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FABULOUS REMODELED SLP Amazing quality 4 bedroom 2½ home featuring new electrical, plumbing, heat and air. Remodeled kitchen with quartz, fabulous white cabinets, stainless steel appliances, and glass back splash. New dual pane windows, Àoors, landscaping, doors. Huge enclosed sunroom, big yard and RV access. $485,000 MONA GERGEN 247-9555

BRIDGEVIEW AT RIVERLAKE Beautiful property located in gated Riverlake community. Well maintained 4 bedroom 3 bath home with new roof, hardwood Àoors, downstairs bedroom and full bath. Crown Molding, designer paints and beautiful mural in one bedroom. Relaxing back yard with waterfall and heated pool. $640,000 SUE LEE 833-5122

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SOUTH LAND PARK HILLS This home has been wonderfully updated and is move-in ready! 4 bedrooms 2½ baths, beautiful hardwood Àoors in the family room and bedrooms. Stacked slate stone ¿replace. Kitchen features 5-burner gas range, stainless steel sink and appliances. Large covered patio! $449,000 BETH SHERMAN 800-4343

BEAUTIFUL GREENHAVEN HOME Fabulous Àoor plan! Large, open 3 bedroom 2 bath, 2134 sq. ft. Formal dining room, formal living room with a ¿replace, family room with a ¿replace, large kitchen. Plantation shutters throughout. Inside laundry room, 2-car attached garage. Great location, close to schools, shopping, and greenbelt. $389,000 LISA McCAULEY 601-5474

LAGUNA - ELK GROVE Beautiful home in the heart of Laguna! Bright and open Àoor plan with vaulted ceilings. Living room with ¿replace, spacious kitchen with center island, bay window and dining area. 3 bedrooms, 2½ baths, large master bedroom with walk in closet, dual sinks. Back yard with sunroom and patio area. $293,000 PAULA LOPEZ 719-9210

CLOSE TO GARCIA BEND PARK This 2 bedroom home features newer roof, appliances, lighting, carpet, paint, updated kitchen and bathroom. Brand new Àooring in the kitchen and bathroom. So warm and inviting with a cute yard and wonderful layout. Attached garage, convenient location and so much more. $242,000 MONA GERGEN 247-9555

SHOWS LIKE A MODEL – ELK GROVE Great schools! Sellers paid a premium for this giant lot. 5 bedrooms 3 baths, huge 3-car tandem garage. Spectacular upgrades: Custom maple cocoa glaze cabinets, gorgeous wood laminate Àoors, rod iron staircase, exquisite lights, beautiful 2 tone paint, granite counters, custom window coverings! $489,900 MONA GERGEN 247-9555

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TUCKED AWAY GREENHAVEN Location! Location! Location! Just steps to Seymour Park walking paths. Two master suits! Extra-large walk in closet! Relax in Safeguard walk in jetted tub. Plantation shutters thru-out. Dual pane windows and sliding glass doors. Skylite and ceiling fans. Private driveway, 2-car garage. $249,000 CONNIE LANDSBERG 761-0411

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S A C R A M E N T O ' S P R E M I E R F R E E C I T Y M O N T H LY

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Home Again HOW A LOCAL CHURCH IS ADDRESSING OUR HOMELESS NEIGHBORS

n the past few years, almost everyone has seen or felt the impact of the increase in homelessness in Sacramento. From where I live near McKinley Park, this population has grown along the Alhambra Boulevard corridor and in McKinley Park, where the nonprofit Friends of East Sacramento—which I co-founded—manages Clunie Community Center and McKinley Rose Garden. The impacts have been significant to both these facilities and tough to deal with effectively. Even with the diligent work of city officials and nonprofit homeless service provider Sacramento Steps Forward, it seems the problem refuses an easy answer. Last year, our Arden-Carmichael edition detailed the homeless problems facing suburban neighbors that not too long ago were pretty much contained downtown. Despite a great deal of discouragement, an organically grown program called ReHome emerged in the past year. It is designed to let the average citizen help make a difference in the successful transition of those who are eventually rehoused. Here’s the story on how it came about. Lisa Schmidt—my Friends of East Sacramento nonprofit partner—deals with the problems of the homeless at our facilities, often on a weekly basis. She works closely with McKinley

CH By Cecily Hastings Publisher

Pastor David Beck of Sanctuary Covenant Church and McKinley Library librarian Bridget Laws

Library librarian Bridget Laws and Pastor David Beck of Sanctuary Covenant Church, which for the past four years has called Clunie its church home for Sunday services. Pastor Beck recently updated East Sacramento Chamber of Commerce at its monthly luncheon at Clunie on the

homeless situation as he serves as the organization’s liaison to the city on the homeless situation. Beck told of a father and his 9-year-old daughter who had been seen spending their days at McKinley Library, with their belongings stashed on the Clunie patio. When Laws

approached them, they confirmed they were indeed homeless. Laws, Schmidt and Beck each worked their part and brought in city staff from councilmember Jeff Harris’ office, other city officials and the Sacramento Steps Forward program to help them out. A case manager at Volunteers of America, one of the largest rapid rehousing programs in the area, was assigned, and ultimately the father and daughter were moved to a shelter and then recently into permanent housing. The situation was challenging as shelters typically are set up for women and children or single men, not fathers and daughters. Beck used the situation to help explain the ReHome pilot program he developed along with some of his church members about a year ago. The situation involved a single mom, working part time, with two children, who were finally found a new apartment by VOA after a period of couch surfing and living in their car. “After their case manager made the introduction, our group delivered the family a welcome-home basket with a mop, broom, cleaners and other household items,” said Beck. “From the moment we were greeted at the door, their tears of gratitude started coming. It was impossible not to fall in love with this family. And we were deeply moved to see that they had not a stick of furniture and almost no household goods.” Beck’s group also brought a meal and spent a few hours getting to know the family and their needs.

PUBLISHER page 9

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History on Her Side A LONELY VOICE ON THE SIDE OF PUBLIC ACCESS

f only that Ford Thunderbird hadn’t crashed into the office at 7210 Greenhaven Drive. If only the car hadn’t caught fire. And if only the wind hadn’t been howling around 2 a.m. on Nov. 10, 1992, whipping the blaze into the attic of a building that housed dental, insurance and real estate offices, destroying files and equipment. If none of that happened, we might have saved a lot of time and trouble. News stories the next day focused on the weird serenity of the man who drove the Thunderbird. Sacramento police said his name was Reginald Ogawa. Moments after the car collided with the dental offices of Drs. Ann Holmberg and Larry Lawson, the driver exited his burning vehicle and walked across the street to Shari’s restaurant. He sat at the counter and politely ordered pie and coffee. Then he called a taxi. Police arrived before the cab. The next ride for Ogawa was in the backseat of a squad car. He was arrested for drunk driving. The fire caused around $450,000 in damage. The dentists needed a year to get their offices up and running again. The neighboring Allstate Insurance and Coldwell Banker real estate businesses were lucky. They sustained modest damage, losing paperwork and files.

RG By R.E. Graswich

POC DEC n 16

Georgia Hollinger at an illegal staircase at the levee

Then there was Georgia Hollinger, who was selling real estate for Coldwell Banker in 1992. Hollinger had taken a professional interest in properties along the Sacramento River. She helped clients find land from the Delta up into Freeport, the Pocket, Greenhaven and Little Pocket, all the way to Miller Park. Thanks to her interest in river property, Hollinger had been drawn down the rabbit hole of claims by several riverfront residents that they owned access rights to the levee. She was suspicious of such claims. She began to research. What she discovered will not surprise regular readers of this column.

“I kept a journal of parcel numbers, and I had all the details about who owned what,” she says. “I went back to the records that showed the Southern Pacific Railroad owned a lot of that property, and farmers basically homesteaded it.” The research conducted by Hollinger verified several realities of riverfront real estate that were widely ignored in the early 1990s—and continued to be ignored until the past two years. Her research established that farming homesteaders and subsequent subdivided property owners had no rights to control access to the levee or waterfront.

“Even with river property rights, the owners weren’t allowed to put in docks or piers or whatever they pleased,” Hollinger says. “A lot of them built docks anyway, and a lot of them were taken out.” Armed with historic facts, Hollinger began to have conversations with some riverfront property owners. She didn’t get far. Many of her discussions over access rights quickly deteriorated into arguments. “There’s no sense in arguing with them,” she says. “But I know the fact is you can’t even plant a garden if you have a home along the levee, much POCKET page 11

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PUBLISHER FROM page 7 Over the next few weeks, the group coordinated with the case manager and provided furnishings and other items to make the apartment feel like a home. Christmas was coming soon, so they helped the family celebrate the holiday.

“The three words I use to describe the ReHome program are simple, practical and relational.” Months later, the family gained a stronger footing and told the VOA case manager that those pivotal weeks were made much less stressful because of the help of the ReHome group. “The transitional situation creates a great deal of stress on families that have already been through so much more than most of us can imagine,” said Beck. “We want to help relieve some of that stress and make the transition more successful.” “The three words I use to describe the ReHome program are simple, practical and relational,” Beck said. “You don’t have to be an expert or have any special training. It is not complicated, but it is very impactful.” According to Beck, each welcomehome basket costs about $150 to $200

to assemble. Group members pitch in what they can to cover the costs at this time. The church has also set up a fund for general donations to purchase household items. “We’d love to see the program grow, and even assemble baskets with donations of household items in advance, to distribute as needed with volunteers,” he said. “While this program developed out of our church’s desire to help the homeless in a meaningful way, it is by no means limited to faith-based folks. We’d love to see neighborhood or business groups or individual volunteers take on the program as part of community service projects,” said Beck. “I am a local pastor who moved our church from the suburbs to the central city to be part of a community. When I first reached out to neighbors and community leaders on how we could best serve, the homeless issue came up in every conversation,” said Beck. “I believe we found a way to make a meaningful difference as families are rehoused every week in Sacramento and face the same transitional challenges.” Pastor David Beck is available to help other ReHome groups get trained using a simple guide he created. He can be reached at 599-7191 or tdbeck33@gmail.com. Cash donations can be made to Sanctuary Covenant Church’s ReHome fund at P.O. Box 340789, Sacramento 95834. Cecily Hastings can be reached at publisher@insidepublications.com n

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Election Roundup TAXES, BONDS AND A NEW COUNTY SUPERVISOR

hile most of the media is consumed with the national revolt that led to the election of Donald J. Trump as our 45th president, the election results in Sacramento County may have as lasting an impact on our lives as the Trump ascendency will. Why? Because local governments control the basic government services we rely upon the most: police and fire protection, educating our children, maintaining our transportation system and keeping our water and sewer systems operating whenever we need them, at a cost we can afford. While Sacramentoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mayor and city council elections were settled in the June primary, the November general election brought other major local issues to our ballots, including a total of more than $1 billion in local school bond measures, a proposed $75 parcel tax proposed by the city school district (Measure G), a proposal to levy $3.6 billion in new taxes by doubling the current countywide transportation sales tax rate by a half cent for 30 years (Measure B) and a big political fight over who would replace retiring Roberta MacGlashan on the county board of supervisors.

