INSIDE
I N S I D E P U B L I C A T I O N S . C O M
O
S T R E E T
S A C R A M E N T O
FEB 14
C A
9 5 8 1 6
POSTAL CUSTOMER ******ECRWSS******
PRSRT STD US Postage PA I D Permit # 1826 Sacramento CA
G E T
3 1 0 4
POCKET GREENHAVEN SOUTH LAND PARK LITTLE POCKET
I N T O
T H E
N E I G H B O R H O O D
sold
QUALITY WEBER BUILT HOME 4 bedroom 2½ home on almost 1/2 acre lot with RV access. Gorgeous remodeled items: kitchen, baths, Àooring, imperfect smooth ¿nished walls, windows, sliders, counter tops, custom cabinets, stainless steel appliances, high-end granite, designer lights, ¿replace & more. Tons of quality upgrades! $569,000 MONA GERGEN 247-9555
ON THE RIVER Private levee and Sacramento River in your back yard. Boat dock possible. 3 bedrooms 2 baths, French doors to pool/waterfall, spa. Granite countertops in kitchen and handscraped wood laminate Àoors. RV parking, walking distance to Didion School. Like vacation living every day! $449,000 CARLA HONEY 719-3319
sold
pending
S LAND PARK HILLS DUPLEX This is a wonderful duplex in a great location! Spacious 1500+ square feet units, 3 bedrooms 2 baths with formal living room, family room and master suite on each side. Central heat and air, dishwasher, disposal, garages and small yards. $400,000 PAULA SWAYNE 425-9715
sold
QUALITY GREENHAVEN Beautiful 3 bedroom 2 bath home with many upgrades in the highly desired Didion school boundaries. New paint in and out, re¿nished and newly painted cabinets, tile bathroom Àoor and hardware. Updated kitchen; spacious yard with fruit tree, covered patio, auto sprinklers. Wow!!! $349,000 MONA GERGEN 247-9555
GREENHAVEN HALF-PLEX Quality Parker built half-plex in highly desired neighborhood. Nice Àoor plan with 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and 2 car garage. Dual pane windows, covered patio and spacious family room. Down the street from the greenbelt for biking or walking. Close to shopping, freeway and downtown. $175,000 MONA GERGEN 247-9555
RIVERLAKE Quiet cul-de-sac location for this custom built 5 bedroom 3 bath home! Features include custom maple cabinets, granite counter tops, rod iron spiraling stair case, two ¿replaces, a 4-car tandem garage,1 bedroom and bath downstairs, balcony off master, and more. Wow! $640,000 MONA GERGEN 247-9555
RIVERGATE HOME Wonderful four bedroom home on a quiet street. This home has a great Àoor plan with lots of light! Private living room, kitchen family room combination and spacious master suite. Sliding glass doors the family room and master suite to gorgeous sized backyard. $349,000 PAM VANDERFORD 799-7234
LOT ON THE RIVER Must see this beautiful lot! A rare opportunity to build your own home on a riverfront lot in the Little Pocket area close to the freeway and downtown. Riverside Blvd close to 35th Ave. Go by, walk around the lot and enjoy the Sacramento River. Call agent if you have questions. $279,000 MONA GERGEN 247-9555
HOLLYWOOD PARK CHARM Hard to ¿nd updated 3 bedroom charmer with central heat and air. Country kitchen is large with granite counters, new cabinets and stainless steel appliances. Dual pane windows, hardwood Àoors and a wonderful ¿replace in the living room. Big backyard a garden delight! $244,900 LISA McCAULEY 601-5474
for current home listings, please visit:
DUNNIGANREALTORS.COM 916.484.2030 916.454.5753 Dunnigan is a different kind of Realtor.
®
2
pending
POCKET FEB n 14
Trey McIntyre’s
February 13 - 16
Shown with Edwaard Liang’s Wunderland and a World Premiere from Ma Cong
at the Community Center Theater
Put Your Valentine in Motion “Wild Sweet Love, set to hit songs…..including Queen and Lou Reed, with the Mendelssohn Wedding March thrown in, was the program’s FORVHU DQG DQ DXGLHQFH KLW«« LWV WKHPH ² WKH GLɤFXOWLHV IDFHG E\ D VLQJOH ZRPDQ LQ VRFLHW\ « $ JLIW OLNH WKLV UHPLQGV PH RI WKH ZRUOG UHQRZQHG FKRUHRJUDSKHU $QWRQ\ 7XGRU ´ Alastair Macauley, NY Times, August 6, 2010 Wunderland by Edwaard Liang ͙͟ĂďƵŶĚĂŶƚ ǁŝƚŚ ĞLJĞͲĐĂƚĐŚŝŶŐ ƉƌĞĐŝƐŝŽŶ ƉĂƌƚŶĞƌŝŶŐ͙͙ĂŶ ĞŵŽƟŽŶĂů ũŽƵƌŶĞLJ ĨƌŽŵ ŚĞƐŝƚĂƟŽŶ ƚŽ ůŽǀĞ͘͘͟ Oksana Khadarina, Ballet.Magazine (April, 2010) WORLD PREMIERE by Ma Cong created especially for the Sacramento Ballet ;dŚĞ ŚŝŶĞƐĞ ďŽƌŶ ĐŚŽƌĞŽŐƌĂƉŚĞƌ ŚĂƐͿ ͞ƐǁŝŌůLJ ƌŝƐĞŶ ƚŽ ďĞĐŽŵĞ ŽŶĞ ŽĨ ŵĞƌŝĐĂ͛Ɛ ŵŽƐƚ ĞdžĐŝƟŶŐ ĐŚŽƌĞŽŐƌĂƉŚĞƌƐ͘͟ Ŷ WŽŝŶƚĞ DĂŐĂnjŝŶĞ͕ ,ŽƵƐƚŽŶ͕ dy
For tickets and more information visit us online at:
www.sacballet.org
INSIDEPUBLICATIONS.COM
3
COVER ARTIST Anthony Montanino Oil painter Anthony Montanino began iPainting with his fingers when the first iPad debuted and has been teaching his technique privately and at the Crocker Art Museum for more than three years: “I don’t see the iPad ever replacing traditional painting, but it is a fun and useful tool. I enjoy the immediacy it brings. In the studio it decreases prep time for traditional paintings by laying the groundwork on the iPad first and then sketching, blocking and correcting colors before putting paint on canvas. It’s also a light, no-prep, no-mess way to paint en plain air.” Visit the artist’s studio at ARTHOUSE (1021 R St.) or anthonymontanino.com.
EAST SACRAMENTO
L A N D PA R K
ARDEN
FEB 14 V O L U M E
1 • ISSUE 1
Publisher's Desk.............................................................. ....5 Warm Welcome ............................................................. ....6 Inside City Hall................................................................... 8 Meet Your Neighbor ........................................................... 9 Pocket Life ....................................................................... 12 Yes Woman ..................................................................... 14 Shoptalk .......................................................................... 16
PUBLISHER Cecily Hastings publisher@insidepublications.com 3104 O St. #120, Sac. CA 95816 (Mail Only) 916-441-7026 EDITOR PRODUCTION DESIGN PHOTOGRAPHY AD COORDINATOR ACCOUNTING EDITORIAL POLICY
Inside Out........................................................................ 19 Spirit Matters ................................................................... 21 Pets & Their People ........................................................... 22 Volunteer Profile ............................................................... 23 Home Insight.................................................................... 24
Marybeth Bizjak mbbizjak@aol.com M.J. McFarland Cindy Fuller, Daniel Nardinelli, Lyssa Skeahan Linda Smolek, Aniko Kiezel Michele Mazzera Jim Hastings, Daniel Nardinelli 916-443-5087 Commentary reflects the views of the writers and does not necessarily reflect those of Inside Publications. Inside Publications is delivered for free to more than 50,000 households in Sacramento. Printing and distribution costs are paid entirely by advertising revenue. We spotlight selected advertisers, but all other stories are determined solely by our editorial staff and are not influenced by advertising. No portion may be reproduced mechanically or electronically without written permission of the publisher. All ad designs & editorial—©
Local Heroes .................................................................... 28 Garden Jabber ................................................................ 30 Artist Spotlight ................................................................. 32 River City Previews ........................................................... 34 Art Preview ...................................................................... 37 Restaurant Insider ............................................................. 38
%
SUBMISSIONS Submit cover art to publisher@insidepublications.com. Submit editorial contributions to mbbizjak@aol.com. SUBSCRIPTIONS Subscriptions at $20 per year guarantees 3rd class mailing. Send check with name & address of recipient and specify publication edition.
LOCAL
VISIT INSIDEPUBLICATIONS.COM CONTACT OUR ADVERTISING TEAM
4
Ann Tracy
Duffy Kelly
East Sacramento
Arden-Carmichael - Native Advertising
Central City - Land Park
798-2136
224-1604
341-9755
POCKET FEB n 14
Michael Boyd
Mimi Kent Pocket - Central City
212-8899
A Note to Our Readers WITH THIS NEW PUBLICATION, WE HOPE TO CELEBRATE THE BEST OF THE POCKET
association in East Sacramento. We
BY CECILY HASTINGS
I
the very first monthly edition of Inside Pocket. Our Little Pocket
and South Land Park neighbors may have read our Land Park edition. But for most of you, this will be a new experience—one that
is smaller in page count compared to
bring neighbors closer to one another.
gleans from his extensive Pocket
our other editions, which have been
As newcomers to the area, we found
connections. The District 6 city
around for many years. Our hope
it difficult to get to know people and
council seat is opening up with
is that it will grow, thanks to the
find out where to go and what to do.
councilmember Darrell Fong decision
advertsing sales efforts of Mimi Kent,
Over the years, new residents have
not to run for re-election. We plan to
herself a Pocket resident.
told us that our publications help
cover the candidates’ positions on city
them integrate quickly into their new
and neighborhood issues as we lead up well-read columnists who cover
neighborhoods. Longtime residents
to the primary on June 3.
tell us they love learning new things about their communities.
Our aim is to provide you with local information you cannot get anywhere else.
publishing business in 1996 with Inside East Sacramento. In 1998, we expanded to the Land Park and Curtis Park neighborhoods and the central city with Inside The City (renamed Inside Land Park last year). In 2000, we added Inside Arden. Our magazines are direct-mailed for free to homes in selected neighborhoods and are 100 percent supported by small-business advertising dollars. Jim and I moved from the Bay Area to Sacramento in 1990 to raise a family. Jim’s background was in business management and sales. Mine was in design and sales. Our publishing business grew out of our community activism and involvement with founding a neighborhood
We have more than a dozen various aspects of our communities
We also have two special stories to
including small business, gardening,
bring you from the Pocket this month: transportation, clubs, pets, spiritual Donald and Corinne Fugina opened
matters, schools, parenting and more.
their gorgeous Pocket home for our
We’ll be cycling them in and out until
monthly Home Insight column. And
our pages grow to include them all.
we devote our restaurant review to the Pocket’s tiny Ravenous Cafe. In
If you like what you read and want more, please consider supporting our advertisers.
future months, we will run stories about interesting people and places from all over our city. We analyze news from city hall
we hope you enjoy. My husband Jim and I began our
Our first edition of Inside Pocket
news column filled with items he
PUBLISHER’S DESK want to thank you for reading
Shane Singh will pen a monthly
started publishing as way to help
with writer and local attorney Craig We cover the people, places and events in our neighborhoods. All of our contributing writers are local. Our editor, Marybeth Bizjak, is a seasoned pro who has been with us for 16 years and oversees all their work. Our aim is to provide you with local information you cannot get anywhere else. We have hired well-known writer R.E. Graswich to profile interesting people from the Pocket neighborhood where he lives. His first profile is of Carlin Naify, a wonderful art and community supporter who serves with me on Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission. This month, we also feature an interview with the writer himself, who just released a book on the history of the Kings basketball team, “Vagrant Kings.”
Powell. He leads a city-government watchdog group called Eye on Sacramento and brings a different approach to city politics than you will read elsewhere. The first thing you probably noticed
If you like what you read and want
when Inside Pocket arrived in your
more, please consider supporting
mailbox is the cover art. We use
our advertisers. They pay the full
original art from local artists, and
cost to bring you this publication.
occasionally historic or nationally
Like us on Facebook and we’ll bring
known work to coordinate with
you more local information all
shows at Crocker Art Museum. This
month long. All our stories are also
month, as a special welcome to our
available to read and share online at
new Pocket readers, we commissioned
insidepublications.com, and there’s a
artist Anthony Montanino to create a
digital edition for iPad.
beautiful image of the historic Dutra
We welcome your ideas, story leads
House using his iPad. Many readers
and feedback as we grow and mature
keep our publications around just to
in covering your neighborhood.
