCHOEN FARM TO FORK

s a rule, farmers are noncommittal. Ask one if it’s going to be a good year for whatever crop is in the field and the answer will likely begin with “Depends on . . .” Are they afraid that positive thinking is a jinx? Along comes tomato grower Milt Whaley. The fellow is all positive thinking, and it seems to be working for him. We stopped by his Singing Frog Farm in Pleasant Grove a few weeks back to see how the spring planting was going. It was a cold, windy day, but he was out in his greenhouse happily planting tomato seeds into flats. What he calls a greenhouse is more like a lean-to, but that’s just fine with Whaley. He’s a fellow who likes things simple and functional. The shelter over his outdoor planting benches, for example, is made with solar cloth draped across tall poles topped with metal bowls purchased at a restaurant supply shop. The poles look like World War II soldiers standing at attention and wearing steel helmets. “The bowls keep the cloth from tearing as the wind blows it across the tops of the poles,” he explains. “My

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Tomato grower Milt Whaley cares for his plants in his greeen house at Singing Frog Farm

farming method is trial and error. Mostly error.” He turns back to his planting chore. “If I have a goal,” he says, his hands busily covering the tiny seeds with soil, “I guess it would be to grow 800 tomato plants, which would be a couple of tons of tomatoes.” When tomatoes are out of season, he grows melons, garlic, leeks, radishes, herbs and a few other things. But tomatoes are his passion. In 2008, Whaley was working as a page designer for The Sacramento Bee in 2008 when opportunity knocked in the form of a buyout offer. “Up until then, I was growing tomatoes in the backyard of my Land Park home,” says Whaley. “I actually had run out of space, so I was growing tomatoes in friends’ yards. I had plants all over the neighborhood. It was crazy. After I took the buyout, I started looking for some farm space and found this property in Pleasant Grove. The house needed some work, but the land was exactly what I had in mind: two acres with some lease space in the back. It was perfect for growing all these tomatoes.” Susie, Whaley’s wife, wasn’t thrilled about leaving their Land Park home. She was a special education teacher, with no plans to retire immediately. “I realized that if I ever wanted to see Milt again, I’d have to move to Pleasant Grove,” she says. They moved to the farm in 2011. Today, she seems perfectly at home as a farmer’s wife. “It’s a bit remote out here,” she says. “But the neighbors all look out for each other. We are really a tight community.”

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Meanwhile, Whaley is planning a future filled with bumper crops of tomatoes. “I specialize in what people think of as heirloom,” he says. “The farm is certified organic, which takes a lot of effort, but it’s worth it for the results. My personal favorite is Pink Brandywine, but I also grow Dragon’s Eye, Pork Chop, Black Cherry, Box Car Willie, Brandywine and others. “Last year, I was able to sell a lot of tomatoes to Raley’s and Bel Air and to high-end restaurants like Masullo and Bella Bru Cafe in Natomas,” he says. “I love working with the farm-to-fork chefs who are very creative. They really know how to show off good tomatoes. Selling to local markets and restaurants is really my goal, but eventually I might like to open a farm stand. The problem is finding people to run it.” Plus, the farm is not close to any high-traffic areas, so it might be difficult to entice customers to make the trek. Meanwhile, he’s happy selling to markets and restaurants. Mondays are special at Singing Frog Farm. About a half-dozen

neighbors and friends (Milt’s cheerleaders, really) meet there to check on the crops’ progress, talk about the weather, kick a few dirt clods and watch Whaley work. At noon, the Whaleys gather the group around a big farm table inside their cozy kitchen. Susie prepares dishes using whatever is growing on the farm at the time. Laughter fills the home and everyone talks at once as they pass around pictures of pets and grandkids along with big bowls of salad, steamed vegetables and freshbaked cookies. “I really didn’t want this lifestyle,” says Susie as she waves goodbye to her friends. “But now, I’d never go back.” We have plans to check in with the Whaleys later in the season to see how the tomatoes are coming along. If you’d like to follow their progress, go to Milt Whaley’s blog at whaleyheirloomveggies.blogspot.com

LIFE IN THE CITY FROM page 17 through April 5 at 24th Street Theatre. From her backwoods beginnings in rural Hannibal, Mo., to the height of the European elite, Brown and her husband, Leadville Johnny Brown, were two real-life rags-to-riches legends who managed to survive the sinking of the Titanic and talk their way into the upper echelons of Colorado society, charming the socks off of those “Beautiful People of Denver.” With a rousing score by Meredith Willson (composer of “The Music Man”) and a determined American heroine, the show is sure to delight. You just can’t keep Molly Brown down. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. through April 5. For tickets and more information, call 207-1226 or visit runawaystage.com 24th Street Theatre is at 2791 24th St.

WINE AND DINE Looking for something fun to do for lunch on Tuesday, April 7? Bring your appetite and pull up a chair for Casa Garden Restaurant’s lunch and wine social at 11:30 a.m. The meal will include your choice of entree (three-cheese lasagna or tortellini and spinach salad), a decadent almond cake framboise for dessert and plenty of red and white wine from Plymouth’s Karmere Vineyards and Winery. Lunch is $24 per person. Proceeds benefit Sacramento Children’s Home. Reserve your spot at the table at 452-2809. For more information, visit casagardenrestaurant.org Casa Garden Restaurant is at 2760 Sutterville Road. Jessica Laskey can be reached at jessrlaskey@gmail.com n

Gwen Schoen can be reached at gwen.schoen@aol.com n

POC n INSIDEPUBLICATIONS.COM

Sun Salutations SHE SAYS YOGA IS GOOD FOR YOU, INSIDE AND OUT

BY JESSICA LASKEY SHOPTALK

hen I catch up with Erin Ross by phone at 8 a.m., she has already been up for four hours as part of her newest yoga training course. The 32-yearold, who goes by the name Sangat Preet Kaur in her practice, is the owner of The Yoga Workshop on McKinley Boulevard and, despite today’s early wake-up call, is decidedly not a morning person. “Yoga is a lot of work,” Ross admits. “You see these photos of beautiful women meditating, like on our website, but that’s not it, sister! It’s a lot of work so we can show up to life more fully, to live with more peace and love.” Though Ross may sound like she was born a yogi, it was quite a rocky road to get there. The Tracy native grew up on a farm before she moved to Loomis with her aunt to attend American River College. When she transferred to Sierra College, she decided to live in Truckee and commute. Then, when she transferred to California State University, Sacramento, she lived in a quiet part of Roseville until the travel became too much. “I was really fighting moving to the big city,” Ross says. “I like space and quiet and solitude, which is why Roseville was perfect, but when the recession hit and gas was $5 a gallon, commuting just wasn’t working. Now that I’m downtown. My husband, Joaquin, and I live in the L Street

POC APR n 15

Erin Ross is the owner of The Yoga Workshop on McKinley Boulevard

Lofts. I love it. I walk and ride my bike everywhere.” It was while attending Sierra College, however, that the selfdescribed country girl discovered the activity that would change her life.

“I started doing yoga at Sierra when I was 18,” Ross recalls. “This was before yoga really blew up, thanks to the iPhone and Instagram, and I was really curious about it because I love a challenge.

“I grew up as a skateboarder and did extreme sports like wakeboarding in college because I love a physical game where I’m playing against myself. I remember my first yoga class was in this little portable building and my teacher didn’t say two words the whole class, just got into a pose and held it. I’d been an athlete my whole life, but here I am sweating and freaking out mentally. He was so still!” But the physical challenge had Ross hooked, so she dedicated herself to more frequent practice, which had a profound effect on other aspects of her life. “We always talk about ‘consciousness’ in yoga,” Ross says. “I didn’t realize it at first, but I was developing a consciousness about the connection between mind, body and spirit. I started making choices in my subconscious that were better for me, like becoming vegetarian. The more I kept doing it, the more I started making better choices. I was kind of a bad kid when I was younger. I smoked cigarettes. But I started to really discover myself and think about who I am, who I was dating, what I was putting in and on my body.” While yoga certainly improved her life, it may have also literally saved it. “I was having pain in my foot during my first semester, so I went to a podiatrist,” Ross says. “The X-ray didn’t show anything, but he also practiced the Bowen technique (a kind of holistic healing similar to acupressure) and I felt this intense energy in my belly. I went to my general doctor and it turned out I had Stage IV cancer cells in my cervix. I

Say “ohm” at The Yoga Workshop, 3610 McKinley Blvd. For more information, go to sacyogaworkshop. com n

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started coming to me and telling me I should do it, even my husband! I had no desire to take over a yoga studio, but I took a leap of faith, figuring it would be good for me to get out of my comfort zone. I couldn’t have done it without Cori’s training.” Ross opened The Yoga Workshop in the former Asha studio space on April Fool’s Day last year and has been making steady gains, despite the rather steep learning curve. With help from Joaquin, her brother Loren, other family members and a dedicated and talented staf, including studio manager Jaime Meek, Ross is making The Yoga Workshop into a local destination. “It’s been really cool to see it evolve,” Ross says. “I keep looking around and going, ‘Wow, this is really working.’ ” Even at 4 a.m.