CP By Craig Powell Inside City Hall

POC DEC n 16

SCHOOL BONDS AND PARCEL TAXES Voters were asked to approve $750 million in bonds for San Juan schools, $476 million in bonds for Elk Grove schools and $55.7 million in two bond measures for Galt schools. School bond measures must secure 55 percent of the vote to pass. The jumbo San Juan bond was approved with 68 percent of the vote, the big Elk Grove bond snagged 69 percent of the vote and the two bond measures in Galt attracted 63 percent and 64 percent of the vote. How much will the bonds cost property owners in the form of higher property taxes? Property owners in the San Juan district will pay $60 more per year for every $100,000 of assessed property value, while Elk Grove homeowners will pay $38 more per $100,000 of assessed value. So someone with a home in the San Juan school district that has an assessed value of $350,000 will pay $210 more each year in taxes as a consequence of the passage of the San Juan bond, while a homeowner in Elk Grove also

LOCAL EL

E C TI O N

with a home assessed at $350,000 will pay $133 more each year in taxes. Somewhat surprisingly, the school bonds on the November ballot this year drew little to no opposition, despite their unprecedented large size. This marked the first time the Elk Grove school district sought to issue a school bond, having relied until now on state funds and developer impact fees to build out its school system.

The $75 parcel tax put up by the city school district, however, appears to be going down to defeat as we go to print, drawing only 65 percent of the vote, a point shy of the magic two-thirds majority required for passage of a special tax. Measure G was promoted as a way of raising $7 million annually for music and arts programming, as well as a source CITY page 13

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Still serving you on Fulton Avenue, not in Timbuktu POCKET FROM page 8 less put up a fence and make your own park.” As a real estate agent, Hollinger was somewhat less concerned with individual parcels than her profession might suggest. Her interest was safety—the integrity of the levees. She was worried that some property owners, in their zeal to build private picnic and boating sanctuaries along the levee, were potentially causing levee damage. State authorities have worried about the same thing. They have tried to stretch their limited resources to remove illegal structures, including staircases, fences and gardens, from around the levee. “I worry about the levee and the rest of us,” Hollinger says. Bizarrely, discussions about levee safety have fallen second to arguments about property rights along the levee. For years, city and state authorities seemed primarily concerned about not crossing levee homeowners. Hollinger has been a stubborn but lonely voice for public access. She was

kicked off the social media website Nextdoor.com for voicing concerns about governmental reluctance to tear down private levee fences. When the 2016 Sacramento County Grand Jury report was released this summer, it included a section about levee access. The grand jury concluded the city of Sacramento was likely wasting tax money by purchasing levee access rights from property owners—access the state already owns. The report provided a belated vindication for Hollinger, who has left real estate to concentrate on her home design business. “What the grand jury found was exactly what my research showed,” she says. It would be nice to compare Hollinger’s documents against the grand jury’s work. But that’s impossible. On Nov. 9, 1992, she left her files in her Coldwell Banker office at 7210 Greenhaven Drive. Those files were ashes the next day. R.E. Graswich can be reached at reg@graswich.com n

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Survey Says POCKET RESIDENTS LOVE THE ’HOOD BUT WANT MORE STORES

he results of the PocketGreenhaven Community Forum survey are in. The survey found that 92 percent of respondents want more restaurants and other food outlets in the neighborhood, and 52 percent would like specialty food stores, including butcher shops, seafood stores and shops offering ethnic food. More than half the respondents would like more retail stores, with 63 percent wanting more clothing stores and 61 percent hoping for home-goods stores that sell kitchenwares, small appliances and bed and bath goods. The survey also gauged what respondents like about the neighborhood, with 86 percent mentioning easy access to downtown and other areas, followed by parks, greenways and trails (78 percent), established neighborhoods (73 percent), family friendliness (72 percent), low crime rate (59 percent) and friendly neighbors (58 percent). Asked about their priorities for the neighborhood, 62 percent of respondents said lowering the crime rate, followed by completion of the Sacramento River parkway (55 percent) and establishing a farmers market or crop swap (54 percent). The online survey generated 426 responses. “We don’t purport that

SS By Shane Singh Pocket Life

Harvard University football player Justice Shelton-Mosley. Photo courtesy of Gil Talbot.

the survey is a statistically accurate reflection of opinion in the PocketGreenhaven area,” said Jim Houpt, a founding member of the community forum. “It’s a reflection of opinions from those who were willing to take the survey. But we gathered opinions from a variety of sources.” The forum held a community meeting in October to discuss the results. The forum plans to share the survey results with City Councilmember Rick Jennings and County Supervisor Patrick Kennedy. For more information, go to the forum’s Facebook page.

FROM POCKET TO HARVARD Pocket resident Justice SheltonMosley, a wide receiver in his second year at Harvard University, was recently named a Preseason Third Team All-American in the Football Championship Subdivision. This selection was based on his strong freshman season, when he was second on the team with 40 catches for 589 yards with six touchdowns. He also averaged 19 yards on punt returns, the highest single-season average in Harvard’s history.

Last year, he was named Ivy League Rookie of the Year and selected to All-Ivy first team as a returner and All-Ivy second team as a wide receiver. These achievements make Shelton-Mosley one of the most prominent college football players from the Pocket neighborhood. When he returns to Sacramento for the holidays, he says, “I can’t wait to see the new arena. I am itching to get back home and watch the Kings play during winter break. Hopefully we can make the playoffs this year!”

LIFE page 14

POC DEC n 16

CITY FROM page 10 of funds for the hiring of school counselors who would better match up with the ethnic composition of the schools in which they’d serve. One of the problems with Measure G may have been the fact that similar districts (i.e., ones with a high proportion of its kids eligible for subsidized school lunches) have been receiving a gusher of new state money in recent years, amounting to a reported 50 percent increase in total district funding over the past five years. If funding were such a problem for city schools, why aren’t more local school districts pressing for a parcel tax to fund their arts and music programs? Another challenge for Measure G that doesn’t exist for school bond measures has to do with a fairly widespread public misunderstanding of the difference between a parcel tax and a school bond. A teacher friend of mine shared a revealing story about a conversation she once had with a group of fellow teachers over lunch. Each teacher in the group was highly educated, intelligent and generally well-informed about what’s going on in the world. But when the subject turned to school bonds, not one of her fellow teachers knew that when a school district issues a bond, it triggers an automatic increase in property taxes for every property owner in the district for the life of the bond. If highly educated public school teachers are laboring under such a major misunderstanding about school bonds, it’s likely that their misunderstanding is shared by a large proportion of voters. And if a large number of voters don’t understand that school bonds trigger property tax hikes, then bond elections may very well be drawing more support than they would draw if the public were aware of the unbreakable link between school bonds and property taxes. That may explain why a relatively modest, but explicitly labeled, $75 parcel tax is apparently being shot down by voters, while much pricier property tax hikes triggered by school bonds, ranging from $133 to $210

per year for typical homeowners in Elk Grove and the San Juan school district, respectively, were approved by voters with pretty wide margins. Maybe high school government courses should start explaining the difference—if the teachers themselves even know the difference.

MEASURE B STUMBLES The idea of Measure B was simple: Scare the bejeesus out of voters that their roads were collapsing and that doubling the current half-cent Measure A transportation sales tax to 1 cent was the only way to fix them. Construction firms, suppliers, equipment manufacturers and developers poured $1 million (at last report) into the Yes on B campaign. Mayor-elect Darrell Steinberg even loaned $200,000 to the Yes campaign. But that wasn’t all. With just a few exceptions, almost all the local governments that hoped to collect $3.6 billion in new tax revenues over the next 30 years under Measure B spent an estimated $500,000 of taxpayer money on highly dubious, and allegedly illegal, “educational mailers” designed to persuade voters to approve Measure B. The issue of local governmental spending to promote Measure B is the subject of a recent grand jury complaint and a soon-tobe filed complaint with the Fair Political Practices Commission. If the grand jury or the FPPC finds that the campaign activities of local governments broke state law prohibitions on the use of taxpayer funds for campaigning, don’t be surprised to see a civil suit initiated against those public officials responsible for it to recover tax dollars illegally spent on Measure B campaigning. The problem of local governments corruptly campaigning for local ballot measures, particularly tax measures, has become an ever-increasingly problem throughout California, one that fairly cries out for state legislative reform. While private taxpayers can bring a lawsuit to try to stop the practice,

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WINTER FAIRE AT CAMELLIA WALDORF Camellia Waldorf School will hold its 28th annual Winter Faire on Saturday, Dec. 10, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. There will be puppet shows, crafts, live music and entertainment, holiday shopping, food, gingerbread houses and a childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s store for young shoppers. Admission is free. Camellia Waldorf is at 7450 Pocket Road. For more information, go to camelliawaldorf.org.

LEAGUE LOOKS FOR YOUNG B-BALLERS St. Anthony Community Youth Basketball is forming teams for the 2017 season. The league is open to local children from grades 1 to 7. Teams are placed in divisions based on grade and skill level of the players. Games are held at the parish gym at 660 Florin Road. Online registration must be completed before Thursday, Dec. 8. For more information, go to stanthony-sacramento.org. Shane Singh can be reached at shane@shanesingh.com n

The Master of Science in Law (MSL) is a degree for professionals who seek the benefits of advanced training in legal reasoning and analysis but who do not require the JD degree to advance their career plans. Join us at our Open House on Wednesday, Dec. 14, anytime between 4:30 and 7:30 p.m.

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Don't miss Camellia Waldorf's annual Winter Faire

CITY FROM page 13 they do so at considerable personal risk. A recent appellate decision not only rejected a taxpayer’s legal claim that the local government in question engaged in illegal campaigning, it went so far as to compel the taxpayer plaintiff to pay the local government’s legal costs in the case. The court bizarrely found that the taxpayer’s suit should be considered a “strategic lawsuit against public participation” or SLAPP suit, which opened the door to a court order that the taxpayer pay the city’s considerable legal costs, which can amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars. The anti-SLAPP statute was designed to address a growing problem of developers who were filing baseless lawsuits against neighborhood groups to scare them off from objecting to development projects. It has no application in taxpayer suits brought against local government to challenge official misconduct. A taxpayer shouldn’t have to risk personal bankruptcy in order to judicially question the conduct of local government.

THE CAMPAIGN AGAINST MEASURE B Several months before the November election, the Sacramento Transportation Authority, the originator of Measure B, commissioned an opinion poll that found 69 percent of likely voters were likely to vote for Measure B (which required a two-thirds majority to pass), but that voter support for Measure B quickly dropped to 61 percent once they learned more about it. It was the goal of the Don’t Double the Tax, No on Measure B campaign (which I chaired) to educate voters on Measure B. We relied extensively on an in-depth Eye on Sacramento investigative report on how our local governments have actually been spending $110 million per year in Measure A taxes. The report, principally authored by Greg Thompson, a professor emeritus of urban and regional planning at Florida State University, found

numerous egregious instances of wasteful spending of Measure A taxes, ranging from blowing hundreds of millions of dollars on unnecessary interest costs to RT’s paying overtime pay to bus drivers while they were on vacation to spending $43 million on an unneeded one-stop “train to nowhere.” (The EOS report can be viewed eyeonsacramento.org.) In addition to waste, Professor Thompson found that the expenditure plan for Measure B dollars simply was not an integrated strategic plan for allocating scarce transportation and transit resources. It was, instead, the product of a political deal that failed to reflect smart planning or transit values. It focused far too much on very expensive long extensions of light rail long before population densities could justify them and focused not nearly enough on increasing ridership closer in to the urban core by upgrading bus service and extending light rail to Sac State and other closein locations. But the biggest flaw of Measure B was its failure to take into account the rapid, tremendous changes that are occurring in the technology of transportation and transit, including the game-changing introduction of autonomous vehicles. Such vehicles are already being tested in several cities throughout the world. No one knows for sure how these changes will impact our transportation and transit systems in the coming years. So creating a 30-year plan focusing heavily on traditional road and transit projects is a pretty dumb idea. It may make construction industry lobbyists happy, but it would tie our future to outdated 20th-century solutions in a region that faces 21st-century challenges and opportunities. With a campaign budget of just under $50,000, our No on B campaign was outspent 30-to-1 by special interests and local governments. But our goal was never to compete headto-head with the very well-funded Yes on B campaign. Instead, we sought to inform a sufficient slice of the electorate of the defects of B to bring the vote total for the measure below the two-thirds threshold. In that we were successful.