look at the beautiful art. Cecily Hastings can be reached at publisher@insidepublications.com. n
INSIDEPUBLICATIONS.COM
5
Warm Welcome A LETTER FROM YOUR COUNCILMEMBER
BY DARRELL FONG
I
want to welcome you to the first edition of Inside the Pocket. Serving as your councilmember provides me an opportunity to help and work with people in our community in a positive way. We live in a great neighborhood, which is one reason that Inside Publications decided to launch this paper. I want to welcome publisher Cecily Hastings and her team to our community and look forward to reading the great stories about innovative people and projects in our neighborhood. As many of you know, this is my last year as your city councilmember. I have decided to run for the 9th Assembly district in June, as Assemblymember Dr. Richard Pan has decided to run for the Senate. I have worked hard as your councilmember to protect our community and our city’s budget and ensure we protect our water rights. My decision to run for the Assembly did not come lightly. Serving as a councilmember we focus on local issues, which have a direct impact on our lives. This is why I ran for office, to serve you, as with my previous career with the Sacramento Police Department. As many of you know, I am not a career politician. What drove my decision to run for the Assembly is simple: public service. There are issues that our community will face in the legislature, where we need an advocate who will make the right decisions, not the most politically palatable. The governor’s proposed twin tunnels, the ongoing
6
POCKET FEB n 14
realignment of our prison system and the new education funding formula are a few examples of issues that will have a direct impact on our community. When I took office in 2010, we faced a $40 million budget deficit, prompting many to question whether we could remain a full-service city. Some of my colleagues and I made tough decisions to reduce our budget deficit and restore essential services to Sacramento. We accomplished a great deal in a short time and now look toward rebuilding a budget surplus. As your councilmember, I became a water-policy advocate for our region. I testified in the Senate against the proposed Bay Delta Conservation Plan, hosted the first-ever regional “Conversation on Water” with Congresswoman Matsui and Supervisor Don Nottoli, and represented the city of Sacramento on the Regional Water Authority. We live next to two amazing rivers and have
some of the best water rights in the state of California. Pocket has accomplished some great projects over the past few years. We have restarted the discussion on connecting the Sacramento River Parkway. Grocery Outlet, owned by a couple who lives in our community, filled the long-vacant “Old Nugget” shopping center. Delta Shores has broken ground and will open a new interchange south of Pocket Road. We have seen a marked reduction in crime throughout the community. We have also started opening, not closing, businesses again such as Pocket Bistro, Fivestar Nutrition and Greenhaven Bike Shop, all of which are locally owned. Looking forward, 2014 will be a great year. We will continue to host our monthly District 7 Food Truck Expo at Garcia Bend Park, starting in March. And we will continue our sidewalk office hours starting in February. We look forward to making the Pocket Parade the best yet. We are also working on several new events for 2014, including a 5k and 10k run along the Sacramento River,
and are developing a new event to highlight the great restaurants we have in our community. Community committees are forming to help with the planning and logistics for both events. If you are interested in participating, please contact our office. Additionally, we have recently completed the Freeport Shores Trail, which connects the Sacramento River Trail to the Bill Conlin Youth Sports Complex on Freeport Boulevard. Later this year, we will break ground on a 2-acre dog park at the Bill Conlin Youth Sports Complex. This project will incorporate the addition of more than 60 additional parking spaces to help with parking for both Greenhaven Soccer and Pocket Little League. I look forward to continuing my public service. If there is anything I can do for you, please do not hesitate to call or email me. Darrell Fong represents the Pocket on the City Council. He can be reached at 952-0352 or dfong@ cityofsacramento.org. n
“For your Real Estate Needs… Select a Scharosch!” Greenhaven Residents since 1975 REALTORS® over 30 years | Expect Outstanding Service Jerry Scharosch
916 719-5122 jscharosch@cbnorcal.com www.topseller-sacramento.com CaBRE# 00330532
Cathy Scharosch
916 801-9613 cscharosch@cbnorcal.com www.CathyScharosch4Homes.com CaBRE # 00586371 ©2014 Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC, All Rights Reserved. Coldwell Banker is a registered trademark licensed to Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC . An Equal Opportunity Company. Equal Housing opportunity. Each Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage Office is owned by a Subsidiary of NRT LLC CaBRE# 01908304
“Choosing Bill as our agent was the best decision we made in the process of selling our house. Bill has more than 30 years experience, is a consummate professional in the business aspects of the trade and maintains a friendly, even tempered demeanor on all occasions. We unreservedly give him our highest recommendation.” Tom & Martha Yanger, Sellers – Pocket Area
Bill Bonner & Bill
Bonner Circa 1954
BRE# 00692245
ild u B / ign s e D ces i v r Se
Valentine s Day Heart-Shaped
For All of Your Kitchen, Bath and Whole-House Remodeling Needs
Fresh Strawberry Tart
.com
s chen djkit
Jewel wel B Box Cake
’s mento a r c a ods ng S Ser vi eighborho tn oldes 81 19 since ome e in-h J e r f a or D& Call f tion with a t l consu
916.
92
77 5.25
ork sign W use. All De In-Ho d te le Comp terior ed In ff Certifi n Sta ner o Desig ense
rs lic 4 4 5 9 8 2 acto
contr
Our Mini-Cake...Perfect for 2
Two of Hearts Cake for Two Cupcakes • CakePops • Cookies • Cheesecake
2966 Freeport Boulevard • 442-4256 Visit freeportbakery.com
INSIDEPUBLICATIONS.COM
7
Taxing Times A COMEBACK FOR CITY LIBRARIES, BUT CASH CRUNCH LOOMS
BY CRAIG POWELL INSIDE CITY HALL
W
hen the city council recently considered a June ballot measure to boost the current $29 annual library parcel tax by $12 to $41, it proved once again that children are the most effective props in politics. Even jaded politicos pretty much melted when two brothers, Dominic O’Toole (a first-grader) and his brother Joseph (a third-grader), presented their reasons why adults should support a hike in the city’s library tax (a two-thirds vote will be required for passage). Dominic’s most memorable (and touching) line was “When libraries are closed, it makes us sad.” His older brother spoke of how he couldn’t have done his book report without the resources of the Belle Cooledge branch library (the busiest in the system) and bemoaned the impact of “staff cutbacks and furloughs.” An incredulous Mayor Johnson put him on the spot: “Do you even know what a furlough is?” Joseph immediately shot back the correct answer. “How did he know that?” an astonished Johnson asked. Some wag in the audience immediately chimed in: “He goes to the library a lot.”
8
POCKET FEB n 14
But the children’s parade didn’t end with the O’Toole brothers. Kathi Windheim with the group Friends of the Robbie Waters PocketGreenhaven Library introduced a dozen bright high school and middle school students. Each approached the rostrum and delivered memorable one-sentence quotes from favorite books by esteemed authors, not a few on the importance of libraries in our lives and our culture. It was masterful stagecraft. To no one’s surprise, the council voted unanimously to place the library tax-hike measure on the June 3 ballot. I’m a bibliophile and longtime patron of the Sacramento Public Library. I did my book reports at Belle Coolidge Library (a zillion years ago), then located in the Lanai Shops shopping center on Freeport Boulevard, and even did a brief stint as vice president of Friends of Belle Cooledge Library. So I admit to a little personal bias on the subject of public libraries. But I recently put my green eyeshade on and took a close look at this latest proposal to hike the library parcel tax. The Sacramento Public Library has had its share of problems and challenges. It was hammered by an embezzlement scandal a few years ago that led to convictions of a library maintenance manager and the owners of a private maintenance firm for bilking the public via inflated and bogus repair billings in one of the few public corruption cases brought by the Sacramento district attorney. In 2008, the Sacramento County civil grand jury issued a blistering report on systemic problems at the library, including library
management, inadequate oversight by the library’s governing board, weak financial controls and misuse and misappropriation of funds. A shakeup in library management ensued. The recent recession led to a 12.6 percent reduction in staffing from 2008 levels.
“Our libraries are now centers of literacy programs, GED instruction, newmother programs, tutoring programs, book clubs, author lectures and much more,” Ashby noted. But much has changed in recent years. The current director of the library system, Rivkah Sass, has received strong reviews for righting a listing ship. Operational tempo at the library has increased markedly since 2008, with an 86 percent increase in program attendance, a 30 percent increase in the number of library cards issued and an 11 percent increase in visits to the library—all achieved with reduced staff and, in some cases, reduced hours. Statewide surveys of libraries in other large cities place Sacramento’s libraries among the most efficient. Sacramento has the fewest number of librarians per capita of all of the
cities surveyed at .06 librarians per 1,000 residents. San Francisco has .22 librarians per 1,000 residents. Sacramento’s per-capita spending on libraries places it third lowest in the state at $26.38 per resident annually. San Diego spends $54.91, while bigspending San Francisco spends an astonishing $100.17 per resident. Councilmember Angelique Ashby is perhaps the council’s biggest cheerleader for libraries, as well as the proposed library parcel tax hike. She is currently vice chair of the library’s governing board and is expected to become its chair sometime this year. “The problem we face is that the city has built three new libraries since the library parcel tax was approved in 2004, but the city hasn’t added any additional funding to operate the new libraries,” Ashby said. The three new branches—in North Natomas, Pocket-Greenhaven and Valley Hi-Laguna—increased the total number of city libraries from nine to 12. “Our libraries are now centers of literacy programs, GED instruction, new-mother programs, tutoring programs, book clubs, author lectures and much more,” Ashby noted. She reported that the kids’ summer reading program at North Natomas Library led to 10,000 books being read. She noted studies that show summer reading arrests the typical loss of educational attainment over long summer vacations. City libraries receive a total of $13.4 million in funding each year, including $4.8 million from the current $29-a-year parcel tax and CITY HALL page 10
Meet the Author LONGTIME BEE COLUMNIST AND MAYORAL ASSISTANT JOINS INSIDE PUBLICATIONS
BY DUFFY KELLY MEET YOUR NEIGHBOR
R
.E. Graswich is definitely not the new pen in town. He just has a knack for newness, especially when it comes to rewriting his own life story by adding new media to his resume and breaking ground as a champion for the community. You may have read his stories in The Sacramento Bee for more than 30 years. Seen hundreds of his reports on Channel 13’s evening news. Maybe you’ve sat near him at a Kings game while he covered the team for the better part of a decade. You may have even read his first book, “The Vagrant Kings,” published in November by I Street Press. Perhaps you worked with him while he was at Mayor Kevin Johnson’s office. So what’s new? What’s next? After a year writing his book, the prolific writer is joining Inside Publications as a columnist. Publisher Cecily Hastings couldn’t be happier. And Graswich couldn’t be more inspired, especially after technology’s advances triggered sweeping changes in print journalism, crimping the ability of daily papers everywhere to cover community news and features. As Graswich believes, that’s where the heart of the community lies. “Inside Publications is three things to the community: heart, home and health,” he says. “Cecily has created a model that works. I would so much rather cover the community than cover the Super Bowl. That meant absolutely nothing to me. There are 2,000 guys covering the Super Bowl,
R. E. Graswich by the Kings mural
but nobody’s covering the teacher at McClatchy High School, things that are actually helping the community. That’s where the meaning is.” Graswich literally grew up while writing for The Bee, beginning his career as a freelance writer at the age
of 16. By 21, he had chalked up an F in math at community college, but he was a full-timer at The Bee, where he became both a sports and metro columnist until 2007. “One of the reasons I left The Bee was I didn’t want to be in a place that
was in the cutting mode,” he says. “Their solution to the Internet was to cut, so I didn’t want to sit there and watch the place get cut to ribbons and die. I would fight to the death if there was a plan. “Then along comes Cecily and she’s expanding. She has a communitybased business model and she’s expanding. She’s figured it out and she’s a success.” After leaving The Bee, the father of two stepped into television journalism at KOVR, producing the signature daily news story “The Scoop.” Johnson then tapped him for communications work from 2009 through the end of the mayor’s first term. Then it was back to the keyboard, where Graswich pulled from his 25-year history as a sports writer, his passion for how communities evolve and his insider political knowledge of the Kings (including transcripts of conversations between Kevin Johnson and NBA commissioner David Stern) to write “The Vagrant Kings.” “My book is focused on the Kings,” he says. “It’s a 75,000-word book, but there are only six pages on basketball. It’s all about the community, the city, the politics, what happened behind the scenes because of the Kings. It’s not about basketball; it’s everything but basketball and the effect basketball has had on the community.”“It changes the narrative a bit. The real hero of the book is not Kevin Johnson. It’s David Stern. David has really been the guy who has kept the Kings here. He guided Kevin
NEIGHBOR page 11
INSIDEPUBLICATIONS.COM
9
CITY HALL FROM page 8 $7.6 million from the city’s general fund. Support from the city’s general fund was cut $500,000 during the recession, but that cut was restored with passage of the Measure U halfcent city-sales-tax hike in 2012. But the strain of operating 12 libraries with operating funding designed for running nine libraries is taking its toll on the library system’s reserves, which the library has been tapping to fund operating shortfalls. The three new libraries cost a total of $2.9 million per year to operate. And the library’s operating shortfalls are mounting with ongoing major hikes in employee pension and health-care costs. (Does this sound a little familiar?) It has been controlling some costs via layoffs, furloughs and shorter hours of operation, but the taps to its reserves are still expected to grow from $464,500 this year to $993,000 next year and $1.3 million the year after that, at which point its reserves will be exhausted. The proposed $12 hike in the parcel tax would bring an additional $1.9 million into the system annually and would prevent staff cuts and perhaps library closures. If the system is required to close branches, it would likely be older branch libraries that would get the ax, since the newer libraries were financed by outstanding bonds that prohibit closure without triggering full repayment of the outstanding bonds. This would not be good news for older communities where some of Sacramento’s neediest residents live, folks who are often heavily rely on library resources for computer/Internet access and other library services. But the proposed $12 hike will, at best, be a stopgap measure. Library deficits are projected to return in four years’ time as operating costs are expected to continue to rise. In addition, Measure U is set to expire shortly thereafter, which will likely lead to pressure to cut back the city’s general fund support for libraries (again). There are a lot of questions that should to be answered by library leaders as the campaign for the library parcel-tax hike gears up. Has the library been diligent about
10
POCKET FEB n 14
controlling employee salary and benefit levels in contract negotiations with its unions? Has it secured adequate concessions from its bargaining units as city and county governments have done (or are trying to do)? Are its employees required to pay the full employee’s share of their PERS contributions? Are new hires being placed in lower-cost (and risk) 401(k) plans as the city has done? Have retiree health-care costs been controlled? Has the library thoughtfully examined the option of contracting out some library functions to private contractors to avoid rising salary, pension and health-care costs, as some California communities have done to eliminate deficits? The city established a precedent of income-based exemption from new levies when it adopted a utility rebate program in 2012 to insulate lowincome homeowners from the impact of double-digit, three-year hikes in city water and sewer rates that started in 2012.. But to be frank, the severity of the short- and medium-term cash-flow problems the library system is facing probably does not provide enough time for the library to fully assess, let alone deploy, such cost-savings solutions before its cash problems reach the crisis point. However, the city does plan to come back to voters in two years and ask for an early renewal (and perhaps an increase) of the existing $29 library parcel tax, which expires in 2017. While Sacramento voters are famously supportive of their libraries (the 2007 parcel tax measure was approved by 72 percent of voters, and recent polls show that the proposed $12 hike enjoys similar support), library management and its governing board would be wise to fully examine and implement some of these economy moves before they return to the voters in 2016. Another open question is the impact of the proposed hike on those in the real estate business: residential, commercial and industrial property owners who bear a disproportionate burden of new real estate levies. (Why not levies on stock portfolios or other asset types?) Will the levy discourage new development and construction, or
is it modest enough to be swallowed by the real estate industry without major objection?
