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POSTAL CUSTOMER
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POCKET GREENHAVEN SOUTH POCKET LITTLE POCKET
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VALLEY HI COUNTRY CLUB Special setting with view of the 16th hole. 4 bedrooms 3½ with dream kitchen - recently upgraded with granite counters and stainless appliances. Huge master suite includes dual sinks, separate tub/shower, walk-in closet. Lush courtyard entry. Lap pool, spa, built-in Viking grill. New solar electrical system. $669,000 JAY FEAGLES 204-7756
BRIDGEVIEW AT RIVERLAKE Spacious home features 3 large bedrooms, 3 full baths, a downstairs of¿ce and a large upstairs media room. Downstairs of¿ce could be 4th bedroom. Ready for summer pool, outdoor ¿replace and pleasant outdoor patio space. Also includes an enormous 3-car garage suitable for an RV or boat $699,000 JUSTIN DAVIS 798-3126
SOUTH LAND PARK Hello Sunshine! Delightful mid-century ranch in South Land Park. Beautifully maintained and immaculate. 4 bedrooms, 2½ baths, 2000 square feet on .22 acre. Pella dual pane windows - really, really nice. $415,000 SHEILA VAN NOY 505-5395
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STONELAKE IN ELK GROVE Immaculate single story home, 3 bedrooms 2 baths; one of the most sought after Àoor plans. Nice kitchen with island overlooking huge great room. Beautiful crown molding throughout. Nice size yard with wonderful landscaping and patio. Master bath with double sinks and sunken tub. $309,500 MONA GERGEN 247-9555
STILLWATER AT RIVERLAKE Stillwater neighborhood in the Riverlake subdivision. Original owner, Parker built home - absolutely beautiful. Spacious 4 bedroom 2½ bath handsome and re¿ned, the perfect Àoor plan for both everyday living and entertaining. Fabulous kitchen/family room, dual pane windows and whole house fan. $589,000 SHEILA VAN NOY 505-5395
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RARE 5 BEDROOM HOME Fantastic remodeled home built by Crocker, 5 bedrooms 3 full baths. Remodeled kitchen, baths, Àooring, interior/exterior paint, ¿xtures, lighting, ¿replace tile, appliances, and so much more. Nice Workshop in the backyard. Private yard and patio. Close to bike trails and Sacramento River $420,000 MONA GERGEN 247-9555
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HOLLYWOOD PARK CUTE Hollywood Park Cutie! Easy living in this remodeled 3 bedroom, 1 bath home. Great kitchen with granite counters and stainless steel appliances looks out to the spacious back yard. Newer roof, HVAC, kitchen and bath. Make this beautiful home yours today! $329,900 JAMIE RICH 612-4000
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NEW SOUTH LAND PARK Rare opportunity to own a nearly brand new home in South Land Park. 3 bedrooms 2 baths, open Àoor plan; lots of light! Quality wood laminate Àoors, 6 ft windows, master suite, spacious rooms 2-car garage. Steps from Land Park, Amazing quality home and location! $419,900 MONA GERGEN 247-9555
pending
QUIET CONVENIENT LITTLE POCKET Tucked away in the Little Pocket but close to all of the culture in Midtown. 3 bedrooms 2 baths, spacious kitchen, hardwood Àoors, newer roof and more. Cul-de-sac location … Close to the Sacramento River. You’re going to like this one! $349,500 SHEILA VAN NOY 505-5395
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COVER ARTIST Skyler Brown Skyler Brown, a resident of Pocket, was selected for a Publisher's Award by Cecily Hastings at the 2015 California State Fair Fine Art competition. This mixed media work is titled "Dreamlight." Brown can be reached at skylerbrown42@icloud.com
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preparation workshops and financialaid information sessions for them and their parents. These monthly sessions are taught by local high school students and students from Sac State and UC Davis.
“Family involvement is key, as we estimate that about 95 percent of Breakthrough students will be first in their families to attend college.”
BY CECILY HASTINGS
B
PUBLISHER’S DESK
y midsummer, most middleschool students aren’t thinking about school. But at one special program in Sacramento, quite the opposite is true. Breakthrough Sacramento is part of a cross-country program collaborative that has changed the lives of tens of thousands of middleschool students. Breakthrough Sacramento’s home and host is Sacramento Country Day School’s impressive campus off American River Drive in Arden. “The program is a partnership that provides a year-round, tuition-free, college-prep program for academically motivated, ethnically diverse students from underresourced schools primarily in Meadowview, South Sac and Del Paso Heights,” says Adolfo Mercado, director of Breakthrough Sacramento. “It is also an innovative teacher-training program for talented high school and college students.” Applying to join in February, 36 new students are selected each year to attend an intensive six-week academic summer program taught on the Sacramento Country Day campus by enthusiastic college students
Adolfo Mercado, director of Breakthrough Sacramento
from across the country and local high school students. The students continue in the program for six years, until they go off to college. Only 25 percent of those who apply are chosen each year after a rigorous selection process that includes essay writing, teacher recommendations and personal interviews. “The school-year program consists of weekly after-school tutoring sessions in primarily English and math, as well as monthly Breakthrough Saturday events,
including cultural events, outdoor adventures, college visits and community service,” says Mercado, who has directed the program since 2005. Mercado says that grade tracking, high-school options counseling and advocacy ensure that Breakthrough students have the opportunity to enroll in challenging collegepreparatory high-school programs. During their high school years, Breakthrough students participate in SAT prep programs, college
“Family involvement is key, as we estimate that about 95 percent of Breakthrough students will be first in their families to attend college,” says Mercado. “Educating their parents on why they should support their students in going away to college is a real challenge for us. Poor and immigrant families have real fears of their children leaving home. We have to convince them to let go.” Mercado may be the perfect role model for these students: He grew up in Meadowview, attended Christian Brothers High School and graduated from UC Santa Cruz. “I am so passionate about this program because I see myself in many of these students,” says Mercado. “I’ll never forget the motto on the wall outside at Christian Brothers: Enter to learn, leave to serve. Through my PUBLISHER page 9
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Progress on the Parkway THE LEVEE FENCE CONTROVERSY MAY BE COMING TO AN END
BY R.E. GRASWICH POCKET BEAT
T
he battle to take back what belongs to us—the Sacramento River levee parkway along the Pocket and Little Pocket neighborhoods—is not over. There are still bunkers of resistance, self-righteous neighbors dug in and claiming excusive property rights to our levee, rights that don’t exist but were once supported by fence permits that are outdated and can be revoked at any time. But the tide has turned. Only the mop-up remains. I have learned that state authorities who issued permits to build fences to block our levee access will approve no more. And they are working on strategies to remove existing fences. It’s too early for specifics, but the removal may take place when the next round of levee repairs begins. And at city hall, we finally have an elected official who wants to make levee access his legacy. Yes, City Councilmember Rick Jennings has heard the pleas from his constituents, hundreds of residents who are demanding public access to their
An end in sight to the battle over levee access? A local resident, Phil, would like access now for him and his family.
river parkway. “It’s going to happen,” Jennings tells me. None of these breakthroughs would be possible without the work, passion and persistence of various Pocket residents who got mad when they saw public levee access being stolen by a few homeowners along the river. The river homeowners, using scare tactics about trespassers breaking into their homes—pure fiction, by the way—created a private paradise behind their levee gates, something state law never intended and didn’t allow. But other neighbors, people like Gary and Linda Buzzini and Jim
Houpt and Ron Beals, among many, said no: The levee is public, and we should all share in the enjoyment of the river. “We never wanted to be confrontational,” Beals says. “We just want the fences removed.” Beals moved to the Pocket in 1979. One key motivation behind his home purchase was a promise made by his real estate agent that the river levee parkway would soon be completed, stretching from Pocket to downtown. The agent wasn’t blowing smoke. The city’s general plan validated the dream.
“I would walk along the levee and people were generally friendly,” Beals recalls. “But then a few neighbors began to pressure others to put up fences. There was a nice elderly lady who was pressured. Let’s just say some of the people with fences were much more outspoken than people like me.” Beals may not have been outspoken, but neither was he ignorant. Retired now, he was a transportation lawyer for the state. He knows how easements work. He knows thousands of places across California where a property owner’s rights are subordinate to the right of POCKET BEAT page 10
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PUBLISHER FROM page 7 work at Breakthrough, I can help those who were just like me at one time.” The program produces measurable results year after year. According to Mercado, 92 percent of Breakthrough Sacramento graduates attend college directly after graduation, compared to 34 percent of low-income students nationally and 29 percent in the Sacramento area. “Our students’ choices have included St. Mary’s, Harvard, Stanford, Wesleyan, the University of California campuses and more,” he says. “Plus, more than 70 percent of Breakthrough Sacramento teachers plan to enter careers in education after working in the summer program.” Breakthrough Sacramento was co-founded in 1993 by a Country
Day parent and former headmaster, who formed a committee of friends dedicated to ensuring opportunities for a college education to a group of students traditionally underrepresented in colleges and universities. Since then, Country Day has sponsored Breakthrough Sacramento at an annual cost of $250,000. Local school districts and the county office of education at one time provided more than half of the program’s cost. But in 2012, those funds dried up. Now, the school pays for the program with private and school scholarship funding. “We are in effect creating student leaders for our local public school, yet we get no funding in return for our efforts,” Mercado says.” Only by increasing our public and private fundraising efforts are we able to consider expanding our program to
serve a greater number of students. We know the demand is certainly out there.” Country Day’s high school typically has eight to ten Breakthrough students. The school generously pays for their tuition through its $2 million annual scholarship fund. With the inspired leadership of Mercado and Sacramento Country Day School, Breakthrough Sacramento makes a huge difference in the lives of an impressive number of academically motivated
students from Sacramento’s poorest neighborhoods so they, too, can live the American dream of a college education. Their success helps their families and their neighborhoods. Please consider this special program in your charitable giving plans. It would be great to see Breakthrough Sacramento grow and reach more deserving students. Cecily Hastings can be reached at pubisher@insidepublications.com n
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public access, whether by freeway, highway, parkway or railroad. “They don’t have full ownership rights,” he says. “The law has always recognized that.” Worse, the riverfront homeowners who claim their levee as private property have based their arguments on scenarios from a distant past: The original levee fences were granted to farmers who were trying to stop horses and motorcycles from racing along the levee.
And today, the timing is perfect for Sacramento to get serious about the completion of the river parkway that was envisioned in the 1970s.
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The fences reflected the Pocket’s agricultural days, long before the presence of suburban subdivisions. Today, levee fences are worse than irrelevant: They’re a public nuisance. And today, the timing is perfect for Sacramento to get serious about the completion of the river parkway that was envisioned in the 1970s. “If you look at it from a recreational and transportation standpoint, the completion of the river parkway makes perfect sense,”
Beals says. “The cycling community is organized and will make great use of the bike trail along the river. And the benefits to public recreation are obvious.” Given his experience with major highway projects, Beals warns we should not expect the Sacramento River parkway to get funded and finished all at once. He says, “Do it incrementally. Put the dollars together piece by piece and do it that way.” The battle to tear down the levee fences and give the public access to the Sacramento River has been underway for 40 years. For much of that time, the advocates who called for public access were hooted down, even threatened with citizen’s arrest by a few snarling homeowners who were quick to portray anyone walking on the levee as a “trespasser.” There may be a place for that mentality: far from civilization, out where most people never go, a place where property owners move for solitude, to get away from society. That place is not the Pocket and Little Pocket. And thanks to people like Ron Beals, who has worked quietly within the system, talking to state and city officials, never raising his voice or calling names, we are close to the critical mass when our Sacramento River levee becomes open to the entire community. R.E. Graswich can be reached at reg@graswich.com n
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Saved by His iPad CARJACKING VICTIM GETS HIS CAR BACK THANKS TO TECHNOLOGY
BY SHANE SINGH POCKET LIFE
T
echnology helped clamp handcuffs on a suspected carjacker. At 10:15 one quiet June evening, a local resident was carjacked at Rush River and Windbridge drives. Two men approached the victim with a knife and took his car. Fortunately, the victim had his iPad in the vehicle. The tablet allowed the victim to provide Sacramento police with real-time information about the car’s location. Tracking the stolen vehicle, officers went to Power Inn Road and 36th Avenue, where they located the car and took one suspect into custody. The victim was safe and thankful for the assistance provided by his handy tablet.
POCKET PARADE WINNERS The 2015 Pocket Parade winners were Project Ride, Sacramento Fire Fighters Pipers & Drums, iYa Taekwondo and Sacramento Youth Band. “We had 82 entries, one of our largest years, and the parade lasted
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Stop by and cool off with some shaved snow at HeavenLy's Yogurt in Riverlake Village
an hour,” says co-chairperson Kathy Garcia.
SHAVED SNOW The owners of HeavenLy’s Yogurt in the Riverlake Village shopping center were on a trip to Southern California when they noticed several yogurt shops serving something called shaved snow. They had a taste and loved it. So they began serving the product to the delight of their customers, proving once again that the best retail ideas aren’t necessarily born but borrowed.
“It’s different in texture than yogurt, and more fluffy and more creamier than shaved ice,” says shop manager David Ly. He credits the product’s popularity in the Pocket to the community’s Asian population. “We are one of the first few stores to have it,” he says. “We offer the most flavors.” HeavenLy’s opened in 2007 and sold self-serve yogurt until two years ago, when it added Hawaiian shave ice. Shaved snow is the latest offering—and a great way to beat the heat.