Do You Have An Elderly Loved One Who Wants to Stay at Home but Needs Help? If so, meet Home Care Assistance. High Caliber Care Partners. We only hire 1 in 75 applicants. All employees meet new State of CA requirements. Balanced Care. Our unique Balanced Care Method™ promotes healthy mind, body and spirit, and helps our clients thrive at home. Brain Health Experts. Our proprietary Cognitive Therapeutics Method™ is a non-pharmacological activities program to keep aging minds sharp and engaged. Available 24/7. We are on call for clients and their families, even during nights and weekends. Meet Kathy. Kathy Herrfeldt is the owner of Home Care Assistance of Sacramento and works directly with clients and their families. She is passionate about promoting options that lead to living healthily and independently wherever that may be.

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Our hope now is to work with local transportation officials to help them bring down wasteful spending of Measure A dollars and to collaborate with them on the development of a new vision for transit and transportation investments that retains maximal flexibility and nimbleness in adopting exciting new technologies, while assuring that priorities are established and preserved for the repair of our existing roadways and transit systems.

BATTLE FOR COUNTY SUPERVISOR SEAT The battle to replace longtime incumbent Roberta MacGlashan on the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors came down to two candidates following the June primary: Sue Frost, a Citrus Heights councilmember, former mayor and retired businesswoman, and Mike Kozlowski, a salesman for Johnson Controls and the head track coach at Vista del Lago High School. Frost

won the right to represent northeast Sacramento County (Folsom, Orangevale, Antelope) on the board of supervisors by winning 55 percent of the vote against Koslowski’s 45 percent. Frost had come in first in the June primary and had won the endorsements of all of the other candidates who had run in that primary, as well as the support of the Sacramento County Republican Party, the Sacramento Realtors Association and the Rental Housing Association of Sacramento Valley. Kozlowski drew major support from builders, developers and chambers of commerce. Much of Kozlowski’s support came from a well-funded independent expenditure campaign that vastly outspent Frost in the race. Frost focused on walking the district and meeting as many voters as possible. It certainly paid off for her. Craig Powell is a local attorney, businessman, community activist and president of Eye on Sacramento, a civic watchdog and policy group. He can be reached at craig@ eyeonsacramento.org or 718-3030. n

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A Conversation With Brad McDowell THIS ATTORNEY APPLIES BUSINESS SKILLS TO VOLUNTEERING

ou’ve served on the East Sacramento Chamber of Commerce for five years. What made you decide to join? I never dreamed I’d live in East Sac, actually. My wife is from Auburn, and I always loved the hills, so I thought we’d live there. But I quickly learned that people from Auburn don’t ever want to go back, so we settled in East Sac. Now I can’t imagine leaving our 10-block area. I drive four minutes to work. Falling in love with the area has made it easy to donate my time. My law partner, Jason Smith, and I joined the chamber at the same time. Because of our willingness to participate, they asked us to join the board.

takes hundreds of hours to put together. I’m a also on the committee for the Arts and B Business Council, which recently got absor absorbed by Blue Line Arts in Roseville. Bein Being a failed artist myself (I went to school for film production), I love it. We raise mon money and help artists monetize themselves. I rea really enjoy providing legal services to help crea creative people treat their pursuits like a bus business. And because my kids are in school in tthe area, I also sit on a bond oversight com committee. Between volunteering, getting bus business for the law firm and actually doing wo work, I’m very busy!

How do you serve the chamber? I think our little hamlet’s chamber struggles with an identity crisis: Are we a neighborhood group or are we businesss focused? I became president in 2013, the year (longtime president) Lisa Schmidt left the chamber, so I decided to refocus on our mission of providing member services and advocating on behalf of the businesses in our area. That means I mett with the City Council about parking on J Street and I advocated for the McKinley Village development. I think it’s going to be great for East Sac businesses, but that was a tough stance to take when the neighbors had signs out against it. Itt was my obligation as the president of thee chamber to voice our support.

JL By Jessica Laskey Giving Back

POC DEC n 16

As a business lawyer for the past 16 ye years, how do you give back? We offer free legal services for veterans wh who want to start a business for the entire m month of November. So many people are da daunted by hiring lawyers when they’re st starting up a business, and yet so many p problems can be avoided by talking to one b before you sign anything. We remove the o obstacles to success for those who deserve iit most.

Her Shoes, which aims ted in the Walk a Mile in men Brad McDowell participa ual violence against wo to raise awareness of sex

Where else do you volunteer? I can always find other ways to take stress on. (laughs) I’m in my third year as a member of Point West Rotary, and I chaired the California

Why do you volunteer? I attended Jesuit High School, so I try to live by the Jesuit motto, “A man for others.” The Jesuit order is all about pure service to others and that’s what keeps me coming back: the selfish feeling of giving to other people. If you’re just doing things for yourself all the time, I think you’re throwing off the karmic balance. Plus, when you toil for the common good, you end up forging bonds with people you’d never expect.

Brewers Festival this year, which is our biggest rotary event. It was like For more information about the East a second job. The event has 4,000 Sac Chamber, visit eastsacchamber. attendees, 100 brewers, 12 food trucks org. McDowell can be reached at and live bands. It benefits WEAVE bmcdowell@smplawcorp.com n and other children’s charities—and

Celebrate the season with us!

Rhythms of Love.

American Bach Soloists Jeffrey Thomas, music director Messiah SAT, DEC 10 • 7PM Since its debut in 1742, audiences continue to pack houses for Handel’s Messiah, especially when the masterwork is performed by the acclaimed American Bach Soloists.

China Philharmonic Orchestra Long Yu, artistic director and chief conductor Serena Wang, piano

SAT, DEC 3 • 8PM

The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center The Complete Brandenburg Concertos

SUN, DEC 11 • 4PM

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Faire Thee Well CAMELLIA WALDORF CELEBRATES THE SEASON WITH ITS WINTER FAIRE DEC. 10

till looking for a unique gift for that special someone? Camellia Waldorf School’s 28th Annual Winter Faire is sure to have just what you need from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 10. Celebrate the magic of the season with children’s puppet shows and craft activities, live music and entertainment, holiday shopping with local artisans offering handmade gifts, organic coffee and baked goods, delicious food, gingerbread houses and a children’s store stocked with treasures for young shoppers. Funds raised will help the school continue its time-honored mission of educating by honoring childhood, appreciating the individuality of each student and instilling a sense of moral and ethical responsibility while building capacities for learning and encouraging clear and creative thinking. For more information, call 4275022 or go to camelliawaldorf.org. Camellia Waldorf School is at 7450 Pocket Road.

furniture, succulent arrangements and planters and more! In addition to shopping for holiday gifts, you can enter to win exciting raffle prizes and tuck into some delectable goodies from Frenchy’s Waffles Food Truck as well as complimentary coffee and hot cider from Espresso Metro—the perfect treats to keep you going for a day of shopping. All proceeds from the event benefit the Sierra 2 Senior Center and its programs. The center has plans to introduce educational luncheons, gardening workshops and technology classes in 2017, in addition to its current activities. Admission to the fair is free and free parking is available in the lots on Fourth Avenue and Castro Way, as well as street parking along Fourth Avenue and 25th Street. For more information, call 452-3005 or go to sierra2.org. The Sierra 2 Center is at 2791 24th St.

SEASON’S SLEETINGS

SHOP ’TIL YOU DROP Local shopping abounds this year, so make sure you check out the Sierra 2 Center’s beloved Holiday Craft Fair from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 10.

jL By Jessica Laskey

POC DEC n 16

Stop by the Camellia Winter Faire and pick a unique gift for a special someone and enjoy crafts, music and treats too

By shopping at the fair, you’ll be supporting local artisans, makers and crafters from the greater Sacramento region. And talk about cool crafts! The Craft Fair features an intimate

group of hand-picked vendors with hand-forged jewelry, soaps and candles, fiber arts and winter wear, wooden home and kitchen accessories,

We might not have snow this time of year in Sacramento, but Fairytale Town has the next best thing. The storybook park will be trimmed with festive holiday décor and a flurry of “snow” will fall nightly during Winter Wonderland, from 1 to 7 p.m. Thursday through Sunday, Dec. 8-11 and 15-18. A dazzling display of lights will brighten the park and a magical winter snowfall will descend on the play park nightly at 7 o’clock. On weekends, enjoy even more holiday cheer with craft activities, vendors LIFE IN THE CITY page 20

LEADING

L A DY As Governor Jerry Brown launches into an unprecedented fourth term, his single biggest political ally, conďŹ dante and counterbalance also happens to be his wife. From Anne Gust Brownâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s days as a trailblazing executive at Gap to her work in Sacramento helping craft some of the biggest political milestones of the past decade, get to know the woman whose ďŹ erce intellect, pragmatism, candor and energy has quietly redeďŹ ned what it means to be Californiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ďŹ rst lady.

B Y S .T. VA N A I R S DA L E PORTRAIT BY CO DY PICKENS

The ďŹ rst lady of California in her ofďŹ ce at the State Capitol in December 2014

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Meet the neighbors Celebrating 10 years of covering the people, places and things that make us proud to call Sacramento home Randy Paragary at Esquire Grill in December 2014

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Ever since opening his first bar back in 1969, Randy Paragary has personified the nightlife and dining scene in Sacramento. With an empire that now boasts 15 venuesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;and more to comeâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;his plate is fuller than ever. As Paragary prepares to reopen his flagship eatery, the godfather of good times looks back on five decades of food, music, dĂŠcorâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;and even hair. Sacramento, your host will seat you now.

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LIFE IN THE CITY FROM page 18 and more. Attendees can meet two of Santa’s reindeer on Dec. 10 and 11, and kids can visit with Santa in his workshop from 3 to 6 p.m. on Dec. 10, 11, 17 and 18. Want one more thing to be happy about this holiday season? How about Nationwide Free Admission Day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 24? Fairytale Town gives the gift of free admission to visiting guests on Christmas Eve. How’s that for some holiday cheer? For more information, call 8087462 or go to fairytaletown.org. Fairytale Town is at 3901 Land Park Drive.

HAPPY HOWL-IDAYS If you’re hankering for some food truck fare, there’s no better place to tuck in than at Off the Grid’s partnership with the Sacramento Zoo to bring food trucks and live music to zoo-goers from 5 to 9 p.m. every Thursday. Off the Grid began in the Bay Area in June 2010 with the idea of grouping street food vendors together to create an experience that allows neighbors, friends and families to connect over some great grub, and it expanded to include Sacramento earlier this year. So bring your appetite and nosh while you boogie down! Think humans aren’t the only ones who should receive gifts during the holidays? The zoo agrees, which is why its annual Holiday Magic tradition is so fun. Watch as the animals unwrap their holiday goodies from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 10, and if you bring a nonperishable food item, you’ll receive $1 off your admission. Looking for another way to support the conservation efforts of the zoo and the American Association of Zoo Keepers? Don’t miss the AAZK Wreath Sale Fundraiser from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on weekends, Dec. 3 through 18. Check out the booth inside the front gate of the zoo to find homemade fresh and burlap wreaths in addition to ornaments painted

POC DEC n 16

Help the conservation efforts of the zoo by stopping by the AAZK Wreath Sale Fundraiser

by the zoo animals to decorate your home for the holidays. Proceeds benefit the Greater Sacramento AAZK animal conservation efforts. No one said you had to dress up for Christmas. Come join the zoo’s PJ Party Christmas Eve from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 24. Don your best footie pajamas (or roll right out of bed!) and have some festive fun at the zoo for a free admission half-day. For more information, call 808-5888 or go to saczoo.org. The Sacramento Zoo is at 3930 West Land Park Drive.