One appealing feature of the proposed tax hike is that it reduces, to some degree, the library’s reliance on the city’s general fund for operating funds. One unique feature of this latest parcel-tax proposal is that it would offer parcel-tax rebates to families with incomes that are 80 percent or less of the median Sacramento family income, turning a fairly regressive tax into a somewhat more progressive tax. But is it good public policy to relieve perhaps as many as onequarter of city homeowners from any responsibility for paying a tax they will be voting on? The parcel tax already skips renters (except to the extent such taxes are passed on by landlords). The basic problem with the parcel tax is that it singles out one class of asset holders—real property owners—to bear the entire burden of supporting a public good that benefits all residents. If perhaps a majority of residents (all renters and, say, a quarter of homeowners) are disconnected from the burden they are voting to impose, what implications does that have for society? If the majority is no longer “invested” in the tax hikes they approve, why wouldn’t they vote for every tax hike that provides them with cost-free benefits and services? Where does this end? With an overburdened middle class fleeing to lower-cost places to live. Some believe we are already there. But the proposed $12 hike in the library parcel tax is not likely to lead to further middle-class flight anytime soon. After all, it’s the cost of three mocha grandes at Starbucks, my personal barometer of cost burdens. One appealing feature of the proposed tax hike is that it reduces, to
some degree, the library’s reliance on the city’s general fund for operating funds. Why is that a good move? Because in times of city budget crises—and the city’s budget is usually in crisis—the libraries, like city parks, are always the losers in budget fights with public-safety services like police and fire over the shrinking fiscal pie. To protect quality-of-life services like libraries and parks from the corrosive impact of boom and bust budget cycles (OK, mostly bust cycles, at least in recent years), it would be smart to develop independent sources of funding for such core government functions. Police and fire services allow us to survive, but libraries and parks help us thrive. One of the big questions on the public’s mind should be: Is the city library system well positioned to adapt to the new era of e-books? Does the system have a business plan in place that will allow it to afford e-book license charges imposed by e-book publishers? Will e-book publishers price their license fees too high out of fear of libraries competing with them for the business of e-book readers? (Sacramento library patrons already can acquire a library card and download an e-book from the library without even entering the library.) Will branch libraries with stacks of books and heavy facility costs become obsolete in the coming years (an idea that makes a bibliophile like me shudder)? There are library systems in the country that are now opening branch libraries that have no books, just computer terminals. It’s a brave new world for libraries, and the leadership of our library will have to have a conversation with Sacramento voters about its future—since its future, to a significant degree, is Sacramento’s future, as I’m sure the O’Toole brothers would heartily agree. 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 7183030. For more information, go to eyeonsacramento.org. n
NEIGHBOR FROM page 9
Mondavi CENTER
Perfect for Valentine’s Day!
The King’s Singers
FEB 1
po
This British a capella group will serenade lovers in this Valentine’s Day concert with some of the most endearing classics from the Great American Songbook.
Ch ris
m it h ie S
Stephen
Pe t
nio ro
ile Th
Company
Gr u
nn
Dr. L o
rpo Co
(SVQP $PSQP t '&# $JSDVT 0[ t '&# ĹŤ True Blues t '&# %S -POOJF 4NJUI 5SJP t '&# ĹŤ 4BO 'SBODJTDP 4ZNQIPOZ t FEB 13 $ISJT 5IJMF TPMP t '&# .VSSBZ 1FSBIJB QJBOP t '&# 5IF $IJFGUBJOT t '&# 4UFQIFO 1FUSPOJP $PNQBOZ t '&# ĹŤ
3 PICK10 %
SAVE
5JDLFUT BOE NPSF NPOEBWJBSUT PSH t
in the process. It was like a coachplayer relationship.� Graswich says some readers criticized him for writing about Johnson’s personal history with the Kings. “The book talked about Kevin not liking the Kings,� he says. “The team refused to draft him in ’87 when he was a senior at (UC Berkeley). It broke his heart. He never forgave them for that. Does that mean he’s opposed to the Kings being here? No.� The book details the symbiotic relationship between the Kings and the city. While the city saves a losing “orphan� franchise that had been bounced around the country, the Kings help Sacramento grow and give the region a sense of community, a cultural hub. “The arena has the Kings 45 nights a year, but the building is open for boxing, concerts, rodeos,� Graswich says. “A city will die if it doesn’t have a cultural gathering place where we celebrate ourselves.� Ironically, this sportswriter says he is neither a sports fan nor an athlete. He’s simply fascinated by what sports do to people, cultures and communities. “I have never been a sports fan,� he says. “I have never liked playing sports. I’m interested in the business side. How do you sell tickets, market a team, the strategy of games, how you build a team, what makes a great player. I want to know why, out of about 300 NBA players, only about 10 of them are truly amazing. Why is this guy so much better than the rest? It’s not his speed or his jumping ability. It’s his heart or head or something else.� Graswich is energetic and engaging to talk with, even popping out of his chair at Temple Coffee when the subject of his wife comes up. “I hit the lottery,� he says. Then he tells the story of how former Bee reporter Elizabeth Hume and he have been married for nine years, thereby qualifying as the longest-married couple ever married by Willie Brown. And here is where things get exciting. The story goes Hume had three requirements for a husband: He
must not have been married before; he must not have any children; and he must be at least 6 feet tall. That’s when Graswich jumped out of his chair to demonstrate. “I just stood on my tippy toes and said, ‘I have one of those three.’� But truth be told, even though he missed the boat on all her marriage material requirements, Graswich managed to sink the “three-pointer� when she agreed to spend the rest of her life with him. Hume heads up communications for the Elk Grove School District, and the couple live in the Pocket, where Graswich is consulting in communications, beginning at least two more books, finishing up his college degree with graduation on his spring 2015 calendar, and writing Inside columns for Land Park and The Pocket. Oh, and by the way, look for him to write stories about C.K. McClatchy High School. He has a story or two planned about the school’s acclaimed Humanities and International Studies Program, in which teachers helped shape his sons’ lives and taught the boys the value of community. William, 19, graduated from McClatchy’s HISP and is a freshman at UC Santa Barbara, and 17-year-old Robert is a junior on the same track. Both boys are tutoring their father in algebra so he can clear up that decades-old F from his transcript. (“I have to count on my fingers to do fractions!� Graswich says. “But I’m getting there!�) It’s the seemingly small-town stories about community programs like HISP that excite Graswich and keep him writing. Funny how long ago, writing those types of high school stories kept him from earning his college degree. And now writing those community stories is bringing him back in the classroom. “Thank goodness there’s an outlet for community news,� he says. “There’s got to be a way for the community to stay in touch with itself, the ties that bind the community together, the culture of the community. Cecily has created this model. It sounds corny, I know. But I am proud of it.� n
INSIDEPUBLICATIONS.COM
11
A New Beginning THOUGHTS ON THE ARENA, A LIBRARY TAX AND MORE
BY SHANE SINGH POCKET LIFE
FOR STARTERS Let me dispense with the undisputed first necessity of column writing, which is to offer thanks to the people who make it possible: the entrepreneurs who buy ink by the barrel and paper by the ton. For those of you not familiar with the journalistic world, that would be the Publisher, with a capital P. The boss. Thus, I would like to thank Cecily Hastings, the publisher of Inside Pocket and Inside Publications, for giving me an opportunity to write this monthly column. The stories will be all about you and your community. And I hope I can do everyone justice, bringing our community to life in print with compelling, relevant, informative reports. By way of introduction, I am a product of the Pocket-Greenhaven neighborhood. I went to Genevieve Didion School and Sam Brannan Middle School. I graduated from John F. Kennedy High School in 1992. I earned my Eagle Scout award and served as a Sacramento Kings ball boy while in high school. Kennedy prepared me for my study at UC
12
POCKET FEB n 14
John Hyde, former councilmember Rob Fong and R.E. Graswich participate in the recent arena debate held in the Pocket
Berkeley, from which I graduated in 1996. I returned to town and earned my graduate degree from McGeorge School of Law. I have been practicing law as a local business litigator since November 1999. These days, I serve our neighborhood in several ways: as president of the Greenhaven Soccer Club, the largest community organization in the Pocket, and as a board member for the Friends group of Robbie Waters Pocket-Greenhaven
Library. Kennedy High School honored me as its 2004 Cornel West alumnus of the year for community service and professional contribution. Always, I will welcome your thoughts, input and reactions to this column.
ONWARD AND UPWARD The Sacramento arena debate came to Pocket-Greenhaven in January, when our Pocket neighbor,
R.E. Graswich, debated John Hyde at the Robbie Waters library in an event sponsored by Inside Publications. I have to admit to a little bias in favor of Graswich. He covered the Kings as a journalist for The Sacramento Bee back when I was in high school, and I enjoyed reading his reports. His knowledge of the Kings and local arena issues is second to none, as demonstrated by his new book on the team’s colorful history, “Vagrant Kings: David Stern, Kevin Johnson,
COLOR IS LIGHT ON FIRE SAM FRANCIS
Five Decades of Abstract Expressionism from California Collections ON VIEW JANUARY 26 – APRIL 20, 2014
0 4USFFU t %PXOUPXO 4BDSBNFOUP t crockerartmuseum.org 4BN 'SBODJT Untitled EFUBJM "DSZMJD PO DBOWBT Y JO 5IF %PSJT BOE %POBME 'JTIFS $PMMFDUJPO "SUXPSL ÂŞ 4BN 'SBODJT 'PVOEBUJPO $BMJGPSOJB "SUJTUT 3JHIUT 4PDJFUZ "34 /FX :PSL
and the NBA’s Orphan Team.� Graswich for years disliked public subsidies for sports arenas but changed his tune when he worked on the arena project as special assistant to Mayor Johnson. As for Hyde, he took the anti-arena side. Hyde is new to the story, but he’s smart and fast on his feet, and he gained insight in recent months as spokesman for the group Sacramento Taxpayers Opposed to Pork, which is seeking a June ballot initiative to stop the city council from approving the arena subsidy. The crowd at the library was well representative of the Pocket: It was a packed house with folks of all ages, including a dozen or so high-schoolers taking notes. A majority (my guess is 75 percent) seemed in favor of the arena, but the discourse was civil and respectful. Especially encouraging was the presence of so many young people who, after all, will be asked to finish paying for the civic improvement bonds that will build the arena. Hyde tried to tie bonds to taxes, but Graswich pointed out the arena will
not require tax subsidies. “Don’t let him fool you,� Graswich said of Hyde. When an audience member asked why taxpayers should support pro sports, Graswich noted he didn’t like the idea either but said we would lose the Kings and the huge economic investment by their owners if we kill the arena. “If you want to play, you have to pay,� he said of the NBA. Since a major component of the public subsidy is the monetization of the city’s parking, debate moderator and former city councilmember Rob Fong provided some interesting insight. Fong told the audience that the city currently makes more money from parking tickets than from parking-fee collections. Fong was asked about Pocket-Greenhaven Councilmember Darrell Fong’s continued objection to the new arena. Rob Fong was an early supporter of Darrell Fong in 2010. Rob Fong said Darrell is against the financing plan for the arena, but he didn’t explain why. Hyde and Graswich have scheduled another debate for
Tuesday, Feb. 11, at Belle Cooledge Library, again sponsored by Inside Publications. I’d love to see Darrell Fong in attendance, taking a question or two.
EYEWITNESS This columnist observed a fight at the new Grocery Outlet on Florin Road and Riverside Boulevard just before New Year’s. Two customers got into a heated verbal argument inside the store. The Outlet owner requested that the two women leave and escorted them out. Suddenly, one of the women started to beat the proprietor with her purse. After delivering several blows, she took off running across Riverside Boulevard. The owner appeared to be unhurt, but it’s important for neighbors to keep cool. The reviews about the new grocery store at this key Greenhaven location have been mixed. Let’s hope the incident I saw was isolated and not reflective of future problems with a new neighborhood business.
BOOK TAX In June, voters in Sacramento will be asked to approve an additional $12 per year to the existing parcel tax to keep our nine libraries open. Taxes can be tough to swallow (much less pay), but our libraries are in jeopardy. Kathi Windheim, president of Friends of the Robbie Waters Pocket-Greenhaven Library, says, “On Tuesday, Jan. 14, the city council approved putting a supplemental $12 parcel tax on the June 3 ballot to forestall any city library closures. Library supporters came out in droves to city hall to advocate for the tax, including more than a dozen students of all ages who clearly know the value of their community libraries and, although they can’t all vote, are counting on the adults in the city to do their part.� Time to get started proving how those extra funds will benefit the only people who really matter: our kids. Shane Singh can be reached at shane@shanesingh.com. n
INSIDEPUBLICATIONS.COM
13
Yes Woman WHEN LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS NEED HELP, CARLIN NAIFY DOESN’T SAY NO
BY R.E. GRASWICH MEET YOUR NEIGHBOR
H
er first day on the job, Carlin Naify passed the supreme test for a rookie Crocker Art Museum docent. Before she could share the allegorical wonders of Charles Christian Nahl’s “Sunday Morning in the Mines,” a child on a school field trip threw up on her shoes. “Docents love to share first-day stories,” Naify says. “I warn them it will be hard to top mine.” That first day at the Crocker came in 1995. Naify—wife, mom, teacher, businesswoman, bookshop proprietor, Greenhaven homeowner, charitable foundation whirlwind—became a museum docent for the same reason she does so many other things: A friend asked, and she said yes. In the 19 years since Naify was introduced to the hazards and joys of life at the Crocker, many things have changed. The museum completed a $100 million expansion. It transformed itself into a major California cultural destination. And Naify went from wearing a docent’s badge to serving on the museum’s board of directors, where she helped open the doors of the new building. Other things didn’t change. Friends still ask her to volunteer. She still says yes. “I really enjoy leadership roles,” Naify says. “And of course I believe it’s essential that we support the arts and culture in our community. When I take on a project, I become, well, somewhat forceful. Some people say I’m a steamroller.”
14
POCKET FEB n 14
Carlin Naify is an avid art collector and has artwork from all over the world on display in her home
She doesn’t look like a steamroller. Petite and comfortable in a wintry brown sweater and warm wool pants, she speaks softly and with precision. She smiles easily, never interrupts and listens closely. But when Naify talks, she is a woman who must be heard. Since quitting her job as a sixthgrade teacher in Rio Linda several decades ago to raise her own three children, Naify has become one of the most formidable personalities in the Sacramento arts community. In 2013, she won the Individual Leadership Award from the Arts and Business Council of Sacramento.
