Inside pocket feb 2016 by Inside Publications

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2016

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POCKET GREENHAVEN SOUTH POCKET LITTLE POCKET

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SOUTH LAND PARK TERRACE Conveniently located on a corner lot in a wonderful South Land Park neighborhood. 3 bedrooms 2 baths, 1453 square feet with open Àoor plan, living room ¿replace and dual pane windows. 2-car garage, bonus room and RV access. $449,000 CHRIS BRIGGS 834-6483

DUTRA BEND Ready for you to enjoy! This 4 bedroom 3 bath two-story home features newer paint, carpet and re¿nished hardwood Àoors. The great open Àoor plan is just what you are looking for! Open and spacious, there is plenty of room for everyone $449,000 PAULA SWAYNE 925-9715

AMAZING 1/3 ACRE GREENHAVEN LOT Custom home on one of the biggest lots (.33 acre). Rare 3-car garage! Spectacular lot with built-in pool, spa, gazebo. Gorgeous private yard. 3 bedrooms down and 1 bedroom upstairs. Fantastic remodeled kitchen, high-end appliances, low-e windows, new hardwood Àoors. Wow! $510,000 MONA GERGEN 247-9555

pending

ARLINGTON PARK HOME Nearly 2000 sf, 2 story home with 4 bedrooms 3 full baths on a nice sized corner lot! Freshly painted interior and new kitchen Àooring. Separate family room with ¿replace, central heat and air conditioning and a spacious 3-car garage. $299,000 SUE LEE 833-5122

QUALITY BUILT ELK GROVE Amazing 3 bedroom 2 bath single story home. Amazing remodeled kitchen and baths. Open Àoor plan, hand scraped exotic acacia hardwood Àoors, custom cabinets, and much more. Nearly 2 acres, open space, equestrian trails, Pleasant Grove Elem and HS, Albiani Middle School. $479,000 MONA GERGEN 247-9555

pending

COZY FREEPORT MANOR Lovely re¿nished hardwood Àoors throughout this cute 3 bedroom 1 bath home. Welcoming entry into living room with ¿replace and dining area. Central heat and air conditioning and clean 1-car attached garage. Very cute! $229,500 SHEILA VAN NOY 505-5395

sold

PARK PLACE SOUTH Desirable Park Place South 2 bedroom 2 bath, single story halfplex. New carpet and vinyl Àooring. Fresh interior paint. New window coverings. HOA dues include roof, exterior paint, front yard lawn and shrub maintenance, and tennis courts. Seller will provide a one year home warranty $254,000 CONNIE LANDSBERG 761-0411

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SOUTH LAND PARK HILLS Cute 3 bedroom 2 bath home that is move-in-ready! Wonderful South Land Park neighborhood. The work is done, re¿nished hardwood Àoors, new tile, new paint and carpet. Sweet, spacious and private backyard, central heat and air, 2-car garage. A delightful home! $349,900 JAMIE RICH 612-4000

sold

LIKE NEW LINDA ISLE Prestigious Riverlake community with lake access. Wonderful Àoor plan, 3 bedroom 2 bath with beautiful shutters, ¿replace, and more. Home and yard easy to maintain. Close to boat ramp and walking and biking trails, easy car ride to downtown. Immaculate home with private yard! $345,000 MONA GERGEN 247-9555

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COVER ARTIST Tim Mulligan Timothy Mulligan is an emerging artist who utilizes innovative techniques and different styles to discover the colors, light, and shadows of a subject. His work has been exhibited in numerous galleries in Sacramento and in the Bay Area. In March his work will be shown at Eliot Fouts Gallery in Midtown.

Visit timmulliganfineart.com

LOCAL FEBRUARY 16

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

VOL. 3 • ISSUE 1

Marybeth Bizjak mbbizjak@aol.com M.J. McFarland Cindy Fuller Linda Smolek, Aniko Kiezel Michele Mazzera, Julie Foster Lauren Hastings Jim Hastings, Daniel Nardinelli, Adrienne Kerins 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 65,000 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—©

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A Perfect Day NEIGHBORS START THEIR YEAR EXPERIENCING THE JOY OF VOLUNTEERISM

BY CECILY HASTINGS

PUBLISHER’S DESK

or the past several years, early January has been the time of year when our nonprofit Friends of East Sacramento is tasked with marshaling volunteers to winter prune the 1,200 rosebushes in McKinley Rose Garden. Our very small nonprofit organization signed a five-year lease in 2012 for the public garden. We manage rental events in the garden and use revenues and donations to maintain the garden all year long. Volunteers play a vital role in the garden because the maintenance crew we hire does not care for the roses— just the lawn, shrubs and perennial beds. We recruit, train and oversee dozens of volunteers during the growing season from April through November to deadhead roses, fertilize and weed. As the garden has matured, we have more rose blossoms than ever, so the volunteer need keeps growing. But the winter pruning process is a bit different. Ideally, it needs to happen in early January. And we have found (as did the Sacramento Rose Society, which managed the project for many years before us) that it is best accomplished in a

single morning with a large group. This allows new volunteers to learn from more experienced hands, and everyone stays motivated while working together. After the busy Christmas season is over, some folks are eager to get their hands on an interesting and meaningful volunteer job that helps the community. Peace on earth and goodwill toward men is still on their minds! We always plan the day knowing that rain is a distinct possibility. Light drizzle discourages some but, thankfully, not all. So unless there is a major storm, we try not to cancel or reschedule. In recent drought years, we’ve had clear days. But this year, with El Nino in force, we closely watched the weather forecast right up to the day of the winter pruning: Saturday, Jan. 9. I used to worry the week before about two things: the weather and whether we’d have enough volunteers to complete the job in a morning. To help ease our fears about a storm, we lined up a very experienced pruner we could pay to complete the job if necessary. This year, all of our

leaders, including our wonderful event chairs, Bill and Mary Kuyper, were planning to be out of town the following weekend, so postponement was not possible. As it turned out, it not only didn’t rain, but the sun shined for about half the day. The number of volunteers seems to grow larger with each passing year. We make it a pleasant experience by providing hot coffee, pastries from Freeport Bakery and a hot soup lunch made by Evan’s Kitchen. We offer free sharpening for the volunteers’ pruners, courtesy of Sheree Johnston of East Sac Hardware, who generously underwrites the cost of this service. This year, perhaps 100 folks showed up. We managed to finish by about 11 a.m.—very impressive. (Last year, we worked until 1 p.m.) About half of those who showed up were experienced volunteers who either worked at a previous prune day or regularly deadhead the rose blossoms. We sent those volunteers a short video link the day before with pruning basics. These folks were terrific!

The other half were first-timers, either neighborhood folks or high school students needing community service hours. It’s great to see young people pitching in, and it’s helpful to have people to haul and empty the tarps that collect the rose canes into the trash trailers. Everybody played a vital role in the day’s success. What struck me this year was how many folks either thanked us for giving them the opportunity to be a part of the community or emailed me later that day expressing their appreciation. One person sent a lovely little poem about how much she enjoyed being part of such a meaningful experience. I go to church each week in good part to be surrounded by fellow Christians in worship, even if just for an hour. Volunteers seem to appreciate working alongside others who make the time and exert the energy to volunteer. In reality, volunteers make up a very tiny portion of our neighborhood population. Most folks are busy, between working, raising children, enjoying hobbies or caring for elderly relatives. But the world might be a better place if more neighbors took the time to experience the joys of volunteerism. Please send me an email if you want to be placed on our McKinley Rose Garden volunteer list for future events. The garden is in hibernation until about mid-March. But then the fun begins again as thousands and thousands of beautiful rose blossoms reveal themselves in all their loveliness.

PUBLISHER page 9

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Who Wins? AN ATTORNEY ON LEVEE ACCESS ISSUES

BY R.E. GRASWICH POCKET BEAT

awyers and legal entanglements float above the battle to tear down nine private fences and open the Sacramento River levee parkway for public access. Remove those nine fences and Sacramento creates an unbroken riverfront greenbelt, from Freeport to downtown and on to Folsom. But legal threats—potential lawsuits from a few Greenhaven and Little Pocket homeowners—frighten state and city officials. The city of Sacramento is willing to spend upward of $4.5 million to pay off several dozen homeowners rather than face lawsuits. The state could legally order all nine fences removed today. But the state fears getting tied up in court. As a guy who hates to see public access squashed by a few selfish homeowners, I went searching for answers to the ultimate question: If the levee access fight goes to court, who wins? I’ve talked to many lawyers about the levees, but they tend to be aligned with one side or the other. So I turned to Steve Belzer, an attorney with two things going for him.

POC FEB n 16

Retired attorney Steve Belzer

First, he’s retired and not interested in getting pulled into another eminent domain or easement showdown, for either side. Second, during his career he fought many property wars, about 400 by his estimate.

“If I learned one thing, it’s that property is god,” he says. “People get very worked up about it.” I asked Belzer to walk me through the levee parkway access debate from a legal perspective. He looked at original easement documents, where

farmers sold levee property rights to the state from 1909 to 1955. He developed some interesting thoughts. “The basic rule is, the easement establishes what rights are being conveyed,” he says. “Here, you have to answer the question, what were the farmers thinking when they conveyed those rights to the state? What was the original intent?” The original easements are vague. They give the state total access and control “for levee and reclamation” purposes. They don’t say anything else. They don’t define activities that might fit under “levee and reclamation” purposes, or not. Today’s levee property owners demand the narrowest possible definition—that “levee and reclamation” means strictly flood protection and levee maintenance, not recreational activity or anything else. “These were farmers with swampland,” Belzer says. “They obviously didn’t contemplate people on bicycles. They wanted levees to protect their property so they could bring cattle down for grazing. The Sacramento River was a commercial waterway in those days, with goods being shipped up from San Francisco. And it flooded on a regular basis.” Score one for the homeowners. But here the plot thickens. In the early 20th century, there was significant and continuous recreational use of levees and surrounding swampland. People went fishing. Public trails weaved along the levee and floodplain. Old trails still exist today near the Sacramento River. Fishing and walking could reasonably fit under “levee and reclamation,” circa 1925.

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“That’s evidence,” Belzer says. “If I were a judge hearing this case, I’d like to know more about the recreational uses during that period. The public had different attitudes about recreation in the early 1900s than they had in 1860.” Property owners along the river contend the easements don’t allow recreational use because they don’t say “recreational use.” This argument explains why the city is trying to buy “recreational” easements from current homeowners. But here’s a card that beats silence on recreation: When the state bought the easements, it bought property rights without limit. The state bought the levees. And the state allowed plenty of uses not spelled out in the easements: industrial, commercial, hiking and fishing. The state’s levee ownership rights today preserve the undisputed authority of the Central Valley flood board to control the levees. Homeowners—the same people who claim they “own” the levee—can’t plant a tulip near the levee without permission.