ALL THE PARK’S A STAGE If you’ve ever enjoyed a performance of the Sacramento

Shakespeare Festival, or if you routinely walk through Land Park and have noticed an odd stone stage in the middle of the grass, you’re probably aware of the William A. Carroll Amphitheater, a structure built as a project of the Works Progress Administration during the Great Depression. You might also have noticed that though the structure is impressive, it looks like it hasn’t been updated for quite a while, and you’d be correct: The space hasn’t been rehabbed since the 1960s, according to Ryan Lillis’ article published as part of his City Beat column in The Sacramento Bee on Nov. 1. But the city of Sacramento has taken notice. According to Lillis, the City Council approved a proposal

last month to move $100,000 from a trust fund of fees collected from special events in Land Park into the renovation project. Previous fundraising efforts by a committee that was formed in 2013 were slowgoing, but recent attention and the blessing of the City Council has revved up responses. A fundraiser held last month at Fairytale Town raised about $50,000, with a goal of $250,000 by the end of next summer to cover design costs for a major renovation. The eventual target is $2.5 million to pay for restrooms, better seating, improved sound and lighting systems, and dressing rooms for performers. “This is an investment in moving the project along, but it also tees it up (to receive grant money),” Councilman Steve Hansen, who represents Land Park, is quoted as saying. “It’s really a deficient facility and we’re trying to make it a place that is better used and better appreciated.” Though some longtime Land Park residents wish more attention would be paid to other maintenance issues in the park, such as aging irrigation systems and bathrooms, this investment by the city is hopefully the first in what could amount to a slew of improvements to be made over time. Lillis reports that the city plans to pour more than $600,000 into its parks system. Though Shakespeare wrote that “the course of true love never did run smooth,” we’re hoping that the improvement of the William A. Carroll Amphitheater and other Land Park landmarks of its kind will run as smoothly as can be.

BIKES FOR TYKES The Foster Santa Program needs volunteers to assemble and tune up more than 300 bikes for foster and atrisk children. The work will be done from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 8. To volunteer, contact Hillary Gaines at hgaines@upliftfs.org. Jessica Laskey can be reached at jessrlaskey@gmail.com n Off the Grid’s partnership with the Sacramento Zoo brings food trucks and live music to zoo-goers from 5 to 9 p.m. every Thursday

AT ESKATON, IT’S ABOUT CHOICE It’s your life. You get to choose how to spend it. At Eskaton Monroe Lodge there are endless possibilities. Here are just a few suggestions: • Explore your inner artist • Become tech savvy. We have people to help! • Step on the community bus for an adventure Live the way you want with the services you need to make life more fulﬁlling. Choose Eskaton Monroe Lodge ... where everybody knows your name.

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POC n INSIDEPUBLICATIONS.COM

R Street is a vibrant part of the central city

Brand Identity REDEFINING THE GRID, DISTRICT BY DISTRICT

acramento’s business and residential districts are defining and redefining themselves and literally changing how we view the downtown and Midtown core. For many, Sacramento has a downtown, Midtown and an old town, but within those sections of town, districts are creating new places to work, shop, eat and live. Historically, Sacramento did have residential and commercial corridors such as Alkali Flat, Poverty Ridge, Southside and Boulevard Park, just to name a few. But today, the

SC By Scot Crocker

POC DEC n 16

segmenting of Sacramento districts is taking on a whole new life, and each district is building its own distinctive image and identity with a goal to create a unique Sacramento urban lifestyle. Probably one of the first lifestyle districts was Lavender Heights, a centrally located district in Midtown centered around K and 20th streets. Lavender Heights is a marketing name given to the hub of Sacramento’s gay and lesbian community with many gay bars, restaurants and LGBT community resources. While some areas like Lavender Heights came about organically because of the nature of the neighborhood, others are more official and formalized as property-based business improvement districts, nicknamed PBIDs. These PBIDs

set out to manage and improve the environment of a business district and are financed by a self-imposed and self-governed assessment on property. A PBID generally pools resources to keep its district clean, safe and energized through marketing activities. It focuses on everything from graffiti removal, parking issues and lighting to advocating policy, promoting events and setting out long-term plans. Often, these districts look at how to build a distinct identity for themselves to attract business, developers, residents and patrons. According to Michelle Smira Brattmiller, who administers both R Street Partnership and Greater Broadway District, the districts in the city are all unique and have their own niche.

“What we try to do is to activate space,” Smira Brattmiller said. “We are trying to do that on R Street, where we are changing a warehouse district into a pedestrian-friendly artist environment with unique architecture, music, food and culture. Broadway is different. It’s a thoroughfare now, and our hope is to activate the area and make it a destination.” While R Street and Broadway are vastly different in configuration, the activation of space has similarities. They seek a mixture of complementary residential and business development, with people participating in events or sitting street-side at restaurants. But each district also faces its own challenges. The Broadway district is large and diverse, running from Interstate 5 to Highway 99. “Each section of

Ali Youssefi of CFY Development,Inc.

Broadway is different,” said Smira Brattmiller. “The section of Broadway from 3rd to 8th streets is industrial, and the area from 8th to 21st has fast food and other retail. So we have to look at how these diverse sections merge together.” Even with organized districts, money and investment is the fuel to truly transform a district. “It really does take the foresight of developers who take the risks,” Smira Brattmiller added. “For Broadway, it will take new development and business to fill vacancies. We need to see businesses and residential turn outward toward Broadway and not inward.” It’s been a host of developers and investors on R Street that’s made a

considerable difference in the rapid transformation of the corridor into a vibrant area. One developer is Ali Youssefi, vice president of CFY Development, a firm specializing in acquiring, developing, building and rehabilitating multifamily and workforce housing. Youssefi has been instrumental on R Street with the development of Warehouse Artist Lofts, a mixed-use project combining first-floor retail and housing. R Street was an historic area of Sacramento with warehouses served by rail lines dating back to the 1850s. Many of the buildings dated back to the turn of the century. The vision for R Street, driven by Youssefi and other leading developers and business

leaders, was a celebration of history combined with a pedestrian-friendly, artistic, neighborhood feel. “We have some momentum creating this unique urban-living lifestyle,” Youssefi said. “We want a place for pedestrians who can easily go from block to block. It will be a place for artists and others, but artists can be a driver of creating a place like none other in the country.” R Street development is hitting on all gears. Sacramento’s major developers like D&S Development, Heller Pacific and Cordano Co. are all investing in the R Street Corridor. While it officially runs 27 blocks through town, most of that development is happening from 10th to 20th streets right now. Youssefi is also planning more development with his purchase of the old California Office Furniture on R Street. He’s building out an entire block from 9th to 10th streets, which will be home to a new grocery store concept developed by Raley’s called Market 5-ONE-5. In keeping with the pedestrian lifestyle, outside seating

will be placed on the block to create a place for people to interact and connect. “We are taking full advantage of the R Street potential,” Youssefi said. “The recipe is here for a very unique and successful district.” Midtown is evolving, too. Midtown Business District represents a large, diverse area of business, hospitality and residential neighborhoods. However, tucked inside Midtown are smaller districts forging their own identities. These districts in Midtown include the Handle District at 18th and 19th streets bordered by L Street and Capitol Avenue, and the Sutter District around Sutter’s Fort, including the restaurants on J Street between 27th and 28th streets. Supporting the hospitality industry is only part of MBA’s mission. To create the environment for businesses to prosper, MBA supports safety, streetscapes and maintenance throughout the district with additional marketing support through events like Second Saturday. DOWNTOWN page 25

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Play by Play AFTER 31 YEARS, THE KINGS’ G-MAN IS STILL EXCITED BY THE GAME

here were long, isolated

the NHRA series as a pit reporter for

stretches between homes on the

ESPN. Gerould has also been an NFL

paper route that youthful Gary

announcer and did multiple sports for

Gerould would walk each day in the

the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

winter. His imagination would often

“I’ve done sumo wrestling to the

drift into daydream mode, which

NFL, and everything in between,”

helped relieve the boredom and take

laughs Gerould.

his mind off the snowy roads and

He also enjoyed a 12-year tenure

freezing cold Michigan weather that

with KCRA 3. He was the Sacramento

would rip through his clothing no

TV station’s primary sports anchor,

matter how many layers he wore.

covering the local scene but also

Lacking the physical tools to play

major events like the Super Bowl,

for some very good Midland High

the Masters, multiple World Series

basketball teams, Gerould found

and more. But when a management

another way to participate in the

change arrived in 1977, he was asked

game he loved. The paper route

to resign.

became his personal broadcast booth, where Gerould would pretend to announce his high school team’s games as he trudged along the snowy streets. “I was too short and too slow; I wasn’t good enough to make the cut for my high school team,” explains Gerould, who has lived in the same Greenhaven home with his wife, Marlene, since 1979. “But I was fascinated by it and loved basketball. I would announce the games in my head during those snowy winters walking on my paper route. I dreamed of being a basketball announcer.” The dream came true and in much loftier terms than the teenaged Gerould could have ever imagined.

jW By Jeff Weidel

POC DEC n 16

Sacramento Kings announcer Gary Gerould

Following his 31st season as the

you get those magical nights when

Sacramento Kings’ play-by-play

something special happens, there’s

radio announcer, the guy people

nothing better.”

affectionately call “the G-Man” has

Gerould shares those magical

the fifth longest active tenure among

games and the mundane ones with

NBA broadcasters. He entered the

legions of loyal Kings fans. Yet there

2015-16 season having announced

are people around the country and

2,348 (preseason, regular season,

worldwide who recognize the dulcet

playoff) games and surpassed the

tones of the 75-year-old Gerould

2,400 mark by early February.

and have no idea he’s been an NBA

“I absolutely cherish the fact that 31 years after they hired me I still

announcer for more than three decades.

have this opportunity,” Gerould said.

For 37 years, Gerould’s weekends

“I’m blessed. I still love the challenge

were devoted to motor sports coverage

every night. One of the great things

that included the Formula 1 circuit,

is every game is different. And when

CART, NASCAR and, most recently,

Even though during 23 of those 31 seasons the Kings have owned a losing record, night after night Gerould retains his excitement for the game and his optimism for a Kings victory. Losing the job hurt, but an optimistic Gerould quickly moved on, forming Gary Gerould Enterprises and becoming a freelance public relations consultant, commercial spokesman and motor sports writer and broadcaster.

DOWNTOWN FROM page 23

Rae Ann Whitten, DDS General and Cosmetic Dentistry As a dentist, I have the ability to improve people’s lives by improving the health and beauty of their smile.

“For us, we look at Midtown and strive to make it as healthy and vibrant as possible,” said Emily Baine

• Cosmetic Dentistry

“We are the overall voice of Midtown,

Civic Center, Entertainment District,

not just hospitality. We work with all

Theater District, Capitol Mall and

business owners, and by definition we

The Kay.