Her success comes from a rare convergence of artistic passion and practical business acumen. Naify loves the arts—after cleaning her shoes that first day at the Crocker, she never broke stride as a docent. But she also knows how to read a balance sheet. Many arts institutions in Sacramento (and elsewhere) have suffered from the challenges presented by shotgun marriages between cultural ambition and financial reality. Naify bridges the treacherous gulf. She reconciles her appreciation for all things beautiful
with her knowledge that somebody must pay the bills. “I spent a year in Italy when I was in college, and we took our children to Europe every year,” says Naify, recalling the sunlit inspiration of Florence. “But my husband and I own commercial real estate, so I know what it costs to pay for janitorial services and to replace an elevator and the HVAC system.” The bridge between art and accounts receivable can be viewed in the business endeavors of Naify’s life. Since 1985, she and her husband, James, have owned a beloved Sacramento literary institution, Beers Books, at 915 S St. They also own the
Terrific
The Terrible Two’s Toddlers at Bergamo Montessori
Yes, it’s true. We do think toddlers are terrific - so much so that we have created a specialized educational environment designed just for them, filled with wonderful things to see and do. They learn to select their own tasks, work peacefully and put everything away carefully. Two year olds learn how to dress themselves and clean up. Most of all, they develop a real sense of pride and a deep love of learning. For the past 37 years, we have partnered with parents to provide the highest quality early childhood experiences as part of our world class Montessori school. If you are searching for a unique, safe and stimulating program, Bergamo may be the school that you have always dreamed of finding for your child.
Extended hours available for working parents!
BERGAMO MONTESSORI SCHOOL
18 months – 8th Grade
916-399-1900 B E RG A M O M O N T E S S O R I S C H O O L S Authentic Montessori since 1975
Sutter II Medical Office Building, a less poetic but important Midtown landmark. With her children Anna, Christina and Andrew grown and independent, Naify has taken on a new challenge, smaller in scale than the Crocker but no less daunting. Two years ago, she became president of the nonprofit board of directors for Verge Center for the Arts. Verge is one of those projects that cities dream about in abstract terms but find almost impossible to transfer into a business model. Essentially, it’s a place to house, create and celebrate the most adventuresome local artists and their inspirations. That’s the easy part. Then somebody has to pay for the HVAC. “Verge is about cutting-edge art,” Naify says. “It’s not competing with the Crocker, but it certainly complements the institution. The goal has been to find a way to make it work.” She began by raising seed money. But she knew that one-time
generosities were not sustainable. She connected with a San Francisco institution that loans money to nonprofits—with strings attached. She began to work those strings, plucking, caressing and snapping, until a loan came through. Verge cobbled together the resources to buy the abandoned Scofield’s furniture warehouse at Seventh and S streets. In a move that was pure Naify, she suggested a way to cover the payments, charging reasonable rents to 40 artists with studios at Verge. “I realized we could pull it off if we charged artists $250 a month, which seems low,” she says. “But multiply that by 40 and you have a workable number.” Now Verge is invigorating the city by promoting Sacramento’s most creative forces. And Naify is applauding, with an eye on the HVAC and a clean pair of shoes if necessary. R.E. Graswich can be reached at reg@graswich.com. n
www.BergamoSchools.com Call or log on today to schedule a school tour!
Husband: James Naify Children: Anna, Christina, Andrew Pocket resident: 28 years Businesses: Beers Books (owner), Sutter II Medical Office Building (owner) Current volunteer: Verge Center for the Arts (board president); Sacramento Region Community Foundation (board Secretary); Squaw Valley Community of Writers (board member); Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission (commissioner); Crocker Art Museum (docent)
Treat Your Sweetheart Even Better
Workout Together
Pilates and
GYROTONIC® Feel the difference. First Session
FREE
for new clients
Please CALL for More Information 452-6024 5281 Folsom Blvd www.EPYCenter.net GYROTONIC® is a registered trademarks of Gyrotonic Sales Corp and are used with their permission.
INSIDEPUBLICATIONS.COM
15
Letters of Law DOWNTOWN LIBRARY IS A FREE PUBLIC RESOURCE FOR LEGAL INFORMATION
BY JESSICA LASKEY SHOPTALK
N
o child has ever said, ‘I want to be a law librarian when I grow up,” says Coral Henning, the director of the Sacramento County Public Law Library downtown. “There’s no direct path to law librarianship.” Henning’s path to her current position, however, sounds about as straight as it could be. In college, Henning needed a job, so her brother, who was already a lawyer, got her a job at the Marin County Law Library locking up at night and directing visitors as best she could. “I didn’t know much,” Henning admits with a chuckle. “I would call my brother and ask him, ‘Where’s this book?’ I was pretty much just a warm body.” As it turns out, she was actually just warming up. Henning went on to attend law school at Golden Gate University in San Francisco. During her first year, a fellow law student suggested she get a job at the San Francisco Law Library, a position that was usually reserved for secondyear law students but, thanks to her previous experience in Marin, was Henning’s for the taking. She remained there for all three years of law school and, upon graduating, was offered the assistant directorship. “I have some sort of aptitude for this, apparently,” Henning says. She does indeed. After 12 years in San Francisco, the information maven decided to open her own business, providing online research for law practitioners as the Internet was, as she puts it, “just coming of
16
POCKET FEB n 14
Coral Henning is the director of the Sacramento County Public Law Library
age.” When a job at the Sacramento Public Law Library came open in 1996, however, she put her business plans on hold to return to her familiar stamping grounds. “I’ve worn a lot of hats (here) over the years,” Henning says. “I started as a reference librarian and worked in computer services—basic IT stuff. Since most people didn’t have their own home computers, the library was a novelty. I then did full-time reference when we were located in the basement of the courthouse—we were like mushrooms down there, it was damp and it always seemed like it was raining outside—until we moved to the Hall of Justice building.
“I became the training coordinator for mandatory legal education when they built the training center on-site. Then the library director retired in 2005. I applied for the job and got it. The library has certainly taken me in lots of new directions.” For more than 120 years, the Sacramento Public Law Library has served as the nexus between the courts and the public, providing free access to legal information in a variety of formats. Want to know how to legally change your name? Fight a traffic ticket? Adopt a stepchild? Draft a will? Patent an invention? Incorporate your business? Henning
and her team can help, and do so for free. “We’re very forward-thinking,” Henning says. “We have lots of content on our website, a YouTube channel with how-to videos, podcasts. It’s our ‘virtual branch,’ if you will, and it’s open 24/7, 365. We have to keep evolving to stay relevant. We’re not just a warehouse for books.” Henning and her team, which consists of a staff attorney and paralegal, security, IT support services, technical services (the “behind-the-scenes” folks who manage acquisition and cataloging) and public services for reference and circulation, all work toward
one common goal: to help anyone who crosses their threshold find the information they’re seeking. “Eighty percent of our usage is public,” Henning says. “In the ’90s, it was more like 50-50, but as the economy changes, we’ve become a more do-it-yourself culture. People who can’t afford an attorney can do research here to get solutions for realworld legal problems.” There’s one thing that Henning can’t help you with, however. “I can give legal information,” she says, “but I can’t give legal advice. I can tell you how to get divorced, not if you should.” Do you have a legal query for Henning and her team? Contact them at 874-6012 or through saclaw.org. The Sacramento County Public Law Library is at 609 Ninth St.
EYE FOR ART For Donna Natsoulas, the Crocker Art Museum store is more than just a shop full of fun and functional gifts. It’s a destination. “People tell me that even if they’ve traveled all over the world, our museum store is the most unique and has the best inventory,” Natsoulas says proudly. This fact is not a fluke: In her two years as manager and buyer, Natsoulas has made it her mission to take the venerable museum store from institutional necessity to gathering spot for shoppers and art aficionados alike.
“But in order to survive, we need customers from the outside, too. I want the store to be a destination spot. When you need a gift, think of the Crocker.” “It’s a given that once you’re in the museum, you’re probably going to go to the store,” Natsoulas says. “But in order to survive, we need customers from the outside, too. I want the store
Donna Natsoulas is the manager of the Crocker Art Museum store
to be a destination spot. When you need a gift, think of the Crocker.” Natsoulas’ extensive experience in both art and retail management has come in handy during this process. An artist in her own right, Natsoulas is also married to Tony Natsoulas, the celebrated Sacramento ceramic sculptor. During the couple’s travels as art vendors, Natsoulas got to know craftspeople from all over the country, collecting business cards as well as friends. When the museum job opened up, she knew she was up to the task. “Most museum store managers don’t have an art background,” Natsoulas says, clearly puzzled by that fact. “I’ve been in the art business all my life, so I know tons of artists all over the U.S. I contacted people I’d met along the way and asked if I could show their work in the store. My total focus has been on carrying things that are made here, so you can take a little bit of Sacramento and Northern California with you.”
t s i t n e D a d n i F You'll love!
• Children & Adults • Cosmetic Dentistry • Dental Implants Always accepting new patients.
44-SMILE or visit us at
www.sutterterracedental.com
3001 P St. Sacramento, CA
SHOPTALK page 18
INSIDEPUBLICATIONS.COM
17
wonder that the store has become a shopping hot spot. “We have lots of people who come in who don’t live in Sacramento,” Natoulas says. “People bus in from the Bay Area and we get a lot of first-time visitors. I love that they’re discovering artisans from right here in Sacramento. We’ve gotten a beautiful response from the community.” Beautiful—just like the contents of the Crocker store itself. Looking for a one-of-a-kind gift? Check out the Crocker Art Museum store on the first floor of the Teel Family Pavilion (no admission required to shop) at 216 O St. Questions? Call 808-5531 or go to crockerartmuseum.org/store.
WHAT A DOLL!
Terri Rehg is the proprietor of Art of Toys, a specialty shop in Midtown
SHOPTALK FROM page 17 With her slew of contacts, Natsoulas has the difficult job of deciding who and what grace the shelves of the new-and-improved store that’s housed on the main floor of the Teel Family Pavilion, which opened in October 2010. The eagle-eyed buyer keeps her requirements short and simple. “The pieces have to be wellmade, well-done, well-designed and affordable,” she says. “I want people to feel like they can take a piece of the Crocker collection home with them. I like to tie inventory in with the exhibition themes. We’ll even have some of the artists in the collection
18
POCKET FEB n 14
make pieces specifically to sell in the store. “The bottom line is making sure we have beautiful pieces that are up to the caliber of the Crocker, and still affordable.” Natsoulas has amassed an impressive array of merchandise that runs the gamut from the wearable (hand-knit hats, silk scarves, handmade jewelry) to the fun (toys, tabletop decorations, greeting cards) to the functional (ceramics, pottery, hand-blown glass and fiber art). Accessories abound, as do stunning art books that make you want to stand and stare for a spell. It’s no
Terri Rehg has been collecting toys since the age of 5, when her Air Force pilot father suggested that each of his eight children collect something— dolls, coins, stamps—that he could bring them from abroad. Rehg took her collecting seriously, documenting each doll with discipline … and eventually making it her career. Rehg is the sole proprietor of Art of Toys, a specialty shop in midtown that carries—you guessed it—art and toys. My mission has always been to represent toys as art and art as toys,” Rehg says. “I wanted to create a place where the art of the toy designer can be displayed, appreciated and sold as art and also offer an environment for the collector to explore.” Creating this kind of environment in a bricks-and-mortar store has been a lifelong dream for Rehg. Her first job out of college was as a sales manager for a line of sheepskin toys from New Zealand. “No one else was selling sheepskin teddy bears,” Rehg says. Then she spent 14 years in wholesale toys and eventually worked her way into sales for Disney collectibles. “For a short while, Disney made its own collectibles” as opposed to licensing them to outside
manufacturers, Rehg says. “It was my favorite job ever, until the new CEO closed our division.” Her Disney dreams dashed, Rehg turned to her attention to art. She served as the national sales manager for an art company and, in 1989, curated the show that put her on her current career path. “I was the guest curator at the State of California History Museum for a show I created called California Doll Artists Making History,” Rehg recalls. “This show was the springboard for me to open my own gallery. I started saving stuff to use in the store.” In 2010, Rehg made Art of Toys a reality, first as an online retailer (she still has an extensive website) and then as a stand-up store where she could gather her goodies: artwork, vintage toys, gifts, desk decorations, stocking stuffers—“tchotchkes of all kinds,” as Rehg puts it. As you might imagine, this “unretirement job” keeps her busy buying toys from all over the world and giving local artisans a place to show their work. “I have local artists as well as international artists showing all the time,” Rehg says. “I like to feature artists that use toys in their art or their final art is a toy. Every month, the front gallery changes theme and I rotate the artists, art and gifts to respect the theme.” For Rehg, rotating her playful inventory is essential to keeping the cozy 425-square-foot store packed with the best and brightest that the worlds of art and toys has to offer, and to keeping her customers happy. “I have people who work in the neighborhood who come in every week,” Rehg says, laughing. “I think people look at the website at work and then come into the store on their lunch breaks to buy something specific they saw. They keep me on my toes!” Which just goes to show that you’re never too old to enjoy a good toy. Is your inner child begging to go toy shopping? Let her loose at Art of Toys at 1126 18th St., go to artoftoys.com or call 446-0673. n
INSIDE
OUT CONTRIBUTED BY STEVE HARRIMAN McKinley Rose Garden Pruning
Friends of East Sacramento and the Sacramento Rose Society partnered for the annual winter pruning of the McKinley Rose Garden on January 4. More than 100 volunteers participated, many from the McKinley Park Volunteer Corps wto help maintain McKinley Park. The nonprofit Friends of East Sacramento leases the public garden from the city and manages weddings and other event rentals. The group also maintains the garden’s 1,200 rosebushes and eight perennial gardens. Visit mckineyparkcenter.org.
INSIDEPUBLICATIONS.COM
19
E S K AT O N I N D E P E N D E N T L I V I N G W I T H S E R V I C E S
Land Park Lively
People are friendly at Eskaton Monroe Lodge. Maybe it’s the lively environment or the setyour-own-pace lifestyle. Friendships blossom at our picturesque independent living lodge, where you can enjoy a private apartment with all the amenities. Housekeeping, dining, hospitality services and a dynamic recreation program keep life easy (and fun). Life Enrichment Initiatives include creative art and music; Thrill of a Lifetime; Eskaton Celebrates 100+; and community gardens. Our new discreet QuietCare® smart sensors provide residents and families a peace of mind advantage.
Call or visit us today. Ask about the Eskaton difference. Live here ... Live at your own pace.
Where Music meets Passion.