“The state can say, ‘We have fee title to this levee and we have the right to use and abuse it any way we like,’” Belzer says. “‘The easement gives us complete control.’” The city’s presence is another ironic factor. And it doesn’t favor the homeowners. Homeowners claim the original easements were granted to a flood agency for flood-fighting purposes— not recreation. But the city has long claimed portions of the levee. And that weakens the homeowners’ argument. “Part of the city’s mandate is to provide recreation,” Belzer says. “The further up river you go, like Little Pocket, the harder it is to argue there’s no recreational component conveyed.” So who wins? Our neutral barrister won’t speculate. He was not great at predicting his own court outcomes, he says. But this much is obvious: Sacramento River levee access is an issue ripe for judgment. R.E. Graswich can be reached at reg@graswich.com n

PUBLISHER FROM page 7

BOOK UPDATE Last October, my column detailed our plans for an upcoming book on the most interesting places in Sacramento—America’s Farm-to-Fork Capital. Based upon a similar book about Oakland, ours will be a photodriven, paperbound book profiling 90 of the most interesting places to visit in our city—from cafes to boutiques— and the entrepreneurs who own them. The places are organized by seven neighborhoods: Downtown, R Street, Midtown, Old Sac, Land and Curtis Parks, Oak Park and East Sac. We also include some fun destinations to visit. We’ve been busy photographing, writing and designing the book and hope to complete production in late April or early May. We’re releasing the book in September, just in time for Farm-to-Fork month. The process of contacting business owners we’ve selected to participate has been the biggest challenge. As of now, we have 80 of the 90 businesses signed up, with a list of 20 more

places to be considered for the last 10 positions. It is frustrating that some owners just do not respond to our requests to meet. We started out with more of a general small business consideration, but it has developed into more places either associated with food or more well-designed boutiques once we started shooting photos. A number of beloved Sacramento businesses just do not photograph well enough to be included in a visually-oriented book. A few of my own favorites didn’t make it and I do worry about hurt feelings. And a couple of popular places just said no. But all in all, the group we’ve assembled so far is most impressive and collectively will definitely change the perception of our city in a very positive way. If you’d like to follow our progress on the book through photo posts, please like us on our Facebook page or follow us on Instragram using #insidesacbook. Cecily Hastings can be reached at publisher@insidepublications.com n

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Circling the Wagons CITY HALL STUMBLES INTO THE NEW YEAR

BY CRAIG POWELL INSIDE CITY HALL

ehavior at city hall last month followed the general trajectory of the stock market: both pretty much tanked. At the top of the list of the city’s down market moves was its stunning decision to keep the public in the dark about the results of an investigation by two outside law firms hired by the city into claims of quid pro quo sexual harassment and misuse of public office for private gain brought against councilmember Allen Warren by a former female employee in his council office. The city won’t even release the highlights or conclusions of the report, let alone its full contents. Warren is up for reelection in June, if he decides to run again. Let’s compare the city’s handling of the Warren case to its recent handling of the investigation of a sexual harassment claim against Kevin Johnson, filed just a few months earlier. The city used the same primary outside law firm to conduct both investigations. While the city chose to disclose the results of the Johnson investigation when it found that the allegations were “unsubstantiated,” it is choosing

POC FEB n 16

to keep the results of the Warren investigation secret. The city isn’t interested in revealing the truth to the public but in circling the wagons and protecting an incumbent councilmember. I think we can fairly surmise that if the Warren investigation had found the allegations against him were unsubstantiated, the city would be broadcasting its findings to every media outlet in Sacramento, just as it did in the Johnson investigation. Is Allen Warren a sexual harasser of city staff? We don’t know. Did he illegally misuse city assets and resources to conduct his private business as alleged? We don’t know. Senior city staff know, and I’m sure the city council knows (subject to, I’m sure, a gag order imposed on them by the city attorney). If Warren is guilty of one or more of the allegations, as the city’s refusal to disclose the report certainly tends to signal, there is no current city mechanism for holding him accountable. Even the option of a city council censure would seem to be off the table. How can his council colleagues publicly censure him for something they can’t even talk about in public? The gutless ethics commission the city is proposing (with an annual operating cost of $450,000) won’t even have the jurisdiction to consider sexual harassment claims against councilmembers or claims of misuse of public office for private gain. If the June primary weren’t so near, the voters in his district could conceivably recall him. But how can citizens initiate a recall against an officeholder for something that is,

at this point, merely allegations and strong suspicion? Worst of all is that the city’s coverup will cheat the voters in Warren’s district of vital information in the upcoming June election, should he stand for re-election. The city’s hiding of the report will mean that voters will be left with nothing but suspicion, rumor and innuendo by which to judge the claims against Warren. Frankly, that’s a perversion of the democratic process.

The gutless ethics commission the city is proposing won’t even have the jurisdiction to consider sexual harassment claims against councilmembers.

The city has a moral, ethical and democratic duty to tell District 2 voters the truth about the legal and ethical culpability of their councilmember. Is our city council so ethically bereft that they don’t get that? The facts are quite clear on one point. Our current city leadership is devoted to one goal: protecting incumbent politicians from accountability for claims against them for illegal and unethical misconduct, no matter how much it undermines trust in city government.

The city attorney will probably assert that the city needs to hide the report from the public to minimize the city’s liability exposure to Warren’s former city staffer in a likely future suit against the city. I look at this issue much differently than the city attorney, with a view that I suspect is shared by the great majority of Sacramentans: It is far more important to cleanse city government of the stain of illegal conduct and sexual harassment by senior city officials, and restore some measure of public trust in city government, than it is for the city to hide the truth from the public in an effort to evade financial responsibility to the victim of a councilmember’s misconduct. The city should not be covering up the culpability of its senior officials. It comes down to this: Do we want to be known as the city that sweeps its dirty laundry under the rug, protects its politicians at all costs and deprives victims of misconduct by senior city officials of a just settlement of their legitimate claims? I don’t think so. And what kind of message would that send to city councilmembers, current and future? That they can engage in egregious and injurious misconduct and the city will virtually immunize them from official accountability and responsibility for their misconduct? That’s not the Sacramento I grew up in, and I don’t think that’s the Sacramento we want to be. Circling the wagons to fend off a legal claim by a former employee may be fine strategy for a private business, but not for a government CITY page 13

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Author, Author HER BOOK SHINES A LIGHT ON HER FATHER’S ART

executive director of the State Water Resources Control Board, the position I held when I retired five years ago. I retired early to pursue my first love—writing—and quickly realized two things: I didn’t know any writers and thus had no community to be involved with and, more importantly, I lacked the skills. All the technical and analytical writing I’d done in my career hadn’t prepared me for creative writing.” Rice has written a few other works, including a murder mystery inspired by her father’s art. Rice will hold a reading and slide show at 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 5, at The Sacramento Poetry Center. The center is at 1719 25th St. For more information about the author, go to dorothyriceauthor.com.

BY SHANE SINGH

POCKET LIFE

ocket resident Dorothy Rice is a retired civil servant turned author whose essays and stories have appeared in The Rumpus, Still Point Arts Quarterly, Louisville Review, The Saturday Evening Post, Brainchild Magazine and other literary journals. “The Reluctant Artist: Joe Rice 1918–2011” is her first published book, detailing the artwork of her late father. Proceeds from “The Reluctant Artist” benefit 916 Ink, a Sacramento area nonprofit that promotes youth literacy and helps young writers publish their work.

TODDLER STORYTIME

Rice has written a few other works, including a murder mystery inspired by her father’s art.

It’s a perfect relationship, Rice says. “I relate to it very strongly given my lifelong dream to write,” she says. “It’s my hope that some young

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Pocket resident Dorothy Rice with her first published book

writers will be encouraged by their involvement with 916 Ink to find their writing voice now, and not wait 30plus years as I did.” Rice has lived in Sacramento since graduating from UC Davis in 1976. With her then-husband, she moved to the Pocket area in 1998 and raised five kids. A lifelong learner, Rice

earned a master’s degree in fine arts from UC Riverside at age 60. She’d always wanted to be a writer. “Having children, being a single mom for many years and the need to earn a living derailed those plans for quite some time,” she says. “To support my family, I pursued a career in state government, eventually working my way up from clerk typist to

Toddlers, babies and their caretakers will take over Robbie Waters Pocket-Greenhaven Library on Tuesday, Feb. 2, at 11 a.m., where the younger set will join library staff for songs and rhymes in a language enrichment program to boost brain development. The library is at 7335 Gloria Drive. For more information, go to saclibrary.org or call 264-2700.

RUNNING KENNEDY COUGAR Senior Haley Adel is an accomplished student and crosscountry runner at John F. Kennedy High School. Adel is very involved

LIFE page 15

CITY FROM page 10 whose leaders are elected by, and accountable to, the people. It’s not government’s role to cheat victims out of just compensation for wrongful acts committed by the senior officials of that government. How are city officials getting away with deep-sixing the Warren report? They are standing behind various exemptions from the disclosure requirements of the California Public Records Act. They’re claiming exemptions for personnel matters, attorney/client privileged communications, threatened litigation and, my personal favorite, that the anticipated benefits of disclosure are “outweighed” by the likely harm of disclosure. But all of these exemptions from disclosure are entirely discretionary in nature. In other words, the city could, if it wished to do so, disclose the report by simply choosing not to invoke any CPRA exemption. This past fall, the city council had a choice between adopting a robust set of ethics and transparency reforms that were the final product of 10 public forums sponsored by Eye on Sacramento and 23 other community organizations (the community proposals) or a tepid set of reforms approved by the city’s closed-door ad hoc committee on good governance (the ad hoc proposals). The council approved, in principle, the ad hoc proposals and rejected the community proposals. Formal council adoption of the ad hoc proposals is expected later this year. How would this matter be handled under the ad hoc proposals as compared to current city rules? Well, the ethics commission contemplated by the ad hoc proposals would have no authority to consider sexual harassment claims against councilmembers, nor a claim that a public official misused public resources for private gain. Nor would the transparency rules compel the public release of the Warren report. In short, there would be absolutely no difference in the handling of the claims or the report under the ad hoc proposals as compared to current city rules.

Under the community proposals, however, the ethics commission would have the jurisdiction to adjudicate both the sexual harassment claim against Warren as well as the claim that he misused public resources for his private gain. The ethics commission, with independently appointed commissioners, would initiate the investigation and its investigative report would be released to the public, rather than hidden behind the attorney/client privilege. The transparency rules of the community proposals would abolish or limit the exemptions from the CPRA that the city is currently asserting to avoid public disclosure of the Warren report. In short, the community proposals would produce an independent investigation of the claims and a fair and open adjudication of them by independent, impartial commissioners, and would fully disclose its investigative findings to the public. Given the continuing lack of dedication to serious ethics reform at city hall, it’s more and more likely that the community proposals will be the subject of one or more citizendriven ballot measures in 2018.

That’s the theory that police are increasingly reluctant to engage

“depolicing” in Sacramento. Look for my report in my column next month.

in assertive policing in the face of growing community hostility, increased public scrutiny of police actions and a number of politically

MORE STUMBLES The city is having a very difficult

charged investigations and murder

time dealing with a large group of

prosecutions of police officers in the

homeless advocates who are regularly

past year in the aftermath of high-

camping out just outside city hall. The

profile police shootings of unarmed

campers are calling on the city council

black men (as well as deaths in police

to repeal the city’s anti-camping

custody) in Ferguson, Mo., Baltimore,

ordinance, an idea that’s gained zero

North Charleston, S.C., Chicago

traction with the council. At 5 a.m.

and other cities. It’s being called

on a recent cold January morning, 50

“depolicing,” meaning that police are

police officers raided the encampment,

less willing to assertively confront

rousting sleeping campers. They cited

individuals suspected of wrongdoing

some, arrested some and escorted

out of a concern for triggering a

others to local service providers.

hostile crowd reaction or being

But the campers were soon back

second-guessed.

in full force, followed again by police who repeatedly arrested and

That’s the theory that police are increasingly reluctant to engage in assertive policing in the face of growing community hostility

cited several campers. The cycle appears to be repeating itself. On a recent Tuesday night, 40 homeless advocates testified at a city council meeting, an increasingly common occurrence. Meanwhile, the hacker group Anonymous posted several YouTube videos warning the city that if it did not place a moratorium on enforcement of its anti-camping ordinance, Anonymous would deploy its resources, presumably to disrupt

BIG SPIKE IN VIOLENT CRIME RATE? CALL A MEETING

So what’s been the city’s response to the sharp increase in violent crime in Sacramento? Well, Mayor Kevin

the city’s website as it recently did in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Finally, the city issued an advisory

Johnson issued a press release on Oct.

to residents of the Pocket area on

So the gruesome numbers are in:

10 calling for an “immediate meeting

Jan. 10 that, due to the presence of

Murders in Sacramento last year were

with police leaders.” Four days later,

elevated levels of coliform bacteria

up 52 percent over the year before,

he met with police chief Sam Somers

discovered in local wells, they should

rapes were up 29 percent, robberies

for 45 minutes for what was dubbed

boil their tap water before drinking

were up 21 percent and aggravated

a “productive meeting.” No major

or cooking with it. According to city

assaults were up 24 percent, matching

actions or initiatives were announced.

staff, it was the first time in city

similar major increases in violent

I sat down recently with Timothy

history such an advisory was issued.

crime in a number of America’s

Davis, the newly elected president

According to our city sources, the

largest, most ethnically diverse cities.

of the Sacramento Police Officers

highly localized contamination was

Why the sudden spike in violent crime

Association, for a wide-ranging

likely the result of a pipe break

in Sacramento and other big cities

discussion of the city’s spike in violent

caused by city contractors working

following years of steady decline?

crime, a possible Ferguson Effect,

on the city’s water meter project. The

There is never a simple explanation

the Police Department’s recruitment

advisory was lifted two days later.

for major short-term gyrations in the

challenges, the city’s newly formed

crime rate, but a number of crime

Community Police Commission, police

analysts and nationally recognized

compensation and other issues. Eye

law enforcement officials, including

on Sacramento (the watchdog group

the directors of both the FBI and the

that I head) is also taking a close look

DEA, have recently attributed a good

at recent police statistics, including

portion of the blame to what’s being

arrest numbers for last year, to

called the Ferguson Effect.

see if there are tangible signs of

Craig Powell is a local attorney, businessman, community activist and president of Eye on Sacramento, a civic watchdog and policy group. He can be reached at craig@ eyeonsacramento.org or 718-3030. n

POC n INSIDEPUBLICATIONS.COM

Oil Baroness OLIVE EXPERT SHARES HER CULINARY SKILL AT LIBRARY TASTING

PHOTO AND STORY

now work for Applied Sensory, a

BY SUSAN SKINNER

Fairfield consulting company that tests wines, olive oils and beer.

orn in Argentina and raised

“The law requires growers and

in California, Maria Farr has

millers’ products to be tested by a lab

good reason to bless an age-old

and a sensory panel,” she explains.

staple that oils the wheels of Latino

“We’re one of only seven panels

kitchens.

recognized by the American Oil

“Most Argentinians are of Italian

Chemists’ Society.

origin,” says the Carmichael resident.