NEWEST GOLDEN BEAR Pocket teen Robert Graswich has been admitted as a freshman to UC Berkeley. He graduated in June from C.K. McClatchy High School. Graswich received a $2,000 Leadership Award scholarship from Cal Alumni Association. “It’s an honor to be accepted at Cal, and to receive the alumni scholarship is beyond my dreams,” says Graswich.
PUTTING DOWN ROOTS Roundtree, the community across from John F. Kennedy High School, was the first “planned unit
each homeowner. The target date for completion is early 2016.
POCKET PARK NEWS
Roundtree board of directors: Kemeko, Jennifer, Carol and Reena
development” in the GreenhavenPocket area and was built during the Vietnam War. Residents commuted on surface streets to state, Capitol and private-sector jobs downtown— there was no freeway! A few of Roundtree’s original owners still remain, and many others lived their entire lives there. The current homeowners association is a mixture of retirees, young professionals, firsttime homeowners and families with children. The most notable feature of Roundtree is its “urban forest” of more than 150 mature trees. Another tradition began in the late 1990s, when a small group of homeowners decided to decorate the gates, entrance landscaping and clubhouse with hundreds of holiday lights for Christmas, hoping the complex could be seen from space. It was such a hit with residents that the group decided to bring out the light show for the Fourth of July, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Easter and St. Patrick’s Day. A new generation has taken over the project, and the tradition continues. Roundtree chose to become “gated” decades after it was built. The development historically had a challenging relationship with Kennedy High, directly across Florin Road. The school had an open campus. During a period of increased crime in the 1990s, the homeowners association membership approved a costly special assessment to install
the perimeter fence and gates, which required city approval. Current HOA president Carol Kennedy moved to Roundtree in 1979 as a single mother of two young teenage boys. She served on the HOA board in the early d 1990s and was later board president until 2008. “I returned to the board in 2014, when a new young board was elected, with the goal of restoring the property after a period of deterioration during the recession,” she says. “The board hired a new management company, and we are making progress on the backlog of deferred maintenance: carports, building exteriors, walkways, asphalt, landscape and of course our much-loved trees.” Although the HOA was planning for the eventual replacement of aging, leaking water lines, the development was taken by surprise when the city accelerated its water meter installation schedule due to the statewide drought. After consulting with city officials, legal counsel and management, the board adopted an emergency special assessment that will allow the HOA to completely replace water lines and install individual water meters for
Sacramento City Councilmember Rick Jennings knows a good thing when he sees it. And our community parks are one of the best features in Jennings’ field of vision. “We are blessed in the PocketGreenhaven community with tremendous parks,” Jennings says. “From parks with athletic fields and tot lots to bike paths and our greenway, we truly have a wonderful community asset. This community asset is something that we all enjoy throughout the year, and we as a city need to continue to invest in it through ongoing maintenance and repair.” The good news is that the city is going to conduct an assessment regarding our parks. Jennings says, “Since our parks have been built at various times
all of our parks to determine the current condition of each park and what repairs are needed. This assessment will enable us to have a comprehensive understanding of what we need to do as a city to maintain and repair our parks.” The city council has set aside $3.5 million in the recently approved budget for park repairs and to conduct this assessment. Jennings and his council colleagues required that the parks assessment be completed before the city spends the repair money, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of what repairs are needed, so funds can be efficiently used. The effort is similar to the process the city uses to prioritize transportation investments. In addition to the repair money, Jennings says, “I was fortunate to have the support of my council colleagues to secure funding to design and permit an extension of the Sacramento River Parkway Bike Trail from Garcia Bend Park to the canal.” The bike trail construction is exciting news: It’s the first major extension of the river parkway in many years through our neighborhood. Residents have suggested additions to existing parks such as community gardens, dog parks and skate parks. T To address these requests a and similar issues, Jennings a asks that residents join him in a “community conversation” ab about our parks. You can contact Jennings at 808-7007 or rjennings@ cit cityofsacramento.org
CE CELEBRATING THE LIB LIBRARY
Rick Jennings
and in conjunction with different developments, each park is in a different phase of its life cycle. Each phase requires different resources depending on where that particular park is in its life cycle. Recognizing that our parks are in these different phases, the city will be conducting a comprehensive inventory of
A celebration of the fifth anniversary of Robbie Waters PocketGreenhaven Library (“The Robbie”) will take place on Saturday, Aug. 29, from 11 a.m. to 1p.m. The event will feature outdoor games, treats and live entertainment. The library is at 7335 Gloria Drive. For more information, go to saclibrary.org Shane Singh can be reached at shane@shanesingh.com n
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Fire Alarm AMBULANCE REFORM WOULD CHALLENGE FIREFIGHTERS UNION
BY CRAIG POWELL INSIDE CITY HALL
I
n some sense, the city’s fire department is a 20th century relic operating in a 21st century world. And with its entrenched practices staunchly protected against change by what’s acknowledged to be the city’s most powerful union, Fire Fighters Local 522, the fire department has been essentially immune to efforts by city officials to drag it into modernity. Few have even tried to reform it; none has come anywhere close to succeeding. To his credit, freshman Councilmember Jeff Harris has stepped up to the plate and is making cost-saving reform of the city’s ambulance service, operated by the fire department, a major priority. What’s more, he may very well succeed where most haven’t even bothered to try. Why is the fire department so resistant to change? Fire chief Walt White is only the 21st chief in the department’s 165-year history. And he’s the first chief in city history to be appointed from outside of the ranks of the fire department. Organizational change is not exactly a prevailing value in the fire department. White didn’t have to travel far to take the
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job. Before joining the fire department last year, White spent his career with the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District, a nearby district with a long history of paying firefighter salaries that are among the highest in California and a district board dominated by members elected with the financial support of Local 522. Apart from history and tradition, the status quo in the fire department is vociferously defended by Local 522, whose political action committee typically brings in $150,000 annually and whose cash balance stood at $330,000 at the end of last year. It showers money on candidates for city council. When Angelique Ashby ran for the council in 2010, Local 522 not only gave her campaign
$6,500; it spent another $26,826 in an independent expenditure campaign on her behalf. Such outsized political “investments” buy influence and power. Once elected, Ashby quickly became the council’s most stalwart advocate for the interests of firefighters, opposing all city efforts that could negatively impact them and consistently advocating for actions that would benefit them. On three occasions in recent years, Ashby and the president of Local 522 have co-authored ballot arguments on proposed city ballot measures. To this council observer, there has never been a ray of sunlight between the positions of Ashby and Local 522.
Local 522 is led by Brian Rice, an acerbic retired Sac Metro firefighter who penned a June 2 editorial in The Sacramento Bee entitled “Pensions Aren’t Being Paid at Expense of Filling Potholes,” which argued that city coffers are flush and the city’s rapidly rising pension costs are not “crowding out” public spending on potholes, park maintenance and other city services. It was a novel argument that was recently rebutted, line for line, by the California Policy Center, a nonprofit group that performs indepth analysis of municipal finances in California. The CPC rebuttal also noted that Rice, who spent 28 years with Sac Metro Fire before retiring in 2011, collects an annual pension of $183,000, plus an estimated $10,000 in additional benefits, on top of his current salary as president of Local 522, which could put him in the running for the poster boy of pension reform. The combative posture of Local 522 was on full display in budget hearings in May when Rice asserted that the city’s 13 ambulances generate a profit for the city. He also claimed that the city is “not on the edge of a fiscal cliff” and that the prospect of a fiscal cliff was merely a “picture being painted by city manager John Shirey and finance director Leyne Milstein.” Immediately following Rice’s statements, Milstein provided the city council a detailed accounting that demonstrated that, instead of generating a profit, the city’s ambulance service is projected to lose $6.5 million in the fiscal year that began last month. When the city council in 1993 gave its approval for the city to operate
ambulances, it received assurances that the service would be selfsupported with user fees. It didn’t quite turn out that way. The city’s ambulance service has been a major source of losses for the city for years. At Jeff Harris’ first council meeting last December, a fresh two-year contract with Local 522 was up for a council vote. It called for raises amounting to 12.5 percent over two years, offset by some additional firefighter contributions to their pension and retiree health benefits. Harris made it clear that he didn’t like the contract, but he was looking to the future and hoping that Local 522 would work with him to support changes he had in mind to reform work rules that were driving up taxpayer costs. He voted in favor of the contract with assurances from Local 522 that it would work with him on work rule reforms. Thus began Jeff Harris’ education in hardball politics at city hall.
Moving to single-role paramedics would save the city $405,000 annually for each of the 13 ambulances it operates, according to Harris. The reform that Harris had foremost in mind was to change the way the fire department staffs its ambulances. Currently, the city staffs every ambulance with workers who have “dual-role” qualification, meaning they must be qualified to work as both a firefighter and a paramedic. Harris wants to see the city to adopt a “single-role” policy, requiring that ambulance workers be trained solely as paramedics. After all, they aren’t putting out fires; they’re providing medical attention and transporting people to area hospitals. Moving to single-role paramedics would save the city $405,000 annually for each of the 13 ambulances it
operates, according to Harris. Why the big savings? Because under the city’s contract with Local 522, it costs the city an astonishing $67,500 more each year to employ a firefighter/ paramedic than it does to employ a paramedic—for doing precisely the same job. Allowing ambulances to be staffed by paramedics also opens up opportunities for increased minority hiring in the fire department, and since paramedics often seek to become firefighters, it creates the potential for greater diversity among firefighters in the future. Currently, city firefighters are overwhelmingly white in a city that’s not. The prospect of a more diverse fire department is very appealing to councilmembers, but there is serious roadblock to the reform: Local 522, which opposes the reform. Ironically, and rather hypocritically, Local 522 signed a letter of understanding with Sac Metro Fire in 2012 allowing Sac Metro to begin staffing its ambulances with single-role paramedics. But apparently the union doesn’t want to lose any highly paid firefighter/ paramedic positions in Sacramento to lower-cost paramedics. The reform would not require that any firefighter/paramedics be let go. A switch to single-role paramedics would mean that current firefighter/ paramedics would likely return to the fire service, although they’d miss the 17 percent premium in pay they currently receive for serving on ambulances. According to Harris, shifting to single-role paramedics would produce more than $5,250,000 per year in cost savings, enough to pay for 52 new police officers or more than 100 new park maintenance workers. The change is supported by both the city manager and the fire chief. A key question: Is Local 522 in a legal position to block the reform? According to Shirey, it isn’t. He believes the current labor contract with Local 522 does not require the union’s consent for the city to adopt the policy change. If that’s the case, the only remaining impediment would be council politics. Are there five votes to approve the change in the face of Local 522 opposition? CITY HALL page 16
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CITY HALL FROM page 15 When I asked the city manager if the votes were there for such a change, he said, “I don’t get paid to predict how the council will vote. I do know that they are interested in making taxpayer dollars go further and they’re open to new ideas and new ways of doing things.� Shirey and Harris both identified a public safety issue with the way ambulances are currently staffed: fatigue. A work rule under Local 522’s labor contract calls for firefighters, including firefighter/paramedics, to work 48 hours straight every week. Given that the overwhelming majority of service calls to the fire department these days is for emergency medical care/transport (only around 10 percent are for fires), the firefighter/ paramedics who operate city ambulances end up being called out three times as often as fire engines responding to fires. A firefighter can expect to get longer, less interrupted periods of sleep in comparison to a firefighter/paramedic who may have to scramble from one medical call to the next, particularly since the volume of medical calls has spiked, from an average of 200 calls a day five years ago to an average of 400 calls a day today, according to fire chief White.