Giuseppe Verdi’s II Trovatore A curse, a duel, a passionate duet…and that’s just the first act! Don’t miss this stirring performance of Verdi’s II Trovatore, an unforgettable tale of love and vengeance featuring the world-famous Anvil Chorus. Friday, Feb. 28, 2014 at 8:00 pm Sunday, Mar. 2, 2014 at 2:00 pm
Eskaton Monroe Lodge
Community Center Theater 1301 L Street, Sacramento
Independent Living with Services
3225 Freeport Boulevard Sacramento, CA 95818 916-264-9001 eskaton.org | 866-ESKATON
20
POCKET FEB n 14
Visit 2inTune.org or call 916.808.5181 for tickets.
The Dash WHAT WILL YOU DO BETWEEN THE BEGINNING OF LIFE AND THE END?
doing speed assessments designed to determine a patient’s spiritual needs. Recently, I was making my rounds
The nurse withdrew in search of a
“How much more time?” I wanted to ask, but of course no one could
coming from the room directly across
squinting to read my name badge.
answer that.
chest and rocking back and forth on
“I’m Norris,” I said. “I’m one of the hospital chaplains.” In the acute ICU environment,
The man’s condition once again confirmed for me a truth I see every day in the hospital—namely, that no
I’m careful about my introductions,
doctor can predict when life will begin
because my random entrance into
or when it will end. Therefore, the
myself to someone who shared an
a room can prompt chaplain-phobic
only choice we have about our lives is
uncanny resemblance with me. While
patients to blurt out, “Am I dying?”
what to do between our first breath
his bed. Inside the room, I introduced
L
severely limited his time on earth.
doctor and the man leaned forward,
threshold, I saw a man holding his
we weren’t exactly long-lost twins,
SPIRIT MATTERS
that “years of rough living” had
in the ICU when I heard moans from the nurses’ station. At the door’s
BY NORRIS BURKES
“Ten out of 10!” he said, grimacing, as if hoping to raise his bid.
At that point, I usually try to
and our last.
he was a tall white male who was
assure the frightened patient that
reasonably slim. His receding gray
I am only making a routine visit.
Dash,” illustrates this point
ike most hospital chaplains,
hair argued for more than the 56
My answer tends to belay the fear
beautifully.
I spend my day walking long
years stated on his chart.
that I’m the Grim Reaper wearing a
hallways, going room to room
“Hello,” I said. “Sounds like you’re
colorful necktie.
Linda Ellis’ 1996 poem, “The
The poem describes the simple mark carved on every tombstone.
and introducing myself to patients
in quite a bit of pain. Should I call a
It’s the dash between the year of our
who have been admitted with a
nurse?”
birth and the year of our death. We
“She’s already working on it,” he
wide variety of ailments.
replied.
My introductions feel a lot like
“Good. You’re in compassionate
speed dating, a process through which a large number of busy folks
hands,” I said. Just then, the nurse leaned
meet in a bar for a series of short “dates” usually lasting about five
through the doorway and asked him
minutes apiece. Only in my case, I am
to estimate his pain level using a sliding scale of 1 to 10.
CALL 648-8455 Neighborhood orhood ences References
Sod Sprinklers & Drainage
Drought Tolerant Landscapes
Exterior Lighting Pruning Consultation Plantings Full & Re-Landscaping
have absolutely no impact on either of those dates, but the dash represents the far-reaching impact we all have on the time between those dates. Ellis closes her poem with these lines: “So, when your eulogy is being read,/with your life’s actions to rehash …/would you be proud of the things they say/about how you spent YOUR dash?” The most appropriate question is not the one we often ask our doctors: How much longer? The only viable question about life is the one we ask
Since 1984
• • • • • • • •
The man's condition once again confirmed for me a truth I see every day in the hospital-namely, that no doctor can predict when life will begin or when it will end. This assurance must have worked, because the patient asked me to stick around. “I may need you later,” he
Steve Demetre featured in SHOPTALK
said. So I stood my ground. In between waves of moaning, the man explained
ourselves: Are we making a difference with the dash between our dates? Norris Burkes is a chaplain, syndicated columnist, national speaker and author of the book “No Small Miracles.” He can be reached at ask@thechaplain.net. n
Cont. Lic. #874165
INSIDEPUBLICATIONS.COM
21
Happy To See You DOGS WEAR THEIR EMOTIONS ON THEIR FACES
Can animals express what they are feeling in other ways? According to a recent study in Japan, they can and do. Using high-speed cameras, researchers studied the reactions of dogs in various situations. Results showed that their eyebrows moved more when the owner was present. Raising the right ear is a reaction to something they don’t like, such as nail clippers. The study discovered that specific facial movements reflect
BY SUE OWENS WRIGHT
brain activity that controls various
PETS & THEIR PEOPLE
U
emotions.
ntil I was 12, I had no siblings, but I was fortunate
Psychologists have determined that people are able to detect emotions in their pets’ facial expressions.
to have a dog. A small brown
mongrel named Dusty was my best friend and constant companion in a rather solitary childhood. He was always there when I fell off my bike or skinned my knees while rollerskating. Hearing my distressed cries, he’d instantly be at my side, licking away the tears. When I saw his furrowed brow and genuine
idea of animals having any emotions
exceptional quality: She cried. I’m
display of concern, I felt he was truly
or being able to express them. It’s
not talking about runny eyes from
sympathizing. The dogs that followed
understandable they would choose to
allergies but real tears streaming
Dusty have done the same throughout
believe that when you consider how
down her muzzle. The only thing
my life. Scientists are now discovering
horribly some animals are treated.
sadder looking than a basset hound
people are able to detect emotions in
that dogs not only feel emotions; they
But it’s become more apparent that
is a basset that cries. When I shed
their pets’ facial expressions. Because
communicate those feelings in their
animals do exhibit “human” emotions
tears, she understood that I was
we know our own pets so well, we
facial expressions. When your dog is
like sympathy, grief or pain. You’ve
hurting about something, like my
notice the nuances in their demeanor
happy to see you, he shows it in many
probably heard of dogs that mourn
old friend Dusty did. A paw upon
that convey sadness, surprise or fear,
more ways than by wagging his tail.
the loss of a canine companion killed
my knee or a lick on the hand was
according to Dr. Tina Bloom from
Some of us already knew that.
by a car and refuse to abandon the
the usual assurance at such times
Walden University in Minneapolis.
body. Similar examples abound in
with my other dogs. But Daisy
She concluded that, over our long
generally accepted that humans are
the animal kingdom. I’ve seen my
offered something extra that let
association with canines, humans
the only creatures on the planet
own pets grieve deeply for the loss of
me know she was truly sad I was
have developed a natural empathy
capable of feeling and showing
another.
hurting. Whenever I turned on the
for dogs, which suggests we may be
waterworks, so did she.
attributing emotions to them that
Until fairly recently, it was
emotion. Many people still scoff at the
Daisy was my worst dog ever in many ways, but she possessed an
22
POCKET FEB n 14
The research also found that dogs cock their left ear back slightly when meeting a stranger for the first time. Psychologists have determined that
are merely a reflection of our own.
Celia Sertich
SPRING SEASON 2013–2014
VOLUNTEERING IS A FAMILY TRADITION
Donald Kendrick Music Director
W
EMasterworks uropean
Stabat Mater (Area Premiere) | Charles Villiers Stanford Symphony No. 2, op 52 (Lobgesang) | Felix Mendelssohn Marina Boudart Harris, Soprano Carrie Hennessey, Soprano Malin Fritz, Alto Mathew Edwardsen, Tenor Eugene Villanueva, Baritone
Saturday, March 8, 2014 at 8:00 PM 7:00 PM – Pre-concert talk by Donald Kendrick Sacramento Community Center Theater 1301 L Street, Sacramento
SACRAMENTOCHORAL.COM Community Center Box Office | 916 808-5181 or Tickets.com Tickets | $55, $45, $35 | Students 50% discount
Perhaps they also have developed a
and express them more sincerely than
natural empathy for us.
many humans can.
It’s easy to tell when a dog is
Recent studies claim that dogs
glad or sad. You don’t have to be
are even beginning to think like
a behavioral scientist to tell the
humans. If that’s true, we may be in
difference between the sad-sack look
trouble. From what I’ve observed,
and a happy, panting expression
they can already outthink us. When
on a dog’s face. My dogs have quite
you consider that we have been
different facial expressions when
associating with canines for 60,000
I’m leaving the house or when it’s
years and how closely connected we
dinnertime or time for their walk.
have become to this domesticated
Sometimes they even wink at me,
wolf, some of our behavior has to have
which I interpret to mean “All is
rubbed off on them. Whether that’s
right with my world as long as you’re
a good thing for dogs is hard to say.
in it.” Cats, on the other hand, have
We probably have much more to learn
perfected the poker face.
from our canine companions than
It’s uncertain under what
they do from us.
circumstances scientific conclusions have been reached about animals
Sue Owens Wright is an award-
and their ability to feel emotions, but
winning author of books and articles
some knowledge about our animal
about dogs. “Braced for Murder,”
companions goes beyond science. For
her latest book in the Beanie and
an animal lover, it’s something that
Cruiser Mystery Series from Five
speaks to the heart. After observing
Star Publishing, is nominated this
the behavior of my pets over a
year for a Maxwell Award for Best
lifetime, I have no doubt that animals
Fiction by the Dog Writers Association
do feel many of our same emotions
of America. She can be reached at beanieandcruiser@aol.com. n
hen Celia Sertich says that giving back has always been a part of her life, she’s not exaggerating. A Land Park resident since 1976, Sertich volunteers as one of the docents at Sacramento Zoo—those friendly folks in bright yellow shirts who eagerly share educational tidbits— but she comes from a long line of do-gooders. Literally. “My mom and nd dad always volunteered,” Sertich says. “My mom served on the school board when I was growing up. My husband volunteers. His parents volunteered. It’s ’s just something we do. We’re not ones to sit at home.” Sertich has been a zoo docent ent zoo since 2009, not long after she retired as a seventh-grade English and social studies teacher. Her husband retired the same year and, after a bit of traveling, the two got back to work helping their community. “My husband grew up in Land Park,” Sertich says, “and he wanted to give back to the neighborhood, so he volunteers at McClatchy High School, at the Croatian club. He even cooks for the Boy Scouts every summer. He’s a great guy.” In fact, Sertich is so keen on her husband’s kindness that she was reluctant to be interviewed about her own good works, insisting that her husband of more than 40 years was the better candidate. Dig a little deeper, though, and it turns out that Sertich is just as motivated. “I love being a docent,” she says. “Living in Land Park, the zoo was
in our backyard, so it made sense to volunteer there. It’s my happy place. My favorite part of the job is talking to kids and telling them things they didn’t know before.” Sertich completed an intensive docent training program (which occurs every January through March) that included a mini-biology course and practice in effective teaching methods—a snap for Sertich. The program culminated in a culmin big test, te which would have been intimidating if it intim weren’t were so much fun. “At “ first, I thought th all of the information inf was wa going to be kind of a lot,” lo Sertich says, sa “but the people at the p zoo z are so wonderful, it ended up really fun.” being re So much fun, in fact, that Sertich has served as treasurer of the docent council for the past two years. And even when she’s not donning her yellow shirt and sharing fascinating facts about zoo critters, she’s finding a way to help others. “I get together with a group of women I’ve known since high school for a ‘book club,’” she says, quotes intended. “We get together every month and talk and laugh. We ‘come for the pizza,’ like that ad used to say, but we also collect dues every month. At the end of the year, we donate the money to a family in need.” Whether docenting or donating, Sertich maintains that she’s just doing her part to give back to the community she loves. It’s a family tradition, after all. Jessica Laskey can be reached at jessrlaskey@gmail.com. n
INSIDEPUBLICATIONS.COM
23
Resort Collection LOCAL ARCHITECT CREATES A HOME THAT’S LIKE A FIVE-STAR HOTEL BY JULIE FOSTER HOME INSIGHT
Local architect Donald Fugina Jr. thinks every person’s home should be like a swell hotel. “Our homes should recharge us, nourish us and cradle us,” he says.
HOME page 26
24
POCKET FEB n 14
2.
1.
3. 1. A comfortable spot to curl up with a book and a cup of coffee. 2.The family room is made for spending time together.
4. 3. The home is open and airy with lots of light and windows. 4. A family-friendly kitchen is at the heart of the home.
INSIDEPUBLICATIONS.COM
25
Donald and Corrine Fugina
“If you are going to make beautiful rooms, make sure you can use them."
HOME FROM page 24
F
ugina and his wife, Corinne, designed their own Pocketarea home 15 years ago with that thought in mind. The 3,400-square-foot house has a large dining room and a large, familyfriendly kitchen—but no living room. Instead, nestled between kitchen and dining room is a comfortable family room with a fireplace. “After 15 years, there is not one thing I would really change,” says Fugina, president of the architecture and interior design firm Donald Joseph Inc. He designs gorgeous rooms meant to be lived in, not roped off for company. Referring to the oncecommon practice of covering “good furniture” with plastic slipcovers, he says, “If you are going to make beautiful rooms, make sure you can use them.” Designing a house suited to a corner lot dotted with large trees was a challenge even for Fugina, a Sacramento native who has worked
26
POCKET FEB n 14
as an architect for 35 years. By using one of his trademarks—tucking the garage off to the side of the house rather than putting it out front—he was able to create more space for outdoor living on the house’s street side. “We already give up enough for the car,” he says. In addition to offering the Fuginas’ a splendid view of a spectacular 300-year-old Valley oak across the street while relaxing in their yard, that decision also allows the couple to cement neighborhood bonds. “We sit out here and visit with the neighbors as they walk their dogs,” he says. Inside the house, two arched windows—one in the family room, the other in the kitchen—bring in views of the large neighborhood trees while providing plenty of natural light. The trees dotting the couple’s lot provide the additional benefit of shade, nature’s own air conditioning. Even on Sacramento’s hottest days, they rarely have to resort to turning on the A.C.
The kitchen window overlooks the backyard swimming pool and seating/ dining areas. An arched doorway tucked under a staircase opens into a spacious walk-in pantry.