“We’re paid a stipend but it’s fun;

“My mami had a huge can of Italian

we feel that we’re also benefitting

olive oil under her sink. She used it in

consumers. People should eat what’s

everything she cooked. As a teenager

good for them.”

in California, I wanted our food to

Some professional tasters cosset

taste more American. But Mami even

palates by avoiding alcohol. “I don’t

cooked our French fries in olive oil.

eat the morning of a tasting,” Farr

Our mashed potatoes tasted of oil and

says. “I have tea, nothing else. I love

garlic.”

the smell and taste and smell of olive oil. I don’t want to overwhelm it.” Love for the humble olive extends

“What skill I have was developed by many years of tasting and training.”

Olive oil aficionado Maria Farr (and pooch Cassius) with tools of the taster’s expertise. Farr will share olive oil knowledge in a tasting event at Pocket-Greenhaven Library on Feb. 10.

to cookery. Farr has established a blog to share recipes and knowledge. “My mother cooked from scratch;

her one of a very few sensory experts

has since sniffed, sipped, swirled (and

that’s what I do, too,” she says.

recognized by the international olive

occasionally spat) hundreds of oils.

“I can’t just open a box and call it

oil industry.

Samples are submitted from olive

dinner. Like Mami, I use olive oil in

farms all over the world. Panel

everything—cakes, breads—I even

at a free tasting event in Pocket-

protocol requires that sensors are

give it to my dog for his coat. I love

Greenhaven Library on Feb. 10. Her

isolated with small cups of oil, water

exploring new recipes. Friends are my

program introduces participants to

and sliced apples (for cleansing

guinea pigs.

good health, hair and skin. “Mami

the good, the great and the ugly of oil

palates).

gave my hair oil treatments,” she

production.

No surprise: Maria grew up with

recalls. “Olives produce an excellent,

Farr will share her knowledge

“Certain qualities can only be

“Every taster has their own style,” Farr observes. “Some swallow, some

“When they ask for a recipe, I know I’ve succeeded.” Farr’s Pocket-Greenhaven

healthy oil if I get it on my hands

detected by human taste,” she

spit. Our observations are tallied. We

Library program begins at 6 p.m. on

when cooking, I don’t wash it off, I

explains. “Whether it’s virgin,

also give descriptors, like buttery,

Wednesday, Feb. 10. Registration is

rub it in. It’s too good to waste. She

extra virgin or not fit for human

nutty or peppery, that producers

required via saclib.org

taught me that.”

consumption.

can use on labels.” These tests also

Mami also bequeathed her only child a second career. After 20 years

“What skill I have was developed by many years of tasting and training.”

identify problems with harvesting,

Sacramento. Access Farr’s culinary

milling, storage and indicate if

blog at therenaissancekitchen.com

of teaching Spanish at Sacramento

Honed by UC Davis studies, her

Waldorf School (Fair Oaks), Farr is

sensory talent led to a seat on a panel

UC Davis has since discontinued

now exploring more inherited skills.

that helps oil producers. The panelist

this service, but the experts’ mission

Her rapport with olive oil has made

POC FEB n 16

The library is at 7335 Gloria Drive,

improvements are needed.

continues. Farr and panelist friends

Susan Maxwell Skinner can be reached at sknrband@aol.com n

LIFE FROM page 12 with the local community. “I have shirts dating back to the early 2000s from 5k races that my parents took my siblings and me to run in,” she says. “My favorite as a child was the Kaiser Permanente Veggie Chase because afterward there were tons of prizes and music. My family had a blast.” Adel played basketball during her freshman and sophomore years. She decided to focus on distance running as a junior. She runs track in the spring, specializing in the 3,200 meters. As a youngster, she played an assortment of sports, including soccer for Greenhaven and Sacramento Soccer Alliance, basketball at St. Anthony’s, softball for Pocket Girls

Softball and swim team with the city league. This past season, Adel was the Metro League Champion for varsity girls’ cross-country, undefeated in the Metro League. She was the first individual finisher at Section meet. At the state Division I cross-country meet in Fresno, she placed 35th overall with a time of 18:34. When Adel isn’t in studying or running, she enjoys card games with her family and watching movies on Netflix. Adel volunteers at TCG Academy, a children’s summer camp at Kennedy High School. At TCG Academy, she always has a lot of fun playing games and running around with the kids. Before Kennedy, Adel attended Genevieve Didion School. “It was

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an awesome experience to be at a small school, but I also enjoyed attending a large school like Kennedy to provide with me with a different perspective,” she says. She has always enjoyed math. “This year, I am enrolled in subjects that I have never really had a chance to experiment with,” she says. “Both physics and calculus make me think in abstract ways, which is exciting. Literature lets me delve more into texts and better understand the author’s purpose. Economics, which finished in December, helped me to not be as scared as I enter the real world with W-4s and GDP to think about.”

She has applied to many California colleges and hopes to attend Cal Poly San Luis Obispo or UC Davis. She plans to major in nutrition. After college, she aspires to work as a hospital nutritionist or with the state to improve food programs. Shane Singh can be reached at shane@shanesingh.com n

After college, she aspires to work as a hospital nutritionist or with the state to improve food programs.

John F. Kennedy High School senior Haley Adel is an accomplished student and cross-country runner

Adel credits the McClatchy High School cross-country team for letting her train with them for a week before the state meet. “They were very gracious, and I was happy to not have to practice alone,” she says. “I am also appreciative to the St. Francis cross-country team for letting me join them for their summer training. I got to train on different paths and meet some really awesome people.”

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Talking of TED THE GLOBAL CONFERENCE OF BIG IDEAS HAS A HOME IN SACRAMENTO

BY R.E. GRASWICH CITY BEAT

et’s begin by making it clear what TEDx Sacramento is not. TEDx Sacramento is not a speaker series. This news may challenge first impressions, given that TEDx fulfills its mission each year by clipping wireless microphones to various people and thrusting them onto a theatrically lit and gloriously intimidating stage at Community Center Theater, where an audience of 3,000 or so awaits to be enlightened for the next 18 minutes and cameras record every bead of sweat. People speak at TEDx Sacramento. But it’s not a speaker series, because the speakers themselves really aren’t the point. The point is what they have to say. Celebrities are rarely invited to talk at TEDx. Big-name personalities have appeared on occasion, but the law of diminishing returns often prevails in their wake. The bigger the name, the louder the potential thud. “Most of our speakers are not polished, professional speakers,” says Brandon Weber, the organizer of TEDx Sacramento. “We love the various speaker series that

POC FEB n 16

Brandon Weber is the organizer of TEDx Sacramento

come through town with scripted, professional speeches, but we’re something very different. Our speakers are experts, but they’re experts you probably never heard of.” The next opportunity for surprise and enlightenment from someone you would probably ignore at the grocery store is coming soon. TEDx Sacramento makes its annual visit to the downtown theater Feb. 12. For information, go to tedxsacramento. com. Be warned, TEDx tickets tend not to linger. TEDx Sacramento is a licensed cousin of the wildly successful global nonprofit phenomenon TED—short for Technology, Entertainment and Design. It began with the simple mandate to help spread big ideas.

The original TED started in 1984. There are still fuzzy videos lurking on the Internet to prove why people talking about ideas had such compelling, continuing appeal. The Sacramento TED offshoot sprouted in 2009 as one of the first independent auxiliaries licensed by the mother ship. The local show has become a monster, quickly outgrowing the compact auditorium at Crocker Art Museum for a space 10 times larger. “We had eight friends to start with, and we weren’t sure what was going to happen,” Weber says. “We didn’t know what was going on or whether anyone would even care. We just let the community run with it.”

The community sprinted, embracing the opportunity to hear diverse, brief, humble thoughts about business, technology, money, education, kids, life. Over the decades, there have been thousands of TED talks recorded for free Web viewing. Some have been viewed more than 20 million times. Talks on body language, the ability of schools to stifle creativity, secrets of leadership and beauty are among the most popular. Speakers have become famous thanks to TED. But the diversity of ideas is the key, whether the event is held in Scotland, Africa or Sacramento, whether the speaker is a provincial college professor or a plutocrat.

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6606 Folsom Auburn Rd. Folsom, CA. 916-999-1760 Open Mattress Architecture Sacramento, with its legacy as a bulwark of bureaucracy and service industries, with its lack of corporate headquarters and modest entrepreneurial pool, wouldn’t seem an obvious place for TEDx to thrive. “There’s no denying that Sacramento is a government town, and that government and bureaucracies aren’t exactly known for being on the cutting edge of new ideas,” Weber says. “But the reality is, the community has responded to make Sacramento one of the most successful TEDx events anywhere.” Success comes the TED way. Unlike speaker series, where big names are rolled out with marketing barrages, it’s next to impossible to learn who will be speaking at TEDx Sacramento. Weber is a big ideas and marketing guy. But his strategy with TEDx isn’t coy. It’s consistent with the mission. It’s TED. One of Sacramento’s favorite speakers proves the point. Nobody had heard of Chris Ategeka before his TEDx talk slot—not Weber nor anyone associated with TEDx. Ategeka auditioned with an emailed

sleepdesign.com pitch. His idea sounded interesting. In person, his story was astonishing. Orphaned at age 7 in Uganda, he became an engineering student at UC Berkeley, achieving doctoratelevel success. And he figured out how to turn ruined old bicycles into wheelchairs for disabled Ugandan villagers—people who had previously been carried on the backs of loved ones. His 2012 talk is grainy and barely eight minutes long. Viewership clicks have settled below 6,000. But no person in the room that day can forget Chris Ategeka. “It was our first standing ovation,” Weber says. “People were crying. We learn in advance with TEDx to be surprised, but nothing prepared us for the power of what he said.” Ategeka focused on how one average person can solve world problems. He did it with old bicycles. That’s the serendipitous magic of TEDx Sacramento. R.E. Graswich can be reached at reg@graswich.com n

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Cool Cat SUMATRAN TIGER JOINS THE LOCAL MENAGERIE; IS LOVE IN THE AIR?