44-SMILE or visit us at

www.sutterterracedental.com

In 1985, another opportunity arrived with the Kings, which was planning a franchise move from Kansas City to Sacramento and was looking for a “local” voice. For his audition tape, Gerould attended one Golden State home game and followed the Warriors to the Great Western Forum in Los Angeles, each time sitting in the “nosebleed section” doing play-by-play into a tape recorder. Gerould was told that Kings general manager Joe Axelson listened to the tapes as he drove from Kansas City to put down roots in Sacramento. “Kid, you were a hell of a lot better than you had a right to be, considering the situation,” Axelson told Gerould the day he was hired. Even though during 23 of those 31 seasons the Kings have owned a losing record, night after night Gerould retains his excitement for the game and his optimism for a Kings victory. “G-Man is the best,” marvels Jason Ross, who has sat by Gerould as both a statistician and announcing

through a combination of factors that

to survive. But she quickly points to

create an identity. “Some are planned

the need for districts to manage all

and some are organic,” he said. “They

aspects of the experience to maintain

take on their own life. Sometimes,

a robust area for business and people.

it’s the little things that add up

The growth of smaller districts like

3001 P St. Sacramento, CA

partner for the past 15 years. “Even though the Kings continue to lose, he treats every game like it was his first one. Night after night, he starts the broadcast with enthusiasm and excitement.” The sporting venues have changed, but one thing that has remained a constant all these years is Gary Gerould. He walks around the arena on game day with an amiable smile and treats high-level people like Kings owner Vivek Ranadive the same way he does an usher he may have known for years. “Gary is so humble. There is no ego at all. He’s just a genuine person,” Ross says. “I have so much respect for him. He’s a fantastic broadcaster but an even better person.” Gerould is putting no timetable on his tenure with the Kings. The kid who walked the snowy streets of Midland pretending to announce basketball games still loves what he’s doing. When that stops, so will he. Jeffrey Weidel can be reached at skiweidel@gmail.com. n

together, like lighting, parklets or

Sutter and the Handle have a more

other amenities. Sometimes, it’s

micro focus with a goal to showcase

the location or blend of retail and

the unique traits that make them

residential.” He pointed to the Railyards district,

number of high-quality restaurants in

which has a foundation in history that

a high concentration of a few blocks.

will help shape its identity. “DOCO

Seann Rooney, who manages

Always accepting new patients.

Michael Ault, DSP’s executive director, sees districts forming

organic foundation and be authentic

special. For the Handle, it’s the large

• Dental Implants

Also falling into DSP’s area are other defined districts including the

She thinks districts have to have an

• Children & Adults

now being built.

Michaels, MBA’s executive director.

help commercial property owners.”

A good place to ﬁnd great dentists.

experience around Golden 1 Center is

is creating a whole new experience

the Handle District, said some

around the new arena, while Old

districts have an identity that grows

Sacramento has a unique experience

organically because of the types

and identity all its own,” said Ault.

of businesses, housing or other

“For the Bridge District in West

amenities there already, while others

Sacramento, its identity is shaped by

create the identity through a process.

its views of downtown Sacramento.”

“You could say the Handle was

But Ault pointed out that for

somewhat organic,” Rooney said. “We

districts to succeed, they have to

had a critical mass of restaurants

work at it. Just having a unique

that we now organize. Most were

district in the urban center won’t be

established before the district was in

enough, and districts need to focus on

place.”

marketing, maintenance and security.

Now, while small in size, the Handle has a mix of restaurants and urban housing attracting a diverse

He thinks the key is bringing more people to live in the downtown area. If successful, these districts will

age group and professional types. “We

activate their areas through a mix of

have a little something for everyone,

residential and business development.

but our reputation has been built on

No matter their different identities,

the fact we have 15 food hot spots in

districts will bring people together

one square block,” added Rooney.

through interactions at the street

To showcase the Handle and its

level, where the energy is a magnet

mix of restaurants, food shops and

for the people who live and work

retail stores, the district hosts block

there and create unique destinations

parties for Midtown residents but also

that draw people from the region back

to provide a destination for people

to the Sacramento grid.

living throughout the region.

As Sacramento matures, new micro

As you look to the downtown core,

districts will emerge, creating brand-

Downtown Sacramento Partnership is

new areas that excite people in the

made up of a variety of districts that

region and beyond to live a vibrant

have their own growing or evolving

and unique urban lifestyle.

identities. Some have been around for decades, like Old Sacramento, while the newly blossoming DOCO shopping

Scot Crocker can be reached at scot@crockercrocker.com n

POC n INSIDEPUBLICATIONS.COM

All Gardening Is Local HOLIDAY GIFTS FROM INDEPENDENT GARDEN CENTERS

hat do you give a gardener who has everything? That’s a trick question. It’s not hard to buy a gardener a gift. People who like to grow things never have everything. They always covet yet another seed packet, plant, bulb, tool or accessory. Sacramento is blessed with several locally owned and operated garden centers, no two exactly alike, although they have their similarities. They all sell the 2017 Master Gardener Gardening Guide and Calendar, stock plants well-suited for Sacramento and offer practical yet unusual tools and frivolous decorative items. Better yet, they are staffed with knowledgeable and experienced staff who carefully tend their plants and are eager to advise. One neighborhood institution is East Sacramento’s Talini’s Nursery (5601 Folsom Blvd.), founded in 1976. Assistant manager Meg Gray says, “We buy things that will do well here. We believe in our plants.” Over the years, Talini’s has evolved with the neighborhood, catering to today’s trends in edibles and water-efficient landscapes. Talini’s encourages people to get their hands dirty. “If somebody wants to buy a chemical for weed control, we try to sell them a dibble to dig the weeds out. There is no fast and easy way to garden,” Gray says. It’s not surprising that people drop by frequently for advice, to pet the kitty or just to see what’s new on the

AC By Anita Clevenger

POC DEC n 16

The Plant Foundry in Oak Park is filled gifts for the gardener on your list

shelf. There is plenty to purchase. At a recent visit, I drooled over top-ofthe-line Dutch garden tools. Bulbs are touted as stocking stuffers, but Talini’s immense amaryllis bulbs wouldn’t fit in any but the most oversized socks. Fair Oaks Boulevard Nursery (4681 Fair Oaks Blvd.) has also been around for decades, moving across the street to its present location about 20 years ago. Manager Quentyn Young focuses on water-efficient plants, with a wide variety of California natives. The nursery offers unusual edibles and a “really good selection of shade trees that you can’t find many places,” he says. This time of year, they increase

their houseplant inventory so that you can keep gardening throughout the winter, improving air quality while Angela Pratt is the beautifying your owner of The Plant Foundry home. If you’d like to try a terrarium or make a fairy The newest neighborhood store garden, you can buy one ready-made is Oak Park’s The Plant Foundry or assemble one from an assortment (3500 Broadway), located in the of tiny plants. Carnivorous plants? fast-changing Broadway Triangle. They have them. Large hanging Close to Land Park, Curtis Park baskets, ready to impress? That, too. and East Sacramento, it offers a A particularly popular tool is the choice assortment of native plants, Japanese hori-hori, a digging knife, perennials, edibles, seeds and which would tuck into a stocking very decorative items. The owner, Angela nicely. Pratt, is proud of her organic seeds

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concentrates on gardening supplies and outside plants. “We work to earn our customers’ business and trust,” says Landis. Based on their rapid expansion, they are doing just that. All of the nurseries mentioned succulents as a good holiday gift, touting how they look good all year long, requiring little water or care. There are many other plants, such as cyclamen, that look beautiful in the winter. All of the nurseries offer at least a few already-planted containers or baskets, ready to serve as inside or outside decoration or to give as a hostess gift. Most also offer holiday decorations and seasonal gift items. Dazzled by the choices? A gift card from one of these establishments will slip into a stocking and be greeted with delight. It will give your favorite gardener an excuse to check out and support their local garden center. Anita Clevenger is a Lifetime Sacramento County UC Master Gardener. For answers to gardening questions, call the Master Gardeners at 876-5336 or visit their website at sacmg.ucanr.edu n

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and edible plants, including hard-tofind organic garlic and onion sets. She sells high-end decorative items such as French bistro sets, but she also stocks things that are affordable. “Even a little kid with a few cents can buy something,” she says. There are so many different items in a relatively small space that it’s hard to see everything in stock, but if you get tired you can check out a nearby trendy watering hole or eatery, and come back refreshed to browse some more. It’s hard to think of Green Acres as a neighborhood garden center, with its five large stores throughout the region. The Sacramento store is at 8501 Jackson Road, close to East Sacramento and Carmichael. Zen Landis of their marketing staff says their spacious new Elk Grove store (9220 East Stockton Blvd.) has the largest selection of houseplants, gift items and tools, including “a cool new line of garden tools from Lauren Conrad that are specifically designed for women.” The Sacramento store has less inside space, so it

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Bigger Isn’t Better EMPTY-NESTERS DOWNSIZE TO A COZY NEW HOUSE

jF By Julie Foster

POC DEC n 16

oving is never an easy task. Relocating from a 6,000-square-foot home to 2,400 square feet presents another layer of complication. What to do with all your stuff? After living in the same house on 45th Street for 36 years, Lynne and Ross Relles opted to make the big move to a smaller home. It was a tough decision, but it was the right time to downsize. Their children are grown. They didn’t need all that space and accompanying maintenance. They love the neighborhood and wanted to stay close by. Ross had scouted out a property he liked. But as soon as they saw a stylish house for sale one block from their old house, Lynne and Ross knew they’d found their new home.

“

WHEN WE WALKED IN THE FRONT DOOR AND

TOOK ONE LOOK AT THE BACKYARD, THAT WAS IT.

Built in 1927 by East Sacramento architect Arthur Widdowson for the E. J. Morrissey family, the house is a stylish example of French Normandy style. It has a high-pitched roof that steeply descends over the second floor, leaded-glass windows, wood halftimbering, arched doorways and a central two-story round tower tucked into the L of two wings. But it was another feature that captured their attention. “When we walked in the front door and took one look at the backyard, that was it,” says Lynne. A few years earlier, the previous owner had refreshed the outdoor space with a pool,

”

hot tub, cozy covered seating area and fireplace. A barbecue area with a refrigerator and sink makes preparing meals outside a snap. Now, the Relleses spend countless hours outdoors. “We’re back there almost every evening,” Lynne says. After purchasing the house in 2014, the pair began deciding what to keep and how to shed the rest. Lynne imagined her daughter would

POC n INSIDEPUBLICATIONS.COM

be devastated to learn they were selling the family home. Her surprising response: “Mom,” she told Lynne, “it’s the greatest gift you could have given us to not have to think of all the stuff we would have had to get rid of.” At the old house, the three-car garage was full of memorabilia. All the closets and the three-room basement held their share of material memories and knickknacks. The Relleses held a huge estate sale. Their kids took what they wanted, which wasn’t much, according to Lynne. “The kids don’t want all this stuff,” she says. Due to the previous owner’s remodel, no major changes to the new house were necessary. The Relleses removed a fresco from the entry ceiling and repainted the living room, which had been a deep Indian red. The color was beautiful, says Lynne, but she wanted to brighten up the space with a sunny yellow color. They kept many of their large wooden pieces, including beautiful Italian tables that Lynne placed in the living room, where she loves to sit and read. A lush wool area rug was cut in half and now covers the wood floor. Wingback chairs provide comfy seating. The room is a perfect combination of elegance and comfort. Relles is upbeat as well as pragmatic about their downsizing. “I’m comfortable here,” she says. “I like this house and I am not moving again.” The Relles home will be featured on the Sacred Heart Holiday Home Tour, which takes place Dec. 2-4. For more information, go to sacredhearthometour.com If you know of a home you think should be featured in Inside Publications, contact Julie Foster at foster.julie91@yahoo.com n

POC DEC n 16

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Art Preview GALLERY ART SHOWS IN DECEMBER

Sonya Fe is a now a Sacramento artist, but she came of age during the rebirth of L.A.’s art scene. This exhibition features several of Ms. Fe’s large-scale paintings, many of which reﬂect the social and cultural issues of women and children. Shown above: “When She calls, He Comes.” SMUD Gallery, 6301 S Street

Sacramento artists Mehran Mesba (shown above) and Jeff Mayry bring their exhibition of new paintings entitled “Gold Laundry of the Advent Arrival” to Beatnik Studios. Show runs through Jan. 19. 723 S St.; beatnik-studios.com

POC DEC n 16

Sacramento Visual Arts Collaborative is proud to present “Big Show of Small Treasures 2016;” an extraordinary art event showcasing intimately scaled works of art (12x12 inches or smaller) at 11 art venues. A diverse range of artistic disciplines and genres will be exhibited at ARTHOUSE, Artistic Edge Gallery, Brickhouse Art Gallery, DaDas Art Gallery Boutique, ITSA Studio, Little Relics, microARTCollection, Patris Studio Gallery, Red Dot Gallery, Sparrow Gallery, and Tim Collom Gallery. Shown above: “Random” by Barbetta Lockart at ITSA Studio.