The result is serious sleep deprivation and fatigue among ambulance workers. The result is serious sleep deprivation and fatigue among ambulance workers. Shirey asked the city’s chief medical adviser, an emergency room doctor, whether he thought it would make a difference in the quality of care if paramedics worked 12-hour shifts instead of their current 48-hour shifts. After observing ambulance crews arriving with patients for a six-month period, the ER doctor reported that he could tell the difference in mental acuity and alertness between firefighter/
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paramedics who were working the first day of their 48-hour shift versus those who were working their second day. White reports that the majority of city ambulance crews are now exceeding the “time on task� standards set by the International Association of Firefighters. How would you like to have a paramedic working the 47th hour of a 48-hour shift trying to locate a vein in order to insert an IV into you or a member of your family? No thanks. By shifting to single-role paramedics, shifts would be reduced to just 10 or 12 hours, allowing them to go home and sleep between shifts. It would also give the city the scheduling flexibility to beef up paramedic staffing during peak hours for ambulance calls and reduce staffing when call volume is typically low, which would save base labor costs, reduce overtime costs and improve ambulance response times. Under current rules, staffing levels are constant, which puts stress on staff when call volume is high and wastes labor dollars when volumes are low. I told the city manager that the current system looks almost as if it were designed to maximize the waste of taxpayer dollars, reduce the quality of care and increase ambulance response times. It may also be exposing the city to significant liability if substandard care results in serious harm to patients. During spring budget hearings, Angelique Ashby pressed the council hard to fund staffing of a second ambulance in North Natomas. She mobilized North Natomas residents to fill the council chambers and insist upon staffing for a second ambulance. Ashby told the crowd that such staffing was “promised� to her constituents two years ago, in the fiscal year 2013/2014 budget, but hadn’t been delivered. That budget, approved by the council, did call for two new ambulance units, one in North Natomas and one in the south area, but its language was quite clear: “It is anticipated that these medic units will be staffed with non-sworn personnel [meaning single-role paramedics].�
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Ashby said she “didn’t care� whether the new units were staffed with dual-role or single-role paramedics. Well, if she had cared and had pressed her friends at Local 522 to accept single-role paramedics for the new units, it would have saved enough money on those two units alone ($810,000) to fully fund staffing of a new ambulance unit in North Natomas two years ago. She followed up her dismissive attitude toward the cost-saving reform by taking a gratuitous shot at the city manager at a May 19 council meeting, blaming Shirey for Local 522’s intransigence: “What you can’t do, Mr. City Manager, all due respect, is fund it at the level that you want and then force the hand and hold the community hostage.� If anyone has been engaged in hostage taking, it’s been Local 522 by refusing to allow the two new units to be staffed with single-role paramedics. Instead of holding her most important political patron accountable, however, Ashby chose to malign the city manager as a hostage taker when all he sought to do was exactly what the
council directed him to do: staff the new ambulance units with single-role paramedics. While at the end of the day Ashby got her way, securing council funding for two new ambulance units staffed with more expensive dual-role firefighter/paramedics, the split vote on the issue and ensuing council discussion revealed that support for single-role paramedics is growing, leaving Jeff Harris with a rate opportunity to put this major fire department reform over the goal line. This is just the first of several needed major reforms of the fire department, but those are topics for another day. Councilmember Harris recently released a four-page memorandum laying out the case for single-role paramedics. It can be viewed at eyeonsacramento.org 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
Beating the Widow Maker LUCK AND SCIENCE ARE A POWERFUL COMBINATION
BY R.E. GRASWICH CITY BEAT
T
here is no good way to learn your heart is diseased with blockages and you could die at any moment. It helped that I was lying down at the time. The cardiologist who delivered the bad news was a young man named James Schipper. He threaded a line from my right wrist into my heart and injected dye to trace how my heart was working. This happened as I watched. There was much joking by Schipper and myself and two cardiac nurses named John that morning, all goodnatured stuff to help me relax. Then the chatter stopped. Watching the dye patterns, Schipper saw a severe blockage of my left main coronary artery. Medical professionals have a technical term for this revelation. They call it a “widow maker.” The heart attack that follows brings immediate death. About 116,000 Americans die this way each year. “You need heart bypass surgery as soon as we can schedule it,” Schipper said. And the doctor said something else. After a pause to let the news sink
in, he spoke six words that lifted the weight and let me breathe. He said, “It’s OK. We can fix this.” So began my journey from being an average guy who in recent weeks experienced a slight, dull pain in the middle of my chest while exercising (which for me meant a brisk walk with the dog) into the world of open-heart surgery, recovery and rehabilitation. Within 24 hours of Dr. Schipper’s study of the dye in my heart, I had met one cardiac surgeon, three cardiologists and two anesthesiologists. I had been transported in an ambulance from Kaiser South to Mercy General. And I had my chest cut open, my breastbone sawed in half, my heart stopped for about two hours and my left leg pierced in three places by a device that harvested redundant blood vessels that would be grafted onto my heart, creating new pathways. When I left Mercy five days after surgery, I felt great. My left ankle was sore. My chest was tender. Otherwise, it was like nothing happened, almost. Each step of the way, I was blessed by luck. The only reason I went to the emergency room in the first place was because my wife saw me pause during a walk. She asked why. When she heard the answer, she insisted we go to Kaiser. That was luck, because without her, I would have been dead in weeks or days. The widow maker would have made another widow. Meeting Dr. Schipper and his nurses, the two Johns, was luck, because they let me know that unlike so many other catastrophic medical conditions (diseases that lack borders and
demand months of treatment and end up being partially successful or not so successful at all), mine was a plumbing problem. It was luck to be dispatched to Mercy General, a hospital that specializes in cardiac treatment. And it was luck to be placed under the authority of Dr. Henry Zhu, a lowkeyed heart surgeon from Harvard blessed with humor and steady hands, and his cardiologist colleague Dr. James Foerster, another Harvard man who approaches his craft from an earlier generation but arrives at the same destination, focused on the patient. The journey was not entirely pleasant. When I woke up after
surgery, I was agonized by the presence of something—a towel?— stuffed down my throat. In fact, it was a breathing tube. When my intensive care nurse Paul removed the tube and gave me an ice chip, he became St. Paul for my eternity. Three drainage tubes extended from my stomach. Moving around with tubes poking from your stomach brings no joy. My nurse Lacy extracted the tubes with a yank—she told me to hold my breath. They pulled easily, assisted by morphine. I missed my son’s graduation from McClatchy High School. But a storm rolled in that night and I saw the
CITY BEAT page 20
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Party at the Park ART, MUSIC, FOOD AND MORE AT ANNUAL CURTIS FEST
the largest volkssport club in the country—has you covered. Meet up at Vic’s Ice Cream at 3199 Riverside Blvd., get registered for free ($3 for those who’d like to get “volkswalk” credit) and take a leisurely walk through the leafy Land Park and Curtis Park areas on your way to Gunther’s Ice Cream at 2801 Franklin Blvd. Registration will be from 6 to 7 p.m. on Aug. 5, 9 to 10 a.m. on Aug. 6 For more information, visit sacramentowalkingsticks.org
BY JESSICA LASKEY LIFE IN THE CITY
Y
ou know summer’s in full swing when Curtis Fest rolls around. Now in its ninth year, the annual event hosted by Sierra Curtis Neighborhood Association will take place on Sunday, Aug. 30, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at William Curtis Park. The free event features more than 60 local artists and artisans showing off their wares—ceramics, watercolors, jewelry, photography, pottery, you name it—as well as food from local vendors, live music, face painting and a petting zoo. That same day, the final installment of Music in the Park will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. at William Curtis Park. For more information on either event, visit sierra2.org. William Curtis Park is at 3349 W. Curtis Drive.
HOT COMMODITY Don't miss the ninth annual Curtis Fest on Aug. 30
WILL WALK FOR SCOOPS Stretch your legs and your taste buds at Sacramento Walking Sticks’ annual Vic’s to Gunther’s Ice Cream Walk on Wednesday, Aug. 5, and Thursday, Aug. 6. Whether you’d like to stroll for a 3.1-mile loop (5k) or a more rigorous 6.2 miles (10k), the walking club—
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Fire Spectacular is slated to heat things up on Saturday, Aug. 8, from 6 to 10 p.m. Photo courtesy of Cedric Sims Photography.
Is it getting a little warm in here, or is it just the eighth annual Fire Spectacular, slated to heat things up on Saturday, Aug. 8, from 6 to 10 p.m. at William A. Carroll Amphitheatre in William Land Park? This fiery festival is set for a particularly auspicious date this year—the eighth day of the eighth month in its eighth year—and promises its usual lineup of fire performances, including fire breathing, fire eating, fire hooping, fire dancing and more. Featured troupes will include Davis-based Flux and Nataraja Dance as well as Obsidian Butterfly and other groups from across California. Tickets are $15 for adults in advance ($20 at the door), $10 for teens ages 9 to 18, free for children 8 and younger. For more information, visit sacredfiredance.com William A. Carroll Amphitheatre is in William Land Park across from the Sacramento Zoo.
B.Y.O. GLOVES Looking for a way to help out your fellow neighbors and get down and dirty—or at least sweaty? Don some work gloves and join Land Park Volunteer Corps for its monthly park cleanup on Saturday, Aug. 1, at 8 a.m. (early enough to beat the heat). Tasks that need tackling include cleaning the park perimeter, mulching trees, trimming bushes, cleaning the ponds and doing some routine maintenance (painting park benches, for example) to keep the park looking its best. As always, breakfast will be provided by Espresso Metro. For more information, contact lead coordinator Craig Powell at 718-3030 or ckpinsacto@aol.com. Donations are always appreciated and may be sent to: Land Park Volunteer Corps, 3053 Freeport Blvd., #231, Sacramento 95818. The corps meets at its base camp in the picnic grounds behind Fairytale Town (3901 Land Park Drive).
FAIRYTALE TOWN FUN There’s a lot to do at Fairytale Town this month, so let’s jump right in. First up is the Cat and the Fiddle Music Festival on Saturday, Aug. 1, and Sunday, Aug. 2, from 11 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. This annual two-day music festival will feature a rocking lineup all day on the Mother Goose Stage, including Mister Cooper, Musical Robot and The Raytones on Saturday and Music Matt, The Poodlums and The Hipwaders on Sunday. The concerts are free with paid park admission. If you want to give your tykes some exposure to live theater, don’t miss Puppet Art Theater Company’s performances of “Cinderella” on Saturday, Aug. 1, and Sunday, Aug. 2, at 12:30, 1:30 and 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $2 for nonmembers in addition to paid park admission and $1 for members. Hoping to get one more snooze under the stars in this summer? Be sure to sign up for the final Family Campout of the season from 5:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 14, through 7 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 15.
Don’t miss Puppet Art Theater Company’s performances of “Cinderella” on Saturday, Aug. 1, and Sunday, Aug. 2 at Fairytale Town
This overnight adventure includes a theater performance, arts-andcrafts activities, a scavenger hunt, bedtime stories and a sing-along as well as continental breakfast the next morning. Prices range from $25 to $30 per person and include all activities. Member discounts are available. Are you still looking for a few activities to engage tots before they’re back in school? A Fairytale Town FunCamp might be just the thing. For kids 4 to 6, check out Farmer Brown’s Junior Farmers Aug. 10-14 from 9 a.m. to noon (campers will learn the daily regimens that keep Fairytale Town’s friendly flock of farm animals fit and healthy) or Little Artists Aug. 3-7 from 9 a.m. to noon. (Campers will participate in art projects featuring drawing, cutting, pasting and painting.) For the slightly older crowd—kids 7 to 9—check out Young Picassos Aug. 3-7 from 1 to 4 p.m. (campers will try their hands at different art media, including painting, printmaking, clay and 3-D art) or Superhero Summer Camp Aug. 10-14 from 1 to 4 p.m. (Campers will design create their own masks, capes, logos and costume essentials as well as learn about reallife superheroes of all kinds.) For more information on all Fairytale Town events, call 808-7462 or visit fairytaletown.org Fairytale Town is at 3901 Land Park Drive.
THE LION’S SHARE Cool off with the king of the jungle at the Sacramento Zoo’s 31st annual Ice Cream Safari on Saturday, Aug. 15, from 4 to 8 p.m. Enjoy endless Baskin Robbins ice cream in cones, sundaes and floats along with Coca-Cola beverages as well as face painting, a dance party and live entertainment. And don’t forget to enter the GiRaffle for the chance to win some fun prizes! Earlybird tickets purchased through Aug. 12 are $17 for adults and $13 for kids ages 2 to 11. Zoo members receive $2 off per ticket. It’s time to try your luck at the zoo’s rescheduled Bingo Night, now on Tuesday, Aug. 25, at 8:30 p.m. at Florin Road Bingo. Your ticket includes dinner, nonalcoholic drinks and eight rounds of bingo with the chance to win cash prizes. You can also imbibe at the no-host bar, enter the raffle for fabulous prizes and even meet some of the zoo’s
Animal Ambassadors. Seating is limited, so call 808-8376 to reserve your spot and take advantage of early-bird ticket prices. Tickets purchased through Aug. 22 are $40 ($35 for zoo members). Florin Road Bingo is at 2350 Florin Road. In animal-related news, you may have noticed a painted mural in front of the flamingo exhibit lately, but that’s for good reason: It’s flamingo mating season! The wall will give the birds some privacy during their courtship and breeding season. Keep your eyes peeled for fluffy gray flamingo chicks later this summer. You might also notice some new residents during your next visit to the zoo. A group of female yellowfooted rock wallabies were moved to Sacramento from the San Diego Zoo recently and boy, are they cute! Females of this sweet-faced species generally measure 19 to 32 inches long (plus a 16- to 28-inch tail) and weigh 5 to 15 pounds. Take a quiet look around the Australian Outback exhibit and see if you can spot them hanging out on the rocky outcrops that were created just for them. The zoo is also proud to welcome some new family members to its brood: Two female black-and-white ruffed lemurs were born on May 27, and a mongoose lemur was born on June 9. The critically endangered blackand-white ruffed lemur females have been growing fast in an off-exhibit area with mom. (You can see them through a mesh door between the lemurs’ building and the exhibit; this door allows the father and older
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LIFE IN THE CITY FROM page 19 siblings to get to know the youngsters and will help with the introduction process.) This is the fifth litter of infants for the zoo’s black-and-white ruffed lemur pair. Did you know that ruffed lemurs are the only primates that keep their young in nests instead of carrying them around? In the wild, they would use tree cavities and crooks to nest in, but at the zoo, the keepers have provided tubs and crates to create some comfy hiding places. This is the third offspring for the mongoose lemur pair, and the adorable infant can now be seen on exhibit with its parents. Look closely and you may be able to catch a glimpse of the little cutie carried around the mother’s waist. Both black-and-white ruffed lemurs and mongoose lemurs are native only to the island of Madagascar off the southeastern coast of Africa and are quite endangered. To help preserve these vanishing species, the Sacramento Zoo takes part in species survival plans initiated by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums to cooperatively manage specific— typically threatened or endangered species—populations in accredited institutions. “We are proud of our continued commitment to these highly endangered lemur species,” says Matt McKim, the zoo’s animal collection director.