BY JESSICA LASKEY

LIFE IN THE CITY

f you’ve stopped by the Sumatran tiger exhibit at the Sacramento Zoo lately, you might have noticed a new furry face: Mohan, an 11-yearold male Sumatran tiger, has joined Baha, the zoo’s resident female, in what we’re hoping will be a match made in heaven. The dynamic duo won’t be on display together until they’ve undergone an extensive “meet and greet” process, so if you want to get a gander at Mohan, stop by the exhibit until 3 p.m. each day and then say hello to Baha after 3 p.m. until closing. Once they’re comfortable with the sight and smell of one another, the purrfect pair will begin to share space, so check back often to see if they’ve started their “paw” de deux! The weather is warming up, which means so is the zoo’s outdoor programming. Catch the wild and woolly Wildlife Stage Shows at 11 a.m. on Friday, Saturdays and Sundays from Feb. 12 through March 20 at the amphitheater and meet some of the Interpretive Center’s most entertaining denizens. If you’re interested in one animal in particular, hear what its keeper has to say about its care at Keeper Chats

POC FEB n 16

Mohan, a male Sumatran tiger, has joined the tiger exhibit at the Sacramento Zoo

at 2:15, 2:30 and 2:45 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from Feb. 12 through March 20 in front of your favorite animal’s exhibit. Do you “heart” the Sacramento Zoo? Show it some love from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 14, during the I Heart Sacramento Zoo event featuring valentine-themed animal enrichments, informative talks and

activity tables organized by teen volunteers. The event is included with general admission. If you or someone you know, or made, is excited about exploring the wonders of the natural world, don’t miss the zoo’s newest program, Nature’s Explorers, held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. the last Saturday of the month (that’s Feb. 27 this

month). Thanks to a grant from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, young explorers and their adults will investigate a new topic each month and read stories, play and explore the zoo, all free with paid general admission. Did you contribute to Quarters for Conservation last year? Well, good news: the winning project that received the most tokens in 2015 is the Snow Leopard Conservation program, which earned 200,158 votes! Second and third place went to the Giant Armadillo and Giant Anteater Conservation programs, but they didn’t miss out just because they didn’t take the cake: the $50,000 raised through the Quarters for Conservation fund will be divided based on the number of votes received for each project, so everyone wins! Gearing up for this year’s conservation conversation? The local and global conservation projects up for funding this year are the Borneo Small Wild Cat, the Greater Sandhill Crane and the Southern African Vulture Conservation funds. Each of these species is facing trouble in its natural habitat, so start considering how you want your 25 cents to be spent to help animals in need. For more information on all zoo events, call 808-5888 or go saczoo.org. The Sacramento Zoo is at 3930 W. Land Park Drive.

EAT AND GREET Where you can enjoy Dungeness crab and treat your ears to a feast? The second annual Sierra Curtis Neighborhood Association Sing ’n’ Serve Crab Feed, of course, from 6 to

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8 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 5, at Sierra 2 Center for the Arts and Community. Tuck into a decadent dinner of mixed green salad, pasta with marinara sauce, beer bread, Dungeness crab and a soft drink while taking in the dulcet tones of the Sacramento Gay Men’s Chorus. (Save room for something sweet when the talented singing troupe hosts the Dessert Dash!) The event sold out last year, so make sure you snap up your tickets soon. Proceeds benefit the Sierra 2 Center and the evening’s entertainment, the Sacramento Gay Men’s Chorus. For tickets and more information, call 452-32005 or go to sierra2.org. Sierra 2 Center for the Arts and Community is at 2791 24th St.

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Watercolor is a notoriously difficult medium, so to see two talented artists tackle it so beautifully and with such distinct styles is a sight to behold. Take it all in at “A Sense of Place: Watercolors by Debra Williams and David Peterson,” the first art show of the year at Ella K. McClatchy Library’s newly revamped exhibition space, from Feb. 20 through April 1. Elk Grove artist Williams has created a series of watercolors that features the sunsets she observes from her window and as she walks her neighborhood. Her work has been included in many juried and group shows throughout California. She received her bachelor’s degree from CSU Fullerton and a teaching

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credential (though she’s now retired and loving it) from UC Davis. Nationally recognized watercolor artist Peterson portrays scenes that are familiar—Yosemite or Manzanar, for example—in his characteristic clever style. His work has been included in the California State Fair Fine Arts Exhibit for the past three years, and he’s been a Yosemite Art Center Visiting Artist since 2012. A past president of WASH Inc., Sacramento’s watercolor club, Peterson has also been awarded Northern California Artist Master Painter Signature status. Meet both artists at the special reception from 2 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 20. For more information, go to saclibrary.org. Ella K. McClatchy Library is at 2112 22nd St.

MUSEUMS FOR ALL

Artwork by David Peterson will be featured at the Ella K. McClatchy Library

Grab your walking shoes and your best “ooh” and “aah” and head out into the city for the 18th year of Sacramento Museum Day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 6.

Featuring half-price or free admission to nearly 25 area museums, including the Sacramento Zoo (3930 Land Park Drive) and Fairytale Town (3901 Land Park Drive), Museum Day is designed to encourage all members of the community to experience the region’s incredible wealth of art, history, science and wildlife at little to no cost. Thanks to the support of the Sacramento Association of Museums and all of the participating institutions, admission is only $2.75 per person, and kids ages one and under are free at most locations. Check the event’s website at sacmuseums.org for more information, as well as a detailed map of participating museums. Now go get your art on!

GET YOUR PANTIES IN A TWIST Yes, you read that right: It’s time for the Sacramento Undy Run/Walk

LIFE IN THE CITY page 20

POC n INSIDEPUBLICATIONS.COM

LIFE IN THE CITY FROM page 19 from 9 to 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 27, at William Land Park. Wearing your panties in public might sound brave, but the goal of the fun fitness event is even better: The family- and pet-friendly underwear-themed 5K raises funds and awareness for colon cancer. The event also includes a 1-Mile Fun Run, a giant inflatable colon (yes, really) and more. Register now using the discount code CALENDAR to save $5 at undyrunwalk.org. William Land Park is at 4000 S. Land Park Drive.

BE AN OPEN BOOK Sure, libraries give a place to dive into our imagination through the pages of beautiful books, but they also offer our brains a space to play and grow through classes and fun events designed to bring the community together. After all, the family that plays together stays together! This month, help youngsters ages 6 through 12 hone their computer skills (there’s more to life than Instagram!) with the Belle Cooledge Library’s class “Level Up Your Coding Skills with Google CS” at 4 p.m. on Thursdays, Feb. 4, 11, 18 and 25 (and into March).

TRUCKIN’ ALONG

This one-hour class will teach

Food Truck Mania is back at William Land Park, so get yourself to the food truck lineup and get some delicious grub from 4 to 8 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 21. This monthly event sponsored by the Land Park Community Association and presented by SactoMofo (or Sacramento Mobile Food) is an evening that’s not to be missed: gourmet food trucks, live entertainment and neighborly noshing for the whole family at the corner of Freeport Boulevard and Sutterville Road. For more information, go to sactomofo.com. William Land Park is at 4000 S. Land Park Drive.

budding engineers how to build their own computer games with MIT’s Scratch software. The course runs for eight weeks and registration is required via saclibrary.org Celebrate Black History Month with a special Belle Cooledge event at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 6. Magician Forest Barnes will take audience members on a magical voyage with tricks and illusions featuring inventions created by brilliant African American inventors and scientists, all while sharing fascinating historical facts about these important people. The program is designed for all ages, so bring the whole family. Belle Cooledge Library is at 5600 S. Land Park Drive. The Ella K. McClatchy Library is getting lovey-dovey with its Valentine’s Cards and Cookies event at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 6.

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and decorating items will be provided.

participants about fall prevention,

Listen to the beautiful beat of the Fenix Drum and Dance Company

training exercises and facilitating

at McClatchy’s African Princess

ongoing compliance. Registration is

(and Superhero) Party at 2 p.m. on

required and some physical eligibility

Saturday, Feb. 13. The renowned

requirements apply, so ask at the

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Entertain your tykes with Saturday Storytime and tackle a Valentine’s Day craft at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Feb.

Share your passion with others

13. Preschoolers and their families

who share your, well, passion, at

are invited to sit back and enjoy guest

the library’s monthly Jane Austen

reader Joe Olson as well as a craft

Reading Group, which meets at

activity that’s sure to put smiles on

2:30 p.m. the third Saturday of each

everyone’s faces.

month (Feb. 20). All Austen fans are

Stick around that day until 2 p.m.

welcome; period attire is not required.

to celebrate the Chinese New Year

The Ella K. McClatchy Library is at

with the Food Literacy Center. Kids

2112 22nd St.

will learn about lucky ingredients

Did you miss the Fenix Drum

and make a traditional Singaporean

and Dance Company at the Ella K.

dish to bring happiness and fortune,

McClatchy? The troupe is performing

as well as read “The Runaway Rice

at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 23, at the

Cake” by Ying Chang Compestine.

Martin Luther King Jr. Library, so be

The Food Literacy Center was

sure to swing by for its performance

established in July 2011 to inspire

of “From Africa to the Americas,”

kids to eat their vegetables and

an energetic and interactive dance

empower students to explore new

show featuring live drumming and

foods; learn to cook healthful,

storytelling. The MLK Jr. Library is

sustainable snacks; and make smart

at 7340 24th Street Bypass.

choices. Make the new year especially

Are you itching to be artistic? The

happy when your kid masters some

Robbie Waters Pocket-Greenhaven

simple cooking! This delicious

Library has just what you need: “In

program is sponsored by the Pocket-

Creative Company,” an art class

Greenhaven Friends of the Library.

series for adults, feature the joy of

Ready for some more celebrating?

painting with acrylics at 10 a.m. on

Salute Black History Month with a

Fridays, Feb. 5, 12, 19 and 26. Learn

performance of “Zomo the Trickster

painting and blending techniques,

Rabbit Puppet Show” at 11 a.m. on

color theory and how to incorporate

Thursday, Feb. 25. This West African

it all to create vibrant paintings. All

folktale tells the tale of an ambitious

supplies will be provided through

rabbit named Zomo who, with the

a bequest from Robbie Waters.

help of Crocodile, Wild Cow and

Registration is required, so go to

Leopard, gains some much-needed

saclibrary.org

wisdom through storytelling and

Are you worried about taking a “We solve problems, renew gardens or create a garden oasis just for you.”

demonstrating effective balance

musical magic. The Robbie Waters

spill? Minimize the risk of falls and

Pocket-Greenhaven Library is at 7335

improve your balance at a special

Gloria Drive.

class series, “Balance Training 101,”

For more information on all

at 9 a.m. on Saturdays, Feb. 13,

library-related events, go to

20 and 27. Using physical therapy-

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

based balance training techniques,

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Lots of Heart SHE REACHES OUT TO KIDS WITH CARDIAC PROBLEMS

BY TERRY KAUFMAN LOCAL HEROES

efore Liam O’Brien was born, his parents knew he would be special. Liam’s dad, Mike, had a heart with a bicuspid valve—two flaps

rather than three—and there was a good chance that Liam would also have an anomaly. Liam entered the world in February 2011 with several heart defects, including a large hole in

POC FEB n 16

his heart. At six months, he had his first open-heart surgery. During his short life, Liam has had one blood transfusion, two catheterizations, two open-heart surgeries, and surgery to install a pacemaker. “This is six hospital stays, surgeries and procedures in his four years of life and is common for heart kids,” says his mom, Suzanne. She describes the blood transfusion Liam had at five months: “It took a hundred tries to get the IV in.” Today, Liam plays soccer and does the things that other kids do. “After we’ve been through something, we try to get everything back to normal,” says his mom. “We

Even more, they have been embraced and supported by Angels for Hearts, a local nonprofit whose mission is to help the families of pediatric heart patients. “We learned about Angels for Hearts from the child life specialist at the hospital,” says Suzanne O’Brien. “They’re a great asset for families of heart kids.” The organization assists the entire family, including siblings. When the O’Briens’ eighth wedding anniversary coincided with Liam’s second open-heart surgery, Angels for Hearts delivered dinner to the couple at the hospital. The principal archangel of Angels

businesswoman living on her own to a cardiac patient. “I was housesitting for my parents and didn’t feel good,” Kaufman recalls. “I called my parents and said I thought I was dying. My mom said it was probably heartburn. I was 29 years old, so I just went with it.” It wasn’t until she went to Stanford for surgery in 2004 that the puzzle came together. “No one caught that I had had a heart attack on their charts, but they did one more CAT scan,” she says. “I was at Arden Fair mall and got a call from the hospital telling me that I had an echocardiogram at 6:45 the next

want to let him do things until he can’t do them.” Through it all, the O’Briens have benefited from the expertise of the cardiologists and child life specialists at UC Davis Children’s Hospital.

for Hearts is Kimberly Kaufman. More than a decade ago, at the age of 30, Kaufman was diagnosed with congestive heart failure. She went from being a successful

morning. It was heart failure. My heart was three times its normal size. My parents were on a plane to Hawaii, and the cardiologist sat with me until we reached my parents.” HEROES page 25

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Annual Adventure THE BEST VEGGIES TO PLANT IN YOUR GARDEN

containers or small gardens, especially a variety called ‘Super Bush.’ She also likes ‘Husky Gold’ and ‘Fresh Salsa.’ Vierra and many other tomato growers select ‘Early Girl’ for an early and large crop, but I’m not a fan. To me, its firm fruit and mild flavor is more reminiscent of an adequate grocery store tomato than a succulent homegrown one.