4 8 0 0 F O L S O M B LV D

had surgery to take them out, and my foot pain went away.” With 14 years of experience now under her belt, it doesn’t surprise Ross that yoga could have uncovered such a critical internal issue. “There are so many science and healing techniques to yoga that have been around for thousands of years that are just now coming to light,” Ross says. “The best part of this practice is that there’s always something to learn. It’s the power of perception.” While her practice took Ross to various yoga studios around town over the years, she always felt particularly drawn to Asha, a “lovely, sweet space” run by Cori Martinez, with whom Ross did her first teacher training course (200 of the nearly 800 hours she’s completed). Ross had just started teaching at the studio when Martinez broke the news. “Cori had a lot on her plate, so she decided to shut down the East Sac location,” Ross says. “She was looking for a business person to take over the lease, but for some reason, people

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A Leader With Seniority A HEARTFELT DEDICATION TO THE RETIREMENT COMMUNITIES

BY JESSICA LASKEY SHOPTALK

uzanne Olson has one hectic schedule, but you wouldn’t know it to talk to her. She’s bright, chipper and sounds like she really loves her job as the executive director of sales and marketing for Eskaton, the largest nonprofit provider of senior services in the country. “I’ve always had a heart for the nonprofit world,” says Olson, a Sacramento native who made her start as the community development manager at the American Cancer Society before joining Eskaton seven years ago. “I really wanted to make a difference on a grand scale.

“Over the next 18 years, baby boomers will be turning 65 at a rate of about 8,000 a day.” “Also, my grandfather had a stroke 20 years ago and was in rehab at an Eskaton facility. It was a really tough time for him but he had a great experience—the staff was amazing. Ever since then, Eskaton has had a very positive reputation in my eyes.” Now it’s Olson’s job to make sure that everyone who comes into contact with her employer has a similar impression. She oversees 19 salespeople, all of the strategic marketing campaigns and all of the advertising for Eskaton’s 30-plus

POC APR n 15

Suzanne Olson is the the executive director of sales and marketing for Eskaton

residential communities, and still manages to wake up early with her 14-month-old son. “He’s the reason I come to work every day,” Olson says, then laughs and adds, “And yes, I live on Starbucks.” Olson sounds perfectly perky, however, when she’s discussing Eskaton’s critical role in caring for America’s aging population. “Everybody, if we’re lucky, is going to experience aging,” Olson says. “It’s something that’s happening to us, all day, every day. Over the next 18

years, baby boomers will be turning 65 at a rate of about 8,000 a day. “Eskaton has offered senior services for over 45 years, but it’s our job now to figure out where we go next, to find out what this next generation wants in terms of care. About 95 percent of people in this region want to age in place, which means they want to remain at home, so we have to continue to develop services to meet those needs.” The field of senior care has changed a lot in the past four and a half decades, both in terms of what kind of

care clients want and what they can pay to secure it. “Cost is a huge factor,” Olson confirms. “People in the Silent Generation went through the Depression, so they have savings accounts and great retirement plans. Future generations are saving less and less. Many don’t have 401(k)s. So we’re trying to figure out how to still give people the services they need at a lower price point.” Eskaton offers a variety of care options for its clients all over the Greater Sacramento region, including independent living for those who want an independent lifestyle but with the assurance of support if they need it; assisted living for those who need personalized assistance with daily living tasks in the privacy of their own apartments; memory care for those suffering from dementia and Alzheimer’s; rehabilitation and skilled nursing for those who require 24-hour care; and affordable housing options for older adults with limited incomes. “It’s been really fun to watch the industry grow and transition,” Olson says. “We’re a leader of care, but our nonprofit status is also a big deal. It allows us to really contribute our revenue back into the community. We don’t answer to shareholders, so we can make business decisions that are best for the company and our residents and participants.” Are you or a loved one trying to figure out the next step in the aging process? Contact Eskaton at 334-0810 or visit eskaton.org. The Eskaton Administrative Center is at 5105 Manzanita Ave. in Carmichael. n

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BYE BYE BIRDIE · JULY 7 - 12 The Broadway smash that introduced the world to Dick Van Dyke and won 4 Tony Awards. Musical comedy chaos ensues when pop star Conrad Birdie (think Elvis Presley) arrives in Sweet Apple, Ohio, to publicize his Army draft departure by sharing “One Last Kiss” with a small town fan. With “Put On A Happy Face,” “A Lot of Livin’ to Do.”

PETER PAN · JULY 21 - 26 This beloved musical about the boy who wouldn’t grow up has enchanted audiences of all ages for decades. Peter, Tinker Bell and the Darling children take to the skies on a magical journey to Neverland. First time at Music Circus since 1986. Featuring “I’m Flying,” “I Won’t Grow Up,” “Never Never Land.”

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Mentoring for Mental Health A HEALING CLUBHOUSE FOR PEOPLE STRUGGLING WITH MENTAL ILLNESS

BY TERRY KAUFMAN LOCAL HEROES

he TLCS Clubhouse is a single room tucked at the back of a nondescript

building on Marconi Avenue, but it represents a world of possibilities for the people who come through its door. Opened just five months ago, it provides a safe place for people with mental illness struggling with the challenges of daily living, from finding a job to having enough to eat. Most members are clients of TLCS, a private nonprofit that helps provide

The TLCS Clubhouse represents a world of possibilities for the people who come through its door, including art classes

housing, self-care and psychiatric support. At the Clubhouse, they can connect with others, participate in activities from art to board games to tai chi, and just let their hair down for a little while. “This is a task-oriented place,” says residential programs coordinator Linda Bratcher. “It’s nonclinical. They can talk to a mentor about their mental health, but this place is really about being a normal human being.” The Clubhouse gets funding from Wells Fargo Foundation and Bank of America. “This will keep us going for a year,” says Bratcher, “so we’re

applying for grants to sustain the

His attempts at self-sufficiency were

Clubhouse on an ongoing basis.”

thwarted by psychiatric issues. He

that he’s formed with fellow mentor

now lives at a residential facility

Billy Teel. “We used to see each

staffed by TLCS.

other at TLCS barbecues and stuff,”

Mentors are the glue that holds the Clubhouse together. Themselves clients of the mental health system,

“I kept trying to get back on my

recalls Teel. “But here we struck up a

they provide support to Clubhouse

feet,” he says, “but I had a hard time

friendship and connected on different

members and help manage the day-to-

keeping a job. I’ve been clean and

levels. I used to be so closed off, and

day operations of the Clubhouse.

sober for five years now. As a mentor,

this helped me a lot. The Clubhouse

Frank Viegas has been a mentor

I help guide and serve the members in

makes me feel like I have a purpose.”

since the Clubhouse opened. A TLCS

the best way that is conducive to their

client for more than four years,

needs. I feel I serve an important

have found a place to live, as well as a

he joined the Marine Corps after

purpose here. I’m in a leadership role,

mission. “I’ve seen people that when

graduating from Hiram Johnson High

and that’s preparing me for a full-

they get here, they’re completely

School but was discharged after being

time job.”

closed off,” he says. “I’ve seen them

diagnosed with a genetic disorder.

POC APR n 15

A bonus for Viegas is the friendship

Teel knows how fortunate he is to

open up, become more engaged and

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Member Jeremy Sorensen, five

Lindle has already seen a

months clean and sober, is working

connection between her studies

on becoming a mentor. After almost

and her mission. “I’m working with

losing custody of his son following

TLCS on videos to tell the members’

a DUI arrest, he is turning his life

stories,” she explains. “The stories

around and plans to work in the

are important. They’re really eye-

mental health field. “This is an

opening, really cathartic. They help

essential part of my recovery. I want

us understand how complex the issues

to give back because they saved my

are that these people are dealing

life,” he says.

with.”

The Clubhouse has provided

Jennifer Buchanan, the sole

22-year-old Emma Lindle an

female mentor, calls the Clubhouse

education unlike anything she learned

“amazing.” She says, “I find myself

in college. A 2014 graduate of Ithaca

being wanted. It’s been a great

College with a degree in documentary

journey since we opened. I consider

film production, she came to

them my friends, and they consider

Sacramento last August through the

me their friend.”

Jesuit Volunteer Corps, a service organization similar to AmeriCorps. She works at the Clubhouse in return for a basic living stipend. “I wanted Jeremy shows off his artwork

to spend one year focusing on what’s happening in the world,” she says.

more outgoing. It really helps to be

of what they’re going through. The

“Every day, as people open up and

part of a community.”

Clubhouse gives people a place to

share their stories with me, I know

come and socialize and get out of their

that this is what I’ve been looking

own heads for a while.”

for.”