Designing a house suited to a corner lot dotted with large trees was a challenge even for Fugina, a Sacramento native who has worked as an architect for 35 years. Corinne and one of the couple’s three sons enjoy cooking. The spacious, well-organized kitchen offers plenty of workspace, a necessity when there is more than one cook in the kitchen. Fugina designed
appliance garages to limit kitchen clutter. Situated along one wall, five large cubbyholes hold electrical gizmos and miscellaneous utensils. Diminutive cabinet doors keep the tools out of sight and the counters clear. Many people think they need extra-large kitchens in order to cook and entertain well. But, says Fugina, a solution can be found in the old adage “A place for everything and everything in its place.” Items used in daily food prep are stored in the kitchen. The walk-in pantry holds bulk items. Around the corner, counters with storage below serve as a butler’s pantry and bar when the couple entertains. In the dining room, a built-in china cabinet holds Corinne’s family china and serving pieces. Along with soothing paint colors, lots of large windows and 10-foot ceilings, the house has eye-catching hardware and elegant finishes and furnishings that work together harmoniously. Objects on display,
DREAMERS. WELCOME. “A DREAMER IS AN ENTREPRENEUR, SOMEONE WITH A VISION AND DRIVE AND A UNIQUE CONCEPT THAT BELIEVES IN THAT CONCEPT.” SCOTT GILBERT GOODSTOCK See what other dreamers are doing:
dreamerswelcome.org such as a set of three wooden boxes and an antique wooden bread mold, have simple, classic lines. “We are not into clutter and try to collect classically and with care,” says Fugina. A few steps away from the kitchen, near the entrance from the garage, is a space Fugina calls the “house foyer,” which he incorporates into every home he designs. “We all need a place to land and declutter when coming into the house,” he explains. “I am a big
advocate of places for chargers, shoes and packages coming into or going out of the house.” The tidy space has spaces for hats, shoes and coats, the freezer and a gift-wrapping station. If no designated spot exists for these items, they tend to end up on the kitchen table, Fugina notes. If you know of a home you think should be featured in Inside Publications, contact Julie Foster at foster.julie91@yahoo.com. n
WINTER CONCERT
Après le Noël WINTERTIME with Bernstein and Sondheim
LIKE
INSIDE PUBLICATIONS
Concert featuring Cappella and Cantoris Lynn Stevens, Conductor February 9, 2014, at 7:30 p.m. St. John’s Lutheran Church, 1701 L Street
TICKETS $30 Preferred, $17 General, $12 Students
(916) 646-1141 www.sacramentochildrenschorus.org
INSIDEPUBLICATIONS.COM
27
Decades of Service SHE WORKS TO REPAIR THE WORLD, ONE LIFE AT A TIME
Reuben didn’t just fill slots; she envisioned new ones. She imagined a program, called Touch of Shabbat, that for more than 25 years has been delivering chicken soup, braided egg bread and applesauce to housebound AIDS patients. She expanded the NCJW domestic abuse program to address elderly abuse, human trafficking and access to health care. “Betty decided that our chapter should do this, and she called a group of us who couldn’t say no,” says Anne Eisenberg.
BY TERRY KAUFMAN
I
LOCAL HEROES
often think to myself that I never had a plan for my life,” says 91-year-old Betty Reuben as she recalls a lifetime of community service and activism. “I just lived it.” Her life has had more impact and substance than most people’s, and she’s still living it every day with every ounce of her being. She has more energy than many half her age, and she uses it to nurture family, foster friendships and change the world one life at a time. Born in Flint, Mich., Reuben watched her mother support those in need and knew that this would be her path. “My parents told me I could do it, and I believed I could,” she says. When she moved to Southern California with her first husband, she found opportunities to get involved. “Things just fell into place, where it was possible for me to help out. And I did.” Did she ever: She led Scout troops for her children, chaired her synagogue’s board of education and was active in the Western Division of Jewish Family Service. Her toddler daughter helped out, delivering political pamphlets door to door in Santa Monica.
28
POCKET FEB n 14
“She’s just a magnificent person, with a love of family and a strong faith. All of us who are her friends feel blessed.”
Since moving to Sacramento in 1965, Betty Reuben has been involved in community service
Upon moving to Sacramento in 1965 with her husband, Jack, and four children, she leapt into community service, serving on the boards of JFS, Congregation B’nai Israel, the Jewish Community Relations Council and the Sacramento Valley Association for the Education of Young Children. When no one would take on the presidency of B’nai Israel’s Sisterhood, she stepped in. As an organizing member of the Committee of Concern, she
worked with others to fight hunger in the community. For more than 10 years, she served as California public affairs chair for the National Council of Jewish Women, testifying before the legislature and authoring a monthly newsletter for state NCJW chapters on issues related to women, children and the underprivileged. When NCJW introduced a nationwide initiative to combat domestic violence, she created a local program called Family Shalom.
“We continue to meet at her house because she feeds us. Family Shalom has become an incubator for a lot of social justice programs in our area.” As if she didn’t have enough on her plate, Reuben decided at the age of 47 to enroll in college, starting at Sacramento City College in 1969 and moving on to Sac State, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in behavioral science and a master’s in early education. “I hadn’t completed college,” she recalls, “and Jack, who has a Ph.D., said, ‘You have time. You need to see that you’re as smart as everyone else.’ He was right.” As an adjunct professor at City College,
Faces of Destination Aesthetics
“Come and see how we create the NEW natural!� Shawna Chrisman Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Co-Owner of Destination Aesthetics
Dawna, Sacramento Staging Solutions; Zoe, Senior at Rio High School; Amy, William Glen Boutiques
Make-Up Optional 3DYLOLRQV /Q 6XLWH 6DFUDPHQWR she trained licensed preschool caregivers. “Betty and I went to college together and we became the best of friends,� says Carol Merritt, who also taught with Reuben in the child development program at City College. “She was a marvelous teacher, but she was always learning as well.� Reuben volunteered in the first-grade classroom at Jedediah Smith, an underprivileged elementary school, and taught in the Head Start program at a government-funded housing project. “I learned more from the parents in that program than they learned from me,� she says. “They were survivors, very smart.� “Betty is amazing at her age,� says Merritt. “She’s just a magnificent person, with a love of family and a strong faith. All of us who are her friends feel blessed.� Reuben’s friends are legion, and they know that “if you cough or sneeze anywhere near her, you’ll get homemade chicken soup,� says Merritt. “I can’t imagine my world without her,� says Eisenberg. “She has contributed more to this
community than anyone I know, and she has an incredible gift for friendship.� Even California Senate Leader Darrell Steinberg sings her praises. “Countless children, teens, families and elders have had their lives made better through the direct efforts of Betty Reuben,� he says. “I have known Betty for some 30 years, and she has been my role model for public service, inspiring me to ensure there is a voice for those who are disenfranchised and underprivileged. Betty leads the way wherever people gather to push for social justice, and I am forever grateful for her dedicated work.� Reuben shrugs off the accolades. “Whatever I was doing always dovetailed with something I wanted to do, so things were easy for me,� she says. “I’ve been fortunate to do things that mean a great deal to me. I’m so appreciative of what I have.� She cites the Jewish maxim tikkun olam, which means “repairing the world.� “I always felt responsible to make the world a better place,� she explains. n
GHVWLQDWLRQDHVWKHWLFV#JPDLO FRP GHVWLQDWLRQDHVWKHWLFV FRP
DOWNTOWN SACRAMENTO PARTNERSHIP’S CONTEST WINNER
Eclectic candy from near and far, carefully selected for quality and taste. 1012 9TH STREET BETWEEN J AND K ST.
ANDYSCANDYSTORE.COM (916) 905-4115
RE NTO O T S W ME NE SACRA NTOWN
IN DOW
ents ions assortm t if g confect y e d d n a a c m d d es han icke favorit es and ¡ Handp d retro hocolat n c a m s ie iu d n ¡ Prem rted ca vents al impo s and e g in t s ¡ Unusu a yt ptions re cand r-free o a g u s ¡ In-sto nd items a ¡ Kids’
10% DISCOUNT WHEN YOU LIKE US ON FACEBOOK
INSIDEPUBLICATIONS.COM
29
Thawing Out HOW DID YOUR PLANTS FARE IN THE BIG FREEZE?
BY ANITA CLEVENGER GARDEN JABBER
I
n December, ghostly shapes materialized throughout our city after we covered our plants to protect them from a sudden hard freeze. Christmas may have been coming, but it looked more like Halloween. We employed sheets, burlap and special fabric designed for frost protection. Some people added a festive touch by running old-school incandescent Christmas lights underneath to add a few more degrees of warmth, an especially good idea for tender citrus. Smart gardeners also watered their plants and pulled tender potted plants under shelter or inside. Despite all of this effort, did some of your plants suffer freeze damage this winter? If so, you are not alone. The weather turned very cold, very quickly, after weeks of unusually balmy fall weather that encouraged plants to keep on growing and blooming. Plant growth usually slows down and hardens off before really cold weather hits, but not this winter. The drought also took a toll. Many of us had turned off our irrigation systems, anticipating rain that never fell. Last-minute watering may not have been enough for already-
30
POCKET FEB n 14
dehydrated plants, whose leaves, buds and twigs are especially vulnerable to freezing weather. On a windy day, frozen leaves will dry out in a matter of hours. Repeated frigid nights followed by dry, warm, sunny days make matters worse. While the freeze was early and abrupt, it wasn’t especially cold. December is usually our coldest month of the year, as anybody taking a bike ride to go look at holiday lights can attest. Sacramento experiences at least a few hard freezes (several hours at or below 28 degrees Fahrenheit) every year. At such temperatures, many plants need some protection or
ice crystals will form in their cells and cause them to rupture. It’s not always easy to tell if a plant can be saved after a freeze. Annuals die every winter, and frostbitten succulents, tropical and other tender plants may have perished. Damaged evergreen plants may grow more leaves, and perennials will most likely come back from their roots. Unless you are absolutely sure, wait to clear away dead vegetation and see if new growth emerges at the base or along the branches. Before you cut off apparently dead growth, scrape a bit of the stem to see if there is a green layer underneath. If there is, it may
regrow. If not, cut it off just above a live bud or flush with the nearest live branch. Don’t do it too soon. According to UC Davis, the average date of Sacramento’s last freeze is Feb. 10, and there is still a chance of frost through mid-March. I’ve learned to appreciate the structure of bare branches against a winter sky and the forms of pruned roses, brown grasses and spent perennials. However, some damaged plants are just plain ugly. If a plant suffers so much freeze damage that it isn’t beautiful or productive, it needs to go. My variegated Eureka lemon suffered major frost damage nearly every year, perhaps because its decorative greenand-white foliage had less protective chlorophyll. This semi-dwarf tree was too big to cover. Sick of seeing its dead growth and brown leaves, I cut it to the ground. Good riddance. I’ve also given up on brugmansia, known as Angel’s Trumpet. The huge, dangling, dramatic flowers are magnificent and powerfully fragrant, but the plants would freeze shortly after the flowers began to bloom, leaving nothing but nasty shriveled stalks. We live in Zone 14, an area with chilly winters and hot summers, tempered by some marine influence. I want plants that will grow in my yard with a minimum of babying. If they are tender, require better drainage than my soil provides or need a lot of water, they don’t come home with me. Nurseries and catalogs often speak in terms of the U. S. Department of Agriculture climate zone. Sunset has 24 western zones, plus two for Hawaii. The USDA has 13 major zones for the entire country. It
Another reason to have the right estate plan: Your daughter, Emma • She was born with a special need. • But she has turned out to be an incredibly special person. • You wonder what things will be like for her if something happens to you. • Her sister thinks she can handle it, but you know that life is unpredictable. More than half of our clients have a loved one with a special need. Call me for a free consultation. Learn how a special needs trust can give your family peace of mind. Or visit www.wyattlegal.com.
law office of brian d.wyatt ,PC considers Sacramento to be in subzone 9b, with average annual extreme minimum temperatures of 25 to 30 F. While many winters don’t get colder than this, it happened in both January and December last year. My garden is in a low spot where cold air settles. Plants that are badly damaged for me may do just fine in other microclimates in Sacramento. In your yard, look for cold and warm pockets and plan accordingly. If you really covet a too-tender plant, find the warmest spot possible and be
prepared to protect it from freezing. If you don’t shroud it like a ghost, it will probably die and haunt you. Anita Clevenger is a Sacramento County UC Master Gardener. For answers to gardening questions, call 875-6913, go to ucanr.edu/sites/sacmg/ or attend Fair Oaks Horticulture Center’s open garden on Saturday, Feb. 22, from 9 a.m. to noon. The center is at 11549 Fair Oaks Blvd. n
Steve Walker BROKER steve@walkerrealty.net
448-2848
DRE#00880608
trusts & estates probate special needs planning
3406 American River Drive Suite B Sacramento, CA 95864 273-9040
SOCCER TRYOUTS SACRAMENTO SOCCER ALLIANCE U9 – U11 BOYS & GIRLS
Saturday, February 1st & Sunday, February 9th, 2014 Location: Hughes Stadium at Sacramento City College U9 10:00 - 11:30 | U10 12:00 - 1:30 | U11 2:00 - 3:30
44" XFMDPNFT FOUIVTJBTUJD DPBDIFT WPMVOUFFST BOE DPNNJUUFE QMBZFST SFBEZ UP UBLF UIFJS HBNF UP B IJHIFS MFWFM PG QMBZ
COMPETITIVE SEASONAL VALUE
DETAILS t t t t t
1SF SFHJTUSBUJPO JT 3&26*3&% TFF MJOL CFMPX "MM QMBZFST NVTU BUUFOE BU MFBTU POF USZPVU #SJOH XBUFS B TPDDFS CBMM XFBS B XIJUF TIJSU #F QSFQBSFE GPS SBJO DPME XFBUIFS "SSJWF NJOVUFT FBSMZ
COACHING & PLAYER DEVELOPMENT
44" JT UIF DPNQFUJUJWF QBSUOFS PG -BOE 1BSL BOE (SFFOIBWFO 4PDDFS
44" JT DPNNJUUFE UP QSPWJEJOH UIF CFTU SFTPVSDFT UP DPBDIFT QMBZFST BOE UFBNT JO TVQQPSU PG UIFJS TPDDFS EFWFMPQNFOU *O 44" XJMM CF QBSUOFSJOH XJUI XPSME SFDPHOJ[FE MFBEFST TVDI BT $PFSWFS $PBDIJOH $IBMMFOHFS 4QPSUT BOE 5FUSB #SB[JM 4PDDFS
“Selling Sacramento Since 1984�
REGISTER – sacramentosocceralliance.com INSIDEPUBLICATIONS.COM
31
Small But Mighty A GLIMPSE INTO ROBERT-JEAN RAY’S 2-BY-1½-INCH WORLD
BY VANESSA MORGANSTERN
I
ARTIST SPOTLIGHT
n a world of supersize everything, Robert-Jean Ray delightfully bucks the bigger-isbetter mentality. The French-born, Sacramento-based artist specializes in small-format drawings, collages and mixed-media works—none of them larger than 2 inches by 1½ inches—that have been exhibited in galleries throughout the United States. He also curates a very popular small-format art show in Sacramento. Ray began focusing on small-format work in 1984, during a two-year assignment with the U.S. Air Force in Sicily. Although his tiny living quarters weren’t conducive to largescale painting, he wasn’t discouraged in the least. Determined to make a go of it, Ray adapted by using a pocketsized sketchbook, several drawing tools and a watercolor kit. His first collage was done on an Italian postage stamp—the size of our first-class postage stamp.