BY ANITA CLEVENGER

Eggplants and peppers are

GARDEN JABBER

attractive, compact plants with

f you want the very best taste and

decorative flowers and fruit. I usually

highest yield from your garden

just grow ‘Black Beauty’ eggplant,

this summer, what should you

one of Vierra’s picks, but this year

plant? According to Master Gardener

I want to try a long, thin Japanese

Dan Vierra, don’t limit yourself to the

variety such as ‘Ichiban’ or ‘Fair

same kinds of vegetables year after

Bianca,’ which produces showy

year. “Make it an annual adventure,”

lavender-streaked 6- to 8-inch fruit

he advises. “Plant one or two new

reputed to have no bitterness at all.

varieties each summer. Discovering

It’s fun to have some hot peppers in

a tasty new veggie is winning the

the garden, ready to toss into salsa

gardening lottery.”

or whatever else you are cooking. Pothour prefers ‘Purple Jalapeno’

Dan Vierra and Gail Pothour are Master Gardeners who have grown

and ‘Mariachi.’ Sweet peppers can be

edibles for many years in their

more problematic. Mine often scorch

home gardens and at Fair Oaks

in the sun. Pothour says that you

Horticulture Center. I asked them

can plant them in containers at least

to recommend the best of the best,

8 to 10 inches deep, placed in a spot

focusing on those that can be grown

with afternoon shade. She and Vierra

in smaller gardens or containers.

both mentioned ‘Gypsy,’ a sweet red variety.

When talking about vegetables

If you salivate for winter squash

in Sacramento, you start with tomatoes. Vierra says that they are

yellow heirloom tomato that produces

the “king and queen” of our vegetable

a heavy crop of sweet beefsteak

(indeterminate) or bushes

gardens. He recommended a few of

tomatoes. While heirloom tomatoes

(determinate). Indeterminate

my favorites, including ‘Sun Gold,’

are the darlings of farm-to-fork

tomatoes grow and bear fruit

a sweet, intensely flavored yellow

menus, they often have lower yields

throughout the season. They can

cherry tomato that often wins awards

and softer fruit. Delicious, easier-

be confined to a limited space by

for best-tasting tomato; ‘Cherokee

to-grow modern hybrids include

staking or caging them. Determinate

Purple,’ an heirloom tomato that

‘Super Fantastic’ and ‘Brandy Boy.’

tomatoes grow several feet high

bears many great-tasting large fruit;

Vierra and Pothour both like cherry

and then produce their fruit all at

and ‘Kellogg’s Breakfast,’ an orange-

tomatoes ‘Green Doctors’ and ‘Juliet.’

once. Pothour recommends them for

POC FEB n 16

Tomatoes grow as vines

but are reluctant to devote enough space for their sprawling vines, Pothour has some suggestions. One of her new favorites is ‘Honey Nut’ baby butternut squash. “It is a relatively small vining plant, so I grow it on a trellis about 6 feet tall,” she says. “The fruits are personal size, so they are perfect for those who do not want a lot of leftover squash.”

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Another smaller winter squash is

to re-sprout even when cut back

‘Black Futsu.’ Pothour says it is

nearly to the ground, giving Pothour

very ornamental and is reported to

“baby kale for many months.”

taste a bit like hazelnuts. “I cannot

As spring approaches, you’ll begin

confirm that,” she confesses, “because

to see some of these varieties among

I cannot bear to cut into this little

the vegetable seeds and plants offered

cutie.”

for sale in many places throughout

Summer squash varieties usually

town. If you don’t want to be limited

grow as bushes, not vines, fitting

by what shows up on the shelves, you

readily into a large, deep container

can order all of these seeds online. By

or smaller garden. Pothour especially

gambling a bit and growing something

likes ‘Astia’ zucchini, ‘Zephyr’ yellow

new, you may win the jackpot.

straightneck and ‘Sunburst’ yellow patty pan. For cucumbers, ‘Bush Slicer’ is fairly compact and can be grown without support. ‘Baby Persian,’ ‘Sweet Success’ and ‘Lemon’ are also good choices grown with a trellis or cage. For those of us who crave kale but think it’s only a cool-weather crop, Pothour reports great success with ‘Tuscan Baby Leaf’ heirloom Italian kale. She planted it in a 6-inch-deep window box container. It “did just fine all summer in the shade on the north side of my house,” she recalls. A cut-and-come-again type, it continued

Anita Clevenger is a Sacramento County UC Master Gardener. For answers to gardening questions, call 975-5338 or go to ucanr.edu/sites/ sacmg. During an Open Garden on Saturday, Feb. 20, from 9 a.m. until noon at Fair Oaks Horticulture Center, Master Gardeners will demonstrate how to prune fruit trees, grapes, berries, ornamental grasses and shrubs. You can also learn the basics of planting late-winter and early-spring vegetables. The center is at 11549 Fair Oaks Blvd. n

HEROES FROM page 22 Kaufman’s parents took the next plane back to the mainland, and their life was forever changed. An angiogram confirmed that Kaufman had experienced not heartburn but a “widowmaker.” A pacemaker was implanted and she was fast-tracked for a heart transplant. Then she was taken off the list: A unique constellation of conditions rendered her ineligible. As she was absorbing the sobering fact that she would spend what was left of her life on “comfort and care,” Kaufman noticed that there were children on her hospital floor, in the adult cardiac ICU. She asked why they weren’t at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital next door and was told that there weren’t enough beds for all the pediatric heart patients. “I had been raised to do for others,” she says. “It was almost Christmas, so I asked the nurses for a wish list. I cleared out my savings account—$100—and asked my mom if we could go shopping for the kids. We spent $249.90 at Target and snuck into Lucile Packard to leave presents

3001 P St. Sacramento, CA

from Santa. The next year we raised $5,000 so that the kids could experience the pure joy of getting gifts from Santa. We filled four SUVs with toys, and we also brought gift cards to the child life specialists.” Angels became a nonprofit in 2008 and has raised $175,000 to date for patients and their families at Stanford, UC Davis and Sutter hospitals. In partnership with First Tee, it sponsors I (Heart) Golf camp, where heart kids can enjoy a heartfriendly sport year-round. In alternate years, Heart Kids Rock and When I Grow Up programs are held. This year, Angels was chosen as the Open Your Heart chairs for the American Heart Association’s Heart Ball. “I don’t think I would still be here if it weren’t for this work,” says Kaufman with stark candor. “They can’t help me, but I can help someone else. I get to create my legacy and see it while I’m still here.” To learn more about Angels for Hearts, go to angelsforhearts.org. Terry Kaufman can be reached at terry@1greatstory.com. n

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Closer In A COUPLE ABANDONS THE SUBURBS FOR A NEW LIFE

BY JULIE FOSTER HOME INSIGHT

hen looking to move from their El Dorado Hills home, Stacey and David Friedman were driven by two goals. “We were looking to move closer to my son’s school, Sacramento County Day,” Stacey explains, adding that they were also “looking for a more urban experience than we had been living.” In 2013, the couple purchased a 3,700-square-foot Arden Oaks ranch-style home built in 1962. The structure’s interior was dark. It sported popcorn ceilings and funky

POC FEB n 16

Though the house required extensive modernization, the couple wanted to retain the feel of the original ranch house. multilevel spaces that had been added by a previous owner. In 2007, the kitchen had undergone a remodel that needed updating. There was water damage from the existing swimming

pool, and the 40-year-old landscaping was out of control. “Pretty much the whole house was gutted,” Friedman says. “It was a makeover in and out.”

The project took four months to complete. The Friedmans worked with John Packowski’s architectural firm, Concept Studio. The construction work, including the addition of a master suite and studio, was performed by contractor Ken Dyer. “We really enjoyed working with Ken and consider him a true friend,” says Friedman. Numerous unexpected framing issues arose due to previous remodeling projects. Though the house required extensive

“This is the first time I have ever had this in my life,” she says. “I don’t have to put summer or winter things away, and I can still keep everything super organized.” The couple’s new bath contains a claw-foot slipper tub, two sinks and an oversized shower with a stationary shower head and a separate hand-held shower head. The couple’s El Dorado Hills home featured lots of dark furniture and a color palette of greens and browns. Friedman, who loves the beach, chose a different color scheme for the Arden Oaks house, opting for soothing blues and plenty of white. She re-covered many pieces of her furniture to complement the house’s new, fresh look. Pinterest provided her with inspiration.

While using a pry bar and reciprocating saw to remove a built-in desk and wall unit, she discovered buried treasure.

modernization, the couple wanted to retain the feel of the original ranch house rather than create a grandiose structure. While Dyer took charge of remodeling, Friedman pitched in. She picked out all the lighting and plumbing fixtures as well as the carpet, doors, cabinet and door hardware and kitchen and outdoor appliances.

“I did all the sourcing and running around and paid for the materials. Then, Ken would pick up the materials,” she says. “I was doing a lot of running around during the remodel.” Throughout the house, excluding the bedrooms, the hardwood flooring is 10-inch-wide wire-brushed planks. An indoor brick rotisserie/ barbecue in the family room became a gas

fireplace. A wet bar was transformed into a home theater with space for the family’s collection of DVDs and a flat screen mounted on a wood panel. A whole-house fan cools the home during the summer, and a tankless water heater helps conserve energy. The new master suite has two super-sized walk-in closets, one for Friedman and one for her husband.

Friedman likes having a creative project going all the time, a characteristic she inherited from her grandmother. The guest room is adorned with a collection of her grandmother’s quilts, which the family uses. “She was always doing something with her hands,” Friedman says. Friedman puts her hands to use as well. While using a pry bar and reciprocating saw to remove a built-in desk and wall unit, she discovered buried treasure. “I found gold bullion coins and silver mint sets totaling nearly $24,000 underneath the floorboards of the built-in desk,” she says. Friedman contacted the previous homeowner’s daughter, who was thrilled to have the coins returned to her family. HOME page 28

POC n INSIDEPUBLICATIONS.COM

HOME FROM page 27 “Apparently they belonged to her brother and he had forgotten where they had been hidden,” she says.

“We love our Arden Oaks neighborhood and our lovely neighbors, many of whom have been here 40 years.” Friedman’s new studio is a light-filled delight. It’s the perfect spot for creating and photographing her stunning jewelry pieces. Friedman buys antique and vintage jewelry at auction and repurposes it for contemporary use. Her lavish pieces are especially favored by brides. She got the idea for the business while reconfiguring her grandmother’s costume jewelry. “I started messing with her costume jewelry, wondering how I could take this stuff and actually wear it,” she explains. JWA Landscaping & Concrete Construction of Folsom began reinvigorating the landscape in 2014. A 60-foot tall cypress tree was cut down. Overgrown vegetation was removed. The pool and the surrounding area were resurfaced. Lemon, lime and peach trees were added to the existing pear, grapefruit and orange trees. According to Friedman, the entire project was a labor of love.

POC FEB n 16

“We don’t miss living in the distant suburbs one bit,” she says. “We love our Arden Oaks neighborhood and our lovely neighbors, many of whom have been here 40 years.” If you know of a home you think should be featured in Inside Publications, contact Julie Foster at foster.julie91@ yahoo.com n

POC n INSIDEPUBLICATIONS.COM

A Mighty Noise SOUND ON OR SOUND OFF DURING GAMES? RANDY PARAGARY EXPLAINS

understand what’s going on? When did we grow dumb as sports fans? Since I don’t hang around bars much anymore, I talked to someone who makes his living around them: Randy Paragary, who has owned dozens of bars in Sacramento over the past half-century, more than anyone else. Paragary is known as a restaurant guy, but he still owns bars in Midtown, downtown and on R Street.

BY R.E. GRASWICH SPORTS AUTHORITY

y history with sports bars goes back a ways, back to the time before sports bars were invented. In those days, there were bars owned by sportsmen—typically retired ballplayers—and sports fans gathered there to drink, smoke, argue, whine and brag. But nobody would have said they were sports bars. The term didn’t exist, not the way it exists today, when a sports bar is a place where people sit around in replica NFL jerseys. The old bars for sports fans were cocktail lounges with one or maybe two TV sets. If the TV worked, it would be tuned to a boxing match or a baseball or football game. And bars had strict rules when it came to television. The TV was reserved for sports: no soap operas, comedies, talk shows or news, unless the news was big, globalcrisis stuff, the kind of news that’s introduced by an announcer who says, “We now take you to the Oval Office ...” And there was another rule. The sound was always off. No exceptions. In Sacramento, San Francisco or

POC FEB n 16

The question of who watches what on which TV can be a problem, especially in bars with numerous screens and competing loyalties.