For more information on all zoo goings-on, call 808-5888 or visit saczoo.org The Sacramento Zoo is at 3930 W. Land Park Drive.
THEY’VE GOTTA CROW Young Actors Stage is bringing some pixie dust to town with its latest offering, a production of Disney’s “Peter Pan Jr.,” which is set to fly into 24th Street Theatre Aug. 7-9. The production, directed and choreographed by Young Actors Stage founder Liorah Singerman, will feature young local performers in every role. The musical is based on the beloved 1953 animated adventure film produced by Walt Disney, featuring such favorite songs as “You Can Fly” and “I Gotta Crow.” The music and lyrics were written by a slew of talented people, including Sammy Cahn, Sammy Fain, Frank Churchill and Oliver Wallace. The play runs 60 minutes. Show times are Friday, Aug. 7, at 7 p.m.; Saturday, Aug. 8, at 1, 4 and 7 p.m.; and Sunday, Aug. 9, at 1 and 4 p.m. For tickets and more information, visit youngactorsstage.com 24th Street Theatre is at 2791 24th St.
BELLE OF THE BALL Great things are happening at Belle Cooledge Library this month.
Young Actors Stage is bringing some pixie dust to town with its latest offering, a production of Disney’s “Peter Pan Jr.,” which is set to fly into 24th Street Theatre Aug. 7-9
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Please Join Us!
The INSIDE on COVER ART Tuesday, Aug.18 6 p.m. Inside Publications publisher Cecily Hastings and cover artist Judy Lew Loose will speak at Sacramento Central Library at 828 I St. Hastings will be reviewing the history of Inside Publications’ cover art as part of the library’s Art in August program. The presentation starts at 6 p.m. Visit saclibrary.org
Grab some popcorn and take a seat for the latest Summer “Rhythm in Film” Series installment on Thursday, Aug. 20, at 1 p.m. This month’s film is “Thelonious Monk: Straight, No Chaser,” rated PG-13. Through footage of live performances and interviews, viewers are given a glimpse into the world of this towering figure of jazz. The Summer “Rhythm in Film” Series is part of the Sacramento Public Library’s Summer Reading program. If you’re up for a quick trip downtown, don’t miss the Saturday, Aug. 29, performance of the Summer Reading Concert Series from 6 to 10 p.m. featuring Be Brave Bold Robot and other musical acts. The concert will be held at the Sacramento Public Library at 828 I St. For information about all Belle Cooledge or Sacramento Public Library events, visit saclibrary.org Belle Cooledge Library is at 5600 South Land Park Drive. Jessica Laskey can be reached at jessrlaskey@gmail.com n
CITY BEAT FROM page 17 flashes of lightning and the roar of thunder from my window while the graduation procession was underway at Memorial Auditorium. My nurse Darcy came in and told me she watched the same lightning storm at home with her two young children. They were awed by nature’s magic. My nursing assistant Keith cleaned up my room that day. He talked about his father’s Air Force career, cut short by death. At dawn on the morning I left Mercy General, I thought about everyone who helped me—strangers who became intimates through a series of fateful breaks involving clogged arteries. And I did something I never do. I closed my eyes and remembered all these things that happened and cried for a long time, overwhelmed by luck, kindness and life. R.E. Graswich can be reached at reg@graswich.com n
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Retail Therapy WEAVE SET TO OPEN ‘RECYCLED URBAN’ THRIFT STORE IN MIDTOWN
on them, and now we’re working with students from The Art Institutes on the interior design.” Crocker brings the PR capabilities of her firm, Crocker & Crocker, to the retail campaign. Other members of the board represent retail, advocacy, financial and other disciplines. “This is a motivated and talented group,” she says. “We’re all committed to WEAVE’s success.”
BY TERRY KAUFMAN LOCAL HEROES
T
his fall, WEAVE will open a new retail concept in Midtown. The store will focus on young, fashion-conscious urban buyers. The store will be called TRUE (Totally Recycled Urban Exchange). Shoppers will be able to buy, sell or trade clothing, jewelry and accessories. The organization already operates a thrift store on Arden Way called WEAVEWorks. Proceeds from the new store will go to WEAVE, which provides services for people who experience domestic violence and sexual assault.
“Empty nesters will be donating, and young professionals are the target shopper demographic.” Amy Sugimoto, WEAVE’s director of retail operations, worked with
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WEAVE board members Linda Tucker, Amy Sugimoto, Oana York and Lucy Crocker in the space that will soon be the new WEAVE store in Midtown
a retail advisory board of local professionals to design TRUE. The store will be located on the ground floor of WEAVE’s building at 1900 K Street. It’s the ideal location: on a public transit line and wellsituated for foot traffic from young professionals. “We even vetted which side of the street was better,” says Sugimoto.
The board decided on a “rustic chic” vibe for the store based on feedback from focus groups of empty nesters and young professionals. “Empty nesters will be donating, and young professionals are the target shopper demographic,” explains Lucy Eidam Crocker, chair of the advisory board. “We tested a couple of concepts
“We need to do education and prevention to stop the cycle of violence,” she says. “Right now we’re triaging, and although this is a wonderful way to fulfill our mission, I would love to put ourselves out of business.” TRUE will sell name-brand apparel and jewelry—without the sticker shock. Unlike most consignment shops, there will be no “walk of shame,” as Sugimoto likes to call it. “If we can’t use an item that someone brings in, we’ll give them a tax receipt and donate it.”
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Call today! 916-706-0169 HomeCareAssistanceSacramento.com 5363 H Street, Suite A, Sacramento, CA Sugimoto has worked for WEAVE
now we’re triaging, and although
since 2000. Among other things,
this is a wonderful way to fulfill our
she oversaw the Suited for Success
mission, I would love to put ourselves
program, which matches clients with
out of business.”
clothing and other essentials. In 2005, her career took a detour through Bend, Ore., where she worked for Ronald McDonald House Charities.
TRUE is expected to open by early October. For more information, go to weaveinc.org
She came back to Sacramento in 2009, spending five years as executive director of the Greater Sacramento
Terry Kaufman can be reached at terry@1greatstory.com n
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Not Your Grandpa’s Downtown THE CENTRAL CITY ISN’T JUST FOR YOUNG FOLKS THESE DAYS
BY SCOT CROCKER INSIDE DOWNTOWN
S
acramento’s central city is finally dusting off years of economic malaise and restoring itself as an energetic, edgy home to young adults living in old Victorians, steely lofts and rustic apartments. While they socialize at the latest coffee shops, meet up at restaurants and close down bars, older folks are also quietly moving in to tap into the vibrant energy only metro living can provide. “This may be a new way to age,” says Sandy Smoley, a well-known community leader, 20-year veteran of the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors and former secretary of California’s Health and Welfare Agency. Smoley had to make some decisions after her husband, Walt, died. In January 2012, she packed her bags and left the ’burbs. After years of country living overlooking Lake Natoma, Smoley decided to move into the city. She’s never looked back. Smoley found a home to rent in Midtown’s vibrant Handle District. She grins while reporting that there are 11 restaurants within a half block of her home. Right across the street is 58 Degrees & Holding Co. Then
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Sandy Smoley loves living in Midtown and often invites friends and neighbors over for a glass of wine on her front porch
there’s Zocalo, The Press, Aioli, The Rind, Buckhorn Grill, Crepeville and more. “I love to joke with Patrick Mulvaney, owner of renowned Mulvaney’s B&L, that he makes me walk a whole block to have dinner there,” Smoley says. “I love it. I eat out every night. There’s always someplace to go.” She can stroll over to Old Soul for coffee or have food delivered from Edible Pedal.
“It’s been a game changer and life-altering experience for me,” she says. “Some of my friends seem lonely or isolated in the suburbs. I couldn’t be lonely if I tried. I could write a blog about how to age and stay active.” Smoley loves the buzz. She also creates her own buzz—on her porch. There, she hosts friends and associates for discussions, chats or to drink wine. When she’s out with friends, they all find their way back to Smoley’s porch.
A friend told her to leave up some old Christmas lights in her front window. Smoley turns the lights on as a signal to friends who might be dining or hanging out in Midtown that she is holding court and serving wine. She lists the wines on a small whiteboard. Smoley beams with delight that so many people are willing to stop by to visit or simply say hi. “When I first moved here, I was surprised at the sense of community,” she says. “I know all my neighbors. Everyone is kind, and we look out for each other.” Smoley gained more than community from moving to Midtown; she also gained time. When she lived in Fair Oaks, she spent more than two hours a day commuting for work. Now, she can get everywhere she needs to go within minutes: restaurants, B Street Theatre, Sacramento Philharmonic and more. “The commute really bothered me,” she says. “It was impacted both ways. The drive was ludicrous for me. Now it’s so easy to get around.” Dave Ljung, managing partner of Gilbert Associates accounting firm, moved to Midtown after his kids were grown. He says it was one of the best moves he ever made. Ljung lives in Tapestri Square, a community of single-family brownstone-style homes in Midtown’s Poverty Ridge neighborhood. According to Ljung, most Tapestri Square residents are empty nesters like him. He loves living in Midtown for its sense of energy, youthful vibrancy and simpler lifestyle. It also
DOWNTOWN page 27
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Brown Is the New Green WHO SAYS OUR LAWNS HAVE TO BE LUSH?
BY ANITA CLEVENGER GARDEN JABBER
A
s our dry spring turned into summer, I was startled by how quickly the grass began to deteriorate in my normally verdant neighborhood. Sure, some lawns were still green, but most of them began showing varying signs of water stress. Instead of a lush emerald carpet stretching block after block, there was a patchwork of varying shades of brown and green.
If you are watering your lawn less, your trees and shrubs that have relied on lawn sprinklers probably need supplemental watering. It didn’t take long to adjust. Now, I’m startled when I see a brightgreen lawn. After all, it’s natural in California for the grasses to turn golden every summer. It’s not a sign
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of death or neglect but part of the natural cycle. Who says that grass should retain the same color all year long? If we lived in a cold climate, we would accept brown grass all winter long. In our Mediterranean climate, why don’t we go for the gold during the summer? Perhaps we are now awakening from a mass delusion that we live in an area with unlimited water and can maintain lawns that look like Wimbledon. We seem to be forming new expectations for how our landscapes should look. Some people are watering less or not at all. Others are reducing the amount of grass or tearing out their lawns altogether, replacing them with combinations of pavement, gravel, mulch and water-
efficient plants. Pavement, especially, worries me. It retains and reflects heat and allows water to run off into storm drains during the winter rather than absorbing into the ground and replenishing the water supply. Rock is permeable, but it too increases heat rather than helping cool our blistering summers. Mulch and plants— including grass—keep things cooler, clean our air and water and help reduce flooding. A lawn can be part of a more water-efficient landscape. It may just be smaller and browner. Like the Munchkins, we need to learn that there is a difference between nearly dead and most sincerely dead. Watering grass deeply every week or two will keep its roots alive and its blades somewhat green.
It will recover when rain finally comes again. If you are watering your lawn less, your trees and shrubs that have relied on lawn sprinklers probably need supplemental watering. It’s especially critical this year, when we started out the summer with the water table unusually low. Check to see if the soil is dry and crumbly 6 to 8 inches below the surface. If it is, coil a soaker hose under the drip line and run it for several hours until the soil is saturated at least a foot deep. You can also water with a trickling hose or oscillating sprinkler, changing its position several times until the roots are watered all around. If you deep-water your trees once or twice a month, you will increase their chance
DOWNTOWN FROM page 24
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of survival. Adding mulch under the dripline in lieu of grass will further retain soil moisture and reduce the amount of grass that you need to tend. Be sure to keep mulch at least 4 to 6 inches from the trunk and no more than 4 inches deep so that oxygen can reach the roots. Grass clippings can be chopped up during mowing and left in place to feed and cool your lawn’s roots. “Grasscycling” is not a new idea, but I still see gardening services throughout town blowing off every leaf from a lawn, removing cut grass and dumping it in the green waste container. They also blow all organic material from planting beds, leaving roots unprotected. Along with our acceptance of browner grass, it’s time to accept that leaf litter is natural and beneficial. Particulates in the air are higher in Sacramento as a result of the drought. Having blowers stir up dust and debris doesn’t do our air quality or landscapes any good. If you are planting new trees this fall, be sure to select less-thirsty varieties. Beautiful trees such as
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birch, red maple, ginkgo, coast redwood and tupelo require regular water and are not good choices for a water-efficient landscape. Sacramento Tree Foundation, in partnership with SMUD, offers many varieties that are drought-tolerant once established. Newly planted trees and shrubs will need regular watering for their first three years, regardless of how drought-tolerant they will be once established. We’ve seen some stunning cultural shifts recently. It’s no longer cool to smoke in airplanes, restaurants or bars, offices or even public parks. Same-sex marriage is legal in all 50 states. Will we turn away from our green summertime lawns, too? Only time will tell. Anita Clevenger is a Sacramento County Master Gardener. For answers to gardening questions, call the Master Gardeners at 876-5338 or go to ucanr.edu/sites/sacmg. For a list of shade trees available from the Sacramento Shade Program, go to sactree.com n
allows him to lock up and leave when he goes on vacation or travels outside Sacramento. “It’s perfect for those wanting an active lifestyle,” Ljung says. “We don’t have big-box stores or cookiecutter strip centers and stores. What we have are small shops and great restaurants, and it keeps getting better. I’m excited about the developments on R Street. So many things going on.” When he’s home, Ljung doesn’t need a car. Because of Tapestri Square’s proximity to restaurants and activities, he can find other modes of transportation. “Cars are a bit demonized,” he says. “I mean, they can be a hassle. You have to fight traffic and find parking. We can walk to a lot of places or take Uber for a few dollars if we need to go a bit farther.” Smoley and Ljung agree that metro living comes with an understanding that there will be homeless people, transients, more exposed crime and activity day and night.