Mentoring helps both members and mentors. “I’m one of these people,” says Teel. “I have an understanding

The TLCS Clubhouse, at 3737 Marconi Ave., is open Wednesdays through Fridays. To become a volunteer, visit tlcssac.org and click on “Get Involved.” Donations of food items and bottled water are always needed; monetary donations for the Clubhouse should be specifically designated. Terry Kaufman can be reached at terry@1greatstory.com n

POC n INSIDEPUBLICATIONS.COM

The Tax Man AT HOWARD JARVIS ASSOCIATION, HE HELPS PROTECT PROP 13

BY JESSICA LASKEY

“Our first home was in the Pocket area,” Coupal recalls. “Quite frankly,

MEET YOUR NEIGHBORS

we fell in love with the area. We’re now thoroughly ensconced.”

on Coupal says, “Lots of people

Coupal spent nine years with

complain about taxes, but I get

Pacific Legal Foundation working on

paid to complain about taxes.”

environmental law cases, usually on

Coupal says this with an amiable

laugh, but his job as president of

the side of property owners impacted

Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association

by overregulation. While defending

is no joke. The association was

one particular client, Coupal saw his

founded in the 1970's by tax revolt

career path changed forever. “As one of the junior lawyers at

leaders Howard and Estelle Jarvis in the wake of the passage of Proposition

the time, I was assigned anybody

13, which decreased property taxes

who walked in the door without an

by assessing property values at

appointment,” Coupal recalls. “One

their 1975 value and prohibited

day, Paul Gann walked in with a legal

reassessment except in cases of

issue.” Gann was a political activist

change in ownership or completion of

who had co-authored Proposition 13

new construction. Its primary purpose

and sponsored Proposition 4, which

is to protect Proposition 13 and keep

placed “Gann limits” on state and

an eye on new tax proposals on behalf

local spending. Says Coupal, “I took

of California taxpayers.

the case and won it pretty easily and got a reputation for handling public

“Nothing is more creative than a

finance cases and taxpayer advocacy.”

government entity trying to get more

Thanks to this initial success

tax dollars,” Coupal says. “We’re here to enforce the provisions of the

handling Gann’s case, Coupal met

Constitution.”

the team at Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association. In 1991, they hired him

Coupal’s focus for most of his career has been the protection of

as director of legal affairs to oversee

these provisions through advocacy

the association’s litigation and

and litigation. After graduating from

lobbying efforts. “I unfortunately never met

Marshall-Wythe School of Law at the College of William & Mary in

Howard Jarvis,” says Coupal. (The

Virginia in 1982, Coupal moved to

association’s founder died in 1986.)

California with his wife to complete

“But I was regaled with all the

a two-year fellowship with Pacific

stories.” During his seven years in legal

Legal Foundation before heading back to Washington, D.C., to practice

affairs and since taking the reins

law. Considering they’ve now lived

as president in 2000, Coupal has

in Sacramento for more than three

successfully defended Proposition

decades, they clearly never made it

140, the state’s term-limit initiative,

back to D.C.

before the California Supreme Court. Jon Coupal is the president of Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association

POC APR n 15

In 2005, he won a major ruling

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before the Supreme Court when it

believe we can address this with free

upheld the validity of Proposition

enterprise.”

62, an HJTA-sponsored initiative

litigation or lobbying anymore, his

taxes. He was the principal drafter of

work as chairman of the board of the

Proposition 218, the Right to Vote on

Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Foundation

Taxes Act (a measure passed by the

has him focused on the future.

voters in 1996). Most recently, Coupal

The foundation funds educational

helped defeat Proposition 88, the

studies on issues like public employee

statewide parcel-tax initiative, which

pensions and the proposed high-speed

was voted down in 2006.

rail line that will affect California’s financial future. It also provides legal

view than others in California when

representation for taxpayer advocacy

it comes to the role of government,”

organizations, homeowners and

Coupal explains. “I’m not anti-

individual taxpayers.

government, but I believe it should

3406 American River Drive Suite B Sacramento, CA 95864 273-9040

Though Coupal doesn’t engage in

guaranteeing the right to vote on local

“We have a fundamentally different

trusts & estates probate special needs planning

“Our members are California

constrain itself to some core

homeowners,” Coupal says. “We’re

functions. Taxpayers have the right

very much a grass-roots organization.

to the efficient use of their tax dollars.

Dues are only $15 a year. We’re

There are policies in place that are

driven by people who recognize that

damaging to California’s economic

their homes are their No. 1 asset

health, which is why our recovery

and remember back to the ’70s—or

is lagging far behind. We have the

remember stories their parents told

highest poverty rate in America,

them—when high taxes forced them

and taxes are driving young people

out of their homes.”

and big companies out of the state. I Jessica Laskey can be reached at jessrlaskey@gmail.com n

POC n INSIDEPUBLICATIONS.COM

Achoo! ALLERGIES MAKE LIFE A MISERY FOR MANY

BY DR. AMY ROGERS SCIENCE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD

unny nose, red eyes, itchy skin and sneezing? Welcome to spring in Sacramento. Seasonal allergic rhinitis, also known as hay fever or seasonal allergies, affects tens of millions of Americans. If you’re one of them, it’s no comfort to know that Sacramento ranks only 88 in the top 100 most challenging places to live with spring allergies, according to Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. For Sacramentans with allergies, spring can be a difficult time. The flowers and trees coming to life are lovely to look at but are a visible sign of an invisible menace: pollen. Although it’s weird to think about, plants reproduce sexually. That means there are male and female plants, or parts on the same plant. Those parts produce the botanical equivalent of sperm and eggs that must come together to make a seed. Pollen is plant sperm, a tiny, tough package for the male DNA. In unlucky “atopic” humans, the immune system reacts to pollen by making a particular type of antibody called IgE. Nobody really knows what IgE is good for. It might be useful in fighting parasitic infections. But in

POC APR n 15

hypersensitivity (allergic) reactions, IgE is like an alarm going off in your body. The antibodies trigger a set of responses that manifest in the nose, lungs, throat, sinuses, ears or skin as the symptoms of allergy. The major trouble sparked by IgE is the release of the chemical histamine from white blood cells called mast cells. Histamine causes itching, sneezing, redness and other nuisances when it binds to cells in affected tissues. Sacramento’s main allergy season is March through June. The major culprits are pollens from oak, willow and walnut trees and a variety of grasses. (Pollen from weeds, such

as ragweed, is more of a problem in the fall.) Although flowers produce pollen that you can sometimes see on the flower, flower pollen isn’t a big contributor to seasonal allergies because of the way it’s dispersed. Flower pollen is sticky. Flowers rely on bees and other insects to transport it on their bodies. Pollen carried by bugs has little chance of entering your nose. On the other hand, plants that we don’t think of as flowering— those trees and grasses—are wind pollinators. They throw vast numbers of pollen grains into the air. Some of those grains land in the eyes, skin and lungs of people.

Allergies and asthma are related. Both involve self-destructive activity from the immune system. But while allergies are temporary and have a specific trigger, asthma is a chronic, long-term inflammation. Asthma is associated with air pollution and air quality, though it can also be worsened by pollen. Allergies mostly affect the eyes, nose and skin. Asthma is a disease of the lungs. If you’re bothered by seasonal allergies, there are things you can do to minimize your discomfort. Pay attention to pollen counts. In many SCIENCE page 30

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Why Do You Live in

The Pocket?

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“Love the location; easy to get to Downtown and other areas.”

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“Very little trafÀc and no crowds.”

Complete GE requirements Take classes that are normally impacted Choose from a wide range of courses Graduate early!

“Great parks and easy, quick access to the river.”

“The schools are highly rated and our boy love them.”

www.csus.edu/summer “The Pocket still has exceptional values” SCIENCE FROM page 28 locations, the number of pollen grains per cubic meter of air is measured regularly. You can find these counts, and get forecasts of whether they’re rising or falling, at many weather forecasting sites and at pollen.com. If you know what pollen types you’re allergic to, you can stay indoors on days when those counts are high. Don’t know which pollens activate your IgE? You might want skin testing. Like all antibody-mediated immune reactions, allergies are specific. Individuals are allergic to the pollen of certain plants, not all pollen in general. Skin testing can be used to diagnose which ones. A tiny amount of pollen is pricked into the skin. If you have IgE against that plant pollen, a red bump will form. Pollen counts vary with the time of day and the weather. They tend to be highest early in the morning and on warm, breezy days. On cool, wet days, there’s generally less pollen in the air. Plan your outdoor activities accordingly. If you’ve been outside, wash your hands and face and change

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your clothes to prevent pollen getting in your eyes and nose. Your pharmacy can help you feel better. Eye drops and antihistamines are cheap, effective medicines to treat the symptoms of allergies. As the name suggests, antihistamines work by blocking the binding of histamine to its target cells. Diphenhydramine (brand name: Bendryl), a firstgeneration antihistamine, has been around since the 1940s. It’s good at relieving allergy symptoms but has a number of other effects, such as drowsiness. Second-generation antihistamines such as loratidine (brand name: Claritin) are less sedating because, unlike the firstgeneration drugs, they don’t cross into the brain. When Claritin came on the market in 1993, you needed a prescription to get it. Now it’s available over the counter, a real relief for allergy sufferers. Amy Rogers is a novelist, scientist and educator. She can be reached at Amy@AmyRogers.com. Learn more about her book “Reversion” at AmyRogers.com n

“You cannot Ànd friendlier and nicer people anywhere. We truly are a community.”

“The nice thing is, these are some of the same reasons I moved to The Pocket years ago.” — Carol Crestelo

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Move-in Ready THIS WOULD-BE FLIP WAS NO FLOP BY JULIE FOSTER HOME INSIGHT

hen Dana and Shawn Bouey purchased their 1925 two-story Curtis Park home in 2013, it was in bad shape. Now, after extensive renovations, the family-friendly Tudor is nice enough to be featured on this year’s 2015 Curtis Park Home and Garden Tour.