“Large and Little: Art Gifts for the Holidays” features artwork from selected JAYJAY artists. through Dec. 17. Shown above: Ceramics by artist Trent Burkett. 5524B Elvas Ave. jayjayart.com

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877-418-0950 (TTY 711) kp.org/medicare Kaiser Permanente is an HMO plan with a Medicare contract. Enrollment in Kaiser Permanente depends of contract renewal. You must reside in the Kaiser Permanente Medicare health plan service area in which you enroll. Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc., 393 E. Walnut St., Pasadena, CA 91188-8514. Y0043_N009371_CA accepted

HOLIDAY CONCERTS

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Master of the Mailbox SHE DESIGNS BEAUTIFUL CATALOGS FOR NATIONAL FURNITURE RETAILERS

Photo courtesy of Luke Preczewski

ehind some of those pesky home-furnishing catalogs that arrive in your mailbox is an unsung artist—a hard worker who is passionate about what she does and has a knack for controlling chaos. “I make pretty junk mail.” That is how Kelly Popejoy, a freelance creative, design and photo art director, describes her job. She smiles when she says it. Popejoy has direct blue eyes, barely tamed curls and tiny freckles. It’s easy to imagine her commanding a crew, orchestrating a photo shoot, getting the job done. With a client list that includes Ashley Furniture HomeStore, BrylaneHome and Grandin Road, she does everything: developing the initial

AK By Angela Knight

POC DEC n 16

catalog concept, overseeing photo and art direction on location, creating and laying out the final design and delivering the whole lot to the printer on deadline. A single catalog can take more than three months from start to finish. She spends most of her time on the road. Recent catalogs have been shot in Shanghai, North Carolina and Miami. In Florida, Popejoy contacted local real estate agents to find suitable locations. The agents, in turn, had to persuade the homeowners to let Popejoy move into their homes— homes worth more than $3 million. Popejoy and her crew showed up with four large trucks crammed with merchandise, removed the owners’ furnishings and quickly moved in. She worried about artistic details, including the afternoon light, which turned a white bedspread yellow (a no-no in the catalog world), and

a chandelier that refused to hang correctly. (She secured it with wires.) A large silver crab makes an appearance in several photos, along with smiling children and a Boston terrier. Blue accents abound. What looks like a dining room in the finished catalog is actually a boy’s bedroom. She had three different photographers working in three different rooms. It was 10- to 12-hour days of “mass hysteria,” she recalls. Light, color, angles: Popejoy obsessed about everything. She still thinks about it, even though the catalog has long since left her hands and arrived in your mailbox. “You have to be ‘geeked’ about this,” she says. The best part of her job is getting and making a great photo. The worst part is when she can’t find the stuff she needs in the trucks; she knows she is “burning money and daylight” (more no-nos). The best and worst

often occur on the same day, on the same shoot.

Light, color, angles: Popejoy obsessed about everything. She still thinks about it, even though the catalog has long since left her hands and arrived in your mailbox. Popejoy, a graduate of Columbia College in Chicago, has a bachelor’s degree in film and video. She interned at a photo studio at the age of 18,

followed by a stint working with extras on the movie “Ali,” where she got to see Will Smith every day. “I had all these great experiences in Chicago. I was ready for LA,” she says. Los Angeles, however, wasn’t a good fit for the Chicago native, even though she secured a job at CBS Paramount Studios. She says, “I was told, frankly, that I wasn’t tall, skinny and blond.” Popejoy returned to Chicago and became a regional visual merchandise manager for Z Gallerie.

“I make pretty junk mail.” That is how Kelly Popejoy, a freelance creative, design and photo art director, describes her job. But catalog production runs in her family. Her stepfather worked for Spiegel, a catalog company, and her mom was in printing. She discovered that she “liked to shoot things that don’t move or talk back to me.” Interior design became a passion. Popejoy joined the corporate world, working as a catalog creative

supervisor and senior art director, where she was a phenom. A few years ago, her husband, Luke Preczewski, received an offer from UC Davis Transplant Center to be the executive director. At that time, Popejoy and Preczewski were living and working in separate cities, so they took the opportunity and moved to Sacramento. “I fell in love with it. I loved the flowery streets,” she says. She started her own business, KLP Creative, which she operates out of the couple’s East Sacramento home. Instagram provided a way for her to connect socially with other local artists, and her account has more than 2,700 followers. The available food and wine choices have surprised and delighted Popejoy. When she is not on the road, she and Preczewski walk to Orphan Breakfast House. They also ride their bikes to Federalist Public House, The Golden Bear or Rick’s Dessert Diner. The Waterboy is a personal favorite. “They have the best menu. We take everyone there,” Popejoy says. Although she likes to travel and loves what she does, she is happy to arrive home. “I pinch myself every time I leave and come back.” To see Kelly Popejoy’s work, go to kellypopejoy.com n

THEATRE GUIDE THE HOUSE OF BLUE LEAVES

Dec 1 – Dec 10 Geery Theatre 2130 L St, Sac taacproduction@gmail.com The Alternative Arts Collective (TAAC) is proud to produce John Guare’s wildly funny black comedy, The House of Blue Leaves. It tells the story of Artie Shaughnessy, a zookeeper by day and a songwriter with visions of glory by night. Artie dreams of escaping his humdrum life in Queens, and making it big writing songs for the movies in Hollywood. The story unfolds on the historic day in 1965 when Pope Paul VI visited New York to meet with President Lyndon B. Johnson and to celebrate a nighttime Mass of Peace at Yankee Stadium. The Vietnam War was about to begin in earnest, rock music was taking the place of rock and roll, and the times “they were a’changin.” Throw into the mix Artie’s love interest, a kid in the army, a little lunacy, and a trio of nuns; and well, you get the idea.

I OUTGHT TO BE IN PICTURES

Thru Dec 11 Sacramento Theatre Company 1419 H St, Sac Sactheatre.org This comedy-drama follows struggling screenwriter Herb, who abandoned his family 16 years earlier, and his daughter, Libby, who travels to Hollywood to convince her father to give her the acting career she wants. Libby confronts Herb with the trials and responsibilities of parenthood and forces him to come to terms with his girlfriend, Steffy. In this play, humor touches the heart, as well as the funny bone.

THE SANTA LAND DIARIES

Dec 7 – Dec 31 Capital Stage 2215 J St, Sac Capstage.org Crumpet the Elf is back for another round of best-selling author David Sedaris’ sardonic comedy. This wry tale is based on the outlandish, and true, chronicles of Sedaris’ brief stint as an elf in Macy’s Herald Square SantaLand display. Hysterical, behind-the-scenes anecdotes are a holiday treat for adults, mercilessly cutting through the sticky-sweetness of Christmas to illuminate the insanity of the holidays.

CINDERELLA

Thru Jan 1 Sacramento Theatre Company 1419 H St, Sac Sactheatre.org Cinderella, a classic fairy tales with lots of laughs for children and adults alike. Traditionally performed during the Christmas season for family audiences, modern pantomime incorporates song, dance, buffoonery, slapstick, cross-dressing, in-jokes, topical references, mild innuendo, and audience participation.

THE 39 STEPS

Nov 18 – Dec 17 Big Idea Theatre 1616 Del Paso Blvd, Sac BigIdeaTheatre.org Richard Hannay decided to take in a show to alleviate his constant boredom, only to become implicated in the murder of a woman he’d just met who uncovered a mysterious organization’s plot to steal British military secretes – or, in other words, mission accomplished! Now the target of a nationwide manhunt, he must find the true killer and clear his name. In this zany, fast-paced farce based on the classic Alfred Hitchcock thriller, actors play over 150 characters in a tale of espionage, intrigue and romance.

A CHRISTMAS CAROL

Thru Dec 24 B Street Theatre 2711 B St, Sac Bstreettheatre.org Watch, laugh, and gasp as literature’s greatest curmudgeon tries to free himself from the grasp of world’s most popular Christmas story.

ROBIN HOOD

Thru Dec 24 B Street Theatre – Family Series 2711 B St, Sac Bstreettheatre.org An original retelling of the classic hero of Sherwood Forest. Four actors bring to life the story of Robin Hood and his merry men as they steal from the rich to give to the poor. This action packed adaptation features sword-play, chivalry, and plenty of laughs.

SUBMIT EVENTS TO ANIKO@INSIDEPUBLICATIONS.COM POC n INSIDEPUBLICATIONS.COM

Running Man THE MOST IMPORTANT PROMISE OF ALL

ave you ever made an outlandish promise and later reneged? On a recent fall morning, my wife reminded me that I’d nearly done such a thing. We’d just awoken with the morning alarm when she noticed me retreating under the covers. “Aren’t you running this morning?” my wife asked. “It’s too cold,” I replied in my best helpless-man whiny voice. She kissed my upper left arm, her not-so-subtle reminder of a wild promise I’d made in 2012 to my adult children. That was the year I signed up for a marathon. My kids didn’t believe their old man could run 26 miles, so I made this astonishing promise: “If I finish Sacramento’s California International Marathon, I’ll get a tattoo.” I had little reason to believe I’d make good on my grandstanding. I had some injuries that made me doubt my ability to complete the training, much less start the race. But I not only started, I slam-dunk finished in the biggest rainstorm we had in years. In fact, I even thrived enough to run the Air Force marathon nine months later. Yet still no tattoo. Ten months later, I was in San Luis Obispo for my annual two-week training with the Air National Guard.

NB By Norris Burkes Spirit Matters

POC DEC n 16

not the impulsive silly promise that defaced my arm with a blue running man tattoo the size of a half dollar. She was reminding me that I’d gotten the tattoo as a promise to myself—a promise to stay fit and not give up the run.

My kids didn’t believe their old man could run 26 miles.

A week into this “hardship tour,” my chaplain assistant, Rob “Web” Webster, and I were enjoying happyhour specials in a local pub with several Guard members. Suddenly, my assistant put a dare on the table. “Chaplain! When are you going to get that tattoo you promised?” His question caused some beer mugs to make a hard landing on the table. A young lieutenant seated at the adjoining table raised an inquiring eye that prompted Web to share my promise with God and everyone. I wanted to remind Web that we’d both promised our wives that we would look out for one another. I’d assumed that Web’s duty might

include protecting a chaplain from himself, but he clearly intended to shirk that part. “There’s a tattoo parlor within walking distance,” Web said. “Of course there is,” I said. “They’re always within walking distance of a bar or military base.” “Looks like it’s time to get that tattoo,” challenged the lieutenant. Several responded with an “amen.” Fast-forward through the next painful hour that felt like the continuous scratching of a cat. Now, return with me to that recent cold fall morning. My wife kissed my tattooed arm to remind me of a promise I’d made. No,

While she doesn’t consider it the smartest thing I’ve ever done, she does know that the running man is more than a mark on my arm, hidden under my short-sleeve shirt. I’d put it there to encourage myself to keep running, to keep working and to continue to thrive into my senior years. Perhaps that’s what the Apostle Paul had in mind when he told Timothy (2 Timothy 4:7-8): “I’ve run hard right to the finish, believed all the way. All that’s left now is the shouting—God’s applause!” My wife knew, as Paul knew, that the promises that probably matter most in life are those that you make to yourself. They are the promises you make to become a better person, to walk more deeply in faith and to run life’s race with resilience. Norris Burkes is a chaplain, syndicated columnist, national speaker and author. He can be reached at norris@thechaplain.net n

C A T Y E A R D I T H I O W U E L T THE IN V O L O WO G HE T RK H ALL

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This Month @ the Market

A LOOK AT WHAT’S IN SEASON AT LOCAL FARMERS MARKETS IN DECEMBER

BROCCOLI

CABBAGE

MEYER LEMON

This healthful cruciferous vegetable is available much of the year, from September through June. It’s a member of the cabbage family. To eat: Steam or roast at high heat in the oven with olive oil and salt.