“It’s the texture of the city,” says Ljung. “We accept the transient element and learn to live with it. It’s not a problem. I think it adds to the flavor of this lifestyle. Some people don’t want that, and Del Webb might be a better place for them to be.” “I don’t feel a bit frightened,” Smoley says. “I’m prepared. I have a security system. Just like anywhere else, you have to be aware. I met a homeless woman on the street. She asked for a blanket. I went into the house where I had many in the closet and gave it to her. She needed it.” Smoley recalls feeling unsafe when she lived alone on the American River. “After Walt died, I wasn’t about to go out to the backyard by myself,” she says with a laugh. “There are a lot of different kinds of animals out there.” Smoley and Ljung don’t plan to move back to the suburbs. “I don’t ever want to leave here,” says Smoley. “It’s just so wonderful. My friends and daughter say they’ve never see me happier. They are right!” n
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All For One BUSINESSES JOIN FORCES TO MAKE LIFE BETTER FOR EVERYONE
BY JORDAN VENEMA BUILDING OUR FUTURE
G
rowth isn’t always measured by the height of new buildings or the width of boundaries on a map. Sometimes, the greatest signpost of a healthy city is the absence of any sign at all. In recent years, Sacramento has shown fewer “signs” of graffiti, crime and vagrancy, leading to a collective addition by subtraction.
From Midtown to Power Inn, and from Fulton to Florin, property and business owners have been improving their districts through cooperative services such as maintenance and security, marketing and special events. From Midtown to Power Inn, and from Fulton to Florin, property and business owners have been improving their districts through cooperative services such as maintenance and security, marketing and special events. Property and business improvement districts (PBIDs) were permitted to organize under
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R Street Partnership’s administrator, Michelle Smira Brattmille
California’s Property and Business District Law of 1994. “A traditional [PBID] model is a group of businesses or property
owners getting together to fund services or improvements that are implicit to their business. So it is essentially a public-
private partnership, generally led [and managed] by the business community… but with significant oversight role by the city or county,” explains John Lambeth, founder and president of Civitas, a Sacramento consulting firm that develops PBIDs. With a general consensus between owners, followed by city council hearings and a balloting process, a PBID is formed as a private nonprofit for a five-year term, Lambeth explains. Each property within the PBID pays a fee based upon parcel assessments, which is taken directly out of tax assessment bills. Lambeth basically wrote the book on PBIDs: He authored California’s Property and Business Improvement District Law of 1994 and helped organize the state’s first PBID, Downtown Sacramento Partnership, in 1995. Since then, Sacramento has added 15 more districts. The size of Sacramento’s PBIDs ranges from large to cozy: Power Inn Alliance supports more than 1,300 properties over 6 square miles, while R Street Partnership includes about 100 businesses over approximately 10 blocks. Big or small, PBIDs usually begin with a conversation between business owners about the needs of their district. And since PBIDs are, in Lambeth’s words, “folks getting together in a common way to protect their common interest,” the improvement is from the ground up. According to Michelle Smira Brattmiller, R Street Partnership’s administrator, that first conversation began with questions about streetscape improvement. Capitol Area Development Authority obtained a grant to provide general street
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renovations and improvements, “but the grant didn’t include any kind of maintenance after the fact,” explains Brattmiller. “But what happens if a light goes out? Who pays for it? With new improvements, there were new costs down the road.” So R Street Partnership was formed in 2013 to ensure continued maintenance of the district. The partnership has employed its $111,000 budget to increase security, remove graffiti and add benches, bike racks and decorative lighting. But these districts aren’t just about erasing and preventing the eyesores and nuisances; they also determine the identity of the neighborhood. R Street Partnership business owners, explains Brattmiller, felt a “need to be proactive in determining the future of R Street.” Brattmiller says the partnership plans to conduct more events that are “framed around the arts,” reflecting the district’s galleries and artists. Though Sacramento PBIDs create their own identity within the greater context of the city, they have not
become islands separate from the rest of the community. Transience and homelessness have long been issues for the city and businesses. But rather than pushing the homeless to other city blocks, Sacramento’s PBIDs have worked closely with nonprofit Sacramento Steps Forward to address the issue. “We’re talking about people,” says Maya Wallace, the director of external affairs at Sacramento Steps Forward, whose goal is to find housing for the city’s chronically homeless. According to Wallace, Sacramento’s PBIDs have been actively involved with Steps Forward, both financially and strategically. “By way of a history lesson,” begins Wallace, “[Ryan Loofbourrow] was in charge of the security team at Downtown Sacramento Partnership, and he started thinking how to address homelessness downtown.” Loofbourrow, now the executive director of Steps Forward, helped expand the organization’s Homeless Navigators program, which identifies homeless people in frequent contact with hospitals or police and provides
them with permanent housing. Says Wallace, “We’re expanding with the help of some of the PBIDS, including River District and Midtown Business Association.” Navigators with Downtown Sacramento Partnership, she adds, “place probably 20 folks a month into housing.” While the city provides much of the amenities that we enjoy, PBIDs connect the lines between the dots. Midtown Business Association organizes historical walking tours, mural installations, holiday events and the Saturday Midtown Farmers Market at 20th and J streets. Its baitbike programs have led to more than 50 arrests of bicycle thieves. Midtown Business Association’s current term ends in December 2016, but the PBID already is working with Civitas to draft a proposal to expand the district into the Alhambra Corridor, where Midtown meets East Sacramento. Currently, the bulk of the district lies between I and N and 16th and 29th streets. It is set to grow to include 30th Street and Alhambra Boulevard between K and S streets,
as well as Stockton Boulevard all the way to Highway 50. “Midtown is looking to expand into Alhambra,” explains Nichole Farley, a project manager with Civitas, “because with the [Sutter Health] expansion, they were starting to see how the area needs to be revitalized.” If the new proposal is approved, she adds, “the clean and safe activities that Midtown has been working on for the past 10 years will move into Alhambra.” For the Alhambra Corridor, the PBID expansion could translate to better security and maintenance, more events and marketing, and a stronger identity. And since Sacramento PBIDs have consistently grown since 1995, expect more businesses to communicate and collaborate in order to reinvigorate their districts, thereby making stronger neighborhoods, which ultimately should make a stronger Sacramento. Jordan Venema can be reached at jordan.venema@gmail.com n
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Spanish Style A YOUNG COUPLE FALLS IN LOVE WITH AN OLD CHARMER BY JULIE FOSTER HOME INSIGHT
B
y the end of 2014, William and Cindy Scharffenberg had been sporadically navigating the open-house circuit for six months. Recently married and living in Natomas, they were
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“We love living in this neighborhood and are blessed to be living in this home."
seeking the perfect home. Viewing a Spanish Revival house in East Sac from the outside only, they dismissed it, thinking it didn’t look like their dream home. Built in 1927,
the house had once been a two-story duplex. But soon, an insistent family member changed their minds. Visiting from Southern California, Cindy’s parents stopped by the house for a tour. Her father called the couple immediately and told them to look at the house again. “We told him we weren’t interested,” Cindy says. “But he said, ‘Yes, you are interested.’” Three days after touring the house, they made an offer. “After coming inside,” says William, “we realized everything was perfect for us.” By the end of January, they’d moved in. William fell in love with the house based on his admiration of older homes with hardwood floors.
He imagined himself cooking in the beautifully redone kitchen.
During the remodel, numerous walls and one staircase were removed, creating a spacious, modern feeling. “We love living in this neighborhood and are blessed to be living in this home,” he says. “It was
a nice set of events that allowed us to live here.” Cindy loved the location and the spaciousness the home offered for entertaining and starting a family. And the Spanish Revival style inspired recollections of her childhood. “It reminds me of the neighborhoods I grew up in Southern California and stirs memories of towns my family visited on the California coast,” she explains. The exterior exemplifies Spanish Revival style, with Spanish tiles gracing the entryway, an impressive arched door, clay roof tiles and rustic shutters. Inside are arched doorways and window casings that match
the dark flooring. The marvelous 3,200-square-foot house will be open to the public Sept. 28 for the Urban Renaissance Home Tour. The couple undertook an eightmonth-long renovation. During the remodel, numerous walls and one staircase were removed, creating a spacious, modern feeling. The addition of a master suite upstairs added 430 square feet of living space. All the windows were replaced along with the mechanical systems of the house. Original wood flooring was salvaged where possible and intermingled with new flooring throughout the house.
HOME page 32
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HOME FROM page 31 The couple hired interior designer Kerrie Kelly of Kerrie Kelly Design Lab to make sure the house would be both stylish and comfortable. “We wanted someone who could work with us and understood our style,” says William. According to Kelly, they wanted a livable design that would integrate the furniture they already owned. “The couple wanted the design to feel authentic and approachable without feeling too staged or formal,” says Kelly. To play off of the contemporary Spanish style, Kelly employed splashes of color and texture using area rugs and pillows.
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“We also used riveted accents throughout the home as well as carved and reclaimed wood features to refine the design even further,” she says. The sumptuous kitchen has custom cabinets, granite-topped counters and an island with seating for four. The gas range features a convection oven that William is still mastering. A cozy outdoor dining area off the kitchen is the perfect spot for casual summer meals. “A few nights ago, three people said hello as they walked by while we sat outside eating,” he says. Upstairs, the two front bedrooms each feature a small balcony, perfect for morning coffee. The luxurious master bath includes two sinks,
a large glassed-in shower and a commodious stand-alone tub.
The sumptuous kitchen has custom cabinets, granitetopped counters and an island with seating for four. Though construction was complete when the couple moved in, the ongoing decisions regarding furnishing their home have strengthened their bond as a couple.
“Melding my husband’s style with all my influences is an ongoing process,” says Cindy. “We have learned a lot about what we like and don’t like and how to come to a joint decision that we can both embrace.” The Urban Renaissance Home Tour, featuring five new and remodeled homes in East Sacramento, will be held Sunday, Sept. 27, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The tour is sponsored by Friends of East Sacramento. All proceeds benefit the McKinley Park Renewal Fund. Tickets are available at sacurbanhometour.com 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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Joe Marty’s Return SACRAMENTO’S ORIGINAL SPORTS BAR SET TO MAKE A COMEBACK
BY R.E. GRASWICH SPORTS AUTHORITY
I
t’s not like Sacramento needs another bar. There are plenty of places to stop for a quick cold beer or artisanal cocktail, with infinite possibilities awaiting the social drinker and degenerate boozer alike. But we still could use a decent sports bar. More specifically, we could use Joe Marty’s. Tucked into the far western corner of the Tower Theatre building at 15th Street and Broadway, Joe Marty’s was the original sports bar, catering to daytime drinkers, late-night bachelorette parties and everything in between. You could drink, eat and gamble there. Greasy sandwiches were a specialty, as were bar dice and omnipresent bookmakers who would handle your action on the Kings, Giants or whomever. The joint’s run was legendary, from 1954 to 2005. A kitchen fire one warm night in June 10 years ago destroyed the bar and most of the dining area, though city firefighters heroically salvaged much of the cobwebbed memorabilia and baseball photos
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nailed to the walls. Joe Marty’s has existed as an empty shell ever since. Now, a group of local real estate investors hopes to reopen Joe Marty’s sometime this fall. The investors tell me they are working through typical hurdles: city and county permits and landlord glitches. But a new Joe Marty’s would be terrific, even if the new operators make the old saloon more family friendly than it was before the smoke cleared in 2005. I’ve never been a fan of familyfriendly bars, finding the concept somewhat oxymoronic. As a little kid in San Francisco, I can still recall being dragged by my parents to a place called the Lane Club in Maiden Lane, where Mom and Dad made me sit in a corner booth and drink a Roy Rogers. The Lane Club scared
me, because it was always so dark in there, even during daylight hours. Joe Marty’s was always dark, no matter the time of day. Entering the joint on a late summer afternoon was especially hazardous and required a period of adjustment, lest you stumble into a barstool while your eyes adapted to the midnight blackness of the main room. There were shutters on the windows, but they were forever closed, as if exposure to sunlight would scorch the patrons. Despite its function as a place to behave in ways that were patently bad for you, Marty’s provided a positive social service for the community. It was a safe haven were sports fans could gather and reminisce and argue and show off and challenge each other’s knowledge about the
arcane nonsense that makes sports so enjoyable and enduring. A stranger once sat down next to me at Joe Marty’s and announced Ralph Sampson was the worst player who ever wore a Sacramento Kings uniform. I begged to differ—Olden Polynice got my vote at the time— but we spent an hour respectfully discussing the definition of “worst,” which, when you’re talking about the Kings, becomes a hugely complex problem worthy of a postgraduate’s dissertation. I can’t think of another bar in Sacramento where that could have happened, then or now. Joe Marty’s was special because it was a real sports bar, imagined and operated by a real sportsman, as opposed to our modern sports bars, which tend to be designed
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by hospitality guys with financial partners who measure their enthusiasm by return on investment. Joe Marty was one of Sacramento’s greatest baseball players (he hit a home run for the Chicago Cubs in the 1938 World Series against the New York Yankees), and when his career wound down he did what great athletes did in those days: came home and opened a bar. He didn’t care about investors or trends. He barely cared about customers.