“Why live in something that you created for resale value if it’s not a flip?”

Initially, the couple intended to spruce up the 2,400-square-foot house, then turn around and sell it. But as the remodel progressed, they changed their minds. Shawn, who owns Bouey Termite and Construction in Sacramento, was weary of his daily commute HOME page 32

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HOME FROM page 31 from the couple’s home in Roseville. Dana initially she resisted the idea of moving, until Shawn offered a carrot. “He said if we moved, I could do whatever I wanted to the interior of the house,” she says. With a few minor glitches, that is pretty much how the project worked out. Though they stayed true to the vintage feel of the home’s exterior, they gutted the interior. Worn-out carpeting was removed and wood floors were restored where possible. They kept the leaded glass windows in the front of the house and reconfigured six small bedrooms into four spacious ones. They painted the interior in shades of gray and white to create a unified, relaxed feeling throughout the house. “Our last home was all beige and brown,” says Dana. “I got so tired

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of it. I decided to go in a different direction.” Because the couple had flipped five houses in as many years, Bouey had a good idea of the fixtures and finishes she wanted, including cabinets, lighting and bathroom fixtures. The couple replaced all the light fixtures except one, which was located in a cozy space off the living room that Dana now uses as an office. After cleaning it up, they installed the fixture in the front entry hall. They noticed that the living room’s brick fireplace hearth did not match the surround. When they removed the mismatched hearth bricks, they found the original matching bricks. In the kitchen, new Carrara marble countertops, contemporary light fixtures and stainless steel appliances make the space sparkle. A walk-in pantry adds additional storage space.

The sumptuous master bathroom includes dual sinks, a lighted mirror and marble hexagon floor tiles. Numerous people tried talking the couple out of putting the master bedroom on the first floor and the children’s rooms on the second, saying the configuration would be bad for resale. “But it works perfectly for us,” says Shawn. “Why live in something that you created for resale value if it’s not a flip?” At the top of the stairs, what was a landing became a daughter’s dream bathroom with a large claw-foot tub. “We let my daughter test out her design skills in the bathroom and her bedroom,” Dana says. The spacious backyard features a comfy seating area clustered around a fire pit and a wood dining table with seating for 12. “We have a large family and the dining room is small, so we opted for a large outdoor table,” she says.

Tour goers should pay attention to the beautifully refinished mahogany front door, which makes a grand first impression. In the charming front hall, note the coved ceiling and the restored light fixture as well as the mosaic floor tiles. In the living room, check out the cityscape painting by local artist Steve Memering, who thoughtfully included the couple’s two dogs, Scout and Cooper, in the piece. The Curtis Park Home and Garden Tour takes place Saturday, April 25, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For the general public, tickets are $25 in advance, $30 on the day of the tour. Sierra Curtis Neighborhood Association members get a $5 discount. For more information, go to sierra2.org or call 452-3005. If you know of a home you think should be featured in Inside Publications, contact Julie Foster at foster.julie91@yahoo.com n

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29:

Number of times you’ve asked your BFF.

Number of times you’ve asked your GYN. You’re a doer. So when it comes to changes in your own body, why is it that you put it off? It’s time to take action and talk to a professional (no offense to your friends). Attend one of our informational events, where you can meet our gynecology experts and learn more about our treatment options.

Register online at dignityhealth.org/women or call 916.851.2444. Thursday, April 23 The Falls Event Center 8280 Elk Grove Blvd. Elk Grove, CA 95758 The event is from 6:15 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Healthy appetizers and beverages will be served.

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Baseball’s Clubhouse THE LIMELIGHT HOLDS TREASURES FROM SACRAMENTO’S BASEBALL HEYDAY

BY R.E. GRASWICH SPORTS AUTHORITY

s saloons go, The Limelight on Alhambra Boulevard is legendary for cold beer and poker tables. Now it’s playing a card from Cooperstown, N.Y., home of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. The Limelight has always been a baseball dive, thanks to owner Pete Mikacich. In the mid-1950s, Mikacich was a baseball player, a right-handed slugger. He spent three years with the Sacramento Solons, after batting .476 at Sacramento City College. The family’s profitable saloon has nursed a baseball connection ever since. Today there’s a new touch at the old bar: historic photos celebrating Sacramento’s baseball heritage, original artifacts plucked from newspaper morgues or team files. The memorabilia is gradually filling the walls at The Limelight, offset by expensive frames and exhaustively researched captions. “This is just the beginning,” The Limelight manager Michael Kreizenbeck says. “Most of these photos haven’t been seen in decades. They tell the story of Sacramento baseball, which is an amazing story.”

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Pete Mikacich and Mugsy McNamara

The Limelight promotes the collection as “museum quality,” and that’s no foul ball. The material is rare, personal and inviting, pulling viewers forward like a full count in the bottom of the ninth. The details are delightful—look, Jackie Robinson at third base! They magically inspire and nudge viewers back to a time nearly forgotten. The era under reference is the mid1950s to early 1980s, when baseball ruled Sacramento sports. Any open lot would suffice for the city’s youngsters, from Del Paso Heights to Florin. “It was sandlot baseball,” Kreizenbeck says. “Kids would just mark out a diamond and play. They

had a version of the game they called lemon ball. When they didn’t have a real baseball, they would get one of those old plastic lemons they used to sell at the grocery store and use that as a baseball.” Kreizenbeck wasn’t around for the historic stretch memorialized at the saloon, but he has a direct connection through the Mikacich family, which apparently never threw anything away, and old-time Sacramento baseball stars, who are gently making their way to The Limelight. The Limelight is working with Sacramento Baseball Hall of Fame president Joe McNamara, who maintains contact with many of our baseball heroes. Leon Lee, Don

Lyle, Greg Orr and Manuel Perry are among the local luminaries who attended a recent Hall of Fame inductees’ event at The Limelight. Most of the material on display might be the detritus of attic trunks if not for the big-league personalities involved. The McNamara family— John McNamara managed the Boston Red Sox, Oakland A’s and Cincinnati Reds, among other teams, and was said to be the greatest third-base coach in history—contributed many of the photos, including rare shots of Reggie Jackson and Charles Finley during their freewheeling Oakland days. And there’s more to come. The chore of framing and researching

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the material is time consuming, Kreizenbeck says. More goods will fill The Limelight’s walls in months ahead. One artifact I couldn’t find but would love to see in public is a 1985 letter Pete Mikacich wrote to Baseball Commissioner Peter Ueberroth, asking for permission to buy and bring a minor league team to Sacramento. Mikacich was worried about his card room and gambling connection—justifiably, it turned out. The late Sacramento Bee sports editor Bill Conlin printed Mikacich’s appeal in a Sunday column. The note opens with a defense of Mikacich’s character and captures the spirit of Sacramento baseball entrepreneurship, circa 1985: “References can be obtained from Mr. John McNamara of the Boston Red Sox and Mr. Harry Dunlop of the San Diego Padres,” Mikacich wrote. “Both have been in my business and both have known me for at least 35 years. “I would appreciate a ruling from your office as to whether I will

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INSIDE PUBLICATIONS be able to be a part of a group of friends, relatives and investors who, with Michelle Sprague of the Lodi franchise, would like to build a facility at Sacramento City College. The cost would be approximately $800,000, and I would like to own about 20 percent of the stock. Since we would like to operate in 1986, time is of the essence. Lighting and seating materials must be ordered many months in advance.” The commissioner’s office declared the card-room owner not suitable for proprietorship because, as we all know, nobody ever gambles in baseball. Thus ended Mikacich’s pitch to own a baseball team. Later in 1985, the NBA came to Sacramento. Today the big deal is soccer. Nobody plays lemon ball anymore. Parents don’t let children hang out in sandlots. And lest we forget that once upon a time all those things did happen here, the photos endure on Alhambra Boulevard. R.E. Graswich can be reached at reg@graswich.com n

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The Perfect Plant OLD ROSES ARE PERFECTLY SUITED FOR MODERN GARDENS

BY ANITA CLEVENGER GARDEN JABBER

hile roses are a favorite flower for many people, they aren’t necessarily a favorite garden plant. They are too much work, people say. They look a bit awkward, bearing their flowers atop stiff, bare, thorny canes. Worst of all, many people believe that roses are thirsty and don’t fit into a drought-threatened landscape. I beg to differ. As the curator in the Historic Rose Garden in Sacramento Historic City Cemetery, I spend much of my time surrounded by roses of the 19th century that are easy-to-grow, water-efficient, beautiful flowering shrubs. Many of our heritage roses are tough survivors that were collected from old cemeteries and other historic sites, where they grew and blossomed for a century or more with little care or summer water. Mike Shoup, owner of The Antique Rose Emporium in Texas, says, “Old roses are the perfect garden plant.” UC Davis Arboretum agrees. Its list of “All-Stars” includes four roses, one of which is the modern, ubiquitous white rose known as ‘Iceberg.’ The others are old roses. ‘Perle d’Or,’ first

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introduced in 1883, is a favorite in the cemetery garden, a relatively thornfree shrub that nearly continuously produces sprays of perfect little apricot flowers. ‘Mutabilis,’ from before 1894, is another nearly perpetually blooming rose. Its showy single flowers start out peach colored and age to a deep rose color, looking like multicolored butterflies perched all over the shapely plant. The fourth rose All-Star is ‘Pink Gruss an Aachen,’ a relative newcomer from 1929. This rose has fragrant pink flowers that bloom in clusters throughout the spring, summer and fall. It, too, is relatively thornless. UC Davis Arboretum features other heritage roses in its gardens.