When I’m creating, I’m usually working on approximately seven pieces at a time. The prolific artist’s familiarity with Sacramento is twofold: After he graduated from high school in Germany, Ray’s mother brought him and his younger sister to Sacramento, where French friends
32
POCKET FEB n 14
Robert-Jean Ray with some very small artwork
of hers were already living. (Had she not left Europe, Ray would have been conscripted into the French army.) Upon turning 18, Ray joined the U.S. Air Force, putting in eight years of military service. His Italian tour of duty behind him, Ray returned to the river city in 1986 and began doing small-format figure drawing and printmaking. “Eventually, I wanted to change up my imagery a bit, so I started working more extensively in collage,” he says. “With collage, I was able to develop abstract surfaces that served as backdrops for my drawings and prints of heads.” This new series not only garnered recognition but led to exhibits at local galleries such as Solomon Dubnick Gallery, Exploding Head Gallery and b. sakata garo. While working primarily as an artist, Ray also pursued curatorial
projects. In 1987, he curated his first show, Reaching Back, Stepping Forward, followed by a show called Bad A’s: Apartheid, AIDS, and Armament. “This is when I really caught the curatorial bug,” he recalls. “I started recognizing the amazing work that was being created by Sacramento-based artists. My next goal was to get Sacramento artists into the Bay Area, and bring Bay Area artists to Sacramento by developing theme-oriented group shows that brought together Bay Area, Central Valley and Sierra Foothill artists.” His first small-format art exhibition was at Axis Gallery (formerly 750 Gallery) in 1996. “The response was amazing,” says Ray. At the beginning of his career, Ray was influenced by the works of early-20th-century modernists Paul
Klee, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and Henry Matisse. He later discovered the collage of abstract expressionism, Italian Arte Povera and neoexpressionism. Inspired by urban street graphics since the early 2000s, Ray takes great joy in merging human depictions with mixed-media collage compositions. While many artists display their creations on canvas, Ray wants his artwork to “fit in the palm of your hand.” When asked about a typical workday, Ray congenially holds forth about his routine. “My art days normally start with a walkabout—primarily in Midtown and downtown,” he says. “I’m always looking for interesting scraps of paper that I can incorporate into my pieces. I prefer to work in my studio. However, since my work
Siding Buyer’s Guide
“The Right Side of Buying Siding” What every homeowner must know before they re-side their home.
Would you like to dramatically improve the appearance of your home? How do you pick a product that’s low maintenance, won’t H llook 15 years old after just 3 years and pick a company that offers the best product with the expertise to back it up? Visit www.howtobuysiding.com to download your free copy of The Right Side of Buying Siding – or call 888-432-0091 to t schedule your free in-home consultation.
0
%
Interest* for 5 Years
*OAC; Limited time offer. See store for details.
Free Consultation: Fr w w w. h a l l s w i n d o w c e n t e r. c o m is so small, I can work anywhere I choose. Before cafes became really popular, I would spend a lot of time [in them] drinking coffee or beer, and work on art. When I’m creating, I’m usually working on approximately seven pieces at a time. At any given moment, I’m equipped with a glue stick, scissors, paper scraps and an ink pen—my tools of choice.” His current exhibition, Micro Visions: Smaller Than Small, will run from Feb. 4 through March 1 at Red Dot Gallery and 21TEN Loft Gallery in Midtown. No work is larger than 2 inches by 1½ inches. None of the wall art is framed (Ray wants the viewer to experience a direct visual connection), and there are sculptural pieces as well as paintings. “Over time, I developed special methods for displaying work of this scale—primarily by using my work as specimens,” says Ray. Red Dot Gallery will showcase the work of more than 30 artists from the Bay Area, Central Valley and Sierra Nevada foothill regions of Northern California who are “willing to work at my scale,” says Ray.
Scan for reviews.
$3,000 Cash Back
*Cash back value based on $20,000 minimum order.
1.888.432.0091
11297 White Rock Rd, Rancho Cordova Mon – Fri 9am – 5pm & Sat 10am – 5pm | CSL# 829789 112
Participants range from emerging artists to established talents such as Ken Waterstreet, Eric Dahlin, Lou Bermingham, Carol Dalton and Ron Peetz. One street and one block away, 21TEN Loft Gallery will feature artwork from Ray’s collection, collaborations with other artists, and micro artwork from Ray’s Collage Sessions workshops. Inspired by postminimalist Richard Tuttle’s installations and painter/ graphic artist Robert Rauschenberg’s scrap metal constructions, Ray ’s unframed miniature creations are wall-display ready. If you’re farsighted, bring your glasses—the pieces showcased in this exhibition are no larger nor smaller than a matchbox. Aficionados looking for a oneof-a-kind masterpiece are in luck: Exhibition artwork is for sale. Original pieces range from $25 to $300. Micro Visions: Smaller Than Small will run from Feb. 4 through March 1 at Red Dot Gallery (2231 J St.) and 21TEN Loft Gallery (2110 K St.). Red Dot Gallery will host a Second Saturday reception on Feb. 8 from 5 to 9 p.m. n
Michelle Myers PE Department Chair, grades PK-12 25 years teaching at SCDS Love about SCDS Our PE classes are both physical and educational. When we play games, we incorporate anatomy, nutrition, math problems, history, and other languages. Outside School Activity I started riding horses when I was five and competed in hunters and jumpers for years. Little Known Fact about Me One time, I played polo against a member of the royal family of Transylvania!
Teachers: Our Greatest Asset Sacramento Country Day School | Education for a Lifetime A coeducational, fully accredited grades PK-12 independent school 2636 Latham Drive, Sacramento, CA 95864 | 916.481.8811 | saccds.org
INSIDEPUBLICATIONS.COM
33
Love Takes Center Stage SACRAMENTO BALLET MARKS VALENTINE’S DAY WITH ROMANCE-INSPIRING WORKS
By Jessica Laskey RIVER CITY PREVIEWS
W
hat better way to celebrate Valentine’s Day than with a sensuous, stunning spectacle at the Sacramento Ballet? “Wild Sweet Love” will be performed Feb. 13-16 at the Community Center Theater. Contemporary choreographer Trey McIntyre’s work incorporates music and movement with themes as varied as the Partridge Family and Felix Mendelssohn’s famous “Wedding March” to show us the many fascinating facets of love. Also on the program will be the world premiere of famed up-and-coming choreographer Ma Cong’s “Cupid’s Bow” and the return of the 2011 “Modern Masters” hit “Wunderland” by Edwaard Liang. So give your valentine a present they’ll never forget—a wild, sweet night at the ballet. For tickets and more information, call 808-5181 or go to sacballet.org. The Community Center Theater is at 1301 L St.
GYPSY LOVE A curse, a duel, a passionate duet … That sounds just right for the month of St. Valentine. See and hear
34
POCKET FEB n 14
What better way to celebrate Valentine’s Day than with a sensuous, stunning spectacle at the Sacramento Ballet? Wild Sweet Love will be performed Feb. 13-16 at the Community Center Theater.
it all unfold at the Two in Tune (a partnership between the Sacramento Opera and the Sacramento Philharmonic Orchestra) performance of Giuseppe Verdi’s “Il Trovatore” at 8 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 28 and at 2 p.m. Sunday, March 2 at the Community Center Theater. Verdi’s twisted tale full of gypsy fires, fiery love affairs and vibrant vocals is sure to impress, as will the cast that includes soprano Kristen Lewis, known for her “beautiful pianissimi” and “solid and beautiful middle register”; Tichina Vaughn, who brings “great bravura” to her role as Azucena; and tenor Arnold Rawls, who stepped into the role of
Manrico mid-performance at the Met—cementing his place in the opera pantheon. Catch these rising stars and purchase tickets by calling 8085181 or visiting 2intune.org. The Community Center Theater is located at 1301 L Street.
A HELPING HAND In February, more than 1,500 students from low-income communities will have the opportunity to attend a dress rehearsal performance of Two in Tune’s “Il Trovatore,” thanks to new partnership with Hank Fisher Senior Communities.
“What was a staple education program for regional orchestras and opera companies across the country 30 years ago, have, for the most part, disappeared,” says Robert Tannenbaum, general director of the Sacramento Region Performing Arts Alliance. “This generous donation from Nancy Fisher (president and CEO of Hank Fisher Properties) and Hank Fisher Senior Communities helps to restore that great education program here in our community.” “When I first heard of this partnership opportunity, it had an electric sense of potential behind it,” Fisher recalls. “Who knows what future talent will find its
original inspiration from attending one of these performances? Most importantly, however, this program can help schools reverse the financially driven decline in their ability to connect young people with different art forms.” Without this kind of support, school systems are unable to provide access to live, local performances like those of Two in Tune due to the prohibitively high cost of transporting students to and from the venues. Now, with the aid of Hank Fisher Senior Communities and other local organizations, underprivileged kids will be connected to eye- and earopening experiences. “Many of these children have never heard a symphonic or operatic performance, let alone attended one,” Tannenbaum says. “It’s exciting to open up another artistic dimension to kids who may perceive music only from an iTunes list, or CD, or video.” For more information about Two in Tune, go to 2intune.org. For more information about Hank Fisher Senior Communities, go to hankfisherproperties.com.
PREACHING TO THE CHOIR Gospel lovers rejoice. The Sacramento Community Concert at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 22 at the Westminster Presbyterian Church will have you raising your hands to the heavens with joy. Singer-actor Darron Flagg will lend his legendary bel-canto tenor voice to a rousing repertoire alongside vocal artist Candace Johnson. And that’s only Part I of the program. Part II will present the UC Berkeley Gospel Chorus, under the direction of D. Mark Wilson, performing a selection of both traditional and modern gospel music, spirituals and gospel anthems. For tickets and more information, call 400-4634 or go to sccaconcerts. org. Westminster Presbyterian Church is at 1300 N St.
C’EST MAGNIFIQUE! You know you’ve made your mark as an artist when your work is enjoyed worldwide. Renowned watercolor portraitist and all-around awe-inspiring artist David Lobenberg
Sacramento artist David Lobenberg was recently featured in French art magazine Pratique des Arts
was given just such an honor when his work graced the pages of French art magazine Pratique Des Art in January. He was one of three international portrait artists chosen for the piece. The magazine featured Lobenberg’s portraiture pieces in an article titled “Dossier spécial portrait: 3 artistes, 3 styles, 3 méthodes” (rough translation: “A folder of portraits: three artists, three styles, three methods”) that dissected Lobenberg’s singular way with a paintbrush as well as the techniques of fellow artists Keinyo White and Peggi Habets. For more information on Lobenberg, his artwork and classes available at Studio L (5523 F St.), call 737-2311 or go to lobenbergart. com.
NOTES ON A SCANDAL If you’re in trouble, you want Judy Smith on your team. The founder and president of Smith & Co., a crisis management firm in Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles that helps high-profile clients out of sticky situations, will offer some sage advice at the Sacramento Speakers series at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 18 at the Community Center Theater. Some of Smith’s clients include Monica Lewinsky, former U.S. Sen. Larry Craig, Wesley Snipes, the family of Chandra Levy, and Michael Vick. With her expertise in handling hot water, Smith serves as a co-executive producer on the hit ABC drama “Scandal,” in which
Kerry Washington plays a character suspiciously similar to Smith. For tickets and more information, call 388-1100 or go to sacramentospeakers.com. The Community Center Theater is at 1301 L St.
DA, DARLING! This month, the Camellia Symphony Orchestra is bringing Russian folktales to life in its “Russian Fantasy” program on Feb. 8 and 9 at the Sacramento City College Performing Arts Center. The program will include excerpts from the fantastical ballet score “The Firebird” by Igor Stravinsky, as well as a work by the composer who was originally intended to write the music to accompany the beloved ballet, Anatoly Lyadov. Sergei Prokofiev’s First Violin Concerto will round out the evening, performed by a special guest: San Francisco native Alina Kobialka, who is not only tremendously talented, but she’s also only 16 years old! For tickets and more information, call 929-6655 or go to camelliasymphony.org. The Sacramento City College Performing Arts Center is at 3835 Freeport Blvd.
THAT’S ALL FOLK Looking for something classic, classical or “ki ho‘alu” this month? The Crocker Art Museum has just what you need. Start at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 9 with the Classical Concert featuring
Amber Liao on piano. The talented pianist will tickle the ivories with fun and funky folk music from Eastern European composers Leos Janacek, Bela Bartok and George Enescu. Before settling in to listen to Liao play, enjoy a Prelude Tour at 1:30 p.m. Tickets are $6 for members, $12 for nonmembers. Next up is Art Mix’s nostalgic, and perhaps harrowing, look back at the high school dance with Midtown Prom from 5 to 9 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 13. Art Mix and Unseen Heroes have teamed up to bring you a night to remember (and one you’ll probably want to this time), complete with spiked punch, music spun by special guest DJs, corsage and boutonniere making stations, a photo booth to retake those embarrassing photos of yore and an art talk on the glamorous gowns in the Crocker’s collection. Dig out your actual prom attire for a chance to win a prize for best ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s prom ensembles. Unlike a prom, the event is free for museum members, $10 for nonmembers (you get two bucks off if you’re in college) and drinks are under $5 all night. Bring on the awkward dancing! On Sunday, Feb. 16, continue your time travel with the opening of the exhibition “Jules Tavernier: Artist and Adventurer,” on display through May 11. As the first museum exhibition to survey Parisian-born Tavernier’s work, the Crocker’s artistic amalgam includes Tavernier’s Barbizon-inspired scenes of the American West, illustrations for Harper’s Weekly, scenes of the San Francisco Bay Area and Monterey Peninsula (where he founded a local art colony in 1875) and his iconic paintings depicting erupting volcanoes in Hawaii, where he worked until his death at age 45. Continuing the Hawaiian theme, lend an ear to Patrick Kahakauwila Kamaholelani Landeza, a leading performer of the Hawaiian slack key guitar, or “ki ho‘alu,” at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 20. The awardwinning musician, songwriter, producer and educator will share his
PREVIEWS page 36
INSIDEPUBLICATIONS.COM
35
Inner Light: New Paintings by Ursula O’Farrell comes to the Alex Bult Gallery from Tuesday, Feb. 4 through Saturday, March 1
PREVIEWS FROM page 35
singular musical mastery in what is considered one of the world’s greatest acoustic guitar traditions. Tickets are $6 for members, $12 for nonmembers. Space is limited, so reserve your tickets early by calling 808-1182. See it here first: “Hatch” returns at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 27 in the Setzer Foundation Auditorium. In its third year at the Crocker, “Hatch” features new and in-progress contemporary dance pieces curated by Lorelei Bayne. Take a peek, then give post-performance feedback to the artists. For tickets and more information for all Crocker events, call 808-1182 or go to crockerartmuseum.org. The Crocker Art Museum is at 216 O St.