He knew what a classic sports bar should feel like, locker-room musty and loud with laughter. Joe was a pain: He drank too much and maintained racial attitudes that disgusted most of us from younger
generations. But he knew what a classic sports bar should feel like, locker-room musty and loud with laughter. There was a TV, but it only showed sports and the sound was permanently set to silent—an iron rule that modern sports bars have abandoned to the detriment of all. Marty died in 1984 at age 71. The bar passed among the founder’s friends for the next 21 years. They barely dusted the joint and changed nothing. Contemporary sports bars will blossom downtown when the new arena opens. They will be filled with TV monitors and bright lights and families and craft beer handles by the dozen. And by the standards of Joe Marty’s, they will be antiseptic and predictable—even boring. You can watch a game anywhere. But put a bet down with a bookie? That requires a real sports bar like Joe Marty’s. R.E. Graswich can be reached at reg@graswich.com n
Thru August 29th Celebration Arts Theatre 4469 D St, Sac 455-2787 In 1984 and generational conflict over the most effective means for ending apartheid in South Africa defines the relationship between a gifted but impatient black township youth and his devoted but “old fashioned” black teacher.
GROUNDED Thru Aug 8th B Street Theatre 2711 B St, Sac 443-5300 BStreetTheatre.org This is a story of an ace fighter pilot who’s career in the sky is ended early due to an unexpected pregnancy. Reassigned to operate military drones from a windowless trailer outside Las Vegas, she hunts terrorist by day and returns to her family each night. As the pressure to track a high-profile target mounts, the boundaries begin to blur between the desert in which she lives and the one she patrols half a world away.
SACRAMENTO’S NEXT IMPROV COMEDY STAR Thru Aug 7 CSzSacramento 2230 Arden Way, Sac 243-8541 ComedySportzSacramento.com Twelve contestants with limited or even no experience will compete to be Sacramento’s Next Imrpov Star. Come laugh and cheer on your favorite contestant.
PLAYWRIGHT’S REVOLUTION “Cottonwood in the Flood” Tues Aug 4 “The Osanbi Deal” Wed Aug 5 Capital Stage 2215 J St, Sac 995-5464 Email: boxoffice@capstage.org Capital Stage presents its annual new works festival Playwright’s Revolution with staged readings of six brand-new plays. This year’s selections will follow the theme of social injustice and unrest in the world. As Sacramento leader of bold, thought-provoking theatre, Cap Stage created this series of staged readings to identify and develop new plays and playwrights.
INSIDE OUT – Katie Rubin August 8 Capital Stage 2215 J St, Sac 995-5464 Capital Stage presents the return of local favorite KATIE RUBIN in her one-woman show, Inside Out! This is a story of one young person’s journey from her high school and college years through her introduction to the working world. Abuse of alcohol, drugs, food and sex, mark the journey into and ultimately out of self-loathing. The performance seeks to depict the lifelong struggle for integration of the many aspects of the self, and the continued voyage towards peace of mind.
NEXT TO NORMAL Thru Aug 16th West Sacramento Black Box Theater 1075 West Capitol Ave, West Sac 207-1226 This rock-musical explores how one suburban household copes with crisis and mental illness. Next to Normal tells the story of a mother who struggles with bipolar disorder and the effect that her illness has on her family. This contemporary musical is an emotional powerhouse that addresses such issues as grieving a loss, ethics in modern psychiatry and suburban life. Enjoy the provocative lyrics and a thrilling score.
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Race for the Arts 17TH ANNUAL FUNDRAISER LACES IT UP AUG. 22 AT WILLIAM LAND PARK
By Jessica Laskey RIVER CITY PREVIEWS
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trap on your running shoes and pile up the pledges for your favorite California nonprofit visual, performing, cultural or literary arts organization or school music, drama or literary art program at the 17th annual Race for the Arts on Saturday, Aug. 22 at William Land Park. Whether you’re a serious sprinter or more of a fun-runner, the 5k Run/ Walk at 8:35 a.m. will have plenty of picturesque scenery to take in as you jog or walk by. If you have a tyke who wants in on the action, register him or her for the Kids Fun Run at 8:10 a.m. Once you’ve sweated for your cause of choice (although pledges are not required to run the race), enjoy the all-day Arts Festival, which will include an Instrumental Discovery Zone; hands-on activity booths where you can make a hat, get your face painted or learn some new dance moves; a visit from the Sacramento County Library Bookmobile; booths with art for sale; food trucks with delectable fare; and nonstop entertainment on the amphitheater stage. Participating arts groups and programs will receive 100 percent of
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The 17th annual Race for the Arts on Saturday, Aug. 22 at William Land Park
the pledges designated to them. Over the past 16 years, 214 arts groups and schools have benefited from the event. Ready for some pre-gaming? Don’t miss the Off to the Races Food & Wine Tasting event the weekend before the race from 5:30 to 8 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 15 at Pavilions Shopping Center (563 Pavilions Lane off Fair Oaks Boulevard). Groups of 10 runners or more will receive a 20 percent discount and all registered participants will receive an event T-shirt, refreshments
and exclusively designed socks by Trumpette. So what are you waiting for? Register now at raceforthearts. com For more information, call 9668893. William Land Park is at 3800 South Land Park Drive.
THE PLAY’S THE THING The year is 1952. The setting? Sacramento. And you’re the first black family on your block. “When We Were Colored,” a play by Ginger
Rutland—yes, the former television reporter, NPR commentator and editorial writer for The Sacramento Bee—based on her mother Eva’s memoir of the same name, premieres on Friday, Aug. 21 and plays through Aug. 30 at Pioneer Congregational Church in midtown. The play, like the book from which its springs, tells the story of a middleclass black woman born and raised in the segregated South before World War II who moves West to raise her children in “integrated” California
Ginger Rutland
after the war—tough-as-nails Eva Rutland herself. Hear the poignant realities of her trials and tribulations as dramatized by her talented daughter. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, at 6 p.m. on Sundays, with 2 p.m. Saturday matinees, from Aug. 21-30. For tickets and more information, call 443-3727 or go to brownpapertickets. com Pioneer Congregational Church is at 2700 L St.
‘I JUST MET A GIRL NAMED MARIA’ Ready to have your heart broken and your socks rocked off? The final two shows of the Music Circus season are in full swing under the Wells Fargo Pavilion big top: “West Side Story” on Aug. 4-9 and “Hair” on Aug. 18-23. First up is the Leonard Bernstein/ Stephen Sondheim musical masterpiece “West Side Story,” the 20th century retelling of the ill-fated Romeo and Juliet romance. Timeless tunes in the star-studded score include “Tonight,” “Maria” and “Somewhere,” and this year’s Music Circus cast will include some gems of its own: Carolann Sanita, who has performed all over the country in regional theaters and starred in the national tour of “The Music Man,” will play Maria; Justin Matthew Sargent, who has spent the past four years on Broadway playing lead roles in “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark,” “Rock of Ages” and “Bonnie & Clyde,” will play Tony; Desiree
Davar, who has danced on “Glee,” will reprise her role from the Broadway production and tour of “West Side” as Anita; and Sacramento’s own Dave Pierini will play Officer Krupke. Make sure to bring your tissues! As a special option to the season for subscribers, and added fun for singleticket buyers, the groundbreaking rock ’n’ roll musical “Hair” will return to Music Circus for the first time since 1976. Set against the backdrop of the Vietnam era, the show follows a group of youth revolutionaries in the late 1960s and includes such well-known songs as “Let the Sun Shine In,” “Aquarius” and “Good Morning Starshine.” The cast will include veterans from London’s West End as well as Broadway, several national tours and off-Broadway productions as well as TV and film. For tickets and more information, call 557-1999 or go to californiamusicaltheatre.com The Wells Fargo Pavilion is at 1419 H St.
SWIM AT YOUR OWN RISK Dun dun … dun dun … dun dun … If you could name that ominous film score in two notes or less, don’t miss the screening of “Jaws” as part of the Crocker Art Museum’s Courtyard Classic Film Series at 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 6.
The 1975 Steven Spielberg classic that’s made swimming in the ocean traumatic for generations of moviegoers will be screened large for all to see from their lawn chairs and blankets (seating is also provided) in the museum’s E. Kendell Davis Courtyard. Doors open at 7 p.m. and tickets are only $5 for museum members, $6 for students/youths, $8 for nonmembers. If you’re hungry before the film, tuck into a delicious three-course dinner with wine at the Crocker Café by Supper Club. For reservations and pricing, call 8081289. If you prefer soothing piano to man-eating sharks, don’t miss the Classical Concert featuring pianist Andrei Baumann at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 9. The program will feature the landscapes of sound of a Franz Schubert sonata and the Impressionistic imagery of Maurice Ravel inspired by the ongoing Armin Hansen exhibit. Tickets are $6 for museum members, $10 for students/ youths and Capital Public Radio members, $12 for nonmembers. Calling all drag (race) kings and queens! Art Mix Drag is the place to be from 5 to 9 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 13 when the Crocker’s monthly afterhours party features live music by the Troublemakers, a rip-roaring DJ, electric RC car races and, of course, a special edition of Drag Queen Bingo. The event is free for museum members and free with general admission for nonmembers. Enjoy food and drink discounts during happy hour from 4 to 6 p.m. and $5 drink specials all evening. Cool off on a sweltering summer night with breezy tunes from Jazz Night on Thursday, Aug. 20 featuring Cynthia Douglas on the Café Stage at 5:15 p.m. and Ron Moton on the Main Stage at 6:30 p.m. Curated and hosted by Vivian Lee, Jazz Night is sure to get your toes tapping with Moton’s uplifting saxophone and Douglas’ unique brand of jazz fusion. Tickets are $7 for museum members, $12 for Capital Public Radio members and students/youths, $14 for nonmembers. For tickets and more information for all Crocker events, call 808-1182 or go to crockerartmuseum.org
The Crocker Art Museum is at 216 O St.
CLASS OF ’65, WHERE ARE YOU? If you graduated from the Hiram W. Johnson Senior High Class of 1965, your classmates are looking for you! The 50th class reunion will take place from 6:30 p.m. to midnight on Sept. 19 at the Old Sacramento Embassy Suites, but the reservation deadline is fast approaching on Aug. 1. So, if you want to see some familiar faces from way back—come on, aren’t you curious?—go to the website johnsonclassof65.com or call Fred Claussen at 718-6824. Happy reuniting!
THE (NOT SO) SILENT TREATMENT If the thought of mimes brings up images of sad-faced clowns in striped shirts and white gloves, you’ve never seen the Tony Award-winning San Francisco Mime Troupe. For one Sacramento performance only (at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 29 in Southside Park) see the mind-blowing storytelling troupe and its newest show, “Freedomland,” which has taken the country by storm. Though mimes don’t generally talk, the troupe’s dynamic description of their frenetic performance piece speaks for itself. “A door is blown off its hinges! Into a blasted room of scarred walls and shattered windows, armed with M-16s, America’s bravest duck and dodge for cover, finally training their deadly gunsights on … an old black man watching TV on his couch? This isn’t Baghdad or Kandahar—it’s home, and for ex-Black Panther Malcolm Haywood, it’s just another wrong-door police raid in the War on Drugs. Of course, Malcolm is horrified when the grandson he’s tried to protect, Nathaniel, returns from serving in Afghanistan only to find another war zone at home—and one where young black men like Nathaniel are in the crosshairs! “Meanwhile, the mayor and the police chief—one desperate for votes, PREVIEWS page 38
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PREVIEWS FROM page 37 the other desperate to fund his militarized police force—ramp up the fear (and their shiny new tank) to fight the newest drug threat to America …worse than weed, meth, coke, crack or crank, it’s …SNORF! And, of course, the SNORF trade is centered in the darkest part of town. “Are the police out of control? What happened to ‘innocent until proven guilty?’ Is Malcolm’s neighbor Lluis (an undocumented immigrant) actually a SNORF-lord? And can Malcolm convince his grandson that it is safer to re-up and fight overseas than to try to survive here at home in Freedomland?” “Freedomland” is written by Michael Gene Sullivan with music and lyrics by Ira Marlowe. Music will start at 4:30 p.m. prior to the performance. For tickets and more information, go to sfmt.org Southside Park is at Sixth and T streets.
TEEN ANGST Self-discovery. Budding sexuality. Teen love. And alternative rock? All of these forces collide in the groundbreaking rock musical “Spring Awakening,” which will be produced by Flying Monkey Productions on Aug. 28, 29 and 30 and Sept. 4 and 5 at the West Sacramento Community Center. Based on the 1891 play of the same name by Frank Wedekind, the musical, which nabbed eight Tony Awards for its Broadway premiere in 2006, is set in late 19th century Germany and features a folk-rockinfused score to underline the tumult of the young cast of characters’ budding teenage sexuality. All of the teen roles will be played by actual teenagers, in keeping with the ethos of Flying Monkey Productions, whose express purpose in producing is to give young people the opportunity to run the artistic duties of a theater production as well as perform onstage. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 28; at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 29; at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 30; at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 4; and at 2 and 7:30 p.m.