One of my favorites is ‘White Pearl in Red Dragon’s Mouth,’ an ancient Chinese rose poetically named for the red dragon that flew at night to return with pearls of wisdom for the emperor. This rose is usually covered with little bright-red flowers. The arboretum has let its plant grow tall, but we keep it lower in the cemetery and in the Sacramento County Master Gardeners’ Water Efficient Landscape at Fair Oaks Horticulture Center, where it is often the most colorful plant in the landscape. Texas A&M University is also enthusiastic about old roses. Its Earth-Kind program conducted rigorous tests, which identified 17 roses that demonstrated superior pest

tolerance and outstanding landscape performance. Most of the Earth-Kind roses date back a century or more. ‘Perle d’Or’ and ‘Mutabilis’ made the list, along with many other cemetery favorites. During the Earth-Kind tests, roses were mulched with three inches of organic material and watered deeply only when the soil was dry an inch beneath the surface, usually no more often than once a week. This is the best practice for Sacramento, too. You can prune these roses for size and deadhead them to promote repeat flowering, but it’s not necessary. You don’t need to treat them for diseases or worry about other pests. If they get aphids, just spray them off with water

and wait for the beneficial birds and insects to eat the rest. Earth-Kind and Arboretum All-Star roses stay relatively evergreen throughout the winter and bloom about eight months out of the year. While these roses may be fragrant, they usually have herbal or spicy scents rather than the beloved, powerful “old rose” perfume. Many other old hybrids do have the “old rose” scent, as do some modern roses. Sniff roses such as ‘Barbara’s Pasture Rose,’ ‘Benny Lopez’ and ‘Grandmother’s Hat,’ and be prepared to swoon. These stunning roses grow in the Historic Rose Garden and will be offered for sale at the cemetery’s open garden on April 18, along with dozens of other varieties. The Historic Rose Garden was founded and is lovingly tended by volunteers. Its mission is to preserve heritage roses that may otherwise be lost forever, to educate the public about them, and to complement the cemetery. In its heyday, our city’s Victorian garden cemetery was filled with roses, trees and other plants

by family members in honor of their loved ones. The cemetery, once in decline, is a showplace again thanks to volunteers who have gardened, raised funds for monument repairs, researched burial records and led entertaining educational tours. The cemetery was recently added to the National Registry of Historic Places, a significant honor. April is the month of peak bloom for our old roses, so come to the cemetery to see and sniff them. You just might discover your favorite garden plants. Sacramento Historic City Cemetery will hold an open garden on Saturday, April 18, from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. On Saturday, April 25, costumed docents will lead a Romance & Roses tour at 6:30 p.m. The cemetery is at 1000 Broadway. For more information, go to cemeteryrose.org Anita Clevenger is a Sacramento County Lifetime UC Master Gardener. n

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Story of Your Life WANT TO WRITE A BOOK? EXPERTS AT COSUMNES RIVER COLLEGE SEMINAR CAN HELP

By Jessica Laskey RIVER CITY PREVIEWS

re you one of those folks who feels you “have a book in you”? Do you aspire to commit some stories of your life to paper but don’t know where to start? Check out “Our Life Stories,” the eighth annual crossgenerational writers conference from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 18 at Cosumnes River College. Keynote speaker Perry Garfinkel— journalist, author, speaker, writing teacher, editor, content provider, media consultant, strategist and author of the 2006 bestseller “Buddha or Bust”—is one of the featured writers who will lead participants through a day of workshops and presentations focusing on bringing your stories to life and capturing your travel experiences on paper. Other presenters will include prose writers Jacqueline Doyle, Kerstin Feindert, Ginny McReynolds, Clive Rosengren and Emmanuel Siguake; poets Albert Garcia and Sacramento Poet Laureate Jeff Knorr; and storytellers Ann Rothschild and Katye Ridgeway. The conference is sponsored by the Ethel MacLeod Hart Senior Center and CRC. Space is limited.

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The conference fee, due by April 3, is $35 ($40 after April 3) and covers the workshops, materials and plenty of creative fuel (translation: morning refreshments and lunch). To register or for more information, call the Hart Senior Center at 8085462, go to hartcrcwritersconference. org or email hartcrcwritersconference@ yahoo.com Cosumnes River College is at 8401 Center Parkway.

COMPASSION ON THE BRAIN One of the most interesting and influential people of our time is coming to Sacramento: Dr. Temple Grandin will speak about her groundbreaking work on the autistic brain and the humane treatment of animals from 8 to 11:30 a.m. on Friday, April 3 at Real Life Church. Grandin is an outspoken proponent of “the strengths of brains built differently,” which she relates not only to autism but also to animals. Her life story was the subject of the 2010 Emmy Award-winning film “Temple Grandin,” which examined her ability to visualize how animals perceive dangers and her subsequent consultation on the construction of humane cattle-holding facilities, for which she’s now advised almost 80 percent of the nation’s meatprocessing facilities.

As one of the most successful people in the world with autism, Grandin acts as a role model to change people’s attitudes toward the disorder, focusing on the attributes and unique contributions of

800-489-0727 or go to templegrandin. com Real Life Church is at 1921 Arena Blvd.. Certificates for 1.5 hours of continuing education will be available.

PEACEFUL PIECES Looking for an oasis of artistic calm within your hectic schedule? Take a break at the Robert T. Matsui Gallery at City Hall to gaze at the stunning painting and ceramic works of Chinese artist Shimo at the “Tranquil Pursuit” exhibition, on display through July 6. A recent Sacramento transplant, Shimo was born in Shanghai in 1962 and immigrated to the United States in 2003 to settle in Sacramento. His style blends traditional Chinese techniques with modern aesthetics to achieve purity, tranquility and harmony, characteristics highly fe Li valued in the Chinese the Our d writers at f the feature o ne o is . l culture. ce ke r's conferen Perry Garfin Stories write He developed a technique he calls people “multilayer dripping ink” in which with autism rather than on its social he drips, stains, pours and even mops deficits. Grandin will be joined by the ink directly onto the surface Alexis Wineman, the first person with to create his signature paintings. autism to win a state contest (in the His newest artistic exploration, Miss America pageant). Wineman porcelain, melds Chinese blue will also speak about her personal and white porcelain with Western experience with autism. expressionism. Event registration is $30 and seating is limited. To register, call

Take a break at the Robert T. Matsui Gallery at City Hall to gaze at the stunning painting and ceramic works of Chinese artist Shimo at the “Tranquil Pursuit” exhibition, on display through July 6

Shimo’s pieces have been shown all over China, including in Shanghai, Ningbo, Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Zhenjiang and Beijing, as well as in Indonesia, Taiwan, Japan and New York. Now that he has set down roots in California’s capital, he has opened the Shimo Center for the Arts, where he shows his work and that of other accomplished artists. Gallery hours are from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, and admission is free. For more information on the Robert T. Matsui Art Gallery, a program of the Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission, go to sacmetroarts.org The Robert T. Matsui Gallery is in City Hall at 915 I St.

MARCH IN APRIL Ready to tap your toes and march to the martial music of John Philip Sousa? Don’t miss the Sacramento Symphonic Winds performance on “Oh Mr. Sousa!” at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, April 8 at Sunrise Event Center. This delightful musical biography will cover the life, times and music of “March King” Sousa with the help of the Winds’ rousing 60-piece band and a cast of eight singer/actors performing 37 roles. For tickets and more information, call 489-2576. For more information

on the Sacramento Symphonic Winds, go to sacwinds.org Sunrise Event Center is at 11167 Trade Center Drive in Rancho Cordova.

WALL EYED Looking for some unusual and unique art pieces to spruce up your walls for spring? Check out the new show at Archival Gallery featuring mixed media artist Sean Royal and painter Margaryta Chaplinska, on display April 2 through May 2. Sacramento native Royal’s vibrant, award-winning work featuring Pop-inspired imagery is sure to catch your eye, as are Kiev-born, Roseville-based Chaplinska’s glowing, realistic paintings that are in private collections all over the world. Meet these fascinating artists at the Second Saturday reception from 6 to 9 p.m. on April 11. For more information, call 923-6204 or go to archivalgallery.com Archival Gallery is at 3223 Folsom Blvd.