Randy Paragary

Boston, TV silence was the rule in bars. I bring this up because it’s Super Bowl time, which prevails in our contemporary fractured media world as the only scheduled TV event that everybody watches together. Sadly, I doubt I can find a bar with the courage to show the Super Bowl with the sound turned off, old-school style.

(Amazingly, it’s hard to find a bar that keeps the sound off when the Kings are playing. There should be a city ordinance to prohibit Kings TV audio in bars, but that’s another story.) All of which begs some questions: Why do people in bars today want to hear sports commentators? Don’t we trust ourselves to watch a game and

“You’re right. Back then, no bar had the sound on during a sports event,” he says. “People didn’t want to hear commentary. And we still tend to lean in that direction today, though we’ve made some adjustments.” At Paragary’s bars today, places such as R15 at 15th and R streets, the sound comes up only for the big events: the Super Bowl, World Series, NBA Finals. Interest in those championship matches is so supreme and pervasive, with people riveted on every nuance, that it would be almost cruel to keep the sound down. But there’s another exception, an interesting one, not an exception I would have anticipated.

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Learn more at bsac.saccds.org In bars where Paragary has several NFL games running simultaneously, his staff will intentionally turn up the volume to generate the sound of excitement—the ambience of a football stadium luxury suite. “We’ll have them all going at once, so nobody can even hear what’s being said on any of the TVs,” Paragary says. “It creates a crowd noise that works well as ambience. It’s basically white noise.” He only deploys this trick with football—and only when multiple NFL games are overlapping on

multiple screens. It won’t work in bars like Paragary’s Esquire Grill at 13th and K streets, which is essentially a big restaurant with a small bar up front and one lonely, orphan TV. At restaurants like Esquire, Paragary doesn’t bother to buy the special license required to show full packages of NFL games. Licenses are based on room capacity, not the number of TV sets in the room. Esquire is a big restaurant and would cost about $6,000 to license. So the

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bar’s lone TV muddles along with basic cable sports, minus the sound. At all Paragary bars, customers ask for the sound to be turned up for routine sports events. When that happens, staff members politely explain the policy, noting that other customers prefer listening to soft music while they eat and drink. Sports fans tend to be understanding folks, so it’s not a big problem. The question of who watches what on which TV can be a problem, especially in bars with numerous

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screens and competing loyalties. This dilemma can be acute during the NFL season. It’s not unusual for a Sacramento bar to be inundated with Buffalo Bills fans, for reasons nobody understands. The solution: The staff checks the broadcast schedule and prints little signs to hang below each TV, displaying where individual games will be shown. End of argument. Another round, anyone? R.E. Graswich can be reached at reg@graswich.com n

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‘And Now, With Further Ado ...’ WRITER RELEASES COLLECTIONS OF HIS BUSINESS JOURNAL COLUMNS

am I tubby? (2) Since I never drink diet sodas, why am I tubby? “When I’m not snarking about things like the above, I also write profiles of movers and shakers in California’s capital, and also of people who neither move nor shake but are worth meeting anyway (and are less likely to cause dizziness).” Goldman started writing these occasionally pointed, often poignant columns in August 2011. “God only knows when I’ll knock it off and get a real job—one with a health plan, retirement benefits and office parties featuring Midge From Accounting’s famous rum balls,” he writes. “In the meantime, pour yourself a bowl of Cheerios and enjoy.” “And Now, With Further Ado…” is available on amazon.com. For more information or to follow Goldman’s column, go to bizjournals.com/ sacramento.

BY JESSICA LASKEY RIVER CITY PREVIEWS

f you’re in need of a good laugh and a great read, look no further than Sacramento Business Journal columnist Ed Goldman’s second book of humorous essays and profiles of prominent Sacramentans, “And Now, With Further Ado: More GravitasDefying Profiles and Punditry from the Sacramento Business Journal,” which hit shelves on Dec. 25 and is now available on Amazon. Now, I’ve gotta come clean: This is partly a shameless plug for the book because I happen to be Goldman’s daughter (if you’re a longtime reader of this paper, you might remember when my byline shared his surname before I got married in 2011), but this is also a true recommendation for a collection of sensational stories that I’ll let Goldman describe himself. “In these pages you’ll learn that … most government studies are funded by the little-known Department of Obvious Outcomes (itself, a division of the Agency of Foregone Conclusions); The main goal of weathercasters during storm season is to scare the living hell out of us; and it’s now perfectly acceptable to enjoy a bowl of Cheerios for dinner. “Ever the investigative journalist, I also warn of an impending tax on

POC FEB n 16

OOHS AND ‘AWS’

Ed Goldman's second book is available in stores and on Amazon

yoga classes; that eight hours or more of sleep per night may be bad for us (unless they aren’t); and that there are just too many guys named Dave to distinguish one from another. “I also attempt to convince you that there’s a demon in my smartphone

named Otto Correct, and I raise two significant questions: (1) nly Since I drink only y diet sodas, why

Fans and aficionados of watercolor, unit The 148th unite! exh exhibition of the cel celebrated American Wa Watercolor Society will be on display at the Sa Sacramento Fine Arts C Center in Carmichael f from Feb. 20 through A April 9. The AWS was founded in 1905 by 11 New York painters who initiated a traveling exhibit that quickly became worldrenowned.

Today, the tour is considered one of the premiere watercolor shows in the world, with more than 1,200 artists from the United States and 12 foreign countries submitting their art to a panel of jurors for the chance to tour museums and galleries across the country. This year’s selection will include 40 pieces by internationally acclaimed artists Mike Kowalski, Cheryl Fausel and John Salminen, as well as four of California’s own: Frank Eber,

Mike Bailey, Qian Gao and Myrna Wacknov. Don’t miss your chance to see the best and the brightest the watercolor world has to offer right here in your own hometown. Want to get in on the act at the get-go? Don your finery for the Art and Music Gala from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 20, to celebrate the opening of the exhibition. For tickets, call 971-3713 or go to sacfinearts.org.

Kathleen Conover is one of the artists on display at the American Watercolor Society's show

Celebrate Black History Month at Crocker's Free Family Festival on Feb. 21. Photo courtesy of Suzanne Hambleton.

The Sacramento Fine Arts Center is at 5330-B Gibbons Drive in Carmichael.

AS LUCK WOULD HAVE IT Did you know that this month marks the Chinese New Year? Celebrate the Year of the Monkey with the Crocker Art Museum at Art Mix “Zodiac” from 5 to 9 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 11, and then stick around for fun events all month long. For the first time ever on Feb. 11, the Crocker is presenting a lunar/ Chinese New Year celebration, inspired by the blockbuster installation of Ai Weiwei’s “Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads” exhibition. Go wild for Chinese lion dancing, rock out to performances by the Sacramento Mandarins Drum & Bugle Corps, be mesmerized by illusionist Jade, feast your eyes on an East-meets-West fashion show, and boogie down as DJ-in-residence Larry Rodriguez spins hits from every Year of the Monkey from 1956 to 2016. And don’t forget to dress in the auspicious color red—it just might be your lucky day! Art Mix is free for museum members and free with general admission for nonmembers. Enjoy food and drink discounts during happy hour from 5 to 6 p.m. and $5 drink specials all night. Love is in the air for up-and-coming musicians at the Crocker’s Classical Concert at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 14, when the Saturday Club presents its scholarship winners. Each year, Sacramento’s oldest musical organization selects five student musicians from area colleges who are well-versed in piano, vocal, string, woodwind and brass to perform a classical repertoire designed to showcase their talent, technique and artistry. Black History Month is upon us, and what better way to celebrate than with a Free Family Festival from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 21? This year’s annual Black History Month Celebration will honor the mavericks, the innovators and the

nightingales with a host of live performances, hands-on activities, mini-talks and a community bazaar featuring artistic creations inspired by the African diaspora. The Free Family Festival is presented in collaboration with the Sojourner Truth Multicultural Art Museum and Sacramento Juneteenth. 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.

RAVISHING RACHMANINOFF Rabid for Rachmaninoff? Serious about cirque? Don’t miss this month’s offerings from the Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera, “Ravishing Rachmaninoff” on Saturday, Feb. 20, and “Cirque de la Symphonie” on Saturday, Feb. 27 at the Community Center Theater. The program on Feb. 20 will include “Four Sea Interludes” by Benjamin Britten, Symphony in C by Igor Stravinsky and Piano Concerto No. 2 by Sergei Rachmaninoff. The concert will be performed under the able baton of conductor Case Scaglione, and Behzod Abduraimov will perform on piano. Ready to see aerial acrobats drop into the Community Center Theater? Each gravity-defying feat of “Cirque de la Symphonie” will be accompanied by the dulcet tones of the Sacramento Philharmonic under conductor Michelle Merrill. The program will feature acrobats, the aforementioned aerialists, contortionists, strongmen and jugglers executing their high-flying acts alongside the Philharmonic’s dazzling musicianship. For tickets and more information, call 808-2000 or go to sacphilopera. org. The Community Center Theater is at 1301 L St.

DO IT If cool, conceptual art is your thing, check out “do it,” the world’s longestPREVIEWS page 34

POC n INSIDEPUBLICATIONS.COM

For more information, go to vergeart.com. The Verge Center for the Arts is at 625 S St.

THE PLAY’S THE THING

Don't miss the R. Donald Satterlee photo exhibit at ARTHOUSE on R

PREVIEWS FROM page 33 running exhibition (by design) at the Verge Center for the Arts through March 20. The conceptual exhibition, curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist, is based on written or drawn instructions from various artists, resulting in a new version of itself with each location it’s shown. The project began in Paris in 1993 as a conversation among Obrist and collaborators Christian Boltanski and Bertrand Lavier, who were curious to see what would happen if they started an exhibition that would never need to stop. To test the idea, Obrist invited 12 artists to propose artworks based on written “scores” or instructions that could be openly interpreted every time they were presented. The instructions were then translated into nine languages and circulated internationally as a book. In the 20 years since Obrist, Boltanski and Lavier created the

POC FEB n 16

original written instructions, “do it” transformed into an exhibition format that could be more flexible and open-ended. Each time it was presented, it was re-interpreted and new versions of the exhibition were formed, including “do it (museum),” “do it (home),” “do it (TV),” “do it (seminar)” and an online “do it” in collaboration with e-flux, among others. Twenty years on, “do it” has taken place in more than 60 venues worldwide and includes nearly 400 artists from across the globe. For the exhibition here, Verge has chosen 20 instructions from a compendium of 250, and will present them in the form of realized objects, performances and public engagement. Participating artists will include Felix Gonzalez-Torres, Amalia Pica, Stephen Kaltenbach, Yoko Ono and Rirkrit Tiravanija.

Bindle Rindell is a disgruntled English professor, failed novelist and reluctant “could be” father to a surprise 15 year-old daughter. But things are looking up. He’s getting married to his beloved Emmy in a few days—that is, if he can placate her former boyfriend, a part-time bookie who goes by the ominous name “Bluetooth.” Thank goodness we’re only talking about a play! Carter Lewis’s hilarious and poignant play “Echo Location” is receiving its world premiere at B Street Theatre through Feb. 28. The show is a wild ride full of fun, family and, ultimately, love. It’s also being considered by the National New Play Network to be a Rolling World Premiere, meaning B Street would be the first of at least three theaters nationally committed to a full production. What a boon that would be to award-winning playwright Lewis, who teaches Introduction to Playwriting, Advanced Playwriting and Dramaturgy at Washington University in St. Louis. Prior to that, he was the resident dramaturg and playwright-in-residence for the Geva Theatre Center in New York. For tickets and more information, call 443-5300 or go to bstreettheatre. org. B Street Theatre is at 2711 B St.

PHOTO (SUR)REALISM “Atmospheric” is a very apt title for the current show at ARTHOUSE on R. Donald Satterlee’s photographs are ethereal, haunting, evocative and downright beautiful. Come see for yourself at the exhibition, which runs through March 8. Drizzly streetscapes and soothing fogscapes are Satterlee’s favorite subjects, images that leave the viewer both peaceful and intrigued. (The artist thanks his long career in advertising and teaching for his technical expertise and talent for

composition.) The exhibit includes some of Satterlee’s most iconic black-and-white images that include Northern California landmarks as well as the San Juan Islands and Venice, Italy. Meet Satterlee in person at the Second Saturday reception from 6 to 9 p.m. on Feb. 13. For more information, call 212-4988 or go to arthouseonr.com. ARTHOUSE on R is at 1021 R St.