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on Saturday, Sept. 5. For tickets and more information, call 215-9077 or go to flyingmonkeyproductions.org The West Sacramento Community Center is at 1075 West Capitol Ave.
IT TAKES TWO When you first see the art pieces on display at b. sakata garo gallery in midtown, you might think they look like the work of two minds on one surface. Well, you’d be right— the pieces are the products of a collaboration between artists and close friends Robert-Jean Ray and Lou Bermingham, which makes the title of their exhibition, “2Thoughts,” all the more apt. When the two first met at b. sakato garo in 2009, neither knew what was in store for them six years later. Ray specializes in extremely small, intricate, mixed-media collage pieces that are the size of matchboxes, while Bermingham creates large, gestural abstract paintings that convey the vastness and wonder of the universe. When the two decided to collaborate this year, there were only a few parameters: After agreeing on a size format, the artists selected surfaces such as heavy stock paper and wood of various sizes and shapes (square, rectangle, horizontal, vertical) and split each in half. Each artist then created an art piece on the left or right, top or bottom, then shipped the completed halves to one another and responded to each of the contributions. (They later discovered
they were also both listening to jazz while working. If that’s not a case of great minds thinking alike, we don’t know what is.) The results are stunning and not to be missed. “2Thoughts” will be on exhibit Aug. 4-29. For more information, call 447-4276 or go to bsakatagaro.com The gallery is at 923 20th St.
IT TAKES THREE See California through the eyes of three artists at ARTHOUSE on R’s current exhibition “The Poetic Landscape,” featuring paintings by Jeremy Duncan, James Leland and Judith Perry from Aug. 8 through Sept. 10. Duncan has spent most of his life in Northern California and he enjoys working en plein air in the styles of his artistic idols Edgar Payne, John Carlson and John Singer Sargent. For Leland, his artistic eye is employed not just on canvas, but also in designing homes, communities and cities in his work as a community developer. He ventured into oil painting in 2011 and has never looked back. “What fascinates me is to attempt to capture the essence of a physical place,” Leland explains. “Whether man-made or natural, there are qualities innate to a place. Those qualities are what we remember when we long to return to a place that is special to us. Oil painting is the perfect medium for that expression.”
Don't miss “Spring Awakening” playing at the West Sacramento Community Center. Photo courtesy of Debbie Soto.
Perry has been working in the medium of pastels for more than 10 years under the tutelage of renowned artists such as Anita Wolff, Terry Miura, Kim Lordier and Gil Dellinger. Since she loves capturing the beauty of the California coastline, the Sierra mountains and the southern deserts, it’s no surprise that she’s an avid member of the California Art Club. Meet this talented trio in person at the Second Saturday opening reception from 6 to 9 p.m. on Aug. 8. For more information, call 455-4988 or go to arthouseonr.com ARTHOUSE on R is at 1021 R St.
B-I-N-G-OH! Want to try your luck and change someone else’s, all while surrounded by the bawdy fun of Sacramento’s vibrant drag queen community? Look no further than the Sacramento Rainbow Chamber of Commerce’s Drag Queen Bingo event, Sacramento’s long-running monthly charity fundraiser formerly managed by Outword Media Marketing Events. Since its inception in August 2009, this fabulous fundraiser has raised more than $100,000 for local nonprofit organizations, including WEAVE, Alzheimer’s Association, NorCal AIDS Cycle, Sacramento Gay Men’s Chorus, Sacramento LGBT Community Center, Gender Health Center and Front Street Animal Shelter, to name a few. The do-gooding and fun-having will continue every first Thursday of the month at Mango’s on K Street from 7 to 9 p.m. under the chamber’s new management. “The Outword team and I are very proud of the support we have provided for local nonprofit organizations with Drag Queen Bingo,” says Fred Palmer, president and publisher of Outword Media Marketing Events. “The event is still successful and more popular than ever, but I have taken on other business and personal commitments, and it is simply time for us to let another organization take it on. “We felt very strongly that we wanted to be sure Drag Queen Bingo would be operated by an organization with a solid staff and volunteer base and the infrastructure to keep it going
FRONT STREET ANIMAL SHELTER’S ANNUAL
S W A P
To
Y T R A P August
28 2015
6PM TO 9PM
CA LIFORNIA AU TO MUSEUM SEUM) (FORMERLY THE TOWE AUTO MU
It’s Front Street Animal Shelter’s Annual Paws to Party. Live MUSIC, silent AUCTION, exceptional FOOD as well as WINE AND BEER from Sacramento’s top venues. Plus new this year, signature drinks such as the MEOW-TINI! TICKETS $60 AT THE DOOR DETAILS AND TICKETS AT PAWSTOPARTY.WEEBLY.COM and make it even better. We have confidence that the chamber will be a good steward of the event.” “The chamber board is honored to take on the mission of continuing this great event that has done so much good in our community,” Sacramento Rainbow Chamber President Paul Weubbe concurs. “We’re excited to
have the opportunity and want to use it as a way of connecting our LGBT community and causes with the greater Sacramento community. And we know it will be a lot of fun!” The Aug. 6 game will benefit the Sacramento International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival and the Sept. 3 game will benefit the Camellia
ALL PROCEEDS BENEFIT THE FRONT STREET ANIMAL SHELTER AND THE MANY FURRY FRIENDS LONGINGLY AWAITING ADOPTION.
Gay Softball Tournament. And as always, the games will be emceed by Sacramento’s favorite drag personalities Rusty Nails, Felicity Diamond and Do Me Moore, which means the ribald fun for good causes will continue in full force. For more information, call the Rainbow Chamber office at 266-9630 or go to rainbowchamber.com Mango’s is at 1930 K St.
I’LL TAKE ‘NOUNS’ FOR $1,000, ALEX
See California through the eyes of three artists at ARTHOUSE on R’s current exhibition “The Poetic Landscape,” featuring paintings by Jeremy Duncan, James Leland and Judith Perry from Aug. 8 through Sept. 10.
Check out the beautiful nouns on display at Gallery 2110 this month, specifically “People, Places & Things,” a new show by artist Jan Winterstein. Winterstein is a native of Northern California who was originally educated in interior design but quickly realized that she wanted to express herself in brushstrokes rather than buildings. Her vibrant oil, watercolor and acrylic pieces showcase her abilities with landscape, still life and figurative work, and they include a clever nod to her
former career in interiors: She uses refurbished frames around her works of art, refinishing and painting each one to uniquely complement the painting it’s paired with. In keeping with the mission of Gallery 2110 to support nonprofit organizations, proceeds from the show will go to the New Life Pregnancy Center, where Winterstein is a volunteer counselor. The center offers compassionate care, practical help and accurate information for those facing unplanned pregnancy. Meet Winterstein in person at the artist preview reception from 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 6 or at the Second Saturday Art Walk from 6 to 9 p.m. on Aug. 8. For more information, call 333-3493 or go to gallery2110.com Gallery 2110 is at 1023 Del Paso Blvd. 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
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Living Homelessly TAKING TO THE ROAD FOR A YEAR OF MINIMALISM
No more McMansions for us. We’re renting a double-wide mobile home for the next year to help us transition into an itinerant retirement. We aren’t taking any children or animals, only what will fill two bedrooms. The move slashes our living space by 1500 square feet and our monthly housing budget by $1,000.
BY NORRIS BURKES SPIRIT MATTERS
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his month, my wife and I will take a huge financial step: We are going homeless. But don’t worry. I won’t be on the street corner waving a sign that reads “Will preach for food.” By homeless, I mean we’ll no longer own a house or owe for it. By homeless, I mean “less of a home,” downsized in a big way. Yes, we’ve gone minimalist. We’ve sold our 2,800-square-foot home where we’ve spent 13 years raising four kids, three dogs, two guinea pigs and one corn snake.
If shedding that kind of material wealth is something you find unimaginable, you’re in good company. I can hear a sympathetic chorus of readers asking: “Norris, what happened? Why would you leave such a lovely subdivision? Doesn’t your writing pay the bills?” Actually, it never really has, but that’s not my point.
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If you ask me what happened, I’d have to say that Ecuador happened. We recently went to Ecuador to visit the Galapagos and explore the idea of overseas living in retirement. In Cuenca, Ecuador, 8,000 feet into the cool Andes, I met scores of expats who’d drastically shed the consumerism that dominates American life. With the cost of shipping or storage prohibitively high, they’d left most of their belongings behind. When they boarded the plane to Ecuador, most carried their life essentials in three suitcases apiece. Within a few months of getting off the plane, most managed to furnish their new home with utilitarian essentials from local sources. No longer stuck in the revolving door of StuffMart or CostlyCo, many resourceful expats built their own furniture or made their own clothing. If shedding that kind of material wealth is something you find unimaginable, you’re in good company. The truth is that this level of sacrifice inspires us, but few of us actually do it. Don’t get me wrong. I’m sacrificing very little. I’ve managed to sell my home and belongings at a fair price and will receive a sizable tax deduction for what I’ve given away. Most of what I’ve shed hasn’t been used for years. Nevertheless, our life change has made me take a hard look at the value I place on my stuff, especially the stuff I thought I needed but never used. The whole event has me asking myself, when will a person feel satisfied that he has enough stuff or enough money?
The answer is never. You’ll never be sure you have enough. The only thing you can really do is draw a bottom line on your net worth and determine that it will be enough. You must resolve, “This has to be enough. I will make this work. I will make it so.” To make such a decision, I take some guidance from the homeless Galilean man who declared in his Sermon on the Mount, “Don’t store up for yourself treasures on Earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
The answer is never. You’ll never be sure you have enough. You might say this was Jesus’ version of the modern truism, “You can’t take it with you,” or “You’ll never see a hearse pulling a U-Haul trailer.” In the meantime, I will admit that my newfound minimalism isn’t a complete transformation. We both find ourselves holding on to all we possibly can. Does anyone know where I can rent a cheap storage unit? Norris Burkes is a chaplain, syndicated columnist, national speaker and author of the book “Hero’s Highway,” about his experiences as a hospital chaplain in Iraq. He can be reached at ask@ TheChaplain.net n
Art Preview
GALLERY ART SHOWS IN AUGUST
Red Dot Gallery presents Common Threads: New/Recent Work by Lisa Neal, Laurie Vanina and Lynne Cunningham. Shown right: “Going the Back Streets” by Lynne Cunningham. The show runs through Aug. 5 to 29. 2231 J St.; reddotgallery.com
Gallery Atelier 20 is featuring Urban Layers: new plein air paintings by Abigail VanCannon. Shown below: “Marina” by VanCannon. Show runs Aug. 8 - Sept 5. 915 20th St. kristihughesdesign.com
Artspace 1616 presents works by Susan Silvester through Aug 30. Shown above:“Huntress” By Silvester. Artspace is at 1616 Del Paso Blvd.
Tim Collom Gallery presents New Works by Richard Stein from Aug. 8 - Sept. 5. Shown below: “Valley Rivers Confluence” by Stein. 915 20th St. timcollomgallery.com
Patris Studio and Gallery feautures a student/instructor exhibition of the artists who study and teach at the studio in August. Shown below: “Black Vase “ by Patris.. 3460 2nd Avenue.
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In Living Color LOCAL WATERCOLORIST ILLUMINATES LIFE IN ALL ITS HUES
BY JORDAN VENEMA ARTIST SPOTLIGHT
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or Sacramento painter Judy Lew Loose, every canvas begins with “feeling, feeling, feeling.” Her first artistic feeling goes back to kindergarten, when she felt wonder from mixing colors with her fingers. She knew then she wanted to be an artist, but when Loose shared the idea with her parents, they told her no. “It was my first experience of feeling severely rejected by my parents,” admits Loose, who took to drawing under the bed sheets with a flashlight. “My whole life, I felt ashamed that I was an artist.” That rejection didn’t prevent Loose from pursuing her dream, and over the past two decades she’s become one of Sacramento’s most recognizable artists. Her work has been featured in magazines and books, galleries and competitions, as well as on numerous covers of Inside Publications. Loose was born in Sacramento, and after high school she enrolled in San Francisco’s Academy of Art University as a fine arts major. She slept on the floor of her aunt’s onebedroom apartment—“with roaches,” says Loose. “I woke up one morning saying I can’t live like this. I can’t make a living being a fine artist.” So Loose switched to the more practical graphic design major and transferred to New York’s Pratt Institute, where she studied advertising, graphic and package design. After Pratt, Loose worked as a package designer in New York City while living in a basement. “But basically I had moved from one box to another box,” she admits, and under
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Watercolor artist Judy Lew Loose at work in her home studio
the weight of student loans, Loose returned to Sacramento during her late 20s. As Loose worked three jobs as a freelance designer to pay off her student debt, painting became a distant memory. “My focus was not about being, but about surviving,”
says Loose. Then she landed a graphic design position with SMUD (where she’s worked for 23 years), married and had her first child. Life began to settle down, and Loose enrolled in a night course at Sacramento City College studying watercolor painting. “After the kid went to sleep,” says
Loose, “I’d have an hour or two to paint, then get up by 5 a.m. and go to work. That was my routine.” Loose had studied acrylic and oil painting in college, but never watercolor. The night course opened her to a new medium, which in turn opened her to a new way to express her emotions. “There’s just something about water,” says Loose, explaining the allure of watercolor. “I love water, maybe because I’m Pisces; I’m a fish.” She describes the color and texture as smooth, relaxing, soothing, sensations she tries to express in her paintings. “I want people to have a sense of calmness and serenity when they look at my paintings,” she says. Watercolor can be a challenging medium, with a tendency to run or bleed on paper. The process can be slow, since watercolor paints must dry before additional layers are applied. Many galleries told Loose she’d more likely sell paintings if she painted in oil, but Loose says it was never her goal in life to sell paintings, only to paint. Through watercolor, Loose developed what she calls a hybrid style, “a half-and-half” between traditional brushstrokes and pointillism, the method developed by French post-Impressionist Georges Seurat. Pointillism uses small, separate dots, like pixels in a screen, to create a larger image, grasped as a whole. Pointillism provides layers of paints, allowing Loose to use vibrant, nearly neon colors, the hallmarks of her latest paintings. As a watercolorist, Loose recognizes the medium does not command critical attention. She mentions the British painter J.M.W. Turner, but otherwise, says Loose, “there’s not many that stand out.” She would like
series still travels between churches, encouraging donations to support Sacramento homeless. Loose’s paintings are an expression of feeling, sometimes raw emotion, even pain. She doesn’t shy away from admitting her dark periods, though you’d never guess it from her use of bright colors. “But I’m at a different stage of life,” says Loose. “My paintings are different now. I’m doing more shadows and reflections, perhaps because I’m reflecting on my past life.”