FIT FOR A KINGSLEY No April fools here: Crocker Art Museum is springing into spring with an event line-up that includes a decadent dinner, youth art shows,

Check out the new show at Archival Gallery featuring mixed media artist Sean Royal and painter Margaryta Chaplinska, on display April 2 through May 2.

beach-inspired activities, silken-voiced sopranos, dynamic dance and more. Hungry? Tuck into a delicious meal at “Dine in Decadence with Toulouse-Lautrec: Talk + Dinner” from 6 to 9 p.m. on Thursday, April 2. Your fascinating tablemates will include the Crocker’s curator, William Breazeale, as well as professors from UC Davis discussing literature, music, dance and art in Paris at the turn of the 20th century over a five-course dinner curated by Matt Woolston and inspired by Toulouse-Lautrec’s decadent dining recipe book “The Art of Cuisine.” The event is co-presented with the Alliance Française de Sacramento, so if you want test your French, allez-y! Space is limited, so make sure you register by March 29. To attend the pre-dinner talk only, tickets are $10 for museum members, $13 for students and youths, and $15 for nonmembers. Tickets for the “Talk + Dinner” are $70 museum members, $83 for students and youths, and $85 for nonmembers. Call 808-1182 to reserve your seat at the table. Next up is “Kingsley Inspirations,” an exhibition from April 9 through May 24 of artwork by regional high school artists inspired by the Crocker Art Museum’s permanent collection and recent exhibitions, sponsored by the Kingsley Art Club. A reception

will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. on Sunday, May 24. In the same vein, the “High School Self-Portrait Show” (on display from April 9 through May 24) will feature self-portraits of high school artists from all over the region, in collaboration with Chalk It Up! and Christian Brothers High School. A reception will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. on Sunday, May 24. For Art Mix this month, the great outdoors is calling. Don’t miss Art Mix “Sprung” from 5 to 9 p.m. on Thursday, April 9, with live music by Arts & Leisure, a special guest DJ, mix-and-mingle games, beachinspired art-making stations, and plenty of urban gardening tips to keep that green thumb thumpin’. Happy hour is from 4 to 6 p.m. and drink specials are under $5 all night. Art Mix is free for museum members, $10 for nonmembers, and college students receive a $2 discount. Looking for a lush vocal experience that will have you singing Carrie Hennessey’s praises? Snag a ticket to the Classical Concert featuring Hennessey’s stunning soprano voice at 3 p.m. on Sunday, April 12. Tickets are $6 for museum and Capital Public Radio members, $10 for students and youths, and $12 for nonmembers.

PREVIEWS page 42

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PREVIEWS FROM page 41 Space is limited, so call 808-1182 to reserve your spot. Just like all those baby birds you hear chirping in the spring breeze, dance works-in-progress will test their wings at “Hatch,” an informal evening of contemporary dance at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 30. Now in its fourth year, “Hatch” is curated by Lorelei Bayne and features new and in-progress works by noted and emerging choreographers, including a special performance inspired by the Crocker exhibition of “The Nature of William S. Rice: Arts and Crafts Painter and Printmaker.” The performance is free for museum members, $8 for students and youths, and $10 for nonmembers. To reserve your tickets, call 808-1182. For information on all Crocker events, call 808-1182 or go to crockerartmuseum.org Crocker Art Museum is at 216 O St.

IT’S A 10! Calling all runners! Strap on your sneakers and rev yourself up for a race on Sunday, April 12 at the fifth annual Credit Union SACTOWN10, a veritable panoply of races to benefit the UC Davis Children’s Hospital. Whether you’re a long-distance lover (the SACTOWN10 features both 10- and 5-mile races) or someone who just wants to have fun and do good (at the UC Davis Children’s Hospital Miracle Mile fun run and fitness walk), you can sweat the small stuff while contributing to the big stuff: All of the races benefit the Children’s Miracle Network of Hospitals statewide, which benefits the UC Davis Children’s Hospital here in Sacramento. The flat, fast course will start and finish in front of the picturesque state Capitol and will lead participants on a scenic path featuring the “best of Sacramento” neighborhoods. For all of those competitive runners out there, you can even run two races with one pair of feet: the SACTOWN10 will also serve as

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ages 10 to 13 to a variety of mediums and art-making processes, ranging from printmaking to textiles and a one-week art-making intensive. Session One will be held June 15-26 and feature an emphasis on clay. Session Two will be held on June

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the Pacific Association 10-Mile Championship, so you can compete for prize money from both the PA Championship and the SACTOWN10 race itself. So what are you waiting for? Get going! To register, go to sactown10.org The Capitol is at 10th Street between L and N streets.

Are you wondering how to keep the kiddos engaged once school is out for the summer? Get their creative juices flowing at Verge Center for the Arts’ Kids Summer Studio Camp, which offers sessions starting June 15 and 29. Registration is now open. Verge’s two-week art camps will introduce kids

Carrie Hennessey will be featured at the Crocker's Classical Concert 3 p.m. on Sunday, April 12

29 through July 10 and feature an emphasis on environmental sculpture. To register for classes or for more information, call 448-2985, go to vergeart.com/learn/classes or email iulia@vergeart.com Verge Center for the Arts is at 625 S St.

INTO OBLIVION What do you get when you cross two secular Brooklynites with a strong-willed, Christian teenager? Find out at Carly Mensch’s play “Oblivion,” playing now through April 19 for its West Coast premiere at the B Street Theatre. Über-hip parents Pam and Dixon have always prided themselves on their secular humanist approach to parenting, but when their 17-year-old daughter Julie decides to become a Christian, their open-mindedness is tested to the limit. Mensch’s wry play takes on Nietzsche, famed film critic Pauline Kael and the nature of belief in the 21st century. However, the playwright insists, it isn’t about the politics of religion. “It’s easy to reduce the play to being about the closed-mindedness of atheism,” Mensch explains. “But I think it’s more interesting to flip it and consider it a play about faith, in all forms. Faith in other people. Faith in ideas. Faith in God. Faith in family. All four characters are exploring different forms of faith, I think. And a few of those characters go through life-shattering moments where they lose or question their faith, and then somehow have to go on afterwards.” For tickets and more information, call 443-5300 or go to bstreettheatre. org The B Street Theatre is at 2711 B St.

GETTIN’ FISKY Wouldn’t you want to see a musician who has been described as having “bionic hands?” Don’t miss Eliot Fisk in concert for the Sacramento Guitar Society at 3 p.m. on Sunday, April 12 at First United Methodist Church in Midtown.

Classical guitarist Fisk is worldrenowned for his adventurous and virtuosic repertoire, as well as his effortless—nearly “bionic”— technique. Proceeds from the concert go to support future guitar virtuosos through the Sacramento Guitar Society’s community education, support and school outreach programs. For tickets and more information, go to sacramentoguitarsociety.org First United Methodist Church is at 2100 J St.

ART FROM THE HEART It is well known that art can transform lives, and that’s just what the Woodlake Artists Colony is hoping to do with its special art exhibition at Gallery 2110 this month. The Woodlake neighborhood is home to a talented troupe of artists who have made it their mission to use a portion of the sales from their sculptures, paintings, drawings and photographs to fund a neighborhood environmental beautification project called Woodlake Neighbors Creating Transparency. The focus of this fundraising mission is an undeveloped parcel of land at the entrance to Woodlake; the group intends to turn the barren mound of dirt into an inviting neighborhood green space. Meet the Woodlake artist-colonists at the VIP reception from 5:30 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, April 9 or at the Second Saturday Art Walk from noon to 9 p.m. on April 11. For more information, call 476-5500 or go to gallery2110.com Gallery 2110 is at 1023 Del Paso Blvd.

Get your kids' creative juices flowing at Verge Center for the Arts’ Kids Summer Studio Camp, which offers sessions starting June 15 and 29. Registration is now open.

SPRING STRINGS Don’t miss the final concert of the Sacramento Youth Symphony Premier Orchestra’s 2014-15 season coming up at 7 p.m. on Sunday, April 26 at the Performing Arts Center at Sacramento City College. The program will include pieces by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Noël Gallon and Dmitri Shostakovich directed by SYS Artistic Director Michael Neumann, PREVIEWS page 45

POC n INSIDEPUBLICATIONS.COM

Spiritual Heroism IT TAKES COURAGE TO ASK FOR FORGIVENESS

not only a stubborn fool but also a big

We were no longer Zaxes. We were

words favors sooner more than later,

liar who was out to get me. He was

fellow sojourners working out our

and He definitely would not approve

paranoid. He was blah, blah, blah—so

salvation in this life.

of waiting 13 years.

went my amended view of history.