This leafy green-, purple or white-colored plant is low in calories and can be pickled, fermented, steamed, stewed, braised or eaten raw. To eat: For a fresh slaw, slice thinly and toss with poppy seed dressing.

This citrus fruit is yellower and rounder than a regular lemon, and its flavor is much sweeter. To eat: Use the juice to make a sweet curd or a nicely flavored vinaigrette.

RADISH

SWEET POTATO

These are grown locally year-round, but they are particularly crisp, juicy and mild in flavor when grown in cool weather. They come in multiple varieties, including daikon, watermelon and white icicle. To eat: Serve with butter and salt for a French-inspired hors d’oeuvre.

This large, starchy, sweet-tasting root vegetable is a great source of beta-carotene. To eat: Roast the flesh and use instead of pumpkin for a delicious Southern pie.

BLOOD ORANGE

This lovely orange has beautiful crimson flesh and a pitted skin. It makes a spectacular juice for drinking plain or adding to cocktails. To eat: Segment and use in a salad.

POC DEC n 16

Veterans Day Parade

INSIDE

OUT CONTRIBUTED BY STEVE HARRIMAN

POC n INSIDEPUBLICATIONS.COM

Sacramento Ballet will perform The Nutcracker. Photo courtesy of Keith Sutter.

TO DO THIS MONTH'S CULTURE & ENTERTAINMENT HIGHLIGHTS

jL By Jessica Laskey

POC DEC n 16

Nuts For The Holidays The Sacramento Ballet presents Ron Cunningham’s “The Nutcracker” Dec. 10, 11, 17, 18, 22, 23 The Sacramento Ballet presents “Nutty Nutcracker” Dec. 9 and 16 at 7 p.m. Community Center Theater, 1301 L St. sacballet.org

Best-known and most beloved of all Sacramento holiday-season traditions, Ron Cunningham’s delightful “Nutcracker” is a true spectacular. Be captivated by this crown jewel of family entertainment with Clara’s magic journey through the sparkling Snowﬂake Forest to the delicious Land of the Sweets. Select performances will even be performed with live music provided by the Sacramento Philharmonic Orchestra. If you’re looking for some holiday spirit with a twist, don’t miss “Nutty Nutcracker,” a madcap, zany send-up of your favorite holiday classic. After rave reviews last year, this special production will get not one, but two performances this year. Visit the Sacramento Ballet website for show times and information on special pre-performance events.

Capitol Idea State Capitol holiday music program Daily through Dec. 23 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. weekdays 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays 1-3 p.m. Sundays California State Capitol (10th Street between L and N streets), ﬁrst-ﬂoor Rotunda 324-0333, capitolmuseum.ca.gov

Get ready for some holiday fun on your next visit to the California State Capitol. Beautiful vintage decorations create a lovely backdrop for a variety of diverse holiday musical performances in the Rotunda. Enjoy live musical entertainment including the Camellia Flute Choir, Sacramento Youth Symphony ensembles, Caltrans and CalPERS choruses, bell-ringers, harps, accordions, Broadway-style song and dance, baroque and brass ensembles, talented school choirs, barbershop choruses and much more.

Happy Birthday, Frank! A celebration of Sinatra’s 101st birthday presented by the Valerie V Quintet Saturday, Dec. 3, at 7 p.m. Nepenthe Clubhouse, 1131 Campus Commons Drive 205-4001, valsvocals.com

Enjoy the music of legendary crooner Frank Sinatra as well as timeless tunes from the Great American Songbook and beloved holiday classics performed by singer Valerie V and her talented troupe of musicians. Take in the music while you sip some delectable wine provided by Cabana Wine and Bistro and nosh on some nibbles. Preferred seating is $15 and general seating is $12. Be sure to reserve early—this event will sell out fast!

25 And Lookin’ Good

Gabriela Smith plays the Snow Queen at the Crockett Deane production. Photo courtesy of Linda Yee.

“Still We Rise: Women’s Wisdom Art’s 25th Anniversary” Through Dec. 4 Crocker Art Museum, 216 O St. 808-1182, crockerartmuseum.org

Of Advents and Artisans

Since 1991, Women’s Wisdom Art has provided a support system and nurturing environment to empower women through artistic exploration. Women in all stages of life work closely with talented volunteers and professional artists to create healing works of art in diverse media, including paintings, ceramics and jewelry. This exhibition is composed of a selection of group and individually created works of art.

“Gold Laundry of the Advent Arrival,” art by Mehran Mesba and Jeff Mayry Dec. 2 through Jan. 19 Opening reception on Friday, Dec. 2, from 6 to 9 p.m. “Handmade Holidays” artisan craft fair Sunday, Dec. 18, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Visions Of Sugar Plums

Beatnik Studios, 723 S St. 400-4281, beatnik-studios.com

The Crockett-Deane Ballet Company presents “The Nutcracker” and “Christmas Angels” Friday, Dec. 16 at 8 p.m. (preview of selected scenes only) Saturday, Dec. 17, at 7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 18, at 2 p.m.

Sacramento artists Mehran Mesba and Jeff Mayry bring an exhibition of new paintings entitled “Gold Laundry of the Advent Arrival” to Beatnik Studios. The work explores ideas related to the reconstruction of identity. Mesba focuses on the process of deformation and the effect certain forces have on physical forms over time, and Mayry takes his cues from physical sensation both real and imagined. Also at the gallery through Dec. 22 is Trent Dean’s installation “Cube for Thought.” Dean uses mixed media to create forms that are at once familiar and unfamiliar; the series uses the cube as a representation of oneself. In the market for some fun ﬁnds for the holidays? Beatnik Studios’ eighth annual holiday party and craft fair will feature 36 of Sacramento’s coolest and craftiest artisans selling local, handmade goods like art, clothing, hats, jewelry, pottery, body products and toys. A selection of small art pieces by various Beatnik artists will also be available for sale, as well as food and drink for both adults and kids.

The Center at Twenty-Three Hundred, 2300 Sierra Blvd. 453-0226, deanedancecenter.com

If you’re not sure your little ones will be able to make it through a longer version of “The Nutcracker,” give them the taste of this one-act, family-friendly, narrated version featuring the beautiful music of Pyotr Ilich Tchaikovsky. Then stick around for “Christmas Angels,” an original ballet by Don Schwennesen set to traditional Christmas carols.

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Give Good Gift The Sacramento Symphonic Winds present “The Gift of Melody” Sunday, Dec. 11, at 2:30 p.m. Crowne Plaza Sacramento Northeast, 5321 Date Ave. 489-2576, sacwinds.org

Come one, come all to this family holiday concert featuring the Sacramento Symphonic Winds, a 60-piece adult symphonic band conducted by Music and Artistic Director Timothy M. Smith. Celebrate beautiful melodies and inspired melodic invention with pieces such as “Chester” by William Schuman, “Russian Christmas Music” by Alfred Reed, “Divinum Mysterium” by James Swearingen, three unique settings for band of the plainchant, and more!

Do You Hear the Children Sing?

Mehran Mesbah will be on display at Beatnik Studios starting Dec. 2

Small But Mighty “Big Show of Small Treasures” presented by the Sacramento Visual Arts Collaborative Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 10 and 11 Various venues (see below) robertray.collage@yahoo.com, facebook.com/SacVAC

The Sacramento Visual Arts Collaborative is proud to present this extraordinary annual art event showcasing intimately scaled works of art (12-by-12-inches or smaller) at 11 amazing art venues around the city. A diverse range of artistic disciplines including painting, drawing, printmaking and collage and genres such as landscape, still life, ﬁgurative and abstract will be exhibited by artists Shirley Hazlett, Bill Reed, Dwight Head, Barbetta Lockart, Susan Rabinovitz, Linda Welch, Patris, Linda Clark Johnson and Tim Collom, among many others. The venues are ARTHOUSE (1021 R St.), Artistic Edge Gallery (1880 Fulton Ave.), Brickhouse Art Gallery (2837 26th St.), DaDas Art Gallery Boutique and microARTCollection (3655 J St.), ITSA Studio (4330 24th St., Suite 2), Little Relics (908 21st St.), Patris Studio Gallery (3460 Second Ave.), Red Dot Gallery (2231 J St.), Sparrow Gallery (2418 K St.) and Tim Collom Gallery (915 20th St.).

The Sacramento Children’s Chorus holiday concert “A Ceremony of Carols” Saturday, Dec. 3, at 7:30 p.m. Westminster Presbyterian Church, 1300 N St. Sunday, Dec. 4, at 4 p.m. Carmichael Seventh Day Adventist Church, 4600 Winding Way Sacramento Choral Society’s “Home for the Holidays” featuring the SCC Saturday, Dec. 10, at 2 and 7:30 p.m. Sacramento Memorial Auditorium 646-1141, sacramentochoral.com

Help the Sacramento Children’s Chorus (SCC) ring in its 24th season by returning to its roots. In its debut performance in 1992, the SCC presented Benjamin Britten’s “Ceremony of Carols,” according to Lynn Stevens, SCC’s conductor and artistic director. Four choirs with more than 150 children total will perform under the direction of Stevens and Melanie Huber to bring back this stunning work for treble voices. The concert will also include beloved carols such as “The Coventry Carol,” “In the Bleak Midwinter” and “Lo, How a Rose,” as well as traditional songs such as “Do You Hear What I Hear?” and variations on “Jingle Bells” with a special solo appearance by Sacramento’s premier soprano, Carrie Hennessey. The program will also feature harpist Carol Kihm. Don’t miss out on yet another seasonal Sacramento tradition when the SCC performs with the Sacramento Choral Society in the annual “Home for the Holidays” concert at the Memorial Auditorium on Dec. 10.

SCSO Christmas Celebration Saturday, Dec. 10, at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Sacramento Memorial Auditorium 536-9065, sacramentochoral.com

Sacramento Choral Society & Orchestra Conductor Donald Kendrick has once again created a fresh and sparkling program designed to capture the magic and spirit of the season for the whole family with their Wells Fargo Home for the Holidays concerts. This year the concerts feature life-size puppets, narrations and San Jose Opera baritone headliner Matt Hanscom, along with the Sacramento Children’s Chorus, candlelit procession and audience sing-along, all accompanied by the SCSO Orchestra. Tickets priced at $50, $40, and $35 with a 50% student discount.

POC DEC n 16

State Capitol Holiday Music Program

Sacramento Children's Chorus is celebrating the season by performing “A Ceremony of Carols”

Master-ing the Season

If It Ain’t Baroque …

The Sacramento Master Singers present “A Master Singers Christmas: Angels We Have Heard On High” Sunday, Dec. 11, at 7 p.m.