THE GREAT OUTDOORS Tired of being cooped up in the house while the weather warms? Grab the kids and a pair of sturdy boots for a plethora of free weekend activities at the Effie Yeaw Nature Center in Ancil Hoffman County Park. At 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 6, take a guided river stroll hike along the American River and enjoy the sights and sounds of this special ecosystem. At 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 7, “Story Time with a Naturalist” will feature some tantalizing tales of creatures, people and nature the whole family will enjoy. At 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 13, the “OH, Deer!” program will have you hitting the trails to see what our local deer population is up to as winter approaches an end. At 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 14, Critter Corner will be transformed for Valentine’s Day. Get eye to eye with the nature center’s slimy, scaly or feathered residents and show some love as you construct handmade valentines to be displayed on the animals’ enclosures. ($1 suggested donation for each valentine displayed.) At 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 20, “Birding for Families” will bring the clan together for a birding and nature walk led by a naturalist and special guest guides from the Sacramento Audubon Society. (Birdwatchers of all levels welcomed. Make sure to bring your binoculars, or borrow a pair from the center.) At 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 21, “Whooo, What, Where, How!” will help you uncover the mysteries of owls: what they eat, where they sleep,

how they find food and more. You can even get a close-up look at a live owl! At 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 27, “Critters of the American River” will help you learn to tell the differences among reptiles, mammals and birds. Learn all about local wildlife by examining skulls, furs, feathers and even live animals up close. At 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 28, take in the oddly beautiful California native plant that plays host to the Pipevine Swallowtail butterfly and join a naturalist on a hike to see if any “Dutchman’s Pipe” is blooming in the nature study area. For more information on all programs, call 489-4918 or go to sacnaturecenter.net. The Effie Yeaw Nature Center is at 2850 San Lorenzo Way in Carmichael.

NEW BEGINNINGS Age is only a number, and that’s never more true than it is for the members of the California State University, Sacramento, Renaissance Society, which will showcase its photographic work in the exhibit “Around the World, Around the Corner” at the CSUS Library Gallery during the month of February. The Photography Exhibit Group, led by Tom Monahan, is made up of 14 senior citizens who participate in the CSUS Renaissance Society, a lifelong learning program that offers more than 80 seminars to its more than 2000 senior members. Rub elbows with these sensational seniors at the gala opening at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 4, in the CSUS Library Gallery. For information, contact Laurene Fitzpatrick at 832-4780 or go to csus. edu.

The California State University Sacramento Library Gallery is at 6000 J St. on the CSUS campus.

COMMON THREADS Peel back the layers (though not literally—you might ruin the art!) at the SMUD Gallery’s current exhibition, “Common Threads: Layers,” on display through March 2. The exhibition, co-curated by Sacramento-based artist Robert-Jean Ray and SMAC Art in Public Places Program Curator Lorrie Kempf, showcases the artwork of artists from the across the Greater Sacramento region who utilize the process of layering and/or who depict layered imagery in a variety of mixed media, including paintings, drawings, collage and more. Artists include Stevee Duber, Dave Hennessey, Merle Axelrad, Jill Allyn Stafford and Barbetta Lockart. For more information, go to smud. org or sacmetroarts.org. The SMUD Gallery is at 6301 S St.

LOVE BLOSSOMS Wow your sweetie this Valentine’s Day with a handmade bouquet. Don’t know where to begin? Sign up for Relles Florist’s DIY class from 10 to 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 6, and learn everything you need to know to fluff up that flora to lure your lover. Relles will provide a variety of Valentine’s Day flowers, a container and greens as well as provide important tips on floral design and flower care. The shop also will provide the tools, but you should bring your own apron if you want to keep

yourself looking spruced up for the big date. The class is $35 for adults and $10 for children ages 5 through 10 (one adult is required for every two children). For more information and to register for the class, call Relles Florist at 441-1478 or go to rellesflorist.com. Relles Florist is at 2400 J St.

CARING FOR THE CAREGIVERS If you are taking care of a loved one who is suffering from dementia, get the support you need at a free support group meeting for caregivers offered by the city of Sacramento in partnership with the Alzheimer’s Association from 3 to 4 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 12, in the Cypress Room at the Hart Senior Center in midtown. These monthly support group meetings provide education and emotional support to remind caregivers they are not alone, giving them a chance to say what they’re feeling in a supportive environment and to learn new strategies and about resources in the community. Care for loved ones with memory loss can be provided while attendees are at the workshop if arrangements are made in advance. To attend, RSVP to Chantell Albers at 808-6475 or email calbers@ cityofsacramento.org. The Hart Senior Center is at 915 27th St. Jessica Laskey can be reached at jessrlaskey@gmail.com . Please email items for consideration by the first of the month, at least one month in advance of the event n

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A Moving Update FINDING THE UPSIDE IN DOWNSIZING

in our gated park makes it quiet

and Becky’s home. We brought our

modest move was admirable, but

enough to be a golf course. The only

beds, our art, our favorite chairs, our

most questioned why we’d trade

noise comes from the Shar-Peis and

family photos, golf clubs and holiday

a manicured subdivision for a

poodles yapping through open porch

decorations.

manufactured home surrounded by

doors as retired residents bid them

industrial parks.

to stop. Flags wave and wind chimes

Some of my readers thought our

However, one reader in particular—let’s call her “Mrs. Chaplain”—thought my columns

BY NORRIS BURKES SPIRIT MATTERS

ast month, I was speaking in Elmira, N.Y., when a reader posed the question I’ve been

continually asked since July when I wrote about downsizing my life. “Tell us how life in your mobile home is going.” As the TV news anchors say, if you’re just now joining this developing story, you should know that my wife and I sold our fivebedroom McMansion and moved into a 40-year-old double-wide mobile home in South Sacramento.

sing while bird feeders sway above cleanly swept porches. She particularly likes the wildlife

overstated the downside of our

in the park, where some days she sees

downsizing. Normally, Becky is my

a gaggle of geese crossing the road.

best editing voice, so I listened to her

She’s fond of watching the covey of

insistence that I write a retraction

quail that scurry below the shrubs

for exaggerating the negatives and

and the nest of rabbits that scamper

understating the positives.

for their holes.

I told her it was hard to see those

When I admit to her how I

positive attributes during my morning

sometimes miss our cavernous two-

fitness routine that has me crossing

story house, she pushes back.

a dangerously busy street to join a running path along the southern side

“You don’t miss our house. You miss our neighbors.”

of an electronics plant. As I round

She’s right.

the backside of the compound, I turn

We miss our old cul-de-sac. We

north along the railroad track where

miss the fix-it advice we got from

homeless folks rise from their camps

Melvin and the good food we got

in overgrown fields and from beneath

from Thomas and Lupe. I even miss

creek bridges.

sharing Neighborhood Watch stories

Nevertheless, Becky thinks that I

with Michelle, the nurse across the

should emphasize the upside of our

street. I don’t really miss Mike’s

downsize. For instance, the security

practical jokes, but I could use more of Les’ golf tips. Gratefully, we’re staying in touch with old friends, but we’re also making new ones. My young neighbor, Taylor, built a gate for me to keep my yapper dog inside our patio. My other neighbor, Joe, attends church with me and also watches our home when I’m on speaking engagements. So, you ask, how are you are doing with your downsize? I think we’re doing well. That’s because we took with us those things that make our house into Norris

POC FEB n 16

But, more important than furniture and mementos, we brought a sense of ourselves into our new home. But, more important than furniture and mementos, we brought a sense of ourselves into our new home. We brought our adventurous spirit, our consciousness of togetherness and an understanding of what is essential in life. We brought our faith. Maybe that’s what Proverbs 24:3-4 means: “By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches.” Hopefully that answers the question. And hopefully Mrs. Chaplain won’t think I downplayed the downside of downsizing. Couldn’t resist that one. Norris Burkes is a chaplain, syndicated columnist, national speaker and author of the book “Hero’s Highway,” about his experiences as a hospital chaplain in Iraq. He can be reached at ask@ TheChaplain.net n

SACRAMENTOPHILHARMONIC & OPERA

Ravishing

THEATRE GUIDE THE REALISTIC JONESES Thru Feb 6th B Street Theatre 2711 B St, Sac 916 443-5300

Two couples, both named Jones, become neighbors in a small town. As their lives begin to intertwine, they discover they share more in common than just a name. In this exceedingly funny and clever show, playwright Will Eno examines mortality, marriage, and the way people deal with the unexpected randomness of life.

THE MOTHER F**CKER WITH THE HAT

DRIVING MISS DAISY

Thru Feb 14 Sacramento Theatre Company 916 443-6722 1419 H St. Sac sactheatre.org This heart-warming, Pulitzer Prize-winning play deals with the relationship of a Southern Jewish woman, Miss Daisy, and her black chauffeur, Hoke, from 1948 to 1973. While Daisy initially views Hoke’s presence as an imposition, the two unlikely foes eventually find ways to care for each other in this touching story about the meaning of friendship and, ultimately, family.

Thru Feb 13 Big Idea Theatre 960-3036 1616 Del Paso Blvd, Sac BigIdeaTheatre.org

LOOK BACK IN ANGER

GET YOUR TICKETS IN ADVANCE ……SOLD OUT PERFORMANCES !!!!!Jackie, a paroled former drug dealer, is finally clean and sober, freshly employed, and madly in love with his childhood sweetheart. But when he discovers a strange hat in the apartment, the new life he has struggled to build threatens to come crashing down, prompting him to seek the assistance of his slick sponsor and loyal cousin. As tensions boil over, Jackie must face painful truths about his road to recovery. This profane and poignant comic tragedy, tackles love and other addictions, with raw immediacy, piercing honesty and savage humor.

A classic from the 1950’s is where the term “angry young man” came from, a movement of writers and artists lead by John Osborne speaking out against the political and economic system of their time. A love triangle involving an intelligent but disaffected young man, who marries the woman he thinks he loves, and her haughty best friend, Helena Charles.

HAPPY ARMENIANS

Feb 19 – Feb 28 California Stage Theatre 916 451-5822 2509 R St, Sac CalStage.org Elly Award-winning playwright and director Aram Kouyoumdjian returns for the Sacramento premiere. A funny, imaginative, and poignant rumination on love, war, and the burdens of history. Happy Armenians upends the world order of today by casting Armenia as a modern empire in its parallel version of history.

LOVE AND INFORMATION Thru Feb 28 Capital Stage 476-3116 2215 J St. Sac CapStage.org Sacramento Premiere

Someone sneezes. Someone can’t get a signal. Someone won’t answer the door. Someone put an elephant on the stairs. Someone’s not ready to talk. Someone is her brother’s mother. Someone hates irrational numbers. Someone told the police. Someone got a message from the traffic light. Someone’s never felt like this before. In this fast moving kaleidoscope, more than a hundred characters try to make sense of what they know.

Thru Feb 7 Geery Theatre 916 214-6255 2130 L St, Sac

Rachmaninoff Saturday, February 20, 2016 • 8:00 pm Sacramento Community Center Theater Case Scaglione, conductor Behzod Abduraimov The piano sensation who rocketed to fame following his 2009 win at the London International Piano Competition.

cirque de la

symphonie Saturday, February 27 • 8:00 pm Sacramento Community Center Theater Michelle Merrill, conductor

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ECHO LOCATION

Thru Feb 28 B Street Theatre 2711 B St, Sac 916 443-5300 Bindle Rindell is a disgruntled English professor, failed novelist and reluctant “could be” father to a surprise 15 year old daughter. But things are looking up. He’s getting married in a few days. That is, if he can placate her former boyfriend, a part-time bookie that goes by the ominous name “Bluetooth.” Love, acceptance and family are examined with hilarious results.

POWER ON EARTH

Feb 4th Sacramento State 6000 J St, Sac - Union Ballroom 916 278-6997 Darryl Van Leer’s signature, high-energy tour-de-force performance dramatizes events in the lives of eight prominent AfricanAmericans of the 19th & 20th centuries. Led by the angelic narrator Gabriel, the audience is taken on a tour and comes face to face with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, Thurgood Marshall, Marcus Garvey, Frederick Douglass, Nat Turner, and blues greats Muddy Waters and Robert Johnson.