BY NORRIS BURKES SPIRIT MATTERS

For years, I made showy attempts

forgiveness for his enemies, more

to deal with my resentment by talking

than anything else, has taught me

to counselors and praying with

that if you want to avoid the path of

pastors. But I always made excuses

a Zax, you might want to consider

for not doing what I knew I must do:

Jesus’ advice when he said: “If a

find my former colleague and confess

fellow believer hurts you, go and tell

my part in what now seemed a sum

him—work it out between the two

total of banal trivialities.

of you. If he listens, you’ve made

Five years ago, my excuses faded

a friend.” While time may heal all

when I accepted a speaking invitation

things, I think the tone of Jesus’

uring my 2009 service as an

in a city near to my old nemesis. I

Air Force chaplain in Iraq,

mustered a small measure of the

I saw countless examples

heroics I’d heard in the soldier’s

of heroism. However, the most

forgiveness prayer and broke my

spiritually heroic act I witnessed

indignant silence. I emailed the

was the prayer of a soldier who

chaplain with a meeting request.

asked God to forgive the insurgents who had killed his battle buddy. It was an act I also found haunting,

the things important to everyone:

for 10 years toward a chaplain

faith, family and purpose. Gradually,

colleague. My stubbornness had

the image I had created of him

become a real-life enactment of a Dr.

shrunk—but in a good way. It shrunk

Seuss poem called “The Zax.”

to the size God made us all. He told me that he had no memory

a South-Going Zax who meet on a

of the details of those years past.

narrow trail through the prairie of

Then he said what I needed to hear:

Prax. Each refuses to step aside to

“Whatever I did, I hope you will

allow the other to pass. The Zaxes

forgive me.” Then I heard myself saying the

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until eventually a highway overpass

words I never thought I’d say: “I hope

is built around them. The story ends

you will forgive me, too.” And just like

with the Zaxes standing “unbudged in

that, the resentment disintegrated,

SUNDAY

their tracks.”

annihilated by grace, never to return. There was no idealistic or dramatic

“unbudged” in my spiritual tracks.

ending. We simply shook hands and

In my revised version, the other guy

said our goodbyes. Yet we both found

was the North-Going Zax, who was

and bestowed the grace we needed.

POC APR n 15

Norris Burkes is a chaplain, syndicated columnist, national speaker and author of the upcoming book “Finding Forgiveness in a War Zone.” He can be reached at ask@ TheChaplain.net n

he served as pastor. Inside his office,

facing the resentment I’d harbored

I was the South-Going Zax who was

heroic choice.

Two weeks later, he graciously

we shook hands and sat talking about

maintain their stubborn standoff

I’m thinking that forgiveness is the

welcomed me into the church where

because his prayer shamed me into

It involves a North-Going Zax and

That young soldier’s prayer for

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PREVIEWS FROM page 43

as well as a performance of “Crater Lake,” a piece commissioned by the SYS in 2013 and composed by Garret Shatzer, directed by guest conductor Dr. Robert Halseth. And don’t let your ears have all the fun: Take a gander around you at the Performing Arts Center that Sac City recently renovated into a state-of-the-art facility. A joy for the eyes and ears! For tickets and more information, call 731-5777 or go to sacramentoyouthsymphony.org The Performing Arts Center at Sacramento City College is at 3835 Freeport Blvd.

COLOR WASH What do you get when you gather the talented members of the Watercolor Artists of Sacramento Horizons (also known as WASH Inc.) in one room? An exciting exhibition called “Awash With Color,” on display April 1-18 at the Sacramento Fine Arts Center in Carmichael.

More than 100 watercolors from local members will share wall space and celebrate the beauty and wow factor of watercolor. More than 100 watercolors from local members will share wall space and celebrate the beauty and wow factor of watercolor. Meet the artists at the Second Saturday reception from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. on April 11, nosh on refreshments and cheer them on through an awards presentation judged by Kara Castro. For more information, go to sacfinearts.org The Sacramento Fine Arts Center is locted at 5330B Gibbons Drive in Carmichael.

The “Awash With Color” exhibition is on display April 1-18 at the Sacramento Fine Arts Center in Carmichael

SCOTTISH GAMES AND FESTIVAL Who isn’t up for a little haggis hurling? Or a caber toss while drum majors pound it out and fiddlers fiddle? If that doesn’t suit you, what about a game of kick-up-your-kilt tugof-war after an afternoon of whiskey tasting? It’s almost time for one of the world’s biggest festivals celebrating Scotland. The 139th Sacramento Valley Scottish Games and Festival is set for April 25-26 at the Yolo County Fairgrounds in Woodland. Pin up your kilt, darn those socks, pick a pipe and get ready to see some of the world’s most impassioned Scottish culture enthusiasts who travel the globe to be here. The annual event draws history lovers, performers and competitors from around the world for the two-day festival of games related to Scottish culture. You don’t have to be Scottish to watch the games unfold. Just grab a seat and root for your favorite piper or hurler or drummer as they compete in athletics, highland dance, piping, drumming, fiddling, harp and more,

said Susan Scott, a longtime Scottish games lover from the Arden area. “The games offer the flavor of Scotland right in your backyard,” she said. “You don’t have to travel thousands of miles to get a taste of Scotland.” Back by popular demand are The Wicked Tinkers, who have a singalong way of getting the crowd up and dancing. The professional touring band plays a Tribal Celtic style with heart-pounding bagpipes and tribal drums. The festival begins at 9 a.m. each day at 1125 East St. in Woodland. Tickets are available online or at the gate. For more information, go to SacramentoScotGames.org

THE CREATIVE CLASS Where can you find the cream of the region’s creative crop all in one place? Check out the CSUS Festival of the Arts, running April 8-12 both on the California State University, Sacramento, campus and around town. The five-day festival is chockfull of creative performances,

exhibits, lectures and master classes showcasing the region’s creative and cultural excellence both inside and outside the classroom. Program highlights include U-Create! from 5 to 9 p.m. on April 9 (an off-campus street fair featuring student and faculty research projects in partnership with Verge Center for the Arts, Axis Gallery, Beatnik Studios, Insight Coffee Roasters and SactoMoFo); performances by Oakland-based “vertical dance” pioneers BANDALOOP on April 10 and 12; and Sunday Funday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on April 12, when students, staff, faculty, alumni and their families are invited to campus for a day of family events to experience the arts and the letters at CSUS. For more information, go to csus. edu/festival CSUS is at 6000 J St. Jessica Laskey can be reached at jessrlaskey@gmail.com. Please email items for consideration by the first of the month, at least one month in advance of the event. n

POC n INSIDEPUBLICATIONS.COM

Full Circle A PRACTICING PAINTER INSPIRES NEW ARTISTS THROUGH TEACHING

BY JESSICA LASKEY

a guilty giggle.) The crazy commute

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

paid off when she landed her first postgraduate job as a visiting artist

hen you’re kind of a

at UC Davis. Though LeCompte

shy person like I am,

describes the experience as “learning

communication doesn’t

by fire,” it sparked a passion for

always work verbally,” artist

teaching that has taken the artist to

Michaele LeCompte admits. “But I

college classrooms all over the greater

found I could express myself best

Sacramento region.

through my art.”

“I found that I really enjoyed the

Though LeCompte is in fact a

process of teaching,” says LeCompte,

wonderful conversationalist, her

who’s now an adjunct professor at

artwork speaks for itself. Her

Sacramento City College. “Having the

current paintings are a combination

interaction with students is especially

of geometric shapes, patterns and

nice for a painter, since you work

materials that entertain and engage

alone most of the time. It provides

the eye with their complexities—

a wonderful connection to other

which is exactly what LeCompte

people.”

intends.

Teaching has brought LeCompte’s

“I’ve come back to abstraction,”

career full circle.

says LeCompte. “I love formalism

“Ending up at City College was my

with an expressionistic twist. I love

desire from the beginning,” she says.

patterns, though to say that you were

“I’m teaching in the same classroom

a ‘pattern painter’ in the ’70s took a

where I started. I still have the very

little bit of courage because you didn’t

first abstract painting I made there.

want to be lumped in with the trite

That was the moment when the

description they were using for the

clouds parted and I really felt like I

work of women artists. But as I’ve

could do this.”

gotten older, I’ve gotten more brave.”

Now it’s LeCompte’s turn to

Though the Washington native

nudge the clouds apart for the next

claims to be shy, her artistic tenacity

generation of artists, just as former

speaks to an impressive inner

professors did for her.

confidence.

“When I was an undergrad at Sac

“I had friends who couldn’t wait to

State, Oliver Jackson invited me to

get to New York,” recalls LeCompte,

be part of a graduate seminar he was

whose family moved to Sacramento

teaching,” LeCompte recalls. “He

for her father’s bricklaying business in 1958. “But I’m a late bloomer, so that never really suited my personality. I didn’t start my formal art training until college, when I took a watercolor class at City College with Larry Welden. I just loved his style. It was so elegant and laid-back at the

POC APR n 15

Artist Michaele LeCompte

same time. It really opened a world to

LeCompte went on to earn a

gave me the impression that I had something to say as an artist. It was

me. My mom had drawn and my dad

bachelor’s degree from Sacramento

at that point that I got very, very

was very handy with his hands, so I

State University and a master’s in

serious about my work. I try to impart

had this sense of magic attached to

painting at Oakland’s Mills College,

that with my own students now that I

art, but I didn’t realize it was going to

which she attended while still living

see something in their work that they

be my path. It just sort of happened.”

in Sacramento. (“I would sleep over in my studio,” LeCompte says with

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might not recognize. You have to fan

laugh. “One time when we were

that little flame.”

driving to visit his parents, I told him

LeCompte’s own light continues to

I wanted to become an artist and I

burn bright, thanks to relationships

burst into tears. I told him, ‘I’m so

with galleries like JAYJAY in East

sorry. We’re going to be poor forever.’

Sacramento and the San Francisco

But he believed in me. He gave me a

Museum of Modern Art’s Artists

set of oil paints that year.”