Judy Lew Loose will join Inside Publications publisher Cecily Hastings on Tuesday, Aug. 18, at Sacramento Central Library. Hastings will be talking about the history of Inside Publications’ cover art as part of the library’s Art in August program. The presentation starts at 6 p.m. The library is at 828 I St. For more information, go to saclibrary.org For more information about Judy Lew Loose, go to lewloosewatercolors. com n
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to see watercolors “garner the same respect as oils,” she says “I want it to have a place in the museum someday.” Her own artistic aspirations are no less ambitious. “I want to find that one angle where it’s so different that no one would ever see it that way,” says Loose. Ultimately, she hopes her paintings touch people’s lives. “That’s why I create what I do,” explains Loose. “As an artist, follow your emotions. It’s honest and real. That’s what real work is about.” In her paintings, Loose has focused on a variety of subjects: flowers, Sacramento cityscapes, children. But
seven years ago marked a turning point for Loose. “I was burning the candle at both ends,” she explains. “I got sick, my mom got cancer, I was going through a separation and divorce.” Simply put, Loose crashed. During a four-day stay in the ER. she asked herself: “If I make it out of here, what would I paint? What would make a difference in someone’s life?” Soon thereafter, she began a series of portraits of Sacramento’s homeless. Through personal relationships, Loose painted about 20 subjects. “I was trying to paint them with dignity,” she explains. “They’re human, just like me and you.” The
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The King of R Street FOX & GOOSE CELEBRATES 40 YEARS
BY GREG SABIN RESTAURANT INSIDER
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Street is the newest, hippest, slickest stretch in Sacramento, with new clubs, bars, restaurants, artists lofts, even a barber bar. (That’s a bar and hair-cutting establishment in one, not to be confused with a drinking establishment featuring elephants, which would be a Babar bar.) Walk down R and everything looks new and bustling and fresh.
These days, Fox & Goose is known for many things: great music, great breakfasts and English expats among them. However, the old Hollywood saying applies to old neighborhoods: There’s no such thing as an overnight success. Folks don’t just stumble on an empty patch of ground and infuse it with culture, class and desirability. Some group of like-minded people has been laying the foundation, doing the hard work and the small things that make a city a city and not just an overgrown mall. In this instance, the institution most responsible for the flourishing of R Street is Fox & Goose Public House. Opened in 1975, FnG was the baby of Bill and Denise Dalton. Inspired by a 200-year-old pub of the same name
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Fox & Goose Public House on R Street
in Bill’s hometown of Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire, Sacramento’s Fox & Goose eschewed comfy, low-ceilinged, country-pub décor and instead made its home in an old paint and glass factory built in 1913. What the hefty brick building lacks in coziness, it makes up for in space and good cheer. With a soaring, thickbeamed roof and a nearly endless façade of brick, there’s no doubting that this place is, first and foremost, a pub. Its history is that of a great watering hole, a place where lawmakers and law breakers rubbed shoulders, where many a pint was spilled, where many a fight ended with hugs and tears, where hearts
were broken and fences mended. In other words, it’s a proper pub that serves a proper pint. The Daltons sold the establishment to their daughter Allyson in the ’90s. She, in turn, sold the place just this year to longtime employees Jessa Berkey and Peter Monson. There are no plans to make any substantive changes—music to the regulars’ ears. When it first opened in 1975, the R Street row was mainly industrial. The road itself was in constant disrepair, and the surrounding neighborhood was, to use a polite word, transitional. Through 40 years that saw great transformations in our town, FnG held down its corner at R and 10th. There have been subtle
changes (a recent remodel helped with accessibility, expanded the outdoor seating, updated the loo and carved out a lovely back room perfect for large parties and special events), but any visitors from 1975 would walk in the front door and immediately know they were at the ’Goose. These days, Fox & Goose is known for many things: great music, great breakfasts and English expats among them. Breakfast is definitely the best thing coming out of the kitchen. Starting everyday at 6:30 a.m., there’s a fine combination of English ingredients and California cooking to be had. Traditional bangers, Heinz baked beans, grilled tomato and
all the other fixings make up the “Full English” plate each morning. Housemade scones with Devonshire cream are a rare delight, and there aren’t many other places in town where you can get a hot buttered crumpet. Not all the food is traditionally English, however. Standard American breakfast fare can be had, as well as more modern plates like tofu scrambles and freshly made quiche. The standout, however, is the Welsh rarebit, a housemade cheese sauce so decadent as to be nearly illegal. Order it over the Benedict Arnold, an eggs Benedict derivative featuring poached eggs and roasted corned beef on an English muffin.
Breakfast is definitely the best thing coming out of the kitchen. The rest of FnG’s menu of lunch and late-night bites is strictly pub grub: fried bits and sandwiches
typical of pubs the world over. Breakfast is truly the highlight of the day and should be considered your destination meal. If you’re going on a weekend, though, plan to wait 45 minutes to an hour for a table; a 40year tradition of excellent breakfast tends to be a poorly kept secret. Evenings at the ’Goose are for drinking, music and conviviality. The old R Street anchor has been a reliable venue for up-and-coming local musicians as well as seasoned veterans. Like any good pub, there’s also a trivia night (every Tuesday) and open-mic night (every Monday). So if you find yourself wanting to check out all the new happenings on R Street, carve a little time out of your schedule to stop in at the joint that started it all. Grab a pint, say your hellos and thank the folks at Fox & Goose for holding down the fort for the past 40 years. Fox & Goose Public House is at 1001 R St.; 443-8825; foxandgoose. com Greg Sabin can be reached at gregsabin@hotmail.com. n
Loving, quality pet care in your home. Our pet services include: • Doggie Day Care • Pet Taxi • Watering house plants • Picking up mail & newspapers • Changing drapes & lights Owner Beni Feil, trusted member of the Sacramento community for over 50 years!
Call 451-PETS for a rate sheet or complimentary consultation. Fish & Chips from Fox & Goose Public House
Licensed • Bonded • Additional pets and services negotiable
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S I X T E E N T H
RACE
for the
A N N U A L
ARTS
SATURDAY
Wells Fargo KCRA 3 KFBK KQCA My58 The Sacramento Bee Progressive Raley's & Bel Air Sactown Magazine Trumpette
AUGUST 23
William Land Park Sacramento
Applebee's
Associated Sound California Family Fitness Capital Public Radio
5K & Kids Fun Runs
Comstock's Business
Arts Festival Entertainment Food
Radio Disney - Sacramento
Chapeau Graphics Hobrecht Lighting Inside Publications Pavilions Riverview Media Photography Sacramento Convention & Visitor Bureau Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission Sacramento Parent Starbucks Sharon Pickard Yelp
w w w. r a c e f o r t h e a r t s . c o m
Frank Fat’s James Beard Award-Winner, 2013
5
th Anniversary – Dinner Special* $28.95 per person APPETIZER
Chinese Chicken Salad
with pickled cucumber, almonds, and a sesame soy vinaigrette ENTRÉES
Frank’s Style New York Steak
NY steak smothered in sautéed onions and oyster sauce
Honey Walnut Prawns Our award-winning recipe.
Chicken and Vegetable Stir-fry in spicy garlic sauce
Young Shew Fried Rice
with barbecued pork, Chinese sausage, lettuce, and shrimp DESSERT
Fat’s Famous Banana Cream Pie * Two person minimum. No substitutions please. May not be combined with any other discount. Does not include tax or gratuity. Offer good August 1- 31, 2015.
CARMICHAEL, CA 95608 | 916.485.4478 4478 | CBSHALOM.ORG C
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POC AUG n 15
806 L Street, Sacramento 916-442-7092 www.frankfats.com
This Month at the Market
A LOOK AT WHAT’S IN SEASON AT LOCAL FARMERS MARKETS IN AUGUST
FIGS
OKRA
PLUMS
This Mediterranean fruit is sweet and chewy, with tiny, crunchy seeds and a smooth skin. It’s a great source of dietary fiber and potassium. To eat: Sacramento’s now-defunct Fat Face restaurant used to serve poached figs inside a grilled brie sandwich.
This vegetable gets a bad rap for its sometimes-slimy texture. It’s a staple in Southern cuisine, particular gumbo. It’s low in calories—as long as you don’t fry it! To eat: Grill, roast or pickle.
This delicious stone fruit is a relative of the peach, nectarine and (surprise) almond. When dried, it’s a prune. To eat: Eat out of hand, or slice and bake for a cobbler, pie or upside-down cake.
GRAPEFRUIT
CARROTS
CANTALOUPE
Pucker up: This citrus fruit is tart and tangy. It’s rich in vitamin C and the antioxidant lycopene. It comes in white, pink and red varieties. To eat: Broil grapefruit slices until warm for a quick, healthful dessert.
This root vegetable is packed with beta carotene. Classically orange in color, it also comes in white, red, yellow and purple varieties. Look for tender baby carrots at the market. To eat: For a cooling summer soup, make carrot vichyssoise.
This melon has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. It belongs to the cucurbit family of plants, which includes cucumbers, pumpkins and squashes. To eat: Using cantaloupe, Food Network’s Giada De Laurentiis makes an unusual and tasty dish called Spaghetti al Melone.
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WE’RE YOUR NEIGHBOR!
SACRAMENTO
This 3 bed, 2bth has been transformed! New int. paint, carpet, tile & lam. Àooring. Gorgeous kitchen w/recessed lights, granite counters, new cabs & SS appliances! Escape to the backyards covered patio to ¿nd mature fruit trees along the fence line. $215,000 MANDY SHEPARD 916-213-3013
GREENHAVEN/POCKET
Well maintained 2 –story home located on a corner lot with courtyard entry. 4 bed up with a bonus room down that could be a 5th bedroom and large family room. Newer comp roof, gutters, int/ext paint, carpet, granite counter in kitchen and so much more! $369,500 LYNN LUK LEE 916-628-2843
pending
SOUTH LAND PARK HILLS
Come relax in the covered patio area of the beautiful backyard of this recently remodeled, updated 4 bed/2.5 bath single level home in a great location in South Land Park Hills. $424,000 KARLA OPPLIGER 916-399-0478
Visit bhhsdunnigan.com
SIERRA OAKS
4 bd, 3 bth ranch style home located in a private cul-de-sac. Home features both living & family rooms (both w/¿replaces) formal dining & nook, large mstr ste with backyard access, remote bed & bath, Certain Teed Pres. Comp roof and so much more! $750,000 JOLEEN DUNNIGAN 916-717-3559
PLUMAS LAKE
This 3-4bd, 2bth has been professionally decorated with more than 90k in upgrades over the last 5 years, this home has it all, high end ¿nishes, stay-cation backyard, outdoor entertaining & gracious open Àoorplan.. $305,000 DAWN ROWE 916-799-4835
GREENHAVEN/POCKET
Wonderful Harris built single story home with open Àoor plan. The 3bd, 2.5bth home has an updated kitchen (98) with corian counters, slide outs, double oven & seamless sink, 50yr steel roof, custom shutter in from and so much more! $362,500 JOLEEN DUNNIGAN 916-717-3559
ROSEVILLE
Lots of potential with this 4 bedroom, 2.5 bath ¿xer for the right buyer. Great location in a nice neighborhood. Come take a look today! $380,000 BRANDON SHEPARD 916-479-1936
pending
GREENHAVEN/POCKET
Beautifully upgraded 3bd, 2bth. Updated kitchen w/custom cabinets, recessed light and SS appliances, dual pane windows, plantation shutters, ceiling fans, newer int & ext paint, built in pool and so much more! $339,900 NICK LAPLACA 916-764-7500
Good to Know.™
SACRAMENTO
Charming 2 bed, upstairs unit w/private balcony overlooking the water & near by trees. Updated a few years ago with cabinets & tile Àoor, bath has granite counter and tile Àoor, open great room w/¿replace and everything that Timberlake has to offer! $109,900 NICK LAPLACA 916-764-7500
916-422-3756
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