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Words of Art THIS CREATIVE FINDS LANGUAGE IN EVERYTHING HE DOES

BY SENA CHRISTIAN

Nevada foothills in eighth grade. He

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

attended Sacramento State University to pursue a music degree but

ryan Valenzuela, his girlfriend

floundered in the department, which

and their dog, Angus, live on

he didn’t find unorthodox enough

T Street in the upstairs flat

to suit his interests. Then he took a

of a Victorian house built in 1910.

class that explored how color theory

An old piano and wood table furnish

translates to music and felt pulled

the dining room, along with a large

to the art department. “I started

bookcase that covers a whole wall top

messing around and trying to find my

to bottom. The shelves are lined with

way through painting and drawing,”

some historical classics—Shakespeare

he says.

among them—and many modern

His post-college years involved

ones, like David Foster Wallace’s

working at restaurants and hotels

“Infinite Jest.” Presently, Valenzuela

until 2010, when he landed a job as

finds himself consumed with the novel

an art preparator at Crocker Art

“Cloud Atlas” by David Mitchell, an

Museum. Nowadays he earns a living

author he describes as brilliant.

from a combination of the museum

“I’m kind of a big reader,”

job, selling his original artwork and

Valenzuela explains a little

touring with Exquisite Corps.

sheepishly. But on this day, the

He has done four solo exhibitions

36-year-old doesn’t have much time

in Sacramento and appeared in a

for hunkering down with a good book.

couple dozen group shows, including

He’s in another type of hibernation

one at Shimo Center for the Arts in

mode: creating original artwork

2013. He was invited to participate

worthy of display at the two gallery

by prominent ceramic sculptor Tony

shows he already has lined up, one at

Natsoulas. “Bryan is a very creative

Blue Line Arts in Roseville, the other

and gentle soul,” Natsoulas says. “His

at Beatnik Studios in Sacramento.

work is beautiful and obsessive, two of

Valenzuela’s creations—whether

the traits I respond to. It is amazing

mixed-media visual art or songs

the effort he goes through to make a

for his rock ’n’ roll band, Exquisite

work of art and is so successful at it.”

Corps — reflect his love of the written

Valenzuela was one of 20 local

word. Often on canvas, he’ll apply a

artists commissioned to participate

gel transfer of blown-up text as the

in a public art project by CADA

background beneath layers of acrylic

and the Sacramento Metropolitan

paint and pen and ink. “I think my

Arts Commission to create a series

initial inspiration for why I do work

of designs on vinyl to wrap around

with words is I feel like I’ve been

utility boxes downtown. His designs,

trying to represent the idea that there

“Meta Mirror I” and “Meta Mirror

is language in everything,” he says.

II,” can be seen on the corners of

“It’s what makes up the world.”

8th and O streets and 7th Street and

Born in Orange County, Valenzuela moved with his parents to the Sierra

POC FEB n 16

Capitol Avenue. The scenes show Painter and musician Bryan Valenzuela

people walking, their eyes cast down

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as they look at cell phones in their

Just like his music, Valenzuela’s

hands, oblivious to the beauty and life

visual art continually evolves. He

around them. Perhaps a passer-by will

considers his paintings less “heavy”

see a mirror image of himself.

than before, possibly, he says, because

“Public art is amazing because

he’s let go of youthful angst and has

it’s right there in the public forum

figured some big stuff out in life.

for the community to talk about, or

“Maybe I just feel happier,” he says.

be inspired by, or question or have a

“I just feel I’m where I’m supposed

conversation about,” Valenzuela says.

to be and doing what I’m supposed to

More recently, his piece “A

do.”

Bittersweet Sanctuary” won Best in Show at the California State Fair. “I’m stoked about it,” Valenzuela

To see Bryan Valenzuela’s work, go to bryanvalenzuela.com n

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says. For this creation, he layered several elements on two pieces of canvas sewn together vertically: a collage of words, two fish, splashes of blue, two feet and legs and gold squares. The finished art—after five months of work—reflects an ongoing

Couch potato no more.

theme of order and chaos. Meanwhile, Exquisite Corps, now in its fifth year and almost as many incarnations, has recorded its third album and recently hit the road for a West Coast tour this fall. “It’s hard to not love being in a band with your best friends,” Valenzuela says. (The trio of band mates has been buddies since high school.) “He’s one of the smartest people I know,” says Exquisite Corps drummer and harmony singer Robby Dean. “The way he’s able to produce art and music so effortlessly is truly unique. He’s a handful sometimes, and like any true artist, he can be egocentric. But it’s that quality that makes him great. We have been in a band together since we were 15.

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I remember when he couldn’t even draw, and now he’s a masterful painter.”

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Simply The Best CASK & BARREL SERVED THIS WRITER’S FAVORITE MEAL OF 2015

BY GREG SABIN RESTAURANT INSIDER

an. 1 is a day of reflection, a day to look back at the 300plus days that came before and try to find the peaks and valleys that stick out among the flatlands. For a food writer, standout meals are the mile markers that we remember the previous year by. We recall the flavors, the servers and the company. We think back to the culinary innovations and the classic presentations. We recognize trends, those preparations, themes and ingredients trending up and, invariably, down. For me, a dinner at newcomer Localis stands out. The food was art. The service was casually interactive yet professionally attentive. The flavors were on point. A lunch at Flaming Grill stands out. The little shack on El Camino still prepares the most generous piece of ahi you can find in town, served on a bun, with a craft beer to wash it down. The rough cinderblock-andasphalt surroundings have become comically homey by now. A breakfast at Taqueria Maya’s stands out. The ridiculous proportions of the old-fashioned A-frame building on Broadway, the tortillas made fresh in the sunny doorway, the mariachis roving from table to table, an apparent 60 years between their oldest and youngest member. A dessert at Devine Gelateria & Café stands out: made-from-scratch gelato eaten under the summer stars on a back patio rich with bougainvillea. But as I write this during the reflective month of January, there

POC FEB n 16

Start off your meal with some bourbon caramel chicken wings from Cask & Barrel

is one meal that stands out as the best, without reservation and without equal: dinner on the last Tuesday of the year at the newish restaurant Cask & Barrel. Sure, it may have been the company. I did, after all, have the pleasure of sharing the evening with

my amazing wife and two dear friends from high school, one a local attorney, the other a successful filmmaker from Los Angeles. Even if the restaurant had been a complete failure, the evening still would have been a joy and filled with laughter.

Company aside, however, this evening was made spectacular by the inventive recipes, the brilliant service and the convivial atmosphere that are par for the course at Cask & Barrel. Open less than a year, Cask & Barrel is making a go of it in the restaurant space formerly held down by Enotria. It’s a difficult location (the corner of Del Paso Boulevard and Arden Way) to get folks on the grid to come out to, and an even harder destination for south-of-town residents to approach. It’s a fairly easy drive for those in Arden Arcade, and within walking distance for my friends in Woodlake. The heralded revitalization of Del Paso Boulevard has been “coming soon” for most of my 40 years on this planet, and while there hasn’t been a strong reason to think that “this is the year,” the opening of Cask & Barrel at least gives anyone from any part of town a reason to frequent the area. The food can most easily be described as upscale barbecue, but the words are too simple to sum up what C&B is offering. Sure, there are smoked meats, but there’s also foie gras. Sure there are hush puppies, but they’re served with a paprika emulsion. Sure, there’s brisket and ribs, but there’s also smoked duck and house-made sausage. Inspiration is undoubtedly found in the American South, but also the state fair midway and the finest white-tablecloth joints in San Francisco, LA and New York. Take, for example, C&B’s corn dogs. This is not mere battered tube meat on a stick. It’s mildly outrageous and subtly highfalutin decadence. The kitchen starts by making foie gras sausage. (Yes, you read that

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The dining room at Cask & Barrel on Del Paso Boulevard

right.) Then they throw that sausage on a stick and coat it with a rustic cornmeal batter. Then, some seasonal dipping treats are concocted to finish off the dish. (In December, the treats were fuyu persimmon mustard and date-and-bacon jam.) If that’s how they treat corn dogs, just imagine what they do to the burger. (Hint: They make only 10 per night.) This isn’t fussy dining. This isn’t a place where you’re afraid to laugh heartily and moan deeply while chewing. Presentation is artful if not beautiful. Wood planks and castiron skillets are the service items of choice, and nearly every dish is served family style. Yet the service is whitetablecloth all the way. Never once are you asked to keep your fork.

The whiskey selection is topnotch. The desserts, from maple bacon cheesecake to chocolate fried pie, are so ridiculous as to make my cholesterol go up just thinking about them. The meal, from beginning to end, simply leaves nothing to be desired. Which is why, after 300-plus days of eating and 1,000-plus meals, my favorite meal of 2015 was eaten on the last Tuesday of the year, with good friends and good humor, at Cask & Barrel, a restaurant that was as close to perfect for one night as a restaurant can be. Cask & Barrel is at 1431 Del Paso Blvd.; 922-6792; caskandbarrel916. com. Greg Sabin can be reached at gregsabin@hotmail.com. n

Not everyone has a water meter. We are fast-tracking our meter program to complete all installations by 2020. Out of fairness, everyone should pay for their water based on a metered rate. Plus, meters help customers save water and money. We will also replace old, aging pipelines. Fixing Critical Wastewater Systems We have work to do on the combined and separated sewer systems. Critical projects include replacing old pipelines and constructing underground storage facilities. These projects will help us stay in compliance with federal and state regulations. We serve more than 480,000 residents with pride, responsibility and accountability. They’re your utilities. We invite you to learn more about our plans, rates and process at YourUtilitiesYourCommunity.com.

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This Month at the Market

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

BROCCOLI

CABBAGE

MEYER LEMON

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

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

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

RADISH

SWEET POTATO

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

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

BLOOD ORANGE

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

POC FEB n 16

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WE’RE YOUR NEIGHBOR! sold

SOUTH LAND PARK

Location, location, location! 3 bd, 1.1 bth on a .26 acre lot loaded with nostalgic décor and owned by original family. Buyers will love hilly tree-lined streets & proximity to Land Park. $449,500 NICK LAPLACA 916-764-7500

pending

POCKET

Charming 4 bed, 2.5bth with spacious rooms, updated kitchen & baths, newer tile, laminate & carpeting, recent paint, double staircase, backyard decking, covered patio & garden area. $359,500 NICK LAPLACA 916-764-7500

COMMERCIAL-COURTLAND

This property is ideal for auto or boat business. There is a 1 bed, 1 bth apartment in the shop. Great place to store all your classic cars & motorcycles or have your own AG repair business. Just minutes from downtown Sacramento! $450,000 TERRY MULLIGAN 916-768-3796

pending

YUBA CITY

Great 3 bed, 2bth, 1858sf home! Vaulted ceilings throughout, sep. family room w/¿replace, living & formal dining combo. Wood Àoors in kitchen, tile counters and nook with outside access to patio. Come see to appreciate! $270,000 JIM DUSA 530-632-4699

SACRAMENTO

BEAUTIFUL! Freshly painted, new tile Àoors in kitchen, laundry & bath, new carpet in all bedrooms, dual pane windows, new ¿xtures, new ceiling fans throughout, new HVAC. Huge back yard! $135,000 MARTHA MACIAS 916-616-6600

ELK GROVE

Contemporary 4 bed, 2 bth with a Mediterranean touch. High ceilings, beautiful gleaming laminate Àooring, stainless steel appliances, open Àoorplan, ¿replace, covered patio & tile roof. $325,000 MARTHA MACIAS 916-616-6600

pending

GATED RIVERLAKE HALF-PLEX

Updated ½ plex in gated Southshore in Riverlake. Kitchen w/ granite counters, gas cooktop & newer appliances, HVAC 3 years, skylights, newer metal roof, professionally landscaped backyard. Access to lake, docks & picnic areas! $429,900 NICK LAPLACA 916-764-7500

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GREENHAVEN-PARK PLACE SOUTH

Wonderful opportunity to own a great ½ plex that is move in ready. This highly desirable home has fresh paint, new carpet and newer dual pane windows. Affordable HOA dues that include ext. maint, roof & front lawn care. $260,000 BRANDON SHEPARD 916-479-1936

Good to Know.™

NEW HOMES IN MARYSVILLE

New construction and others are available! Granite counters throughout, ceiling fans, stainless steel appliances. 1,504 SF to 2,110 SF. Professional décor selections interior & exterior. Tile roof, front yard landscaping. $242,900-$285,900 JIM DUSA 530-632-4699

916-422-3756

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