Gallery, a unique rental venue where

LeCompte believed in herself, and

potential buyers can try pieces out

she continues to trust her instincts on

in their homes before purchasing. If

every new project.

you’d asked LeCompte years ago if

“Painting is like finding a message in a bottle,” she says. “You don’t

and hope someone finds them.

she probably would have laughed—or

know where it came from, but

Everyone’s always looking outside

wept.

somehow you found it and it feels

for reassurance, but you already have

like a really big event. I don’t know

all the information you need. Put

together since we were 19—little

where my paintings will take me,

the color down on the paper and see

children,” LeCompte says with a

but I send them out into the world

where it takes you.”

she could have predicted such success,

“My husband and I have been

You can see Michaele LeCompte’s work at JAYJAY gallery at 5520 Elvas Ave. For more information, go to michaelelecompte.com n

POC n INSIDEPUBLICATIONS.COM

Schools of Thought DIFFERING TAKES ON FAST-CASUAL ASIAN CUISINE ON THE GRID

BY GREG SABIN RESTAURANT INSIDER

conomists, business analysts, industry experts and not least of all diners have fallen under

the spell of Chipotle. The quality of its ingredients matched with the speed of its delivery married to the affordability of its product, is the marvel of the food and food service realm. Many have claimed some new chain or another the “new Chipotle,” but none has cut through the edible noise that is the American restaurant scene to really make a splash. If I were forced to predict if any local establishments had the secret sauce to make it big, I’d put my money on Viet Ha Noodles & Grill. The new offshoot of Viet Ha Vietnamese & Chinese restaurant on Florin Road, Viet Ha Noodles &

Stop by Viet Ha Noodles & Grill for a noodle box with chicken!

Grill takes up a small storefront at Broadway and 24th.

You’re presented with a box of

When Viet Ha first opened late

and-go Asian food establishment is

fresh rice or noodles topped with

last year, I dropped by on a rainy

counter and four tables make up the

actually a revolutionary concept. This

freshly grilled meats, served alongside

afternoon for lunch. I returned the

dining room. The menu takes up most

isn’t a low-end takeout Chinese joint

a panoply of shatteringly crisp

next night for dinner. I haven’t gone

of the kitchen wall. The recipes sound

where greasy trays full of gloppy guck

veggies. In the box are packaged

a week without visiting since. The

like something your mother would

get passed off as traditional Chinese

garnishes—hot sauce, peanuts and

simple setup, the simple menu, the

make if she were a second- or third-

cuisine. This isn’t a teriyaki counter

a soy or fish sauce vinaigrette—that

simple ordering all make Viet Ha a

generation Japanese-American.

where dried processed chicken pieces

you can use at your discretion. Each

welcome spot for a diner who’s short

get covered with syrupy sauce out of

bite is rich with flavor, undeniably

on time but refuses to sacrifice flavor.

a jug and passed off as Japanese fare.

fresh and perfectly addictive. The

Don’t be surprised to if you find a

This is fresh, plentiful, flavorful food

third choice, bread, will get you a

Viet Ha Noodles & Grill opening soon

of Japanese-American cooking (some

served with elegant simplicity.

traditional banh mi sandwich with

in a neighborhood near you.

of these recipes, unfortunately, were

What looks like a simple grab-

Here’s the setup: Step 1, choose

protein, veggies and dressing. You

beef, pork, chicken or shrimp. Step 2,

can’t go wrong with any of the

choose rice, noodles or bread. Step 3,

choices, especially since they’re all

wait three to five minutes. That’s it.

under $10.

Viet Ha Noodles & Grill is at 2417 Braodway; phone; 391-9888; vietha.us

POC APR n 15

Loco moco, chicken katsu, weenie royale and other hearty, saucy, ricey dishes that come from generations

created out of necessity in World War II internment camps) fill the menu and fill the nostrils. This is not light

If Viet Ha is new school (slick, minimal and fresh), June’s Cafe

is definitely old school. A 10-chair

fare. This is not local-and-seasonal RESTAURANT page 50

150,000 Animals Spayed

INSIDE

OUT

Tom Cruise, an adorable poodle mix, was destined to make headlines. On Feb. 24 (World Spay Day 2015), Tom became the 150,000th animal to be altered by Sacramento SPCA surgeons since the shelterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s high-quality, high-volume spay/ neuter clinic opened its doors in 2007. The milestone surgery was cause for celebration not only for SSPCA staff and volunteers but the community as well. The SSPCA clinic alters more than 20,000 animals annually as the organization works to decrease the number of unwanted dogs and cats entering overburdened area shelters. For information on the SSPCAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s spay/neuter services, visit sspca.org

POC n INSIDEPUBLICATIONS.COM

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RESTAURANT FROM page 48

Second, the sushi burritos are not served in tortillas. Third, the sushi

cooking. This is stick-to-your ribs stuff that matches meats, rice, sauce and spices. We’re not talking filet mingnon

burritos do not come with salsa. A sushi “burrito” is actually just a modified hand roll shaped to look like a burrito. The burritos served

here, either. We’re talking teriyaki

at Wrap N’ Roll are filling, tasty and

hot dogs and hamburger steak. We’re

well priced. Each one—featuring fish,

talking Spam and bacon.

chicken or that old favorite, Spam—

The eponymous June and her

comes wrapped in a traditional

husband have owned the small V

seaweed wrapper (nori) with plenty

Street cafe for 24 years. They’ve cut

of sauce, veg and rice to make a

back a bit on the hours in the last

complete meal in your hand.

few years, opening the café Monday

Additional side dishes like Tokyo

through Thursday from 9:30 a.m. to

Fries and Volcano Nachos are good

2 p.m. If you find yourself near 10th

happy-hour foods and also easily

and V on a weekday afternoon, do

affordable.

yourself a favor and drop in for a taste of the past. June’s Cafe is at 921 V St.; 4472264

The ambience is less than impressive, featuring bare tables, concrete floors and no serving ware made out of anything more durable than plastic. But Wrap N’ Roll is a

If Viet Ha is new school and June’s

casual, affordable and, as long as

Sushi Burrito can be thought of as

you’re not expecting high-grade sushi,

no school.

quite tasty. Wrap N’ Roll Sushi Burrito is at 1801 L St.; 476-6731; wrapnrollsushiburrito.com n

First, let’s get some misconceptions out of the way. One, this is not a Mexican/Japanese fusion restaurant.

POC APR n 15

perfect option for takeout: quick,

Cafe is old school, Wrap N’ Roll

Gold

POC n INSIDEPUBLICATIONS.COM

WE’RE YOUR NEIGHBOR! pending

CARMICHAEL

Desirable Cameron Ranch location. Open Àoor plan, large yard, breezeway, built in pool, spa, large covered patio, lots of fruit trees & mature landscaping. 4 Beds, 2 bths, new roof, corner lot. Easy access to transportation, schools, parks & shopping. $417,900 DAVID OHARA 916-600-9495

pending

ELK GROVE

Single story, 3 bed, 2bth Ranchette on 1.89 acres! New roof, carpeting and ac unit, dual pane windows, formal dining rm, separate living & family rms. Huge front pasture, two tool sheds, huge outbuilding and so much more! $515,000 BOB WILSON 916-207-6868

SOUTH LAND PARK HILLS

3 bd, 2 bth, 1-story. Beautiful exposed wood Àoors in living room, hall & bedrooms plus laminate in family rm & kitchen. Large & bright enclosed patio. Updated dual-pane windows & sliders, more! $330,000 BILL BONNER 916-320-1888

pending

GATED WESTLAKE

1- story within the gates of “The Avenues”. 3 bds, 3 bths, Of¿ce (could be 4th bed), sep. fam room & living rm, kitchen w/granite tile counters, SS app. & island, laundry rm w/sink, wood lam Àooring, tile entry, crown moulding, lge corner lot w/ private courtyard entry. $399,995 JOLEEN DUNNIGAN

pending

LAGUNA WEST

4 bed + den, 3 full baths. Separate living/family rooms, formal dining + nook, recent interior paint & carpet, whole house fan and so much more! Solar heated swimming pool & spa w/ waterfall & slide, putting green and side yard with RV access. $399,999 NEAL ALIE 916-981-7129

LAND PARK

2 bed, 2 bth Wentworth Place condo. All units detached. Excellent Àoor plan with master suite, gas stove. Refrigerator & washer/dryer stay! Close to schools and shopping. $318,888 SHARON NODA 916-370-5470

pending

GREENHAVEN/POCKET

Great single story home. 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, 2 car garage. Breakfast nook & formal dining area. Living room with ¿replace. Walk-in jetted tub in hall bath. Attached sun room with window unit. Near library, public transportation & shopping. $279,900 MARY JEW LEE 916-425-3749

pending

GREENHAVEN/POCKET

2 bedroom, 2 bath single story half plex, approximately 1219sf. Open Àoorplan plus bonus sunroom entry. Desirable location close to river and within Didion school boundaries. $259,500 JOHN WONG 916-531-7150

pending

GRANITE BAY

Ashley Woods Gem! Spacious Àoorplan w/sep living & family rms, formal dining area, lge open kitchen with granite countertops & stainless steel appliances, double ovens & wine refrigerator. Private backyard with built in pool, wet bar & personal spa. $570,000 JOLEEN DUNNIGAN 916-717-3559

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916-422-3756

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