GO TOWARD THE LIGHT The inner light, that is, when the stunning solo exhibition “Inner Light: New Paintings by Ursula O’Farrell” comes to the Alex Bult gallery from Tuesday, Feb. 4 through Saturday, March 1. Considered an heir of the German Expressionist movement by her eminent art instructors and colleagues, O’Farrell examines the inner light that people possess through her paintings, a study she continued through her years earning a bachelor’s degree in painting and drawing from Loyola Marymount
36
POCKET FEB n 14
University, a master’s degree in fine art from San Jose State University, studying painting in Florence, Italy, and traveling with the Eugene Escallier Scholarship for the study of German and Austrian Expressionism. “Perhaps modern life has created an environment of hyper-speed which causes us to forget what it is to be fully human,” O’Farrell says. “I think we work too much in our minds, trusting science over our emotional intelligence. In effect, I think we turn our backs on the abundance available to us if we just learn to listen to whatever we call that voice of our soul.” Listen up at the preview from 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 6 or at the artist’s reception from 6 to 9 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 8. For more information, call 476-5540 or go to alexbultgallery.com. The Alex Bult Gallery is at 1114 21st St., Suite B.
Though Gallagher is perhaps best known as a performer—he’s made numerous appearances on “The Tonight Show” with both Johnny Carson and Jay Leno, NBC’s “Late Night with Conan O’Brien,” as well as in his own ABC sitcom “Bringing Up Jack” —his one-man shows commissioned by the B Street Theatre have created some serious Sacramento fans. But it’s Gallagher’s rock ’n’ roll persona who gets to take the stage this time. “This is an amazing band of Bay Area musicians,” Gallagher says of his concert cohorts. “(We have) The Rubinoos’ Tommy Dunbar and Al Chan, drummer Kevin Hayes (who’s played with Robert Cray, John Lee Hooker and Van Morrison), keyboardist Allen Leong and the legendary maestro himself, Dick Bright.” Gallagher says that the lineup this time around “will include a Rascals’ medley, some Warren Zevon gems, Marshall Crenshaw and a few chestnuts from 1960s various mammal/bird bands. ”Both funny bones and ivories will be tickled on what is guaranteed to be a night to remember. Get your tickets now (they sell out quickly) by calling 457-7553 or going to swellproductions.com. The 24th Street Theatre/Sierra 2 Center for the Arts & Community is at 2791 24th St.
CALL FOR YOUNG ARTISTS Do you know a young person in grades 9 through 12 who is an exceptional artist in the areas of dance, music, theatre, visual arts, creative writing, film or animation? Get them to a computer to fill out an application for the California State Summer School for the Arts by Friday, Feb. 28. Every summer from July 12 through Aug. 8, the CSSSA takes over the California Institute of the Arts in Valencia for a four-week, intensive pre-college program for high school students who hope to pursue a career in the arts. The summer school hosts about 500 young artists per year, with 40 percent of those receiving financial aid; CSSSA never denies admission based on financial need. For one month, CSSSA students will participate in rigorous classes that will prepare them to pursue their particular fields of interest. Upon completion, students are eligible to receive three units of California State University course credit, giving them a leg up in their college careers—and a summer full of memories. Sound like something that’s just right for your aspiring young artist? Apply online at csssa.ca.gov. Jessica Laskey can be reached at jessrlaskey@gmail.com. Please email items for consideration by the first of the month, at least one month in advance of the event. n
YOU DON’T KNOW JACK Or maybe you do, considering comedian and rock ’n’ roll raconteur, and Land Park resident, Jack Gallagher has performed frequently in Sacramento, becoming one of our city’s favorite funny guys. Don’t miss his fourth annual (in five years, he’s quick to point out) one-night-only concert “The Joke’s on Me” at 5 and 8 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 22 at the 24th Street Theatre.
The exhibition Jules Tavernier: Artist and Adventurer will be on display at Crocker through May 11
Art Preview
GALLERY ART SHOWS THIS MONTH
The Archival Gallery presents the newest works of two of Sacramento’s most popular artists: Eric Dahlin and Maureen Hood. Shown is one of Hood’s collages from “Friends and Acquaintances.” Archival Gallery is at 3223 Folsom Blvd. (archivalframe.com)
Alex Bult Gallery welcomes the return of Bay Area figurative artist Ursula O’Farrell. The solo exhibition, “Inner Light,” features new paintings by the nationally recognized painter. The show runs from Feb. 4 through March 1. Alex Bult Gallery is at 1114 21st St. (alexbultgallery.com)
David Wetzl has spent the better part of two decades unwinding in pictures the knot of human consciousness. This JAYJAY exhibit celebrates his retirement with a survey of his work that spans 20-plus years, including never-beforeseen drawings from the early ’90s, a selection of work from private collections, available recent works and a grand new painting that indicates that Wetzel is entering a phenomenal period of creativity. The gallery is open Wednesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and by appointment. JAYJAY is at 5520 Elvas Ave. (jayjayart.com)
More than 300 artworks from all types of media will be shown at “Animal House,” an annual animal-themed art show from Feb. 19 through March 8 at Sacramento Fine Arts Center. Expect to see pets, zoo animals and birds of all kinds. Shown is a painting by Pat Jones of Fair Oaks. Sacramento Fine Arts Center is at 5330B Gibbons Drive, Carmichael (sacfinearts.org).
INSIDEPUBLICATIONS.COM
37
Small Footprint POCKET’S RAVENOUS CAFE HAS ONLY EIGHT TABLES, BUT IT’S A BIG TREAT
his son-in-law during our last visit). Intimacy is the name of the game at this neighborhood bistro.
BY GREG SABIN RESTAURANT INSIDER
T
he Pocket is not what you would call a dining destination. Other than a few casual eateries, a little sushi and the hot counter at Nugget Market, there aren’t too many reasons to travel to the Pocket to eat if you don’t already live there. There is at least one exception, however: a small storefront tucked away in the Riverlake Village shopping center at the corner of Pocket and Greenhaven roads. Other than the fact that the idea of a “riverlake” makes no sense whatsoever (unless, of course, “mountaintopvalley” and “meadowocean” are things, too), the destination is one that Sacramento restaurant historians will talk about for years to come.
I didn’t expect food so elegant or lovely, or an evening so convivial and comfortable.
The petite dining room is as cozy as ever, with space for about eight tables. Portabella sandwich with fresh fruit
The fine French restaurant Plan B, now located at Watt and Fair Oaks and soon to open a second location in Midtown, got its start in Riverlake Village. When Plan B moved onto plan C, Matt Helms moved in and opened a little restaurant called Ravenous Cafe. Helms has since moved on to East Sac, where he now runs Juno Kitchen & Delicatessen. When Helms left Ravenous, Wade
38
POCKET FEB n 14
Sawaya, took over, keeping the name and maintaining the high standards of cuisine and service that had made the place a destination in the first place. Sawaya is an old hand in the restaurant business. He’s managed several fine-dining establishments, and he’s acted as sommelier at a fair share as well. He took the great
reputation that Helms established several years ago and did the best thing possible: He added to it. The petite dining room is as cozy as ever, with space for about eight tables. When the restaurant is full, it’s a tight fit, requiring a coordinated effort from the servers (who just happened to be Sawaya himself and
The menu abounds with standout dishes. A starter called Escargot & Portabella ($12) worked as well as any I’ve had in recent memory. Removed from their shells and served on top of an inverted portobello mushroom cap, the tasty little snails sparkled with a glossy concoction of shallots, chives, chevre and what tastes like a touch of dry sherry. If you turn up your nose at our delicious one-footed friends, be aware that the dish is like a gateway drug: a luscious, meaty presentation that will turn you into a snail zealot in no time. The small plate of duck breast and Brussels sprouts ($17) highlighted the two ingredients simply and elegantly. Childishly put, if you like duck and Brussels sprouts, you’ll love this dish because it’s so darn ducky and Brussels sprouty. On the lighter side, the beet salad ($9) was a gorgeous presentation of the colorful little treats. Sliced thinly and topped with a half handful of pomegranate seeds, the beets sang with natural flavor. A fair critique could be made, however, that some of the menu relies too heavily on fruits and vegetables that are well out of season. For a chef
Buy one entrée and get a second entrée FREE!* $16 maximum value. Seniors 55 and older. Must present proof of age. Coupon required. Offer valid 1-1-2014 through 3-31-2014. Tax and gratuity not included. Not valid on Valentine’s Day. 1001 Front Street, Historic Old Sacramento 916-446-6768 www.fatcitybarandcafe.com so deft at highlighting his primary ingredients, it’s risky and not always successful to feature tomatoes, asparagus and berries on the menu just a week short of winter. The dishes made with these ingredients— burrata and tomatoes; prosciutto and asparagus; berries and fresh cream— were the restaurant’s weakest offerings, out of touch with the rest of the menu and not nearly as flavorful as they could be. The family team of servers worked well as a unit. Both seemed intimately familiar with the menu and the wine list, handling requests with ease and humor and making spot-on recommendations. Casual conversation with diners and a little swagger made both a treat to dine with. Some good friends dined with us at Ravenous Cafe on one occasion and brought a couple of bottles of vino with them, saying that dealing with corkage is one of the toughest things for a restaurant to do right. They did it right at Ravenous, bringing separate glasses for the two wines, discussing with my good friend
LUNCH, DINNER INNER AND HAPPY HOUR SPECIALS FEATURING BEST OF THE WEST COAST OYSTERS OY S T E R S O N T H E H A L F S H E L L , B A K E D OY S T E R S , F R I E D OY S T E R S , P O ’ B OY S A N DW I C H A N D M O R E WWW. ELLA DINING ROOM AND BAR.COM 1131 K STREET DOWNTOWN SACRAMENTO 916.443.3772
Hoss in which order he’d like the wine served and bringing out our food to match the pace of our sipping.
It turns out that the Pocket might be a destination for dining after all. After eating out in our fair city for so many years, it’s rare that I’m surprised when dining. I didn’t expect food so elegant or lovely, or an evening so convivial and comfortable. It turns out that the Pocket might be a destination for dining after all. Ravenous Cafe is at 7600 Greenhaven Drive; 399-9309; ravenouscafe.com.
French-inspired pastries, cakes and breads handcrafted on-site every morning by artisan bakers and chefs!
FRIDAYS
Doughnut Day &
SUNDAY Croixnut Day
Greg Sabin can be reached at gregsabin@hotmail.com. n
(flavor changes every week)
FRENCH TEA SERVICE
$25/PERSON Set menu includes: tea sandwiches, assorted pastries, macaroon, tarts and choice of organic tea (reservation required)
Located on the corner of 9th & K in downtown Sacramento M-F 7-6, Sat 8-6, Sun 8-4 | 551-1500 | info@estellspatisserie.com
INSIDEPUBLICATIONS.COM
39
We’re Your Neighbor! pending
pending
EAST SACRAMENTO BUNGALOW
Charming 3 bed, 2 bath home in immaculate condition. Freshly re¿nished wood Àoors, new two tone int paint + kitchen wood laminate Àoor. Spacious living room w/attractive ¿replace & a backyard perfect for BBQ’s $429,000 MARSHA CHAN 217-5500
EAST SACRAMENTO
2-3 bed, 1 bath home. Lg Àoor plan, home of¿ce, family room, updated kitchen & bath, lg closets, built-ins, skylights, wood Àoors & private backyard. New roof & HVAC, partial dual pane windows, fresh paint.$384,950 DAWN ROWE 799-4835
SOUTH LAND PARK HILLS
4 bed, 3 bath home in a lovely location with a private courtyard entry. Beautiful wood Àoors in living room, family room, bedrooms & hallway, large kitchen & large master with jetted tub & separate shower. $525,000 KARLA OPPLIGER 799-0010
GREENHAVEN/POCKET
4 Bed, 2 ½ Bath home on a large lot w/dramatic swimming pool & waterfalls. Granite counters in kitchen & wetbar, some new carpeting & int. paint. RV/car/boat parking. Within Didion Elem Boundries. NICK LAPLACA 764-7500
RIVERLAKE-GATED BRIDGEVIEW
3 bed, 2 ½ bath, Parker built half plex. New tile roof (Oct’12), marble entry, plantation shutters, living room with B/I bookcases, marble frpl. Huge master suite w/coffered ceilings, W/I closet. $310,000 MARSHA CHAN 217-5500
GREENHAVEN/POCKET-GATED
4 bed, 2 ½ bath home w/1 bedroom located downstairs on one of the largest lots in this community! Features include laminate Àoor, granite counters in kitchen, two sided ¿replace & separate living & family rooms.$409,000 LYNN LUK LEE 628-2843
pending
ELK GROVE-1.2 ACRES
6 bed, 3 bath home, 7 car garage on 1.2 acres! Solar heated swimming pool , separate in-law quarters w/2 beds & 2 baths, kitchen & living room. Automatic RV gate leads to a separate 4 car garage.$799,999 NEAL ALIE 981-7129
ELK GROVE-TRIBUTARY POINT
3 bed, 2 1/2 bath home with lots of natural light. Open kitchen w/butlers pantry & formal dining room. Large master suite. Backyard Oasis with custom planter boxes & electric awning. $335,000 BRANDON SHEPARD 479-1936
Prudential Dunnigan Real Estate 6355 Riverside Blvd. Call: 422-3756 For Current Listings, Visit: prudunnigan.com
PARADISE IN COURTLAND
4-5 beds, 3 ½ bath home surrounded by 7 acres of pears. Spacious single story with pool and separate pool/guest house of approx. 780sf. All this privacy and just 20 minutes from Sacramento! $930,000 TERRY MULLIGAN 768-3796