Vox Musica presents “Voices of Peace: A Vox Christmas” Saturday, Dec. 17, at 7 p.m. Jesuit High School (Phelan Chapel), 1200 Jacob Lane, Carmichael Sunday, Dec. 18, at 5 p.m. St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 1430 J St. Tuesday, Dec. 20, at 7 p.m.

Harris Center of the Arts, 10 College Parkway, Folsom 608-6888, harriscenter.net

Thursday, Dec. 15, at 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 17, at 8 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 18, at 3 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 21, at 7 p.m. Saint Francis of Assisi Catholic Church (1066 26th St.) 788-7464, mastersingers.org

The Sacramento Master Singers present “Jingle All the Way!” Saturday, Dec. 17, at 2 p.m. Saint Francis of Assisi Catholic Church (1066 26th St.) 788-7464, mastersingers.org

From a meditative candlelight processional to exuberant spirituals, “A Master Singers Christmas: Angels We Have Heard On High” is guaranteed to deliver the beauty and joy of the holiday season. The concert will include Mannheim Steamroller’s mysterious “Veni, Veni,” a dramatic setting of “Ubi Caritas” by Ola Gjeilo, a string quartet to accompany Buxtehude’s “Das Neugeborne Kindelein” and Brian Büda’s “Love Came Down at Christmas,” plus modern settings of traditional carols. Audiences will also enjoy Pentatonix’s versions of “Mary, Did You Know?” and “That’s Christmas to Me,” the energy of Straight No Chaser’s “The 12 Days of Christmas,” as well as “O Come All Ye Faithful” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” If your tiny tykes want to join in the holiday cheer as well, check out “Jingle All the Way!” a 45-minute special performance for children of all ages. The choir will sing holiday songs the kids are sure to know and the audience is invited to sing and play along. The event concludes with a surprise visit from Santa.

Beatnik Studios, 723 S St. voxmusica.net/project-one

Vox Musica opens its 11th season with an authentic and masterful performance of literature from the Baroque period. At the heart of the program are two Italian masterpieces, Antonio Vivaldi’s “Magniﬁcat” and the premiere of a rare, unpublished edition of Nicola Antonio Porpora’s “In Te Domine,” both accompanied by a period string ensemble and organ continuo. This three-concert project will provide patrons with a unique musical experience and one that makes a signiﬁcant contribution to the preservation of this rich, and rare, choral literature.

The Halls Are Alive “The Sound of Music” Holiday Event Thursday, Dec. 29, at 1:30 and 6 p.m. Crocker Art Museum, 216 O St. 808-1182, crockerartmuseum.org

The Crocker’s “The Sound of Music” holiday event returns for its ﬁfth year, with costume contests, door prizes, yodeling and lots of laughs. The beloved multi-Academy-Award-winning ﬁlm starring Julie Andrews with music by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein never ceases to tickle the heart and warm the soul. Dress in costume, party with interactive fun packs available for purchase and sing your heart out! This event sells out every year, so advance registration is recommended. Jessica Laskey can be reached at jessrlaskey@gmail.com. n

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All Together Now HE BRINGS TOGETHER VOICES FOR AN ALL-FEMALE CHORAL GROUP

he motto for Vox Musica, the

“you played a sport, you played an

innovative women’s vocal

instrument and you went to church.

ensemble, is Music Worth

That was our life.”

Sharing. That motto perfectly fits

Paulson was a regular on the

both the group and its founder and

national honor choir circuit in high

music director, Daniel Paulson.

school. Yet he knew he was destined to one day wield the baton.

“To quote the father of American

“Even in high school, I knew

choral, Robert Shaw, I know of no other art form in which an individual

music education and being a choral

with limited skills is enhanced by the

director was my path,” Paulson says.

group,” Paulson says.

“I found that I could see the paths of least resistance—to help people learn music faster and help them meet their creative goals.”

Vox Musica serves as the perfect outlet for Paulson’s expansive imagination.

“I’ll see something really interesting, and it’s my job to find a pathway.”

He founded the all-female group 10 years ago after earning his master’s degree in choral conducting at California State University, Los

But after his first summer of

Angeles. (He also has a bachelor

graduate school, Paulson was

degree in voice performance from

feeling stymied. One of his mentors

Sacramento State.) “Working in a

suggested he go home and start his

group is really powerful,” he says.

own group. Paulson did just that in

“Everyone’s voice is unique. It’s

2006.

of our spirit, our thumbprint. To

“I wanted to create something in

share it, you have to be completely

town that I felt there was a need for,”

vulnerable. In choral singing, you

he explains. “At that time, I couldn’t

have to be vulnerable with others. I

find a women’s choir working at the

skill level I knew was possible. So I

By Jessica Laskey

POC DEC n 16

brought some friends together and Daniel Paulson is the founder of Vox Musica

fully believe you can transform

Paulson comes from a musical

situations through singing. It’s

family: His mother is a singer and

empowering.”

an organist, and his father is a choir director. In his family, he says,

started Vox to forge new ground in choral work.” Vox Musica serves as the perfect outlet for Paulson’s expansive imagination. Over the past 10 years, the group has produced 40 concert

Selling? Did you know . . . We are in a Seller's Market 69% of Sellers receive Multiple Offers*

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For a Free Consultation Call (916) 616-6600 Member of the National Association of Realtors Member of the California Association of Realtors

projects and has given more than 100

awarded the 2015-16 National Award

concert performances. Its repertoire

for Adventurous Programming, a

includes 417 diverse musical works

stamp of national recognition that

from more than 30 countries and sung

has inspired Paulson—who is a

in more than 25 languages, including

tenure-track professor of voice and

Swedish, Japanese, Hungarian,

choral at Sacramento City College

Georgian, Ukrainian, Yiddish, Farsi,

and a resident artist at the Tahoe

Arabic, Nahuatl (ancient Aztec) and

Symphony—to go even bigger and

Nisenan (an archaic Native American

better.

language). “I’ll see something really

NU TS The Nutty

Nutcracker

December 9 & 16/2016 Community Center Theater For tickets visit sacballet.org/nutty or call 916.808.5181 M-Sat 10am-6pm

Photography: Keith Sutter

Thinking

“We have something pretty exciting in the works that I can’t talk about

interesting, and it’s my job to find

yet,” Paulson says. “We’re also

a pathway,” Paulson says. “For

in conversations with an Italian

example, I saw a local taiko dan

percussionist from the Bay Area, as

drumming group and I was just

well as a local poet who has a major

mesmerized. I said, ‘I really want to

collection of poetry we want to use as

work with these people,’ so I made it

the center of a project. And of course

my job to find a way to incorporate it

we’re going to incorporate even more

into a project. Collaborations are at

educational outreach—there’s always

the heart of our organization. If can’t

an educational component.”

find published music, I’ll go out and get music made by friends. I get all these crazy ideas and think, ‘This is cool. Now, how can I bridge the gap?’”

For more information on upcoming Vox Musica concerts, visit voxmusica. net.

Paulson is clearly very good at bridging the gap, and the American Society of Composers and Publishers

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

took note. This year, Vox Musica was For more business insight pick up a copy of Comstock’s or visit comstocksmag.com

POC n INSIDEPUBLICATIONS.COM

Morning Glory THESE TWO DINNER HOUSES ALSO SERVE UP GREAT BREAKFASTS

here are some restaurants that specialize in breakfast. They have perfected the egg flip, mastered the fresh squeeze and gilded the griddle. Then there are those that broker in brunch, pouring mimosas by the gallon and piling waffles with enough garnishes to bury even the sturdiest Belgian. If you find yourself in ArdenArcade on a bright winter’s morning,

GS By Greg Sabin

POC DEC n 16

you might think of Ettore’s to satisfy your hunger. Its European-style baked goods and quick-order, highquality kitchen fit the bill almost any morning. Maybe you’re in Tahoe Park and wondering where breakfast is served. Any local will tell you that Bacon & Butter is the spot for rich, inventive, gut-busting plates of early-morning delight. The spot on 59th and Broadway has a line out the door almost any day of the week. What if you’re downtown and meeting friends for weekend brunch? Odds are the first place that will come to mind is Tower Cafe, the longstanding (and long-lined) destination for brunch. If you’re in

Midtown, you might jump at the thought of brunch at The Porch: biscuits, grits and creative morning cocktails. Then there’s a small group of restaurants that are rarely thought of for breakfast. They traffic mostly in dinners and are known more for their steaks and seafood than their eggs and bacon. I’ve stumbled upon a few of these in my travels, well-regarded eateries that quietly put out daily breakfast without fanfare, but with a fair amount of skill and flavor. The foremost of these hidingin-plain-sight breakfast joints is Grange. The downtown spot might not come to mind when you’re hungry for morning fare, but folks

from the surrounding businesses and government offices drop in for breakfast meetings frequently, and travelers staying at The Citizen Hotel use it as their first morning stop. Grange has a fine reputation throughout the region, and its breakfast isn’t at all a letdown. Executive chef Oliver Ridgeway has been at the helm for five years now, and his care and meticulous attention to detail stand out. The menu is limited, but quality is evident in every dish. The chorizo scramble seems simple enough but sings with layers of flavor, from the well-balanced, house-made sausage to the simply perfect guacamole to the perfectly crisp potatoes along for

Celebrate the Holidays at Fat’s Open Christmas Eve

Frank Fat’s est. 1939

806 L Street Downtown Sacramento 916-442-7092 www.FrankFats.com

the ride. The whole beautiful mess is served up smartly in a cast-iron casserole with a few house-made tortillas. Similarly well laid out is the plate of avocado toast. Rough and delicious whole-wheat batard gets a generous smear of avocado, topped with an expertly poached egg. A well-dressed salad alongside offers an unexpected dot of sophistication to an otherwise simple and straightforward dish. On a bright winter’s morning, the floor-to-ceiling windows offer an inviting lightness in which to bask while drinking your surprisingly strong cup of coffee. The service is brisk and friendly, and the prices are neither low nor unexpected for a downtown restaurant. Another surprising purveyor of breakfast is Iron, the Broadway eatery and drinkery known more

for its steaks than anything on the breakfast spectrum. Served all week, breakfast ranges from freshly fried beignets to a hearty plate of steak and eggs. Iron, formerly Iron Steaks, on Broadway and 13th is housed where Fuji used to serve up Japanese fare. The restaurant opened seven years ago with a focus on steaks, but as the years have gone by, the place has become a pretty well-rounded restaurant serving breakfast every weekday. It also has the comfiest booths west of the Mississippi. Most notable on the breakfast menu is the crab cake and eggs. A substantial plate of food, the plate includes a large crab cake topped with hollandaise, plus potatoes, eggs and toast. The crab cake is much better than you’d expect from a breakfast joint, tender and flavorful, and it

turns out to be a spot-on item for a hungry breakfaster. Other items, save the beignets, are boilerplate breakfast fare: eggs, bacon, potatoes, waffles, etc. But the fact that Iron serves breakfast every weekday and brunch on the weekends makes it a great alternative to the long lines down the street at Tower Cafe or the charming-for-some, terrifying-for-others clown paintings at Pancake Circus. Whether you’re rising or shining, some of Sacramento’s better dinner restaurants are also great destinations for breakfast. If you’re looking for a spot for a morning meeting or a special treat on a weekday morning, you’d be well served by Grange and surprised by the offerings at Iron.

Distinctively Sacramento

Private Party! New Year’s Eve e! , ﬁreworks & mor Dinner, live band Call us!

Grange is at 926 J St.; 492-4450; grangesacramento.com Iron is at 2422 13th St.; 737-5115; irongrillsacramento.com Greg Sabin can be reached at gregsabin@hotmail.com n

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442.8226 | riocitycafe.com

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